Tag: Business

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Breakups can feel sudden. But oftentimes the signs were always there.

That appears to be the case with the Marriott-Sonder split. The short-term rental's blowup with the hotel giant, followed by its bankruptcy, was particularly shocking for its customers.

Lawsuits, sloppy accounting, and a slew of executive departures and failed bailouts indicate issues were bubbling long before last week's dramatic divorce, writes BI's Maddie Berg, Natalie Musumeci, and Kelsey Vlamis.

That's not much solace for those who got caught in the crossfire.

By now, you've likely seen some of the stories: a single mom's dream vacation ruined, a post-proposal celebration cut short, a visit to a newborn granddaughter thrown into chaos.

Interestingly, insiders positioned the Marriott deal in August 2024 as a lifeline. But the startup also said it limited the young company.

On the one hand, people familiar with Sonder's finances told BI the Marriott deal, and the initial money that came from it, kept the company afloat.

But teaming up also resulted in massive headaches integrating Sonder's tech stack with Marriott's, Sonder said.

The Marriott-Sonder partnership is another gravestone in the cemetery of David-and-Goliath teamups.

They can come in different shapes and sizes (outright acquisitions, strategic investments, branded partnerships), but their approach is typically the same: pair a scrappy, nimble startup with a powerful established brand. The idea is to achieve the best of both worlds.

That's a lot easier said than done.

Sometimes, the two sides can't find enough common ground to make it work (Ford-Rivian). Other times, the startup isn't what it originally portrayed itself to be (JPMorgan-Frank).

Even with all the potential downsides, though, these types of deals won't go away. While the IPO window has slightly cracked open, many startups are still electing to stay private for longer than they used to. (It's worth noting Sonder went public and still faced these issues as its stock flatlined.)

And funding is proving difficult for any company that doesn't feature "AI" prominently in its pitch.

That means the majority of startups' best option for an exit will be with a bigger player.

And while that's a risk for both sides — as evident by the Marriott-Sonder debacle — it's one they might have to continue to take.

• The USS New Jersey is the longest, fastest, and most decorated battleship in US history.
• It served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf.
• The battleship is now a floating museum in Camden, New Jersey.

The USS New Jersey is a battleship of superlatives.

Fastest battleship ever built? Check. The ship's fastest speed was a record-setting 35.2 knots, or a little over 40 miles per hour, in 1968.

Longest battleship ever built? Check. At 887 feet and 7 inches long, the USS New Jersey is almost three football fields long, and 5 feet longer than the Titanic.

Most-decorated battleship in US history? Check, again. The USS New Jersey earned 19 battle stars throughout its career.

Originally built for combat in World War II, the USS New Jersey was so powerful and irreplaceable that the Navy kept recommissioning it until the 1990s. After it was decommissioned for the last time, it was transformed into a museum based in its namesake state where visitors can explore spaces such as the combat engagement center, officers' staterooms, and gun turrets.

Just don't expect to be able to see the entire ship.

"I've been here eight years now," Ryan Szimanski, curator of Battleship New Jersey, told Business Insider. "I still have not been in all 1,600 rooms."

Take a look inside the USS New Jersey.

First commissioned in 1943, the USS New Jersey served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf.

The 45,000-ton ship cost around $150 million to build in the 1940s, or around $2 billion in 2025 when adjusted for inflation.

President Ronald Reagan recommissioned the battleship for the final time in 1982 as part of his 600-ship Navy initiative to expand the military.

Reagan was the first sitting president to commission a battleship.

After serving in Lebanon and the Persian Gulf, it was decommissioned for the final time in 1991. The ship opened to the public as a museum in 2001.

The fastest, longest, and most decorated battleship in history is now a floating museum in Camden, New Jersey.

The museum, operated by Battleship New Jersey, offers daily self-guided and guided tours. Self-guided tours for adults cost $30, while guided tours cost $40. Tickets can be purchased through Battleship New Jersey.

The walkway leading to the USS New Jersey is lined with monuments honoring the battleship's numerous deployments.

The USS New Jersey's shore bombardment capabilities made it irreplaceable from World War II through the 1980s.

"Even though aircraft carriers rendered battleships obsolete nominally in World War II, in the '50s, they bring the ship back. In the '60s, they bring the ship back. In the '80s, they bring the ship back. Because to this day, we haven't developed a platform that can cheaply provide that shore bombardment," Szimanski said.

I met curator Ryan Szimanski on the 55,000-square-foot deck of the ship, where I got my first look at the enormous 16-inch guns.

The Mark 7 16-inch guns were last fired in combat on February 26, 1984, during the Lebanese Civil War.

They're called 16-inch guns because they could fire 16-inch shells — the actual barrels themselves are 66.7 feet long. The explosive rounds weighed 1,900 pounds and armor-piercing rounds weighed 2,700 pounds — about the same as a Kia Soul.

The 16-inch guns could hit targets up to 23 miles away.

M2 Browning machine guns mounted on the deck featured a 2,000-yard firing range. The USS New Jersey had eight on board.

"Pull the trigger on that," Szimanski said, pointing to a M2 Browning machine gun on the deck.

Far be it from me to disobey a direct order. I squeezed the trigger, unleashing the sound effect of firing 485 to 635 rounds per minute.

This particular gun was a replica, but visitors to the USS New Jersey can fire blanks from its 5-inch or 40mm saluting guns upon making a donation to the museum.

A plaque on the deck memorialized Robert Herman Oesterwind, the only USS New Jersey crew member ever killed in combat.

During the Korean War in 1951, Oesterwind was fatally wounded by shrapnel from a North Korean shell while attacking a North Korean transportation hub. Though the shell didn't break through the ship's armor, three other sailors were wounded, and parts of the ship sustained superficial damage.

The museum offers four color-coded tour routes focused on different aspects of the ship, ranging from five to 45 minutes each.

The green line serves as the introductory tour, bringing visitors through crew members' bunks, the officers' wardroom, the captain's cabin, and museum exhibit spaces.

The red line focuses on weapons and navigation, with stops like the combat engagement center and missile deck.

The yellow line features an inside look at the crew's life on board, highlighting the library, barber shop, and laundry facilities.

Finally, the blue line tour, titled "Into the Citadel," includes the engine rooms, a 16-inch turret barbette, and the World War II-era radio room.

Szimanski guided me through a combination of these routes for a broader look at the ship, but if you do all four as they're laid out, it's 1 ½ miles long and covers 200 of the ship's 1,600 rooms.

Our first stop was the enlisted berthing, where crew members slept in narrow bunks.

The USS New Jersey was designed to hold 2,000 crew members, but during War War II, there were 2,700 sailors on board. When there weren't enough bunks, sailors slept in hammocks.

By the end of the ship's career, the crew was down to around 1,600.

The crew members who slept in communal spaces like this were often lower-ranking sailors who were newer to the Navy, such as the gunner's mates who operated the ship's 16-inch guns.

The museum's signing wall offers a chance for past crew members to add their signatures to the ship.

Around 3,000 former crew members have visited the museum since it opened in 2001, Szimanski said.

Officers ate their meals in the ward room.

Officers were seated by rank and only began eating once the executive officer, or XO, gave the signal.

Officers' meals were served on china with silver cutlery and linen tablecloths.

Unlike enlisted crew members, officers paid for all of their meals.

The museum restored the admiral's stateroom with the help of its last occupant, Adm. J. Paul Reason.

Reason was the first Black four-star admiral in the US Navy. From 1989 to 1990, he commanded Battle Group Romeo, of which the USS New Jersey was the flagship, in the Persian Gulf.

Admirals used the stateroom as a lounge, workspace, and dining room.

Reason told the museum that he read classified information at a desk in his bedroom, but otherwise spent most of his time working at a larger desk in the stateroom.

The desk in the USS New Jersey's stateroom was taken from another 1980s-era ship at the Navy Yard.

Commanding officers used the adjacent captain's in-port cabin to entertain foreign dignitaries.

The spacious room was meant to impress foreign leaders … and intimidate them.

"It's very specifically placed right here so that when dignitaries come across the gangway, they have to walk past the gun turrets to get here," Szimanski said.

The cabin also featured about one-third of the ship's silver service.

Another third of the silver service is on display at the New Jersey governor's mansion in Princeton, while the remaining third's whereabouts are unknown.

Next, we visited the combat engagement center, which Szimanski called "the best volunteer restoration on the entire ship."

The Combat Engagement Center, or CEC, was added to the USS New Jersey when the ship was recommissioned in the 1980s. It featured more modern equipment such as the Tomahawk Weapons System for launching Tomahawk missiles, and sensors including Air Search and Surface Search radars.

Volunteers worked to make the CEC as realistic as possible with screens showing mock-ups of how the computers functioned. Much of this equipment is still used on modern Navy ships.

The Navy will neither confirm nor deny if the USS New Jersey carried nuclear missiles, but a label on one of the consoles provided a notable clue.

"We haven't figured out with 100% certainty that we carried nuclear weapons, but we were certainly nuclear-capable," Szimanski said.

The museum also displayed a key with a tag reading "Nuclear PTF," which stands for "permission to fire."

About two years ago, a new staff member was cleaning out a predecessor's office and found a box of keys. Upon closer examination, the museum realized the keys had brass tags that read "nuclear PTF," which stands for "permission to fire."

When museum staffers tested the keys in the "nuclear perm to fire" lock in the combat engagement center, they fit inside.

"The Navy just left the original keys on board, the museum had them, and we didn't know we had them for over 20 years," Szimanski said.

Admirals commanded the ship from the admiral's bridge.

A ladder leads from the admiral's state room up to the admiral's bridge for easy access. The four chairs in this space were reserved exclusively for the use of admirals.

The five stars adorning the deck were a tribute to Adm. William Halsey Jr., the fourth and final five-star admiral in the US Navy.

A New Jersey native, Halsey chose the USS New Jersey to be his flagship. He commanded the Navy's 3rd Fleet in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944, the largest naval battle of World War II and believed by many to be the largest naval battle in history.

Only four officers have ever been promoted to five-star fleet admiral in the history of the Navy. Since Halsey held the title, no other officer has been promoted to that level.

During combat, the captain commanded the ship from the conning tower protected by thick armor and a 4,000-pound bank vault door.

The conning tower's armor was over 17 inches thick, the thickest single piece of armor plate on the entire ship.

The helm, which steered the ship, was located inside the conning tower. The captain could also communicate with crew members in the engine room about the ship's speed.

If the conning tower was damaged or destroyed during battle, there were three other places on board where the ship could be steered from. Contingencies upon contingencies were crucial.

"That's the real genius of this ship, the level of redundancy that they built in," Szimanski said. "Okay, you might be able to shoot through this and knock that out, but we've got four backups or six backups. We've found one system so far that has at least 46 different backups."

The highest point of the tour, the USS New Jersey's open bridge, provided the best view of the 16-inch guns and the bow of the ship.

The USS New Jersey measures 11 stories high.

Visible across the Delaware River, the Independence Seaport Museum houses two more historic vessels: the USS Olympia, the oldest steep warship still afloat in the world, and the USS Becuna, a World War II Balao-class submarine.

It took a crew of 77 people to operate the 16-inch guns from each of the ship's three gun turrets.

The museum offers special 90-minute in-depth tours of Turret II, spanning five stories.

In the plotting room, an electromechanical analog computer called the Mark 8 Rangekeeper was used to aim the 16-inch guns.

The Mark 8 Rangekeeper could calculate where a target would be when the projectile arrived while accounting for factors such as the Earth's rotation, known as the Coriolis effect.

The USS New Jersey has the last Mark 8 Rangekeeper in the world that still works.

"My favorite thing about the computer is in the 1980s, they looked at replacing it with a modern digital computer and they chose not to," Szimanski said. "The modern computer was as accurate, but it wasn't more accurate, so why waste the money? Plus, if we lose power because we've been hit by the enemy, the modern computer dies. This one has a hand crank as a backup. You just pick the lowest-ranking sailor in the room."

One of the coolest parts of the entire tour was the ability to pull the trigger on the 16-inch guns with booming sound effects.

A screen also showed video footage of the guns firing, making it feel even more realistic.

The record-holding length of the USS New Jersey became apparent when looking down Broadway, the ship's longest passageway.

The hallway featured equipment such as oxygen breathing apparatuses and doors leading to fire rooms and engine rooms.

The USS New Jersey had eight boilers, each with nine burners.

In the fire room, crew members controlled how much fuel was being pumped into the burners by changing the fuel nozzles. This was done every four hours or every time the ship changed speed.

The Navy added air conditioning to the rest of the ship in the 1980s, but there was no point in trying to cool off the boiler room, which could reach temperatures of 120 degrees.

The fire room also featured an escape trunk in case of emergencies.

If a torpedo from an enemy ship penetrated the ship's multiple layers of steel — three layers on the bottom and five on the sides — crew members in the fire room could make a quick escape via this four-story ladder.

In the engine room, the throttle board served as the ship's gas pedal, utilizing the steam created in the boiler room.

With a top speed of 35.2 knots, or a little over 40 miles per hour, the USS New Jersey still holds the record for the fastest battleship anywhere in the world because the Navy never built another class of battleship after the Iowa class.

The USS New Jersey also had eight radio rooms, many of which still broadcast thanks to the efforts of volunteers.

"We are not allowed to run our radar, because if we did, all of the cable TV within 50 miles would go out," Szimanski said.

Next, we visited the crew's mess, where meals were much less formal than in the officer's ward room.

Enlisted crew members were served in buffet-style lines on metal trays, unlike officers who ate on china and silver.

The ship served four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight rations known as "midrats" since the crew worked around the clock.

Enlisted crew members could choose between the meal of the day, which would have been entrees like ginger pot roast or steak and lobster, or fast-food-style items such as pizza, hot dogs, and cheeseburgers, which were always available.

They had around 12 minutes to eat their meals. Since the crew was so large, they ate in at least three shifts.

The chapel was added to the ship in the 1980s.

The USS New Jersey usually had two chaplains on board — one Protestant and one Catholic — but the chapel was a non-denominational space that held worship services for other faiths, as well.

The USS New Jersey's library was also under the jurisdiction of the chaplain, who was in charge of crew morale.

The library held around 6,000 books.

The ship had two barbershops, one for enlisted sailors and one for officers.

Male crew members' hair was not allowed to be any longer than 3 inches.

Laundry was a constant chore aboard the USS New Jersey.

The ship's washing machines could wash 100 pounds of uniforms per load, and the dryers held 50 pounds each.

The steam presses used auxiliary steam from the ship's boilers to iron uniforms.

Crew members who broke the rules would be given extra work, docked pay, or confined to the ship's jail known as the brig.

In the brig, prisoners received one ration of bread and water per day and had to be escorted to the bathroom by a Marine.

Back up on the flight deck, the museum displayed a Kaman SH-2 Seasprite helicopter, which the ship used to gather intelligence in the 1980s.

The USS New Jersey carried different aircraft throughout its years of service.

During World War II, it deployed Kingfisher and Seahawk seaplanes to monitor the aim of the 16-inch guns. Helicopters replaced seaplanes in the Korean War, when a Sikorsky HO3S-1 Dragonfly helicopter known as the "Jersey Bounce" assisted with search-and-rescue missions. In the 1980s, the Seasprite helicopter was used to detect submarines and deliver supplies.

The Navy no longer builds or uses battleships, but President Donald Trump has expressed interest in reviving them.

Why did the Navy phase out battleships? Szimanski said the answer was simple: Battleships have large-caliber guns and thick armor, but neither can withstand the impact of missiles.

However, President Donald Trump has expressed interest in bringing battleships back. At the September all-hands meeting called by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth featuring 800 military leaders, Trump said that he'd spoken to Navy Secretary John Phelan and that it's "something we're seriously considering."

"Some people would say, 'No, that's old technology.' I don't know. I don't think it's old technology when you look at those guns," Trump said.

In a statement to Business Insider, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said that "President Trump is prioritizing this vital industry to strengthen our country's economic and national security — including by securing a historic $43 billion shipbuilding investment in the Working Families Tax Cut."

The Navy referred Business Insider to the Office of the Secretary of War, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Since the Navy stopped building battleships, the USS New Jersey's role has been divided among several vessels, but not fully replaced.

Destroyers are equipped with high-range guns and missiles. Long-range strikes are carried out by aircraft carriers. And submarines have filled the role of anti-surface warships. However, there's no vessel that can execute shore bombardment as effectively and efficiently as battleships did with their large artillery.

That's why the USS New Jersey was brought out of retirement again and again after World War II — and why it would still serve as a crucial asset if the need arose.

"If we got into another first-class shooting war, there's a strong chance that they would fire me and bring the ship back," Szimanski said. "There isn't a replacement."

Update: November 3, 2025 — This story has been updated to include a statement from the White House.

• My partner and I took an overnight train ride from London to Scotland on the Caledonian Sleeper.
• We splurged on the Caledonian double en-suite, which came with a shower, a toilet, and a bed.
• I didn't get much sleep, but this beat a flight. I'd do it again, but only under a few conditions.

In my opinion, there's something alluring about the idea of an overnight train ride — watching picturesque scenery while winding down with a dram of whisky, then being rocked to sleep by the motion of the carriage, resting until you wake up at your destination.

At least, that's what I envisioned when my partner and I booked our tickets on the Caledonian Sleeper, a famous train that links London with several destinations in Scotland.

We took the eight-hour route from London Euston to Glasgow and booked the most expensive suite option. Here's what our overnight train journey was like.

Although we decided to splurge on a suite, several tiers are available for booking.

We booked the priciest room, a Caledonian double en-suite for £445, about $587, one way.

Our room tier includes station lounge access, priority boarding, priority access to the club car, and breakfast on board (served to our room or in the club car).

When we booked, the second most expensive option was the club en-suite room with twin bunk beds and similar perks, priced at about £420 for two travelers.

There's also a classic room with twin bunk beds and a washbasin that would've been about £330 for two. There's no breakfast included in this tier, but travelers can pay extra for it and have it delivered via the included room service.

Lastly, we could've gone with the cheapest option — two seats in the coach car for £168. Though they offer adjustable headrests and footrests, these seats only recline 10 degrees … and I doubted our ability to sleep in a sitting position.

At the start of our trip, we made the most of the free snacks and drinks in the station lounge.

We arrived at Euston at 21:30 — well ahead of our departure at 23:30 — to check in, get our cabin keycard, and explore the station lounge.

It felt a bit busy at times, but there were enough seats for everyone. The two roomy showers and bathrooms off the lounge seemed to be in near-constant use.

We appreciated the help-yourself bar with tea, coffee, and soft drinks, including Irn-Bru — a bright-orange soda that's considered one of Scotland's national drinks. Plus, there were complimentary cookies, cakes, and chips.

We could've also purchased alcoholic drinks and other hot meals and snacks while in the lounge.

Once we boarded, we quickly located our compact double room.

Luckily, getting to our room was pretty easy.

However, the corridors on the train felt really narrow — probably to maximize the space in the rooms — so I was glad we'd only brought backpacks with us.

This might be a tight squeeze for anyone trying to wheel bigger suitcases. On the bright side, though, they won't have far to go as all rooms seem to be fairly close to a carriage door.

Our first impression of the room was quite positive.

As soon as we opened the door to our room, we saw a neatly made double bed with pristine-looking white sheets.

Arranged on top of it were Scottish treats — including an Arran Sense of Scotland toiletries set and honeycomb chocolate — plus sleep kits containing earplugs and fetching tartan eye masks.

The room didn't have much decor beyond a framed graphic and a bit of wallpaper, but I'd probably describe it as "modern business hotel with accents of tweed."

It was nice to control the lights and have plenty of outlets.

The rooms felt well equipped with free WiFi, several USB ports and power sockets, control panels to adjust the room's temperature and dim the lights, coat hooks, and under-bed storage for stowing bags.

The space felt compact yet cleverly designed.

We found our sink located by the bed (beneath the window) and our private en-suite bathroom (stocked with hand and bath towels) behind a small door.

I wish our window had been bigger, but my visions of gazing at rolling landscapes from my bed in the morning didn't work out anyway because it was too dark out during our trip.

We traveled in early November and didn't see daylight until we hit the outskirts of Glasgow.

We began our journey with a nightcap in the club car.

We left our bags in the room and headed to the club car in the next carriage for a drink.

The club car features cozy booths and swivel seats, functioning as a lounge with table service for dining, drinking, and unwinding. It's not available to those travelling in coach seats, and priority access is given to those staying in our cabin class or a club room.

Fortunately, the car wasn't busy at all when we visited, and we had our pick of seats to choose from.

We didn't want to eat that late at night, but our drinks went down well.

The onboard menu has a decent selection of mains, desserts, drinks, and light bites for an additional cost. It was especially nice to see Scottish-style fare like haggis, neeps and tatties, and a venison stew on offer.

Neither of us could stomach food that late, so we opted to check out the wine list instead. We paid extra for small bottles of wine and prosecco, which were lovely.

We also placed our breakfast order for the next morning.

Before bed, we filled out cards to choose which breakfast we wanted the next morning and handed them in to the staff.

A full Scottish cooked breakfast was available alongside options such as pancakes with fruit and yogurt, bacon and sausage sandwiches, and porridge pots.

Eventually, we headed to bed for the night.

We'd chosen the double room over bunks because we're both tall—6'0" and 6'3" —and my partner has broad shoulders.

However, walls surround the bed on three sides, and with my partner on the fourth, I felt uncomfortably boxed in.

On the bright side, the double bed was complete with a Glencraft mattress, literally fit for royalty. (The Scottish company has supplied mattresses to the British Royal family's Balmoral Castle for years.)

I did get some sleep, but it was broken and fitful. I woke up at least a dozen times throughout the eight-hour train ride. The complimentary earplugs and eye mask were a godsend.

In the morning, I showered in our en-suite bathroom.

I tried taking a photo of our shower area, but it seemed impossible due to the room's angle and how the door opened inward, obscuring the view of what was inside.

Even so, the bathroom felt cleverly designed to switch from a toilet to a shower wet room with the closing of a lid that creates a shelf on which you can sit while showering. I chose to stand, and I still had plenty of space.

The water was hot, the pressure felt surprisingly decent, and the Arran toiletries smelled heavenly.

Then, we enjoyed hot coffee and a tasty breakfast.

Though we could've had our breakfast delivered to our room, we opted to eat in the club car, hoping we might enjoy some nice views through its large windows.

Unfortunately, it was still quite dark out, and rain obscured the little we could see even more.

Still, we enjoyed drinking our hot coffee and tucking into deliciously crispy bacon and sausage sandwiches with ketchup and brown sauce.

We were grateful for the extra half hour we got to disembark.

Our train arrived at Glasgow Central on time at 07:30, but we were given until 08:00 to get off.

We took advantage of this buffer because, frankly, we both felt wiped out after a night of broken sleep.

After this ride, I really see the appeal of this train.

I understand why the Caledonian Sleeper is a popular and sensible option for business travelers.

After all, it's extremely efficient to travel while you sleep (provided you can sleep). The late departure and early arrival mean your workday, or time at home before you travel, is maximized.

Some people also prefer to book the sleeper because it can be cheaper than booking a standard train ticket and a hotel room. However, this isn't always the case.

For example, the night after our ride, we booked a room at Novotel in central Glasgow, 15 minutes' walk from the train station, for £123 — and our stay included breakfast. The next morning, we could've taken the standard off-peak train from Glasgow to London for around £166.

All in all, that's over £150 less than we'd pay for a suite on the sleeper train.

However, this may not be the case if you're taking the overnight train in the other direction from Glasgow to London, where central hotel rooms are typically far more expensive.

Ultimately, I'm glad I tried this train ride.

Though flying might've taken me under two hours and cost less than £200 a ticket, I prefer the ease and simplicity of the sleeper train.

It was nice to stretch my legs and avoid the stress of navigating airport security and packing for budget-friendly flights.

This route has also long been on my wish list, and I had quite the adventure. However, because the ticket is priced so high, I'm not exactly in any hurry to re-book.

If I decide to splurge on this suite on the Caledonian Sleeper again, I'll travel alone so I can sleep diagonally across the double bed and be more comfortable.

I'll also try to travel in the summer when the days are longer — hopefully then I could enjoy some of the panoramic views I was sad to miss.

• Business Insider is seeking nominations for our list of the rising stars of brand marketing.
• We're highlighting talented up-and-coming brand marketers poised to become tomorrow's leaders.
• Please submit your nominations by December 23.

Business Insider is seeking nominations for a forthcoming list of the rising stars of brand marketing.

Please submit your entries using this form. The deadline for submissions is December 23, 2026.

The list will feature early- and mid-career marketing professionals from consumer and business-to-business brands who are demonstrating their potential to become future leaders.

These talented marketers are helping position their marketing departments as growth centers for their companies. They may be breaking new ground in areas such as artificial intelligence, influencer marketing, partnerships, and data analysis. They will have demonstrated how they have pushed their teams and their companies forward.

We highly recommend supporting your entries with case studies, links, and quantitative data.

While information about the individual's wider career history will be considered helpful context, the entries should focus on the impact nominees have made over the past 12 months.

Business Insider's editorial team will judge and determine the list based on the nominations we receive and our own reporting. We may contact you with follow-up questions.

We will only consider submissions from marketers working at brands. This list will not focus on marketing professionals who work at advertising agencies, adtech companies, or other marketing vendors.

Submit your nominations here by December 23, 2025.

Need some inspiration? Check out the 2024 rising stars of brand marketing list.

• Gen Z is drinking less alcohol, and it's hurting restaurants.
• Michelin-starred chef David Chang says it's an "existential threat" to the industry.
• Restaurants face rising costs and shifting consumer trends, compounding industry challenges.

A top restaurateur has a plea for Gen Z: please drink up.

Momofuku founder David Chang says America's youth isn't drinking alcohol in the same way as earlier generations, and it has become the "real existential threat" to the restaurant industry.

"Kids just don't drink anymore," Chang said in an interview with TBPN talk-show hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays this week.

"They are never going to know what it is like to wake up at 3 p.m. in the afternoon and be like: 'Shit, I left my credit card in that bar.'"

Gen Z not getting drunk is a problem for restaurants, he said, where the sales ratio is generally about 70% food to 30% beverages. "Something is going to give when you are down 18% on beverage sales," he said, citing average sales numbers across the restaurant industry.

According to a Gallup survey from August, the percentage of young adults — Gen Z and some millennials — who say they are drinking alcohol fell by 9% between 2023 and 2025.

There isn't a single clear reason this is happening. Though the growing focus on health and wellness and the rising cost of alcohol both play leading parts.

Gen Z isn't only taking a different approach to drinking, it's also shunning nightclubs and bringing back other trends such as communal dining and supper clubs.

The restaurant industry bubble

The decline in alcohol consumption is concerning for an industry that's already feeling the heat from a cash-strapped consumer eating out less to save money.

"Consumer sentiment is in a very bad place," Phil Kafarakis, CEO of IFMA, The Food Away From Home Association, told Business Insider.

Restaurants are grappling with rising ingredient costs, higher labor costs, and fickle consumers.

And with declining beverage sales, they are going to need to recoup costs elsewhere.

"I don't have an answer," Chang said. "Food needs to get more expensive," he added, "but that comes across as terrible… because it's already expensive."

Kafarakis expects there to be somewhat of a reckoning as we head into the new year, with more restaurant closures coming.

"This whole thing is really becoming a tsunami of sorts that really doesn't look like it's going to slow down," Kafarakis said.

• After going on over 20 cruises in the last 10 years, I've picked up some unconventional tips.
• A roll of duct tape is easy enough to pack and comes in handy for small emergencies.
• I also like to book spa appointments on port days because they're sometimes cheaper.

I've been on over 20 cruises in the last 10 years, and always have another one on the horizon.

Over the years, I've accumulated an array of helpful travel tips, but my favorite hacks go beyond the usual advice like downloading the cruise line's app and packing a lanyard.

Here are five unconventional cruise tips I swear by that make life on board easier, more comfortable, and more cost-effective. 

I always pack a roll of duct tape, which can fix almost everything.

I always add duct tape to my list of things to pack because it's easy to bring and comes in handy for small emergencies.

For example, I've used it to repair a broken suitcase in a pinch or to bind flip-flops back together long enough to limp to the gift shop to buy a replacement pair.

On one recent cruise, I even used it to cover the motion sensor on the light in our room, which turned on automatically whenever someone walked between the bed and the bathroom.

Though a motion-sensor hall light was convenient in theory, we didn't want to wake each other up if we got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. We just made sure to remove the tape before we left.

For an elevated shower experience, I like to visit the gym.

In my experience, cruise ship bathrooms are designed to be efficient, not spacious. The small shower gets the job done, but it's definitely cramped, especially if you're a bigger person.

I've found that the showers in the gym are almost always larger and sometimes have additional bathroom amenities, such as mouthwash and elevated bath towels.

Doing laundry on board makes packing for longer cruises much easier.

There's usually a laundry or ironing room tucked away on deck for guests. I always make use of these rooms, as washing clothes mid-trip is a great way to minimize how much I need to pack.

Cruise cabins are small, and storage space is limited, so doing laundry on board is the perfect solution.

Plus, I've found these rooms are a surprisingly good place to meet interesting people.

I like to book spa appointments on port days.

Port days are often quieter on the ship because most passengers are ashore exploring.

If I'm not excited about a particular stop or I've visited it before, I consider staying on board and going to the spa instead.

On sea days, it can be tough to book a facial or massage, but on port days, I've found the schedule tends to be much more open. There are often money-saving specials, too, and the relaxation rooms feel so much more peaceful.

I don't think a balcony room is necessary.

In my opinion, a room with a balcony isn't essential unless you're on an Alaskan cruise, where being able to take in the scenery is important.

On my first cruise, a travel agent told me I "had" to book a room with a balcony, and that once I did, I'd never be able to cruise in an interior cabin again. However, I don't think that's true.

I love a luxe stateroom as much as the next person, but I've had just as much fun on cruises where we've booked the cheapest cabin without any windows.

• Gen Z loves old-school finance while older investors want the new, Robinhood's CEO says.
• Younger investors are opening retirement accounts, CEO Vlad Tenev says.
• Robinhood aims to serve both Gen Z savers and older investors drawn to innovation, he says.

When Robinhood launched its app in 2015 with a commission-free trading platform, it positioned itself as the anti-Wall Street offering for a generation skeptical of big banks and old-school brokers.

But in a recent interview on Jack Altman's "Uncapped" podcast, CEO Vlad Tenev said a surprising cultural reversal is now underway: Gen Z is embracing financial traditions their parents ignored, while older investors are chasing the new and shiny.

"Now I think Gen Z and Gen Alpha, there's almost this opposite thing happening where the old big storied incumbents are kind of cool again," Tenev said. "There's a broader trend of things that are old and kind of, you know, maybe that your grandparents would use, being cool again."

He pointed to the resurgence of older technologies as examples of that shift.

"Gen Zs are really into buying vinyl, and cassette tapes are selling again," he said. "My daughter asked me if she could have a Walkman."

That same nostalgia, Tenev added, is showing up in Gen Z's personal finance.

"I think the same way, financially, people are like — the younger generation is interested in retirement," he said. "Now Gen Zs are opening retirement accounts at 19 years old."

Generations swap playbooks

For Tenev, that early financial seriousness reflects a new mindset. Gen Z wants control, stability, and legitimacy — values that once made Vanguard and Fidelity household names.

The irony, he said, is that older investors now crave what Robinhood offers: a sense of innovation and ease.

"You would think with older customers, we would emphasize how stable and how long we've been around and all these things, but actually that resonates very strongly with young people — and older people want to be that you can be plugged into the cool new thing. It's innovative, easy to use, we have all these features."

That generational flip is forcing Robinhood to rethink how it presents itself.

The company built its brand on disruption — free trades, crypto, meme stocks — but it's now trying to appeal across age groups without getting "stuck in a generation," as Tenev put it.

"E-Trade was very popular with Gen X — it became a Gen X broker," he said. "Schwab's average customer is in their 60s or 70s now, so it's very much the broker of the boomer generation."

Robinhood, he added, is trying to break that pattern.

"What we try very hard to do is always pay attention to the next generation while also moving up market in the sense of being able to serve older customers."

• A battery caught fire while passengers were boarding an SAS flight, with 8 people sent to the hospital.
• Airlines have been tightening their rules on power banks since a large fire earlier this year.
• Some flights have been diverted due to the safety risk posed by devices that go missing on board.

Airlines are becoming increasingly vigilant about batteries — and a recent fire on a flight in Norway is a stark reminder of why.

Eight people were taken to the hospital after a battery caught fire in someone's hand luggage, according to Norway's Accident Investigation Board.

Passengers were still boarding a Scandinavian Airlines plane that was about to embark on a flight from the Norwegian capital, Oslo, to Bergen, less than an hour west.

The incident occurred on October 14 but came to light on Tuesday when Norwegian officials announced their investigation.

About 50 people had boarded SAS Flight 295 when smoke was seen coming from a suitcase.

The cabin was evacuated while the pilots put on oxygen masks and the flight attendants wore smoke hoods.

Cabin crew members tried to extinguish the fire, but it flared up again. The suitcase was taken out of the plane, where the fire service put out the fire.

The ambulance service was called, and eight people were taken to the hospital for observation after they were believed to have inhaled toxic fumes. They were all discharged within 48 hours, Norwegian investigators said.

SAS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How are airlines cracking down on power banks?

The safety risks posed by lithium-battery devices have grown more apparent this year, with many airlines tightening power bank rules and some flights being forced to divert.

Power banks, phones, and laptops are all powered by lithium batteries — but the former are more susceptible to damage or overcharging. This can result in thermal runaway, which leads to a rapid temperature increase and, in some instances, fire.

Back in January, 27 people were injured when an Air Busan flight caught fire on the ground at South Korea's Busan Airport.

The plane was written off, and investigators pointed to a power bank as the source of the fire. Then, the South Korean government banned passengers from charging power banks on planes.

Airlines around the world have followed suit with similar rules, including Emirates and Southwest Airlines.

In June, the day after its new rules took effect, a Southwest flight diverted as a battery charger started smoking.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a safety alert in September, recommending airlines ensure that passengers keep lithium-battery devices visible and accessible.

It has recorded over 60 incidents involving lithium batteries since the start of the year.

Sometimes, the mere risk of a fire has prompted pilots to turn planes around.

Last month, a United Airlines flight U-turned over the Atlantic Ocean after a passenger dropped their laptop down the side of their seat, and it fell into the cargo hold.

That meant those on board wouldn't know if it had caught fire until it was too late. It's the same reason you're not allowed to pack electronic devices in checked luggage.

"We don't know the status of it, we can't access it, we can't see it," one of the pilots told air traffic control during the incident. "So our decision is to return to [Washington] Dulles and find this laptop before we can continue over the ocean."

A similar incident occurred just five weeks later, when another United passenger dropped a laptop during a flight from London to Washington, D.C.

"Maintenance crews retrieved the laptop, inspected the aircraft, and the flight later departed for Washington Dulles," an airline spokesperson said.

• Employees around the world are feeling busier than ever at work, according to a major EY survey.
• 64% of employees believe their workload has increased in the last twelve months, the survey found.
• A top EY exec told BI that AI is creating "pressure, uncertainty, and fear of falling behind."

If you're feeling like your workload has increased in 2025, you're not the only one.

A new EY survey of 15,000 workers found that nearly two-thirds of employees believe their workload has increased in the last 12 months.

AI isn't directly to blame, but, as with most workplace trends today, it's a big part of the story.

"Our research doesn't show that AI is actually increasing workloads," Kim Billeter, EY's global people consulting leader, told Business Insider.

Instead, broader anxieties about AI in the workplace — including fears of skill erosion, a lack of training, and uncertainty over how technology will affect roles — were adding to a sense of pressure to perform, she said.

"That mix of pressure, uncertainty, and fear of falling behind has left many feeling stretched thin," said Billeter.

Training is a particular sticking point, she added, given that employees are often expected to develop new skill sets while continuing to deliver on their existing responsibilities.

EY's findings were reported in the latest edition of the Big Four firm's Work Reimagined Survey, an annual report exploring the changing workplace, published earlier in November. The report is based on responses from 15,000 employees and 1,500 employers across 29 countries.

Perception is not a wholly accurate measure of reality, but employee workloads could be rising globally, Billeter told Business Insider.

"Economic pressures will likely be driving a 'do more with less' mindset, meaning fewer people are handling more tasks. Role complexity is growing as organizations shift to skill-based models, requiring employees to learn continuously while managing existing responsibilities," she said.

On the AI front, poor integration and limited training may create temporary spikes in workload, she said.

As Business Insider recently reported, many US workers have been voicing frustration over the growing flood of AI-generated junk cluttering their workflows — dubbed workslop. AI workslop may look well-organized, informative, and professional, but lacks substance, leaving whoever receives it with more work sifting through the 'slop.'

The 'productivity paradox'

Just because people are using AI doesn't make them more productive, a disconnect known as the "productivity paradox."

EY's survey found that 88% of respondents use AI at work; however, most of their usage is limited to basic applications, such as search and document summarization. These may save a few hours here and there, but won't change how work gets done or how the business performs, EY said.

Only 5% of respondents qualified as advanced users who blend multiple tools and extract far more value from AI by using it as a thought partner rather than a simple tool.

Overall, EY found that companies are missing out on 40% of the AI productivity gains they could achieve with the right strategy.

Addressing workload challenges and balancing the productivity paradox requires focusing on the human side of AI adoption, said Billeter.

Gaining an AI advantage is "inextricably connected" to the talent foundation, she said.

EY has identified five key areas, termed the "Talent Advantage," that it says businesses should combine with their investment in AI tools: AI adoption excellence, learning, talent health, organizational culture, and reward structures.

"Simply investing in technology is not enough. The AI era demands the ability to build strong human foundations and advanced technology in a synchronized and integrated fashion to unlock meaningful transformation in the workforce," said Billeter.

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

• Bobbi Brown reflected on her emotional exit from her namesake beauty brand at Estée Lauder.
• She described feeling angry after leaving the company she built from the ground up.
• Brown found new purpose by exploring wellness, dance, and eventually launching a clean beauty brand.

Bobbi Brown built a billion-dollar beauty brand only to find herself feeling pushed out of it in 2016.

Though she is one of the beauty industry's most influential founders, she coped after exiting Estée Lauder in the same way many would after leaving a job.

"My neighbors came over and I drank tequila with them," said Brown at The Wall Street Journal's CMO Council Summit on Wednesday.

Brown, who recently published her memoir, "Still Bobbi," said she considers herself fired from the beauty conglomerate, even though it never officially terminated her.

Roughly two decades after the corporation acquired her makeup brand, her work contract was canceled, and she was given a new role without involvement in daily operations, Brown said in a recent "Master of Scale" podcast episode.

"My new position was to be the face of the brand, but get out of the day-to-day," Brown said on the podcast.

Estée Lauder didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

When she left the company, Brown still had four years remaining on a 25-year non-compete contract that prevented her from being associated with another makeup company — but at 59, she wasn't quite ready for early retirement.

"I don't have girls waiting for me at the tennis courts, or a book group," Brown said on the podcast, adding that her kids were also out of the house by that point.

Rediscovering herself

Brown said on the podcast that she no longer feels "tortured" by her departure, but at the time, she was angry and hurt. She said at the WSJ CMO Council Summit that her former employees, many of whom she had hired, were given orders not to contact her.

After meeting with Estée Lauder's legal team that day in 2016 and deciding to leave, Brown said on the podcast that she called her husband, a real-estate developer, who met her in the city.

He told her he was glad she'd left — he'd been waiting a long time to "get a little bit" of her, she said. Then he suggested they turn a historic building he had just bought into a hotel, Brown said. They eventually went on to do just that, creating The George, in Montclair, New Jersey.

In the days following her exit, the makeup founder began to figure out how she wanted to move forward.

"The third day, I started just going to the city and meeting people for breakfast and lunches, because I never had time for that," Brown said at the WSJ CMO Council Summit.

Brown kept herself busy, taking on hobbies like hip-hop dancing, and building a TikTok presence.

"I love to dance," Brown said. "Any wedding or Bar Mitzvah, I don't leave the floor."

She soon started to take on new projects. Richard Baker, who was owned Lord & Taylor at the time, reached out to Brown and suggested that she create a curated shop called the Just Bobbi Shops. In 2019, MasterClass asked her to lead its first-ever makeup course. She also earned a health-coach certification, focused on her own wellness, and published a book called "Beauty from the Inside Out."

"It just hit me: I wasn't done," Brown said on the podcast. "I had more things to teach, and the world had changed. I had changed since I left the company."

Brown said she wanted to launch a new business before her non-compete agreement ended, but her husband wouldn't let her. So she counted down the days, even purchasing a charm with the date the agreement was set to expire — October 2020.

That exact month, she launched Jones Road Beauty, a makeup brand focused on creating "no-makeup makeup" looks with clean formulas.