• Michael Burry of "The Big Short" fame posted four stock picks on Wednesday.
• The investor and writer touted Lululemon, Molina Healthcare, Shift4 Payments, and Fannie Mae.
• Burry recently shut his hedge fund to outside money, shifting his focus to publishing a Substack.

Michael Burry has broken free from the shackles of financial regulation — and he's making the most of his newfound liberty by sharing his favorite stocks.

The prescient investor of "The Big Short" fame closed his hedge fund to outside cash this month, saying he felt "muzzled" by SEC rules and wanted to speak freely via his new Substack, fittingly titled "Cassandra Unchained."

"You know I own and like LULU, MOH, FOUR," Burry wrote in a Wednesday post. "Also FNMA, but as a pink sheet stock, it was never disclosed. These are all 3-5 year holds minimum. I will write each of these up as well as others in future posts. The 2-12B market cap range is the most fertile area as I see it today."

Burry also said it's a "great time of year to find great companies being sold down too far as a result of window dressing and tax-loss harvesting." He explained that "many managers do not like to show they have owned big losers at the end of the year," but that doesn't bother him.

The four tickers posted by Burry refer to Lululemon Athletica, Molina Healthcare, Shift4 Payments, and the Federal National Mortgage Association, also known as "Fannie Mae."

Lululemon is an athletic-apparel retailer known for its premium yoga pants. Molina provides affordable health insurance and healthcare services, primarily to low-income and senior Americans. Shift4 Payments is a fintech that provides payment processing and various commercial tools to the likes of hotels, restaurants, stadiums, and online retailers.

Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored enterprise that supports the US housing market by guaranteeing over $4 trillion worth of mortgages against credit losses, making it easier and cheaper for Americans to buy homes.

The first three have popped up in Scion Asset Management's portfolio updates over the past 12 months or so, while Fannie Mae shares trade on over-the-counter markets, so Burry's firm didn't have to disclose them in its 13F filings.

Burry is a bargain hunter

Burry is famous for successfully shorting the mid-2000s housing bubble and frequently predicting crashes and recessions. He's a deep-value investor who specializes in spotting bargains, especially smaller, beaten-down stocks. Year to date, Lululemon shares have tanked 52%, Molina shares have tumbled 49%, and Shift4 Payments shares have plunged 32%.

Those declines reflect their prices after they rallied with the broader market over the past five trading days, gaining between 5% and 10% each. All three have market values under $25 billion, and Lululemon and Molina shares trade at under 15 times their projected earnings per share this financial year.

In contrast, Fannie Mae shares have roughly tripled this year, fueled by speculation that the Trump administration will privatize Fannie Mae and corporate sibling Freddie Mac, ending the federal conservatorship imposed on them after the financial crisis and paving the way to a main-market listing.

In an X post last week, Burry signaled he owned Molina stock and was also betting against AI darling Palantir using bearish put options, even after CEO Alex Karp berated him for doing so.

"Long MOH stock and Long PLTR puts, like peanut butter and bananas," Burry wrote. He said earlier this week that he's short Nvidia as well.

Palantir shares have soared about 26-fold since the start of 2023, valuing the AI firm at nearly $400 billion, or about 90 times its projected revenue this year.

In another Wednesday post on X, Burry revealed that Keith Gill, the retail trader known as "Roaring Kitty" who helped turn GameStop into a meme stock in January 2021, had emailed Burry way back in August 2019 to thank him for pushing for changes at the ailing video-game retailer. The message shows Gill and Burry both saw potential in GameStop long before it became a retail darling.

• Jennifer Cody Kemp left her home in Florida to become a digital nomad in southern Spain.
• The marketing specialist was motivated by adventure and the lower cost of living in Europe.
• She found it difficult to transition from "running on a hamster wheel" to a slower pace of life.

This story is based on a conversation with marketing specialist Jennifer Cody Kemp, 53, a mother of one, who lives in Alicante, Spain. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My mind was racing wildly as I waited at the Cairo airport for my flight back to the US in October 2024.

I'd spent nearly two weeks on a girls' trip to Egypt: the thought of returning to everyday life and my corporate job in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, filled me with dread.

I wondered if I should make a permanent move abroad

A voice in my head said, "You don't have to stay on the hamster wheel and deserve to be happy." My thoughts went back and forth. My cost of living was getting ridiculous in the US, and the more money I made, the more money I needed.

I'd traveled all over the world and particularly enjoyed visiting Europe, where things were cheaper, more fun, and less demanding. What if I made a permanent move to one of my favorite countries, Spain?

First, I booked an appointment with my financial advisor to review the numbers. He said I'd set myself up well for the change, and there was absolutely no reason for me to put it off.

He understood when I said I didn't want to work another 15 years and miss out on the things I wanted to do right now. My father died at just 67 in 2020. I'd already lost a couple of friends who were my age, too.

Next, I sought advice from the online agency Move Overseas Now to secure a digital nomad visa in Spain.

I decided to live in Alicante on the Costa Blanca

I quit my job, which I'd held for 28 years, in April of this year, put my 2,600-square-foot, four-bedroom house on the market, and flew to Europe the following month. My son, Mark, 24, joined me for a long vacation.

I decided to settle in the city of Alicante, on the Costa Blanca, in southern Spain, because of its great climate and the nearby beaches and mountains.

My first step was to rent a 1,300-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in the city center. It costs the equivalent of $925 a month, compared to my mortgage in Florida, which was $1,600.

I was glad to no longer pay my annual $7,300 housing tax, nor my $450-a-month health insurance, co-pays, and referral fees. Spain has a universal healthcare system.

A glass of wine costs the equivalent of $3.50

Giving up my car saved me $450 a month in motor vehicle insurance. People walk everywhere in Alicante. And it's a 12-minute bus ride from my home to the beach.

You can enjoy a glass of wine here for the equivalent of $3.50, and groceries are significantly less expensive. For example, I recently bought two dozen eggs for $2.50, compared to the $12 I spent in the US.

My income — generated from my work with individual clients, including a publishing company — goes a lot further. I can eat out when I like, which is a great opportunity to meet new people.

I'm single and use dating apps, but I much prefer to start a conversation with someone in a restaurant or bar instead. It comes more easily in Spain.

You need to be patient in Spain

Still, it hasn't all been plain sailing. The biggest challenge was adjusting to the so-called "tranquilo" lifestyle, which is designed to promote relaxation and calmness.

The culture I experienced in the US was immediate gratification. If I wanted something, I could order it on Amazon. The item could be there the same day, or at least two days later. Here, you've got to learn patience and wait.

Many stores in Florida are open 24 hours a day. The Spanish siesta usually lasts two or three hours. There'll be a sign on the door saying, "We'll be back at 5 p.m."

Most supermarkets are closed on Wednesdays, so it's best to do your shopping by Tuesday night.

It can also be frustrating to find the products that you want. But it pays to have a sense of humor about it. I don't drink regular coffee — I only drink mushroom coffee — and had used up the 90-day supply I'd bought from home.

I visited various stores to see if anyone stocked it. I joked that my day couldn't get started without a mushroom coffee. Nobody knew what I was even talking about.

As the months have passed, I'm learning to take a deep breath and slow myself down, just as the locals do. It's good for your soul, and I've never felt happier.

• We asked millionaires, founders, and CEOs what they want for the holidays.
• Answers included backcountry ski setup and cheese of the month club.
• Time with family was also high on their lists.

What do high-powered CEOs and millionaires have on their holiday wish lists? Like all of us, they want more quality time with family. They're also asking for sports equipment, monthly subscriptions, and tech-empowered better sleep.

Here's what 10 millionaires and CEOs are wishing for this year.

A Lego set (and a diamond bracelet).

Lauren Levy, cofounder of clothing brand Magnetic Me, is hoping for an activity that the whole family can enjoy.

"My family is both huge Lego and art lovers, so this Lego Van Gogh Sunflowers Set is a gift that we can work on together and then enjoy long after," she said.

Levy is also hoping for a higher-end gift for herself: "I am drooling over this 20-carat diamond emerald tennis bracelet from Tamar Eagle Jewels," she says. "It was love at first sight, and I think I was a very good girl this year!"

A backcountry ski setup and new snowboard gear.

Makena Finger Zannini, founder and CEO of The Boutique COO, started getting into skiing at the behest of her husband. This year, she hopes for a set of backcountry skis so she can truly excel in the sport.

"Last year I rented, and the skis were way too big for me, so I fell a bunch," Finger Zannini says. She's wishing for this Salomon ski set, in the Cosmic Sky color scheme.

Finger Zannini isn't the only one hoping to up her winter recreation game. Aaron Nosbisch, CEO of BRĒZ, wants new snowboard gear from 686. Building a company "takes a lot out of you," he says, "and making space for real play has become essential for staying balanced."

Cheese and cookies.

Brett Heyman, founder of Flower by Edie Parker, is hoping for a monthly gift to bring some brightness even after the holidays end.

"Winter is long, and by the end of January I'm less motivated to leave the house for fun," she says. "I'm a big 'of the month club' fan. Be it fruit, wine, or my personal favorite, cheese. I was given Murray's monthly cheese club many years ago by somebody who clearly knew and loved me. If my husband is reading this, I would be thrilled to receive this again."

Shari Raymond, founder of Milton and Goose, wants to open a shipment of Jacques Torres Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies.

"I've both given and received them in the past, and they're always a delight," she says. "When in doubt, a sweet treat is the perfect gift because you can share them with family and friends, or save them all for yourself — who could blame you?"

A fancy toilet.

Richard Lambert, who made his millions writing résumés on Fiverr, wants more time with his wife and daughter.

"Ordinary moments now will turn out to be everything," he says.

As for a gift that can be wrapped? "I've always been curious about those high-tech Japanese toilets," Lambert says.

Wide-toe-box shoes.

Sara Schiller, cofounder of Sloomoo Institute, started long-distance running as a form of self-care. This year, she's completed four marathons.

"This holiday season, I am hoping to get a pair of Altra Escalante sneakers to wear for the London Marathon this spring," she says. "Running aside — these zero-drop, wide-toe box sneakers have changed my day-to-day look. I took the 30-day challenge of wearing them every day and never looked back. Now I just need more colors!"

A game of Monopoly.

Kim Perell, an entrepreneur and mom of two sets of twins, wants to spend the holiday season "doing the simple things that don't cost much but mean the most." That includes a beach walk, a cozy movie night, and "a competitive game of Monopoly," she said.

Better sleep, supported by tech.

Darren Litt, CEO of Hiya, wants to start the new year with better sleep, supported by technology. He's asking for a pod from Eight Sleep, a smart system that optimizes temperature, sleep position, and other metrics.

"It fits perfectly with how I think about health, which is easy daily habits supported by great tech," he said.

Do-nothing days.

Chef and cookbook author Stacey Little hopes to spend a few days at home with his wife and son, with "no appointments, no projects, and no travel."

"It is easy for this whole season to go by in a blur," he says. "A few protected days at home where we can make simple meals, eat leftovers for supper, and linger around the table without rushing anywhere feels like the best gift I could ask for. For me, that unhurried time with my family is worth more than anything wrapped up in a box."

• Small mining towns flourished at the start of the 1900s, and many were abandoned by the mid-century.
• Up until the 1930s, horse-drawn carriages and automobiles could still be seen on the same streets.
• Today, many of these towns lean on their history as tourist attractions.

Rural small towns today might be shaped by Dollar General stores and rusty industrial plants, but many across the US were once lively brick-paved main streets where domestic manufacturing and tight-knit communities flourished.

Some of America's small towns have grown in recent years, with young people moving in, while others that prospered a century ago now lie abandoned.

By the mid-century, declining industries began shaping what is now known as the Rust Belt, where once-booming iron, steel, and automobile plants were abandoned as manufacturing industries moved overseas.

But before the economic turmoil, small towns across the US were home to close communities, quaint main streets, and the first automobiles.

In some villages and small towns, like Normal, Nebraska, the bank was a building smaller than a house. In Hugo, Oregon, the high school was the size of a midsize church.

Take a look at what small towns looked like 100 years ago.

Oatman, Arizona, started as a mining town after gold was found nearby in the early 1900s.

Between the early 1900s and the 1940s, Oatman and nearby Gold Road were Arizona's biggest gold producers, and the town used to be a bustling center with over 10,000 inhabitants.

When 2020 census data was collected, it had a population of 102 people.

Today, the "lively ghost town" is defined by its streets of historic buildings, burros on the streets, and people wearing old-timey clothing and gunfighter costumes, as reported by Legends of America.

The main street in Manning, Iowa, was a dirt road until it was paved in 1915.

The town was founded in 1881 and was named for O.H. Manning, a politician.

The town of 1,500 is about 2 miles long and 2 miles wide, and its Main Street was paved in 1915, a community website reported.

In Eastman, Wisconsin, in 1920, the town's power plant was a small building that looked like it could be someone's home.

Eastman was established in 1855 and was named for Ben C. Eastman, a member of Congress from the district.

More recently, the town has a population of 350, according to 2020 census data.

The state bank in Normal, Nebraska, is pictured in the early 1900s.

The town was annexed in 1919 to become a part of the nearby city of Lincoln.

In 1927, all 84 residents of Hermosa, South Dakota gathered to meet President Coolidge.

In 1927, President Calvin Coolidge took a "working vacation" to South Dakota's Black Hills to get a break from the hectic politics of Washington, DC, and win over rural populations, The Rapid City Journal reported.

The president's visit was supported by the expansion of the air mail service, which helped communications from the small, remote town, Vermont Public reported.

A town baseball game can be seen in this image of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, in 1910.

The town of Boothbay Harbor was incorporated in 1889 and became a trading and shipbuilding center.

Today, the coastal town's main industries are boat manufacturing, fishing, and tourism, according to the Boothbay Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

Pictured in Cordell, Oklahoma, in 1920, two people pose by a sign that discourages speeding.

The town was established on land taken from the Cheyenne and Arapaho people. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, at the end of the 19th century, a general merchandise store with a post office was established nearby. The name of the town honors a postal employee, Wayne W. Cordell.

In the early 1900s, Manhattan, Nevada, attracted settlers after gold was found nearby.

In 1905, a prospector found gold, and within a year, its population had reached 4,000, Travel Nevada reported.

Today, about 125 people reside in the town, and residents often refer to their community as a "living ghost town," per Nevada's state tourism agency.

Bannack, Montana, also began as a mining town after gold was discovered in a nearby creek.

Although the town had enjoyed decades of prosperity due to the resources provided by Grasshopper Creek, by the 1930s, few residents remained.

In the following decade, the local school had to close down due to a lack of students, effectively turning the once-prosperous town into a ghost town. It is now part of a state park where dilapidated buildings are preserved.

Bonners Ferry, Idaho, pictured in 1926, was another bustling mining community.

Gold was discovered nearby in the mid-1800s.

Today, the town of 2,500 features a revitalized downtown area for tourists to visit, according to the town's website.

In 1925, Dayton, Tennessee, became famous for the Scopes Trial.

In 1925, a Dayton high school science teacher, John T. Scopes, was tried and found guilty for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in what became known as the Scopes Trial.

Hugo High School, pictured in 1926, taught students in Hugo, Oregon, for more than 50 years.

The discovery of gold in the county in the 1850s brought families to the area. The school opened in the 1890s and closed in 1967, according to its alumni Facebook page; this aligned with the trend of schools closing in rural towns in the mid-20th century, as populations moved to cities and amid school consolidations and reforms.

Fleischmanns, New York, was a vacation town for those looking to escape the New York City heat.

Farmers discovered they could make money from people leaving the city, and hotels and guest houses popped up throughout the town.

The town was home to 210 residents during the 2020 census.

Provincetown, Massachusetts, began as a fishing and whaling community.

In 1914, the Provincetown Art Association and Museum was founded by a group of prominent local artists. They worked with local businesses to create an art collection and educate the public in the arts. 

The town is known for being the 1620 landing site of the Mayflower.

Lumber operations are pictured in Crossett, Arkansas, in the 1920s.

The town was named after Edward S. Crossett, a lumber entrepreneur.

Stillwater, Minnesota, was incorporated in 1854 and also began as a lumbering town.

The town "had all the ingredients for a lumbering town," as reported by the Washington County Historical Society. The town features rivers connecting the small community to the pine forests of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, and still waters that allowed for the raft assembly industry to flourish locally.

In 2011, Forbes named it as one of America's prettiest towns.

Holy City, California, was established by a cult leader and white supremacist, William E. Riker, in 1919.

Holy City was created not as a religious oasis, as the name would indicate, but instead as "a commune and tourist trap created in the 1920s by a white-supremacist huckster," the San Francisco Chronicle wrote.

The Chronicle also reported that Holy City was reduced to "a few derelict buildings" after facing fire, neglect, and a new freeway that cut off the compound from major roads. 

Mercury News reported in 2016 that the town was purchased after a decade on the market by Robert and Trish Duggan, billionaire Scientologists. 

Taos, New Mexico, was established as early as 1000 AD by the Taos Pueblo people.

Historians estimate that the ancestors of the Taos Pueblo people built their living structures, as well as pottery and ceremonial buildings, as far back as 1000 AD, according to Taos.org.

Wrangell, Alaska, pictured below in the early to mid-1900s, was discovered by the Tlingit tribe.

The Native Alaskan populations remained isolated until the early 1800s, per Wrangell's website. 

Lt. Dionysius Zarembo, a Russian-American ship commander, landed on present-day Wrangell in 1833. It is the only city in Alaska to be ruled by four nations and under three flags — Tlingit, Russia, England, and the United States — according to the town's website.

South Pass City, Wyoming, was founded as a gold mining town. It was later abandoned.

Today, the town is a historic site tourists can visit and see over 20 original restored buildings, per Wyoming History.

• JPMorgan is planning to build a new office tower in London.
• It will be "a world-class workplace for up to 12,000 employees," the bank said.
• The announcement follows the recent opening of its new Park Avenue office in October.

Just months after opening its new state-of-the-art global headquarters in New York, JPMorgan is turning its attention to its London real estate.

JPMorgan Chase said on Thursday it plans to build a three-million-square-foot new UK headquarters in London's Canary Wharf, creating "a world-class workplace for up to 12,000 employees."

The project could contribute £9.9 billion ($13 billion), including the cost of construction, over a six-year period to the local economy, the bank said.

If constructed, the building would be one of the "largest and most sophisticated" office towers in Europe, JPMorgan said. The plans are contingent upon receiving the necessary approvals and agreements, but if approved, the new HQ is expected to take six years to construct.

The British architectural firm Foster + Partners, which also designed the bank's new Park Avenue headquarters, has been put in charge of the London tower.

In New York, Foster + Partners designed a 60-storey tower at a cost of $3 billion, which experts say doubles as a physical expression of JPMorgan's cultural expectations for its employees, complete with round-the-clock amenities.

Jamie Dimon, CEO and chairman of JPMorgan, is a fervent advocate of in-office work.

"Don't give me this shit that work-from-home-Friday works," Dimon said during a leaked employee town hall earlier this year. "I call a lot of people on Fridays, and there's not a goddamn person you can get a hold of."

Plans suggest London-based employees could be getting similar office perks.

"It will support employees' physical and emotional well-being with facilities including: terraces and roof-tops, wellness spaces, nursing rooms, restaurants and cafés, and ample bicycle parking spaces," the bank said in a press release.

The project will include new public parkland surrounding the building, and a redevelopment of the Canary Wharf dock. The building itself will provide exceptional collaboration spaces and state-of-the-art trading floors, JPMorgan said.

JPMorgan also said that the project would reinforce London's status as a leading financial centre on the global stage.

The plans were announced the day after the UK government announced its new national budget, similar to the US federal budget.

"London has been a trading and financial hub for more than a thousand years," said Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase's chairman and CEO.

"Maintaining it as a vibrant place for finance and business is critical to the health of the UK economy. This building will represent our lasting commitment to the city."

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@businessinsider.com or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• The first season of "Stranger Things" premiered on Netflix in 2016.
• The fifth and final season will be released in installments through the end of 2025.
• Here's what the young cast looks like in their first season versus their last.

Spoilers ahead for "Stranger Things" seasons one through four.

When the first season of "Stranger Things" premiered in 2016, it quickly became one of Netflix's most successful original shows.

Nine years later, the sci-fi series following a group of kids who uncover the existence of a dark alternate dimension is approaching its fifth and final season, which will be released in installments through the end of 2025.

While only four years have passed in Hawkins, Indiana, since the events of season one, a decade has elapsed for the real-life cast members — many of whom hadn't hit puberty when the show began filming.

Continue reading to see each main character in season one, compared to their forthcoming appearances in season five.

Eleven, aka El, was introduced as a mysterious runaway with supernatural abilities.

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) grew up in Hawkins National Laboratory, where she was subjected to experiments as part of a secret government program.

In season one, she escaped the lab and encountered Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) during their search for Will (Noah Schnapp). She's called Eleven because the number is tattooed on her arm, but Mike gave her the friendlier nickname El.

El learns to embrace her powers.

As the series has progressed, El has learned to nurture and expand her powers. She has repeatedly rescued her friends from the Upside Down's many threats — but along the way, the gang also discovered that El was the one who built the bridge between dimensions.

As a young child, El opened a gate to the Upside Down in order to banish One, previously known as Henry Creel, the first child test subject at Hawkins Lab. He later became Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the monstrous puppeteer of the Upside Down.

Vecna remained intent on killing El, and when she accidentally opened another gate years later, he began attacking Hawkins remotely. The Demogorgon from season one, plus the Mind Flayer from seasons two and three, were both at his command.

By the end of season four, Vecna has managed to open four new gates in Hawkins.

When the Upside Down begins leaking into the Rightside Up, causing Hawkins to be quarantined by the government, El realizes she's in for one last showdown with Vecna.

Will Byers vanished in the first episode of season one.

From the very beginning, Will (Noah Schnapp) was a central figure in "Stranger Things."

The series premiere was titled "The Vanishing of Will Byers." In that episode, while biking home at night, Will was attacked by a monstrous creature, which his friends later dubbed the Demogorgon.

Despite Will's attempt to flee, he was kidnapped and taken to the Upside Down. He managed to stay alive for about a week by singing "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash and by communicating with his mom, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), through flickering lights.

Using her telepathic powers, El located Will's hiding spot in the Upside Down. He was eventually rescued by his mom and Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour).

Will still has a dangerous connection to the Upside Down.

When Will was stranded in the Upside Down, he was captured and assaulted by Vecna, cementing his connection to the so-called Hive Mind.

Will can still sense Vecna's presence, even when he's in the Rightside Up. Season five trailers suggest that Will will play a significant role in Vecna's plot to destroy Hawkins.

Mike Wheeler formed a close bond with El during the search for Will in season one.

Mike (Finn Wolhard) became the group's de facto leader in season one, motivating his friends to search for Will while dealing with the complicated emergence of El.

Because El was being hunted by government agents, Mike secretly sheltered her in his family's basement. The two formed a close bond that quickly blossomed into a romance.

Mike is still preoccupied with keeping El safe.

Mike and El kiss near the end of season one, and by season three, they're in a full-blown relationship.

Despite dealing with distance and communication issues throughout season four, the pair are as close as ever heading into the final showdown with Vecna.

"Mike is back in leadership mode," Wolfhard told Netflix of his role in season five, "and he's taken it more upon himself to help plan out these missions, and he and the whole gang are devoted to finding Vecna and ending this."

Lucas Sinclair was the group's voice of reason in season one.

Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) was the most suspicious of El after she showed up in season one — partially because he was jealous of her bond with Mike, and partially because she was being evasive about her role in Will's disappearance.

Lucas even split from the group to continue the search for Will on his own, but quickly reunited with his friends when he realized they were in danger.

Heading into season five, Lucas is struggling with the fallout from Vecna's curse.

Season four focused largely on Vecna's plan to invade Hawkins, which the group referred to as "Vecna's curse." The villain targeted vulnerable teenagers in Hawkins, killing them one by one.

With each murder, Vecna opened a new gate to the Upside Down. When the group realized their friend, Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), had been marked for the next death, they hatched a plan to use her as bait.

Lucas was beaten and nearly killed in the season four finale while trying to protect Max. She died in his arms, was miraculously revived, then fell into a coma.

Lucas will continue to protect Max in season five. Trailers show Lucas stationed at Max's hospital bed, and some clips show him carrying Max's limp body as he flees from a Demogorgon.

Dustin Henderson was the crucial fourth member of the D&D party.

Much of the language in "Stranger Things" was inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, a popular fantasy role-playing game. Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin consider themselves a "party" — that is, a group of people who take on different roles to complete a campaign.

Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) became the fourth member of their party after he moved to Hawkins in fourth grade.

The boys often use D&D vernacular to make sense of the supernatural events in Hawkins. Dustin is the party member who knows the most about D&D lore and other mythologies. He's also a science prodigy with a knack for radio tech.

Dustin is now mourning his friend Eddie, who died in the season four finale.

In season four, Dustin grew close to Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), the president of the school's D&D club.

Eddie was falsely accused of killing another student, who was actually killed by Vecna. After learning the truth, he tried to assist Dustin and the rest of the gang in taking down Vecna. Eddie was killed in the process.

Dustin had come to idolize Eddie, so watching him die — and not being able to clear his name — will undoubtedly affect his mentality going forward.

"Dustin is in a bit of a funk," Matarazzo told Netflix. "We're all dealing with the day-to-day issues of what it is to try to keep everybody safe and figure out where Vecna is, while having a lot of unpacked baggage from the events in the previous season."

Max Mayfield joined the party in season two.

Although Sadie Sink wasn't a member of the original "Stranger Things" cast, her character became an essential member of the party upon her arrival.

In season two, Max moved to Hawkins from California. She instantly charmed Lucas and Dustin, though Mike and Will were slower to accept her.

Mike told Max that everyone in their party already had an established role: he was the Paladin, Will was the Cleric, Lucas was the Ranger, Dustin was the Bard, and El was the Mage. (Some fans argue that Will transformed from the Cleric into the Wizard after his time in the Upside Down.)

In response, Max dubbed herself the "Zoomer," which isn't an official character type in D&D but speaks to her wit and quick instincts. The title is also fairly literal: Max can skateboard, and she can drive, which comes in handy for a hasty getaway.

As far as we know, in season five, Max is in a coma.

In season four, Max offered herself as bait in the group's plot to kill Vecna. After the plan went awry, Max fell victim to Vecna's curse and was killed.

However, El had telepathically transported herself into Max's mind and seemed to resurrect her. Although Max's body came back to life, she has remained in a comatose state.

Mike's older sister, Nancy Wheeler, got pulled into the action when her best friend vanished.

In season one, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) was mostly preoccupied with her new boyfriend, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) — until her best friend, Barb Holland (Shannon Purser), vanished without a trace.

Like Will, Barb was attacked by the Demogorgon, but unlike Will, she was killed almost instantly. She was the second person to go missing in Hawkins, but the police assumed Barb was a runaway teenager.

Nancy knew better and began investigating. She recruited the help of Will's older brother, Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), and quickly discovered the existence of the Upside Down.

Nancy is eager to lead the charge against Vecna.

Throughout the series, Nancy grapples with survivor's guilt. She led the charge against Vecna in season four, urging the other teenagers to invade the Upside Down and kill him.

Although their efforts failed, Nancy is poised for another bout of supernatural battles in season five.

Steve Harrington, Nancy's boyfriend, was introduced as a popular jock.

According to "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer, Steve was originally intended to die in season one. He was painted as a typical high school jock: handsome, charming, popular, and more concerned with causing trouble than with Barb's disappearance.

However, Steve's love for Nancy inspired him to shape up — and unwittingly dragged him into a face-off with the Demogorgon.

By season five, Steve is an integral member of the team.

Just as Keery won over the Duffer brothers, Steve won over "Stranger Things" fans.

Even though his relationship with Nancy fell apart in season two, Steve formed a strong bond with Dustin and protected the kids when the Upside Down reared its ugly head again.

According to Netflix's official character description, "Steve heads into the final season bracing for the ultimate battle. But he also must deal with a grieving Dustin."

Jonathan Byers, Will's older brother, was an outcast among his peers.

In season one, Jonathan was determined to find and protect his little brother. In flashbacks, the two were shown to have a very close bond, especially since their dad left the family. Jonathan didn't seem to have many, if any, other friends.

Although he was initially led to believe that Will was dead thanks to an elaborate government cover-up, Jonathan teamed up with Nancy to uncover the truth of the Upside Down.

The pair eventually joined forces with El, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin (with an assist from Steve) to figure out how to save Will.

Jonathan and Nancy are still a powerful team.

Jonathan and Nancy began dating after she broke up with Steve in season two. Despite spending time apart in season four, their reunion in that season's finale proved their bond had remained strong. Season five clips suggest the couple is back to being inseparable.

Joyce Byers was desperate to find her son after Will's disappearance.

While the kids ran around searching for Will in season one, Joyce was communicating with him directly.

Joyce figured out that Will could make lights flicker from the Upside Down. She painted letters on the wall and strung up Christmas lights so he could send her messages, ignoring everyone who assumed she was crazy. She eventually ventured into the Upside Down, entering through a gate in Hawkins Lab, to rescue her son.

Joyce is one of the few adults in Hawkins who knows exactly what's going on.

As season five begins, hardly any of the parents know that their children have been battling supernatural monsters for four years. Mike's parents, Lucas' parents, Dustin's mom, and Max's mom have never been clued in. We've never met Steve's parents, but it's safe to say that they're clueless, too.

Joyce may have an unhinged reputation around Hawkins, but she's the rare adult who has a clear idea of the threats they're facing.

Jim Hopper was introduced as the Hawkins police chief.

Hopper (David Harbour) grew up in Hawkins and returned to the small town after the death of his daughter.

The gruff but lovable police chief played a pivotal role in season one's search for Will. Through his efforts, Hopper slowly realized that Hawkins Lab was concealing a conspiracy.

After breaking into the lab with Joyce, he convinced the scientists to let them conduct a rescue mission through the gate that El opened. They succeeded and brought Will back home.

Hopper is now El's dad and self-appointed protector.

Hopper and El formed an unlikely bond in season two, while she was still hiding from the lab's government agents. He took her in and was eventually able to adopt her.

In the season three finale, Hopper was nearly killed after an explosion in a clandestine Soviet lab. He was subsequently captured by Soviet soldiers and presumed dead by everyone in Hawkins, including El.

The pair was reunited in the season four finale, so Hopper will presumably reprise his protective role heading into season five.

"Hopper's been back from Russia, and for about a year, he's been training for these Upside Down crawls, basically prepping for a final battle with Vecna," Harbour told Netflix. "He doesn't tell the people he loves exactly what he's planning, but he's gearing up for something big."

Holly is the youngest Wheeler sibling.

Mike and Nancy's youngest sister, Holly, was 3 years old in season one. She was portrayed by young twins, Anniston and Tinsley Price.

Holly played a very small role in "Stranger Things" up through season four. She was mostly shown sitting on the hip of her mom, Karen Wheeler, or eating with her family at the dining room table.

However, in one pivotal scene in season one, Holly noticed a pattern in the Christmas lights that Joyce strung up — meaning she could sense activity in the Upside Down. She also noticed the Mind Flayer moving through the trees in season three.

Holly was recast for season five to allow for a larger role.

Holly should be about 7 or 8 in season five, based on the show's canonical timeline. Instead, she is portrayed by 14-year-old Nell Fisher.

Holly was presumably recast to an older age so she could be more involved in the show's horror elements and action sequences. Now that Vecna has set his Hawkins-destroying plan in motion, everyone in town is in danger, even those who never knew the Upside Down existed. In a season five teaser clip, Holly and her mother are shown coming face-to-face with a Demogorgon for the first time.

In fact, Matt Duffer told SFX that Holly is a "centerpiece" in season five.

"Once you see the full season, you'll have a better understanding of why it was so important to add her to the cast," Duffer said, via GamesRadar.

"One of the reasons was, we just wanted to recapture some of the feeling of season one, and some of that you can't recapture unless you have kids, because our kids are not kids anymore. They're not close to being kids anymore," he continued. "So it was really fun to add Holly and her classmates into the show, because it allowed us to recapture some of that feeling."

• Jon McNeill, VC investor, was a Tesla executive for nearly 3 years and now sits on GM's board.
• He told Business Insider that automakers conduct teardowns of competitors' vehicles all the time.
• McNeill said Tesla was a "learning sponge" that took valuable lessons from Chinese EVs.

Automakers are constantly learning from their competitors in China. Tesla, one of the leading EV companies, is no exception.

Jon McNeill, the former president of Tesla's global sales and marketing who now sits on General Motors' board, told Business Insider that Tesla has torn down Chinese EVs and that the lessons learned can be seen in some of Tesla's most popular models.

"Tesla is a learning sponge," McNeill, who was at the EV company between 2015 and 2018, said.

During his tenure, Model 3 was in its infamous "production hell," and Tesla had just teased the first image of the Model Y.

The former Tesla executive said one lesson learned from Chinese EVs was the reuse of parts — using some of the same guts of one model for another — and that can be seen "across the 3 and the Y."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a 2019 earnings call that the Model Y shared about three-quarters of its parts with the Model 3, allowing for easier production ramp-up.

A spokesperson for Tesla did not return a request for comment.

Another level of reusing

McNeill didn't name which Chinese EVs Tesla tore down during his tenure, but said he's recently seen BYD, the leading EV maker in China, take the technique of reusing parts to another level at a teardown with GM.

"The Chinese engineers are really disciplined about reusing parts underneath the hood that the customer can't see, and they save a lot of money that way," he said.

It's not a unique concept to Chinese automakers; the automotive industry has long relied on using the same parts from one model of car for another in an automaker's lineup, including components such as the steering wheel or the turn-signal stalk.

BYD and other Chinese automakers, however, are distinctive in the degree to which they reuse parts down to the ancillary components of a vehicle, from the battery packs to the heat pumps and motors inside the car seats, McNeill said.

"If you tear down all the BYDs — same windshield wiper motor across all of them; same heat pump across all of them; same conduit across all of them," he said. "In other words, there's not a team that's designing a particular model, and they're off on their own."

McNeill added that the technique was "super smart because a windshield wiper motor really doesn't change or add to the experience."

This practice is different from platform-sharing, in which the vehicle frame or the underlying architecture can be the same across models. Platform-sharing has become a central practice for EV automakers.

McNeill said the extent to which Chinese EV makers are reusing parts is not a common sight at other legacy automakers.

"Toyota uses completely different heat pumps, wiper motors, and seat actuators for each model. In other words, the guts of a Corolla is almost completely different from a Camry," he said.

Spokespeople for BYD and Toyota did not return a request for comment.

New automakers need to cut costs

Reusing parts is crucial for any automaker to scale production efficiently and reduce costs. That could be even more true for emerging automakers.

"There's a reason only one auto company has been started and scaled in the last hundred years, and it's because it's really hard. It's really, really hard and it's really capital-intensive," McNeill said, referring to Tesla. He added that a US EV company like Tesla needs to be "absolutely relentless" at reducing costs.

EV makers like Tesla, BYD, and Rivian are able to reuse parts at deeper levels because they're also highly vertically integrated companies, meaning the automaker develops and manufactures some of their car parts in-house. This level of control over design and production can enable automakers to standardize more parts and produce at higher speeds.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe previously told Business Insider that his company did a teardown of Xiaomi's SU7 and praised the Chinese carmaker's "heavily vertically-integrated technology platform." However, the CEO said there was nothing new about the way Xiaomi or other Chinese EV makers made their cars that Rivian could learn to make electric vehicles cheaper.

"Cost — we understood how they've arrived there," Scaringe said, adding: "There's nothing we learned from the teardown."

• Devi Parikh is a former senior director of generative AI at Meta, and the co-CEO of an AI startup.
• She has a Ph.D., but said you don't need one to do cutting-edge AI work.
• Seeing ideas through to the end has been instrumental to her success in the industry, she said.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 41-year-old Devi Parikh, who lives in San Francisco. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

The seed of my passion for AI was planted in the early 2000s when I studied electrical and computer engineering at college. I was exposed to a type of machine learning called pattern recognition.

In 2009, I completed a Ph.D. in computer vision at Carnegie Mellon — well before the current excitement around LLMs and generative AI. But we had the same goal: make machines more intelligent.

Next, I moved into research and teaching roles, and in 2016, I spent a year as a research scientist at Facebook AI Research, or FAIR. Following that, I'd spend my springs and summers at FAIR in Menlo Park, California, and my falls teaching computer vision at Georgia Tech.

Over time, I enjoyed Meta more than my professorship, and I transitioned to a full-time role in 2021, eventually becoming a senior director of GenAI.

In 2024, I left Meta to start an AI company called Yutori, alongside my husband and our friend.

Here's what I've learned about getting into and succeeding in AI after over 15 years in the industry.

1) Don't assume you need a Ph.D. to do cutting-edge AI work

Professor and research scientist roles in AI might list a Ph.D. as a requirement, but there are other cutting-edge jobs in this space.

There are good reasons to do a Ph.D, like if you want to work in academia or explore certain ideas. But if your end goal is doing interesting AI work and learning how the sausage is made, you could spend those five to six years at startups or big labs instead.

You can also try side projects, making use of open source code and online communities to get your hands dirty.

If you keep putting in the time and effort to whatever you're doing, you'll be able to stand out, and you'll also have learned a bunch of skills along the way.

I think the perception that a Ph.D is necessary in this industry has changed over time. We don't take them into consideration much when hiring at Yutori, where we're trying to build AI agents that can help people with digital chores, like looking for apartments or buying headphones.

Instead, we look for people with relevant experience, such as in training models, and how candidates perform in technical interviews involving coding problems and system design questions.

2) Keep your professional identity flexible

Between 2011 and 2013, there was a "deep learning wave," when the AI community began to realize the effectiveness of deep neural networks.

Some fellow researchers tied their identity to the tools they had worked with and were hesitant to transition to deep models, even though it was clear they worked much better for the problems we were addressing.

This field evolves rapidly, and if evidence tells you new tools work better, don't hold onto your past tool set. Holding on to your professional identity, such as by seeing yourself only as an academic, can also be detrimental.

I also learned not to hold on to research areas. I worked on computer vision during my Ph.D, then multimodal problems, and later generative models for images and videos. At the time, I didn't know ChatGPT was coming, and that generative AI would suddenly become a high priority in tech. If I'd held onto my identity as a computer vision researcher without exploring these other things, I would've missed out on opportunities.

3) Pursue your genuine interests, not what you think you should do

On paper, my job at Meta was amazing, and you probably wouldn't leave it to start a company if you were being strategic about moving up in your career, and knew the success rate of startups.

It may be unclear whether an opportunity is the right move strategically, but I find it easy to put time and effort into things I think will be fun, and produce better quality work that gets recognized.

4) Follow through on ideas

Seeing things through to the end — 100%, not 95% — may be the single most important thing that's helped me stand out and achieve what I have.

For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I started a series on YouTube called "Humans of AI," where I interviewed around 20 AI researchers in my network about their daily habits, strengths, and insecurities. I thought seeing the human side of the AI researchers we put on a pedestal would show folks in the community they could have a similar level of impact.

People loved it, and it made me more visible. I've met people at conferences who might not have known about my research, but saw the series.

Many people are excited 20 or 30% into the execution of their ideas, then their interest tapers off, leaving behind a bunch of unfinished projects. If you haven't seen something through to the end, it can't have its impact or lead you to the next thing.

If there's something you'd like to do, just go do it, instead of overanalyzing and not taking steps forward.

Do you have a story to share about building a career in AI? Contact this reporter at ccheong@businessinsider.com.

• After my parents divorced, my dad had more kids, but we were all raised as siblings.
• When my dad and one of my sisters died, my other siblings helped me deal with the grief.
• I will thank my dad eternally for making sure we were all close.

Within 19 days, I experienced both the sudden death of my baby sister and my father. Even though my five siblings and I had different mothers, we all shared the same father, who fostered close connections with us from a young age.

Although we grew up apart, we spent holidays, birthdays, and summers together throughout our lives and have come to love each other deeply. I never called my two brothers and sister from another mother my "step" or "half" siblings; they are just my brothers and sister.

My dad visited often

When my parents divorced, I was 7, my middle sister was 5, and my baby sister was only 2.

Shortly after they were separated, my dad left New York to move to Mexico for a job. He ensured that his contract required the company to cover the plane fare for us three to fly several times a year for visits. That's why when he remarried and had children with my stepmom, we became close with our new brothers and sister.

All of us six children got along well from the start. It was as if we were all part of the same symphony, constantly creating synchronized, lovely music. When we were teenagers, Dad would rent houses for us to enjoy in Mexico during Christmas, and after he moved back to the US, he'd rent houses for us to enjoy Thanksgivings in Florida and eventually family reunions in upstate New York. During these times, we cooked, danced, walked, and did yoga together.

As we all grew up, we started our adult lives on opposite coasts. But we still often fly or drive to spend time together. We talk on the phone regularly, processing marriages, divorces, and our own children's challenges.

My siblings showed up for me

When our sister, Jenny, was in the ICU dying, my brothers and sister dropped everything to be with me and my middle sister, here in California. My sister, who lives in Idaho, was able to join us at the hospital within hours. Me, my two sisters, and other nearby family held hands while Jenny transitioned. My brother, who lives in Washington, D.C., arrived within days. My other brother's flight from Florida was canceled that day, but he joined us virtually.

Having the support of my four other siblings within days of Jenny's passing made grieving bearable. My out-of-town brother and sister stayed for ice cream nights, meals where we shared our funniest Jenny stories. They knew Jenny and I were like one neuron with two bodies, so my sisters and brothers called me daily in the following weeks to check on me.

Shortly after our dad died

When my dad learned of Jenny's death, it was as if a dart shot into his heart. Crying, he told one of my sisters, "I'm done, I'm calling it." Eighteen days later, he was gone. The five of us remaining offspring were stunned. Within hours, my two brothers and sister booked flights again and jumped in and helped create slide shows, music lists, programs, and planning two celebrations for one weekend.

During this stressful process, we never fussed or disagreed. Three of my siblings are agnostic, yet Jenny's trust specified her celebration of life be held at our Soka Gakkai International Buddhist Center, where the mantra we chanted, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, would occur. She also specified that everyone wear colorful clothing and that R&B music be played. Everyone agreed on it all. I noticed at her service that my brothers, sister, and their kids, who are not Buddhist, joined in the chanting to honor Jenny. Each of my sisters and brothers spoke in front of the 150 people present, praising Jenny's irreverent spirit.

Dad didn't want any service. Still united, we decided to honor him by gathering at a local hotel and watching a slideshow of our favorite memories with him, spanning eight decades. We opted to tell our favorite stories about Dad that day.

During the weekend, the five of us hiked, swam, cried, and mourned together. While those two days were sad, they were also joyful because we were together. Belly laughter filled the hours, too. The cascade of care from my clan transformed what could have been a sad month into a time of endearment. Whenever we are in the same place, it's as if waves of happiness wash over us.

That intense month brought the five of us closer. I thank Dad eternally for making sure we six bonded as kids so that our love would last forever.

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John Morgan has an estimated wealth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes, placing him on its 2025 Billionaires List.

Morgan started his personal-injury firm, Morgan & Morgan, in 1988. Today, he has offices in all 50 US states and employs more than 1,000 lawyers. Morgan pioneered legal advertising, putting his face on ads across hundreds of US cities.

Other than his law firm, Morgan owns a collection of science museums, malls, billboard companies, and even a crime and punishment attraction that houses the original white Bronco that O.J. Simpson used to flee from the police.

Morgan sat down with Business Insider to discuss how he accumulated his wealth, the tragic motivation that led him to personal-injury law, the power and responsibility of wealth, and the dangers he believes a globally increasing wealth gap will one day create for both the rich and the poor.

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