A UK warship on Wednesday destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile likely targeting a commercial ship.
It marked the Royal Navy's first such kill since the Gulf War, according to a report.
A 1991 engagement marked the first time ship-launched anti-air missiles successfully destroyed an enemy missile in naval combat.
A UK warship on Wednesday shot down a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen, marking the Royal Navy's first such kill since the Gulf War more than 30 years ago.
The HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, used its advanced Sea Viper missile interceptors to down the deadly Houthi threat while the warship was protecting a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, according to a new report.
US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said on Wednesday that a coalition vessel had "successfully engaged" an anti-ship ballistic missile over the Gulf of Aden earlier in the day, marking the first confirmed Houthi attack in over a week.
The missile was likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a US-flagged, owned, and operated merchant vessel with American and Greek crew members aboard, CENTCOM noted in a statement. There was no reported damage or injuries, it added.
A view shows HMS Diamond in the Red Sea on Operation Prosperity Guardian, in this handout image taken on January 6, 2024.
Chris Sellars/Handout via REUTERS
The coalition vessel has since been identified as the Diamond by The Times, which reported new details of the engagement on Thursday. Grant Shapps, the UK defense secretary, confirmed the incident and told the outlet that it was the first time a missile was intercepted in combat by a Royal Navy warship since 1991.
During the Gulf War, the Type 42 destroyer HMS Gloucester used Sea Dart missiles to destroy an Iraqi silkworm anti-ship missile that was targeting an American warship. That engagement marked the first time anti-air missiles successfully destroyed an enemy missile threat during a battle at sea.
It is not immediately clear what type of missile the Houthis used on Wednesday. The rebels are confirmed to have employed a variety of missiles and drones of Iranian origin since they started attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden last year.
The UK Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Business Insider's queries on the engagement.
The Diamond first deployed to the region in December as part of a US Navy-led task force that has been squaring off against relentless Houthi threats off the coast of Yemen. The warship spent several weeks back home earlier this year to receive maintenance and additional supplies, but it has since returned to the region.
The HMS Diamond, a UK warship, responds to a Houthi attack on Jan. 9, 2023.
Royal Navy
During these deployments, the Diamond has used its Sea Viper missiles and 30mm gun to destroy a handful of Houthi drones on multiple occasions. Several other European warships have also destroyed Houthi threats in the air, alongside American vessels.
Meanwhile, shortly after the Diamond's engagement on Wednesday, which ended a period of relative calm in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that lasted a little more than a week, US forces destroyed four drones over Yemen.
CENTCOM said it was determined that the Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and drones presented "an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region."
"These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels," CENTCOM added.
Excavators demolished the home on Hummock Pond Road this week after a series of storms severely eroded the property. The town had approved its demolition last month.
Sternlicht, who Forbes reports is worth $3.8 billion, originally purchased 289 Hummock Pond Road for $610,000 in 2010 in a foreclosure sale, according to property records. The home changed hands between two Sternlicht-linked trusts in 2016, the year he got divorced, for $1.6 million. Then, in 2019, he purchased 287 Hummock Pond Road for $1.3 million.
In 2020, hurricanes eroded the properties, and the town ordered one of the two homes on the land demolished, according toa Vanity Fair story published at the time. The other home was moved onto steel girders, where it sat until it was razed this week.
A representative for Sternlicht told Business Insider the house was to be demolished but did not provide further comment.
The Nantucket Current reported that there was nowhere else on the lot, which is surrounded by water, to move the home after so much of the land was swept away by rising sea levels. Shelly Lockwood, a real-estate agent on Nantucket, told Business Insider that the land was too unstable to hold the equipment needed to move the house elsewhere on the island and that, due to strict zoning rules, it's unlikely Sternlicht will be allowed to rebuild on the property.
The tony island of Nantucket is a favorite among billionaires like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Blackstone leader Steve Schwarzman. Sternlicht's neighbor is James Pallota, the investor and former Celtics minority owner. Pallota also owns a nearly 3-acre lot further inland with an assessed value of about $7 million.
But property values on what was once some of the most valuable spits of coastal properties are now falling because of the erosion caused by storms and rising sea levels.
"It's crazy," Lockwood said about the properties. "They are dropping into the ocean."
On nearby Sheep Pond Road, a home that was once listed for $2.3 million in September ended up selling for $600,000 in February.
"I'd like to think that it'll be there for a while, but I was definitely aware of the risk of any particular storm causing a problem in the future," the owner, Brendan Maddigan, told The Boston Globe.
Another home on that street had its price cut in half, from $3 million to $1.5 million, after three months on the market.
"Prices are going to have to start dropping. It's becoming more and more obvious that there is no value there. You are taking a big risk," Lockwood said. "If your portfolio can stand the loss, then have fun and enjoy the beachfront home — just don't expect it to be here next year."
Nantucket real-estate attorney Steven Cohen counts at least "five or six hot spots" for erosion around the island that threaten existing structures, including the local airport. He estimates one or two homes every year have to be moved or demolished because of the phenomenon, which threatens nearly every aspect of life on the island.
"Erosion takes out houses, roads, infrastructure, sewer beds, even airport runways," he told Business Insider. "The town is trying to figure out what to do."
Despite the island's propensity for natural destruction, the town has strict rules regarding what structures owners can take down.
Many homeowners on Nantucket who want to rebuild can't just knock down the homes on their properties. Instead, they must move them. Some offer up the structures for free to those willing to take them off their lots.
The "demolition delay" rule, as it's known, was initially implemented for environmental reasons, Cohen said. Island officials were concerned about an overflow of materials clogging local dumps.
Under the rule, owners who want to tear down an existing home must advertise it in the local paper for 30 days. They are not required to offer the house for free, but in practice, many owners offer it for free to incentivize its removal.
Though it began with green aspirations, the rule has become a cornerstone of affordable housing on the island. Families with access to land but without the means to afford astronomical building costs often snap up the homes. Many structures are also bought by the nonprofit Housing Nantucket, which converts them into income-restricted rentals for the island's year-round workforce.
But when owners who experience heavy erosion wait too long, the land around the homes can no longer support removal — as was the case for Sternlicht.
"The owners didn't do anything fast enough — they've known these houses are going in the drink," Lockwood said. "It was at a point of no return."
Do you live in Nantucket and have a story about the effects of climate change on the island? Reach out to the reporters via Mberg@businessinsider.com or Dlatu@businessinsider.com.
Ukrainian servicemen of Azov brigade are seen at an artillery position as Russia-Ukraine war continues in the direction of Lyman, Ukraine on April 07, 2024.
Anadolu via Getty Images
Ukraine is urged to use its $61 billion US aid package carefully as some experts say future aid is uncertain.
Political divisiveness and the upcoming US elections could complicate the passage of further aid.
Experts suggest Ukraine use aid to build defenses and negotiate with Russia to prevent further losses.
War experts are advising Ukraine to use its latest $61 billion US aid package cautiously as there is always the possibility that American aid could again be derailed by politics.
"Every fight over every next increment has gotten increasingly contentious and increasingly long," said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, referring to the months-long deliberation of the most recent package for Ukraine that passed in the Senate on Wednesday and past assistance debates. "I think that the plan should be what if there is no more money."
During a Defense Priorities Wednesday discussion panel, experts such as Kelly Grieco, a Stimson Center senior fellow, weighed in, saying that "everyone involved in this conflict should treat this aid package as though it's the last one and plan accordingly, because that could be."
The upcoming US presidential election, in which the presumed Republican candidate is far less supportive of Ukraine, as well as the continued divisiveness of the Ukraine security assistance discussion between the political parties in Congress, could complicate the passage of future aid for Ukraine, which has not been brought up yet but almost certainly will as the war drags on.
"It's uncertain who's going to be in office in January," Kavanagh said, further remarking that there is "certainly no appetite for starting the fight over January 2025 now."
Servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine undergo training to storm enemy trenches using simulation equipment as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Kharkiv Region, Ukraine on February 29, 2024.
Anadolu via Getty Images
With the US aid that was just approved, some conflict analysts assess that Ukraine's next steps to make the most of the new assistance should include building up defenses and exploring the possibility of negotiating with Russia.
"I think Ukraine can win this war. It cannot win militarily in any way, it can win politically, though," Grieco said. "It can actually gain a political victory by not allowing Putin to achieve his main goal, which is to subjugate Ukraine," she said, noting that "Ukraine can remain a viable state and an independent state from Russia."
Both Grieco and Kavanagh emphasized the importance of Ukraine showing up to the negotiating table and using diplomacy with Russia to prevent further land losses.
Ukrainian soldiers reload an artillery unit on the front line, in the direction of the Kreminna as Russian – Ukraine war continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on January 30, 2024.
Ignacio Marin/Anadolu via Getty Images
Other experts, as well as Ukrainian officials, are critical of calls for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and have said that Vladimir Putin would demand the "demilitarization" of Ukraine in order to take advantage of it.
Experts of the Washington-based Institute of the Study of War said in a March report that they continue to "assess that Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains his maximalist objectives in Ukraine, which are tantamount to complete Ukrainian and Western capitulation, and that Russia has no interest in good-faith negotiations with Ukraine."
Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba has said that Russia cannot be trusted, a reality he says is proven by its documented failures to live up to past negotiations.
He reminded the world last November in a statement on social media that "Putin is a habitual liar who promised international leaders that he would not attack Ukraine days before his invasion in February 2022." Kuleba said no one can seriously expect the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia.
The challenge is that six months of delayed assistance have put Ukraine in a difficult position, one that may not immediately be rectified by the coming aid.
During the panel discussion Wednesday, Kavanagh argued that starting negotiations will also buy Ukraine time as it's expected that the approved US aid will not be flowing in all at once. "The reality is that politics is involved, which means that things won't be perfect and there will be delays," she said.
By Premkumar Balasubramanian, senior vice president, chief technical officer, Hitachi Digital Services
Too often, discussions about generative AI revolve around the tasks it can perform rather than the business objectives it can support. To assess the value of investments in generative AI models, companies must first develop their knowledge of the tools' potential for financial impact.
Hitachi Digital Services provides organizations with the expert guidance they need to select appropriate use cases, models that are relevant across multiple dimensions, and a structured methodology to take those use cases from concept to production. We partner with customers to build models that are trained to produce data customized for specific industry use cases that meet their business outcome, accuracy, cost, and responsibility criteria.
And, through our Hitachi Application Reliability Centers (HARC), we help organizations evaluate the resulting ROI on the basis of quantifiable metrics for reliability, observability, and impact on their financial operations. Here's why adopting AI can help companies meet their operational and financial goals.
Converting AI to ROI by protecting business assets
Achieving a strong ROI starts with recognizing that unlocking data's value depends on defining its structure and ensuring that the tools you use will support your financial and business performance targets. Your models must be trained meticulously to capture a comprehensive understanding of the business assets they're protecting and the operational behaviors they're intended to manage.
With a rich and growing library of accelerators under our RO2.ai (Reliable, Observable, and Optimal AI) framework, Hitachi Digital Services helps organizations identify the right use case for the desired business outcome. We then help pair each use case with the right AI strategy, including the applicability of generative AI. Our decades of industry experience give us the expertise you need to build and train specific AI models for your specific use cases. While AI applicability to a use case can potentially be tested using proofs of concept, landing your use cases in production to achieve meaningful business value requires a meticulous methodology that takes into account factors such as responsible AI, AI observability, and cost management through FinOps for AI. HARC encompasses a set of tools, frameworks, and methodologies designed to help productionize applicable AI use cases.
To further support optimal financial operations for your company, your generative AI models must be trained to encompass operational and information technology priorities and perspectives. For this reason, Hitachi Digital Services strongly advocates building an AI strategy that uses federated quantized models to deliver volume, speed, and accuracy advantages keyed to specific use cases for the best ROI. Federation is a strategy that pairs specific models and use cases instead of attempting to create a one-size-fits-all solution, which can become cost-prohibitive over the long run.
Trained to flag and fix problems before they occur
Taken in the abstract, these technological explanations can sound to the uninitiated more like science fiction than business strategy. To understand how these ideas translate to real-world use, consider predictive maintenance use cases that are often implemented by organizations across domains such as fleet management, automotive, and plant floors.
Hitachi has worked in partnership with many organizations to develop predictive maintenance capabilities that enable them to more efficiently service fleet vehicles, predict and prevent manufacturing equipment outages, and improve the resilience of electrical grids. The next step in these organizations' digital transformation is to train sophisticated AI models that, when integrated into a company's operational and information technology platforms, can predict failures and prescribe the steps necessary to complete repairs preemptively before breakdowns occur.
To accomplish this effectively, enterprises need a methodology that can help them not only determine how generative AI technology will work for them, but also deploy and manage it at scale. HARC applies reliability engineering principles and model observability to ensure that new models operate reliably across different dimensions, accurately provide results, remain available, and respond faster.
By focusing on the development of federated, quantized models, HARC delivers multiple advantages in size, speed, and accuracy to its customers. For example, companies can:
From purpose-built models to organization-wide transformation
Hitachi Digital Services has implemented solutions across a broad spectrum of use cases. By integrating operational and information technologies with generative AI, the company has created models for transportation diagnostics, power substation design, accelerated decision-making in private equity, and knowledge management, among other areas of business concern.
Because the use cases for today's organizations are so diverse, it's essential to isolate the elements that can deliver the maximum ROI and train models to those objectives. Generative AI can and will ultimately have an organization-wide impact, but by developing purpose-built models attuned to specific use cases, companies can realize their strongest potential for achieving maximum long-term benefits.
He told the Stratechery podcast that employees often ask his advice for moving up the ranks.
McMillon's top tips: do your job well, be a good teammate, and help solve new challenges.
Doug McMillon is a rare phenomenon in modern business.
Not only does his career span a remarkable four decades with the same company, he's on the short list of CEOs who started on the very bottom rung of the corporate ladder.
From earning $6.50 an hour unloading Walmart trucks in 1984, McMillon has spent the past decade in the top job of the largest company in the world.
He now earns over $25 million per year overseeing a global operation of 2.1 million employees, more than 10,000 retail stores, and annual sales of $648 billion.
One question McMillon says he's often asked is how to rise through the ranks like he did.
In an interview with the Stratechery Podcast, he offered three tips:
Do your job well
"Don't take your current job for granted," he said. "The next job doesn't come if you don't do the one you've got well."
McMillon said he wrote a memo in the early 1990s asking to work with a division that was exploring how to adapt retail to the internet age.
"The answer that I got back was, 'Go back to work young man. You've got a lot to learn about retail.' So I did and it turned out great," he said.
Help your team
"Be a great teammate — you learn how to lead, you learn how to influence by the way you interact with your peers," he said. "Treat them well, help them, help them do a better job."
McMillon recalled visiting a store in South Dakota during the pandemic in 2020 where the manager had hired 40 bartenders and waiters who had just lost their jobs.
That store manager's decision to hire so many workers in a tough spot ultimately helped the company better fulfill the surge of online orders that followed.
"It was pretty dramatic and I think the team did a fantastic job," McMillon said.
Step up for new challenges
"Volunteer for something extra, volunteer for something hard," McMillon said.
He added that part of why he had opportunities to advance was because he would offer to step in for his boss in meetings while they were traveling or otherwise busy.
"I became a low risk promotion because people had already seen me do the job," he said.
The baby-boomer "time bomb" is finally upon us, economists say.
All boomers will be at least 65 soon, the generation's point of "peak burden" on the economy.
Future generations can take solace in the fact that no boomer-size generations are in the making.
A time bomb has been ticking in the US.
It's the baby boomers, who as they age are approaching their "peak burden" years in regard to their drag on the economy and the resources of younger generations.
Boomers have already gotten tons of flak from younger people over the economy they've left Gen Zers, millennials, and Generation X to inherit. By the end of this year, all boomers — defined by the US Census Bureau as being born from 1946 to 1964 — will be 60 or older.
This means the youngest boomers are rapidly approaching retirement, and a bigger retirement population means more of a drag on the US economy, a burden that Barclays senior economist Jonathan Millar expects to stretch on for the next 20 years.
"The peak burden," Millar told Business Insider, is when essentially all living baby boomers have hit retirement. "And we're getting there."
The date could fall sometime around 2029, when the youngest boomers will be 65, according to a Census Bureau report.
And it isn't the case that baby boomers will derail economic growth nearly as much as, say, a full-blown recession, according to Dean Baker, an economist who described the baby boomers as a "time bomb" in a 1998 paper.
"Yes, it does create strains, but the idea was just some horrible catastrophe that loomed on the horizon," he said of the public dialogue on aging boomers. "It was really just craziness."
Still, the consequences of an aging population are real — and it's expected to weigh on the US over the coming decades. Older people are just one of the many factors weighing on Japan's economy, for instance, with people over 65 making up more than 25% of the overall population.
Baby boomers have already weighed on the US economy, and the cohort risks being a bigger drag in the coming years, Millar said.
Boomers are taking up the housing supply
Boomers are taking up a disproportionately large share of the housing supply compared with previous generations. That has been a pain for other homebuyers, as lower housing inventory has helped push up home prices.
"It probably means we're headed for five or six years where baby boomers contribute to very strong housing demand, and we're going to have high house prices as a result," Millar warned.
Boomers also appear to be hogging the larger homes that millennials would otherwise be flocking to as they start families. In 2022, empty-nester baby boomers owned 28% of large homes in the US, a Redfin analysis found, double the share of millennial families.
As of January, the Chamber of Commerce estimated that the economy was still down about 1.7 million workers compared with before the coronavirus pandemic. The labor market, meanwhile, is staring at 9.5 million job openings.
The labor shortage could eventually spell trouble for the economy, as a low supply of workers pushes up wages, which can stoke inflation.
Boomer retirees are also still demanding goods and services in the economy. If they aren't contributing anything in labor, that demand is also inherently inflationary, Millar added.
Boomers are a risk to the stock market
Retirees, who are less tolerant of stock-market volatility, also pose a downside risk to stocks. Boomers are more likely to sell if the US economy tips into a recession. That's a problem, considering that analysis by Rosenberg Research found people 55 and older account for 80% of stock-market ownership in the US.
"Retirees don't have the luxury to buy and hold through a market downturn," the economist David Rosenberg said in a recent note. "If a downturn does materialize, demographically induced selling is a force that could exacerbate the spiral powerfully, with the effects ricocheting into consumer spending."
Boomers will drain Social Security
Finally, boomers are set to collect a large amount in Social Security payments. The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund is expected to be depleted in 2033, a year earlier than previously expected, the Social Security Administration said in a new report.
Politicians are averse to raising taxes or slashing spending on social programs, Millar noted, and are unlikely to let payments lapse. Instead, they'll most likely pay for the program by taking on more debt to keep funding retirees through old age.
"Any way you slice it, this is a burden on current and future generations of taxpayers," Millar added.
The silver lining is that there doesn't appear to be a baby-boomer redux in the making, Baker said. Millennials are a large generation, but after that, Gen Z and Alpha look to be much smaller, meaning there won't be a similar time bomb ticking for the economy.
"I think it's very unlikely that we're going to see another population boom like we had in the post-World War II years," Baker said. "If there's some set of events that lead to that, it's nothing I can see on the horizon."
Correction: February 5, 2024 — An earlier version of this story incorrectly described data from the National Association of Realtors. It found the housing market to have had its worst sales in 2023 since 1995, not ever.
This story was originally published in February 2024.
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Sling TV lets members pick between two affordable base plans.
Alyssa Powell/Business Insider
Sling TV is one of the best live TV streaming services you can sign up for without breaking the bank. With plans starting at $40 a month, it's an excellent midrange option with a healthy assortment of popular channels and features that cord-cutters crave.
But Sling isn't the only live TV option out there, and there are some areas where it falls behind more expensive services. To help you decide if Sling TV is the right choice for you and your household, we've broken down everything you need to know, including our thoughts on what it's like to use and how it stacks up to its main competitors.
What is Sling TV?
Sling is a live TV streaming service that offers access to many popular cable and satellite channels via an internet connection. That means no bulky cable boxes or tricky contracts, and you can get Sling for a fraction of the cost of most traditional pay-TV providers.
The service offers two primary plans geared toward different types of programming: Sling Orange leans toward sports, and Sling Blue toward news and entertainment. You can also combine both plans to get access to all of their channels, and there are add-on packages you can buy to unlock even more networks and premium stations, like Starz and Showtime.
How much is Sling TV?
Sling TV offers three primary plans, with prices starting at $40 a month. All Sling plans include 50 hours of DVR storage, but members can pay $5 a month extra to unlock DVR Plus with 200 hours.
Here's how much each of Sling TV's three main plans cost:
Plan
Monthly price
Number of channels
Number of streams
DVR storage
Sling Orange
$40
32
1
50 hours
Sling Blue
$40-$45*
42*
3
50 hours
Sling Orange + Blue
$55-$60*
49*
3
50 hours
*Sling Blue and Orange + Blue pricing and total channel offerings vary depending on location. Local NBC, Fox, and ABC stations are only available in select cities. Members must pay an extra $5 in areas that include all three local stations.
What channels come with Sling TV?
Sling TV's channel selection includes a lot of the most popular cable networks.
Alyssa Powell/Business Insider
Both Sling Orange and Blue start with the same selection of 25 channels, including popular cable networks like CNN, HGTV, Food Network, and more. But in addition to this base lineup, each plan has its own unique assortment of additional channels.
Orange has seven exclusive sports and family channels, including ESPN, Disney Channel, and Freeform. Meanwhile, Blue has 17 exclusive news and entertainment channels, including Discovery Channel and TLC, and local stations from ABC, Fox, and NBC in supported markets. On the downside, there is no option to stream your local CBS channel.
Sling TV also offers several add-on packages that you can purchase for an additional cost to unlock even more channels. Bundles like Sports Extra, Entertainment Extra, News Extra, and Kids Extra cost an extra $6 to $11 a month, each including anywhere from six to 14 additional channels. The Sports Extra add-on, for example, includes ESPNU, MLB Network, NBA TV, and more for $11 a month.
Many of these extra channels are included with base offerings from more expensive competitors like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Fubo, but some viewers may prefer how Sling TV lets you save money by offering these networks as optional add-ons.
Check out our Sling TV channels guide for a full breakdown of networks and features included with each plan and add-on.
Does Sling TV offer a free plan?
You can access 400 internet TV channels for free using the Sling app.
Sling TV
Sling TV does offer a free streaming option called "Freestream" that anyone can watch without an account. Though this plan does not include any traditional cable or local networks, it does feature access to over 400 ad-supported live internet TV channels.
Some of these stations are offshoots of major networks that broadcast select content from their libraries. For instance, you can watch channels like AMC Thrillers and VH1 I Love Reality.
These free internet channels aren't a substitute for true cable or satellite TV offerings, but they're a nice option for cord-cutters who aren't ready to commit to a paid subscription.
How do I stream Sling TV?
The Sling TV app is supported on several media players and mobile products, including all of the best streaming devices from Apple, Roku, Fire TV, and Chromecast, as well as iOS and Android phones, Xbox Series X|S, web browsers, and more. The app is also available directly through many of the best TVs from brands like Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense, Vizio, and TCL.
Check out a full list of every supported device on the Sling website.
What is Sling TV like to use?
Sling has a simple and easy to use interface.
Sling TV
After testing Sling on a web browser, smart TV, and Roku Ultra, we found the service to be intuitive and easy to use, an important characteristic for subscribers making the switch from cable. In our experience, streaming is stable and without interruption, but your results may differ based on your network connection quality.
Sling's interface lets you access a traditional channel guide where you can sort channels by their name or genre, and you can see which networks you've most recently watched. Once you choose a program and start watching live TV, you can press down on your remote to toggle an overlay on the bottom of the screen, which lets you see details about the program or jump into other content.
You can also press up on your remote to easily return to the full-screen guide from any live channel. The program you were watching keeps playing on a small pop-up screen in the lower right corner until you select another channel.
Outside the guide, Sling has a menu on the left side of the screen that lets you access a homepage with content recommendations, your DVR recordings, on-demand content, and settings. This is all simple to navigate, and there are no glaring omissions.
Is Sling TV worth it?
Sling is an excellent live TV streaming option for viewers who don't want to spend much money but still want more than the bare minimum. It lacks some perks that come with Hulu's pricier live TV service, like unlimited DVR and a complimentary Disney Plus subscription, but it includes some key networks that cheaper services, like Philo, are missing.
One of Sling's most attractive features is how it lets you choose between two affordable base plans to keep costs low. If you don't care about watching sports on ESPN networks, opting for Sling Blue at only $40 a month saves you a great deal of money compared to signing up for a service like Fubo, which costs double the price and forces you to pay for channels you might not want. Sling Blue even includes local channels in big cities, which is something that Philo's less expensive service lacks.
However, if you're looking for a live TV streaming solution to suit a big household with varied viewing needs, Sling may not be for you. Though you can customize a comprehensive plan with options for many different tastes by subscribing to Sling Orange + Blue and tacking on packages like the Sports Extra plan and DVR Plus, the cost adds up quickly. To get a fully inclusive Sling TV package with a channel selection and set of features that rivals Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV's base offerings, you'll end up paying about the same or, in some cases, even more than those services charge.
Sling is ultimately best for people who just want an Orange or Blue plan to get the essentials of cable TV but don't want to pay extra for all the other channels that come with more expensive services.
The bottom line
Sling TV is one of the best live TV streaming services on the market.
Sling TV
Starting at $40 a month, Sling TV is a competitive option for subscribers who want an affordable live TV streaming service that provides popular news, sports, entertainment, and family programming.
It's considerably cheaper than most competing live TV streaming services, and it offers more sports and news channels than Philo, Sling's top budget competitor. Though Philo is even cheaper at just $25 a month, Sling has plans that include stations like ESPN, NFL Network, CNN, ABC, NBC, and Fox, which are all missing from Philo.
Ultimately, Sling TV cements itself as a unique midrange option that rests between Philo's true budget pricing and the more common $65-$75 starting prices of other live TV services. Options like Hulu + Live TV remain a better fit for people willing to pay more for additional channels and extra perks like unlimited DVR, but in an age of rising prices, Sling TV's lower costs provide a nice streaming solution for first-time cord cutters switching over from cable or satellite TV.
Henrik Fisker held an all-hands with Fisker employees on Thursday.
Getty/Jeff Fusco
Fisker is in talks with four automakers for possible acquisition, according to CEO Henrik Fisker.
Fisker's CEO held an all-hands with staff on Thursday.
The company has warned it could go out of business this year.
Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker told staff during an all-hands meeting on Thursday that the company was in talks with four automakers for a potential buyout, according to a recording of the event viewed by Business Insider.
"We still have some time to get other offers on Fisker," he told staff on Thursday. "We do have four car companies that have signed NDAs. However, they obviously need time to get to some diligence."
The company did not specify who the four automakers were or how long it may take for the companies to complete due diligence as they work toward a potential agreement.
A deal with a major automaker that was rumored to be Nissan fell through earlier this year. The CEO told his staff on Thursday that the company has been working with Deutsche Bank to find a buyer. One offer to buy the company hadn't been "sufficient," he said, according to the recording.
The all-hands meeting comes two days after Fisker warned investors it could seek bankruptcy protection within 30 days if it could not shore up more liquidity. The company said in the regulatory filing that it had just $54 million in cash equivalencies as of April 16 and "believes that its available liquidity will not be sufficient to meet its current obligations."
A spokesperson for Fisker declined to comment.
Do you work for Fisker or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email and device at gkay@businessinsider.com
Meta AI is the new AI assistant now available in the search bar on Facebook and Instagram,
NurPhoto/Getty
Meta introduced its AI-powered chatbot Meta AI across its social media and messaging platforms.
The tool is similar to ChatGPT and Gemini, offering text generation and image creation.
But it can't be disabled — despite the AI chatbot previously saying that it could be.
Meta released a new AI-powered assistant on its apps last week, and users can't seem to escape it, whether they want to or not.
The prompt "ask Meta AI anything" shows up whenever you click on the search bar in Instagram and Facebook. It also shows up as a chat on messaging apps Messenger and WhatsApp.
The newly released Llama 3 LLM powers the tool, and Meta calls it "the most intelligent AI assistant you can use for free." It's also available in 12 countries outside the US.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday in a first-quarter earnings call that the company is on its path "to having the most used and best AI assistant in the world."
But some social media fans aren't happy about the change, with one X post comparing it to "when Apple force-download that U2 album onto everyone's iPhone." So Business Insider took a look at what the AI does, how it competes against other chatbots — and if there is a way of avoiding the technology.
What it does
Meta AI is similar to other AI chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini. According to the tool, it can help with a "wide range of topics, from general knowledge to more specific questions." That includes generating text, offering suggestions, and creating images.
Users can access Meta AI in their feeds, chats, and search. They can also view the history of conversations in the chat section on Messenger and Instagram.
The tool is free for Meta users and can be used without exiting your app. It can also create AI-generated images by asking it to "imagine" a description of what you want the image to be.
Users can make GIFs, too, by asking the chatbot to animate the image. The assistant can make a moving photo — although the GIFs aren't like the general meme ones offered in iPhone messaging to add humor or commentary to conversations.
How does it compare to other AI chatbots?
The main difference that separates Meta AI from other chatbots is the ability to use it when you're in the social media app without exiting the app (ChatGPT, for example, is a stand-alone app). It's the first tool automatically implemented into multiple social media platforms.
Zuckerberg previously told The Verge that the goal with Llama 3 "wasn't to build something that was way ahead" but to bring AI to platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
But despite being available on the app, Meta AI isn't automatically connected to your social media accounts or personal information. If you ask it how many Instagram followers you have, it will ask you to share your username, and then it will tell you to look at the account yourself.
Meta AI isn't connected to your social media.
Ana Altchek
Can you turn it off?
Unlike other chatbots that you can use at your own will, you can't get rid of Meta AI.
Since its release, the tool has created quite an online stir, with users questioning the ability to turn it on or off. According to many, the chatbot also originally incorrectly said it could be disabled and provided instructions to do so when asked.
Meta seems to have fixed that issue because the chatbot now says it can't be removed.
Meta now accurately says it can't be disabled.
Ana Altchek
But if users don't want to use it, they can search regularly on Instagram or Facebook without typing inquiries for the assistant. And on WhatsApp and Messenger, users can just ignore the Meta AI chats since they're not available in the search bar.
Now that we're entering the busy season for house sales, "curb appeal" is on many homeowners' minds more than ever, especially if they're gearing up to sell in the near future.
A home's exterior serves as the first impression as potential buyers scope out your home and can oftentimes hint at what lies inside. And getting the look right is worth it, especially if doing so can increase your resale value.
Business Insider asked three interior designers to share the biggest mistakes homeowners make when it comes to curb appeal.
Here's what they said to avoid if you want to have the best-looking house on the block.
Bold paint colors can make a home stand out in the wrong way.
Although bold, unique, and trendy colors can make your house stand out, they can be a turnoff for some buyers who can't look past them.
Peter Gridley/Getty Images
Loud, trendy colors can make passersby take a double take, but not always in a good way. Although it's tempting to embrace the latest, boldest hues, it's not a wise idea when it comes to curb appeal.
"Sometimes standing out is not a good thing, especially when you are the only Pepto-Bismol pink residence in a neighborhood of neutrals," Sarah Latham, principal designer of Latham Interiors, told BI.
Insufficient exterior lighting can make a house look dim and less inviting.
Good curb appeal can last into the night with thoughtfully placed lighting.
karamysh/Shutterstock
According to Jessica Dorling, owner and principal designer of Dorling Design Studio, insufficient exterior lighting can negatively impact the curb appeal and functionality of your home.
"Adequate lighting is essential for enhancing your landscaping and curb appeal," she told BI, adding that curb appeal isn't confined to daylight hours.
"You want your home to exude the same warmth and hospitality at night as it does during the day, and effective exterior lighting is pivotal in achieving this," she said.
Dorling also said that when adding additional exterior lighting, don't overlook the importance of illuminating elements such as the stairs and house numbers.
Skipping out on regular maintenance can make a good home look run down.
Items like tables and benches can make a yard and porch feel inviting, but it's important to maintain these items so they look their best.
Jacky Parker Photography/Getty Images
Using temporary materials in exterior finishes that won't hold up to your local environment is a big mistake, said Latham.
The designer shared this example: If you select a wood siding that's going to have intense sun exposure and needs yearly maintenance you don't have time for, your home can soon look degraded and neglected. That's why it pays to use long-lasting, high-quality exterior materials appropriate to your climate.
The upkeep also applies to outdoor furniture and accessories.
"If a homeowner puts wicker furniture on a patio with no overhang in a snow environment, that furniture is going to age quickly and into disrepair," Latham added.
Clutter like toys and bikes can be a distracting eyesore for buyers.
Interior designers agree that bikes, toys, and other objects can clutter up a yard and hurt curb appeal.
Bethany Petrik/Getty Images
When you're trying to sell your home, it's important to clean up outside in the name of curb appeal.
Sarah Storms, owner and principal designer of Styled by Storms shared that too much clutter is overpowering to prospective buyers.
"Your front yard is your first impression. Remember to put away your bikes or kids' sports equipment," she told BI. "Sometimes, the best appeal is just tidying up."
Not mirroring the style inside the home with outdoor elements can cause a disconnect.
If the exterior of your house is midcentury modern, the interior should probably be, too.
Paul Bradbury/Getty Images
"To ensure cohesion between the exterior and interior narratives of your home, it's crucial that they tell the same story," Dorling told BI.
"I often advise my clients to view their home as a book — if you're selecting a mystery novel, the inside of the book should be a mystery story and not a science-fiction story," she explained.
If the interior has been remodeled but the exterior hasn't, you're also doing your home a disservice, Dorling said.
Simply put, make sure the architectural styles match inside and out.