Tag: Business

Standing in the middle of the road in his bright yellow uniform, Marc DuMoulin, 80, grasps his shoulder. A sharp pain rings in the spot where, last year, he was hit by a car.

DuMoulin works part-time as a school crossing guard, helping elementary-aged children in Newton, Massachusetts, cross busy streets. Last fall, a driver didn't stop when DuMoulin raised his red sign. The car hit him.

After a few days' rest, DeMoulin said he had no choice but to get back to work. He needed the money.

"I will work until I won't be able to move anymore," DuMoulin said.

He's one of the thousands of Americans 80 and older who work in professions that can be seen as risky or dangerous — especially for older workers. Business Insider has interviewed nearly 200 people in this age group to explore why they continue to work into their twilight years. Most people who spoke to Business Insider over the past year have jobs that pose little direct risk to their physical health. Some hold more physically demanding roles — like homebuilding, which 81-year-old Jim Franck says brings meaning to his life. Others work physically demanding jobs because they need the money.

These jobs can be dangerous — even deadly. A Business Insider analysis of 2023 Census Bureau data found that thousands of Americans 80 and older work in the top 10 most dangerous professions, as defined by government statisticians and measured by total fatal injuries. Over 15,000 work as drivers or make deliveries. Nearly 4,600 are ground maintenance workers. More than 2,500 are agricultural workers, and about 3,100 are construction laborers and helpers. Hundreds are loggers, roofers, and garbage collectors.

In interviews, more than a dozen people in these professions said they considered themselves healthy enough to keep working. They said they understood the risks. Some said they tried not to work in the dark, didn't drive during peak traffic hours, and avoided lifting heavy objects.

DuMoulin became a crossing guard over five years ago. His earnings go toward rebuilding his safety net after spending thousands of dollars on medications and doctor visits for his vascular surgeries and chronic kidney disease. It was one of the few jobs he could find after a career with the US State Department and as a consultant. His Social Security isn't enough to cover his expenses.

Walking and standing are strenuous activities, he said, and the rain or heat can worsen his symptoms. Still, DuMoulin isn't sure he'd stop even if he could financially make it work. Connecting with the students, their parents, and their pets has made his 5 a.m. alarm less bothersome, he said.

"I will work until I won't be able to move anymore," DuMoulin said.

Even in jobs that aren't typically considered risky for younger people, dozens of people over 80 who Business Insider interviewed said they worried about getting hurt on the job. Some retail workers said they feared that being on their feet all day could make them vulnerable to falling. Some medical workers said they worried their lives could be at risk if they had to help a patient stand up. A few other workers thought they could be targets of crimes given their age and potential vulnerability. Many said they suspected their preexisting conditions, like arthritis or vision problems, could one day cause havoc on the job.

Ruth Harden, 88, knows there are risks to being on her feet as a registered nurse for an adult day care center, a position she's had for more than two years after years of struggling to secure work. Harden, who lives in San Diego, can't afford to retire, but at her age, she's just starting a Ph.D. program in nursing at the University of San Diego and plans to work until she can't.

"I feel better now than I've felt in more than 40 years, but I've gone through heart attack after heart attack, unable to work with many hospital bills," Harden said. "I've got stiff knees, and I do use a cane occasionally, but other than that, I don't have any problems."

Data suggest that the rate of minor injuries among older workers declines slightly with age, as they are more experienced and often healthier if working past retirement age. The rate of severe injury and fatality, however, increases with age. As of 2023, workers 65 and older were 2.5 times more likely than workers of all ages to die on the job, at a rate of 8.7 per 100,000 workers, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A Business Insider analysis of fatality data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that since the start of 2020, 67 workers age 80 and older have died from a work-related injury or illness, a figure that appears to have never been reported in the media because research on workers in this demographic is sparse. This is up from 40 fatalities in this demographic between 2011 and 2019. These numbers are likely an undercount, as some deaths may not be reported to OSHA.

And an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries revealed that workers 65 and older have a rising share of the total number of fatal injuries at work over the last two decades.

Among those who OSHA reported died at work: A 91-year-old man in North Dakota fell and struck his head while making a bed at a hospital. An 86-year-old woman in Tennessee was pinned underneath a dolly at a transportation company. An 83-year-old woman in Ohio died from asphyxiation after her shirt was caught in a drill bit. An 81-year-old man in Florida was stabbed at a retirement community where he was a safety officer.

In 2023, Monique Morrissey, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, determined based on 2018 American Working Conditions Survey microdata that roughly half of workers aged 50 to 70 work in physically demanding jobs, while nearly half hold high-pressure roles, such as those with tight deadlines or fast-paced work. Many of these jobs don't pay enough for a proper retirement, Morrissey told Business Insider, adding that reduced access to disability benefits and threats to long-term Social Security solvency could keep workers in riskier jobs for longer.

Sometimes, a risky job is the only one available

Lugging 16 tons of stone across the highway, Merle Heckman, 82, slams the brakes on his dump truck and honks the horn. It's the fifth time he was cut off that day.

"Everybody's in a hurry, nobody's willing to wait, nobody has any patience on the highway," Heckman says. "These drivers don't realize that the truck weighs 11 tons, and it's 27 tons total. You can't stop on a dime."

He's been driving since 7:30 a.m. and expects to finish by 6:30 p.m. He's grown to love the job. It keeps his mind alert and isn't too physically demanding, though he never anticipated doing it.

Heckman spent most of his career in accounting and construction. A business he founded in 2003 closed in 2019 due to some poor investment choices, he said. He withdrew most of his 401(k) savings, declared bankruptcy, and lost his home.

He couldn't secure another accounting job, so he got a commercial driver's license and found work delivering mulch and stone to houses in North Carolina. The $600 to $800 weekly pay helps him pay off the five-year loan on a new house.

It can be difficult for someone over 80 to find a job — especially a higher-paying role. For many older workers, lower-paying, sometimes riskier jobs can be the only option.

James Atkinson, vice president of thought leadership at the Society for Human Resource Management, said older workers are more willing to learn and adapt quickly than many hiring professionals would believe. Only 7% of organizations have formal or informal recruiting targeted at workers 65 and older, he said.

Richard Smith, 81, drives for DoorDash between shifts at a campsite, where he patrols the grounds nightly and maintains security. Smith spends half the year in an RV in New Hampshire and the other half in Florida. He said he couldn't find a six-month part-time job, so he delivers Mondays through Wednesdays in the afternoons and evenings, aiming to earn about $100 a day.

Smith, whose wife is a housekeeper, said his health is good enough that he can drive "fairly well," but he's uncomfortable driving fast. He hopes to continue for a few more years, given that he has less than $20,000 in his IRA and no other savings.

"There may come a period in life when we'll have to stay in Florida all year for health reasons, and I'll need to find a year-round job," Smith said.

Unable to quit

After a series of rejections, Horace Cathcart, 82, found a job in 2023 that he never expected someone his age to do: an umpire for youth baseball games.

Cathcart, who lives in Washington state with his wife, worked in sales for 35 years before transitioning to a computer repairman. After a few years of retirement, he was back on the job market.

He said his job is "very dangerous." He can get hit by a ball at any time, and he sometimes has to separate fights. He's heard of umpires getting attacked by people who disagree with their calls.

"Without this job, we'd probably be struggling," Cathcart said. He said he earns about $50 to $90 per game. "This carries me over to the next spring."

Siavash Radpour, an assistant economics professor who studies aging at Stockton University in New Jersey, said that as older Americans comprise more of the labor force, more may end up in physically demanding jobs.

"Historically, older workers had seniority, so they were protected against recession and layoffs, but that's not the case anymore," Radpour said.

John Gercher, 81, said the extra income from driving a school bus helps after a series of financial setbacks years ago left him with less savings than he had anticipated for this stage of his life.

Gercher, who lives in Pennsylvania, worked for 33 years at Xerox, and said he lost much of his savings amid the dot-com bubble. That loss, combined with his desire to travel, left him with tight retirement savings, though he said he doesn't have to work anymore. He became a bus driver seven years ago when his district was desperate for drivers. He said his main reason for working is the joy of giving back to his community.

Gercher has cataracts developing, and though he has passed his vision test and physical, he doesn't think he'll drive past next year. The only physical limitations he's felt at his job are checking the bus for any belongings left behind.

"I'm healthy mentally, but I don't want to overstay my welcome, especially when transporting kids," Gercher said.

Risky jobs can come with a thrill

Some older workers in jobs that can be seen as more dangerous say they like the work for the thrill of it — not because they necessarily need the money.

Bill Miller, an 82-year-old real-estate broker in North Carolina, said he's cut back on real estate because he has "too much fun driving" a forklift.

Miller doesn't need to work for financial reasons, but said working has been essential to keeping his mind and body active. For 15 to 20 hours a week, Miller operates a forklift, backhoe, tractor, and scissor jack, primarily for a friend or local organizations.

"Some days, I'm loading trucks with steel with a forklift, and other days, I'm covered in grease doing manual labor," Miller said.

For John DeBeaumont, 82, every workday is about staying healthy and preserving his family's legacy.

His father opened a small ready-mix concrete company over 55 years ago. He took it over and ran it with his son until six years ago, and now serves as an advisor.

He wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and works until around noon, which can involve physical labor. He has struggled to find enough staff to keep his business running, but he hopes to scale back in the coming years.

"I can sell the business, but if I did that, I know a lot of people who have retired and died the next year," said DeBeaumont, who lives in the Bay Area of California.

Dix Roberts, 88, runs Roberts Family Farms in Utah with his wife, Ruth, and their children. Roberts works to challenge himself. Ruth, 83, sells produce at farmers' markets a few times a month.

"I'm doing the amount of work that I can do while feeling safe doing it," Roberts said. "I help control the weeds, which is an easy job. I ride a four-wheeler with a 15-gallon tank on the side and a 100-foot hose."

One wrong step can be disastrous

The potential danger in some of these jobs can be inescapable for older people.

In 2018, George Pierce, now almost 80, was working as a mechanic in Maryland, a position he had held for three decades. One day, he stumbled over a jack and injured his left knee.

The accident was responsible for the majority of his injuries, doctors determined, as he also had some preexisting conditions that contributed. He underwent a left total knee replacement two years later, followed by another reconstructive knee surgery the following year. He won nearly $83,000 in a settlement; Business Insider has reviewed the settlement documents. Money has been tight because Pierce can no longer work and struggles with daily tasks like walking or cleaning.

Pierce considered part-time work, but mobility issues have narrowed his options. He stays active to maintain his strength and budgets carefully to keep up with his bills.

"My dad always said to put something away for a rainy day because you never know what's going to happen," Pierce said.

Business Insider analyzed dozens of workplace compensation lawsuits filed by some of America's oldest workers, mostly in their 70s, and some in their 80s. The cases showed that, in many instances, a slippery floor, a misplaced sign, or a dark room resulted in injuries serious enough for major surgeries and years of recovery. Many of these cases centered on people working in the most unsafe industries.

Experts in workplace safety and ergonomics told Business Insider that workplaces should do more to support older workers' ability to work safely and productively. Gigi Petery, a professor at Western Kentucky University who previously worked as a manager at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, said workplaces should focus on three pillars of workability: physical work environment, work organization, and individual health management.

This can be as simple as removing trip hazards, installing proper signage, and ensuring proper lighting, or more advanced changes like implementing tools that require less strength to operate, Petery said.

Jim Franck, the 81-year-old contractor, knows that one wrong step could put an end to his career as a homebuilder, but the risk hasn't stopped him.

Franck, who lives in Oregon, has been a homebuilder for more than five decades in the US and the US Virgin Islands. He's avoided doing too much physical labor and has taken on more of a supervisory role, but he drives a backhoe and builds decks and fireplaces, despite the soreness and back pain it can cause.

"It's like an art to me, and an artist keeps painting until they drop dead," Franck said.

• Embraer wants to launch an affordable and safe electric air taxi called Eve in major cities by 2027.
• Eve has been ordered by airlines like United, and the CEO expects they'll one day be pilotless.
• EVTOLs resemble helicopters, but they have more safety redundancies and are much quieter.

The future of commuter aviation may be a teal-green octocopter that has yet to take flight.

As traffic worsens in major cities worldwide, aviation companies are betting that more consumers will soon opt to fly above the gridlock using a radical new technology that aims to cut the costs and noise of piloted helicopters.

Enter the electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) — zero-emission air taxis that lift off like helicopters but fly like airplanes.

This fast-growing market, still in its early days, is expected to reach at least $4 billion by 2030, but achieving its lofty goals hinges on persuading travelers of the eVTOLs' convenience and safety.

One frontrunner is Brazil-based Eve Air Mobility, a division of Embraer — the world's third-biggest planemaker behind Airbus and Boeing.

Its CEO, Johann Bordais, told Business Insider that the new Eve eVTOL is expected to enter service by 2027 and will be more affordable than helicopters.

"The safety level, operating cost, and quietness of the eVTOL make it better than the helicopters flying today," he said. Customers can expect the buzzing sky taxis over cities like Manhattan and São Paulo for airport transfers, ride-hailing, and sightseeing.

Bordais added that Eve is designed to one day need no pilot — it'll be like the Waymo of the skies.

The focus on eVTOLs comes as other major players, including Hyundai's Supernal and Airbus' CityAirbus NextGen, have paused their electric-taxi programs this year.

Still, Embraer — which has already presold hundreds of units to United and SkyWest — has yet to fly a full-scale prototype, while two California rivals have.

Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, partnered with Delta and United, respectively, showcased their eVTOLs to the public at a California airshow in October. Both are targeting 2026 launches as they race to carry the first passengers.

Bordais said he isn't fazed: "Flying a prototype is one thing; going through certification is another."

He said Embraer is prioritizing engineering and modeling all systems and subsystems to meet operator needs and federal standards before flying what will be its first eVTOL airframe.

He added that Embraer's decades of experience certifying commercial, military, and private aircraft give it a major edge: "Certification is a milestone, and we've been through those milestones before," he said.

Here's what customers can expect onboard Eve.

Eve is designed as a four-seater electric aircraft with a range of 60 miles.

Eve is meant to whisk passengers within minutes between major cities like Manhattan or São Paulo and their airports.

A simulation on Eve's website shows a hop from Miami International Airport to South Beach would take 15 minutes.

It has rotors, propellers, and batteries for propulsion — and plenty of backups.

Eve is built with extensive redundancy — eight rotors and multiple battery packs — so if one component fails, others take over.

It's like how an airplane can safely fly on just one jet engine if the other fails.

Eve will use new and established infrastructure to start and scale up.

Many target markets already have heliports or vertiports, and Bordais said the US alone has over 5,000 airports.

Scaling up, however, requires investments in charging stations, ground support, and other infrastructure.

Embraer is working with countries including Bahrain, the US, the UK, Singapore, and Costa Rica to develop vertiports and support urban air mobility.

There is one pilot, but Embraer hopes the eVTOL will one day be autonomous.

Bordais said Eve is designed to reduce the pilot's workload, allowing them to focus on flying.

But, he said, it's also built to eventually be pilotless. Without a pilot, the eVTOL could be configured for six passengers instead of four.

"We're talking about inserting autonomous and non-autonomous aircraft into the airspace," Bordais said. "It's a journey of how to do this."

Some industry experts are skeptical about pilotless eVTOLs.

Andy Day, the SVP of operations at the private aviation safety risk management firm Wyvern, told Business Insider that he would "never be okay with completely autonomous aircraft" and that you can't replace a human's reaction and intuitiveness in an emergency situation.

Companies like Airbus, Bulgaria's Dronamic, and American planemaker Pyka are working toward autonomous flight.

Eve will begin flight testing soon.

Bordais said Eve's first full-scale prototype is expected to fly within two months. It will serve as a "knowledge accelerator," but it's not part of the certification process.

Eve has completed nearly a dozen campaigns evaluating aspects such as propeller efficiency and noise, as well as rotor behavior while the aircraft transitions between vertical movement and forward flight.

Bordais didn't provide the expected fare for Eve.

Eve would be a workhorse for airlines. United, for example, aims to build a network in San Francisco and has entered into a conditional purchase agreement for 200 Eve eVTOLs.

Bordais didn't offer fare estimates but said air taxi fares are trending downward with new technology.

"Would we want to see Manhattan to [New York] JFK be $220 or $250? Yes, but it's going to be up to the operator to decide the price," he said, adding that eVTOLs are expected to be cheaper than helicopters.

Joby and Archer said their fares would be about those of an Uber Black.

Based on midday rates on a recent Wednesday, an UberBlack from New York-JFK to Grand Central Terminal costs $172 for the entire car.

Joby and Archer would charge per seat, so an eVTOL ride would be $508 for a family of four. The car is cheaper, but, based on average drive times, the UberBlack would take at least three times as long as Eve's 10-minute hop.

Bordais said the biggest priority for Eve is safety.

Safety is crucial, especially amid a negative public perception stemming from two high-profile helicopter crashes in 2025.

Bordais said Eve's propellers are off during boarding — unlike a helicopter's spinning blades — and the aircraft can glide during a power loss, making it more survivable during forward flight than a helicopter's auto-rotation.

"Embraer has a long history of making safe airplanes that fly 100 million people a year," he said.

• The health reporter Kim Schewitz used to be a chronic alarm clock snoozer who felt tired all the time.
• Jet lag helped her work out in the morning for the first time, then three things turned it into a habit.
• Becoming a morning person has boosted her mood and energy throughout the day.

Here's an embarrassingly cold take: waking up early and exercising has changed my life.

The kicker, however, is that I went from being a late-rise-lifer to a workout-before-work kind of girl almost overnight.

Since I was little, I would repeatedly snooze my alarm clock each morning until I had to get up. The evidence on whether this makes you feel more tired is mixed, but I would get stuck in a state of sleep inertia, prolonging the period of confusion and sleepiness when you first wake up. It left me feeling anxious, and I would struggle to focus all day.

But for the last eight months, I've forced myself out of bed when my first alarm goes off (no snoozing!) and done a yoga or reformer pilates class (sorry) before work most days. Sometimes, if my body is too tired, I'll just go for a walk or grab a coffee.

I feel more energetic, less anxious, and generally in better spirits. Is that surprising? Definitely not. But it's still a massive win.

I used jet lag to my advantage

Fed up with feeling so sluggish, I set my sights on becoming a morning lark about a year and a half ago, but each time I set my alarm and planned to get out of bed early, I just couldn't manage it by morning. However, I was able to make the shift after I returned to London from a vacation in Sri Lanka in March.

For those first few days, I took jet lag waking me up at sunrise as an opportunity to book myself into a morning yoga class. At the time, I did around three evening yoga classes per week, building my fitness and strength with an activity I genuinely love. But fear of the unknown meant I was scared of morning classes. What if I couldn't handle a full hour of exercise at that hour? What if it made me too tired to concentrate at work?

As I went to sleep the night before my first 7:30 a.m. class, I was nervous and presumed it would take my body at least a few test runs to adapt. But I was pleasantly surprised when I felt more energized than usual.

I loved starting my day with movement, giving myself time to wake up before work, and doing something for my own enjoyment and well-being before locking in for eight hours. I discovered a whole world that had been going on while I was usually asleep.

I hate to say it, but I was instantly hooked.

As time went on, I adjusted to U.K. time and the novelty wore off, which made it more challenging to get up when my alarm went off pre-7 a.m.

But I felt no more rested on the days I went back to my snoozing ways.

I learned a big lesson: Waking up is painful either way! I feel fine after 10 minutes, but when I snooze I end up feeling tired all day.

Waking up for something I enjoy and am financially tied to helps me get out of bed

Jet-lag helped kickstart my new routine, but I think three things helped me make it into a habit.

Firstly, I wake up early to do something enjoyable, whether that's yoga or walking to get a coffee. It wouldn't work if I were forcing myself to go to the gym, do a run, or meal prep because I don't like those things.

Secondly, booking myself into a class is essential because I wake up with a sense of urgency. The class operates a zero-minute lateness policy, and as a law-abiding citizen, the idea of breaking a rule fills me with panic. Plus, there's the financial incentive: If I don't show up I will be fined up to £12 ($15.70). At times, I've told myself I'd follow a YouTube yoga video at home in the morning instead, but that never happens.

Finally, I know how much better I feel all day when I do this, and as someone who struggles with low mood and anxiety, the alternative is just not worth the extra time in bed.

This is what my average morning looks like:

• Wake up around 6:45 a.m.
• Get straight out of bed, brush my teeth, wash my face with water, and put on SPF.
• Turn on BBC Radio 4 and listen to the news while I put on my workout clothes.
• Do a 45-minute to one-hour class.
• Walk home and get a coffee on the way.
• Log on to Slack at 9 a.m.

Tons of successful people — from Dolly Parton to JPMorgan's CEO Jamie Dimon and the longevity bro Bryan Johnson — are early risers, usually because they say it's their most productive time.

But my motivation for becoming a morning person is more about feeling good than getting more done.

The next time you have jet lag, why not give it a go?

• Sunday Robotics, a robotics startup, spent less than 2 years in stealth, developing a home robot named Memo.
• Memo can autonomously clear the dinner table and load the dishwasher, the startup said.
• CEO Tony Zhao said his company achieved the feat by using gloves that mimic the robot's hands.

Everyday tasks like clearing the dinner table and loading the dishwasher are a major dexterity challenge for home robots that can require a lot of training data and capital.

A new startup says it spent less than two years and a fraction of the costs to figure it out.

On Thursday, Sunday Robotics emerged from stealth to demonstrate Memo, a fully autonomous home robot on wheels that can complete household tasks.

A video posted on X by the company's cofounder, Tony Zhao, showed Memo move from the dining room to the kitchen to clear the table of dishes and load them in the dishwasher. The company said Memo was conducting the task autonomously.

One other feat included Memo picking up two wine glasses, which can be notoriously fragile, with one hand. The robot also folded socks and loaded up an espresso machine.

Sunday Robotics, also known as Sunday, was founded in April 2024 by Zhao and Cheng Chi, both of whom have a background in robotics.

"Today, we present a step-change in robotic AI," Zhao said in an X post. The cofounder added that Memo broke zero wine glasses over more than 20 live demo sessions.

To get a robot to interact with common household items — some of which can be delicate — is a crucial benchmark for dexterity in the world of robotics.

For one, replicating the human hand, which has thousands of touch receptors, is a challenging engineering feat in itself. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said as much in the company's latest earnings call in October.

The information used to train robots is also a major bottleneck.

Many companies have turned to teleoperations, in which a human controls a robot via joysticks or various controllers, to teach robots. Other companies are experimenting with synthetic data and simulations.

Sunday doesn't use any of those widely accepted methods. Instead, the startup's cofounder said the company built a proprietary glove that mimics the shape of the Memo's Lego-like hands.

A human wears the gloves and completes specific tasks, which will provide data to Memo such as the amount of force used to pick up an object.

Zhao said that this method presents a more efficient and cost-effective means of training robots. In an X post, he said the glove gives "two orders of magnitude higher capital efficiency compared to teleoperation ($200 vs $20,000)."

Zhao added that this is also scalable since data can be collected anywhere without having to lug Memo around. The startup has more than 500 human data collectors across the US, providing training data for Memo.

"In robotics, if the only thing we can rely on is teleoperation, to gather the amount of training data it would take like decades for sure," Zhao said in an interview with "TBPN."

• Google's Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro showcase major advances in generative AI technology.
• The new AI models demonstrate improved spatial reasoning, fixing past image generation flaws.
• Google's AI progress reestablishes its leadership in tech and boosts the company's value.

In 2017, Google was criticized for a bad emoji. This week, CEO Sundar Pichai fixed it. How he did this says a lot about the progress Google has made in generative AI.

The internet giant schooled the rest of the tech industry when it launched its latest model, Gemini 3, on Tuesday. It followed that up by rolling out an upgraded image-generation tool called Nano Banana Pro, which is churning out impressive, realistic pictures, diagrams, and charts.

Google proved that AI scaling laws still work, just as its rivals are being questioned. The stock jumped to a record, making the company worth more than Microsoft.

This is all a long way from 2017. Back then, Google rolled out a cheeseburger emoji for Android smartphones. It had the cheese under the meat. Absolute scandal.

Pichai apologized and said Google would get working on a fix immediately, in a joking kind of way.

Fast forward to this week with the launch of Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro.

These new AI models are much better at creating and rendering images. Their understanding of 3D space and how the world works, physics-wise, has improved so much that they now absolutely nail the cheeseburger stack.

Pichai tweeted an AI-generated image out to prove the point, writing "iykyk" as a nod to the 2017 furor. As you can see, the earth has been set back on its correct axis, and we can all calm down: the cheese is above the meat.

OK, it's time to get serious. Why am I telling you this?

The ability of AI models to innately understand where stuff should go in the world is really important.

"Normally, AI models struggle with spatial orientation, particularly with respect to the relative position of objects," Balaji Srinivasan, a tech investor and former Coinbase CTO, wrote on X after Pichai's latest burger post. "But this image (if rendered by Gemini 3) seems to resolve that issue, as the exact spatial positioning of the cheese is handled correctly and precisely."

If AI models can know where cheese should go in a burger, they might also know where more important stuff should be in the real world. That could mean better machine decision-making in design, engineering, and other fields.

One theoretical example: A safety barrier likely needs to be placed in the right spot on the corner of a road. Maybe AI models can guide workers to put this structure in exactly the best spot, down to the millimeter.

There's another takeaway from this eight-year cheeseburger saga. Google has been criticized for being behind in generative AI, and this week's releases have finally put those questions to bed.

Powerful products like Gemini 3 take many years, and a lot of technical research and plumbing, to pull off. Google has been working at this for a very long time, and Pichai has been pushing the company toward an AI-first mindset for about a decade. Now the fruits of these labors are showing through.

"Google really did drop everything they were doing to truly focus on AI. And Gemini 3 represents the moment when they actually retook the lead, at least for now," Srinivasan wrote. "When combined with Sundar doubling Google's revenue to $100B, he's proven he can lead Google to unprecedented heights both technologically and commercially."

"Hence: iykyk. If you know, you know," he added.

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

• Trump met with Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office — and had only nice things to say afterwards.
• Trump said he shared goals and ideas with the mayor-elect, including addressing affordability.
• He also said he would feel comfortable living in the city under Mamdani's administration.

Zohran Mamdani appears to have charmed Donald Trump.

Following a meeting with the New York City mayor-elect in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon, the president had nothing but nice things to say about the man whose politics couldn't be different than his.

"I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor," Trump told reporters as Mamdani stood beside him. "He's going to surprise some conservative people, actually."

It marked a striking reversal in Trump's rhetoric toward the Democratic socialist state assemblyman. In recent months, the president had derided Mamdani as a "communist," urged New Yorkers to support his chief opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and had even threatened to cut off federal funding to the city if Mamdani were elected mayor.

On Friday, all of that seemed to be buried.

Mamdani sounded a conciliatory note, pointing out that he and Trump shared many voters and that both had run campaigns based on addressing affordability concerns.

"We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities," Mamdani said. "We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out."

Trump described Mamdani as "rational," said that he "really wants to see New York be great again," and said he and the mayor-elect shared many of the same goals. Most significantly, Trump pledged to work with Mamdani, saying he expects "to be helping him, not hurting him."

At one point, Trump — who was born in raised in New York City — even said that he would feel comfortable living in the city with Mamdani as mayor.

"Absolutely," Trump said. "I want him to do a great job, and we'll help him do a great job."

The two men seemed to find one particular point of agreement: the rates charged by Con Edison, the main energy provider in the New York City area.

"We've gotten fuel prices way down, but it hasn't shown up in Con Edison," Trump said. "We have to get Con Edison to start lowering their rates."

"Absolutely," Mamdani added.

In some ways, the mutual respect isn't completely unexpected. Both men have shown an ability to garner and hold attention in the modern media environment, which Trump acknowledged at one point when speaking to reporters.

"The press has eaten this thing up," Trump said. "You know, outside, you have hundreds of people waiting."

"He's different than, you know, your average candidate," Trump added. "He came out of nowhere."

The president even sought to smooth things over when a reporter asked Mamdani if he considers the president to be a fascist. As Mamdani began to answer, a smiling Trump interjected.

"That's okay, you can just say yes," he said. "It's easier than explaining it. I don't mind."

• A decades-old Wisconsin ski resort has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
• Back-to-back winters of "extremely low" snowfall gutted the resort's revenues, lawyers said.
• The Chapter 11 filing "provides a path forward" for the popular Whitecap Mountains Resort.

A popular Wisconsin ski resort that has been around since the 1960s has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it fights to survive another winter on the slopes.

Midwest Skiing Company LLC, which owns and operates the Whitecap Mountains Resort in Upson, Wisconsin, said in court papers that it filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday after back-to-back winters with "extremely low" snowfall gutted its revenue and left it buried in debt.

The resort, with 43 ski runs across 400 acres, has been touted as the "snowiest ski resort in Wisconsin," a court filing in its bankruptcy case said, adding that Whitecap Mountain annually gets "some of the highest snowfall in the state making for excellent conditions and regular powder days."

However, the past two winters have brought little of the snow that built the resort's reputation.

Snowfall at the resort plummeted from 260 inches in the 2022-2023 season to less than 30 inches the next winter, slashing revenue from roughly $1.4 million to about $197,000, the court papers said. The most recent season brought less than 60 inches of snow and only about $532,000 in total revenue.

"The low revenue in 2023 put the Debtor in a position where it needed additional funding to cover its revenue shortage," said the filing. "While the Debtor survived the 2023-24 season, it required short-term financing to bridge the gap until the next ski season and payoff several expenses."

Lender declared resort 'in default'

The resort — which is all-season, but known for its skiing — turned to private lender Brighton Asset Management for a short-term loan to help it get by. Another "slow" 2024-2025 season prevented the resort's owner from extending or refinancing the loan, the court papers say.

Brighton said Midwest Skiing Company was "in default" on about $1.86 million in debt and, through a lawsuit, moved to foreclose on the resort's property, according to the court motion seeking approval to use cash collateral.

A court ruled in favor of Brighton in August.

Midwest Skiing Company filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy "to put a stop to the collection efforts and speculation within its community and among customers over the upcoming snow season," the filings said.

"The automatic stay under the bankruptcy code stops Brighton from moving forward with collection through foreclosure or replevin," attorneys for Midwest Skiing Company wrote in the filing.

Customers and employees "can be confident," the filing said, that Midwest Skiing Company "will retain control and continue operations through the upcoming snow season."

In its bankruptcy petition, Midwest Skiing Company estimated its assets as between $1 million and $10 million, with the same range for its estimated liabilities.

Attorneys for the company wrote in court papers that the Chapter 11 filing "provides a path forward" for the resort "to continue its operations for years to come under a plan of reorganization."

The court papers say that Midwest Skiing Company — which has been owned by ski and hospitality industry veteran David Dziuban since 2008 — merged this week with Glebe Mountains, Inc., allowing for a "more efficient and less costly reorganization."

Attorneys for Midwest Skiing Company and Brighton did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Business Insider on Friday.

• Resonance, a data and research firm, released its annual ranking of the world's best cities.
• The company compared more than 400 cities worldwide with populations exceeding 1 million.
• The top cities include popular hotspots, but you'll be surprised at some that didn't make the cut.

There's a big world out there to explore. If you haven't made your 2026 travel plans yet, we'll help you narrow down where to head next.

Resonance, a data and research firm, has released its Best Cities report, an annual ranking that spotlights the globe's most influential and economically thriving cities.

To identify the best places to live and visit, the company compared over 400 cities with populations exceeding 1 million. It scored each city on three factors: livability, lovability, and prosperity — using measures such as the number of family-friendly attractions, walkability, public transit quality, nightlife, overall economic health, and more.

Resonance also analyzed user-generated data from platforms such as Google, Instagram, and TikTok to gauge appeal.

The top cities of 2026 are familiar names across Europe, the US, and Asia, with one in the Middle East. Surprisingly, a few popular tourist hubs, such as Mexico City and Miami, didn't even crack the top 20. Read below to find out which cities did.

Business Insider included population data from Resonance, alongside housing and dining data from Numbeo, a crowdsourced comparison website that provides detailed cost-of-living information for major cities worldwide.

20. Istanbul

• Population: 14,206,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $714.60
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $964.04
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $47.20
• Cost of a cappuccino: $3.81

19. Hong Kong

• Population: 7,617,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,081
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,318.18
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $70.64
• Cost of a cappuccino: $5.14

18. São Paulo

• Population: 22,421,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $636.60
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $668.09
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $38.36
• Cost of a cappuccino: $2.14

17. Toronto

• Population: 7,605,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,088.50
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,685.81
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $85.40
• Cost of a cappuccino: $3.91

16. Shanghai

• Population: 28,482,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $588.30
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $908.02
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $32.33
• Cost of a cappuccino: $3.14

15. Beijing

• Population: 21,312,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $578.20
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $984.62
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $28.11
• Cost of a cappuccino: $2.86

14. Amsterdam

• Population: 2,989,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,330.10
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,459.87
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $115.28
• Cost of a cappuccino: $4.92

13. Seoul

• Population: 24,160,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,034.80
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $868.77
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $54.47
• Cost of a cappuccino: $3.61

12. Los Angeles

• Population: 12,928,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,348.80
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,555.26
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $100.00
• Cost of a cappuccino: $5.74

11. Sydney

• Population: 5,450,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,134.50
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,197.54
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $81.61
• Cost of a cappuccino: $3.52

10. Barcelona

• Population: 5,094,000
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,549.23
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $911.3
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $69.17
• Cost of a cappuccino: $2.96

9. Berlin

• Population: 5,106,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,140.7
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,420.68
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $72.05
• Cost of a cappuccino: $4.44

8. Dubai

• Population: 6,000,000
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,458.65
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,128.6
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $81.69
• Cost of a cappuccino: $5.85

7. Rome

• Population: 4,306,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,022.6
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,447.95
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $80.69
• Cost of a cappuccino: $2.09

6. Singapore

• Population: 6,038,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,126.1
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,967.40
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $68.86
• Cost of a cappuccino: $4.67

5. Madrid

• Population: 6,983,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $929.20
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,512.80
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $69.17
• Cost of a cappuccino: $3.24

4. Tokyo

• Population: 36,635,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $930.3
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $996.97
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $41.95
• Cost of a cappuccino: $3.26

3. Paris

• Population: 13,171,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,206.80
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,609.17
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant: $74.93
• Cost of a cappuccino: $5.01

2. New York

• Population: 19,940,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,668.60
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $4,142.86
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant: $145
• Cost of a cappuccino: $5.72

1. London

• Population: 12,451,000
• Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,393.7
• Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $3,112.03
• Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant: $104.58
• Cost of a cappuccino: $5.27

• The Miss Universe pageant took place in Thailand on Friday local time.
• The 2025 winner, Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch, was crowned after some drama-filled weeks for the pageant.
• The Miss Universe Organization has been no stranger to controversy since its inception.

A new Miss Universe has officially been crowned.

Over 100 women gathered in Bangkok in November to compete for the Miss Universe title, strutting on the stage in ball gowns, swimsuits, and costumes. The competition concluded on Friday morning local time, with Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch being crowned the new winner.

The weeks leading up to the finale were full of drama, from a contestant falling off the stage to a pageant director yelling at Bosch.

However, scandal isn't unfamiliar to the Miss Universe Organization, which has had its share of ups and downs since its inception in 1952.

Take a look back at some of the most controversial moments in the pageant's history.

Mary Leona Gage wasn't allowed to compete at Miss Universe in 1957 after judges discovered she had lied during Miss USA.

Mary Leona Gage won the Miss USA pageant in 1957 and was supposed to represent the United States at Miss Universe.

However, as The Baltimore Sun reported, Gage's title and crown were revoked the day after she won the pageant because the Miss Universe organization discovered that she was married, had two children, and had lied about being 18 when she was actually 21. The pageant did not allow contestants to be married or have children until 2023.

In 2005, Gage told The Baltimore Sun that she had competed in the Miss USA pageant in the hopes of escaping her husband, whom she had married at the age of 14.

Bob Barker resigned as host of the pageant after 21 years in 1987.

Bob Barker served as host of both the Miss USA pageant and the Miss Universe pageant from 1966 to 1987.

But Barker was a staunch animal rights activist, so he took issue with the Miss Universe organization giving Miss USA and Miss Universe contestants fur coats as part of their prizes, as The Los Angeles Times reported. In 1987, he told the organization that he would not host the events in the future if the pageant continued to give contestants fur coats as part of their prize winnings.

The organization agreed to substitute the coats for faux fur options in 1987, so Barker hosted both pageants.

However, in 1988, Miss Universe planned to offer contestants fur coats again, so Barker resigned as host for good, The New York Times reported.

In 1994, the pageant stripped Miss Puerto Rico of her title after she competed at Miss Universe.

As the Orlando Sentinel reported, Brenda Robles was secretly pregnant when she competed at the Miss Universe pageant, and the organization revoked her Miss Puerto Rico title and crown when they discovered she was with child.

The outgoing Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres, was also from Puerto Rico. She crowned Miss India Sushmita Sen during the 1994 pageant.

Donald Trump criticized Miss Universe Alicia Machado after she won the pageant in 1996.

Machado was crowned Miss Venezuela in 1995 before going on to win the 1996 Miss Universe pageant. She was just 18 years old at the time.

As The New York Times reported in 2016, Machado gained weight after she was crowned queen. She said she requested emotional and medical support from the pageant and was then made to exercise in front of the press by the Miss Universe Organization and Donald Trump, who was an executive producer for the pageant at the time.

"This is somebody who likes to eat," he told reporters of Machado during the incident.

After Hillary Clinton pointed to Trump's criticism of Machado — saying he called her "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping" because of her Venezuelan heritage — during a 2016 presidential debate, Trump stood behind his statements, as Business Insider previously reported. During a September 2016 "Fox and Friends" segment, he said Machado "gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem."

Machado responded to Trump in a press conference organized by Clinton's campaign, saying she developed bulimia and anorexia because of Trump's treatment.

"He always treated me like garbage," she said.

Miss Lebanon dropped out of the pageant in 2002 because of global politics.

Christina Sawaya was crowned Miss Lebanon in 2002. But unlike other champions that year, she did not go on to appear at the Miss Universe pageant.

As CNN reported, Sawaya wanted to avoid competing alongside Miss Israel amid mounting tensions between the countries.

In 2008, Miss Puerto Rico Ingrid Marie Rivera alleged that her makeup and clothes were pepper-sprayed during the pageant.

Ingrid Marie Rivera was crowned Miss Puerto Rico in 2008.

But after she won, Rivera said someone covered her evening gown and makeup for the pageant in pepper spray, The Associated Press reported. She said she broke out in hives and had to apply ice packs all over her body after the competition.

The AP reported that an investigation found that one of Rivera's evening gowns and her swimsuit tested positive for pepper spray, and investigators believed two pageant employees were likely responsible for the incident.

Rivera went on to compete at Miss Universe, but Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela won the top prize.

Jenna Talackova planned to sue so she could compete in the 2012 Miss Canada pageant.

Jenna Talackova wanted to compete in the 2012 Miss Canada pageant, which feeds into Miss Universe. But Talackova was initially barred from competing because she is transgender, CNN reported at the time.

Talackova hired women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred to challenge the pageant's rule, but the pageant decided to change its policy in April 2012.

Talackova ended up participating in the 2012 Miss Canada pageant, but Sahar Biniaz beat her for the crown and went on to compete at Miss Universe. Olivia Culpo won the title while representing the USA that year.

Donald Trump's nearly 20-year run at Miss Universe came to an end in 2015 following comments he made about immigrants during his presidential campaign.

After Trump referred to Mexican immigrants as "rapists" during a June 2015 speech, NBC and Univision decided not to air the Miss USA 2015 pageant. The competition instead aired on the Reelz channel, where it drew 4 million fewer viewers than in 2014.

Trump sued NBCUniversal for breach of contract but ultimately bought out the network's share of their joint venture — which had begun in 2002 — and then sold Miss Universe to WME/IMG, which held onto the company until Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip bought it in October 2022.

In a 2018 New Yorker piece titled Trump's Miss Universe Gambit, a number of contestants spoke about what it was like to compete during the Trump era. Some contestants said Trump told them he selected nine of the top 15 for every competition, and that the finalists often came from countries with which Trump was doing business — or wanted to do business.

A Miss Universe spokesperson told The New Yorker at the time that Trump and other pageant staff members were allowed to participate in naming finalists, per the pageant's rules.

In 2015, Steve Harvey crowned the wrong winner.

From asking a contestant to meow onstage to making jokes about the cartel, Steve Harvey had plenty of gaffes during his five-year stint as the host of Miss Universe.

But no moment was bigger than when he accidentally crowned the wrong winner during the December 2015 pageant.

Harvey initially announced that Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez had won the title of Miss Universe. But after the crown was placed on Gutiérrez's head and the Miss Universe sash was draped over her shoulders, Harvey revealed there had been a mistake — the real winner was Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

Harvey, who was hosting Miss Universe for the first time, took responsibility for the mix-up. He later told Kevin Hart in a 2021 interview that the scandal was "the worst week of my life."

Miss Puerto Rico 2016 lost her crown after telling reporters, "I just do not like cameras."

Kristhielee Caride sued the Miss Universe Puerto Rico organization for $3 million after she was stripped of her title before the Miss Universe 2016 pageant.

In March 2016, it was announced that Caride would no longer represent Puerto Rico after she canceled appearances and refused to answer questions during an interview with reporters, the Daily Mail reported.

Caride shocked the national organization when she told one Puerto Rican newspaper, "I just do not like cameras."

Desiree Lowry, who was the national director of Miss Universe Puerto Rico, held a press conference to announce Caride's replacement. She said Caride informed her she was going through personal issues at the time, but that she canceled other appearances and did not apologize to the newspaper.

"Miss Puerto Rico is a public figure and part of your job is to be in front of the camera," Lowry said.

Caride sued the organization months later, and the weeklong trial gripped the country, according to the BBC. The lawsuit was dismissed after a judge ruled that Caride had violated the terms of her contract.

Miss USA, Miss Australia, and Miss Colombia were accused of bullying contestants during the 2018 competition.

Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers, Miss Australia Francesca Hung, and Miss Colombia Valeria Morales were criticized for a video they made during the final day of rehearsals.

In the clips, Summers said Miss Vietnam H'Hen Niê was "so cute" and "pretends to know so much English," according to People. She also mentioned that Miss Cambodia Rern Sinat didn't speak any English and "not a single person here speaks her language."

"Can you imagine?" Summers continued. "Francesca said that it would be very isolating, and I think yes, and just confusing all the time."

Social media users accused the three pageant queens of bullying Miss Cambodia and Miss Vietnam. Summers later issued an apology on Instagram and shared a photo of herself, Morales, and Hung hugging Sinat and Niê.

"In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realize can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologize," Summers said. "I would never intend to hurt another."

Miss Peru 2019 lost her crown after a leaked video showed her during a night of partying.

Miss Peru 2019 Anyella Grados was stripped of her title in March 2019 when a video emerged that appeared to show her drunk and vomiting, the Daily Mail reported at the time.

The video was recorded by Miss Teen Peru 2018 Camila Canicoba. Yoko Chang, who had placed second runner-up in the Miss Peru 2019 competition, also appeared in the video.

Canicoba told Peruvian outlets at the time that she had accidentally uploaded the video to social media and only meant to share it privately.

The Miss Peru organization cut ties with Grados.

Grados released a statement after she was stripped of her title and said the video had been filmed without her consent and "impinged against my honor and my reputation."

Miss Bolivia 2022 Maria Fernanda Pavisic lost her crown due to comments she made about other Miss Universe contestants.

Less than two months before the 71st Miss Universe competition took place in January, Miss Bolivia 2022 Maria Fernanda Pavisic posted a video on her Instagram story in which she discussed her Miss Universe competitors.

She said Miss Paraguay, Miss Brazil, and Miss El Salvador looked like "old ladies," that Miss Venezuela and Miss Peru resembled "transsexuals," and that Miss Ecuador, Miss Aruba, and Miss Curaçao belonged in the "thanks for participating" category, the Daily Mail reported.

After she was criticized for her remarks, Pavisic said that the comments were a social experiment designed to "generate change" and inspire people to share positive content on social media.

"People decide to support the negative, but I risked everything to leave a message," she wrote. "I have always said that it does not matter what people say about you, instead what you think of yourself."

But her explanation wasn't enough for the Miss Bolivia organization, which stripped Pavisic of her title and found a replacement a month before the competition.

Miss Russia 2022 Anna Linnikova said she was "shunned" by contestants during the 71st Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Russia 2022 Anna Linnikova told Evening Moscow in January 2023 that many contestants avoided her during the competition after "learning about my origins" and that Miss Ukraine and Miss Switzerland "simply ran from me like fire!"

Linnikova said she had tried to make contact with Miss Ukraine Viktoria Apanasenko, "but all efforts were in vain."

Apanasenko had previously told the Daily Beast that the only time Linnikova approached her was to try to take a selfie.

"Miss Russia did not say a word about the war," she said. "People told me it would be dangerous for her."

Apanasenko also told the site that she struggled to stand on the same stage with Linnikova, who wore a "Crown of Russian Empire" outfit during the national costume contest.

"I am not sure the organizers understood what it felt like for me to be standing and smiling on the same stage with Miss Russia, who was wearing a red dress, the color of blood," she added.

In 2024, the CEO of Miss Universe at the time, Anne Jakrajutatip, received backlash after praising the winner for her "blond hair and blue eyes."

Anne Jakrajutatip became CEO of Miss Universe in 2022 after buying the organization with her JKN Global Group for $20 million. She promised to center women in her reign, saying in 2023, "From now on it's going to be run by women, owned by a trans woman, for all women around the world."

However, her tenure as CEO was marked by several hiccups.

In 2024, Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark was crowned Miss Universe. In a press conference following her win, Jakrajutatip indicated that Theilvig represented the ultimate "evolution" of the pageant in response to a question from a reporter, as seen in a clip on Instagram.

"We have blond and blue eyes, so we're coming to the ultimate evolution already," she said. "We don't need any more evolution here. We already got the best here."

Some pageant contestants criticized Jakrajutatip, while others said they weren't offended by her remarks.

The comments followed an October 2023 video, obtained by Business Insider, in which Jakrajutatip said diverse contestants "can compete, but they can't win." She later said in a statement on Facebook that she was referring to a Miss Universe reality show, not the pageant, with her comment.

Jakrajutatip was also accused of trying to meddle with the pageant results during her tenure.

A former Miss Universe judge told Business Insider that in 2023, Jakrajutatip tried to pressure Paula Shugart, the longtime president of Miss Universe, to put Miss Thailand in the top five. Shugart resigned from the organization during the 2023 pageant.

Jakrajutatip didn't respond to a request for comment at the time and never publicly addressed the allegation.

Miss Universe announced it had replaced Jakrajutatip as CEO just days before the 2025 pageant.

On October 29, less than a week before the 2025 Miss Universe pageant was set to begin, the organization announced that Jakrajutatip had been replaced as CEO.

The organization said Mario Búcaro would step into the role in her place. Búcaro was previously a diplomat, and he served as vice president for international relations at Miss Universe.

"The Board of the Miss Universe Organization expresses its full confidence in Mario Búcaro's leadership to guide the organization into a new era of growth and global influence," the organization said in its announcement about Búcaro. "His vision of Miss Universe as a worldwide movement that celebrates authenticity, transformation, and empowerment will continue to unite cultures, expand opportunities for women, and elevate the values that define our brand."

The organization also said Búcaro would help Miss Universe expand its reach to over 130 countries.

The regime change occurred after Jakrajutatip and JKN Global faced financial difficulties throughout her tenure as CEO. She made headlines when JKN Global missed a payment in 2023, and in June 2025, Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint against JKN Global. The complaint alleged Jakrajutatip and her sister had included misleading information on both their 2023 financial statements and paperwork for Q1 of 2024.

In its statement about Búcaro's new role, Miss Universe said Jakrajutatip had stepped down as CEO on June 20.

Jakrajutatip and the Miss Universe Organization didn't respond to requests for comment on the role changes and financial issues.

During the 2025 pageant, contestants walked out after the director of Miss Universe Thailand yelled at Miss Mexico.

Nawat Itsaragrisil was named director of Miss Universe Thailand and host for the 2025 pageant, which took place in Bangkok.

On November 4, Itsaragrisil was captured on Miss Universe Thailand's Facebook livestream berating Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch and criticizing her team over a sponsorship event. He called security to remove Bosch, leading several other Miss Universe contestants and Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Kjær Theilvig to walk out of the room.

Pageant queens told Business Insider they weren't surprised by Itsaragrisil's behavior.

After the footage of the incident went viral, Miss Universe president Raul Rocha announced Itsaragrisil would be restricted from the pageant, and Itsaragrisil issued an apology. However, he appeared at multiple Miss Universe events — including the finals, where Bosch was crowned Miss Universe — following his confrontation with the pageant queen.

Itsaragrisil and Miss Universe did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

• A $180 hoodie featuring "2008 Global Financial Crisis" is sold out online.
• The founders of the streetwear brand Praying said they create clothes with "provocative" messaging.
• Gen Z has shown that it embraces dark humor and meme culture, even about serious historical events.

People love a good souvenir — apparently even when it commemorates an economic disaster.

A $180 hoodie with "2008 Global Financial Crisis" emblazoned across the front is sold out online. The black hoodie is also described as "hurt and mangled" with "extreme distressing" by a streetwear brand called Praying.

The sweatshirt's sleeves reference December 2007 and June 2009, marking the start and end of the Great Recession.

Gen Xers and elder millennials undoubtedly remember the crisis much better than today's young adults. It was a time when the US housing bubble burst, triggering massive losses for homeowners, Wall Street, and everyday investors. The crash led to the Great Recession, sending unemployment skyrocketing as high as 10% and creating a dismal job market for years.

However, for some Gen Zers, it's something they only learned about in economics class — and, now, an opportunity to make a fashion statement.

Take, for example, NBA player Robert Dillingham, who was recently photographed wearing the hoodie. The point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves was born in 2005, making him three years old in 2008.

Praying has been around since 2019, founded by longtime friends Alex Haddad and Skylar Newman, according to an interview the duo gave to Vogue Hong Kong in 2022. Since then, it's been worn by stars like Megan Thee Stallion and Olivia Rodrigo. The founders compared their designs to memes and gave some insight into their inspiration.

"When these phrases are stripped of their original context and meaning, and printed on clothing and products on a large scale, they are transformed into a provocative message," Haddad told Vogue.

The brand also sells other financial crisis clothing, including a jersey, polo, and a $72 "dirty tee," which are all sold out.

As time passes from global events, they become more abstract, and thus memes and jokes are born from generations who were either too young to fully understand the seriousness or who weren't alive at the time.

More than 20 years following the events of September 11, 2001, 9/11 jokes are more casual than ever, another example of how Gen Z doesn't shy away from dark humor.

In response to the Timberwolves' post that featured Dillingham wearing the hoodie, many people commented, asking where they could purchase it.

One social media user, though, replied with a still from "The Big Short," showing Christian Bale's portrayal of Michael Burry, who famously predicted the 2008 financial crisis. There's a good chance many millennials and Gen Xers reacted to the hoodie with a similar expression.