• Chet Kittleson is the founder of Tin Can, a landline for kids that runs on wifi.
• He's a dad of three, and says the phone has led to more sleepovers and playdates for them.
• Now, the phone is backordered for months.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chet Kittleson, founder of Tin Can. It has been edited for length and clarity.

About three years ago, I was picking my daughter up from school and started chatting with parents about how arduous it is to run the kids' social lives. One mom said that she felt like an executive assistant for her daughter. There was a lot of frustration and angst toward the kids, and as a dad of three, I understood it.

But that day, I played devil's advocate. What else are the kids supposed to do, I asked. My first social network was the landline, but my kids didn't have that. Most of the parents I knew were delaying cellphones, but that left the kids reliant on us for coordinating meet-ups.

I got to thinking: wouldn't it be cool if there was a landline my kids — who are now 10, 8, and 5 — could use to organize their own social dates?

The phone led to my daughter walking to school with friends

I had been working at the tech and real estate company Redfin, which I loved because the company environment allowed me to be a rising executive and an active dad. Still, I had this itch to build a company of my own. I left to start another real estate-related company, but ultimately, we didn't have a product-market fit, and had to call it quits after about two years.

The same week I wrapped up that venture, I brought my co-founders over to talk about making my landline idea a reality. We spent a week at my kitchen table, making prototypes. By the end of the week, we had five phones.

Two of the prototypes went to my daughter's friends. Right away, we started noticing the kids organizing more playdates and sleepovers. My favorite moment came when the phone rang at about 8:15 in the morning. My daughter's friend was inviting her to walk to school for the first time.

I want to use tech to build better in-person connections

Right away, I started getting texts from other local parents, asking if they could get a phone. I made about 50 prototypes and installed them myself. I asked customers what they liked about the phone and what they were worried about when it comes to kids and tech, which helped me refine the product.

We officially started selling Tin Cans in April of this year. For parents, the phone is a symbol of a simpler time. For kids who have often never experienced independent communication, it delivers a new superpower they didn't know they wanted.

Today, we have Tin Cans in every state and Canada. We've raised $3.5 million. I'm excited to build a different type of technology company: one that uses tech to build connections and healthy relationships.

We're trying to foster independent kids

Personally, that's extremely meaningful to me because I've always struggled with anxiety and had my own challenges with screen addiction. I stopped using social media a few years ago after noticing that it was distracting me from moments with my kids.

Today, my family has two Tin Cans: one in a shared area of the home and another in my oldest's room. These days, my kids frequently get calls from friends asking them to walk to school. They have more sleepovers or just chat with their grandparents.

There are also more subtle changes. When we pick up takeout, my kids are often the ones to go in and claim the order. That confidence is a symbol of the strong, autonomous children my wife and I are trying to raise.

One mother told us that Tin Can helped her daughter find her voice — literally. The girl started off talking quietly and timidly, but within weeks, was louder. That confidence translates to the real world, and the Tin Can lifestyle we're hoping to foster.

• My son was born during the first week of December, and I didn't want his birthday to be forgotten.
• I've tried to make sure his birthday feels separate from holiday celebrations over the years.
• Thankfully, he hasn't seemed to mind so much, though a true birthday celebration does help.

When I figured out that my son would be born in December, I was instantly worried that he'd deal with having his birthday overshadowed by the season. Luckily, over the years, my son developed a different attitude and began to think of Christmas as something for him. But I have still always been careful to protect his birthday as a separate festivity.

Christmas will always be associated with my son now

My son was born during the first week of December, so he was just over two weeks old for his first Christmas. His birth was really marked by the holiday season. The hospital where I had him was decorated already, and I survived those first late-night feedings by keeping myself awake with cookies and Christmas reruns.

By the time his first birthday rolled around, I wasn't sure how to approach the theme of his party. I decided to keep it holiday-adjacent, choosing a red and white color scheme since the house was already decorated for Christmas. I kept this up for years and realized quickly that it didn't bother my son. If anything, I think that, at least while he was young, he always thought Christmas was all part of his birthday.

When he was finally old enough for me to ask what kind of birthday he'd like, it was still "Christmas." To ensure his special day still felt distinct from the season, I'd make sure his cake was something he was interested in at the time, such as a Batman or football theme. However, besides putting up a "Happy Birthday" sign and getting balloons, the Christmas decorations have essentially always doubled as the party decorations.

I've pushed for the separation from Christmas

I'd say the biggest December birthday issue we've run into is when someone gives my son a gift, saying it's both for his birthday and Christmas. This usually happens with extended family and friends that we don't see as often. Luckily, I have a great kid who would never complain about receiving a combined birthday and Christmas gift, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to the fact that it hurts his feelings a little.

The best way I have found to avoid this happening is by throwing him a true birthday party. So far, no one has ever come to celebrate him with a Christmas present. Making sure his birthday is an occasion on its own sets a boundary between it and the rest of the holidays.

Breaking up the holidays by celebrating my son is actually lovely

One unexpected upside to his birthday being during the holiday rush has been that it feels like a break from the season. This year, my son turned 12 and had some friends over to celebrate. And this year, nothing about his party had to do with Christmas. We hadn't gotten our tree up or decorations out yet, and I served all traditional party foods, including pizza, cake, and an ice cream sundae bar. Best of all, all of the gifts from his friends were wrapped in birthday wrapping paper with birthday cards. They all spent the party hanging out, having the absolute time of their lives.

The season's activities can become a lot, especially with school events like Spirit Week, so I think a pause from that to do something that's still fun is refreshing for everyone. But mostly, I think my son felt really special to be celebrated like that by his best friends. It was probably his first birthday party that really felt like something separate from Christmastime.

I think he deserves a birthday that feels like one

My son is a Sagittarius, like anyone with a December birthday before the 22nd. They are known for being adventurous and optimistic, and my son is as well. He could make the most out of any situation, which is part of why I believe having a birthday so close to Christmas doesn't bother him at all. It's me who wants to protect the day we celebrate him from being lumped into Christmas.

I've now seen the difference between the Christmas-adjacent birthday and the birthday-birthday, and it proves to me that it's important not to combine the two. As his mom, I notice the subtle differences. It's the small look I see on his face when he gets a "Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas," instead of hearing each individually on their respective days.

Having a Christmas birthday doesn't make it any less important. However, it is essential to make the distinction.

• Interceptor drones have emerged as a top air defense tool for Ukraine in its battle against Russian threats.
• The machine guns long used to shoot down drones are still in play though.
• Interceptor drones are popular but still in limited supply, and they aren't always the ideal choice.

Ukrainian forces are still using decades-old machine guns and small arms to defend against Russian air attacks, even as cheap interceptor drones surge in popularity.

Interceptor drones, which are armed with small warheads and fly directly into their targets or explode nearby to destroy them midair, have become a crucial tool for Ukraine as it struggles to defend against worsening Russian bombardments.

However, Ukraine still doesn't have enough of these drones, and they aren't always the best tool for every intercept, making guns a practical fallback, Ukrainian soldiers and an official familiar with the security situation told Business Insider.

Oleksiy, the deputy commander of a Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces mobile air defense unit who could only be identified by his first name for security reasons, said his troops are training to use new interceptor drones to strengthen their arsenal.

Oleksiy's unit, tasked with protecting Irpin, a city on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Kyiv, has historically used the .50 caliber M2 Browning machine gun mounted on the bed of a pickup truck to battle the Russian one-way attack drones that are regularly launched at Ukraine.

Earlier this year, though, Russia started modifying its drones to fly faster and at higher altitudes, beyond the range of the Browning, a popular US-made heavy weapon designed around the end of World War I.

Oleksiy said his unit is still using the Browning, but it hasn't scored any hits recently because the Russian drones are beyond its capabilities. He said that other Ukrainian air defenders also rely on the machine gun, which has decades of combat experience.

Oleksiy argued that guns will likely continue to have a role in air defense. Ultimately, soldiers will decide which weapon best suits their needs in the moment.

"Defense forces always use all available means of deterrence, and a machine gun is currently one of the cheapest means if there are enemy air targets in its range," he said.

A special operator in Ukraine's 4th Ranger Regiment, who previously worked with the Browning in an air defense sub-unit, said the gun is a reliable weapon troops can master in just a few days.

Russian drones don't always maintain a consistent altitude in flight; sometimes they fly closer to the ground, where they become vulnerable to the Browning, said Drago, who could only be identified by his call sign for security reasons.

Officials, however, would like to see a shift toward the newer capabilities. Yehor Cherniev, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, told Business Insider that air defenders still largely use "outdated weapons," including guns, to battle Russian drones.

Cherniev said Ukraine is replacing these weapons with interceptor drones at a rapid pace, describing them as "far more effective."

He said that "due to a lack of funding and limited assistance from our partners, we have not yet been able to implement the use of interceptor drones everywhere and on the necessary scale." Limits on these capabilities leave crews dependent on older options that are useful but not always well-suited for the threat.

Interceptor drones emerged earlier this year as a top defense priority for Ukraine because these systems are inexpensive and can be manufactured in large quantities. They are among the latest battlefield innovations and crucial technology as Kyiv faces growing Russian investment in its long-range drone operations and ever-expanding nightly attacks.

Some Ukrainian interceptor drones are worth as little as $2,500; by comparison, Russia's one-way attack drones are estimated to cost $35,000 on the low end. Officials stress that it's crucial to be on the right end of the cost curve.

Ukraine's defense industry is now producing hundreds of interceptor drones daily, and the military frequently shares footage showing them downing Russian attack and reconnaissance drones.

Western military officials and Ukrainian organizations have said that interceptor drones are responsible for taking down thousands of Russian drones in combat.

Meanwhile, NATO is taking note of the success of interceptor drones in Ukraine. Some allies have purchased and are deploying their own systems, recognizing the value as a low-cost air defense solution that doesn't necessarily require extensive training.

Oleksiy's unit began training on the new interceptor drones earlier in the fall, and they expect to wrap up soon. While he acknowledged that there is a bit of a learning curve, he said that it "doesn't scare us."

• I tried hot chicken tenders from two chains: Dave's Hot Chicken and Guy Fieri's Chicken Guy!
• Guy Fieri's tenders were perfectly dippable with a subtle spice level.
• However, I thought the tenders from Dave's Hot Chicken were bigger and more flavorful.

Chicken tenders are having a moment, and so is Dave's Hot Chicken.

From McDonald's to Wendy's and Taco Bell, several fast-food chains have launched new chicken strips and tenders over the past year.

But for spots like Dave's Hot Chicken and Guy Fieri's Chicken Guy!, crispy chicken has always been the main event.

In a recent report on the most beloved brands in America, Yelp named Dave's Hot Chicken as the top chain to watch, with 71% of reviews rating it four stars or higher.

I compared the signature hot chicken tenders from Dave's Hot Chicken and Chicken Guy to determine which one offered better taste and value.

I first tried the hot chicken tenders from Chicken Guy!, Guy Fieri's fast-casual chicken restaurant.

I ordered three hot chicken tenders from Chicken Guy! in Atlantic City. It cost $10.49, excluding tax, and came with a choice of two sauces.

Compared to Dave's Hot Chicken, Chicken Guy! is a smaller chain.

There are 19 locations in the US, while Dave's Hot Chicken operates 245 locations as of 2024, according to Restaurant Business.

The tenders were coated in a crispy layer of breadcrumbs.

The tenders were dusted in spicy seasoning that clung to every inch.

I chose two sides of donkey sauce, a blend of mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and roasted garlic, to pair with the tenders.

The chicken tenders had a slight kick of spices without lighting my taste buds on fire.

The tenders had a subtle kick, but were still mild enough not to have me reaching for my drink between bites. As someone with a moderate tolerance for spice, I thought these tenders struck a nice balance.

However, if you're a real spice hound, I could see how the lower spice level could be disappointing if you're looking for a truly hot chicken tender.

The chicken tenders themselves impressed me, but weren't what I expected of a hot chicken tender.

While I thought the chicken was tender and shreddable, the spice level fell a bit short of my expectations. It was on par with the spicy chicken nuggets from McDonald's or Wendy's, but nowhere near as hot as the Original Hot tenders from Wingstop, for reference.

If Chicken Guy! really wants to live up to the "hot tender" name, it might need to bump up the heat.

The hot chicken tenders from Dave's Hot Chicken definitely delivered on spice, size, and value.

I ordered a two-piece hot tender combo, which also came with fries, bread, Dave's sauce, and pickles, for $15.49, plus tax and fees.

The chicken tenders were so large that it was hard to dip them in the sauce cup.

The breading on the Dave's tenders was thicker than that on the ones from Chicken Guy!, but I thought it added even more flavor to the tenders.

Rather than a dusting of spicy seasoning, the tenders from Dave's were visibly bright red, an indication of how hot they would be when I bit in.

These chicken tenders were seriously spicy.

The accompanying side of Dave's sauce tempered the heat somewhat, but these hot tenders were at the peak of what I can handle in terms of spice.

Similar to a Nashville hot chicken, the spice lingered in my mouth. It brought maximum flavor, but I was definitely feeling the heat.

If you're looking for a truly hot, high-quality chicken tender, I recommend Dave's.

The chicken tender itself was big — almost the size of a half-breast — juicy, and deliciously flavorful. I also thought the tenders, as part of the combo meal, were a good value, given the generous serving of fries, pickles, and bread, as well as the sheer size of the tenders.

Even though I got three tenders at Chicken Guy!, the two from Dave's were arguably more filling due to their bigger size and thicker breading.

I'd order both of these tenders again, but if you're looking for spice, Dave's Hot Chicken was the only chain that lived up to its spicy name.

• AT&T has experienced multiple data breaches in recent years, prompting a class-action lawsuit.
• The company agreed to pay affected AT&T customers $177 million as part of a settlement.
• The deadline to submit a claim and join the settlement is December 18.

If you were one of the tens of millions of AT&T customers whose personal data was leaked online in recent years, you could be eligible for up to $7,500 as part of a settlement.

The company revealed in March 2024 that information belonging to millions of current and past customers had been leaked on the dark web. Four months later, AT&T said additional customer data had been illegally downloaded from a company workspace on a third-party cloud platform back in 2022.

Both incidents spurred lawsuits against AT&T, which has denied any wrongdoing.

Affected customers filed a consolidated class-action suit against the company in May. Two months later, AT&T agreed to establish two settlement funds totaling $177 million: a $149 million all-cash fund for customers affected by the first data breach and a $28 million all-cash payment for customers affected by the second data incident.

"While we deny the allegations in these lawsuits that we were responsible for these criminal acts, we have agreed to this settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation," an AT&T spokesperson told Business Insider. "We remain committed to protecting our customers' data and ensuring their continued trust in us."

The deadline for eligible customers to submit a claim and receive settlement money is one week away. Here's what affected AT&T customers need to know.

Who qualifies?

Kroll, a third party that manages class action settlements, said that eligible AT&T customers fall under two categories: AT&T 1 Settlement Class and AT&T 2 Settlement Class.

AT&T 1 Settlement Class refers to people living in the United States whose data — including names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, birth dates, passcodes, billing account numbers, and Social Security numbers — were included in the first leak.

The AT&T 2 Settlement Class refers to any customers whose data was involved in the second leak, which could include information like phone numbers with which customers interacted and other data related to those interactions, such as the duration of calls or the number of times those numbers were contacted.

If your information was part of either breach, AT&T would have contacted you.

How much money could AT&T customers receive as part of the settlement?

Within the AT&T 1 Settlement Class, customers can submit a claim for a "Document Loss Cash Payment" of up to $5,000 for losses that happened in 2019 or later, "upon presentation of documentation that the losses are fairly traceable to the AT&T 1 Data Incident."

They also qualify for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 cash payment, which is an alternative to the Document Loss Cash Payment and represents a pro rata share of the AT&T 1 Net Settlement Fund cash.

Under the AT&T 2 Settlement Class, customers are eligible for a Documented Loss Cash Payment of up to $2,500 for losses that happened on or after April 14, 2024. The Tier 3 cash payment is a pro rata share of the AT&T 2 Net Settlement Fund cash.

Kroll said some customers may be an "overlap settlement class member," so they could walk away with a total of $7,500.

When is the deadline for submitting a claim?

Customers have until December 18 to submit a claim. Submitting a claim is the only way a settlement class member can receive a payment.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas will hold a final approval hearing for the settlement on January 15, 2026.

Darth Vader is coming to ChatGPT and OpenAI's Sora AI video app.

The House of Mouse and OpenAI struck a three-year licensing agreement on Thursday to make Disney "the first major content licensing partner on Sora."

It's also investing $1 billion into the AI pioneer.

"As part of this new, three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that can be viewed and shared by fans, drawing from a set of more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic environments," OpenAI said in a Thursday announcement.

In addition to striking a licensing deal, Disney is also becoming a "major customer" of the AI company, according to the announcement, and buying ChatGPT enterprise licenses for its employees.

The company is also becoming an OpenAI investor.

"As part of the agreement, Disney will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, and receive warrants to purchase additional equity," OpenAI said.

While OpenAI's TikTok-like AI video app, Sora, has been generating buzz and downloads since its launch earlier this year, users of the company's more popular product, ChatGPT, will also see Disney characters

"In addition, ChatGPT Images will be able to turn a few words by the user into fully generated images in seconds, drawing from the same intellectual property. The agreement does not include any talent likenesses or voices."

• AI makes many employees uneasy, both because they fear being replaced and don't trust its decisions.
• Getting workers to trust AI has become one of HR's biggest challenges.
• This article is part of "How AI is Changing Talent," a series exploring how AI is reshaping hiring, development, and retention.

Corporate AI investment reached $252.3 billion in 2024, per Stanford research, but that spending won't deliver returns if workers reject the technology.

"When organizations don't set people up to use AI reliably, employees won't trust it and won't adopt it," says Ted F. Tschang, an associate professor of strategic management at Singapore Management University.

It is the AI paradox facing companies today: as corporate leaders invest billions in AI, many frontline workers remain deeply skeptical for many reasons.

A Pew Research Center survey published earlier this year found that nearly a third believe it will lead to fewer job opportunities for them in the long run. Meanwhile, a survey by the University of Melbourne and KPMG of over 48,000 people across 47 countries found that only 46% of respondents are willing to trust AI systems.

Bridging this gap — getting workers to both trust and adopt AI — has become one of HR's most urgent challenges. Becoming comfortable with AI takes time and practice, but most organizations rarely make time for this, Tschang says.

"That's why HR leaders need to create space for safe learning and experimentation with AI's uses and limits, starting with their own teams," Tschang says.

To do that effectively, HR leaders need to develop AI fluency, meaning they must understand the technology well enough to identify where it can solve real problems and guide their workforce in using it. That's easier said than done.

'A place of credibility'

The standard purview of HR includes both operational tasks, like recruiting, onboarding, benefits, and compliance, as well as strategic ones like developing talent and managing organizational change. Put simply, it's not a department known for being particularly tech-savvy.

But in the dawn of the AI era, that's changing, says Heather Conklin, CEO of Torch, a corporate coaching firm that helps companies navigate change, including AI adoption. "It's forcing HR people to reinvent themselves," she says. "And the ones I see succeeding are the ones who are going first."

These teams are treating their own departments as testing grounds, experimenting with different tools and learning what works and what doesn't, says Conklin. "They're getting hands-on with AI themselves, even if they're not technical," she adds. "They can't drive it across the company if they haven't lived it. They need to drive it from a place of credibility."

That credibility becomes currency when employees are wary. The CHROs winning people over are leading with problems worth solving, says Dexter Bachelder, CEO of Propel People, an AI recruiting platform for the construction industry.

"It's not about HR promoting AI. It's about the questions on employees' minds: How can AI do some of my paperwork so that I can leave work earlier and get home to my family faster? How can I automate some of the manual tasks of my job that aren't fun? How can I make this process better or faster?" Bachelder says.

In other words, when workers see how AI makes their daily work easier, they're more likely to use it. "If you solve the employee's problems, you're using the technology for a purpose," he says. "

Nothing drives trust and adoption faster than having a coworker explain it. When a foreman explains to another foreman how they use a certain tool in the field —'This is how it works on our project, this is how it could work on yours' — that goes a long way," he says. "It's not from IT or management or HR. It's from a peer, and that's what really drives adoption."

'There's a real opportunity here'

Part of HR learning how to work with AI and earning employee confidence means understanding what's no longer working in the organization, and what AI could do to address those gaps.

HR leaders have their own vested interest in this transformation. Many departments have long dealt with inadequate technology, and lots of the tools and processes HR has relied on for years weren't built for this moment, Bachelder says.

"To some degree, I don't think HR has had a lot of voice in the technology they use because a lot of tools are tied to financial systems," he says. "There's a real opportunity here."

Traditional learning management systems, for instance, struggle to keep pace when skills requirements change more frequently than every few years. Yearly engagement surveys can't capture employee sentiment quickly enough to respond to fast-moving organizational changes.

Moreover, performance review cycles designed around annual goal-setting are often disconnected from organizations where priorities change on a quarterly basis. And recruitment systems built to screen for specific technical abilities may miss candidates who have the desired problem-solving skills needed for AI-related roles.

Of course, upgrading HR systems won't entirely solve the trust challenge. Employee fears about job security and algorithmic bias go beyond what any tool can fix. And HR leaders still need to answer employee questions about transparency, fairness, and who's accountable for AI's decisions.

"It's challenging to do this right now," Conklin of Torch says. "But if HR leaders aren't able to figure this out, they're going to be left behind."

• I compared prices of my go-to groceries at Costco and Aldi to see which had better deals for me.
• Several items were cheaper at Costco, but things like beef and bagels were a better deal at Aldi.
• Learning Costco isn't a perfect single stop for bargain groceries made me question my membership.

Growing up in a Costco family meant weekly trips to the wholesale club.

Costco runs were as much a pastime as an errand, serving as our main activity on weekend mornings. The warehouse magically made every purchase feel like we were saving money instead of spending it.

As my parents always said, "Everything is cheaper at Costco."

Naturally, as a thrifty adult, I got my own membership once I moved out. However, some of my recent grocery receipts made me skeptical of Costco's budget-friendly reputation — especially when compared to Aldi, my go-to discount chain.

I questioned whether my groceries were actually cheaper at Costco, or if it was simply an illusion of shopping wholesale.

So, I took the same list to Costco and Aldi to see how each category measured up.

Costco had a great selection of fruits and vegetables, and my basket came out cheaper.

When I buy produce at Costco, I never worry about my purchases being mushy, overripe, or rotten. The quality and variety consistently impress me.

During my recent trip, I got a 5-pound bag of sweet potatoes, a 2-pound container of strawberries, a 4-pound bag of organic carrots, and 2 pints of raspberries.

Between the $0.05 per ounce for sweet potatoes, $0.27 for strawberries, $0.09 for organic carrots, and $0.40 for raspberries, my Costco produce basket came to $22.86.

Prices were similar at Aldi, though its produce selection was smaller and seemed to be of mixed quality. At $0.04 per ounce for sweet potatoes, $0.26 for strawberries, $0.11 for organic carrots, and $0.39 for raspberries, I would've paid about $23.11 for the same haul.

Though I saved a few cents at Costco, buying produce in bulk isn't always ideal for a two-person household like mine.

I try to avoid food waste, but warehouse-size portions are difficult to use up before they spoil, with berries and pre-cut veggies posing the biggest challenges.

Aldi's produce, on the other hand, comes in standard-size packaging that's more manageable for couples and small families. Even so, I'd choose Costco's produce almost every time.

In terms of the dairy section, Costco mostly won me over.

Aldi's Friendly Farms Greek yogurt is consistently my top pick for value and taste.

It's only $1.60 per pound, compared to the cheapest similar offering available at my Costco, which was organic Kirkland Signature Greek yogurt priced at $2.33 per pound.

On the other hand, Costco's cheese selections blew me away.

I got a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese for $0.17 per ounce, whereas Aldi's Friendly Farms variety was $0.21 per ounce.

I also purchased a six-pack of cream cheese at Costco, which came out to $1.17 per 8-ounce block. Aldi's 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese were on sale when I visited, but they were still $1.49 each.

The cost of 2% milk was comparable at both retailers, but organic almond milk gave Costco the upper hand.

Kirkland Signature almond milk is shelf-stable and much easier for me to store, plus it was $0.04 per ounce. At Aldi, organic almond milk cost $0.05 per ounce.

I was utterly unimpressed by Costco's ground beef … or lack thereof.

During my Costco trip, I found only two ground-beef options — neither was grass-fed, and neither had a fat content above 85/15.

The 4-pound pack of organic ground beef seemed like the best bet, even though it was divided into awkward 1.34-pound portions.

I bought it for the sake of convenience, but I wish I'd held off until a later trip to Aldi.

My local Aldi seemed to have every ratio under the sun, plus organic grass-fed ground beef, which is my preference.

Grass-fed beef is typically more expensive, but Aldi's was actually one cent cheaper per pound than Costco's non-grass-fed version.

Additionally, it comes in recipe-ready 1-pound packages that I love using for weeknight dinners.

I didn't buy chicken this time, but if I did, I'd get it from Aldi.

Costco's Kirkland Signature organic chicken breast was priced at $5.99 per pound. Aldi's Simply Nature organic chicken breast was $0.20 less per pound and is also free-range, a bonus for eco-conscious consumers.

The non-organic chicken breasts had an even more drastic price difference — they were $0.50 more per pound at Costco than at Aldi.

Bagels were double the price at Costco.

Bread, buns, and wraps were priced similarly at both stores, but bagels were a different story. Twelve bagels would've cost me a whopping $4 more at Costco.

Kirkland Signature bagels cost $0.67 each, more than double the $0.33 per piece for Aldi's L'oven Fresh. So, I'll continue purchasing bagels at Aldi.

Both stores carried affordable eggs and egg whites.

Considering the cheapest eggs came to just under $0.16 each at Costco and just over $0.16 at Aldi, the best deal depends on how many you'd realistically use.

For me, it'd be a single dozen at Aldi. I'd have to buy a carton of 60 at Costco to get that affordable price, and I don't have the space, time, or stomach to use five dozen eggs.

Egg whites, a staple in my fridge, had a slightly lower sticker price at Aldi.

Costco had some unbeatable cereal prices.

With a variety of trendy high-protein cereals and classics, Costco's cereal aisle was a breakfast lover's dream.

A nearly 50-ounce bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch was just $0.16 an ounce. Meanwhile, Aldi's cheapest (and much smaller) box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch came to $0.26 an ounce.

There's a clear better deal, though the true value depends on whether your household consumes a lot of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Costco's 160-ounce pack of Quaker old-fashioned oats came to just $0.05 an ounce — the best value I've ever seen. Even Aldi's in-house brand of Millville oats were $0.10 an ounce, double the price.

Since oats are quite shelf-stable, I'd definitely buy them at Costco.

Several of my pantry staples were more expensive at Costco.

I expected my pantry staples, such as marinara sauce and canned beans, to be a great bargain at Costco. This wasn't exactly the case.

Aldi had organic marinara sauce priced at $0.09 an ounce and organic black beans at $0.06 an ounce.

Meanwhile, the cheapest organic marinara sauce I could find at Costco was $0.14 an ounce, and organic black beans $0.07 an ounce.

However, the frozen-veggie aisle was a different story.

I got organic frozen broccoli for just $0.16 an ounce at Costco, a great deal for someone who goes through several pounds of the vegetable every week.

At Aldi, organic frozen broccoli was priced at $0.20 an ounce

Theoretically and by ounce, my Costco haul would've cost a few bucks more at Aldi.

My Costco haul came to $148.33. Using price-per-ounce math, if I'd been able to purchase the same items in identical weights and quantities, my cart would've cost $4.79 more at Aldi.

Interestingly, 10 of the 17 items I bought were cheaper per ounce at Aldi. However, the low-cost mozzarella cheese, almond milk, frozen veggies, and cereal really skewed the total in Costco's favor.

Of course, this math is theoretical. I can't control the sizes of packages available for purchase at either store.

It's also worth noting that shopping at Aldi is free, but doing so at Costco requires a membership, the cheapest of which is $65 a year.

Now that I generally know which items to buy at each store, I feel equipped to maximize my savings at both locations.

If I only shopped at Costco, I'd pay too much for bagels, waste a lot of eggs, miss out on Aldi's grass-fed ground beef, and overpay for some pantry staples.

Based on the price per ounce, I'd save money on meat, canned goods, bread, and conventional produce at Aldi.

Costco, however, is my ideal pick for lower prices on dairy, cereal, organic produce, and packaged snacks like chips and cookies. (For example, I noticed Oreos were $0.25 an ounce at Aldi and only $0.18 an ounce at Costco.)

This logic isn't foolproof, as prices and sales can vary by location and are subject to change; however, I feel fairly confident about where to shop for what.

Still, I must admit that realizing Costco isn't the clear frontrunner for cheap groceries has me reevaluating my $65-a-year membership.

As much as I love shopping there and find its gas prices unbeatable, my small household doesn't consume food quickly enough for buying in bulk to be a significant advantage.

Ultimately, the value of a membership comes down to household size, fridge and freezer space, what you buy, and how quickly you move through bulk groceries.

For larger families who consume more produce, packaged snacks, and cereals, the membership could quickly pay off.

• AI is shifting software valuations away from annual recurring revenue toward new metrics.
• Traditional ARR is losing relevance as AI-driven usage and outcome-based business models emerge.
• Investors now prioritize AI leverage, operational efficiency, and customer productivity gains.

Startups and other tech companies love to boast about "annual recurring revenue." AI could make this metric obsolete, though.

According to a new report by consultant AlixPartners, investors are on the cusp of abandoning the traditional ARR-multiple playbook that defined the SaaS era. In its place will emerge hybrid valuation models that reward companies not for the size of their subscription base but for how effectively they use AI to elevate customer outcomes.

For decades, ARR served as the bedrock for valuing enterprise software firms. It measures revenue from subscriptions by taking the value of current contracts and extrapolating that out over a full year.

AlixPartners now argues that ARR is becoming increasingly "meaningless" in an AI-first economy, especially as usage- and outcome-based business models replace the per-seat licenses that have dominated the SaaS industry.

The big change is related to how expensive AI models are to run. Every time a new AI software service taps into this intelligence, the provider has to pay a per-token price. That makes fixed, per-seat SaaS subscriptions tougher to offer.

This means revenue could fluctuate more in the future, because it will be based on consumption rather than fixed contracts. This makes the "recurring" part of the ARR equation a much less reliable proxy for durable value.

AlixPartners says investors are already shifting focus toward a hybrid valuation approach in the AI era:

• AI leverage ratios — These measure how effectively companies convert AI investments into revenue and margin gains. Rather than rewarding scale for its own sake, investors will reward operational efficiency and automation-driven profitability.

• Outcome-based performance benchmarks — Metrics such as customer margin expansion, reduced task completion time, or increased throughput will matter more than raw seat-based user counts.

• Traditional ARR multiples — Still relevant but no longer sufficient on their own.

New forecasting metrics, such as "time to usage," "usage ramp rate," and "usage volatility," are emerging to help investors gauge how quickly customers adopt AI features and how stable their consumption patterns are over time.

The message is clear: In the AI era, value follows impact. Companies that can demonstrate real productivity gains for customers and operational leverage for themselves will earn premium valuations. Those clinging to legacy ARR-driven models risk being left behind as investors pivot to frameworks that better capture the economics of intelligent software.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.

• Ukraine's drone schools say the best pupils tend to be young people with tech and gaming experience.
• Being used to staring at screens for a long time helps too.
• The schools train soldiers fighting against Russia's invasion, and the West is watching Ukraine's lessons.

Ukraine's drone schools say it's clear: young, tech-savvy people with a gaming background make the best drone pilots.

Across the country, drone schools are training new operators for what has become one of the most important roles in Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion — flying the drones that scout Russian positions, find targets, and blow up tanks and troops.

Three leaders working at two schools told Business Insider that younger students with gaming or tech experience tend to consistently pick up skills the fastest. These students often are already comfortable with controllers, joysticks, and staring at a screen for a long time.

The instructor comments offer insight into what kind of person makes the best pilot, useful as Ukraine continues to fight for its survival and Western militaries study the war, investing more heavily in drone programs for a potential future fight.

Dmytro Slediuk, head of the education department at Dronarium, a drone training school with sites in Kyiv and Lviv, said younger people and gamers, "are really good because their system of motor movements in their hands is already well developed."

His colleague, Tetyana, a Ukrainian veteran who goes by the call sign "Ruda" and is now the head of R&D for Dronarium, agreed, telling BI that "those who used to play video games, those who are accustomed to using a joystick, would be better in terms of running an FPV drone."

Technical fluency matters too. It's easier to train people with IT or engineering backgrounds than it is teachers, marketing specialists, or accountants. This war is one of rapidly evolving technology and tactics, especially in drone warfare.

Being an operator isn't just about physical control; it's about really understanding how drones work and what they can do. The school strives to instill these principles in all students.

And gaming experience, technical knowledge, and flexible adaptation in the face of new technology tend to be more easily found among younger students. If they're over 50, Tetyana explained, "it is a bit more challenging for students to get hold of controlling some types of drones."

Vitalii Pervak, CEO of another training school, Karlsson, Karas & Associates, said someone who flies well isn't automatically a strong combat operator — but after a year of training, his team has identified what works.

"Young people aged 18-27 are the easiest to train," he said. "They memorize information and acquire skills faster and more effectively. As we have noted, the older a person is, the more difficult it is for them to learn."

Similar to the other drone school leaders, Pervak said people who have a technical mindset can absorb training "more easily and understand the intricacies of using UAVs in combat better." Those who were programmers and gamers often "find it easiest to focus on a monitor for long periods of time. Everyone else must develop this skill."

Good health is also key, but he said the school has nonetheless "successfully trained people with visual and hearing impairments, back problems, contusions, and even head injuries."

Fighting for Ukraine

Drones account for about 60% of Ukraine's front-line strikes, according to the country's commander-in-chief. With shortages of artillery shells and other weaponry, Ukraine has leaned heavily on drones. The inexpensive systems have been highly effective at damaging and destroying equipment worth millions.

Cheap drones offer an asymmetric advantage and provide the Ukrainian military with combat power it couldn't generate with humans and crewed assets alone. But its drone force is only as strong as its pilots are capable, making drone training essential.

The drone school leaders are not alone in their assessment of who tends to make the best pilots.

Ukrainian soldiers with gaming backgrounds have also credited that experience for their skills, and Ukraine's special drone unit, Typhoon, previously told Business Insider that gamers make great drone pilots. But they also cautioned that real drone warfare is much more complicated and dangerous than any video game.

One Typhoon operator said that "people think flying a military drone is like playing 'Call of Duty,' until they realize there's no restart option," referring to the popular video game.

Western drone pilots have previously expressed similar sentiments. Tanner Yackley, a former US Air Force drone operator who left in 2018, previously told Business Insider that it's fundamentally different because "you're making life or death calls every single day."

"There's not a single game in the world that can prep you for what you're going to do," he said.

As NATO watches the war in Ukraine, worried about a wider conflict, its forces are already adapting and also looking to gamers, even embracing tech from the gaming world to make it easier for younger troops to quickly skill up on new technology.

Some American and European troops, for instance, are training on a new air-defense system that uses an Xbox controller to launch interceptor drones.

By necessity, Ukraine has emerged as a leader in modern drone warfare, with its experiences in battle not only strengthening its own forces but also supporting Western militaries bracing for future fights.

The drone schools, however, are constantly grappling with challenges, such as limited funding, reliance on donated drones, and the threat of Russian strikes. They have to keep their curricula updated, with instructors traveling to the front and rewriting lessons every couple of weeks to match the rapid battlefield shifts.