• Tim Cook discusses his legacy in an interview with tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee.
• Cook says that, like Apple, he's more focused on looking forward than back.
• The Apple CEO, who took over for Steve Jobs in 2011, said any legacy is for others to decide.

Steve Jobs famously said he wanted to "put a ding in the universe," and many would argue bringing the iPhone to market did just that.

So what will be the legacy of his successor, Tim Cook?

The Apple CEO said he hasn't given it much thought — and it's for others to decide.

Cook spoke to tech YouTube Marques Brownlee in an interview released Wednesday, saying that "legacy is something that is defined by other people."

While he's content with letting the public determine his own, Cook said his focus is looking forward, not dwelling on the past. This mirrors Apple's ethos, he said, especially amid its recent major announcements at WWDC 2024 earlier this week.

"You won't find a museum here," Cook said. "We would have lots of things that you might like to see and reminisce about, but we just don't."

And Apple doesn't have much time to reminisce — it's been playing catch-up in the AI arms race in recent years since the launch of ChatGPT.

But the wait to see what Cook had up his sleeve is over, now that Apple introduced Apple Intelligence, its suite of generative AI tools baked into the operating systems of its most popular devices.

For Apple, it could mark the beginning of a new era, and how Cook navigates the AI race could impact his legacy.

He's also overseen the launch of the Apple Watch and AirPods, growing sales from Apple's wearables business to the size of a Fortune 200 company, and built up Apple's services business with the launch of Apple TV+.

Most recently, he introduced Apple's first major new product category since the Watch: the Vision Pro. Apple is betting "spatial computing" is the future, and with the long-rumored Apple car project reportedly scrapped, the Vision Pro is "one of his last big swings as Apple CEO and will affect his legacy," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote last year.

It's not clear when Cook will end his tenure at Apple, but he's said the company has a succession plan in place and in 2021 predicted he wouldn't still be CEO in 10 years. Last year, he told Dua Lipa in an interview that he doesn't plan on stepping down anytime soon, but that he wants his successor to come from inside Apple.

Cook acknowledged in the interview with Brownlee that, eventually, his time would come.

"At some point, there will be another CEO," Cook said. "And my whole focus in life will be on making them successful."

• Ford is ending a controversial program that required dealers to invest between $500,000 and $1 million to sell EVs.
• EV sales are now open to all Ford dealers without certification requirements.
• The change comes after Ford over-estimated EV sales growth.

Ford dealers no longer need to invest up to $1 million in order to sell electric vehicles.

The Blue Oval is ending its controversial EV dealership program less than two years after it was first announced, Ford Chief Operating Officer Marin Gjaja told reporters Thursday, according to CNBC.

Ford dealers will no longer be required to invest in certification to get EVs on their lot, opening battery-electric sales to Ford's entire dealership network — a move Gjaja said is designed to grow Ford's EV sales.

The program, first announced in September 2022, asked dealers to spend between $500,000 and $1.2 million to become "EV Certified." The steep price included expensive DC fast-chargers for dealer lots to double as charging locations and EV training for staff.

This rigorous buy-in program was built on optimistic EV sales forecasts that dealers would make back their investments as electric-car popularity increased. But a lot has changed in the US EV market since the fall of 2022, and growth in the segment hasn't played out as Ford initially expected, Gjaja said.

EV sales have slowed down in the past year. They are still on the rise but at a slower rate than the boom in growth that happened between 2020 and 2022. With wealthy early adopters largely sated, car companies are now trying to entice a new group of EV shoppers who are more frugal and practical.

Ford dealers were among the first to raise alarm bells about this slowdown when some stores started turning down Mustang Mach-E allocations last summer. Later, dealers started reporting issues with F-150 Lightning demand — further eroding Ford's relationship with its dealers.

Since then, Ford and other major automakers have gone back to the drawing board on their EV strategies.

Even before this slowdown in EV sales, many Ford dealers were unhappy with the high price of entry for selling electric cars. Several dealer associations filed lawsuits related to the program. In one case, an Illinois board ruled in favor of the dealers' claim that Ford's EV certification program violated state laws.

As of December of last year, a little more than half of Ford's nearly 3,000 US dealers had opted out of the EV investment requirements, an early sign that the program had backfired.

Ford's dealers will still need to make some investments to support EV sales on their lots, but they will no longer be held to the minimum $500,000 investment.

• Jim Chanos warned market speculation is approaching the absurd excesses of 2021.
• The short seller flagged the resurgence of meme stocks like GameStop and SPACs as dangerous trends.
• The longtime Tesla bear said the company should honor Elon Musk's mammoth compensation deal.

Jim Chanos clanged the alarm on market mania — and called for Elon Musk to receive his contested mammoth pay package.

The famed short-seller and Tesla bear told Bloomberg on Wednesday that 2021 was the "most speculative market" he'd seen in four decades of investing — and "we're getting back to that."

"Not quite there, but it's close," Chanos continued. He pointed to the resurgence of meme stocks such as GameStop, special-purpose acquisition vehicles (SPACs) and the "absolutely insane valuations" of some restaurant chains.

The Chanos & Co boss is best known for rooting out fraud at companies including Enron and Wirecard, then betting against them. But he's since converted his hedge fund into a family office after several years of underperformance.

The Wall Street veteran warned retail investors against blindly following the crowd and buying the latest hot asset with no fundamentals to support its sky-high valuation. He emphasized that kind of FOMO-style trading was a "disaster" for them in 2021.

While Chanos has repeatedly bet against Tesla, he said the EV maker should honor Musk's compensation deal from 2018 as the CEO hit all his performance targets.

Several Tesla investors have blasted the payout as excessive and sued to stop it, and the result of a shareholder vote on the package was due Thursday.

"Even though I'm a bear on Tesla, I think a deal's a deal even if it's a bad deal, and they agreed to it," Chanos said. He added that while he's "not a big fan of Elon," that doesn't change the fact that Musk achieved the goals he was set.

However, Chanos did underscore that the deal was "very expensive" for shareholders and exceeded all the retained earnings Tesla has ever generated. He also questioned what Musk could demand next if he does get his way.

• Saudi Arabia is seeking investment for its Neom megacity project from China. 
• In recent years, China has signed various tech deals with Saudi Arabia. 
• But the US is warning of consequences if the Saudis draw too close to China. 

At a recent exhibition in Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia showcased its futuristic vision for its planned Neom megacity.

Among the exhibits were designs for The Line, a sprawling residential structure consisting of two skyscrapers that were originally intended to house nine million people.

It also showcased plans for a network of underground tunnels that residents could use to travel between different regions and a desert ski resort in the mountains.

It was part of Saudi Arabia's drive to secure billions in new investment for the project, which is the centerpiece of Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 strategy.

Vision 2030 is meant to reorient the kingdom's economy away from fossil fuels and toward innovation and technology.

But the vast scale and cost of the project, which reports say could spiral to more than a trillion dollars, is posing difficulties even for Saudi Arabia, despite its reserves of oil wealth.

A growing alliance

The exhibition helped make Neom "less mysterious," but reactions were "mostly neutral," Leonard Chan, chair of the Hong Kong Innovative Technology Development Association, told AFP.

There remain hopes in Saudi Arabia, however, that China will invest billions in the project.

One of the main areas of recent cooperation between the states has been technology, with Saudi Arabia working with China on AI and surveillance tech projects as it seeks to transform itself into a tech superpower.

Robert Mogielnicki, an analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told Business Insider that Chinese investors likely see opportunities in Neom in sectors including construction, renewable energy, telecommunications, and smart city-related services.

"Chinese economic actors interested in Neom likely see a longer-term project pipeline with various opportunities to generate profits," said Mogielnicki.

But it's an alliance of growing concern to Saudi Arabia's main geopolitical ally, the US.

A shared authoritarian vision

One of the main tools China's leader Xi Jinping is using to broker alliances globally, particularly with nations ambivalent about the West's insistence on human rights, is the prospect of access to China's sophisticated surveillance technology.

China has developed AI-enabled face recognition software that allows officials to monitor citizens in real time and access data on aspects of their private lives, including health, employment, and financial histories.

It's a tool with an obvious appeal for Crown Prince Mohammed, who is accused of brutally persecuting dissidents and critics.

China sees Saudi Arabia as not just a business opportunity but a way of undercutting the influence of its longtime Saudi ally, the US.

In April, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund-subsidiary Alat signed a deal with Dahua Technology, one of China's most important surveillance technology firms. The US has sanctioned Dahua Technology over national security concerns.

The creation of surveillance cities

Unlike Western firms, which have policies to protect data, Chinese companies have fewer compunctions about sharing the information they collect, Camille Lons, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told BI.

"Gulf countries are indeed significant clients of Chinese surveillance technologies," said Lons. "The fact that Chinese companies are more open to share the collected data than their Western counterparts makes them attractive partners to the Gulf states."

It's an aspect of China's involvement in Neom that's alarmed some critics.

Neom is being designed as a "smart city," whose services will be regulated by data collected from residents through smart phones or surveillance cameras. Last year, analysts told BI that data collected about Neom residents through Chinese technology could be used as part of a mass surveillance program.

"They're being marketed as 'eco cities' or 'smart cities,' we call them surveillance cities," said Fatafta, of cities such as Neom whose infrastructure uses Chinese data services and surveillance technology.

But there are risks for the Saudis

Saudi Arabia's increasingly close ties with China are of growing concern to the US.

The Biden administration is seeking to broker a normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel and is offering the Saudis potential access to valuable nuclear technology. An alternative deal would offer the Saudis enhanced US security guarantees.

But as a condition for any agreement, the US is demanding that the Saudis restrict their new tech alliance with China.

"The main risk today to Saudi Arabia's tech cooperation with China is the growing China-US tech war. The US is increasingly putting Riyadh under pressure over its cooperation with Chinese companies in the tech sector," said Lons.

The US is concerned that China could seek to exploit its relationship with Saudi Arabia to steal US tech secrets, with chips used to power AI systems among the areas of concern, The New York Times reported.

"US companies are now making clear that if Saudi Arabia wants to access advanced US technologies, it will need to make a choice and prove that it won't serve as a backdoor to China to access those technologies," said Lons.

But with Saudi Arabia reportedly considering scaling back some of its flagship Neom projects amid funding concerns, it will likely continue walking the tightrope between closer ties to China and potential US repercussions as it seeks to supercharge its Vision 2030 plans.

• Netflix's "Dancing for the Devil" tells the story of TikTok dancers involved with a controversial church.
• Pastor Robert Shinn signed the content creators to his management label, 7M Films Inc.
• The company's roster includes Miranda Derrick, James "BDash" Derrick, and Vik White.

Netflix docuseries "Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult" introduces audiences to controversial pastor and talent manager Robert Shinn, whose Shekinah Church has been described as a cult.

The series starts by examining Shinn and his followers of the Los Angeles-based church from the perspective of Melanie Wilking, a dancer who believes that the organization brainwashed her sister, Miranda Derrick.

Derrick joined the church in 2021 and later signed with Shinn's talent management company, 7M Films Inc, which he started that year.

Derrick has maintained that she is not a victim following her family's claims that she cut contact with them after joining the church.

But while Derrick and her husband, James "BDash" Derrick, are still involved with Shekinah, other dancers have left the church.

The Netflix series paints a surprising picture of how content creators can potentially be taken advantage of while trying to build their brands and find success.

In 2022, a 7M representative denied all allegations of coercion in a statement to Business Insider, saying "at no point" has Shinn tried to isolate anybody.

Here are all the TikTok dancers who have been involved with 7M, Shekinah Church, and Shinn.

Melanie Wilking

Wilking spoke at length about her concerns about Shekinah Church in the first episode of the documentary, and said that she attended a few sermons with her sister.

She also recalled being invited last minute to a Sunday service by Shinn's daughter, Kloe Shinn.

Kloe Shinn asked Wilking to cancel her pre-arranged plans so that she could attend the service immediately.

"I just remember thinking, 'No! I'm not doing that.' I've gone to different churches growing up and no one is ever like 'You have to be here, now'" she explained. "After Kloe did that, I made up my mind that I was never going back."

Miranda Derrick

Much of the documentary explores the Wilking family's claims that Shinn and Shekinah Church have brainwashed Derrick. After its release, the dancer called the documentary "one-sided" in a statement on Instagram.

Following the release of the documentary, Melanie Wilking told her followers that she'll always be there for Derrick if she decides to leave the church. That suggests she is still part of the church.

"We believe that one day my sister and the other victims will realize their love for their families and faith was exploited," she said. "When that happens, we will be there for them without judgment."

James "BDash" Derrick

It's unclear when James "BDash" Derrick and Miranda got married, but the couple posted photos of each other in wedding outfits in April 2024 after being together for two years.

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They continue to make TikTok videos together so, although unconfirmed, it seems likely that Derrick is also still involved with Shekinah Church.

"Dancing for the Devil" features footage from TikTok and YouTube of Derrick's content, but like his wife, he does not personally appear in the documentary.

Aubrey Fisher

Aubrey Fisher started attending services at Shekinah Church shortly before Shinn founded 7M Films in 2021.

In the documentary, he explained that the pastor was impressed that Fisher had a similar number of followers to BDash, and claimed that Shinn started the management company after their conversation.

Fisher left Shekinah and 7M in 2022 between May and July, but it's not clear when he and fellow TikTok dancer Kylie Douglas separated. Fisher continues to make dance videos on Instagram and TikTok, and also produces his own music.

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Kylie Douglas

In the second episode of the documentary, Douglas claimed that Shinn created a culture of paranoia among his followers. She said that she felt she couldn't even fully share her thoughts with Fisher in case they somehow got back to Shinn.

As detailed in the series, she left the church with Fisher between May and July 2022, because of Shinn's worrying behavior and due to the allegations that Shekinah is a cult.

Douglas continues to work with her own dance company in Los Angeles, The Voltz.

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A post shared by Kylie Douglas (@kyliedoug)

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Nick "RainO" Raiano

Nick "RainO" Raiano joined Shekinah and 7M at the same time as Fisher and BDash in 2021. His parents are a big part of "Dancing for the Devil," and they said that he slowly cut contact with them after he joined the church.

When Raiano started to respond to texts again, his parents suspected that someone else at the church was writing the messages for him.

Since the documentary was released, Raiano has deleted his Instagram and TikTok accounts. His main YouTube channel has also disappeared, although his old account with one video is still available.

Kevin "Konkrete" Davis

Kevin "Konkrete" Davis partnered with BDash in 2018 and they auditioned together on talent shows including "America's Best Dance Crew" and "World of Dance," as seen in the documentary.

He and BDash joined Shekinah in 2021 after they worked with Shinn's son, videographer Isaiah Shinn.

Archive footage in the documentary shows that he left in July 2022 following the reports that Shekinah was a cult. Konkrete regularly makes krump dance videos on TikTok and Instagram, and also makes his own music.

After the documentary's release, he told his followers that he "appreciates all the support."

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Kailea Gray

Kailea Gray joined Shekinah with her then-boyfriend, Konkrete, and left the church with him in July 2022 following the allegations.

In the documentary, Konkrete claimed they were asked to sign NDAs after going to church, which they were shocked by.

The pair have since gotten married, according to their Instagram accounts, and they make content together.

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A post shared by Kailea Gray (@kaileafilms)

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Vik White

Ukrainian-born Vik White is mentioned in "Dancing for the Devil" as a member of Shekinah, but it isn't clear whether he also distanced himself from family and friends because of the church.

In 2024, he had a minor role alongside Nicholas Galitzine as Simon, a member of the August Moon boyband, in Amazon's "The Idea of You."

He continues to make content with the Derricks on TikTok and Instagram.

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A post shared by Vik White (@itsslavik)

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Ceasare "Tighteyex" Willis

Ceasare "Tighteyex" Willis is signed with 7M, but isn't featured in "Dancing for the Devil." On June 7, he made a YouTube video about his work, where he also alluded to the documentary by promising to provide "real context" about the "stories that you hear."

Although he didn't mention anyone in particular, the video included footage from Konkrete's livestream where he was discussing Tighteyex.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-j7l_7DATQ?si=Yl_mjtFf8DEHJyi6&w=560&h=315]

Later in the video, Tighteyex cryptically said that people he knows are lying about him, seemingly referring to Konkrete.

He added: "If you are being slandered or people are talking about you or lying on you, it comes from people that you know.

Kendra "KO" Willis

Kendra "KO" Willis is another dancer signed to 7M. She's married to Tighteyex. It's unclear whether the couple attends Shekinah Church, but she made a subtle dig at "Dancing for the Devil" on Instagram when promoting her own documentary.

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A post shared by Kendra “KO” Willis (@mizzk.o)

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She posted a clip from "The Kendra Oyesanya Willis Story" on May 30, and captioned it: "Because I love real & true documentaries."

Her husband also joined in and commented: "Finally a true documentary."

• Disney is once again donating to politicians — just months after ending its feud with Ron DeSantis.
• The Florida theme park is even donating to Republicans who voted for the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill.
• Disney executives' opposition of the bill sparked a yearslong conflict with DeSantis.  

Since ending its feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Disney has wasted no time donating to Republicans again.

The Walt Disney Co. gave more than $87,000 worth of in-kind donations to political committees, including Republican lawmakers, in the months of April and May, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

That's an about-face for the House of Mouse, which had paused political donations as it brawled with DeSantis.

The yearslong feud first started in 2022 when Disney executives publicly opposed DeSantis' bill — which has since been signed into law — that restricts discussions of gender and sexual orientation in classrooms.

Critics called the legislation the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

In response to their opposition, DeSantis grabbed control of the board that oversees Disney World's special tax district, renaming it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and replacing all of its board members with his own.

Disney, in turn, sued, arguing it was being politically targeted; DeSantis' board sued right back.

But the legal back-and-forth ended in March when DeSantis' hand-picked board agreed to settle the lawsuit brought by Disney.

Now, ironically, Disney is providing benefits to Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the so-called "Don't Say Gay," bill, the Sentinel reported.

That includes an in-kind donation worth more than $16,000 to Florida Farmers and Ranchers United, a group associated with Republican Rep. Josie Tomkow, campaign finance records show. Tomkow voted for the bill officially called the Parental Rights in Education Act.

Disney also gave around $10,000 each to two committees affiliated with Republican state Sen. Jason Brodeur and Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, campaign finance records show. Both state lawmakers also supported the controversial bill.

Though Disney has resumed in-kind donations, Florida Democratic Senator Geraldine Thompson has said Disney headquarters has not yet approved monetary donations, the Sentinel reported.

• The fashion industry may soon face new legislation that requires sustainability transparency.
• Cloud computing could allow fashion companies to share data and reduce production waste.
• This article is part of "Build IT," a series about digital-tech trends disrupting industries.

Across the fashion industry, companies are steeling themselves for the potential passage of the EU Green Claims Directive, which could happen as early as next year.

The directive would require brands making sustainability claims to back them up with evidence and to label products accordingly. The GCD would have global implications, as it would extend to all businesses advertising to EU consumers.

The GCD still faces multiple hurdles, but if passed, it would force long-overdue change in the industry. Under the directive, consumers should be able to visit a website or scan a QR code to see proof of a garment's fabric composition or how it was created.

But before that can happen, brands need to be able to source and share sustainability data internally and with retail partners. Cloud computing could be key to doing this in a detailed and efficient way.

Cloud computing is gaining traction

Cloud computing offers on-demand services, from storage to software, over the internet. It's been billed as a major cost-cutting measure for companies because they can pay for the services they need, rather than rely on in-house servers. It's also a way to streamline processes by collecting data into one easily accessible hub.

The cloud-computing industry is growing rapidly, and analysts predict it could more than double in value between now and 2029. And the fashion industry has gradually been waking up to the potential of cloud computing. In recent years, heavyweights like Mulberry and Net-a-Porter have begun working with Eon, a cloud-powered tech company that specializes in Digital IDs, QR-code labels that can be scanned for detailed information, product authentication, and customer-focused extras, such as suggestions on how to style the looks. Meanwhile, DressX, which allows users to "wear" digital garments in photos and videos, uses Google Cloud.

Still, there's been little focus on cloud computing when it comes to sustainability data. Bharati Rathore, a management lecturer at the University of South Wales, is one expert who's spreading the word. In her report, "Fashion Transformation 4.0: Beyond Digitalization & Marketing in Fashion Industry," she said that the fashion industry must embrace new technologies in order to survive.

Rathore said cloud computing is a way to "store and manage large volumes of data efficiently — everything from customer preferences and purchasing behavior to inventory levels and supply chain details." She added that it offered a central place for data sharing, making it easier for workers around the world — design teams and retail managers, for example — to stay up-to-date with each other.

If harnessed properly, cloud computing is one of a handful of digital tools that could "revolutionize the way we design, produce, and consume fashion," Rathore said in her report.

Moving toward transparency

It's no secret that the fashion industry has historically shied away from transparency. This is slowly changing, thanks partly to companies like Fashion Cloud, an insights platform that works with over 700 fashion brands and 25,000 retailers.

Using cloud computing, Fashion Cloud collects data and insights, and then makes them easily accessible for all parties — from website designers, who upload and describe products onto brand websites, to retail managers, who handle shop-floor operations. The company works with brands from the mass-market online retailer Zalando, which averages around 50 million customers per quarter, to Studio Anneloes, a Dutch design house that features a "footprint" tab on every product that indicates its environmental impact.

"Fashion is a terribly old-fashioned industry," Alies ter Kuile, the cofounder of Fashion Cloud, said. "Every retailer has their own process, so nothing is standardized. What we do is ensure retailers are getting key product and sustainability data from brands, and we help brands on that journey, too."

The GCD is intended to be a crack down on greenwashing and vague, hard-to-substantiate claims of "eco-friendly" clothes, but it's a huge hurdle for brands accustomed to opacity. According to ter Kuile, only 50 of the brands that Fashion Cloud works with "share sustainability data in an automated way." Meanwhile, she added, "another 350 have the sustainability data, but they can't share it yet."

Communication is a core issue when it comes to letting customers know exactly where their clothes come from. "Brands and retailers are asking for the same information," ter Kuile said, referring to where the clothes were made and how many units have been sold. "But they're currently doing that in different spreadsheets. We're trying to automate these processes."

Simplicity is key, too. Ter Kuile said the average age of fashion buyers — retail reps who decide which pieces are stocked in department stores and online shops — is between 50 and 60. "Typically, the people using our tools are people who don't like software, so everything needs to be intuitive," she added. "You can't have five different brands with five passwords — forget about it! The process has to be the same, and it has to be simple."

Benefits for clothing retailers

Cloud computing also provides key benefits for retailers. "For fashion retailers, quick, data-driven decisions are essential for inventory management, store expansion, and market adaptation," Alan Holcroft, the UK manager of Cegid, a cloud-computing business, told Business Insider. Cegid supports over 85,000 retailers, including the French fashion retailer Cotélac.

Easy access to buying data means retailers are more likely to purchase only what they can realistically sell. For example, if a dress has moved only 10 units in one location in a month, it's wildly unrealistic to buy 500 and expect them to be sold. With cloud computing, retailers can avoid overbuying stock — a key driver of fashion's textile-waste problem. (It's no secret that brands would sometimes rather set fire to unsold stock than discount their prices.)

None of this is to say that cloud computing is inherently sustainable. Steven Gonzalez Monserrate, a cloud anthropologist, said in a 2022 research report that data storage has a "greater carbon footprint than the airline industry." Cloud computing is reliant on data centers, which require energy-intensive air conditioning to prevent servers from overheating. These centers also require irrigation, sometimes guzzling up water resources needed by local communities.

There are still many fashion brands that seem ill-equipped to address the GCD's requirements. Ter Kuile said part of the problem is that too many conversations in the fashion industry focus on abstractions rather than action.

Data-sharing through cloud computing — while by no means perfect — is a practical step that allows information to be tracked at every level of product creation and, crucially, shared with customers who need it.

"We don't need inspiration to be more sustainable and transparent," ter Kuile said. "We need processes that enable us to actually do it."

• "Bridgerton" season three teasers hinted at the famous "mirror scene" from the books.
• Part two, released Thursday, finally delivers.
• But the Polin mirror scene on the show is different from what happens in the books.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Bridgerton" season three, part two, and the book "Romancing Mister Bridgerton."

If you were paying attention to any of the "Bridgerton" season three marketing ahead of the May premiere, you might have been intrigued by what the book's fans dubbed the "mirror scene."

"Bridgerton" season three, part one, did not deliver on the mirror action, though it did give us the steamy "carriage scene" from the books. But fret not, gentle readers — we got 'em.

The much-hyped erotic sequence finally plays out in part two. Here's a breakdown of what happens, and how it differs from the book the season is based on.

Polin's mirror scene happens in 'Bridgerton' season 3, episode 5

After introducing Penelope to his family as his new fiancée — and confronting Lady Featherington over the validity of his proposal — Colin introduces her to their future home. Penelope thanks him for standing up to her mother, then Colin draws her in front of a mirror. And one thing has certainly changed about Mr. Colin Bridgerton after his travels — he is extremely good at dirty talk.

"You are the cleverest, bravest woman I have ever known," he tells her, leaning over her shoulder. "You make me feel seen in ways I have never felt seen before.

"And then there is… the way your hair cascades down your shoulder. The way your eyes shine when you look at me, like two blue pools. The firmness of your lips, parted just so. The softness of your skin," he continues.

"And then there are other parts I've been… I've been dreaming about," he says, before cupping her breast.

Penelope immediately turns toward him, kissing him and expressing her desire to go further. In turn, Colin undresses her in front of the mirror, baring her breasts and telling her to lie down on a nearby chaise as he undresses.

As you can imagine, they do end up having sex. And yes, it's pretty hot.

Netflix — and the actors — have actually been teasing the 'Bridgerton' mirror scene for years

Months before we got to see the scene play out on screen, a brief teaser Netflix released ahead of the premiere sent Polin fans into a frenzy.

That teaser was only half a minute long. But trust me — it was plenty. In it, Penelope looks at herself in a mirror, while Colin emerges to stand behind her before the two look at each other with enough sexual tension to knock you flat.

Fans were quick to link the teaser to the book's famous "mirror scene."

"BRIDGERTON GAVE ME MIRROR SCENE??" one fan wrote on X.

Another fan uploaded the clip to TikTok, writing, "FREAKING MIRROR SCENE!!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH SKDHJFHDBEISNKS."

But "Bridgerton" and its stars have been teasing this for even longer. In 2022, Coughlan told Entertainment Tonight that "mirror" was a word she'd use to describe season three of the show. And a first-look image teaser for the new season back in December 2023 showed Penelope looking at herself in a hand mirror.

On the day that Netflix released the first proper trailer for season three back in April 2024, the official Netflix account posted an image of Penelope looking at herself and Colin in a mirror on Facebook with the caption, "Let us have a look in the mirror."

Interestingly, what the show delivers is way more explicit than the mirror sequence from the books.

Here's how the 'Bridgerton' mirror scene actually goes down in the book

In book four, "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," Penelope and Colin finally get engaged. Shortly after officially announcing their engagement (and some drama over the reveal of Penelope's secret identity as Lady Whistledown, which plays out very differently in the show), the pair have sex for the first time.

But before they really get into it, Colin drops a devastating line of dirty talk.

Here's the actual passage from Quinn's novel:

"I want to see you sitting up,'" he groaned, "so I can see them full and lovely and large. And then I want to crawl behind you and cup you." His lips found her ear and his voice dropped to a whisper. "And I want to do it in front of a mirror."

"Now?" she squeaked.

He seemed to consider that for a moment, then shook his head. "Later," he said, and then repeated it in a rather resolute tone. "Later."

We don't see any actual sex in front of a mirror play out in the book, though. So congrats to Show Colin for finally getting to play out his fantasy on screen.

All episodes of season three of "Bridgerton" are now streaming on Netflix.

• Taylor Swift kicked off the UK leg of The Eras Tour with three sold-out shows in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• Planeloads of fans followed Swift to the UK and other European destinations to catch a concert.
• This phenomenon, identified by Expedia as 'tour tourism' is becoming increasingly popular.

It's 7 a.m. and 48 degrees Fahrenheit in Edinburgh, but Callie, Corrie, and KJ say they're not feeling the cold.

Instead, the three friends who had flown from Gibraltar in southern Europe are running high off the knowledge that in just 12 hours, they will be so close to Taylor Swift that they'll be able to "see her pores," as KJ puts it.

Thanks to their early start — they got to the stadium when the sun was rising at 4 a.m. — they were among the first in the line to see Swift kick off The Eras Tour in the UK. When the doors opened, they hoped to secure a coveted spot along the guardrail surrounding the stage.

They faced what would be a marathon of a day with optimism.

"We've got blankets, and we'll order Uber Eats when we get hungry," Corrie said.

For the trio, seeing Swift was a long time coming. After the multi-Grammy-winning superstar announced the European leg of The Eras Tour in mid-2023, they started saving, knowing that they had to "travel for Taylor."

That was true for many of the fans Business Insider spoke to outside Murrayfield Stadium.

Over 1.2 million people are expected to see Swift perform at the 15 shows she has scheduled in the UK this summer, which began on Friday with a sold-out show in Scotland's capital.

When Swift took to the stage for her almost three-and-a-half-hour set, the joyous screams of the more than 73,000 fans were heard nearly three miles away at Edinburgh Castle.

"The volume of the singing, the dancing, you guys are performing on another level. Like, I'm captivated," Swift said, marveling at her adoring fans.

With The Eras Tour set to light up Liverpool, Cardiff, and London in the coming weeks, Swift's presence is expected to boost the UK economy by £997 million ($1.26 billion), according to a report from Barclays.

The British bank estimates that attendees of UK shows spend an average of £848 ($1,077) per show, including accommodation, food, outfits, merch, and transportation. This is trailing behind the $1,300 that the average US concertgoer spent last year, per a study by QuestionPro.

Part of this stems from the superfans' devotion to Swift, but even casual fans are willing to splash the cash to experience the tour because it has become a cultural juggernaut.

Amira, 23, a student from Italy who admitted she's "not even that big of a Swiftie" spent over $1,000 to make it to the first night of the UK tour.

"My friends told me, 'You have to come, you'll regret it if you don't.' I was like, 'Okay!' and then forgot about it for a year. But now we're here, I'm glad they convinced me."

For Americans, coming to Europe has presented a novel solution to beat the sky-high ticket prices in the US — and the opportunity to make memories.

Leah, 36, and Simone, 33, from Minneapolis, bought their tickets for the second night from a resale website, and visiting Edinburgh ticked two things off their bucket list.

"I probably would've come to Scotland at one point, but it was the concert that got me here," Leah said.

The women reflect the trend of prioritizing experiences and memories over dropping big money on homes, cars, and other commodities. In short, many millennials and Gen Z want to do things, not buy things.

"We said to ourselves, 'Let's just go and have an adventure," Simone said. "Tickets are outrageously expensive in the US, and this entire trip for both of us was cheaper than our friends back home paid."

They estimated that the total cost for their weeklong trip, accommodation, and Eras Tour tickets was just over $2,500 each. This is what they would normally spend on a vacation, but this one just so happens to culminate in the show of a lifetime.

Tour tourism

Planeloads of US fans have followed Swift across the Atlantic. In Paris, where the singer kicked off the European leg of her tour in May with four back-to-back shows, 20% of tickets had been purchased by Americans, per The Associated Press.

It's what travel company Expedia dubbed 'tour tourism' in its report on 2024 travel trends. Blockbuster tours, such as Swift's and Beyoncé's, have led people to build their vacations around live music.

"Superfans like to showcase their fandom to their peers," Daniel Finch, managing director of Expedia Brands, said in the report.

"I have spent a lot. A lot," said Sammi, 18, a fan from England with a VIP ticket to Swift's final Edinburgh concert.

"And I've just brought some merch," she said with a self-deprecating eye roll. "But I just think it's such a special thing, and I didn't want to miss out, so I bought the tickets not really thinking about the extra costs of traveling and where I would need to stay."

For the high schooler who has been working part-time while studying, her earnings haven't caught up with her Swift-related spending, meaning she's currently overdrawn.

But she's at peace with the damage to her finances. "At the end of the day, money comes and goes, but my love for Taylor and my memories from tonight will be with me forever," she said.

The 'Swift lift'

"Swiftonomics" and "Swift lift" have been coined to define the global superstar's profound economic impact. It has already been felt in North America, South America, and Australia. It's no surprise that Singapore's exclusive deal, which meant the city-state was the "Anti-Hero" singer's only tour stop in Southeast Asia earlier this year, sparked concert envy from its neighbors.

Many of Edinburgh's hotels have sold out even though prices skyrocketed as soon as the tour dates were announced last July, with prices averaging £686 ($876) per night during Swift's residency, per local media.

Wilde Aparthotel, a hotel chain by StayCity that offers travelers compact, no-fuss studio apartments, was one of the few establishments still available on the nights of the concerts, albeit at an inflated price.

According to Ava, the hotel's front desk clerk, these rooms were freed up for people who had decided last minute to buy tickets or try 'Taylorgating' — gathering outside to experience the concert anyway.

As Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, told BI last month, retail stores, bars, and restaurants have also been looking forward to the "ripple effect" from the shows.

Mimi's Bakehouse, which has five locations across Edinburgh, seized the opportunity to cater to Swift's fans.

At the family-run bakery's Leith branch, locals and tourists alike have been enjoying Eras-themed cakes and a new afternoon tea menu.

The menu includes "Mirrorball" cake pops and southern fried chicken sandwiches with "ketchup and seemingly ranch," a nod to a viral post about Swift's meal of choice at NFL games. A staffer with extensive knowledge of Swift and her fandom created the idea and deep-cut references, and it paid off.

"Truthfully, the whole hospitality sector has been struggling recently, but yesterday we made our daily target three times over," assistant manager Mariola told BI on Saturday morning, the day after Swift's Murrayfield Stadium debut.

Already filling up with fans again at 9 a.m., she was preparing for another busy day.

"We've got the whole team working this weekend, plus extra staff."

Meanwhile, Pie in the Sky, an independent store specializing in pop culture-inspired tchotchkes, jewelry, and clothing, also became the site of a Swiftie pilgrimage.

In the week before Swift's arrival in Edinburgh, fans were queuing on the cobblestone street outside to buy necklaces emblazoned with the names of Swift's songs, as well as stickers, patches, and prints.

Erin, the store's director, appeared a little bemused by the store's sudden popularity but welcomed the surge in sales.

"This is shaping up to be our busiest weekend ever. We've not really promoted ourselves at all. It's all other people sharing videos and photos," she said.

As the sun set in Edinburgh that night, Swift closed her show with a firework display, and fans headed for the tram service back into the city center as the last of the confetti floated down onto their shivering shoulders — but the energy remained sky-high as they broke into renditions of their favorite songs.

As KJ had said at the start of the day, seeing The Eras Tour isn't "just about the show and the music. It's the memories, it's the friendship bracelets, it's the community, it's the whole package experience."

• A new wave of startups are trying to change the digital advertising industry.
• They're pitching new tech for cookieless ads, streaming TV, and influencer marketing.
• Here are 28 pitch decks that startups have used to attract investors.

After years of challenges securing funding, a new wave of advertising startups is raising millions.

These companies aim to solve the industry's big challenges, such as the death of third-party cookies, the shift from linear to streaming TV budgets, and helping advertisers run influencer marketing campaigns.

But unlike their predecessors, these new startups are significantly smaller and more focused than many of the early digital advertising companies that raised hundreds of millions of dollars, like MediaMath and Millennial Media.

Business Insider spoke with founders about how they convinced investors to buy into their companies.

For example, ID5 sells to brands and publishers an ID product that doesn't use third-party cookies. Companies like Vibe, Telly, and TVScientific aim to shake up how advertisers buy and measure TV ads. Other companies like FreshSound and Catch+Release are focused on helping marketers license media for use in their campaigns.

Here are 28 pitch decks that top execs and founders have used to sell investors on their companies.

• Aditude, advertising tech for publishers: $5 million
• Anzu, puts ads in video games: $48 million
• Adventr, an interactive video firm: $8 million
• Arcane, automates marketing for companies: $5 million
• Barometer, tracks brand safety for audio content: $2.5 million
• Big Happy, a mobile adtech company: $2.5 million
• Catch+Release, licenses creator content to brands: $8.8 million
• FreshSound, music licensing for commercials: $2.2 million
• Hashtag Pay Me, helps price creator content for brands: $200,000
• ID5, an adtech identity solution: $20 million
• Kevel, helps companies build advertising businesses: $23 million
• Lockr, sells identity management technology to marketers: $2.5 million
• PilotDesk, automates ad operations: $3 million
• Pyte, software that allows for data collaboration: $5 million
• Qortex, an AI targeting firm: $6 million
• Recess, an experiential marketing firm: $5 million
• Rembrand, places product placements in videos with AI: $8 million
• Simon Data, a data marketing tech firm: $54 million
• Sincera, an adtech firm that tracks metadata: $4.2 million
• Scope3, an adtech company focused on sustainability: $20 million
• ShopMy, creates shoppable landing pages: $18.5 million
• SuperScale, helps video game developers monetize their content: $5.4 million
• Tappa, creates branded mobile keyboards: $4.9 million
• Telly, an ad-supported smart TV: seed round
• TVScientific, helps measure performance marketing for TV ads: $9.4 million
• Vibe, an adtech firm for TV advertising: $22.5 million
• ViralMoment, makes AI video technology for brands: $2.5 million
• Zenapse, marketing tech firm: $8 million