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• Ukraine is slated to receive its much-anticipated fleet of F-16 fighter jets this summer.
• The American-made aircraft have flown combat missions around the world over the past few decades.
• But former US military pilots say Ukraine will be the jet's foremost combat test.

The long-awaited delivery of F-16s to Ukraine is on the horizon, and these advanced American-made fighter jets can't come soon enough for its forces.

Western-provided F-16s will give Kyiv's current fleet of aging Soviet-era warplanes a major upgrade in capabilities, for critical offensive and defensive roles, and boost their firepower with the right munitions.

The combat-proven Fighting Falcon has decades of experience flying in tough, war-time environments in places like the Middle East and the Balkans. The fourth-generation fighter has racked up an impressive collection of high-profile missions over the years.

But the skies above Ukraine will be the most dangerous battlefield that the fighter jets have faced so far, former US military pilots told Business Insider, as the aircraft goes up against Russia's advanced air-defense systems and long-range air-to-air missiles.

A combat-proven fighter jet

Ukraine first requested F-16s from its Western partners in the early weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion, but the US didn't sign off on a third-party transfer from its allies to Kyiv until last summer.

Four NATO members — Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands — have collectively promised to send dozens of F-16s to Ukraine, whose pilots are training in the US and in Europe. The fighter jets are expected to arrive at some point this summer, reportedly as early as June.

The F-16s are a notable upgrade over Ukraine's fleet of Soviet-era aircraft; at the start of the war, Kyiv was flying Su-24s, Su-25s, Su-27s, and MiG-29s.

The Fighting Falcon has a more efficient internal layout and better electronic warfare capabilities than many of Ukraine's current jets. It is also a very nimble and maneuverable aircraft, and can be equipped with advanced targeting pods and air-to-surface ordnance to strike ground vehicles and positions.

Since the first F-16 prototype flew 50 years ago, the multi-role fighter has flown sorties in difficult combat environments around the world. It first achieved notable success, though, at the hands of Israeli pilots in the early 1980s.

Israeli Air Force combat aircraft, including F-16s, in June 1982 flew a suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) campaign in Lebanon's heavily fortified Bekaa Valley. Within hours, Israel had destroyed a large number of Soviet-built, Syrian-owned surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and enemy aircraft, without taking any losses. It was a stunning tactical victory after the IDF's heavy losses to SAMs in the Yom Kippur war nine years before.

The US Air Force first flew the F-16 in combat during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq during the early 1990s. The fighter flew more sorties than any other aircraft, and was used to attack enemy airfields, missile sites, and military production facilities.

Later that decade, F-16s were deployed to the Balkans for NATO's Operation Allied Force air campaign against Yugoslavia. There, they flew SEAD, close-air support, and counter-air missions, while destroying enemy radars, fighter jets, and armored vehicles.

During these operations in the 1990s, the Air Force only lost 17 aircraft in combat — a tiny number compared to the tens of thousands of sorties that were flown, according data from the Defense Technical Information Center. Five of those aircraft were F-16s.

Other militaries — like Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt — have also operated the F-16 in conflicts of varying intensities over the years. More recently, the F-16 has operated above Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and has also been used to thwart the Islamic State.

'The toughest scenario that the F-16 will have'

Despite flying in many challenging operating environments over the last 50 years, F-16s are still likely staring down their most dangerous battlefield yet, former US military pilots say.

"Going into Desert Storm, arguably against the third largest army in the world and a very robust air force — that was a very, very tough situation," John Baum, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel who has logged over 2,300 hours as an F-16 pilot, told BI.

"F-16s from Ukraine going against Russia — absolutely, without a doubt, the toughest scenario that the F-16 will have off of its nose," said Baum, now a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Ukraine has already lost at least 86 aircraft since the war began, according to the open-source intelligence site Oryx, which tracks war losses, underscoring the danger that pilots face in the skies.

Among the threats that Ukraine's F-16s will be facing are advanced Russian air-defense systems like the S-300 and the highly advanced S-400, a formidable fleet of Su-35s and MiG-31s armed with long-range R-37 air-to-air missiles and powerful radars, and early warning aircraft that can detect them hundreds of miles away.

"There is a gazillion ways to detect these F-16s," Brynn Tannehill, a defense analyst and former US Navy aviator, told BI.

Russia's arsenal of surface-to-air systems, specifically, are more modern and advanced than the ones that the F-16 went up against in past conflicts, like the SA-2s, SA-3s, and SA-6s of Bekaa Valley.

"The Russians are bringing high-end equipment" to the Ukraine war, Tannehill said, adding that past F-16 foes in the Middle East like Iraq and Syria were "typically operating legacy Soviet equipment and probably weren't quite as well-trained or equipped" as Moscow is now.

Experts say the F-16 would be a valuable asset to go after Russia's formidable arsenal of air-defense systems and carry out SEAD and destruction of enemy air defenses (DEAD) missions.

Ukraine already possesses US-provided, air-to-surface AGM-88 HARM, or high-speed anti-radiation, missiles, which can hunt down enemy radars. But Kyiv's Soviet-era aircraft were not designed to interface with these missiles, while the F-16 was actually made to carry them — allowing for more effective and dynamic targeting.

Russia has "probably one of the most robust and advanced integrated air-defense systems in the world, but the F-16 will have a capability to build situational awareness and feed that picture" to the rest of the Ukrainian forces, Baum said.

The fighter jets can then leverage its HARM targeting systems and missiles to strike the Russian radars.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues the fighters will face is the physical layout of the operating environment, Baum said. When Ukrainian F-16s take off, they could be immediately within range of Russian surface-to-air systems, rather than enjoying neutral territory that they can use to their advantage to safely approach the battle space.

Ukrainian pilots may be "looked at and targeted before they even get to begin to do their own tactics," Baum said.

Softening the battlefield

In a defensive role, F-16s can add an extra layer to Ukraine's air-defense network, which has been stretched thin in recent months as Kyiv waited for US lawmakers to approve additional funding that could replenish its dwindling stockpile of critical interceptor munitions.

Ukraine already has AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles in its arsenal, and can outfit its F-16s with these munitions to intercept Russian one-way attack drones, cruise missiles and the fighter-bombers pounding Ukraine's troops with glide bombs. This would help complement Kyiv's existing air defenses, made up of Soviet-era systems and Western ones like US-provided Patriot batteries and NASAMS.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has increasingly gone after Russian air-defense and detection capabilities over the past few months — possibly softening the battlefield for the arrival of F-16s.

In March, for instance, Western intelligence said Moscow had likely grounded its fleet of A-50 early warning and control aircraft after Ukraine shot down two of these planes within a matter of weeks. More recently, in mid-April Kyiv used long-range missiles to take out multiple S-400 launchers and radar stations at a Russian base in the occupied Crimean peninsula.

"Ukraine has been doing a lot to degrade Russia's capabilities to counter-detect their own aircraft," Tannehill said. "And this may be a sign that some of this may have been done in anticipation of getting F-16s, and being able to push them a little further forward."

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• The Biden administration issued new rules designed to boost workers' wages and business competition.
• They aim to raise an overtime threshold, ban noncompetes, and offer refunds for flight delays.
• The rules, already facing legal challenges, could reshape labor-market dynamics and consumer rights.

The Biden administration this week pushed out a slate of rules it says are meant to boost competitiveness and put more money into workers' pockets.

There are already challenges to at least one of the rules — but together they could land overtime pay for millions more workers, ban noncompetes that prevent workers from moving into jobs in similar industries, and help people get automatic refunds for delayed or canceled flights.

"By increasing competition, these rules give workers their fairly earned wages and gives consumers more power to purchase the best option," Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, told Business Insider.

More workers eligible for overtime pay

Under the Department of Labor's new rule, many workers who make under $43,888 will be eligible for overtime pay effective July 1. That's nearly $10,000 higher than the existing threshold of $35,568; next January it's set to rise to $58,656.

The department estimates the change will affect 4 million workers.

Judy Conti, the government affairs director at the National Employment Law Project, previously told BI that "the current salary threshold beneath which all workers are entitled to overtime is pitifully low."

In 2016, a federal judge blocked a similar attempt to raise the cutoff.

Automatic refunds for canceled or delayed flights

The Department of Transportation announced a new rule that would mean travelers get refunds automatically when their flights are canceled or delayed for over three hours domestically and six hours internationally.

The department also said it was looking to ensure that parents are able to sit with their children without having to pay extra.

"Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them — without headaches or haggling," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

A ban on noncompetes that keep workers from taking new jobs

Perhaps the most sweeping action for workers came from the Federal Trade Commission, which finalized a rule to ban noncompetes in most cases. That means workers would no longer be restricted from taking roles in similar industries or starting up new businesses in the same field.

"For workers and employers, it tilts that playing field back more in favor of workers," Brainard said.

The agency estimates the new rule will lead to 8,500 more new businesses every year — a 2.7% increase in business formation — and an average of $524 extra annually for workers. That's not chump change for many Americans, especially those with lower wages who have ended up stifled in finding new work.

"These new regulations will promote healthier labor-market competition," Aaron Sojourner, a senior researcher at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, told BI. "One in five American employees will benefit from the new freedom to accept job offers from any competing employer rather than live bound to their current employer, unable to work for many employers who value their skills and time more."

That rule is already getting pushback from businesses and business interests. Ryan, a company that provides tax services and software, said it filed a lawsuit against the FTC, accusing it of taking "lawless action."

"With history, logic, law, and the Constitution on our side, we look forward to righting this wrong by the FTC against employees and employers alike," John Smith, Ryan's chief legal officer and general counsel, said in a press release.

The US Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, and the Texas Association of Business have also sued to block the rule.

"The Federal Trade Commission's decision to ban employer noncompete agreements across the economy is not only unlawful but also a blatant power grab that will undermine American businesses' ability to remain competitive," Suzanne Clark, the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

Jeremy Merkelson, a partner at the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, speculated that the groups challenging the rule were likely to succeed. Merkelson said that while a Supreme Court majority would "likely reject that such a broad concept gives the FTC specific authority to upend millions of worker contracts," a court might let the ban on noncompetes survive for lower-level workers while invalidating the rule for senior executives.

Brainard argued that "a lot of Republicans and some of the businesses and special interests that they're supporting will try to challenge these actions because it means that they have to pass on savings to consumers," adding, "They have to lower prices; they have to give working families a break."

Elizabeth Wilkins, the former chief of staff to the chair and director of the Office of Policy and Planning at the FTC, described noncompetes as "fundamentally at odds" with the American promise of being able to find opportunities that fit workers' skills and talents. Zooming out, she said, the ban might make a labor market with less friction, where workers can match with employers that make sense for them, boosting productivity.

"To me," Wilkins said, "this rule represents the absolute best of government working for people."

Will a ban on noncompetes, new overtime thresholds, or airline refunds affect your life? Contact this reporter at jkaplan@businessinsider.com.

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• Apple is in talks with OpenAI and Google to bring AI to the next iPhone, Bloomberg reported.
• The iPhone 16 is expected to be released sometime this fall.
• Tim Cook in recent months has teased that Apple has big plans for AI coming this year.

Apple is weighing its options for bringing AI to the next-generation iPhone.

The tech giant is in talks with both OpenAI and Google to bring generative AI to iOS 18, the next iPhone operating system, but has not reached a final decision between ChatGPT and Gemini or another third-party provider, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Business Insider previously reported that the iPhone 16 is expected to be released this fall. It is set to be the first of Apple's smartphones to incorporate generative AI, which experts predict will send Apple's stock surging.

While the next iPhone could include AI-driven features based on Apple's in-house large language model, Bloomberg reports that the company plans to partner with a more established AI creator to incorporate a chatbot similar to OpenAI's GPT model.

The outlet reported that Apple had initially discussed a deal with OpenAI earlier this year, though collaboration between the two companies has slowed since then.

In recent months, CEO Tim Cook has been more outspoken about Apple's plans to dive into AI. In February, he said that big announcements would be made later this year about his company incorporating the tech into its existing product lines.

"As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other technologies that will shape the future," BI previously reported he said during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, "That includes artificial intelligence, where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort."

Apple previously announced plans to launch a Mac lineup with new M4 processors focused on AI, which led the company's stock to jump 4% despite heavy scrutiny from regulators and an antitrust lawsuit filed against the company by the DOJ in March.

The suit, combined with headwinds from China in the form of diminished sales in that key market, has created "a perfect storm for Cupertino," analyst Dan Ives wrote in an April 9 report on the company's stock. However, he noted he still believes Apple will outperform the current market return.

"Our forest through the trees view on Apple is all about navigating this next 1-2 quarters and getting on to the other side of easier comps, AI announcement at WWDC, stronger upgrade cycle for iPhone 16, and the monetization opportunity of the golden installed base in Cupertino," Ives wrote in his analysis.

Apple, Google, and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

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• Putin critic Alexey Navalny's death may not have been planned to happen when it did, WSJ reported.
• The Journal reported that this opinion is shared by several US intelligence agencies.
• Navalny's supporters insist his death in an arctic gulag was arranged by the Kremlin.

Alexey Navalny's February death in a remote Arctic prison camp likely wasn't directly ordered by Vladimir Putin, despite Navalny's outspoken criticism of the Russian president, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Despite the suspicious circumstances of the opposition leader's death, the outlet reported Putin may not have intended Navalny to be killed when he was.

The Journal, citing "people familiar with the matter," reported that several US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the State Department's intelligence unit, share this opinion.

None of the intelligence agencies cited by the Journal or the Pentagon have responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.

While the Journal reported US intelligence sources believe the timing of Navalny's death — which occurred as his staffers claimed he was on the brink of being freed — wasn't specifically intended by Putin, the outlet noted the Russian president is not entirely absolved of responsibility for Navalny's death on the world stage, with analysts in Poland and some European intelligence agencies remaining skeptical of suggestions that Putin wasn't involved, while Navalny's allies remain insistent that the Kremlin orchestrated it.

Leonid Volkov, a Navalny ally, told the Journal, "The idea of Putin being not informed and not approving killing Navalny is ridiculous."

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• Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz lobbed one of his boldest claims against Tesla on Wednesday.
• The tech founder alleged in a Threads post that Tesla has misled consumers on a "massive scale."
• He did not provide detailed evidence for each of his allegations.

A Facebook cofounder's attacks against Tesla continues, and it comes with one of his boldest allegations against the company to date: Tesla is the next Enron.

Dustin Moskovitz, the Facebook cofounder who later went on to start Asana, claimed in a Threads post on Wednesday that the EV maker has misled consumers "on a massive scale," accusing Tesla of lying about its Full-Self Driving software and the vehicle's ranges.

Spokespeople for Tesla and Asana did not respond to a request for comment.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not directly address Moskovitz's allegations but instead, on Friday, hurled insults and a slur at the Facebook cofounder on X.

Musk then followed up with another post: "I'd like to apologize to Dustin Moskovitz for calling him a 'retard'. That was wrong. What I meant to say is that he is a pompous idiot whose his head is so far up his own ass that he is legally blind. I wish him the best and hope that someday we can be friends."

Moskovitz had not yet addressed Musk's posts on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Facebook cofounder acknowledged the gravity of his comments in his social media post.

"I know I sound crazy to most people who don't follow $TSLA closely but at this point it really needs to be said," he wrote. "This is Enron now, folks."

To recap the two-decade-old scandal, Enron, the energy giant, filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after it was caught using creative accounting to hide billions of dollars in debt and lying about its sources of revenue. The company's chief executives were found guilty of fraud and conspiracy in 2006.

Moskovitz didn't outline detailed evidence for each of his allegations, but he did share graphs from Tesla that he claims reveal how the automaker is trying to show an increase in miles driven with FSD, Tesla's driver-assistance technology that is critical for the company's path to autonomous driving and robotaxis.

The tech founder went as far as predicting that people would end up in jail.

No executives at Tesla have been charged with a crime, and the company has never been found liable for consumer or securities fraud.

The company has faced lawsuits and probes from federal regulators regarding Tesla's FSD technology or Autopilot and its vehicle range, but there are no legal challenges related to the automaker misleading people about mileage usage with Tesla's driver-assistance feature.

Most lawsuits have come from drivers who alleged that Tesla is misleading customers about FSD's capabilities. So far, the company has either settled or has been found not liable.

On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was investigating whether Tesla sufficiently addressed issues with the company's Autopilot software after its December recall of 2 million vehicles.

Tesla is also facing a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bloomberg reported last year that federal regulators are investigating how Tesla's driver-assistance software was marketed and if Musk had any involvement in the promotion of the technology.

Drivers also have accused Tesla of inflating its vehicle mile range, bringing a class-action lawsuit against the company. A judge said in March that plaintiffs will have to go through individual arbitrations.

In the company's 2023 third-quarter earnings report, Tesla disclosed that the Justice Department subpoenaed the company for information related to "vehicle range" and other matters.

Moskovitz also has long been skeptical of Elon Musk and his ventures.

Last year, the Asana founder suggested that Tesla and SpaceX are overvalued and that the companies' leader is given too much credit.

"The point is I don't really see these companies as dispensating impact, or at least don't give nearly as much credit to him as others do," Moskovitz said on Threads. "If they were really built on outward lies, rather than just self-deceptions (rose-colored glasses), then we should really see them as scams he got away with."

Moskovitz has even called on Musk to resign from his executive role in all his companies after Musk called an antisemitic post on X the "actual truth."

"I call on Elon Musk to resign," Moskovitz said on Threads last year, adding that he should resign "(from everything)."

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• If you've ever sent a message that said "hi" and nothing else, you may be guilty of "hey hanging."
• Some workers say the practice can cause anxiety and disrupt productivity.
• "Please don't say just hello in chat," a website on the issue reads. "Just ask the question!"

Have you ever been deep in the zone, finally making quality progress on a challenging project that had stumped you for weeks, when the audible, abrupt, triple-ping alert of a new Slack message pulled you out of your concentrated state, only to read a simple message of:

"Hey."

And nothing else.

You may be a victim of so-called "hey hanging," in which a coworker sends a brief greeting in an instant message but does not actually tell you what they want — leading you to, naturally, enter an anxiety spiral of speculation about whether you've done something horribly wrong or if you're about to get pulled off task into another project.

Or maybe you've been the one to send a "hi hi" or "heya" or "hello" and then forgotten to follow up.

The practice of "hey hanging," as it was called in The Wall Street Journal, is a small way in which coworkers can find themselves out of step with each other, especially in the age of remote work, which studies suggest has negatively impacted communication in the workplace.

Workers who engage in "hey hanging" may not see the harm in it, or they might intend to send a quick follow-up but get distracted or pulled into another task themselves. Regardless of why they do it, some people on the receiving end are begging them to stop.

There's even a website dedicated to condemning the practice: nohello.net.

"Please don't say just hello in chat," the website says, "Imagine calling someone on the phone, going hello! then putting them on hold…"

"Just ask the question!" the website reads, along with a whining emoji.

The Journal talked to pairs of coworkers who had different views on the subject. One brand strategist in Chicago told the outlet when her colleague "hey hangs" her via text, she simply doesn't respond until they send a follow up with the actual question.

But the "hey-hanging" colleague told the Journal she thought starting with a simple greeting was just being polite.

"It's kind of rude to jump into someone's texts and word-vomit whatever I want," she said. "But now I'm seeing it's a thing that people don't necessarily love."

Ultimately, if a colleague regularly "hey hangs" you and you find it disruptive, it's best to communicate to them openly and honestly that you'd prefer more information in the initial reach out, Constance Hadley, a professor of management and organizations at Boston University, told the Journal.

In part, because I could relate to having my editor "hey hang" me, I hesitated a moment before bringing this story up to her via Slack.

But she responded very quickly.

"ugh i do this to ppl all the time," she wrote. "and i feel terrible."

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• Longtime personal assistant Rhona Graff took the stand Friday in Trump's NY hush-money trial.
• On cross, a defense lawyer asked multiple questions about Trump "multi-tasking" while signing checks.
• Trump may argue he was distracted when he signed the only allegedly-falsified records he personally handled. 

A longtime personal assistant to Donald Trump was compelled by subpoena to take the stand against him in his New York hush-money trial Friday — but she may have helped her former boss more than harmed him.

The now-retired assistant, Rhona Graff, told jurors that Trump was prone to "multi-tasking" and sometimes would be on the phone at the same time he signed checks.

And nine of Trump's personally-signed checks — reimbursing his then attorney, Michael Cohen, in monthly installments for a $130,000 hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels — are the most damning evidence in the GOP frontrunner's Manhattan criminal trial.

The testimony was elicited during Graff's cross-examination by Trump attorney Susan Necheles.

"Am I correct that when he would sign checks he was also multi-tasking?" Necheles asked Graff.

"It happened on occasion," Graff answered.

"You would see him often on the phone when he was signing checks?" the lawyer pressed.

This phone-in-one-hand, Sharpie-in-the-other multitasking didn't happen often, Graff told Necheles — but it did happen.

"I don't know how common it was at the White House," the former assistant added.

The nine checks are the only records bearing Trump's signature out of 34 checks, invoices, and business-ledger records he allegedly falsified.

Friday's testimony suggests that the defense — or Trump himself if he takes the stand — may be laying the groundwork for a claim that he was on the phone and distracted by running the country throughout 2017, as he affixed his signature to nine monthly hush-money reimbursement checks made out out to Cohen, his attorney and "fixer" at the time.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges that the nine checks — one each for the months April through December — were cut from Trump's personal bank account.

Each month, another check was sent through Fed- Ex Fed-exed from the Trump Organization to the White House for Trump's signature, Bragg alleges.

After Trump signed each check, it would be sent through FedEx back to the Trump Organization's Trump Tower headquarters, scanned into the company records, and then cut and mailed to Cohen.

The checks reimbursed Cohen for having directly paid Daniels $130,000 to stay silent just 11 days before the November, 2016 election, prosecutors allege.

On direct examination, Graff gave some damaging, or at least cringe-worthy, testimony, telling jurors that as part of her Trump Organization duties she kept Windows Outlook contact cards with phone numbers for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal on file.

Prosecutors allege Trump falsified business records in an election-influencing conspiracy to keep Daniels (a porn star), and McDougal (a former Playboy Bunny), from going public with allegations of having sexual liaisons with Trump.

Daniels was wired $130,000 in hush money just 11 days before Trump won the 2016 election. Trump denies sleeping with Daniels and McDougal or cooking his books.

"Did you create it?" a Manhattan prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, asked Graff, as People's Exhibit 83 was displayed on four large screens in the courtroom. Each screen showed an Outlook card for Daniels, her cellphone number blacked out.

"I believe I did," answered Graff, who said she could not recall a single instance in 34 years working for Trump when he used a computer.

But defense lawyer Susan Necheles used her cross examination to ask a series of softball questions that allowed the loyal ex-assistant to speak glowingly about Trump.

"Was he a good boss?" Necheles asked.

"I think that he was a fair and — what's the word I'm looking for? — respectful boss to me," Graff told jurors of working alongside Trump in the Trump Organization headquarters on the 25th-floor of Trump Tower.

Trump asked about her family, told her to go home when she worked late, and gave her a good seat at his inauguration, the assistant said.

"I was on the platform," Graff said, smiling at the memory of the inauguration. "I don't think I deserved to be, frankly, but I was on the platform," she added.

"I'll say it was a pretty unique, pleasurable experience," she added.

Testimony is set to continue on Monday, and the trial is expected to last another month. If convicted, Trump faces anywhere from no jail to four years in prison.

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The S95D is one of the best Samsung TVs you can buy and one of the most impressive high-end displays from any brand this year. It's Samsung's latest flagship OLED, improving upon last year's already excellent S95C. Most notably, it delivers the highest peak brightness I've ever recorded on an OLED display. 

It also offers top-notch color performance and incorporates a new anti-glare filter that cuts down reflections better than any display of this type. The matte screen does hurt black-level performance in bright rooms, but the S95D is the only OLED I've seen that can handle glare this well.

Competitors in this class, like the LG G4 and Sony A95L, perform a bit better in certain areas (and worse in others), but there's no doubt the Samsung S95D is a top contender in the premium TV market.

A new benchmark for OLED TV brightness

The Samsung S95D is a picture performance champ with all the bells and whistles that buyers should expect from a TV in this price range. Thanks to its QD-OLED panel (OLED with quantum dots), the display offers pixel-level contrast and a wide range of vibrant colors, which leads to exceptional high-dynamic-range (HDR) images. And on top of that, the S95D is the brightest OLED I've ever measured.

I put the TV in Filmmaker mode for testing purposes, which offers the most accurate picture settings. Using an X-Rite colorimeter, I measured a peak brightness of around 1,700 nits on a 10% HDR test pattern (a white box that takes up 10% of the screen). That's about 350 nits more than last year's version of this TV, the Samsung S95C, and about 200 nits more than the S95D's top competitors, including the LG G4. 

However, the S95D can only hit 1,700 nits in short bursts before dimming significantly. On the 10% test pattern, the TV gradually fell to around 750 nits and dropped more over time. I've seen this kind of behavior on a few other OLED TVs, but it's more extreme on this model than on competitors. But while that might sound like a major drawback, it actually isn't that big of a deal. It's rare for HDR videos to call for sustained brightness that high. Most highlights that actually need to get very bright (like a gunshot or an explosion in a movie) only flash on the screen quickly, and the S95D can handle those instances well.

As it stands, the S95D's brightness capabilities help the TV produce a vibrant image and give you plenty of headroom to pump up luminance and adjust settings to suit spaces that let in a lot of light. It also helps the TV display high-brightness HDR videos closer to how filmmakers intended them to look. And the results are fantastic.

The S95D delivers impressive image quality when watching actual movies and TV shows. During my testing session, I sampled various film sequences I use across all the TVs I evaluate, including scenes from 4K Blu-ray discs like "The Matrix," "Aquaman," "Ex Machina," "Blade Runner," "Game of Thrones," and "La La Land," as well as HDR streaming demos from YouTube.

With high-quality 4K material, the TV simply stuns. Fine details are sharp, contrast is high, and saturation is rich with bold hues that pop from the screen when called for. That said, while most demo material came through with the kind of bright saturation I expect from a QD-OLED with such high color volume, the climactic battle in "Aquaman" looked a bit more subdued than I was expecting. I have a hunch something wonky was going on with the settings, so I'll revisit that sequence when I conduct extended testing and update this section with additional findings. 

The opening scene from "The Matrix" is a great showcase for the S95D's contrast performance in a dark room. Bright specular highlights, like a police officer's flashlight, pop off the screen while black levels remain deep. And since each pixel on the TV's OLED panel can dim and brighten independently, the S95D is completely free from the kind of backlight blooming issues you'd see on competing QLED TVs. With the lights on, however, this scene reveals some of the drawbacks associated with the S95D's matte-screen finish (more on that in the next section).

The S95D handles gradients smoothly with minimal instances of banding. Our go-to real-world test scene from "Ex Machina" only revealed tiny hints of banding in the extreme red shades around one character's shoulder, which is about equal to what I've seen on other high-end sets.   

I also sampled a few regular HD videos in standard dynamic range and some lower-quality streams from Samsung's free live TV service, Samsung TV Plus, and the S95D handled them well. That said, upscaling isn't quite as good as you'll see on Sony's flagship TVs, so you'll get a slightly softer image with more source-related flaws visible.  

Note: The S95D is available in 55-, 65-, and 77-inch screen sizes, and they all offer the same display specifications. Samsung says all S95D models being shipped to retailers in the US right now use QD-OLED panels. However, there is speculation that the brand could sell versions of its 2024 OLED TVs with WRGB panels instead. WRGB OLED panels don't incorporate quantum dots, so any S95D TV with that panel type would offer reduced color and brightness capabilities. Again, this shouldn't be a concern for anyone shopping for an S95D now, but I'll update this review if WRGB variants end up being released in the US. 

The matte screen nearly eliminates reflections, but black levels suffer

One of the S95D's most striking features is its new glare-free screen filter. Virtually every other TV sold right now (including last year's S95C) uses a glossy finish that causes a reflective quality when you watch TV in a bright room. But, the S95D has a matte finish that significantly reduces glare and reflections. In fact, it almost eliminates them entirely. 

Seriously, this is one of the best screens I've seen for handling glare. The only other notable TV with a similar matte coating is Samsung's own Frame, but that model can't match the S95D's overall image quality. And when you add in the TV's high brightness capabilities, the S95D cements itself as a great option for rooms that let in a lot of light. However, the TV's glare-free screen does have a negative effect on black-level performance.

Instead of having the deep, inky quality that OLED black levels are known for, blacks look a bit elevated, hazy, and gray when watching TV with the lights on. This was very evident when viewing dark scenes, like the opening sequence of "The Matrix," in a bright room. 

I'm a bit torn about this side effect, and while I know that many buyers will love the perks of the S95D's matte screen, I lean toward preferring a glossier look that preserves black levels. I studied filmmaking and am a huge movie buff, so picture accuracy is one of the most important aspects of a TV to me. Deep black levels are a huge part of preserving the intended look of a movie, so the matte screen's negative impact on contrast is disappointing. That said, there's no denying how well the filter works at reducing reflections, so if you have a big issue with glare in your room, the pros here will outweigh the cons. 

Outside the matte screen, the S95D's design looks a lot like the 2023 S95C, and that's not a bad thing. This 2024 model carries over its predecessor's uniformly thin profile and has a similar pedestal stand, as well as a One Connect box, which houses all of the TV's video and audio ports instead of having them built into the panel. Build quality is also sturdy and a clear step up from cheaper designs used on sets from more budget-friendly brands. 

The smart TV interface is solid, and you can stream Xbox games with a subscription

Samsung's smart TV interface, which runs on the Tizen operating system, has received a few minor design tweaks for a slightly more streamlined look, but by and large, it offers a similar experience compared to last year's offering. 

Navigation through menus was snappy during my initial time with the TV and seemed a bit more consistent than last year's model. Some apps can still take a little longer to load than they do on dedicated streaming devices I've tested, but I like how there's now a loading bar that appears when opening apps. 

As with last year's model, the interface features a dedicated Gaming Hub section, and Samsung is still the only TV brand to offer built-in support for the Xbox app. This means you can stream Xbox games directly to the TV without a console, so long as you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership and a Bluetooth controller. 

Xbox streaming performance relies heavily on your internet connection and is limited to HD resolution in standard dynamic range with two-channel sound, but the feature gets the job done. It's not how I'd recommend playing top-tier releases, but it's solid for more casual titles.

Meanwhile, when playing video games via a connected console or PC, the S95D has all the premium features you should look for, including a variable refresh rate and support for up to 4K/144Hz to enable smooth gameplay.  

Should you buy it?

Based on my initial testing, the Samsung S95D is an excellent option for anyone who wants a high-end OLED TV. It delivers fantastic image quality with the highest peak brightness I've seen on a display of this type, and its matte-screen filter is a game changer for buyers who struggle with glare and reflections in their living rooms. 

However, that glare-free screen does hurt black-level performance with the lights on, so there's a definite tradeoff. If your room doesn't have issues with reflections, I recommend considering last year's S95C instead. It's cheaper and uses a glossy coating. And though the S95C's peak brightness is about 30% dimmer than the S95D's, it still gets bright enough for most needs. 

In this class, you should also consider the LG G4 and Sony A95L as alternatives. They both use glossy screens and have some other pros and cons compared to the S95D. Neither can get quite as bright as Samsung's flagship, but the G4 can sustain high brightness levels for a longer period of time, and the A95L benefits from Sony's superior picture processing to provide a slightly more accurate image. And they both support Dolby Vision, while the S95D does not. Check out our guide to HDR and Dolby Vision for details on why that feature could be a worthwhile perk. 

Ultimately, buyers seeking a premium viewing experience can't go wrong with any high-end OLED TV. But, the S95D's matte screen and exceptionally high brightness do give it an edge for viewers who want an OLED that's uniquely suited for combating glare and reflections in rooms that let in a lot of light.

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• Walmart CEO Doug McMillon received total compensation of $26.9 million in the last fiscal year.
• The median compensation for associates was $27,642, according to Walmart's annual proxy statement.
• Since 2009, McMillon has received a combined $136 million for his work as a Walmart executive.

The CEO of the world's largest company just had another very good year.

Walmart's Doug McMillon received total compensation last year of more than $26.9 million, up $1.6 million from the year before, according to the company's annual proxy statement filed Thursday with the SEC.

The pay package consisted of $1.5 million in base salary, $19.6 million in stock awards, and $5.8 million in other compensation.

It's a sizable increase from his first wage job unloading trucks for the retailer earning $6.50 an hour in 1984, which would be about $19.79 in today's dollars.

The 57-year-old Arkansas native is now in charge of 2.1 million workers across more than 10,000 retail stores around the globe, and annual sales of $648 billion — that's more people and higher sales than any other private employer in the world.

Of those 2 million-plus workers, the median employee was paid $27,642 last year, up 1.8 percent from last year. McMillon's compensation is 976 times that amount.

By comparison, Target CEO Brian Cornell's most recently disclosed compensation package was $17.6 million, while Craig Jelinek made $16.8 million in his final year as Costco CEO. Their pay ratios were 680 and 336, respectively.

Under a new calculation that companies are required to disclose as of last year, McMillon saw his net worth grow by nearly $47.5 million last year after adjustments to recognize the fair value of his stock awards.

Since 2009, Walmart has paid McMillon a combined total of nearly $163 million for his work as an executive. Prior to becoming CEO, McMillon was in charge of the corporation's international division from 2009 to 2014, and head of Sam's Club from 2005 to 2009.

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• The median employee at Meta earned over $379,000 in 2023, according to a recent filing.
• This figure is significantly higher than many tech jobs, though on par with rivals like Google and Amazon.
• Meta has laid off workers and is spending billions on AI.

If you're a tech worker at Meta, you probably make out pretty well for yourself.

That's according to a recent SEC filing, where the company stated that its median employee made just over $379,000 in 2023.

Meta employs around 67,000 people, according to the filing, so there's bound to be considerable variation.

An Insider analysis previously found that higher-level software engineers and researchers at the company tend to make more in base pay than product designers and user experience professionals.

Nevertheless, Meta's median figure is substantially higher than the average tech position, which tends to fall between $35,000 to $120,000 depending on the role, according to data listed by one recruitment firm.

But within the world of Big Tech, Meta's median salary isn't as eye-popping as it might seem. Industry giants like Google and Amazon also have positions that regularly offer well above $300,000 in compensation.

The same filing noted that CEO Mark Zuckerberg's total compensation in 2023 was $24.4 million.

Most came from security and logistical costs since the Facebook cofounder took home a salary of just $1 last year. (Of course, most of Zuckerberg's $157 billion net worth is tied up in his stock options.)

Even with such attractive compensation, it doesn't mean that working at Meta is becoming any easier.

Earlier this year, Zuckerberg told employees that, going forward, the company will make its so-called "Year of Efficiency" — the drive to maximize productivity by stepping up performance reviews and layoffs — the permanent state of affairs.

The company has cut 22% of its staff since 2022 with no end in sight. Meta reported strong earnings in its latest quarterly call, but also doubled down on Zuckerberg's plan to spend billions more on AI, spooking investors.

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