• Mark Zuckerberg's new yacht, Launchpad, is enjoying its summer debut.
• The megayacht recently stopped in Mallorca and has since ventured further into the Mediterranean.
• It looks like Zuckerberg may dethrone Jeff Bezos as king of this year's superyacht season.

Move over, Jeff Bezos. Mark Zuckerberg is looking like this summer's Poseiden.

While the Amazon founder made waves last year with the debut of his megayacht Koru, Zuckerberg is the name on the yacht world's lips this season.

Rumors began surfacing in March that the Meta CEO had purchased Launchpad — a Dutch-built, 118-meter motor yacht originally built for a Russian oligarch.

By May, the transaction seemed all but confirmed when both the yacht and Zuckerberg made their way to Panama to celebrate his 40th birthday with a fete that included a few spins on his infamous hydrofoil.

Now that summer is here, Zuckerberg has debuted Launchpad — and her support superyacht Wingman — on the biggest stage in the yachting world: the Mediterranean.

Zuckerberg this month treated his family to a trip aboard Launchpad off the coast of Mallorca. The family, sporting matching t-shirts, celebrated Father's Day and Zuckerberg's dad's 70th birthday, he wrote in a caption posted to Instagram. Local news outlets spotted Zuckerberg, his wife Priscilla Chan, and their three daughters on the Spanish island and aboard the yacht, which was outfitted with water slides and other toys.

From there, the yacht sailed to the Ligurian Sea, the spit of the Mediterranean between the Italian Riviera and Corsica.

It's likely the yacht will continue to crisscross the Mediterranean this summer. If Zuckerberg continues to post photos of his travels, we may glean more details about how he has customized the ship to his liking.

For now little is known beyond the fact that she is built by Feadship, the shipyard behind Larry Ellison's Musashi. Photos from SuperYacht Times show Launchpad features a large swimming pool and helipad. The final purchase price is not public, but a new yacht of that size would likely cost nine figures upfront and millions of dollars a year to maintain.

Perhaps, like Bezos did last year, Zuckerberg will entertain some of the most famous names in entertainment or business. (Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, had an engagement party last year aboard Koru that counted Bill Gates and Leonardo DiCaprio as guests. On Friday, Bezos and Sanchez were spotted riding wave runners in the Aegean Sea alongside Kim Kardashian near the 127-meter yacht). Alternatively, Zuckerberg might prefer the privacy that is paramount to many in the superyacht world.

Whether Zuckerberg shows up as a bon vivant or doting family man this summer, Launchpad fits well into one of the most successful CEO rebrands in recent years, in which Zuckerberg went from being perceived as a robotic, mistrusted tech nerd to a kind-of-relatable, fun, fit tech bro.

Now he's got one of the largest yachts in the world to add to his cool factor (even though, regrettably for Zuckerberg, it is a mortifying nine meters shorter than Koru).

• Hong Kong investment banker Gladys Tsoi, 29, has taken her adopted toy poodle to Japan twice this year.
• For the second trip, she spent $38,000 to fly on a private jet with her dog.
• She hopes to plan another trip for her two other dogs soon.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gladys Tsoi, a 29-year-old dog owner and investment banker based in Hong Kong. This essay has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified Tsoi's receipts.

In April, I treated my toy poodle, Hershey, to a luxurious vacation in Japan. We traveled there together on a private jet.

It was the second time we'd traveled to Japan together in four months. The first flight, from our home base in Hong Kong, was on a commercial airline and cost me $10,100. The second trip came with a significantly higher price tag of $38,000. Despite the hefty expenses, I have no regrets about splurging on my furry companion.

Years of saving while working full-time at an investment bank have given me the capacity to comfortably spend this much on vacation. I also earn additional income with my pet influencer Instagram account, where I occasionally get paid for partnerships and brand collaborations.

I wanted to give Hershey a better life

In 2021, I came across a Facebook post about a toy poodle that had been subjected to abusive breeders and needed a new home. I wanted her to have a better life, so I initiated a trial adoption. After one week, we made it official, marking the beginning of Hershey's journey from a neglected past to a life filled with love and adventure.

At the time, Hershey was two and a half years old, and I already had two other dogs: Milo, a 9-year-old mutt, and Malibu, a 1-year-old labradoodle.

I'm 29 and have been dreaming about traveling abroad with my dogs for years. I decided that this was the year to do it.

My family and I chose Hershey, among my trio of dogs, due to her exceptional temperament. I had full confidence she'd cope with the plane rides and adapt to the new environment.

Planning these journeys took about a year, from securing a reliable pet travel agent and managing import-export paperwork to multiple vet check-ups and extra vaccinations to meet Japan's stringent medical standards for pets. Securing flights with pet-friendly seating and accommodations added to the stress. But it was all worth it in the end.

I chose Japan for its pet-friendly culture. Finding accommodation, dining options and parks open to dogs was easy. Pets are even allowed on public transport if they're in a carrier.

And as a big fan of Japanese pet products, the destination was an ideal fit.

Hershey's first trip overseas was in January 2024.

Our first trip to Japan included two other poodle friends, while our second trip in April 2024 was a family affair with my parents and brother.

The first was an epic road trip covering over 1,200 miles, spanning seven prefectures and including stops in Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Hakuba, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Izu.

We flew to Tokyo on Korean Air, transiting in Seoul, and returned via Japan Airlines cargo. This involved many flight procedures, including securing a pet seat and handling Hershey's paperwork and check-ups.

We took advantage of the city's pet-friendly offerings during our stay in Tokyo. We stayed in Inumo Shibakoen Hotel, which had amenities like capsule machines with pet supplements, free professional pet photoshoot sessions, free pet grooming, and a gourmet pet dining menu. We explored iconic landmarks like Tokyo Tower and Shibuya Crossing.

There were plenty of pet-friendly restaurants, including one with tailored teppanyaki meals — where we all watched the meat being prepared on the grill.

We went glamping under Mount Fuji, and Hershey had her first snow experience in Hakuba. In Kyoto, we immortalized our trip with a traditional photo shoot, where Hershey and I wore matching kimonos. In Nara, Hershey got to mingle with friendly Japanese deer. In Osaka, we wandered into pet-friendly shops, and in Izu, we went hiking around Mount Omuro.

For the second trip, we opted for a private jet both ways.

Our second trip, which took place in April, lasted 8 days and covered 10 prefectures. We focused on Kyushu, an island in southwestern Japan.

Our road trip took us through Fukuoka, Oita, Yufuin, Kumamoto, Beppu, Nagasaki, Yanagawa, Sasebo, and Itoshima. Our main goal was to witness Japan's spring flower season. Opting for a private jet made this journey simpler compared to our first trip, with our pet travel agent handling all flight arrangements seamlessly. Hershey and I took the private jet, while the rest of the family flew over separately.

We enjoyed Fukuoka's countryside charm. A local photographer captured family moments amid cherry blossoms, and Hershey explored pet-friendly flower parks.

In Oita and Yufuin, glamping by Mount Aso provided a tranquil retreat, while Hershey savored local attractions like Yufuin floral village and Yanagawa's rivers. Sasebo offered a European vibe with tulip fields, while in Kumamoto we went strawberry picking and visited the zoo.

In Kumamoto, we stayed in a private lodge run by a local family. It was equipped with a doggy gym, professional dog grooming room, dog park, and private onsen.

We enjoyed Beppu's natural hot springs the following day and stayed at Hotel Nampuro in Nagasaki. The hotel had a three-course pet-friendly dining menu.

Next time, we will probably bring another pup along.

Both trips came with hefty price tags, especially round two when I opted for a private jet. The cost of hotels added up to around $5,000. In hindsight, every cent was well spent.

Some may consider my splurges excessive, but witnessing the pure joy on Hershey's face is what gives my life meaning and purpose.

For our next trip, I'm contemplating bringing one of my larger canine companions, either Milo or Malibu, along for the journey.

Got a personal essay about traveling abroad in luxury that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.

• I use my Costco executive membership to pick up easy meal options for my household of two.
• The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken makes its way into my cart on almost every Costco trip.
• The Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. deep-dish double-pepperoni pizzas are a delicious, easy dinner.

Despite not having a large family to feed, I've been shopping at Costco for more than 20 years. I pay $120 annually for an executive membership, which comes with a 2% reward of up to $1,000 on qualified Costco purchases.

Like many of Costco's over 129 million members, I look for groceries that provide great value. My wife is a teacher, and I work from home, so we're not always able to make a meal from scratch on busy days. That's why having some easily prepared options is essential.

Here are some of my favorite easy meals to get at Costco.

Prices may vary by location.

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken always
goes in my cart.

Whole odes have been written to Costco's rotisserie chicken, and for good reason. At $5 per chicken, I almost always bring one home after a Costco trip.

I use the breast meat for Caesar salads and shred the leftovers to make a big batch of chicken salad for the week's lunches.

I also like to reheat the thighs, wings, and drumsticks in the oven to crisp up the skin for a quick indoor barbecue.

The Kirkland Signature yakisoba chicken stir-fry kit is as good as a restaurant meal.

I like to skip ordering out and pick up a Kirkland Signature stir-fry kit, which I think is just as good as my local takeout restaurant.

The kit includes noodles, chicken, mixed vegetables, and a soy sauce that tastes similar to Chinese-dumpling sauce. Preparing this meal takes about five minutes, and I generally get at least three servings out of it.

This meal costs $6 per pound, which comes out to about $20 total.

If I want a quick, Italian-inspired meal, I grab a Kirkland Signature lasagna.

Lasagna is serious business in my Italian family, so I was initially skeptical about trying the Kirkland Signature frozen lasagna. However, I'm so glad I finally did.

It might not be as good as my grandmother's recipe, but it also doesn't take all day to make. I find the combination of sausage and beef more flavorful, as the two meats create a spicy sauce. But the all-beef version is also very good, especially for those who don't eat pork.

The Italian-sausage-and-beef lasagna was $16.80, and the beef version was $18 at my store.

I can't always find great Detroit-style pizza, but the Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. deep-dish double-pepperoni version is pretty good.

True, delicious Detroit deep-dish pizza is loaded with pepperoni and baked on a crust that's somewhere between Chicago and Sicilian-style pizza. Unfortunately, I find this quality isn't easy to come by outside Detroit.

Thankfully, the Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. frozen versions are pretty close to their fresh counterparts and take less than 30 minutes in the oven. Each two-pack of pizza is $13 at my store.

The Kirkland Signature Caesar-salad kit with dressing, croutons, and lemons makes an easy side or main dish.

This kit includes everything needed for Caesar salad: romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and creamy Caesar dressing. I pick up one of these with my rotisserie chicken to make an easy Caesar salad for two in a few minutes.

Each salad is $4.50 per pound, which comes out to about $8 to $9 per container.

The Ajinomoto Tokyo-style shoyu ramen with chicken always satisfies my cravings for noodles.

Though Costco's deli has excellent noodle-centric options, I like keeping some easy meals in my freezer. These restaurant-quality ramen bowls are loaded with noodles, chicken, scallions, and mixed vegetables in a flavorful soy-based sauce.

Each box of ramen was $18 at my location.

If I want seafood, I go for the Kirkland Signature shrimp cocktail.

Sometimes, I like to top the Kirkland Signature Caesar-salad kit with shrimp for an extra delicious (and fast) meal. A 1-½ pound container of shrimp may seem like a lot for two people, but it never goes to waste.

I find the shrimp stays perfectly fresh for at least three days in the refrigerator. Shrimp cocktail is a fun treat to have on hand for snacking, but I also like to use the leftovers for a scampi.

Each container of shrimp costs $9 per pound, which is about $14 to $15 total.

If you're looking for a comfort meal, check out the Kirkland Signature beef pot roast with gravy.

The Kirkland Signature beef pot roast is a great comfort-food option. The rich, delicious sauce tastes very similar to a homemade version, and the flavor of the USDA-choice beef shines through.

The package doesn't contain vegetables, so I enjoy the meal with a fresh salad and a hunk of crusty bread. My Costco sells each container of pot roast for $7 per pound, which is about $21 total.

Sometimes, the Kirkland Signature chicken street-taco kit is the perfect dinner.

The only time I don't bring home a rotisserie chicken is when I choose the Kirkland Signature street-taco kit instead. This taco kit, which contains spiced chicken, shredded cabbage, cheese, tortillas, salsa, and cilantro-lime crema, is as delicious as it is easy to prepare.

If you need extra sauce, several brands of cilantro-lime crema are available at many Costco locations. This kit costs $5 per pound, which comes out to about $14 to $15 per container.

I feel like the Kirkland Signature cheese pizzas give me a lot of bang for my buck.

With four pies in a package, the Kirkland Signature frozen pizzas are an exceptional value. I like to add toppings about halfway through reheating these in the oven, but they're also delicious plain.

Each four-count box of pizza is $11.

Click to keep reading Costco diaries like this one.

• Apple, Samsung, and Google are all turning to AI to inject new life into their devices.
• They'll be using it to sell phones to consumers who've become less enthusiastic about them.
• It signals a new era in the fight between smartphone makers, which used to be vicious and intense.

You almost certainly own a smartphone, though you probably feel like you've owned the same one for years.

Where industry giants like Apple and Samsung once waged fierce smartphone wars to give consumers increasingly high-tech devices to put in their pockets, these devices have become ubiquitous and quotidian in recent years, their capabilities seemingly plateauing.

With billions of people owning smartphones, the companies selling them have had to do less to convince users to buy them.

Competition may have died down but the original smartphone wars were so intense for Steve Jobs he once declared that he'd start a "thermonuclear war."

The late Apple founder was furious about Android, the smartphone operating system Google unveiled just 11 months after the first iPhone was unveiled in January 2007. He felt Apple's hard work had been stolen.

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong," Jobs said, according to an account in his authorized biography by Walter Isaacson.

The animosity went beyond Google. Apple executives were infuriated in 2010 by the Samsung Galaxy S, which they thought was a carbon copy of the iPhone. Samsung's decision to partner with Google to integrate Android into its devices — after years of being a key supplier to Apple — caused more bad blood.

Years of fierce litigation over alleged patent infringements followed, and intense gamesmanship as smartphone makers vied to sell consumers on their visions of pocketable hardware.

Though some years have passed since these bitter feuds — a court settlement in 2018 over patents may have played its part in ending them — there are signs that a new era of the smartphone wars is about to begin. This time, it is about to be supercharged by AI.

Smartphone wars in the AI era

The smartphone market has been lagging. Statistics from data firm Canalys showed that 1.14 billion smartphones were shipped in 2023, down 4% from 2022.

People seem to be holding onto their existing phones for longer, too. Data published in November by business services firm Assurant found that the average age of devices traded in or upgraded was just over 3 1/2 years. The industry had come to expect consumers to upgrade every one to two years, but it's hard to blame consumers for the shift.

Apple has often unveiled new iPhone models that look nearly identical to the one before. New features can seem incremental or pointless, too. The iPhone 15 Pro, which has the same 6.1 inch "Super Retina XDR display" as the iPhone 14 Pro, swapped its ring/silent switch for an "action Button." A 6-core GPU replaced a 5-core one. The story is similar for Samsung's Galaxy series and Google's Pixel phones.

But generative AI looks like it will end the era of small changes.

Apple, Samsung, and Google are all loudly talking about how they will use the technology to inject new life into their devices.

Earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off day one of the company's Worldwide Developers Conference by revealing Apple Intelligence, a suite of new AI features aimed at revamping the company's full roster of hardware and set to be released later this year.

The company said that, on iPhones, Apple Intelligence would help users "enhance their writing" on everything from emails, messages, and documents to summarizing audio and enhancing virtual assistant Siri. Apple has also struck a deal with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to integrate the buzzy chatbot more deeply into its operating system.

iPhones drove more than half the company's revenue — $200.6 billion of its $383.3 billion net sales in its last fiscal year.

The company will be banking on Apple Intelligence being a hit with consumers, potentially revitalizing sales in markets like China. There, people are lapping up new devices from domestic rivals, such as Huawei's Mate 60 Pro. According to figures from Counterpoint, Chinese iPhone sales dropped 19% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024.

Google and Samsung have been just as busy.

Last month, Google demoed its AI assistant, Project Astra, at its I/O conference. Supported by its multimodal Gemini model, it's been designed to provide real-time conversation and support on Pixel phones. The new slate of Pixel phones, usually revealed in the fall, will be showcased on August 13 instead.

The company also announced other AI features, which would help detect nuisance calls, create and drop AI-generated images into apps like Gmail, and allow users to quickly retrieve information from huge PDFs by asking simple questions.

At an event in Paris next month, Samsung is planning to reveal updates to "Galaxy AI," its attempt to introduce "meaningful intelligence" with communication that will feature on its Galaxy S24 smartphone lineup.

The South Korean tech giant must be hoping to regain its crown as king of the smartphone market. It lost it last year, data from market research firm IDC shows, as Apple secured the largest market share.

The market may have begun to feel stale after years of uninspiring updates to products you already own, but as they harness and build hype about AI, smartphone makers see 2024 as an open playing field.

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

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, a roundup of our top stories. New York City started its closely watched clampdown on short-term rentals like Airbnb last year. So far, it's mostly benefited the hotels: occupancy and room rates are way up.

On the agenda today:

• A former SAP account manager is breaking her NDA to speak out about a workplace sexual assault.
• CEOs and pro quarterbacks have to take this cognitive exam. Now you might, too.
• Google studied Gen Z's actions online. What they found was alarming.
• Private-equity firms might be taking their "Hunger Games" recruiting tactics too far.

But first: High-status jobs are facing their AI moment.

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

This week's dispatch

AI is here

Investment banker. Consultant. Software engineer. Venture capitalist. They're among the best-paid and highest-status jobs in corporate America.

They're also about to be transformed by AI.

Goldman Sachs plans to have AI tools available to its workforce as soon as next year, with the potential to change the roles of junior bankers in particular.

Consulting firms are also adapting to a deluge of client questions about implementing AI. One senior partner at McKinsey told Business Insider that helping clients use generative AI might become most of the firm's work in the future.

In Silicon Valley, the use of AI copilots in software engineering has become so common that there's a debate over whether to allow these tools in technical interviews where job applicants have historically been asked to showcase their expertise.

Some venture capitalists have gone further, using AI to replace associates.

The impact of AI on these professions demonstrates the sharp difference between this technological revolution and earlier advancements. Whereas in the past, lower-wage workers felt the effects of automation and increased competition, this time, it's white-collar workers who face the biggest impact.

That includes me. I used AI to help edit this newsletter.

A former SAP employee breaks her NDA

After Ashley Kostial reported being raped by a colleague during a work trip, she felt pressured to sign two nondisclosure agreements — one with SAP and its subsidiary, Ariba, and one with her insurance provider, Aetna.

She's decided to risk coming forward now because she views the NDAs she signed as unjust — and wants to see the use of NDAs ended for other victims of sexual assault.

Read the full story.

The new job stress test

If you think getting a job now is tough, wait until you add this test into the mix. Administered by testing company S2 Cognition, the evaluation feels like a cross between playing Pong and taking an eye exam.

It's used by the NFL and college teams to scout top athletes, but it's rapidly spreading beyond sports. The company is now serving law enforcement, the military, and even the boardroom. Your job might be next.

More about the high-pressure test.

Google's Gen Z study

Researchers at Jigsaw, a subsidiary of Google, unearthed alarming findings about Gen Z's internet habits. They know the difference between hard news and AI-generated memes — they just don't care.

Instead of trying to fact-check online news, Gen Z tends to rely on other users' opinions to inform their own. In the age of influencers and cancel culture, they're taking cues from their peers rather than traditional forms of authority.

Inside Gen Z's online habits.

PE "Hunger Games"

Private equity's annual recruiting process kicked off earlier than ever this year, sending young bankers into a frenzy. The process is already a strain on junior bankers, and earlier start dates add to the stress.

BI spoke with a headhunter and a former junior banker about the pros and cons of an earlier-than-ever start — and what PE firms actually gain from the process.

Here's what they said.

Also read:

• Top private-equity firms, including Apollo and KKR, just kicked off 2026 associate recruiting. Wall Street juniors are shocked and scrambling.

This week's quote:

"We're playing chase."

— An Amazon employee on the company's ChatGPT competitor, Metis. Amazon is far behind other companies, which have long had AI chatbots.

More of this week's top reads:

• The biggest scandal in gaming right now, explained.
• Netflix's co-CEO explains the price hikes for ad-free plans.
• Citi Wealth's horrible tech is infuriating clients and employees.
• Job-hunting is a nightmare right now, with power back in employers' hands.
• Tal Alexander will step down from his brokerage firm amid rape allegation.
• The fastest-growing career in the US is in wind power. Here's how to land a job.

• See the résumé that helped this worker get a $350,000 job at Google.

  ---

  The Insider Today team: Matt Turner, deputy editor-in-chief, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

• Peter Thiel said he only lets his kids use screens for 1.5 hours a week.
• There is a growing push by US officials to regulate the use of social media among children.
• Other tech CEOs, like Evan Spiegel and Sundar Pichai, also limit their children's screen time.

Social media for thee, but not for me. Or my kids, says Peter Thiel.

During a conversation with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on Thursday, Thiel, the cofounder of PayPal and the first outside investor in Facebook, revealed that he doesn't like his kids spending too much time in front of screens during the week.

Sorkin asked Thiel about the recent announcement from US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy that his office would push for labels on social media platforms warning about the dangers they pose to children's health. Meta, Facebook's parent company, is also facing a lawsuit from 33 states that says Facebook and Instagram harm young people's mental health.

Thiel said it's "too easy" to turn Big Tech into a scapegoat for "all our problems." Still, he said there is an "interesting critique one could make" about the fact that many social media executives limit screen time for their kids.

Thiel said he allows his own children just an hour and a half of screen time a week. Thiel's children are young — 3 and 5 years old — so such a limit seems reasonable. But children are using the internet at increasingly younger ages, prompting concern about raising a generation of "iPad kids."

Thiel isn't the first tech leader to admit that they strictly limit their children's screen time. Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said he also limits his 8-year-old's screen time to one and a half hours a week.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai previously said he didn't give his middle-school-aged son a cellphone and that all televisions in his home are locked with an "activation energy" that makes watching TV not easily accessible.

• Hybrids are more popular than ever.
• Regular hybrids are a better deal than plug-ins right now.
• Even if you pay an initial upcharge, a hybrid can save you money in the long run.

Hybrids are having a moment as demand for electric vehicles cools.

These vehicles — which come in plug-in varieties or with hybrid engines that don't need to be charged at all — offer an attractive compromise for a new, more practical green car shopper that is dominating the market.

These shoppers are turning to bridge technologies like hybrids and plug-in hybrids, reviving a segment once thought by some to be a relic of the pre-Tesla automotive industry.

The high demand for hybrids dispels a misconception about electric vehicles: that interested buyers don't exist.

Recent studies have proven that shoppers are very interested in switching to a more environmentally friendly vehicle — they're just more likely to consider a partially battery-powered car over a pure electric vehicle.

The industry is adjusting accordingly. GM is reversing its plans to skip hybrid models in North America, while rival Ford is leaning more heavily on its existing hybrid lineup.

Tesla's Elon Musk is even blaming the current hybrid craze for his company's softer sales in the first quarter, calling out an industry-wide prioritization of hybrids for cutting into EV sales.

But if you're heading to the lot in search of a partially battery-powered car, you should know that not all hybrids are created equal.

A regular hybrid is a better deal than a plug-in right now

Regular hybrids tend to be cheaper than their plug-in counterparts.

The average price paid for a regular hybrid is around $41,000, compared to around $56,000 for plug-ins. For comparison, the average fully electric vehicle sold for $56,648 in May, according to Cox Automotive.

Shoppers who are turning to hybrids after ruling out a fully electric car often live in areas with limited access to charging, creating the same issue of finding places to fuel a plug-in hybrid.

The sticker price for a hybrid is much easier for the average consumer to swallow, but even if you're paying an upcharge from a gas-powered car, you can end up making that money back.

A study from Consumer Reports in late 2023 found that these cars, on average, end up saving drivers $5 in fuel savings for every $1 spent in increased purchase price.

In addition to fuel savings, hybrids also offer maintenance benefits similar to that of an electric car, which requires less frequent maintenance than an internal combustion engine, Consumer Reports found.

On average, hybrids studied by Consumer Reports cost $2,785 to maintain over a 10-year period, compared to $2,320 for a battery-electric car.

These numbers are adding up for car shoppers, too. Hybrid sales have been on the rise since the start of the year, bolstering brands like Toyota and Ford, which have heavily incorporated these cars into their current lineup.

• Companies are increasingly offering fertility benefits to employees, and not just in tech.
• Progyny CEO Pete Anevski said fertility benefits are especially attractive to millennials right now.
• Benefits like IVF, egg freezing, and more can help attract top talent.

Getting access to fertility benefits through your employer used to feel like a luxury reserved for workers at major tech companies. Not anymore.

More and more companies from many different industries are offering fertility benefits to their employees. Benefit plans vary but can include coverage for infertility treatments, egg and sperm freezing, adoption, and surrogacy, among others.

"This is no longer nice to have. This is a must-have," Pete Anevski, the CEO of fertility benefits provider Progyny, told Business Insider of fertility benefits, adding that he thinks it's only a matter of time before different industries will realize they need to offer them too.

When Progyny launched in 2016, many of its early clients were indeed tech companies, primarily on the West Coast. But today they serve more than 460 companies across over 45 different industries. Some of their clients include Microsoft and Google, but also Nike and MassMutual.

"The good news is today it's no longer industry-specific," Anevski said, adding, "It was at the beginning."

Megan Garner, a spokesperson for Carrot, another fertility benefits provider, said their 1,000-plus clients span just about every industry: financial and legal services, automotive, manufacturing, retail, food and beverage, tech, entertainment, sports, and more.

Fertility benefits plans range widely and can include many different treatments and services that could be partially or fully covered by the employer, depending on the plan. Many companies offer fertility benefits by partnering with providers like Progyny and Carrot, which offer customizable plans.

Garner said some Carrot customers choose to cover $5,000 in fertility care for an employee over their entire time with the company, while others will cover over $80,000.

Some of the best fertility coverage offered by Progyny can include things like unlimited rounds of IVF treatments or $40,000 or more to go toward surrogacy, according to Anevski.

Regardless of plan details, the trend lines are clear: the number of companies offering fertility benefits to their employees rises every year, and many companies that already offer them continue to expand their coverage. As of 2022, 54% of US employers with 20,000 workers or more offered fertility benefits for IVF treatments, Fortune reported, citing benefits consultant Mercer.

Offering great fertility benefits is one way companies can compete for top talent, especially millennials and younger professionals. A recent HR Brew/Harris Poll found that, overall, 63% of respondents thought companies should offer fertility benefits to employees. That number was 73% for Gen Z and millennials.

The poll found that the number of respondents who reported that their employer offered fertility benefits doubled from December 2022, when it was 6%, to March 2024, when it was 12%.

Garner said they found that 90% of people who get fertility benefits through Carrot said they are more likely to remain at their company because of their Carrot plan.

Millennial workers make up the lion's share of the workforce

Anevski said fertility benefits are especially important as they are currently being utilized by millennial workers, who make up the largest share of the workforce today and are having children later in life than the generations before them.

"The societal trend of everybody waiting long and longer to have a baby is real," he said.

As women have become less likely to have children under 30, more women are having children well into their 30s or 40s, which has, in turn, increased demand for fertility treatments and benefits.

Anevski said many of its clients also add to the benefits they offer employees each year, adding that over the past two years, more than 20% of its client base has expanded benefits in some way.

"The opposite also isn't happening," he said. "Even though the last two years were a tougher macroeconomic environment, nobody cuts the benefit back."

One aspect that's becoming more common for companies to offer is egg freezing.

"Fertility preservation, when people are waiting longer and longer to have a baby, is really important," Anevski said. "If you think about it, it's preventative medicine."

Anevski expects the number of businesses and industries offering fertility benefits will only increase, especially as top talent comes to expect it as part of a desirable job.

At this point, he thinks it's just a matter of timing as to when companies will offer them, not if.

• China could take control of Taiwan without even launching an invasion, a think tank report says.
• The report says that China could use a "quarantine" of Taiwan to exert control over the island.
• The report comes amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan.  

China could take control of Taiwan without ever having to invade, a prominent think tank has said.

China has long seen Taiwan as a breakaway province destined to come under Chinese control, but Taiwan views itself as distinct from the mainland, with its own government and constitution and a staunchly pro-independence president.

While China has not ruled out using force to take control of Taiwan, it may be able to exert its power over the island without resorting to military means, according to a report by the Washington DC-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

China could initiate a full or partial "gray zone" quarantine of Taiwan using its coast guard and other law enforcement agencies to restrict access to the island's ports, per the report.

This would not completely seal off the island from the world, but it would "assert China's control over Taiwan by setting the terms for traffic in and out of the island," the report says.

"A key goal is to compel countries and companies to comply with China's terms. If foreign actors largely comply with the quarantine, it strengthens China's narrative that it has control over Taiwan and undermines Taipei's sovereignty claims," it adds.

How a quarantine could play out

The China Coast Guard and China's Maritime Safety Administration would likely lead a quarantine, patrolling the waters around the island and intercepting any vessel that might breach the quarantine's terms.

They could be supported by other air, naval, cyber, missile, and other forces "to intimidate Taiwan, deter outside intervention, and provide crucial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance," the report says.

It follows another report that was published last month by experts from the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War, which looked at the idea of a potential Chinese "coercion campaign" that would also fall short of an invasion but would still bring Taiwan under Beijing's control.

China has already begun carrying out certain elements of such a campaign, launching increasing military exercises around the island.

The report also noted that while the US must still prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, the possibility of a coercion campaign represented a "significant gap in US strategic thought."

However, Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told CNN: "Historical evidence shows that even severe blockades have limited coercive value, and a limited quarantine might result in a rally around the flag effect."

Why a quarantine could suit China

A quarantine might appeal to China for several reasons, the CSIS report says.

Firstly, unlike an invasion or blockade, the latter of which the CSIS defines as a "military-led campaign to significantly curtail the flow of traffic into Taiwan," a quarantine "would not be seen as an act of war."

"It is also more reversible and would not require closing off the Taiwan Strait," the report adds.

Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is obliged to ensure that Taiwan with the means to defend itself — but there is no stipulation on whether US forces would be sent in the event of an invasion. Despite this, President Joe Biden said in 2022 that US forces would defend Taiwan should China invade.

However, a "law enforcement-led gray zone operation" would complicate any third-party intervention, per the CSIS report.

Tensions between China and Taiwan are increasing by the day

Relations between Taiwan and China remain on a knife edge.

At a conference in Singapore earlier this month, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said that the idea of peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan was being "eroded" by Taiwanese separatists and external forces.

"We will take resolute actions to curb Taiwan independence and make sure such a plot never succeeds," he said.

In April last year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that Taiwan was at the "core" of China's interests, according to a press statement, adding: "If anyone expects China to compromise and concede on the Taiwan question, they are having a pipe dream and would shoot themselves in the foot."

Beijing has also continued to launch military exercises around the island.

Last month, China began the two-day exercise "Joint Sword" around Taiwan, carrying out "joint sea-air combat readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, and joint precision strikes on key targets," per Chinese state media.

The training included mock strikes by fighter jets and drills with a number of naval vessels.

Further large-scale drills occurred in April 2023 and August 2022.

China's armed forces have been able to "essentially start mounting an increased tempo of these large-scale drills that have a lot of the makings of a blockade," Tom Shugart, a former US Navy officer and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank, previously told BI.

He added that the recent May exercises showed that China's fleet was "very well suited" for a blockade or quarantine of Taiwan.

• Marta Magarelli moved to Florida from Brazil when she was 24. 
• She started as a housekeeper before working her way up to running households with teams of staff.
• She now works in Palm Beach, where homeowners pay high salaries for the best housekeepers.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marta Magarelli, 60, a housekeeper in Palm Beach, where housekeepers are in high demand. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her employment.

I left Brazil when I was 24 in 1987 and moved to America. I was meant to attend school in Florida for just a few months to learn English, but I fell in love with the man who became my husband, and we settled in Florida together.

I began working as a housekeeper across several houses — cleaning, washing, and cooking.

I'm a perfectionist, which makes me good at what I do. It's helped me earn the trust of the homeowners, or, as we refer to them in the industry, "principals," and foster close relationships with them.

I gradually worked up to cleaning bigger and grander houses in South Florida, getting jobs through recommendations and newspaper ads. Now, I work as the executive housekeeper for a family in Palm Beach, earning far more than I ever imagined.

Becoming an executive housekeeper

Housekeepers are on their feet a lot. Once I had young children, I was too tired to keep jumping between different houses.

In 2009, I moved to working in a more senior role for just one new household. The principals were seeking an executive housekeeper, so I stepped up. Even though I hadn't had experience as an executive housekeeper before, I never let that stop me from taking on a new challenge. You can always learn on the job.

Many principals want one person who can do a bunch of different roles rather than six different staff. That's why executive housekeeping attracts higher salaries — you wear many hats.

Beyond the responsibilities of a normal housekeeper, the executive has to be able to drive, cook, help with kids and animals, and support a personal assistant or a house manager. On top of cleaning, organizing, turning laundry, and ironing.

I worked at that first household for nine years. You get close to the principals, so it's hard to leave. But you need new challenges as you approach 10 years with a household. I like to push myself and not get too comfortable.

I dreamt of becoming a chef, so I attended culinary school. I returned to working in private homes as a chef in my next household, but after a few years, the daily stress of cooking set in. It was too much for me, and I missed having variety in my working day.

I returned to executive housekeeping with my new culinary skills and stayed in that household for six years.

The day-to-day routine of an executive housekeeper

I started at this household just a year ago. The family has young kids and pets, and they always love to travel, which presents new challenges.

The day starts around 9 a.m. We'll usually run through the week's schedule if the principal is home. But ideally, the job of an executive housekeeper is to make sure the principal doesn't have to think about the house: everything is clean and organized when they arrive home.

The most important part of this job is making the principals' lives easy. They pay for the luxury of an executive housekeeper to have a relaxed life.

I'll clear the breakfast kitchen, make the beds, and pick up the laundry. Two additional housekeepers come in twice a week to help with the cleaning so I can go grocery shopping and collect dry cleaning.

I stop by their other properties to check that the pantry and fridge are stocked and everything is running smoothly.

I spend lots of time with the principals' dogs — whether walking them or just general pampering.

My day ends around 6 or 7 p.m.; the good thing about this job is that when it's done, it's done. I can clock off, go to my local church, and spend the evening at home with my husband.

Less staff means less drama and more traveling

I work with a small team in this current household — just me and two housekeepers.

The number of employees in these Palm Beach homes can easily rack up. I've worked in households with 13 people, resulting in more drama.

Principals may want a housekeeper, driver, chef, sous chef, and additional housekeepers for each house floor. The last house I worked at even had a housekeeper specifically to arrange the principal's closet.

As an executive housekeeper, you manage all the staff and their opinions. In a small team, you have more roles, but I prefer getting on with things on my own rather than dealing with the drama.

One difference between this job and my previous roles is the travel. I go wherever they go. The trips aren't long trips, usually a week or so, but they're frequent — my favorite is traveling to upstate New York.

You have to be ready to travel at short notice. I have my passport to hand and my bags packed. I've not had to travel immediately, but you're paid a high salary to be prepared.

The market for housekeepers in Palm Beach has changed a lot in recent years

Palm Beach is a very expensive ZIP code. It's a beautiful place with fancy stores and restaurants.

I've been in Palm Beach for over 10 years, and the market for housekeepers has completely flipped since COVID-19.

We used to have fewer jobs and more workers. It's now the opposite because many people moved to Florida after the pandemic. You can feel the influx in South Florida: more traffic, new construction sites, and more people crowding the streets.

Principals are now younger post-pandemic. People in their 40s — younger families with younger kids — who want one all-encompassing household staff.

That shift has brought more housekeepers to the area, but it's caused a wave of unprofessionalism. Housekeepers attracted to the high salaries but lacking the proper experience don't last long.

People are desperate for good executive housekeepers, and principals are willing to pay higher salaries for peace of mind.

The relationships make housekeeping so rewarding

I've always been very close to the people I work with, and my relationships are why I've been so happy doing this job for so long.

You form strong connections with people, and seeing your work help others is so satisfying. Even after I leave a household, I stay in touch with principals. They send me birthday cards, and we check in on one another.

I didn't come into this industry thinking I'd earn this kind of salary with these benefits. For me, it was always about finding a job where I could interact with people every day.