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Disney CEO Bob Iger has a message for Apple, Google, and every other tech company that distributes his company's streaming services: He wants a better deal.

At least that seems to be what Iger wants from them. Speaking at an investor conference this week, Iger said he's giving up too much money to the Big Tech app stores that distribute Disney-owned streamers like Hulu and Disney+.

"We have to look at the way we're distributing," Iger told analyst Michael Nathanson at a MoffettNathanson-hosted conference. "Unlike Netflix, we distribute largely through third-party app stores. There's obviously an advantage to that to some extent, but there's a cost to that, too. And we're looking at that."

Iger is referring to arrangements Disney has with tech platforms that allow users to sign up and pay for his streaming services. Those deals vary from platform to platform: Apple, for instance, has a deal for video companies like Disney that charges them 15% of revenue for signups made within Apple-distributed apps; Roku, the connected TV company, can charge video companies a fee for signing up customers on its devices and may also demand a slice of those services' ad inventory.

It may be telling that Iger referenced Netflix, which used to let consumers sign up for its service via third-party distributors like Apple, but stopped doing that in 2018. The move didn't seem to affect Netflix's growth, and has obvious benefits for the company's margins.

I've asked Disney, as well as Apple, for comment.

App stores and app distribution are a meaningful part of many tech companies' business plans. Apple, which can take up to 30% of revenue generated by in-app purchases and signups, has been telling investors that the growth in "services" businesses like the App Store is particularly important for its future.

It's also possible that Disney won't need to leave third-party app stores — or threaten to leave — in order to save money. Apple's App Store policies, in particular, have been under pressure from regulators around the world, and Apple is grudgingly making some changes.

Maybe one of them will include a way to take a bit less from one of the world's biggest video companies.

The new strain of bird flu has infected more than 90 million chickens and has spread to dairy cows and even humans. Here's what you need to know about the "global pandemic for animals."

• US and Philippine Marines conducted security operations in key terrain near Taiwan's south coast.
• They practiced defending strategic areas in preparation for a potential conflict with China.
• The mission aims to integrate Philippine forces into US operations and build rapport with locals.

The Marines were just over a hundred miles away from the southern tip of Taiwan when they seized the airstrip. They were operating in Northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands, Philippine territory north of the mainland — key terrain for a potential conflict with China.

The mission, known as maritime key terrain security operations, or MKTSO, was practice for that conflict, but had real-world implications. It was a show of force headed by elements of the Marine Corps' newest Pacific-oriented unit: the Marine littoral regiment, or MLR.

On April 30, three combined littoral reconnaissance teams made up of roughly 30 US and Philippine Marines each, flown by Army Chinooks and Black Hawk helicopters, departed a naval base off the northern coast of the mainland to insert into the remote islands.

Their purpose was to reconnoiter the territory not only through sensors and unmanned systems but interactions with local communities, laying groundwork alongside their Filipino partners where civilian maritime trade has experienced increased aggression from China.

Those units were joined by a rifle company, also a joint-nation element, with the ability to seize and defend key terrain in the event of conflict. It was the first time that Marines with the 3rd MLR, the unit deployed to the region, went to Mavulis, which is the furthest north island of the Philippines that its military has a presence on.

"The further that we get from the mainland in order to truly demonstrate a capability, a flyaway capability that can sustain itself — that's a significant demonstration of capabilities both on the air side and the ground side," Maj. Robert Patterson, a company commander who led forces during the air assault on one of the northernmost Philippine islands, told Military.com in an interview Monday.

The exercise marked a notch in the Marine Corps' philosophical shift after 20 years of war in the Middle East where it faced insurgent adversaries, ones less equipped and organized compared to its current "pacing challenge," China.

Lt. Col. Mark Lenzi, the battalion commander for the 3rd Littoral Combat Team, told Military.com that not only is it a shift in environment, but a recognition of the increased risk of conventional warfare.

Long-range missile strikes, loitering munitions and enhanced sensing capabilities are just "some of the things that have proliferated in the years since," Lenzi said. "You have to modify your tactics and your thinking to break the enemy's targeting cycles to avoid being detected by those weapons in the first place and then avoid being targeted by them when and if you are detected."

Lenzi is the commander of one of the MLR's critical set pieces, the littoral combat team. Within the MLR, it is accompanied by an anti-air and logistics battalion, for a total of nearly 2,000 Marines who are uniquely equipped for a Pacific fight.

That equipment includes naval strike missiles, unmanned aerial systems and radars — assets meant to support the unit's agile, dispersed nature. Those characteristics are exemplified in missions like the MKTSO, where Marines are sent out — alone and with only the necessary equipment they need to survive — to remote locations in the Pacific.

"The strategic significance is the ability to put combat-capable forces anywhere that we would need them, and to deter an adversary or engage in combat without as many limitations on having to pull them back," Lenzi said.

Marines who participated in the mission brought limited supplies to the islands, a tough logistical balance that was made more difficult by the humid climate. They filled packs with water and brought along platoon water purification systems, or PWPS, a piece of equipment that can produce up to 15 gallons of water per hour from sources found in the environment.

Patterson described the water effort as "colossal," adding that fuel and food were priority items that played into his planning for the mission. The latter was in part supported by the local community. The reliance on the surrounding environment is part of the MLR's expeditionary nature.

While dispersed operations for the Marine Corps are not new, the environment is. In 2022, after the MLR was set up, it was sent to the Philippines, a country known for its multiple islands, tropical jungles and reinvigorated alliance with the US in light of the threat of China, which has used its coast guard to disrupt local fishing commerce.

Now, service members find themselves constantly rotating to the country as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a plan between the US and the Philippines that grants American troops access to nine Philippine military bases.

But in this case, with the MKTSO mission, Marines were sent to the farthest-reaching islands off of the Philippine coast, placing them close to Taiwan and China.

A critical part of these operations involves incorporating the Philippine military into them as a way to benefit from their knowledge of the terrain, legitimize interactions with the communities that live on the islands, and prepare for potential war together.

Those efforts were often led by Marine corporals and sergeants. It was through those squad leaders, Patterson said, that he was able to understand the community and environment based on their information and relationship-building.

"They recognized that they're some of the first United States forces on these islands," he said, specifically Itbayat, one of the islands not so far from Taiwan. "So, [they felt] very prideful, very excited to do their job."

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Fitness trackers do far more today than the rudimentary clip-on wearables Fitbit introduced in 2009. Now, it's like wearing a personal trainer and life coach right on your wrist. The best fitness trackers count steps, recommend workouts, track sleep habits, and motivate you to keep active. Some even double as premium smartwatches.

Among the best fitness trackers on the market, our top pick is the Garmin Epix Gen 2. It tracks a range of activities, offers a battery life of up to a week, and has highly accurate GPS. For a budget pick, we recommend the Fitbit Inspire 3. It's a no-frills but effective wearable with solid battery life and accurate tracking for less than $100.

Picking out the right fitness tracker comes down to how you intend to use it. Some may not need the bells and whistles of Garmin's Epix Gen 2, while others looking for a smartwatch may prefer the Apple Watch Series 9. To help, we've compiled the best fitness trackers across seven categories below.

Our top picks for the best fitness trackers

Best overall: Garmin Epix Gen 2 – See at Amazon

Best budget: Fitbit Inspire 3 – See at Amazon

Best Fitbit: Fitbit Sense 2 – See at Amazon

Best smartwatch: Apple Watch Series 9 – See at Amazon

Best for iPhone: Apple Watch Ultra 2 – See at Amazon

Best for Android: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – See at Amazon

Best training feedback: Garmin Forerunner 745 – See at Amazon

Best overall

When Garmin released the Epix Gen 2 in 2022, I was curious how it'd slot into the brand's lineup alongside the Fenix, a wearable that does just about everything. After wearing the Epix Gen 2 as my daily driver for a month, it became clear it's not only worthy of its own line but also happens to be the best fitness tracker you can buy. 

From a feature standpoint, it has it all. There are the basics, like heart rate monitoring, sleep and step tracking, and advanced features like stress, hydration, and respiration tracking. It also uses Garmin's unique Body Battery function, which can tell how well you rest each day and whether you should push for a PR or take it easy during your next workout.  

This is in addition to the endless list of available activities to track, unique coaching insights and workout tips, recovery time estimates, visual race time predictors, and custom workouts.

But what I've been most impressed about while wearing the Epix Gen 2 is that all these features are legitimately useful. I find myself using so many of them in all facets of my day, too. I use the recovery time estimate to see what workout my body is ready for, the coaching insights for daily inspiration, the race time predictors to adjust my training schedule, and sleep tracking to see how well my body recovers each day.

What's more is that the Epix Gen 2 can go upwards of six full days without needing a recharge, even if I'm using things like the built-in GPS each day or wearing it to bed to track my sleep. I've gone on multi-day camping trips and still had more than enough battery left on my trip home. 

Yes, the watch is on the expensive side, starting at $800, but it's the same price as the $800 Apple Watch Ultra 2, a similarly rugged outdoor watch with far weaker battery life. Plus, you're more likely to find a solid deal on the Epix Gen 2 than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. 

Because of its laundry list of available features, it's best used by those who are consistently active and enjoy getting outside. Anyone can buy one, but to get the most value out of it, you want to ensure you're using it as intended. 

Best budget

The Inspire 3 is one of Fitbit's latest wearables that blends advanced health and fitness tracking with a subtle, no-frills design. With features like skin temperature sensing and sleep tracking and a price tag that situates it under $100, the Inspire 3 is a budget fitness tracker that performs like something much more expensive. 

What makes the Inspire 3 an especially great wearable is that it's perfect for people of all fitness levels and skills. Beginners and first-time wearers will find it easy to navigate and it offers plenty of basics such as daily steps taken, calories burned, and several trackable activities. 

Seasoned fitness enthusiasts will appreciate the Inspire 3's advanced health features, including the new skin temperature sensor and in-depth sleep tracker. It's not as comprehensive as our top pick, but the Inspire 3 still offers tons of useful features. It's also compatible with a range of the best Inspire 3 bands. 

The watch isn't perfect, though. During our tests, we noted that the lack of built-in GPS may tarnish the experience for more hardcore athletes who don't always want to work out with their phones. GPS syncing was quick when we brought our phone along, but it wasn't always ideal. The other major drawback is its lack of downloadable apps. 

Even when we factor those cons, we still feel the Inspire 3 is an excellent fitness tracker that punches above its weight. It's the best fitness tracker for those on a budget, beginners, or first-time fitness tracker users. It's even an adequate overall wearable for fitness veterans who seek an inexpensive, no-frills experience.  

Read our Fitbit Inspire 3 review.

Best Fitbit

The best Fitbit overall, the Fitbit Sense 2 is our favorite fitness tracker in Fitbit's lineup and satisfies just about everything you look for in a quality active wearable. 

It offers a wide variety of trackable activities and catalogs tons of unique insights into your sleep habits and fitness data while also monitoring your stress and menstrual cycles. It even has a built-in GPS and a battery that lasts around five days on a single charge. 

We found the watch lived up to those ambitious expectations at almost every turn. It was highly accurate during workouts, both in terms of GPS syncing and the data it tracked. Its health insights were easy to access and actionable, and the battery life was superb. 

It's also an incredibly easy watch to navigate. The swipe controls are simple and intuitive and offer enough customization to make the experience personal. 

But the biggest highlight of the Sense 2 is its advanced health and wellness tools. There's a skin temperature sensor (similar to the Inspire 3 above), the ability to get heart rhythm (ECG) readings, and the aforementioned stress tracker, which monitors stress levels in real time.

The watch doesn't come without a few drawbacks, though. The most apparent is that it's just not that impressive of a smartwatch. Even though Fitbit calls it a smartwatch, it struggles to fit the bill because it doesn't offer third-party app support and doesn't allow access to tools like Google Assistant (even though Google is its parent company). There's also no ability to store or play music. 

Unless you need a fitness tracker that doubles as a premium smartwatch, don't let those missing features preclude you from considering the Sense 2. Outside of those cons, it offers a great fitness tracking experience. Plus, it's still an adequate smartwatch with call, text, app, and email notifications. It's just not the ideal smartwatch. 

Read our Fitbit Sense 2 review.

Best smartwatch

The Apple Watch Series 9 doesn't represent a huge upgrade over the prior-generation Series 8, but it remains the best fitness-tracking smartwatch you can buy. Thanks to its new S9 processor, the Series 9 functions faster than any Apple Watch before it, which has a big impact on the wearable's overall performance. Navigating the interface is smooth, as is opening any of its apps or starting a workout. 

As a fitness tracker, the Series line has always been one of the best on the market, offering a wide variety of trackable activities and accurate GPS. It's also a highly motivating watch thanks to Apple's gamification, which pushes users to close their fitness rings each day. These rings consist of burned calories (called the Move goal), minutes active (called the Exercise goal), and how many hours each day you've stood up and moved around (called the Stand goal). 

Although the Series 9 debuted without significant new fitness tracking features, it's still a highly refined version of the Apple Watches before it and offers the best Series line experience to date. This is especially true considering its smartwatch capability in terms of its new software and hardware. 

Hardware-wise, the Series 9 debuted the above-mentioned S9 chip, which impacts how the watch functions overall. It allows for fast navigation of the interface and a boost in the watch's performance. The difference may not be noticeable to wearers of the Series 8 or Series 7, but users of older models will appreciate the uptick in speed. 

The S9 is also a major player regarding the Series 9's software updates, most notably led by the new double tap gesture. Now, users can tap their index finger and thumb together twice to interact with the central button in an app. For instance, this can answer or hang up a phone call or snooze an alarm. It's a unique new feature powered by the latest chipset. 

Other new software features, like the Smart Stack display and redesigned apps, are also great additions. However, these come packaged in the new WatchOS 10 operating system (compatible with Series 4 and newer).

There are also new cycling and hiking tracking features in WatchOS 10, including compatibility with Bluetooth cycling accessories, an updated Compass app, and new topographical map data. 

So, while the Series 9 isn't a revolutionary update over the Series 8, it's still the best smartwatch for fitness tracking, especially for iOS users. 

Read our full Apple Watch Series 9 review.

Best for iPhone

Although the Apple Watch Ultra 2 does a lot of the same things as the Series 9 above, it offers a few more advanced activity tracking features that make it the best pure fitness tracker for iPhone users. These features include a brighter screen, which is great for use in bright, sunny conditions, water resistance down to 100m, a wider range of altitudes, and a longer-lasting battery. The Series 9 offers 18 hours of battery life, while the Ultra 2 is rated at 36 hours. 

These extra features make the Ultra 2 the best Apple Watch for advanced users like athletes, especially those who need the extra battery life. For instance, the Ultra 2 could comfortably make it through something like a marathon or even a multi-day backpacking trip. 

The Ultra 2 also now features an array of watersports features aimed at freedivers, scuba divers, wakeboarders, and kitesurfers. Its built-in Depth app can log diving sessions, GPS data, water temperature information, and time spent underwater. These features are certainly on the niche side, but they're an example of Apple's intent to aim the Ultra 2 at a subset of potential wearers.

Like the Series 9, the Ultra 2 also features the new S9 chipset and the useful double-tap gesture, which can be used to snooze alarms or answer a phone call, among other things. The new chipset is particularly impressive in how fast it navigates the interface and opens apps. Ultra 1 users may not notice a difference, but it is apparent for anyone coming over from a Series 6 or older. 

Beyond those new features, the Ultra 2 is nearly identical to the original Ultra. It features a rugged, durable design, premium smartwatch functionality, and highly accurate GPS tracking. iPhone users who want a highly capable fitness tracker that seamlessly integrates into the Apple ecosystem should strongly consider the Ultra 2. 

Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review.

Best for Android

The competition for the best Android smartwatch is stiff as both Samsung and Google offer premium wearables worthy of the title. However, when it comes to tracking fitness, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the clear choice. We recognize that the newer Galaxy Watch 6 is available, but it can't beat the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, especially when the latter has a price cut from being a previous-generation model. 

Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 Pro aims to be a fitness and adventure version of the standard non-Pro models (like the Apple Watch Ultra to the standard Series models) with extended battery life and a titanium build. It has advanced health and fitness features and uses the WearOS operating system, which delivers a fluid, intuitive user experience. 

For the fitness-focused crowd, the Watch 5 Pro is an exceptional activity tracker. During our tests, we found the watch to be highly accurate in terms of how quickly it synced its built-in GPS and how well it tracked activities like runs, bike rides, and hikes. It's also compatible with a variety of the best Samsung Galaxy Watch bands, like canvas options for something more durable or nylon straps for working out. 

There's even a track-back function that leaves digital breadcrumbs, so you know your exact path on a hike. We do wish this was available for more activities (it's only compatible with hikes and, oddly enough, bike rides), but perhaps this will be an update in the next release.

Those looking for a smartwatch will also appreciate how well the Watch 5 Pro functions. The Google Play Store offers many downloadable apps, and navigating the watch is incredibly easy. You can even customize the watch face and its displayed data to fit how you prefer to use it. Additionally, all notifications from emails, texts, apps, and phone calls are simple to interact with.

But perhaps the Watch 5 Pro's best feature is its expanded health tracking offering. It has comprehensive sleep tracking that charts your nightly sleep habits and a body composition scanner that tracks your muscle mass percentage, body fat, and water weight. 

It's worth pointing out that the Watch 5 Pro experience is more fully capable when using a Samsung phone. While it does work on something like the Google Pixel, a few features are missing, including the heart rhythm tracker (i.e., the ECG app). We also found some syncing issues when we initially set up the watch. 

Despite those drawbacks, however, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the best fitness tracker for Android users (and our top overall pick of the best Android smartwatches currently available). It functions incredibly well as a smartwatch, offers a wide variety of fitness-tracking capabilities, and provides tons of unique and actionable health insights.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro review.

Best for training feedback

Garmin has long-made highly advanced fitness trackers that serve the needs of hardcore athletes. The Forerunner 745 brings that in-depth approach to a wider audience, providing highly valuable fitness insight and feedback to anyone, regardless of how active they are. 

The beauty of this watch rests in the advanced data it provides. During workouts, the 745 displays everything from time active and heart rate to distance covered and pace. Each of these is highly useful if you're interval training or aiming for a certain time on a run or bike ride. It's also quite easy to customize this screen so you have exactly what you want when you want it. 

Though that in-the-moment data is great, what the watch offers after the activity (or between workouts) is even better. It provides challenging workout recommendations that adapt to your output, the ideal amount of rest you need between activities (which is highly important), and customized training plans. Neither of these is just tacked on, too, and I found myself gravitating toward them more and more as I tested the watch, even though I've always preferred my own custom workouts to anything pre-written for me. 

Its tracking accuracy is also highly precise, and I found it similar to that of Suunto's 7 and the Apple Watch Series 6. It syncs with GPS rather quickly and consistently produces similar metrics (for distance and pace), regardless of whether I cycle or run. 

If there were something to nitpick about the Forerunner 745, it'd be its clunky menu system. Like most Garmin watches, the OS isn't exactly intuitive, though it does get easier the more you use it (as would anything). It's not enough to be a dealbreaker, especially considering how much this watch does that's superior to most fitness trackers currently available.

Read our full Garmin Forerunner 745 review.

How we test fitness trackers

Each of the best fitness trackers in this guide underwent a series of tests to determine their performance in four categories: fit and comfort, tracking accuracy, features, and value.

Here's how we considered each category while testing:

Fit and comfort: If a fitness tracker isn't comfortable or doesn't fit well, you're far less likely to want to wear it — and if you don't wear it often, what's the point? Wearable brands know this, so many of the best fitness trackers have bands that not only stay comfortable for long periods but won't chafe or become bothersome while you sweat. When testing, I looked at everything from how they felt when I put them on to if I noticed any discomfort during short or long workouts. 

Tracking accuracy: Testing for accuracy isn't always easy. You can wear two different watches and get different GPS readings, pace data, and so on. So, instead of using a second tracker to test a wearable's accuracy, I'd map out how far an exact mile was from my house before running it a few times wearing the same watch. The trackers we recommend all produced results no more than .1 miles off. 

Features: This category is mostly straightforward: Does a tracker have any supplemental features outside of tracking steps, calories burned, or heart rate? These could be anything from extra activities it's capable of logging to the ability to act like a smartwatch and get smartphone notifications, etc. Trackers aren't defined by their added features, but it's a nice touch and something that can separate a good tracker from a great one. 

Value: The value of a fitness tracker isn't just its sticker price but also how valuable it is from a function standpoint. Does it have the features you need? Will it track and compile the data you want it to? Can it serve as something that benefits your fitness? When shopping to find a tracker's true value, these are all questions you want to consider. Value becomes more of a subjective category when viewed that way, but when testing, I judged how well each tracker held up across the above categories against how much they cost.

What to look for when shopping

Those looking for a device dedicated to tracking daily activity, workouts, and sleep have a vast number of choices, even without including members of the smartwatch family. Here's what to consider:

Comfort and design: Since you'll wear the tracker daily (even to bed for sleep tracking), comfort is a high priority. If it's not comfortable, you won't want to wear it. The same goes for design. If you have a small wrist, you may want a tracker with a sleek, understated look. Fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, so you can find one that suits your style.

Features: If you're looking for a no-frills fitness tracker, one that only tracks steps and your sleep habits may suffice. However, if you work out often or want insight into how your activity impacts your overall health, a more advanced tracker with a heart rate monitor or built-in GPS may be the one for you.

You should also consider the types of workouts you like to do. For example, if you're a swimmer, waterproofing is a must. If you're just starting a new fitness routine, a device that coaches you and gives you goals to work toward may provide the extra motivation you need.

App experience: Most fitness trackers are designed to work in tandem with your smartphone, syncing the data collected with a downloaded application, which allows you to gain even more insight into your health and save the information collected to track your progress over time.

Unfortunately, not all companion apps are effective, and you may find some experiences you prefer over others. It's important to choose a fitness tracker that gives you a good app experience. Easy navigation and compatibility with your phone's operating system are a must.

FAQs

Are fitness trackers worth wearing?

Yes, so long as you use the tracker and the data it collects to inform your fitness goals. You should understand what a fitness tracker offers and opt for one that provides insight into your needs. For instance, if you just need something to motivate you to increase your daily activity, you shouldn't buy a full-featured watch like the Coros Apex or Suutno 7. Something like the Apple Watch or Fitbit's Versa 3 would be better suited to your lifestyle.

Although there's nothing wrong with wearing a fitness tracker to only keep tabs on your daily steps or calories burned, that information it accrues can be vital for anyone who wants to develop a daily, weekly, or monthly fitness routine.

The term "worth," as it applies to fitness wearables, is relative to how exactly that information is used and who is using it. You first need to decide how you intend to use a fitness watch to determine how worthwhile it can be. 

What does a fitness tracker do?

The best fitness trackers monitor and accrue a variety of activity data, such as the number of steps a wearer takes each day, how many calories they've burned, and the flights of stairs they've climbed, among many others.

Basic fitness trackers often offer tracking for just those listed above, while more advanced wearables and fitness smartwatches provide a slew of advanced features such as workout tracking (running, cycling, weight lifting, etc.), heartbeat monitoring, smartphone notifications, and more. 

Some trackers even have compatible smartphone apps that centralize the data they collect, allowing users to chart their progress over time via a dashboard or activity calendar. 

What are the pros and cons of fitness trackers?

Deciding whether a fitness tracker's pros outweigh its cons ultimately comes down to how you intend to use it. It can be extremely beneficial if you plan to be routinely active and use the data it collects to develop and maintain a fitness routine. 

However, if you never look at the data amassed or buy a watch with too many features you'll never use, it will surely become an expensive digital timepiece that tracks fitness data for no reason. 

Fitness trackers can offer deep insight into one's health profile but can also be expensive. It's important to figure out how you want to use the watch before buying one and research which watch is best for your lifestyle and goals. 

• Built in 1765, Morris-Jumel Mansion is the oldest surviving residence in Manhattan.
• George Washington spent time there during the Revolutionary War, and Aaron Burr married its owner.
• I visited the mansion, now a restored museum, and felt like I stepped back in time.

Morris-Jumel Mansion is the oldest surviving residence in Manhattan.

The historic home was built in 1765 by Colonel Roger Morris, a Loyalist who returned to England when the Revolutionary War broke out.

During the war, George Washington used the site as his military headquarters during the Battle of Harlem Heights. It was then purchased by Stephen Jumel, a wealthy French merchant, in 1810.

After Jumel died in 1835, his widow Eliza married former vice president Aaron Burr, though the couple divorced a few months later.

Today, the mansion is located in what is now New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood in upper Manhattan. I toured the historic home in 2022 to learn more about its fascinating history.

Morris-Jumel Mansion is located just off 162nd Street in Manhattan.

Self-guided tours are available Thursday through Sunday and cost $10. Tickets can be purchased through the Morris-Jumel Mansion's official Eventbrite page.

It is part of the neighborhood's Jumel Terrace Historic District, which also features historic homes on Sylvan Terrace across the street from the mansion.

The cobblestone street outside the Morris-Jumel Mansion was originally built for horse-drawn carriages entering and exiting the home. Now called Sylvan Terrace, the street's wooden townhouses were built in 1862.

Walking into the Morris-Jumel Mansion felt like stepping back in time.

The City of New York purchased the Morris-Jumel Mansion in 1903 and turned it into a restored museum.

While I was amused to find that the entrance to the historic home featured a Ring doorbell, I immediately forgot about the building's modern touches when I stepped inside. I was greeted by a grand entryway with floor-to-ceiling portraits, historic furniture, and fine architecture.

On the first floor, a French parlor off the entryway served as a greeting room for guests.

The parlor also hosted Eliza Jumel and Aaron Burr's wedding in 1833.

Eliza Jumel bought most of the Empire-style furniture in France.

The Jumels were rumored to have known Napoleon Bonaparte while residing in France.

Further into the first-floor hall, a floor-to-ceiling portrait depicted Eliza Jumel and her grandchildren.

The portrait was painted by Alcide Carlo Ercole in 1854.

The dining room featured a replica of the original patterned wallpaper that the Jumels sourced from France in 1825.

The "Draped Cone" pattern was produced by the French wallpaper firm Zuber beginning in 1797.

One of the most stunning parts of the house was the Octagon Room on the first floor.

Designed by the home's first owner, Roger Morris, it is thought to be the first octagon-shaped room built in the American Colonies. The shape was common in British garden structures because it allowed for breezes to cool off the room.

The 1833 painting of Eliza Jumel in the Octagon Room shows her seated on the same ornate sofa that remains displayed in the room today.

The room's original cloud wallpaper was custom-made by Atelier d'Offard. The reproduced version in the present-day museum is based on an 1815 pattern from the Musée des Artes Décoratifs in Paris.

Even the staircase leading down to the kitchen featured an artifact of historical significance.

An exposed beam uncovered during a 2001 restoration project featured individual notch marks that indicated skilled labor done by hand — likely by enslaved individuals. 

The basement kitchen contained the original fireplace, hearth, and oven from the 18th century.

The basement used to also feature wine and food cellars, and possibly housing for the staff and enslaved people who worked there.

The lobby on the second floor had cannonballs from the Revolutionary War on display.

The cannonballs were excavated from upper Manhattan.

Upstairs, what the Morris family used as a parlor became George Washington's war room in 1776.

The room's elevated location and many windows proved a helpful military advantage. It was in this room that Washington strategized for the Battle of Harlem Heights, which helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War.

Lin-Manuel Miranda spent time writing his hit musical "Hamilton" in Aaron Burr's former bedchamber.

Burr didn't live at the mansion for long — Eliza Jumel filed for divorce from Burr after four months. Burr died the day the divorce was finalized in 1836.

Eliza's bedchamber was decorated with more Empire-style French furniture.

Eliza used to claim that her sleigh bed was once owned by Josephine Bonaparte, though that has since proven false.

After concluding my tour of the mansion, I explored the surrounding grounds.

The grounds are open to the public even when the mansion itself is closed. A few people were there walking their dogs, and there were a few benches that would make great spots to sit and read.

I couldn't believe that such an expansive, historic mansion was located just steps from the subway's 163rd Street stop in New York City.

The Morris-Jumel Mansion is definitely worth a visit to see some incredible architecture and transport yourself back to the early years of the United States.

• CDC officials failed Margaritaville at Sea Paradise on a surprise health inspection.
• The ship scored 83 points, below the 86 needed to pass, with 65 issues noted.
• Margaritaville at Sea told BI some issues have been resolved and it's seeking a reinspection.

On May 1, CDC officials boarded Margaritaville at Sea, a Jimmy-Buffet-themed ship that welcomes 1,680 passengers, for an unexpected health inspection.

The Vessel Sanitation Program officials gave the ship a failing grade. During the visit, they noted 65 issues on the ship, which resulted in an 83-point score. A score of 86 is needed to pass.

In the inspection detail report, officials noted food and drink concerns as well as crowded whirlpools.

In a statement sent to Business Insider, representatives for Margaritaville at Sea said, "Following internal policies, immediate corrective actions have been taken to address the issues identified in the inspection."

"Many of these issues have already been resolved and we will be working with USPH for a reinspection as soon as possible. We expect this reinspection will exceed USPH standard," the statement continued.

The report noted concerns about food and drink safety

Across the Paradise ship, there are seven dining venues, six bars, and food and drink areas for the ship's workers.

Within these spaces on Paradise, the officials noted in the inspection report that one worker handled an ice machine with gloves that "were stored with tools," adding that "it was unclear if the crew member washed his hands before putting on gloves."

The report stated that items like heavy cream were not in cold enough environments to meet CDC standards and that a crew member "could not demonstrate competency in verifying the concentration of the chemical used" while washing lettuce.

Additionally, numerous fridges, freezers, and deep fryers were out of service across the ship, areas of decks were soiled and in disrepair, and multiple rooms on the ship also didn't reach the required light intensity of 220 lux, the inspection stated.

Beyond food and drink, the officials noted that whirlpools often had six guests, although they're designed for a maximum of four people.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise isn't the only ship to fail its inspection

In a statement sent to Entrepreneur, the Vessel Sanitation Program officials said, "Inspections usually take 6-8 hours, depending on the number of inspectors, ship size, amount of time the ship is in port, and issues identified during the inspection."

Previously, the MSC Seaside failed with a score of 67, Business Insider reported last spring. During that inspection — the lowest score given in six years — officials found a "crew member's hands and refrigerator door handle covered in hamburger blood" and "black filth residue" on four yogurt containers.

Meanwhile, fifteen ships gained perfect scores in last summer's report. Those ships included Disney Fantasy, Disney Wonder, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Sunshine, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Millenium, Celebrity Summit, MSC Seascape, Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, Oceania Riviera, Rotterdam, Silver Moon, Norwegian Joy, and Norwegian Pearl.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise scored an 87 in the biannual report last year.

In the past two years, multiple Business Insider reporters have boarded the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise ship, and their reviews have been mixed. Reporter Brittany Chang was on the ship's inaugural sailing, where she noticed outdated features and quality issues, deeming a Paradise cruise "not worth it."

Lauren Mack came to a similar conclusion after boarding the ship last summer following the cruise line's multimillion-dollar renovation. During her cruise, she moved staterooms twice due to cigarette smoke smells and felt like the ship lacked a cohesive theme.

"Margaritaville has all the cruise basics, but I think they're scaled back in quantity and quality," Mack said. "If you temper your expectations and want an extended booze cruise or a beach day on a budget, you may find the cruise worthwhile."

• Donald Trump was warned not to go after prosecutors or witnesses again.
• Now, his allies are doing it.
• Outside his hush-money trial, surrogates have gone on the attack, toeing the line of a gag order.

Donald Trump has been testing the limits of his gag order in his hush-money trial — with 10 violations culminating in a warning from the judge that he could be jailed.

But while the former president has been uncharacteristically restrained recently, a cast of Republican lawmakers and Trump surrogates have traveled to court to rail about the proceedings.

US Senators and even the Speaker of the House have trashed the trial just as prosecutors are calling their key witness, Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen.

It's raised questions about whether the "surrogates" could be violating Trump's gag order.

Legal experts told Business Insider it hinges on whether Trump is directing them to speak — but warned that extending a gag to uninvolved parties could raise free speech concerns.

For now, Trump's pals appear free to attack the trial — as long as Trump isn't telling them to.

Allies rally to Trump's side

Trump's fleet of surrogates has included House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sens. JD Vance of Ohio and Rick Scott of Florida, and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Some of the guests, including Vance and Gov. Doug Burgum, have been identified as formal campaign representatives in other appearances, such as on TV — further blurring the line.

They have been "speaking very beautifully," Trump said, blasting witnesses and Judge Juan Merchan's daughter.

On MSNBC, features writer Andrew Rice said he'd seen Trump in court "annotating and editing" the comments his surrogates were set to deliver.

A Trump campaign official told Business Insider that all supporters have volunteered to come to support their friend, and none were invited by the campaign.

Some have been transparent about their intent. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who has been floated as a potential VP pick, told Newsmax one reason he attended was to "overcome this gag order."

Tuberville's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado said on Thursday that a group of Republicans from the far-right House Freedom Caucus were in Manhattan to "stand with" Trump. She then tore into Cohen, Trump's former attorney.

"He wants President Trump to suffer that is why he has done what he has done," Boebert told reporters in a press conference held in a park near the courthouse. "That is why he has told the lies that he has, and we are here today to counter those as we stand for our friend President Donald J. Trump."

Under the gag order, Trump is not allowed to comment about Cohen.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida later emphasized that the group was "here on our volition because there are things we can say that President Trump is unjustly not allowed to say."

Trump is walking a fine line

Andrew Lieb, an attorney and legal analyst, said it was a "close call" whether Trump's surrogates could cause further legal trouble given the fine line between whether he's directing or merely endorsing the support.

"Contempt of the gag order is no slam dunk because contempt requires the Judge to find that Trump is the one directing his surrogates," Lieb explained, though he warned: "Eventually, he is going to learn that if you keep touching the fire, you ultimately get burned."

If Trump's supporters suggest they were recruited to act on his behalf, "the court could hold a hearing to see if Trump was again in violation of the court's order," Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson told BI.

She said this could result in further fines or even jail time.

But Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told BI that "practically speaking," Judge Merchan can do little to stop lawmakers from speaking on Trump's behalf.

"Elected officials have a right to campaign and discuss issues publicly," Rahmani said. "It's a free speech issue and a matter of public concern, which is entitled to the greatest First Amendment protection."

Former Indiana Attorney General Jeff Modisett added that the scope of gag orders typically applies "only to the parties directly involved in the case" and that courts have limited authority to impose them beyond that.

A judge could consider extending the gag order to Trump's surrogates if they were deemed to threaten the integrity of the trial, he said, but any such decision "would need to be carefully justified and balanced against the constitutional rights of free speech and press."

• United Airlines' new inflight safety video is creative but also extremely distracting.
• The video's busy and engaging theatrics overshadow key safety information.
• Japan Airlines' straightforward safety video likely helped save 379 people escape a fire in January. 

I didn't retain much from United Airlines' new inflight safety video. And I doubt passengers will either.

The video, released on Thursday, is the latest in United's series of entertaining briefings that attempt to combine required safety and fun into a heavily regulated part of flying.

The mini-movie follows a shiny blue ball as it snakes its way through lively and colorful sets that focus on key safety information, like seatbelt usage and how to use the oxygen mask.

In a press release, United said the video was designed with the goal of capturing the focus of passengers clearly and succinctly in hopes the creative scenes and transitions will help people pay more attention to its emergency instructions — especially frequent flyers who have likely memorized the spiel by now.

"The safest safety video is one that people will want to watch even on your 45th viewing," United's creative director, Meg Mitchell, who oversaw production, told NPR. "People start to tune out. And so we wanted something that felt like you could watch over and over and over again and still want to pay attention to."

However, the blue ball isn't just rolling slowly across the screen — it's bouncing across windows, knocking down dominoes, and being launched across seats. All the while, the crewmembers are simultaneously giving safety instructions and demonstrating the equipment.

I found the theatrics to be distracting

As someone who worked in airline safety before becoming an aviation journalist, I understand United is using entertainment to get people to focus on the video instead of their phones.

Despite good intentions, the video's in-your-face theatrics are just as distracting.

Throughout the entire video, I found myself focusing more on where the ball was going next in its winding web of tracks rather than on the core safety message.

For example, the ball overshadowed information like where the life jackets are located and how to use the exit doors. The seatbelt presentation was interrupted by a close-up of the ball instead of what the camera should focus on — the flight attendant giving the safety instructions.

There was simply a lot going on, and I can't imagine passengers — particularly first-time flyers or those who only travel once or twice a year — absorbed the important safety elements.

The video's launch comes shortly after the airline faced heightened FAA oversight after a string of safety incidents earlier this year.

In a statement to Business Insider on Thursday, United pointed to its collaboration with the agency on the video, saying it believes it is one "passengers will actively watch."

"We worked closely with the FAA throughout the production process to ensure the video aligned to their standards, culminating with the FAA's approval of the video," the airline said.

United and Japan Airlines' safety videos are polar opposites

United's video piggybacks on a similar discussion I wrote about in January after a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 caught fire in Tokyo.

All 379 passengers on board that plane survived, and the airline's no-nonsense safety video likely helped.

Instead of humor and Hollywood-style sets, JAL takes a straightforward approach to its safety instructions, providing clear and concise information without any extra pizzazz that could distract from the core content.

Notably, its warning to leave luggage behind during evacuations included a visual explanation of how to go down the slide — including arms crossed and heels off — and showed the consequences of failing to follow instructions.

United, as well as many other Western carriers, lack this level of detail in their videos.

Don't get me wrong; I do think there is room for creativity in an airline safety video so long as it clearly conveys the message — but, in my opinion, United's got lost in the theatrics this time.

• A possible bug in iOS 17.5 has left some iPhone owners seeming freaked out.
• Users said deleted pictures were restored to their Photos app after the latest software update.
• The alleged issue sparked debates about Apple's privacy.

Photos that were thought to be long gone are popping back up for some iPhone owners.

Apple's iOS 17.5 update is here, but some users are saying that the update brought back deleted pictures from years ago.

In a Tuesday post to the r/ios subreddit, one user said they were "thoroughly freaked out" to find photos from 2021 that they'd believed had already been permanently deleted.

"I went to send a picture and saw that the latest pictures were nsfw material we'd made years ago," the poster said. "WTF."

"Same here. I have four pics from 2010 that keep reappearing as the latest pics uploaded to iCloud. I have deleted them repeatedly," another user responded.

A different poster reported a similar issue, saying, "A photo I took two years ago has suddenly reappeared at the top of my photos app. I regularly delete photos from my photo library to export them to my PC, which makes this even stranger."

MacRumors was the first to spot the concerns about Apple's Photos app.

Users also expressed privacy concerns.

"Apple is a privacy advocate," one person wrote in reply to the first Reddit post, but said if deleted files are not really deleted after so many years, "how can we trust it?

The iOS 17.5 update includes updates to the Lock Screen, "bug fixes," and security updates. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Last year's job cuts weren't the end of layoffs. Further reductions have begun in 2024.
• Companies like Tesla, Google, Microsoft, Nike, and Amazon have announced plans for cuts this year.
• See the full list of corporations reducing their worker numbers in 2024.

A slew of companies across the tech, media, finance, and retail industries made significant cuts to staff in 2023. Tech titans like IBM, Google, Microsoft, finance giants like Goldman Sachs, and manufacturers like Dow all announced layoffs.

This year is looking grim too. And it's only May.

Nearly 40% of business leaders surveyed by ResumeBuilder think layoffs are likely at their companies this year, and about half say their companies will implement a hiring freeze. ResumeBuilder talked to about 900 leaders at organizations with more than 10 employees. Half of those surveyed cited concerns about a recession as a reason.

Another major factor is artificial intelligence. Around four in 10 respondents said they'll conduct layoffs as they replace workers with AI. Dropbox, Google, and IBM have already announced job cuts related to AI.

Here are the dozens of companies with job cuts planned or already underway in 2024.

Nike's up-to-$2 billion cost-cutting plan will involve severances.

Nike announced its cost-cutting plans in a December 2023 earnings call, discussing a slow growth in sales. The call subsequently resulted in Nike's stock plunging.

"We are seeing indications of more cautious consumer behavior around the world," Nike Chief Financial Officer Matt Friend said in December.

Google laid off hundreds more workers in 2024.

On January 10, Google laid off hundreds of workers in its central engineering division and members of its hardware teams — including those working on its voice-activated assistant.

In an email to some affected employees, the company encouraged them to consider applying for open positions at Google if they want to remain employed. According to the email, April 9 will be the last day for those unable to secure a new position.

The tech giant laid off thousands throughout 2023, beginning with a 6% reduction of its global workforce (about 12,000 people) last January.

Discord is laying off 170 employees.

Discord employees learned about the layoffs in an all-hands meeting and a memo sent by CEO Jason Citron in early January.

"We grew quickly and expanded our workforce even faster, increasing by 5x since 2020," Citron said in the memo. "As a result, we took on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated."

In August 2023, Discord reduced its headcount by 4%. According to CNBC, the company was valued at $15 billion in 2021.

Citi will cut 20,000 from its staff as part of its corporate overhaul.

The layoffs announced in January are part of a larger Citigroup initiative to restructure the business and could leave the company with a remaining head count of 180,000 — excluding its Mexico operations.

In an earnings call that month, the bank said that layoffs could save the company up to $2.5 billion after it suffered a "very disappointing" final quarter last year.

Amazon-owned Twitch also announced job cuts.

Twitch announced on January 10 that it would cut 500 jobs, affecting over a third of the employees at the live-streaming company.

CEO Dan Clancy announced the layoffs in a memo, telling staff that while the company has tried to cut costs, the operation is "meaningfully" bigger than necessary.

"As you all know, we have worked hard over the last year to run our business as sustainably as possible," Clancy wrote. "Unfortunately, we still have work to do to rightsize our company and I regret having to share that we are taking the painful step to reduce our headcount by just over 500 people across Twitch."

BlackRock is planning to cut 3% of its staff.

Larry Fink, BlackRock's chief executive, and Rob Kapito, the firm's president, announced in January that the layoffs would affect around 600 people from its workforce of about 20,000.

However, the company has plans to expand in other areas to support growth in its overseas markets.

"As we prepare for 2024 and this very exciting but distinctly different landscape, businesses across the firm have developed plans to reallocate resources," the company leaders said in a memo.

Rent the Runway is slashing 10% of its corporate jobs as part of a restructuring.

In the fashion company's January announcement, COO and president Anushka Salinas said she will also be leaving the firm, Fast Company reported.

Unity Software is eliminating 25% of its workforce.

Around 1,800 jobs at the video game software company will be affected by the layoffs announced, Reuters reported in January.

eBay is cutting 1,000 jobs.

In a January 23 memo, CEO Jamie Iannone told employees that the eBay layoffs will affect about 9% of the company's workforce.

Iannone told employees that layoffs were necessary as the company's "overall headcount and expenses have outpaced the growth of our business."

The company also plans to scale back on contractors.

Microsoft is reducing its headcount by 1,900 at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMax.

In late January, nearly three months after Microsoft acquired video game firm Activision Blizzard, the company announced layoffs in its gaming divisions. The layoffs mostly affect employees at Activision Blizzard.

"As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business," Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a memo obtained by The Verge.

The cuts come a year after the tech giant announced it was reducing its workforce by 10,000 employees. It then slashed a further 1,000 roles across sales and customer service teams in July 2023.

Salesforce is cutting 700 employees across the company, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Salesforce announced a round of layoffs that the company says will affect 1% of its global workforce, The Journal reported in late January.

The cuts followed a wave of cuts at the cloud giant last year. In 2023, Marc Benioff's company laid off about 10% of its total workforce — or roughly 7,000 jobs. The CEO said the company over-hired during the pandemic.

Flexport lays off 15% of its workers.

In late January, the US logistics startup laid off 15% of its staff which is around 400 workers.

The move came after Flexport founder and CEO Ryan Petersen initiated a 20% reduction of its workforce of an estimated 2,600 employees in October.

Flexport kicked off 2024 with the announcement that it raised $260 million from Shopify and made "massive progress toward returning Flexport to profitability."

iRobot is laying off around 350 employees and founder Colin Angle will step down as chairman and CEO.

The company behind the Roomba Vacuum announced layoffs in late January around the same time Amazon decided not to go through with its proposed acquisition of the company, the Associated Press reported.

UPS will cut 12,000 jobs in 2024.

The UPS layoffs will affect 14% of the company's 85,000 managers and could save the company $1 billion in 2024, UPS CEO Carol Tomé said during a January earnings call.

Paypal CEO Alex Chriss announced the company would lay off 9% of its workforce.

Announced in late January, this round of layoffs will affect about 2,500 employees at the payment processing company.

"We are doing this to right-size our business, allowing us to move with the speed needed to deliver for our customers and drive profitable growth," CEO Alex Chriss wrote in a January memo. "At the same time, we will continue to invest in areas of the business we believe will create and accelerate growth."

Okta is cutting roughly 7% of its workforce.

The digital-access-management company announced its plans for a "restructuring plan intended to improve operating efficiencies and strengthen the Company's commitment to profitable growth" in an SEC filing in February.

The cuts will impact roughly 400 employees.

Okta CEO Todd McKinnon told staff in a memo that "costs are still too high," CNBC reported.

Snap has announced more layoffs.

The company behind Snapchat announced in February that it's reducing its global workforce by 10%, according to an SEC filing.

Estée Lauder said it will eliminate up to 3,100 positions.

The cosmetics company announced in February that it would be cutting 3% to 5% of its roles as part of a restructuring plan.

Estee Lauder reportedly employed about 62,000 employees around the world as of June 30, 2023.

DocuSign is eliminating roughly 6% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan.

The electronic signature company said in an SEC filing in February that most of the cuts will be in its sales and marketing divisions.

Zoom is slashing 150 jobs.

The latest reduction announced in February amounts to about 2% of its workforce.

Paramount Global is laying off 800 employees days after record-breaking Super Bowl.

In February, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish sent a memo to employees announcing that 800 jobs — about 3% of its workforce — were being cut.

Deadline obtained the memo less than a month after reporting plans for layoffs at Paramount. The announcement comes on the heels of Super Bowl LVIII reaching record-high viewership across CBS, Paramount+, and Nickelodeon, and Univision.

Morgan Stanley is trimming its wealth management division by hundreds of staffers.

Morgan Stanley is laying off several hundred employees in its wealth-management division, the Wall Street Journal reported in February, representing roughly 1% of the team.

The wealth-management division has seen some slowdown in recent months, with net new assets down by about 8% from a year ago. The layoffs mark the first major move by newly-installed CEO Ted Pick, who took the reins from James Gorman on January 1.

Cisco slashes more than 4,000 jobs amid corporate tech sales slowdown.

In February, networking company Cisco announced it was slashing 5% of its workforce, or upwards of 4,000 jobs, Bloomberg reported.

The company said it was restructuring after an industry-wide pullback in corporate tech spending — which execs said they expect to continue through the first half of the year.

Expedia Group is cutting more than 8% of its workforce.

Cutbacks part of an operational review at online travel giant Expedia Group are expected to impact 1,500 roles this year, a company spokesperson told BI.

The company's product and technology division is set to be the worst hit, a report from GeekWire said, citing an internal memo CEO Peter Kern sent to employees in late February.

"While this review will result in the elimination of some roles, it also allows the company to invest in core strategic areas for growth," the spokesperson said.

"Consultation with local employee representatives, where applicable, will occur before making any final decisions," they added.

Sony is laying off 900 workers

The cuts at Sony Interactive Entertainment swept through its game-making teams at PlayStation Studios.

Insomniac Games, which developed the hit Spider-Man video game series, as well as Naughty Dog, the developers behind Sony's flagship 'The Last of Us' video games' were hit by the cuts, the company announced on February 27.

All of PlayStation's London studio will be shuttered, according to the proposal.

"Delivering and sustaining social, online experiences – allowing PlayStation gamers to explore our worlds in different ways – as well as launching games on additional devices such as PC and Mobile, requires a different approach and different resources," PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst wrote.

Hulst added that some games in development will be shut down, though he didn't say which ones.

In early February, Sony said it missed its target for selling PlayStation 5 consoles. The earnings report sent shares tumbling and the company's stock lost about $10 billion in value.

Bumble is slashing 30% of its workforce

On February 27, the dating app company announced that it would be reducing its staff due to "future strategic priorities" for its business, per a statement.

The cuts will impact about 30% of its about 1,200 person workforce or about 350 roles, a representative for Bumble told BI by email.

"We are taking significant and decisive actions that ensure our customers remain at the center of everything we do as we relaunch Bumble App, transform our organization and accelerate our product roadmap," Bumble Inc CEO Lidiane Jones said in a statement.

Electronic Arts is reducing its workforce by 5%

Electronic Arts is laying off about 670 workers, equating to 5% of its workforce, Bloomberg reported in late February.

The gaming firm axed two mobile games earlier in February, which it described as a difficult decision in a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz.

CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told employees in a memo that it would be "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry."

Wilson also said in the memo that the cuts came as a result of shifting customer needs and a refocusing of the company, Bloomberg reported.

IBM cutting staff in marketing and communications

IBM's chief communications officer Jonathan Adashek told employees on March 12 that it would be cutting staff, CNBC reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

An IBM spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement that the cuts follow a broader workforce action the company announced during its earnings call in January.

"In 4Q earnings earlier this year, IBM disclosed a workforce rebalancing charge that would represent a very low single-digit percentage of IBM's global workforce, and we expect to exit 2024 at roughly the same level of employment as we entered with," they said.

IBM has also been clear about the impact of AI on its workforce. Last May, IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna said the company expected to pause hiring on roles that could be replaced by AI, especially in areas like human resources and other non-consumer-facing departments.

"I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period," Krishna told Bloomberg at the time.

Stellantis is slashing 400 white-collar jobs

On March 22, the owner of Jeep and Dodge announced it's laying off employees on its engineering, technology, and software teams in an effort to cut costs, CNBC reported.

Workers learned they were being let go through video calls after the car company ordered them to work remotely for the day. The cuts are set to occur on March 31.

Amazon is laying off hundreds in its cloud division in yet another round of cuts this year

Amazon is cutting hundreds of jobs from its cloud division known as Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg reported on April 3.

The reduction will impact employees on the sales and marketing team and those working on tech for its retail stores, Bloomberg reported.

"We've identified a few targeted areas of the organization we need to streamline in order to continue focusing our efforts on the key strategic areas that we believe will deliver maximum impact," an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg.

On March 26, Amazon announced another round of job cuts after the company said it was slashing 'several hundred' jobs at its Prime Video and MGM Studios divisions earlier this year to refocus on more profitable products.

"We've identified opportunities to reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas while increasing our investment and focus on content and product initiatives that deliver the most impact," Mike Hopkins, SVP of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, told employees in January.

This year's cuts follow the largest staff layoff in the company's history. In 2023, the tech giant laid off 18,000 workers.

Apple has cut over 600 employees in California

Apple has slashed its California workforce by more than 600 employees.

The cuts follow Apple's decision to withdraw from its car and smartwatch display projects.

The tech giant filed a series of notices to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification program. One of the addresses was linked to a new display development office, while the others were for the company's EV effort, Bloomberg reported.

Apple officially shut down its decadelong EV project in February. At the time, Bloomberg reported that some employees would move to generative AI, but others would be laid off.

Bloomberg noted that the layoffs were likely an undercount of the full scope of staff cuts, as Apple had staff working on these projects in other locations.

Representatives for Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside normal business hours.

Tesla is laying off over 10% of its workforce

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent a memo to employees Sunday, April 14, at nearly midnight in California, informing them of the company's plan to cut over 10% of its global workforce.

In his companywide memo, Musk cited "duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas" as the reason behind the reductions.

An email sent to terminated employees obtained by BI read: "Effective now, you will not need to perform any further work and therefore will no longer have access to Tesla systems and physical locations."

On April 29, Musk reportedly sent an email stating the need for more layoffs at Tesla. He also announced the departure of two executives and said that their reports would also be let go. Six known Tesla executives have left the company since layoffs began in April.

Grand Theft Auto 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive is reducing its workforce by 5%

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, said on April 16 that it would be "eliminating several projects" and reducing its workforce by about 5%.

The move — a part of its larger "cost reduction program" — will cost the video game publisher up to $200 million. It's expected to be completed by December 31.

As of March 2023, the company said it employed approximately 11,580 full-time workers.

Peloton is reducing its staff by 15% as the CEO steps down as well

Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy is stepping down, the company announced May 2. Along with his departure, the fitness company is also laying off about 400 workers.

McCarthy is leaving his role just two years after replacing John Foley as CEO and president in 2022. Peloton said the changes are expected to reduce annual expenses by over $200 million by the end of fiscal 2025 as part of a larger restructuring plan.

Microsoft-owned Xbox is cutting more jobs

Xbox is offering some employees voluntary severance packages in May after shutting three units and absorbing a fourth earlier in the month. Microsoft had already made cuts to the division at the start of 2024.

According to Bloomberg, the offers were extended to producers, quality assurance testers, and more staff at Xbox-owned ZeniMax. Others across the Xbox organization were told that more cuts are coming.

Xbox president Matt Booty told staff in a May 8 town hall that the studio closures are part of an effort to free up more resources, Bloomberg reported.

Indeed is cutting 1,000 workers after laying off 2,200 a year ago

Careers site Indeed says it will lay off roughly 1,000 employees, or 8% of its workforce, as it looks to simplify its organization.

CEO Chris Hyams took responsibility for "how we got here" in a memo in May but said the company is not yet set up for growth after last year's global hiring slowdown caused multiple quarters of declining sales.

Hyams said the latest cuts will be more concentrated in the US and primarily affect R&D and Go-to-Market teams. That's in contrast to last year's across-the-board reduction of 2,200 workers.

Walmart is axing hundreds of corporate jobs

Retail giant Walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and asking remote employees to come to work, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Workers in smaller offices, such as those in Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto, are also being asked to move to central locations like Walmart's corporate headquarters in Arkansas or those in New Jersey or California, the Journal reported.

Under Armour is slashing an unspecified number of jobs, incurring $22 million in severance costs

Under Armour confirmed it was conducting layoffs in its quarterly earnings report, which was released May 16.

The company said it will pay out employee severance and benefits expenses of roughly $15 million in cash-related and $7 million in non-cash charges this year related to a restructuring plan, with close to half of that occurring in the current fiscal quarter.

"This is not where I envisaged Under Armour playing at this point in our journey," CEO Kevin Plank told investors on the company's full-year earnings call. "That said, we'll use this turbulence to reconstitute our brand and business, giving athletes, retail customers and shareholders bigger and better reasons to care about and believe in Under Armour's potential."