• Being well-liked is an asset at work. When cutbacks become routine, it can make a difference.
• That's especially true in industries like tech, where layoffs and AI-driven change have made likability extra valuable.
• Likability matters most in roles requiring collaboration, but technical skills remain essential.

Survival for some tech workers could come down to something more than code quality or shipping speed: likability.

There is an increased focus in the industry on pleasing the boss as well as "upper upper management," said Soubhik Dawn, who has worked in tech for nearly two decades.

Of course, being well-liked is important if you want to get ahead in any career, but it's become an especially relevant topic in tech as layoffs and AI transform the industry.

"There is a little bit of showmanship that is going on. That's what I'm hearing from my circle," said Dawn, founder of Upplai, which uses AI to help job seekers with résumés and cover letters.

Competence still matters, yet at a time when some tech companies are demanding more of workers, being well-liked can be the thing that keeps you in your job.

'The most important skill'

Being likable is a "more important skill than computer programming, or system design, or algorithms," said another tech worker who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity because his employer doesn't permit staffers to speak to the press.

Getting along well, especially with the higher-ups, has become "the most important skill to survive," he said.

It's a lesson that's taken him a little while to learn, he said. He once tried to take on too many tasks to try to please his boss and skip-level managers. That led to him falling behind. Instead, he said that he should have spent more time cultivating relationships with those in management.

Dawn, from Upplai, said he had seen likability at work take several forms. Over the years, he's watched as some colleagues seemed to prioritize hanging out with VPs or senior VPs and offered to add a bit of polish to a slide deck or run errands.

Those workers, Dawn said, could then go on to complete some small project and "get recognition like crazy."

In some cases, becoming likable in the eyes of the boss comes from simply getting a lot done or doing what you say you'll do — and flagging any issues before they balloon into bigger problems.

"That kind of leads to likability," Dawn said. "Likability is more like dependability."

Warmth before competence

In the workplace and elsewhere, we often judge people first on warmth — which includes traits like trustworthiness — and only afterward on competence or skill, said Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and former professor at Harvard Business School.

In moments of uncertainty, warmth dominates, she told Business Insider. Cuddy has researched perceptions of warmth versus competence in the workplace for more than two decades.

"What people are calling likability right now is actually a proxy for trustworthiness, and trust is historically low," she said.

Cuddy said that when people feel uncertain, they start to read each other differently. When trust is low, people tend to rely heavily on trust cues as the most effective way to assess someone, she said.

So, while being capable is still important, if your colleagues don't like you, it can hold you back. Your competence can even become a threat if you're not trustworthy, Cuddy said.

She said that the desire for trust is why "likability suddenly sounds more important than the technical skill."

It's less about whether your colleague wants to have a beer with you after work, Cuddy said. "It's about feeling safe," she said.

"Trust is the conduit of influence," Cuddy said. "You could have a million great ideas, but if you don't have a medium through which those ideas can travel, it doesn't matter."

Likability matters more in some roles

Still, pure likability has its limits, said Tom Chi, who has worked at Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo, and who is a founding partner of At One Ventures, a Silicon Valley VC firm.

That's because, for many roles, there are "real, quantitative performance metrics" — things like how many lines of code someone has checked in, he said.

"It's actually relatively straightforward to tell whether you're adding a lot to the team," Chi said.

The tech world has plenty of examples of the "brilliant jerk" — that talented colleague who rubs others the wrong way, but gets away with it because of their skills or smarts.

"That's a deep part of tech culture," he said.

Where likability might play a more significant role, Chi said, is in roles such as product management or design, which center on coordinating with colleagues, building consensus, or working with customers. In those cases, he said, likability and friendliness tend to matter more, he said. Because amiable traits are ultimately demonstrations of competence.

"That's what merit looks like in that type of role," he said.

At the same time, Chi said, workers who focus too much on being likable are at risk.

"If one wanted to prioritize that over developing merit, then I think you're in for a bad ride," he said.

That hasn't deterred the anonymous coder.

"Does everyone like you?" he said. "That's how you survive in Big Tech right now."

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• TikTok Shop is winning over big-name brands like Samsung, Disney, and Ralph Lauren this holiday season.
• As it signs up more sellers, competition for attention is fierce, and ad buys are more important.
• Influencer commission rates are going down for some brands as ad spending increases.

'Tis the season for big brands to start selling on TikTok Shop.

After largely struggling to onboard blue-chip brands during previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns, TikTok is seeing a wave of household names join its US e-commerce platform this year.

Among the new entrants are Samsung US, Ralph Lauren, and the Disney Store, which on November 20 began listing Mickey Mouse T-shirts and "Frozen" plush toys on TikTok.

To boost sales on the app, the companies are offering a mix of Black Friday flash deals, holiday gift options, and livestream sell-a-thons tied to the November shopping rush.

While some global brands were early adopters of TikTok Shop, including clothing retailer PacSun and electronics retailer Newegg, much of the platform's early growth came from working with small and midsize businesses that sold viral products like a detangling brush or pickle-jar sweatshirts.

Now, a growing group of multinational companies is ready to give the platform a shot.

"The bigger brands don't care about their first mover advantage, so they wait until it's more mature to move in," said William August, founder of the social-commerce agency Outlandish.

TikTok Shop, which launched in the US in 2023, has been one of the fastest-growing brands among US consumers this year, according to a recent Morning Consult report. It's not unusual for a single Shop livestream to drive six-figure sales, as measured by gross merchandise value (GMV), two Shop agency partners said.

Social commerce is broadly heating up this holiday season, with purchases driven by social media up 29% this November compared to a year ago, according to an Adobe analysis of direct consumer transactions online. Shopping platform LTK said over 200 brands had created dedicated profiles in its app in the past week.

The category has been growing all year as more Americans become accustomed to buying products via influencers or social apps. Live-selling app Whatnot nearly doubled its valuation this year to $11.5 billion during its recent $225 million Series F round, according to the company.

"You've got players like Whatnot who are doing big streams and attracting meaningful brands and sellers and livestream hosts onto the platform," said Max Benator, CEO of the social-commerce platform Orca. "It's an exciting time."

TikTok Shop has faced unique challenges when onboarding household-name brands. Some companies didn't want to invest in a platform that was facing a possible ban, for example.

Other large companies were hesitant to experiment with a nascent platform that sold dupe versions of their products, one current and two former TikTok staffers told Business Insider. Amazon dealt with similar marketplace quality challenges when recruiting well-known brands.

But with the threat of a TikTok ban fading, and a variety of signals that the platform is sticky with consumers, including over $100 million in single-day Black Friday sales in the US last year, the big brands are now trickling in.

"We all know big brands generally are a bit slower and they need a lot of sign-offs," said Jasper Knitel, founder of the social-commerce agency Social Army.

More brands, more competition

As more companies sign on to TikTok Shop, the battle for attention is heating up.

Brands are offering steep discounts on their products, which is forcing other companies to follow suit, one TikTok Shop staffer told Business Insider.

L'Oréal Paris is listing 60% discounts for some products, while Shark Ninja is offering up to 45% off products like its vacuums and Ninja Slushi maker, for instance.

TikTok also runs its own set of Black Friday promotions that favor certain companies, including its "Super Brand Day" campaign. When the company pushes traffic to a particular e-commerce livestream, it can make views spike and really drive up sales, two of the Shop agency partners said.

That kind of platform-driven promotion isn't available to all sellers, and many brands are buying ads to help drive up video views as the ability to score organic traffic becomes more difficult, the two Shop partners said.

Brands are turning to TikTok Shop's ad product, GMV Max, to ensure their videos get enough reach. As they spend more on ads, some are lowering their commission rates for creators to distribute their marketing costs, the agency partners said.

Influencers with a strong track record of driving sales can still negotiate better commission rates.

Brands are forming a "more intimate relationship with a smaller group of creators that will do what you ask them to do and that you are willing to spend ads behind," Knitel said.

• Sriram Ramkrishna has struggled to find work since being laid off by Intel for the second time.
• On his last day at Intel, his wife learned that she had also lost her job.
• He's grateful for the support of fellow Intel workers who were also laid off.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sriram Ramkrishna, a 56-year-old job seeker in Portland, Oregon, who worked at Intel for over two decades cumulatively, most recently as a senior community manager and developer relations professional. He is among the thousands of Intel employees who have been laid off this year. Business Insider has verified his past employment and layoff documentation. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.

In July, I was laid off by Intel — for the second time.

Although I was given a few weeks' notice to land a new role within the company, I didn't try too hard to find one. After my second time around at Intel, part of me felt it was time for a new adventure — even if I knew the job market could be challenging.

I started casually looking for work right away, but I wasn't too stressed about it, as my wife and I had built a financial cushion over the years.

However, on July 31 — my last official day at Intel — my wife also lost her job. With both of us out of work, my mindset shifted from "I'll find a job when I can" to "I'd better find a job."

I was unsure about rejoining Intel, but I needed a job

I first joined Intel as a software engineer in 1996, shortly after graduating from college. I spent the next 20 years at the company until 2016, when I was laid off for the first time.

After a difficult 16-month search, I managed to find an engineer job at another company, but in 2022, I was laid off again.

As I searched for work, a role at Intel came onto my radar. However, I was of two minds about returning; many of us who were laid off in 2016 were deeply frustrated by how the job cuts were executed and how we were caught off guard. But I needed a job, and wasn't in a position to pass up opportunities.

I eventually was offered a developer relations role and accepted it.

Dealing with an Intel layoff for the second time

Three years later, my second Intel layoff forced me to start the job search process all over again.

I first became aware that my job was in jeopardy in June, when my unit was informed that our group was being dissolved. We were told the company would spend the rest of the month shopping our work to other business units, but if they couldn't find a fit, we'd lose our jobs.

In early July, we learned that there was no fit and that we had about three weeks to try to land another role within Intel. Otherwise, we'd be given a severance package and laid off.

One of the first things my wife and I did was take a vacation we'd already booked to Europe, tacked onto an industry conference I was attending.

During the trip, I started poking around job boards and did a few interviews that came through recruiter reachouts on LinkedIn. My goal was to get a feel for the job market. I thought it didn't seem too bad for the types of roles I was interested in.

When my wife and I returned from our travels in late July — just a few days before my last day at Intel and when she was let go — I felt rested and ready to focus on my job search.

The job search has been harder than I expected due to the competitive market

Despite my initial optimism, the past four months of my job search have been challenging. I've landed some interviews, but I've either been rejected or ghosted afterward.

I think I'm in a better position this time around, compared to after being laid off in 2016 — at least in some ways.

In 2016, it had been 20 years since my last interview, whereas I just went through a job search in 2022 before rejoining Intel. I also had a less defined career identity before, but it's now clear that I'm a developer relations person, which makes it easier to target the kinds of roles I'm looking for.

However, what's particularly challenging about my current job search is the competitive nature of the market. If an employer I'm interested in posts a job, there's bound to be at least 400 applicants. I've had to find a way to stand out, especially when going through the front door doesn't feel like a viable option.

One way I've been trying to do this is by optimizing my résumé keywords for applicant tracking systems using ChatGPT and a career firm that I was given access to as part of my Intel severance package.

But I know that's not enough, so I've also been relying on my network. Through conferences and past connections, I've been invited to private developer relations Slack channels and Discord servers, where I've connected with others in my field. Some have job channels where I can connect directly with hiring managers who post openings. I've also been trying to use referrals and connections to land interviews.

One of the things that has kept me going is the support of my former Intel colleagues who also lost their jobs. Many of us have been helping each other with our job searches and sharing opportunities.

Through my network, I've helped some former colleagues get interviews. These folks were young and recently graduated, and I felt an obligation to help them as it was their first layoff.

It feels like we're all looking out for one another. When I got laid off in 2016, I didn't have the same kind of support. This time, it's been different, and that's been really amazing.

I hope to secure a job by early next year

Intel provided a healthy severance package, which has been helpful. However, with both my wife and me out of work, it's become more challenging.

It'll be a while before I start panicking about finances, but I definitely want to secure a job by early next year.

I'm hopeful I'll land something by then, but if not, I might more seriously explore tech roles in Europe, where I think there will be growth in opportunities due to investment in the industry. Going forward, I plan to keep monitoring the Slack and Discord groups, and continue attending networking events and job fairs.

I think a lot of the search will come down to luck and timing.

• Five beauty and style CEOs told us their go-to gifts as the holiday season ramps up.
• Their answers range from experiences to candles to, unsurprisingly, jewelry and beauty supplies.
• Here's what the leaders of Revlon, ELF, and others reach for.

Sometimes, the more options you have, the harder it is to choose.

It's the prime day for holiday gift shopping — but lower prices and seemingly unlimited choices won't necessarily help you figure out what to buy.

To help inspire your Black Friday gift shopping spree, we asked the CEOs of five beauty, fashion, and style brands to share their go-to gifts.

Read on to learn about their favorite items to give others.

True to her brand, Noura Sakkijha, CEO of the jewelry brand Mejuri, said she often opts for earrings, and especially hoops.

"The reason why I love hoops is because there's no sizing required," she said. "Everybody loves to wear earrings, and so I find that it's the easiest gift."

Revlon CEO Michelle Peluso said she loves to give gifts that "spark joy and can be used daily," like a skincare or perfume set.

"This year, I'm drawn to beauty sets that feel both personal and indulgent," Peluso said. "Whether it's helping someone discover their signature scent or build a skincare ritual."

She said Juicy Couture's Just Moi Eau de Parfum three-piece fragrance gift set is perfect for younger women who like "feminine, gourmand scents."

Anastasia Soare, the eyebrow guru and CEO of cosmetics company Anastasia Beverly Hills, doesn't go for anything brow-related. Instead, she said she opts for candles, specifically Diptyque.

ELF Beauty CEO Tarang Amin prefers giving gifts that match the time of year.

"In the summer, it's Alphonso mangoes from India. They are delicious and unexpected. For the holidays, alabaster candleholders to bring a little joy and warmth," he told Business Insider.

Ulta Beauty's president and CEO, Kecia Steelman, said she frames her gifts around the one thing we all lack: enough time.

"The holidays can feel especially busy, so giving the gift of time feels the most meaningful to me," she said. "Whether it's gifting an experience, treating someone to a salon service or self-care gift so they invest time back into themselves, or even just making time to be truly present with loved ones."

• Ghislaine Maxwell, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Luigi Mangione all have different Thanksgiving day menus.
• Only one of these newsworthy inmates will be served a drumstick, considered a potential weapon.
• The other two must eat warmed-over, pre-cut turkey slices — with a spork.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Luigi Mangione are all spending Thanksgiving in federal lockup this year.

It's the fifth Turkey Day behind bars for Maxwell, who's serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking women and girls to Jeffrey Epstein. It's the second year behind bars for music mogul Combs, who's serving four years for transporting sex workers, and the first for Mangione, accused in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Each will eat their prison poultry at the ungodly hour of 11 a.m., the universal time across the federal system for the main hot meal of the day. Talk about an Early Bird special.

But because these newsworthy inmates are housed at three different federal facilities, they'll each experience different menus and table settings.

These differences are nothing to shake a spork at.

Thanks to her surprise move this summer to a Texas "Club Fed," Maxwell will enjoy for the first time this year the privilege of eating her holiday turkey with the full complement of prison cutlery: a plastic fork, knife, and spoon.

The same goes for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former "Real Housewives" star Jen Shah, who are also housed at the same facility, and anyone else at one of the country's more than 70 federal prison camps, which feature the lowest level of security.

Everyone else in a federal lockup? Sporks.

"Anybody who's not in a camp is not going to get a plastic knife," prison consultant Sam Mangel told Business Insider. "They're going to get a spork, something that can't be used as a weapon."

Here's another special privilege for camp residents, if one can call it that: Thanksgiving drumsticks to go with the standard prison fare of mashed potatoes with gravy and mixed vegetables.

Only at the camps do they trust inmates with what Mangel called "turkey on the bone." Everywhere else, it's "turkey roast," which Mangel says is a euphemism for warmed-over pre-sliced turkey.

"The bones can be fashioned into weapons," he explained of the drumstick disparity.

The drumsticks are "a step up in the trust level," said Mangel, a former federal camp inmate himself.

Also, they're sizeable — "six to nine inches long," he said. And the prison ovens do crisp up the skin quite nicely, he said.

There's a drawback, though.

"The drumsticks, I can tell you from experience, tended to be filled with, you know, tendons," Mangel said. "While they looked good, there was just a nominal amount of meat on them."

"It's not top grade by any means," he added, speaking of all the turkey options.

• Morgan Stanley predicts AI shopping agents will add $115 billion in US e-commerce by 2030.
• Nearly half of US online shoppers are expected to use AI-powered agents by 2030.
• Retailers like Amazon and Walmart have launched AI tools to boost online shopping growth.

AI-powered agents are poised to shake up online shopping. They could also meaningfully expand the US e-commerce market.

Morgan Stanley wrote in a note last week that AI shopping agents will transform the online retail landscape over the next few years, predicting that nearly half of all US e-commerce shoppers will use AI agents by 2030.

These "agentic commerce" tools that can make product recommendations, run price comparisons, and manage orders could add as much as $115 billion to US online spending, the firm wrote in the note.

"We believe agentic commerce — in effect the ability to have a personal digital interactive shopper — is set to be the best next substantial GenAI-enabled unlock," the note stated. "With greater digitization of consumers' wallets, agentic could add up to $115 billion to our '30 e-comm forecast and shake up the e-comm funnel with implications across retailers and digital ad players."

That bullish outlook underscores why retailers have been scrambling to launch their own AI shopping assistants, including Amazon's Rufus, Walmart's Sparky, and Target's ChatGPT-powered app.

OpenAI deepened ChatGPT's agentic AI-powered shopping capabilities this week, adding a "shopping research" feature to help users find the best products for their needs. Google has also enhanced its AI shopping tools ahead of the holiday season, debuting an AI assistant that can call local stores on a user's behalf.

Morgan Stanley wrote in the note that personalized grocery shopping could become a "key unlock" for agentic commerce growth. After groceries, Morgan Stanley predicts household products, personal care, and apparel categories to benefit from AI shopping agents.

Amazon has been an early mover in AI shopping assistants with its Rufus tool. Rufus is expected to indirectly contribute over $700 million in operating profit this year, Business Insider previously reported. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in October that Rufus was on pace to drive $10 billion in "incremental annualized sales," although he pointed out that the customer experience still needs improvement.

"We're very excited about the long-term prospect of agentic commerce," Jassy said during an October call with analysts. "The promise is that AI and agentic commerce solutions are going to expand the amount of shopping that happens online."

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• Defense officials are signaling a shift away from traditional contracting and toward startups.
• VC funding for the space has hit $19 billion, up from $10 billion last year, per PitchBook.
• Business Insider has compiled its coverage of the top defense funding rounds of 2025.

Defense and aerospace startups have already raised more than $19 billion in 2025, according to data firm PitchBook.

This comes as the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calls for a total overhaul of the military's acquisition system to "focus on speed and volume," he said in a speech earlier this month. The military's push towards faster and cheaper innovation is resonating in Silicon Valley, with investors pouring record amounts of cash into AI-powered weapons, drones, and other defense-focused startups.

The "objective is simple," Hegseth continued. "Transform the entire acquisition system to operate on a wartime footing."

Last year, global venture capital investments in defense and aerospace companies totaled over $10 billion. All signs point to this year nearly doubling last: As of late November, global defense and aerospace funding has surpassed $19 billion, per PitchBook.

As if Silicon Valley needed any more reassurance from the military's top brass of its bet on defense tech, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll recently said the Army aims to work less with traditional defense businesses and procure more weapons from startups.

These proclamations highlight the Trump administration's push to modernize the Defense Department and its armaments with Silicon Valley's best and brightest.

The enthusiasm has spurred something of an arms race on the opposite coast. In El Segundo, Calif., where a handful of traditional defense contractors are headquartered, startups are setting up shop in warehouses adorned with American flags and squat racks and racing to build battlefield-ready tech. They've constructed FPV drones, used AI to automate factory floors, and sent capsules to space. Last week, an El Segundo-based nuclear startup said it split the atom.

It's also led to mega rounds and soaring valuations. In February, Saronic, which makes autonomous ships, raised $600 million at a $4 billion valuation led by solo capitalist Elad Gil. Anduril Industries, Palmer Luckey's autonomous weapons startup, raised $2.5 billion at a $30.5 billion valuation in June; Peter Thiel's Founders Fund led the round with a $1 billion check. In mid November, Chaos Industries, a startup building radar tech to help militaries detect autonomous threats, raised $510 million led by Valor Equity Partners at a $4.5 billion valuation.

Business Insider has covered a handful of this year's notable defense tech deals. Here are a few:

Onebrief raises $20 million at a $1.1 billion valuation

The Honolulu-based startup raised a $20 million Series C extension in June, led by Battery Ventures, bringing its total funding to over $120 million and pushing its valuation past $1 billion. That's an over $400 million increase in valuation since January, when General Catalyst led a $50 million Series C round that valued Onebrief at $650 million.

Palantir alums raise $15 million to cut through red tape

Former Palantir employees Zachary Long, Eric Schwartz, and Ben Fichter founded Conductor AI in 2023. The startup uses artificial intelligence to help those in large organizations — like the US government — fill out paperwork and effectively resolve compliance issues, and has raised around $15 million for its Series A round led by Lux Capital.

Dirac secures $11 million to take the guesswork out of complex machinery assembly

Fil Aronshtein, Dirac's cofounder and CEO, says BuildOS, the company's main product, is a software tool that uses AI to generate assembly instructions for manufacturers. The startup raised nearly $11 million from Founders Fund and Coatue Management — and struck a new partnership with industrial manufacturing giant Siemens.

A former SpaceX engineer raised $10 million in 36 hours

AndrenaM's rapid fundraise signals just how eager investors are about the new wave of defense tech. The startup, cofounded by Matej Cernosek and Alex Chu, uses AI to analyze sonar data and deliver real-time insights, aiming to give this legacy defense tool a high-tech upgrade.

A 21-year-old founder who cut open his leg to demo his biotech raises $4.3 million

Jake Adler poured his actual blood into his startup. Adler, the founder of Pilgrim, a biotech and defense startup building medical devices for the battlefield, filmed himself testing his flagship product — a hemostatic dressing he calls Kingsfoil — by cutting open both of his thighs. Following the video, the Redwood, Calif.-based startup raised $4.3 million in seed funding.

• Retail CEOs don't typically get the same rockstar treatment as tech execs, but they're in high demand and well-paid.
• Publicly traded companies must disclose their executives' compensation details in annual filings.
• Here's what the CEOs of 30 top retail chains made last year.

Retail is a tough industry where top brands post massive revenue figures, employ hundreds of thousands of people, and chase relatively tight profit margins.

And while retail CEOs don't usually see the same rockstar treatment that tech execs enjoy, they are still in high demand.

Leaders of these large retail chains are often paid eight-figure compensation packages for managing this complexity, based on Business Insider's analysis of proxy filings over the past year.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol was among the 100 top-paid CEOs in the S&P 500 last year, the most recent period when executive compensation data is available. Niccol's compensation included hefty signing bonuses for leaving his job at Chipotle.

While some CEOs, including Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett, may not be fans of pay disclosure rules and their impact on executive pay packages, the numbers offer an interesting insight into how companies value their CEOs.

The pay packages typically consist of a base salary, plus stock awards, cash bonuses (i.e., non-equity incentives), and other perks, like 401 (k) contributions and private jet usage.

Here's what the CEOs of 30 of the largest restaurant and retail chains made last year, in ascending order.

Ryan Cohen of GameStop: $268,553

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen's pay package consisted exclusively of a $268,553 security detail that the company provides for him.

Andy Jassy of Amazon: $1.60 million

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made nearly $1.6 million last year, which included a base salary of $365,000 and more than $1.1 million in travel and security expenses. Company filings also show he had more than $274 million worth of restricted Amazon stock that had not yet vested as of December 31.

Todd Vasos of Dollar General: $2.15 million

Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos took home $2.15 million last year, which included a base salary of $1.4 million, $214,849 in non-equity incentives, and $406,581 from the personal use of the company airplane and related ground transportation.

Brad Beckham of O'Reilly Automotive: $2.83 million

Brad Beckham of O'Reilly Automotive made over $2.8 million last year on a base salary of $971,154, plus $1.25 million in options and $500,000 in non-equity incentives.

Gerald Morgan of Texas Roadhouse: $6.19 million

Texas Roadhouse CEO Gerald Morgan made nearly $6.2 million last year on a $1.3 million base salary, plus $2.6 million in stock awards and $2.3 million in non-equity incentives.

Michael Creedon of Dollar Tree: $7.6 million

Dollar Tree CEO Michael Creedon made about $7.6 million in his first fiscal year as CEO with a base salary of $1 million, stock awards of $4.8 million, options of $1.2 million, and non-equity incentives of $608,300. Because he only served part of the year, the company said his total annualized earnings were closer to $9.2 million.

William Stengel of Genuine Parts Company: $7.72 million

Genuine Parts Company CEO William Stengel, who took on the role in June 2024, made over $7.7 million last year. That included a base salary of $911,667, $5.5 million in stock awards, and nearly $1 million in non-equity incentives.

Russell Weiner of Domino's Pizza: $8.94 million

Domino's Pizza CEO Russell Weiner made $8.9 million last year, which included a base salary of $913,462, plus $4.4 million in stock awards, $1.4 million in options, and nearly $2 million in non-equity incentives. He also did $194,419 worth of personal travel on the company airplane.

Philip Daniele of AutoZone: $9.64 million

AutoZone CEO Philip Daniele's $9.6 million package included a $1 million base salary, plus $7.2 million in stock options and $1.25 million in non-equity incentives.

Darren Rebelez of Casey's General Stores: $10.68 million

Darren Rebelez of Casey's General Stores made nearly $10.7 million on a $1.2 million base salary, $7.35 million in stock, and $1.9 million in non-equity incentives.

Hal Lawton of Tractor Supply Co: $11.78 million

Tractor Supply Co. CEO Hal Lawton made nearly $11.8 million last year on a $1.3 million base salary, plus $6.5 million in stock awards, $2.2 million in options, and $1.7 million in non-equity incentives.

Jack Sinclair of Sprouts Farmers Market: $12.24 million

Sprouts Farmers Market CEO Jack Sinclair made nearly $12.24 million last year on a $1.2 million base salary, plus stock awards of $4.2 million, options worth $1.4 million, and non-equity incentives of $5.4 million.

Ron Vachris of Costco: $12.3 million

Costco CEO Ron Vachris made $12.3 million, comprising a base salary of $1.1 million, plus $10.6 million in stock awards, and $434,333 in non-equity incentives. He also used about $56,000 worth of travel on the company aircraft and received a complimentary Executive Membership to his club valued at $120.

Lauren Hobart of Dick's Sporting Goods: $12.92 million

Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Lauren Hobart made nearly $13 million last year with a $1.3 million base salary, $7.5 million in stock awards, and $3.8 million in non-equity incentives.

Bob Eddy of BJ's Wholesale Club: $13.61 million

BJ's Wholesale Club CEO Bob Eddy made over $13.6 million last year with a base salary of $1.35 million, stock awards of $9.5 million, and non-equity incentives of $2.4 million. He also used a private plane for travel — a benefit worth $199,215.

Joshua Kobza of Restaurant Brands Inc.: $14.47 million

Joshua Kobza, CEO of Restaurant Brands Inc. — owner of chains like Burger King and Tim Horton's — made about $14.4 million last year on a $941,667 base salary, stock awards of $11.6 million, non-equity incentives of $1.1 million, and tax equalization of $749,167.

Vivek Sankaran of Albertsons: $15.24 million

The former CEO of grocery chain Albertsons, Vivek Sankaran, made $15.24 million in that role last year. That included a $1.5 million base salary, $11.5 million in stock, and nearly $2.1 million in non-equity incentives.

Ted Decker of Home Depot: $15.57 million

Home Depot CEO Ted Decker made nearly $15.6 million last year with a base salary of $1.4 million, stock awards worth $9 million, options of $2.2 million, and non-equity compensation of $2.7 million.

Rodney McMullen of Kroger: $15.63 million

Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen took home more than $15.6 million last year with a $1.4 million base salary, $10.6 million in stock awards, $2.6 million in options, and nearly a million dollars in deferred and other compensation.

Corie Barry of Best Buy: $16.15 million

Best Buy CEO Corie Barry made $16.1 million last year, comprising a base salary of $1.3 million, stock awards of $12.5 million, and non-equity incentives of $2.1 million.

Barbara Rentler of Ross Stores: $16.99 million

Former Ross Stores CEO Barbara Rentler made nearly $17 million last year, with a $1.4 million base salary, plus $10.7 million in stock awards and $4.6 million in non-equity incentives.

Chris Kempczinski of McDonald's: $18.20 million

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski earned nearly $18.2 million in 2022, comprising a base salary of $1.5 million, stock awards of $7.5 million, and options of $7.5 million. He also received nearly $855,000 in non-equity incentives and over $811,000 in other compensation. His personal use of the company aircraft cost about $400,000.

Scott Boatwright of Chipotle: $19.14 million

Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright took home $19.1 million with a base salary of $768,461, stock awards of $14.6 million, options of $2 million, and non-equity incentives of $1.6 million.

Marvin Ellison of Lowe's: $20.16 million

Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison made over $20.1 million in 2022, comprising a base salary of $1.5 million, stock awards of $12 million, options valued at $3.75 million, and non-equity incentives of $3 million.

Brian Cornell of Target: $20.41 million

Outgoing Target CEO Brian Cornell made $20.4 million last year, that included a base salary of $1.4 million, a bonus of $785,400, stock awards of $16.1 million, and non-equity incentives of $1.5 million. His use of the company aircraft for personal trips (for security reasons) was worth an additional $338,669.

Ernie Herrman of TJX Companies: $23.48 million

Ernie Herrman, CEO of TJX — parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Homegoods, and more — made nearly $23.5 million last year with a base salary of $1.7 million, stock awards of $12.6 million, non-equity incentives of $7 million, as well as $2.2 million in deferred and other compensation.

David Gibbs of Yum Brands: $24.71 million

Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs made over $24.7 million last year with a $1.3 million base salary, plus $9.5 million in stock awards, $3 million in options, $1.7 million in non-equity compensation, and an $8.5 million adjustment to the valuation of his company pension plan.

Doug McMillon of Walmart: $27.41 million

Outgoing Walmart CEO Doug McMillon made $27.4 million last year with a base salary of $1.5 million, stock awards of $20.4 million, non-equity incentives of $4.4 million, and $1.1 million in deferred and other compensation. Roughly $275,000 of that other compensation was due to personal use of the company aircraft, typically for security reasons.

Laura Alber of Williams-Sonoma: $27.69 million

Laura Alber, CEO of Williams-Sonoma — which owns brands like West Elm and Pottery Barn — took home nearly $27.7 million last year thanks to a base salary of $1.6 million, $16 million in stock, and $10 million in non-equity incentives.

Brian Niccol of Starbucks: $95.8 million

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, who took on the role in September 2024, topped the year's list with a signup bonus-enhanced compensation package of more than $95.8 million.

The details include a $61,000 base salary, stacked with a $5 million bonus and $90.3 million in stock awards. He also received $143,567 for temporary housing expenses, $127,765 in personal security services, and $72,398 to fly on the company aircraft between his home and Starbucks' Seattle headquarters.

Niccol's subsequent pay packages, while still large, are set to be a fraction of what he got for his first year on the job.

• Universal childcare in New York City could save parents up to $26,000 per year.
• Current universal programs like 3-K and Pre-K serve 103,000 children but have long waitlists.
• Advocates and officials support expanding access to affordable childcare and raising worker wages.

Across the five boroughs, affordable childcare is a hard bargain to find.

Working parents are excited about the prospect of universal childcare, championed by Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul. Childcare can cost as much as $26,000 a year for an infant in a care center.

Mamdani's campaign proposed universal childcare for kids 6 weeks to 5 years old. He is also planning to raise the wage for childcare workers to parity with public school teachers, whose starting salary is $68,902 with a bachelor's degree and no teaching experience.

That would build on the city's existing universal 3-K and Pre-K programs for children aged 3 and 4, respectively. About 103,000 children utilized the programs during the 2023-2024 school year.

3-K waitlists in some neighborhoods are long, and seats fill up quickly.

Expanding childcare for all kids under 5 years old will be a challenge. Mamdani hopes to tackle it with the help of the state. Universal childcare advocacy groups are excited about the newfound support for a universal system and are hopeful for the future.

On the steps of New York City Hall, the Empire State Campaign for Child Care (ESCCC), a statewide advocacy group for universal childcare, unveiled its recommended plan for achieving universal childcare for the state.

ESCCC hosted several speakers at its Thursday event, including Elizabeth Kennedy, a working parent of two and the deputy public advocate for Education & Opportunity at the Office of the New York City Public Advocate.

"We cannot do our jobs without the village," she said in reference to the group's plan to raise childcare workers' wages, a workforce whose majority is immigrant workers and women of color.

"There's never been so much momentum behind childcare," said State Sen. Jabari Brisport. "There was a big push a few years ago, but even now it's just completely night and day, and I'm feeling very confident about winning something big. If not, everything next year, something big."

Brisport, the chair of the Children and Families committee in the New York State Senate, has been a longtime advocate and supporter of universal childcare and said he is looking to raise wages for childcare workers as soon as possible.

Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, a consultant and community organizer, said she pays nearly $40,000 a year in childcare costs.

Hambrick Ashcraft and her family live in Manhattan, raising four kids, all 11 years old and younger.

Day care for her youngest son, who just turned 3 years old, costs them over $30,000 a year, she said. She said they were able to secure a slot in New York City Public Schools' 3-K program, which offers free full-day educational and early childhood care.

Hambrick Ashcraft said their family relied on an after-school nanny, summer camps, and her being available on Mondays and Fridays to manage their childcare needs in the past. She said the most expensive childcare costs now that three of her kids are in school are after schools let out in the summer.

"The biggest cost now is summer camps and full-time care for four in the summer is absolutely outrageous. And so those can be a thousand bucks a kid per week," Hambrick Ashcraft.

Having young children tends to push parents away from the city, generally. The Fiscal Policy Institute found that households with young kids are twice as likely to move out of New York City as those without children.

Are you a parent navigating through the economy? Contact this reporter at bdelk@insider.com.

• Nvidia looked poised to have a great month on the heels of hitting an all-time high and another blockbuster earnings.
• Instead, the AI chipmaker has faced ongoing concerns about a possible AI bubble and increased competition from Google.
• News of a potential big Google chip deal sent Nvidia shares tumbling further, though they've regained some of the losses.

Nvidia's sterling armor was dented this month.

After years of meteoric success, the chipmaker and its CEO Jensen Huang have increasingly found themselves playing defense — an unusual position for the company.

Nvidia headed into the month with its stock price at an all-time high, bolstered by increasing AI spending from some of its major Big Tech customers like Meta, Microsoft, and Google.

Huang was hot off of Nvidia's GTC conference in Washington, where he dismissed any concerns of an AI bubble and sounded jubilant.

But over the course of the month, which saw Nvidia shed 11% of its value, the chipmaker has gone from smashing earnings and alleviating Wall Street's AI bubble fears to becoming the poster boy of what some analysts view as a company on an unsustainable path.

Nvidia has also had to fend off short-sellers and the growing threat of Google, picking up some bruises along the way.

Big names, including SoftBank and Peter Thiel, cashed out on the Wall Street darling that had became the world's first $4 trillion market cap company mere months ago. SoftBank announced it fully exited its Nvidia position, selling $5.8 billion in shares to bet on OpenAI. And while its CFO stressed it had "nothing to do with Nvidia itself," the move didn't exactly dispel the ongoing AI bubble talk.

Nvidia defiantly pushed back on any investor skittishness when it released its third-quarter earnings on November 19, surpassing analysts' already lofty expectations — no small feat — at a time when concerns about the AI bubble were once again creeping up.

"There's been a lot of talk about an AI bubble," Huang told analysts on a call following the results. "From our vantage point, we see something very different."

But while shares rallied in after-hours trading following the results, markets did a U-turn the following day as hand-wringing over ballooning tech valuations and spending continued.

Behind closed doors, Huang privately told employees in remarks first reported by Business Insider that "the market did not appreciate" Nvidia's "incredible" quarter.

Facing sky-high expectations and the position of being a bellwether for the AI industry, Huang described the chipmaker as being in a somewhat no-win situation.

"If we delivered a bad quarter, it is evidence there's an AI bubble. If we delivered a great quarter, we are fueling the AI bubble," Huang said during an all-hands meeting.

New pressure from Google

It didn't take long for things to get a bit choppy for the chipmaker.

Shares of Nvidia fell after The Information reported that Google was engaged in talks with Meta to provide the social network billions worth of the tech giant's own advanced chips.

While Nvidia's chips have long been the gold standard in the AI race, a hot commodity used by tech giants and startups to train and run LLMs and chatbots, the news suggested that the chipmaker's market share might be under threat. With Google now eyeing Nvidia's lunch, the market digested a possible future where Nvidia may no longer be the star attraction.

Nvidia's market losses following the news appeared to be Google's gain, with its parent company Alphabet now positioned to join the $4 trillion club that Nvidia started.

And in a move that raised some eyebrows, Nvidia released a mostly defiant statement that praised Google's success but said Nvidia's chips are "a generation ahead of the industry."

Burry proves to be a thorn in Nvidia's side

The developments acted as fuel for Michael Burry of "The Big Short" fame, who has become increasingly vocal about voicing his doubts about Nvidia.

Burry, who has a particularly dour view of the AI industry, spent much of the month questioning the longevity of Nvidia's chips, its stock dilution, and its circular, "give-and-take deals" in AI.

The investor recently leaned into online writing and labeled Nvidia as the Cisco of the AI bubble era in one of his first Substack posts.

"And once again there is a Cisco at the center of it all, with the picks and shovels for all and the expansive vision to go with it," Burry wrote. "Its name is Nvidia."

The chipmaker didn't take the criticism lying down. In a note to Wall Street sell-side analysts, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider, Nvidia took exception to Burry's claims, stating that he appeared to have "incorrectly" made some of his calculations.

The memo also pushed back against views that Nvidia is too entangled in circular financial arrangements with some of its customers.

"First, Nvidia's strategic investments represent a small share of Nvidia's revenue and an even smaller share of approximately $1T raised each year across global private capital markets," the memo said, adding, "The companies in Nvidia's strategic investment portfolio predominantly generate revenue from third-party customers, not from Nvidia."

Burry called Nvidia's response "disappointing" and disclosed that he "continues to own puts" on Nvidia.

Nvidia isn't going anywhere

While November undoubtedly turned up the heat on Nvidia, the chipmaker continues to be the world's most valuable company by market cap and its shares have slightly rebounded in recent days, closing up 1.37% on Wednesday.

The world's largest tech companies rely on Nvidia's chips and have committed to spend billions and billions on the latest generation. CEO Jensen Huang has said sales of its latest Blackwell chips have been "off the charts."

Nvidia's CFO, Colette Kress, told analysts earlier this month that the company is on track to bring in "half a trillion" in AI chip orders during the combined 2025-2026 period — a number that she said "will grow" as more deals are struck.

While Nvidia's bruising back half of the month is a reminder that even AI royalty can see its crown threatened, Huang had some words for the doubters during the company's earnings call.

"As a reminder, Nvidia is unlike any other accelerator," he said. "We excel at every phase of AI, from pre-training and post-training to inference."