Tag: Business

• The Miss Universe 2025 pageant has been plagued by scandal.
• Contestants walked out after a Miss Universe director appeared to call Miss Mexico a "dumbhead."
• Miss Chile apologized after posting a TikTok that showed her pretending to snort powder.

Miss Universe, the biggest pageant in the world, has found itself plagued with scandal again…and again…and again.

There's been a surprise leadership change, a Miss Universe director yelling at a contestant on camera, racist remarks from a former winner, judges dropping out, and a contestant falling off the stage.

All the bad press has brought renewed international attention to a brand that came under fire just last year after former CEO Anne Jakrajutatip appeared to laugh at contestants' photos on Instagram Live and praised one titleholder's blond hair and blue eyes as "the best here."

Jakrajutatip never addressed the criticism.

Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt summed up the controversy-fatigue that many fans have been feeling, writing in an Instagram statement on November 7: "The drama in the pageant world has been weighing heavy on the hearts of so many."

Only time will tell if more drama will follow before the November 21 final. Until then, here's everything that's happened so far at the Miss Universe 2025 pageant.

Miss Universe announced a new CEO just days before the 2025 pageant began.

Jakrajutatip made history when she acquired the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million in October 2022, becoming the first woman to own the pageant since its inception in 1952.

During the Miss Universe 2023 competition, Jakrajutatip promised to usher in a new era for the "global women's empowerment platform."

"From now on, it's going to be run by women, owned by a trans woman, for all women around the world," she said.

That era didn't last long. On October 29, Miss Universe announced that former diplomat Mario Búcaro was the new CEO. Jakjrajutatip had quietly stepped down in June.

Búcaro, previously Miss Universe's vice president for international relations, now works alongside Raul Rocha, who became president after Jakrajutatip sold a 50% stake to his company in January 2024.

Jakrajutatip's resignation comes amid financial issues at her company, JKN Global Group. After defaulting on a multimillion-dollar loan in September 2023, the company petitioned Thailand's bankruptcy court. In June 2025, Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission alleged Jakrajutatip had included false or misleading information in JKN's 2023 financial statements.

In the statement announcing Búcaro as CEO, the Miss Universe Organization said Jakrajutatip had stepped down to focus on her family. She has yet to make a public comment about her resignation or the SEC complaint.

Jakrajutatip did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The director of Miss Universe Thailand yelled at Miss Mexico, prompting contestants to walk out in protest.

During a November 4 meeting with the Miss Universe contestants, Nawat Itsaragrisil, who was recently named the director of Miss Thailand and host for the 74th Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, confronted Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch and accused her of not participating in a promotional event for the pageant.

In the exchange, which was captured on Miss Universe Thailand's Facebook livestream, Itsaragrisil goes back and forth with Bosch as he criticizes the Miss Mexico team. The other Miss Universe contestants can be seen on the livestream, silently watching from their seats.

"If you listen to your director, you're a dumbhead," Itsaragrisil appears to tell Bosch during the livestream. He later told reporters that the word he had used was "damage."

"I have a voice," Bosch told Itsaragrisil after he told her, "I did not give you an opportunity to talk."

"You are not respecting me as a woman," she added.

Multiple Miss Universe contestants walked out of the room after Itsaragrisil, who also runs the Miss Grand International pageant, called for security to remove Bosch. The director demanded that the contestants return to their seats, saying: "If anyone wants to continue the contest, sit down."

Bosch ultimately decided to stay in the competition, sharing her reason in an Instagram caption. "Mexicans don't give up because giving up has never been part of our history," she wrote on November 6.

Representatives for Bosch, Itsaragrisil, and the Miss Universe Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Kjær Theilvig walked out with contestants in support of Bosch.

"To trash another girl is beyond disrespectful," Theilvig can be heard saying in a clip reposted across Instagram and TikTok as the scandal broke.

"That's why I'm putting on my coat and leaving," she added.

Past winners from Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Grand International — the pageant Itsaragrisil founded and still owns — also posted statements in support of Bosch.

"Since the beginning of this year's Miss Universe competition, those of us on this side of the world have been waking up to 'surprises' every day — and today was no exception," Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios wrote on her Instagram story on November 4. "Some of the values that should guide Miss Universe — respect, dignity, gender equality, and transparency — are now being questioned."

"A crown should never come at the cost of a woman's dignity," she added.

Voigt, who resigned her title in May 2024 due to the leadership of former Miss USA CEO Laylah Rose, said she was "shocked, disgusted, disappointed, and genuinely horrified" by the video.

"I understand what it feels like when your voice is dismissed and your dignity is demeaned," Voigt wrote in a November 6 Instagram statement. "I spent years being a chronic people pleaser… but walking away from that fear, speaking up, reclaiming my dignity and my voice was the most liberating act I've ever taken."

Miss Universe president Raul Rocha restricted Itsaragrisil from future Miss Universe 2025 events.

Rocha posted a video on the official Miss Universe Instagram on November 4 stating that he would not "allow the values of respect and dignity of women to be violated."

"I have restricted Nawat's participation in the events that are part of the 74th Miss Universe competition, limiting it as much as possible or eliminating it entirely," he said.

Rocha added that Itsaragrisil's decision to call security on Bosch was a "serious abuse," and he accused the Miss Thailand director of having a "constant desire to be the center of attention."

"The only ones who should shine are our delegates who represent each of their countries with dignity," he added.

Itsaragrisil broke down in tears as he apologized while speaking to reporters on November 5.

Itsaragrisil apologized for the confrontation with Bosch a day later while giving a tearful press conference.

"This issue has dragged me down to this point. I understand and I apologize," he added. "I am human. I didn't want to do anything like that."

A former Miss Universe winner made racist remarks following Itsaragrisil's confrontation with Miss Mexico.

Miss Universe 1996 Alicia Machado was discussing the argument between Itsaragrisil and Bosch during a November 5 Instagram Live when she referred to him as Chinese. When a commenter pointed out that Itsaragrisil was of Thai descent, Machado said "everyone with slanted eyes" was Chinese to her. The Venezuelan beauty queen then pulled back the corners of her eyes on camera to demonstrate.

Machado's comments prompted a response from Voigt, who made history as the first Venezuelan-American to win the Miss USA title.

Voigt said she was "deeply saddened and disappointed" by Machado's comments, adding that many of her supporters had reached out and asked if she would stand up for the Asian community.

"The statements she made about Thailand, Thai people, and Asian communities were completely inappropriate, hurtful, and untrue," Voigt wrote. "The world of pageantry is unique and passionate… but in recent days, the level of drama and negativity online has gone too far."

Machado is no stranger to headlines since her Miss Universe days. The beauty queen became a central part of Hillary Clinton's campaign in the last days of the 2016 election after the Democratic candidate said Donald Trump had called Machado "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping" when he owned the Miss Universe pageant.

A spokesperson for Trump denied that he called Machado those names in a statement sent to The New York Times following the presidential debate.

Machado, Itsaragrisil, and Voigt did not respond to requests for comment.

Miss Chile apologized after her makeup video shocked pageant fans.

On November 6, Miss Chile Inna Moll posted a TikTok video that showed her pretending to snort a line of cocaine.

The clip, part of the "Addicted to You" trend, shows a makeup-free Moll dusting some white powder from a compact on her arm. She then leans down and pretends to snort the powder before the video cuts to her in full glam for a Miss Universe event.

Moll was quick to react to the criticism that followed as people began reposting her TikTok. She removed the clip from her page and posted an apology video to her Instagram stories the very next day.

"I want to apologize to those who were offended," she said in the video, according to Hola!. "The makeup artist told me to record it and, maybe because of the language barrier, I didn't fully grasp what was happening."

"I said no at first, but he insisted, and I went along. I should have said no firmly," Moll added.

Taratorn Aek, the makeup artist behind the video, posted an Instagram statement apologizing to Moll on the same day.

"What I did was thoughtless and without any hidden intent to harm the contestant or the country's image," he wrote. "It was merely a piece of content following a current online trend. I assure you that something like this will not happen again."

While rumors swirled that Moll could be disqualified from the pageant, she remains in the competition and has been frequently featured on Miss Universe's social media pages.

Moll, Aek, and the Miss Universe Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

Two judges dropped out just days before the Miss Universe finals.

On November 18, the composer Omar Harfouch announced on Instagram that he was resigning as a finals judge for the competition. Harfouch accused the organization of carrying out a "secret vote" to select the top 30 by "individuals who are not official members of the jury, myself included."

"I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in," Harfouch said. "Viewers would assume the jury made these decisions, and I cannot bear responsibility for a process I did not participate in."

Miss Universe shared a statement on its Instagram the same day, saying Harfouch was confused by the organization's recent announcement of a selection committee for the pageant's "Beyond the Crown Program," which it described as an "independent social impact initiative" that was designed to promote the contestants' charitable causes.

"The Miss Universe Organization clarifies that this eight-person committee operates entirely independently from the official Miss Universe judging panel," the statement said. "This committee does not evaluate the performance of the delegates during the 74th Miss Universe competition, nor do its decisions grant any additional points toward the final results."

On the same day that Harfouch resigned, Claude Makélélé — a former professional French soccer player — said he could no longer serve as a judge for the Miss Universe finals.

"It is with regret that I must announce that I won't be able to attend the Miss Universe 2025 event due to unforeseen personal reasons," he wrote on Instagram. "This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence — values I have always championed throughout my career."

Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry had to be hospitalized after an accident during the preliminary competition.

Henry was walking during the preliminary evening gown round on Wednesday in Bangkok when she fell off the stage, as seen in clips posted by pageant blogs on social media.

Miss Universe president Raul Rocha posted an update on his Instagram page later that night, saying he had visited Henry in the hospital.

"Thankfully, there are no broken bones and she is under good care," Rocha's statement read. "She will remain under observation for the rest of the night."

Henry, 29, is an ophthalmologist who created a foundation to advocate for people who are visually impaired. It is unclear if she will be able to compete at the November 21 finals.

• Trump is re-upping efforts to ban states from enacting regulations on AI.
• It's drawing strong pushback from members of his own party.
• Republicans previously tried to limit states' AI regulatory power in early drafts of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill."

If you thought Republicans were done arguing among themselves about AI, think again.

President Donald Trump is revisiting efforts to restrict states' ability to regulate artificial intelligence, and it's drawing significant pushback from members of his own party.

In a Tuesday Truth Social post, Trump said that "overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine" the AI industry, calling for "one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes."

The Trump administration is also reportedly drafting an executive order that would allow the Department of Justice to sue states over their AI regulations, though a White House official told BI that until an official announcement, "discussion about potential executive orders is speculation."

It's shaping up to be a repeat of a fight Republicans had over the summer, when lawmakers tried to include a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI regulation into the "Big Beautiful Bill."

"States must retain the right to regulate and make laws on AI and anything else for the benefit of their state," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia posted on X on Thursday morning. "Federalism must be preserved."

The AI provision was ultimately struck from the megabill in a 99-1 vote in the Senate in July, after a series of revisions and a contentious debate among Republicans.

The Trump administration later released an AI Action Plan that called for withholding federal funding from states with strict AI regulations.

Now, Republicans may try to do it again via a must-pass defense bill. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told Punchbowl News on Monday that Republicans were looking at attaching a version of the provision to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, and Trump indicated that he would support such a move.

"Put it in the NDAA, or pass a separate Bill, and nobody will ever be able to compete with America," Trump wrote on Tuesday.

Proponents of the idea have argued that it's important for both the development of the AI industry and competition with China to prevent the emergence of a "patchwork" of different AI laws across 50 states.

Opponents charge that states should have the right to enact AI safety laws, and that those laws are filling an important gap in the absence of federal regulation.

"If it gets in the NDAA, it'll be a huge problem," Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a proponent of AI regulation, told reporters on Wednesday.

Among those pushing back are Republican governors, including Ron DeSantis of Florida and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas.

"Stripping states of jurisdiction to regulate AI is a subsidy to Big Tech," DeSantis wrote on X, saying that the provision would "prevent states from protecting against online censorship of political speech, predatory applications that target children, violations of intellectual property rights and data center intrusions on power/water resources."

"Drop the preemption plan now and protect our kids and communities," wrote Sanders, who led a group of 20 states in opposing the AI moratorium in the "Big Beautiful Bill" over the summer.

• Suzanne Collins' "Sunrise on the Reaping" is a prequel to "The Hunger Games" about a young Haymitch.
• Lionsgate greenlit a movie adaptation in 2024, almost a year before the book hit shelves.
• The studio shared a teaser trailer for the film to celebrate one year until its release.

The release of Suzanne Collins' "Sunrise on the Reaping" marked a new dawn in the "Hunger Games" franchise.

The book, which hit shelves on March 19 and sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first week, is the second prequel to Collins' immensely popular dystopian series, following the 2020 release of "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."

"Sunrise on the Reaping" takes place several decades before the events of "The Hunger Games" trilogy and centers on a younger version of Haymitch Abernathy — played by Woody Harrelson in the original film franchise — as he fights for survival as a District 12 tribute in the Capitol arena.

Like "Ballad," the latest installment reveals key lore about the world of Panem, and fortunately for fans, it's also getting adapted for the big screen.

Here's everything we know about the movie, from a release date to the first teaser trailer.

Some spoilers ahead for "Sunrise on the Reaping."

'Sunrise on the Reaping' will be the 6th 'Hunger Games' movie

Prior to the book's release, Lionsgate announced that it was turning the story into a feature film.

The news of the forthcoming movie was shared just hours after Collins announced in June 2024 that she was publishing another "Hunger Games" story.

At the time, Deadline reported that the film, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," would be released on November 20, 2026.

Francis Lawrence, the filmmaker who helmed every movie in the series except the 2012 original, is directing the movie from a script adapted by Billy Ray.

Nina Jacobson and her producing partner, Brad Simpson, are confirmed to return and produce the prequel under their Color Force banner.

The day before "Sunrise on the Reaping" was published, Jacobson spoke to Variety about the coming adaptation. She told the outlet that her team had "a great draft" of the script still in progress and had "established our locations" for production.

"We're very far along for a book that's only going to come out tomorrow," she said at the time.

Filming started in the summer of 2025

"Sunrise on the Reaping" is set to feature a massive cast thanks to the array of characters that appear in the novel. The Hunger Games that Haymitch is reaped into feature double the number of tributes competing, and Collins also introduces readers to characters in District 12 who have connections to the other books in the series. Plus, the novel features appearances by "Hunger Games" favorites such as Effie Trinket and Plutarch Heavensbee.

Lionsgate revealed the film's cast on social media, showing snippets of the characters' introduction in the novel bursting into flame to reveal the actor portraying them.

The 'Sunrise on the Reaping' cast includes:

• Haymitch Abernathy: Joseph Zada
• Lenore Dove Baird: Whitney Peak
• President Snow: Ralph Fiennes
• Effie Trinket: Elle Fanning
• Caesar Flickerman: Kieran Culkin
• Plutarch Heavensbee: Jesse Plemons
• Beetee Latier: Kelvin Harrison Jr.
• Wiress: Maya Hawke
• Mags Flanagan: Lili Taylor
• Maysilee Donner: Mckenna Grace
• Wyatt Callow: Ben Wang
• Louella McCoy: Molly McCann
• Lou Lou: Iona Bell
• Magno Stift: Billy Porter
• Drusilla Sickle: Glenn Close
• Panache: Jhaleil Swaby
• Ampert: Percy Daggs IV
• Silka: Laura Marcus
• Wellie: Rada Rae
• Maritte: Sky Frances
• Clayton: Salimou Thiam
• Ringina: Tatyana Muzondo
• Buck: John Doeble
• Kerna: Alina Reid
• Hull: Kaine Buffonge
• Willamae: Kara Tointon
• Sid: Smylie Bradwell
• Clerk Carmine: Jeffrey Hallman
• Woodbine: Serafin Mishiev

The film's star, Zada, is a relative newcomer with just a handful of roles to his name. In March, Jacobson told Variety that her team was looking to Woody Harrelson, who played Haymitch in the original "Hunger Games" trilogy, for inspiration when casting their next star.

She said she hoped the actor who landed the role could capture the "mischief" Harrelson brought to the role without "impersonating" him.

"You want somebody who very credibly feels like they could be a young version of this character, before the trauma and grief and rage that the fallout of the Games create," Jacobson said. "Nobody can be Woody Harrelson, but Woody Harrelson."

Of the roles announced, Fiennes and Fanning's castings arguably generated the most buzz.

Fiennes, who is no stranger to film franchises after playing Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" films, will be offering the third cinematic iteration of President Coriolanus Snow.

Fans followed Snow as a young man in the first prequel, in which Tom Blyth portrayed him, and as the aging villain in the three original "Hunger Games" films, played by Donald Sutherland. Snow is the primary antagonist in "Sunrise on the Reaping," as he is in the original trilogy, and he makes some chilling appearances in the novel.

Elizabeth Banks played Effie Trinket, Katniss and Peeta's handler from the Capitol, in the original "Hunger Games" trilogy, and the character appears as a young stylist in "Sunrise on the Reaping." Fans were eager to see who would step into Banks' shoes because her performance was so beloved in the films.

Plemons will be taking over as Plutarch for Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jeffrey Wright played Beetee Latier before Kelvin Harrison Jr. Interestingly, both Plemons and Harrison previously played Hoffman and Wright's children in other projects. Plemons was Hoffman's son in the 2012 film "The Master," and Harrison was Wright's son in "Monster," released in 2018.

Lawrence announced that filming for the project was set to begin in July 2025 when he attended CinemaCon, and Zada and Grace were spotted together in Spain that month.

Lionsgate released an official teaser trailer that promises 'these games are going to be different' in November 2025

On November 20, Lionsgate shared an official teaser trailer for the film to celebrate one year until its release.

The trailer gives viewers a glimpse of the arena for the 50th Hunger Games, showing Zada as Haymitch standing on a podium alongside his fellow tributes in a picturesque, hilly countryside.

It then rolls a 10-second countdown, the timeframe Hunger Games contestants must wait on their podiums before the games begin, and splices together clips of the tributes with other scenes from the film.

The trailer also features clips of some of the most highly anticipated on-screen appearances, such as Fanning as Effie and Fiennes as Snow.

Plus, there's a shot of Lenore Dove giving Haymitch a striker that has a bird on one end and a snake on the other. The striker plays an important role in the book, was illustrated on the book's cover, and was unveiled as the official logo for the film in a teaser clip released in April 2025, making its appearance exciting for fans of the text.

Both the teaser trailer and teaser clip end with Harrelson's voice saying, "I think these games are gonna be different."

Fans are hopeful that Harrelson, as well as Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, might appear in "Sunrise on the Reaping" to play out the novel's epilogue.

• Michael Burry of "The Big Short" once again took aim at Nvidia after its earnings beat on Wednesday.
• He questioned the longevity of its chips, its stock dilution, and the "give-and-take deals" in AI.
• Nvidia's bosses dismissed talk of an AI bubble and touted their chips' lifespan on an earnings call.

Michael Burry has continued his crusade against Nvidia and the broader AI boom, even after the chipmaker's bosses reported blowout earnings and responded to two of his chief concerns.

Nvidia told investors not to worry

Nvidia's record revenue and profit last quarter, and its bullish fourth-quarter growth forecast, sent its stock up 5% in premarket trading on Thursday as investors brushed off Burry's warnings that AI stocks are in a bubble that's bound to burst.

The company's finance chief, Colette Kress, said on the earnings call that Nvidia had "visibility to $0.5 trillion in Blackwell and Rubin revenue" over the course of 2025 and 2026, and estimated "$3 trillion to $4 trillion in annual AI infrastructure build" by 2030.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang opened his remarks by saying: "There's been a lot of talk about an AI bubble. From our vantage point, we see something very different."

Kress said that Nvidia's CUDA software, which enables its older chips to run newer software and AI apps, has extended the life of the company's systems "well beyond their original estimated useful life."

"Thanks to CUDA, the A100 GPUs we shipped six years ago are still running at full utilization today," Kress said. She emphasized that point by also saying "our GPU installed base, both new and previous generations, including Blackwell, Hopper, and Ampere, is fully utilized."

Burry doubled down on his Nvidia critique

Burry, the investor of "The Big Short" fame, fired back with a barrage of X posts. In the first, he doubled down on his concern that AI giants are flattering their earnings by dragging out the depreciation of their computing equipment.

The fact that Nvidia's customers are still using older chips doesn't mean their "useful life" from an accounting standpoint is longer, he said, as that "confuses physical utilization with value creation."

"Just because something is used does not mean it is profitable," Burry wrote. He gave the example of airlines retaining old planes to boost their capacity during the holiday season, even though they're only "marginally profitable" and "not worth much at all."

Burry — who recently closed his hedge fund, Scion Asset Management, to outside clients — underscored that Nvidia's older chips are far less energy efficient than its newer ones, so customers still using them are likely paying much bigger electricity bills.

"If that is the direction you are going, chances are you have to be doing it, and it is not pleasant," he wrote.

In his second post, Burry called out the tangled web of multibillion-dollar "give-and-take deals" between Nvidia and other AI companies, including OpenAI, Microsoft, and Oracle.

"True end demand is ridiculously small," he wrote. "Almost all customers are funded by their dealers."

In a third post, he wrote that Nvidia has bought back nearly $113 billion worth of stock since the start of 2018, yet it has 47 million more shares outstanding.

While stock-based compensation was $20.5 billion during that period, he said, the "true cost of that SBC [stock-based compensation] dilution was $112.5 billion, reducing owner's earnings by 50%."

Burry finished his flurry of AI posts with a simple question: "One more. OpenAI is the linchpin here. Can anyone name their auditor?"

Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One man's crusade against AI

Burry, who shot to fame after his contrarian bet against the mid-2000s housing bubble was featured in the book and movie "The Big Short," recently returned to X after a two-year hiatus, marking his comeback with a flurry of warnings about an AI bubble.

The veteran investor has drawn parallels between the AI boom and the dot-com bubble, warning the so-called hyperscalers that are plowing hundreds of billions of dollars into microchips and servers are at risk of overinvesting and never seeing a return on their money.

Moreover, Scion disclosed that at the end of September, it owned bearish put options on 1 million Nvidia shares and 5 million Palantir shares worth a notional $187 million and $912 million, respectively.

The bets drew the ire of Palantir CEO Alex Karp, spurring Burry to fire back. He later implied on X that he wasn't short and had disposed of the Palantir puts in October.

• Bath & Body Works' CEO criticized the chain as slow and inefficient after reporting weak Q3 results.
• The company has struggled to attract younger consumers and has relied on heavy discounting.
• Plans include focusing on core products, cutting men's grooming, and launching on Amazon.

"Slow and inefficient."

That's how Bath & Body Works' CEO, Daniel Heaf, described his company on the company's Q3 earnings call on Thursday morning.

"Our organization has become slow and inefficient," Heaf said. "Unnecessary complexity has reduced our speed and dampened our innovation."

Bath & Body Works reported weaker-than-expected Q3 results. The chain reported a drop in sales and earnings and cut its full-year guidance.

Heaf said that while the consumer environment is tough right now, the brand has made mistakes that are driving these weaker numbers.

He said the brand has "not attracted a younger consumer" and has become dependent on heavy discounting, which has eroded brand value and image.

Heaf, who joined Bath & Body Works in May and was previously at Nike, also presented the company's comeback plan on Thursday.

He said that the company plans to" reignite its brand" and attract a new and younger consumer by pouring investment into its core areas — body care, home fragrances, soaps, and sanitizers. It will be axing hair care and men's grooming products from its assortment to simplify its offering.

"We will transform Bath & Body Works to be a faster and more efficient organization. Work has already begun, and we will continue to break down silos, speed up decision making and strengthen the agile operating model that makes this company great," Heaf said in the earnings release.

The chain is also launching on Amazon to reach new customers and target the younger audience. Heaf said that the company estimates that "$60 million to $80 million of Bed & Body Works' products are sold via the grey market on Amazon, so launching there "is an incredible sales opportunity."

Bath & Body Works' stock price is down 25% today and 58% this year.

• Elaina Gonzalez has maintained her physical fitness and health throughout her 93 years.
• The former body double for a well-known actor also chalks up her longevity to a positive mindset.
• She said drops of CBD liquid under her tongue and mixed with her face cream keep her looking young.

When 93-year-old Elaina Gonzalez is asked about her toned body, charming smile, and youthful features, she always downplays them.

She prefers to show humility rather than, as she puts it, be "bragaddacious" about her appearance.

"I'm just a regular person who believes that taking care of yourself and saying please and thank you takes you a little further in life," she told Business Insider.

She minimizes her yearslong stint as a body double for a glamorous Hollywood star — whom she can't name for contract reasons — due to her low-key nature.

Still, the grandmother of 11 from Lakeville, Minnesota, loves to share her advice to younger generations about health and longevity.

She follows a strict regimen of yoga and dancing at the gym at least four mornings a week, maintains the same weight, and swears by the theory, "don't sweat the small stuff."

Here are her top life lessons:

Never stop exercising

Gonzalez, born in December 1931, was raised by European parents who emphasized the importance of health and regular exercise from a young age.

Her father, a police officer from Switzerland, would encourage her and her two brothers to run to build stamina and lift weights to develop strength.

Around the age of 19, Gonzalez was talent-spotted and cast as a leg model for a commercial. It led to other gigs, including the body double work in Los Angeles.

She maintained her gym memberships for decades, most recently joining a branch of Life Time near her home, where she exercises every Monday to Thursday morning and on alternate Fridays.

Starting at 8 a.m., she performs almost an hour of yoga, takes a break, and then attends an aerobics-style dance session called Total Body. "I'm the oldest person there," she said.

Outside the gym, she takes her dogs, Theo and Lily, for daily walks.

Watch your food intake, but don't obsess about it

Gonzalez's breakfast typically consists of fruit, a piece of toast, and a cup of coffee. "You don't want to feel light-headed at the gym," she said.

Then she has an early lunch — her biggest meal of the day — of foods such as pasta, vegetables, chopped chicken, or another lean protein.

Dinner, which she typically eats before 6 p.m. unless she is going out, is often a lighter meal, possibly a combination of fruit and cheese.

She stays hydrated by drinking at least eight glasses of water daily.

"Of course, I'd love to have a hot fudge sundae every day, but I resist," she said. "I prefer to eat well to fuel my body for all the exercise I do, but I don't count calories or become obsessive," Gonzalez said.

At 5 feet 3 inches tall, she has maintained a healthy weight of around 130 pounds.

Follow a simple beauty and sleep plan

The nonagenarian doesn't invest in expensive beauty products, such as scrubs or lotions.

Instead, she swears by regular, drugstore face cream mixed with a CBD-infused.

"I've been using it for at least a decade, and it works magic on your skin," she said. "It keeps it soft and hydrated — especially in hot climates — and staves off wrinkles."

She also drops a tiny amount of the liquid under her tongue. "I feel like it's my secret weapon to feeling and looking so much better."

As for rest, Gonzalez is usually in bed by 9 p.m., but she spends time reading her favorite books before going to sleep. There is a TV in her bedroom, but she wouldn't dream of watching it at night.

In fact, she avoids any form of blue light for at least two hours before retiring. "It interferes with your vision and your brain activity," she said.

Be grateful

Gonzalez lives by the saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff," and applies a positive mindset.

"I always start the day with a little prayer of gratitude," she said."I want to thank whatever the higher powers are for keeping me walking upright and doing what I do."

The mother of three sons said that people's older years can be tough, but complaining doesn't help. She knows that she is "blessed" with good health, but she tries to find the good in everything, even setbacks.

"I'm a very happy individual," she said.

Engaging with younger people helps keep your mind sharp.

"I ask their advice when I'm having trouble with something technical and am amazed by their skills," she said, adding that she is always open to learning new things, "because you can never have too much knowledge, no matter your age."

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
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A tech company has ambitious goals and tells its employees they should be ready for some hardcore work.

No, I'm not talking about Amazon. Or Nvidia. Or Tesla.

This time around, it's Tools for Humanity, Sam Altman's $2.5 billion eye-scanning startup that wants to help prove people's humanity in the age of AI.

"We will neither fail, nor will we be an average outcome, and that's what we want and that's all I care about every day and all you should care about every day, and nothing else should matter," CEO Alex Blania told employees at the start of the year, according to a recording reviewed by BI's Nicole Einbinder.

Blania's message has become a common pitch from tech executives to their employees ahead of critical junctures.

For Orb, it's about getting more people to opt into what amounts to a human verification tool.

Tools for Humanity has amassed millions of sign-ups, but Nicole previously reported it's still well shy of its goal of a billion users. Insiders questioned its long-term strategy, especially in a crowded marketplace for payment and identification products.

And then there's the regulatory angle. Some countries, like Spain, India, and Indonesia, have either barred, halted, or investigated the startup.

Not one to get left out of the fun, Microsoft is in the middle of a "rethink."

CEO Satya Nadella said the tech giant needs to adjust its business model for the AI era, and he's tapping an advisor to help.

BI's Ashley Stewart obtained an internal memo from Nadella that explained how the company needs to "rapidly rethink the new economics of AI across the company — just as we once did with the cloud."

For both Tools for Humanity and Microsoft, AI sits at the core of their strategy decisions. As much as the tech has caused anxiety and fear among workers about their future, the companies looking to leverage it are also facing plenty of uncertainty.

That's a difficult proposition for employees: Trust your company as it wades into the unknown despite not having a ton of job security yourself.

But with an unrelenting job market, workers might not have another choice.

• Netflix and MrBeast are testing mini theme parks to transport their IP off-screen.
• The venues are built to wow fans of the brands and meet consumer demand for IRL experiences.
• Experts broke down the business case and growth prospects.

What do Netflix and MrBeast have in common? They're two of the most recognizable names in media — and they're both looking to theme parks as a new lane of growth.

This month, Netflix opened a Netflix House in the King of Prussia mall outside Philadelphia, the first of multiple permanent installations for fans to hang out, take selfies, and play games based on popular shows like "Wednesday" and "One Piece."

Top YouTuber MrBeast, meanwhile, unveiled a mini theme park in Saudi Arabia last week, called Beast Land. The 45-day pop-up similarly taps into the creator's intellectual property by offering guests a chance to compete in games that mirror his stunt videos.

Netflix and MrBeast amassed audiences of hundreds of millions by ignoring the old media playbook. So, why are they following in Disney's footsteps by launching theme park experiences?

There are two big forces at play.

First, there is a demand for in-person experiences.

"There's a lot of on-screen fatigue," said Mike Ellery, chief creative officer at Sparks, which has worked with Netflix on in-person activations like its 2024 Emmy season event. "People want to do things that are live."

Sales for live events like concerts and sporting events have bounced back to (or even exceeded) pre-pandemic levels, with communal experience a big part of the draw, according to Deloitte. Surveys by MG2 Advisory, a retail design and architecture firm, have shown that Gen Z has become more interested in in-person interactions and pop-up experiences over the past two years, after being relegated to screens during the pandemic lockdown. Two of five of these adults, 18 to 26, shopped mostly or entirely in-store in 2025, MG2 found.

Second, there's the desire from media companies for new ways to grow revenue. Netflix's frenzied days of subscriber expansion in the US are over, and the time people are spending watching its shows and movies is slowing. MrBeast, for his part, is racing to become profitable as his company eyes a potential IPO and looks to deliver for investors.

Both want to wring more value out of the massive amount of money they spend on content, and one way to do that is by getting fans to engage more deeply with them in areas like in-person experiences.

"It's an acknowledgment that the battle for time is sort of a fool's errand," said media analyst Doug Shapiro, a senior advisor at BCG. "Time is finite."

Netflix and MrBeast want to let fans experience their brands in real life

These initial experiments by Netflix and MrBeast are moderately priced.

The Netflix games cost $25 to $40 a pop to play, while Beast Land charges $7 to enter and up to $66 for all-access to the rides. That's roughly on par with attractions like the Top of the Rock observation deck at New York City's Rockefeller Center (starting at $42), but cheaper than a major theme park like Disney World, which starts around $120 per day.

The initial slate of Netflix Houses will be located in malls, allowing people to easily return to them. The experience is varied enough within each locale, and from city to city, that you could see people coming back with friends, as a couple, or with kids to do different things each time, said Melissa Gonzalez, founder and principal of MG2, which has developed escape rooms and immersive pop-ups for brands like Victoria's Secret (Netflix isn't a client).

"There's a lot of different uses here," Gonzalez said. "The way they designed this, things are naturally Instagrammable. It feeds into the experience economy. The younger generation wants that."

The MrBeast team modeled its Beast Land attractions after its videos, with one game featuring the "trap doors" gimmick that has become a signature in MrBeast competitions. The goal was to allow fans to experience what it's like to compete in a MrBeast challenge, the YouTuber said.

Letting people walk through a space or participate in a challenge they've seen on screen brings instant emotional connection and loyalty, Ellery said.

The business case

It's hard not to consider these new ventures without thinking of Disney, which has built a $36 billion parks and experiences business off its famous characters and stories. The MrBeast team has even pitched investors on plans to build out a Disney-style empire.

These initial efforts from Netflix and MrBeast don't have Disney-scale ambitions, however.

Netflix has said it's not making its "Houses" for the money but to connect more deeply with fans. Netflix has also historically moved slowly into new areas, committing in a way that doesn't spook investors (see: its foray into video games).

Projects like Netflix's and MrBeast's have a natural cap on scale compared to larger theme parks, which rely on massive numbers of visitors who come for longer and spend a lot, said Jason Ambler, chief content officer of Falcon's Beyond, which develops and operates entertainment destinations and whose clients have included Disney and Universal Studios.

The smaller formats are more agile and replicable, though.

For most companies, the real value isn't in the business itself but in how these experiences boost the brand and drive sales elsewhere, Ambler said. Branded, in-person experiences let companies quickly and safely test new ideas, stay visible between product releases, and strengthen connections with fans.

Beast Land has a partner in Riyadh Season, a Saudi entertainment festival, and is running for a limited time, which reduces MrBeast's financial risk.

While the capital outlay may be relatively small for Netflix and MrBeast, launching these experiences isn't risk-free, Gonzalez said. Netflix's shows have to translate into a real-world environment and not feel shallow or gimmicky. There may be licensing complexities. Replicating the approach in different locales with different footprints can take time.

While these experiments aren't going to turn into a billion-dollar business overnight, Netflix and MrBeast may consider them a success if they determine — through tracking things like customer satisfaction and spending over time — that they keep fans watching, subscribing, and buying other things the company sells.

Marketing is another goal. These experiences are designed for attendees to take selfies and post them, helping spread the word to a wider audience.

"It's creating this shareable experience that you can have in real life with your friends and your people, and you can amplify that with social really easily," Ellery said.

Don't rule out the possibility that these experiences could grow into something bigger down the road.

"All successful franchises start to think about how they can further monetize," said Scott Purdy, a media industry consultant at KPMG US. "They're going down a path others have in terms of business maturity. When companies slow down from frenzied growth, you start to look at other avenues. Can it be a real business? Yes. I don't think it's just a marketing thing."

• NATO forces are training to use a cheap intercepter drone that has already proven itself in Ukraine.
• Poland and Romania are deploying the Merops system in response to recent Russian drone incursions.
• Business Insider watched soldiers train on Merops this week and learned what it can and can't do.

NOWA DĘBA, Poland — Proven in the skies above Ukraine, a cheap drone-killer that has logged nearly 2,000 Russian kills is now in the hands of Western troops.

Poland and Romania have purchased and are deploying the Merops system to better protect Eastern European airspace after a series of Russian drone incursions a couple of months ago, wake-up calls that left NATO allies scrambling to field low-cost air defenses.

This week, Business Insider observed US, Polish, and Romanian forces training on the American-made counter-drone system, which launches an interceptor drone called the "Surveyor" to take down enemy threats by slamming into them or exploding nearby.

At a training range in southeastern Poland, US military officials said that Merops is designed to intercept both reconnaissance and strike drones, including the newer and faster variants powered by jet engines.

"This system right here is very reliable," American Army Sgt. Riley Hiner, an interceptor pilot who has helped train the NATO soldiers, told Business Insider.

However, while the Merops system has a record of success in combat, it's not without its limitations.

What is Merops?

Interceptor drones have emerged as one of Ukraine's top air defense tools in recent months, allowing it to hunt and destroy large numbers of cheap Russian Shahed-style drones at a relatively low cost per engagement.

Merops, developed by the American initiative Project Eagle, is one of many counter-drone systems that Ukraine has been using.

Ukraine's defense industry is producing hundreds of interceptor drones each month, and Western military leaders seeking to procure cheaper air defense systems to match the growing threat that drones pose to Europe are taking note of their success.

Interest turned to urgency in September after Russian drones violated Polish airspace. NATO fighter jets fired expensive air-to-air missiles to shoot down weapons worth a fraction of their cost.

Poland and Romania, the latter of which faced its own Russian drone incursion just a few days later, decided to procure and deploy Merops as part of a new NATO initiative to defend the alliance's Eastern edge against potential future attacks.

US Army Brig. Gen. Curtis King, the head of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, described the counter-drone system as "very lethal," "very effective," and also "cost-effective."

Merops consists of a ground control station, the Surveyor interceptor, and launch platforms. Operated by a four-person crew consisting of a commander, a pilot, and two technicians, it can be deployed at a fixed location or on the move, making it a flexible asset.

Business Insider watched Polish, Romanian, and American troops work with the Merops system on Tuesday as the soldiers were nearing the end of their two-week training course. King, speaking to reporters, said the system is user-friendly, so soldiers can quickly learn how to operate it.

US Army Europe and Africa said the Merops training reflects efforts by Poland and Romania to quickly field proven battlefield systems and strengthen NATO's new Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, which aims to protect the alliance with a mix of low-cost drones and layered defenses.

What threats can it hit?

During a demonstration, Polish soldiers launched the Surveyor from the bed of a pickup truck. The interceptor drone attempted to score a direct hit on its target — a drone mimicking a Shahed — but after several attempts and near misses, it deployed a parachute and floated down to the ground.

The parachute feature allows troops to reuse the Surveyor, ultimately saving money in the training cycle.

US military officials said that the Surveyor drone was unarmed during Tuesday's demonstrations, but under real combat conditions, it would carry a small warhead that could destroy a hostile drone by exploding next to it rather than needing to score a direct hit.

The propeller-powered Surveyor interceptor drone can be piloted remotely or operate autonomously, using radio frequencies, thermal signatures, or radar sensors to track its target. It is capable of reaching speeds over 175 miles per hour and is resistant to electronic warfare, which has become an ever-present threat to drone operations in Ukraine.

Military officials said the Surveyor is designed to defeat high-flying one-way attack drones, such as the notorious Iranian-designed Shahed, as well as reconnaissance drones. Ukraine has already used it to record more than 1,900 successful intercepts in combat.

They emphasized that the Surveyor interceptor can also take down jet-powered drones, which travel faster than those powered by propellers. Russia began fielding these advanced variants in combat earlier this year.

Hiner, the American pilot, said that Merops has about a 95% success rate, especially when intercepting Shahed-type drones. "I think as mobile as it is, and as versatile as it is, it's very easy to use," he added.

What are the limitations?

Merops isn't the end-all counter-drone defense. It's built for a specific threat, not all drone threats. For instance, it would likely struggle against low-flying first-person-view (FPV) drones given their size and profile, Hiner said.

Most FPV drones are small quadcopters connected to pilots via radio frequency signal or fiber-optic cables. These drones often carry small explosive payloads and can deliver precision strikes for just a few hundred dollars. They dominate the battlefield in Ukraine.

Merops is built for bigger one-way attack and reconnaissance drones. With its $15,000 Surveyor interceptor, it's designed to be much less expensive than the threat it's hunting. Older Shahed variants, for example, are estimated to be worth $35,000 apiece. Its deployment in NATO gives the alliance a new capability that it previously lacked.

Military officials hope that Merops will also provide NATO with a cheaper alternative to having to use fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, for drone defense in Eastern Europe.

"That's our major objective," King said. "We have got to find lower costs — both sensors and effectors."

• I made changes to my grocery list and let my teens shop, which all led to out-of-control spending.
• When I worked up the courage to tell my kids our grocery bill was over $2,000, they helped us save.
• Together, we saved $750 by being more mindful of our purchases.

When my kids were little, I couponed, planned meals around the weekly specials, and tried to keep a tight rein on our grocery budget. But as they grew, I began working more. We all got busier, and I let some of those habits go.

Slowly, without really realizing it, our grocery costs inched up. A few months ago, I tracked every grocery expenditure for the entire month and discovered our bill totaled $2,300. I about had a heart attack.

I knew it was time for a change, and thankfully, the whole family pitched in.

Small changes in my spending habits led to a larger bill

Some of this spending happened because those previously little kids had become teenagers. And while having teen drivers makes me nervous for their safety, I have to admit there's a huge perk: They can run errands for me.

After years of having to load toddlers and babies into the car for a quick trip to the grocery store, they were finally able to repay the favor. In fact, they enjoyed doing it. I could text them as they got out of after-school practice, and they could grab the few small things I needed for dinner that night.

Except it never ended up being just a few small things. I'd get a text back, asking if they could treat themselves to a drink or a snack … usually both. Of course they could! They'd been working hard at school and practice all day. They were probably starving, and they deserved it.

The month of our horrifying grocery bill was also marked by a family birthday party. We grilled, had snacks, and appetizers. We had cocktails for everyone over 21 and fancy sodas for everyone under 21. It was a great party, but that bill definitely contributed to our out-of-control spending.

The other big problem, I realized, was that I'd started grabbing convenience foods. I got frozen breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches, figuring the protein would fill up hungry teens more than cereal. We had some easy, ready-made meals for nights we were too busy to cook. All of these small additions combined to produce one huge bill.

I debated whether to tell my kids

On the one hand, we've always talked about budgeting with them. We have talked about the things we can and can't (or don't want to) afford as a family. They do their own budgeting for Christmas and meals out with friends. One of them bought her own car, which cost less than our grocery bill, so budgeting isn't a foreign concept to them.

On the other hand, it felt weird to tell them we needed to watch our spending on groceries. Those feel essential. We've always been fortunate to be able to provide the basic necessities, and it was a blow to my ego to tell them we needed to cut back on food. I didn't want anyone to worry that we couldn't provide for them.

We had a family discussion to reduce our spending

I finally told everyone that we would have to change our grocery shopping habits. The kids were surprisingly on board, and we set a family challenge to reduce our bill.

We agreed to do two inexpensive meatless meals a week and make things like breakfast burritos at home. They started cooking from scratch, and not asking for quick, convenient snacks. My teenage drivers would pick up my once-a-week grocery order from the store, and we managed to avoid adding any extra trips in between.

All of us have gotten better at using up leftovers and emptying the pantry before we shop. We're wasting less food as a family.

We even had another family party this month. Instead of a big cookout, we did a grilled cheese and soup bar, with a homemade menu full of cheesy puns.

By the end of the month, we'd managed to stick to our challenge and cut $750 off our grocery bill. It was a valuable lesson for all of us on how to be mindful of our spending and waste.

I hope this was also helpful to my teens. In a few years, they'll be buying their own groceries, and they probably won't have a lot of money to start. But now, they have some ideas for how to cut costs when they need to do their own shopping.