Ukraine is getting a new upper hand on the battlefield. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images Ukraine is using new drones and offensive tactics to slow Russia and regain some ground. The shift is challenging the static, grinding war that has defined the front. Russia still maintains certain advantages, and Ukraine's opening may not last. Ukraine's new tactics and drone tech have allowed it to build rare momentum against Russia, according to analysts, Ukrainian officials, and Western intelligence. Russia's invasion has been a brutal, grinding battle with little change to the front lines in recent years. That may be starting to change. Ukraine has been slowing Russian advances, striking targets Moscow once treated as safe, and regaining some ground. New drone types are allowing Ukraine to hit areas Russia once considered safe, including depots, vehicles, air defenses, and supply routes that support Russian troops at the front. The goal is to isolate parts of the battlefield, making it harder for Russia to move troops and supplies where they are needed. Better planning and new systems mean Ukraine is also getting better at using those weapons strategically rather than simply reacting to Russian assaults, analysts say. "What we're currently seeing is a new phase of the war," Kateryna Stepanenko, a Russian warfare expert at the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, told Business Insider. A new phase of the war Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine is "gradually taking back occupied territory," adding that "in May, Russia achieved almost no meaningful results on the battlefield." Ukraine is seeing the kind of momentum it hasn't seen in years. Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images Ukrainian commanders have said Russia is having its worst year since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, and ISW's conflict analysts wrote late last month that Ukraine is starting to capture more ground than it's losing for the first time since 2023. Analysts said Ukraine is successfully "blunting Russian advances and reversing Russian gains in some sectors of the line." Additionally, they said, "Russian battlefield gains are approaching net zero." Russia's rate of advance has plummeted since last year, and it is "losing more soldiers to make fewer gains," they added. Tanks and armored vehicles have struggled in Ukraine, where masses of cheap drones can spot and attack them. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images ISW analysts said Ukraine's actions were "actively challenging" the grinding nature of the war. The drone-dominated skies have prevented both sides from bringing in heavy machinery or massing infantry near the front. Russia has tried to bring this style of warfare back, but has largely failed. Ukraine, however, is showing some promise, reintroducing some small-scale armored formations able to move and fight dynamically. Neither side can conduct major maneuvers yet, but Ukraine is "setting conditions potentially to break out," ISW said. New drones for new targets Ukraine's drones have been playing a critical role in this shift. For much of the war, Ukraine has relied heavily on short-range first-person-view drones to hit troops and equipment near the front, while long-range drones struck oil facilities, airfields, and military targets deep inside Russia. But now Ukraine has new drones, including the US-made Hornet drone, that can hit targets at medium range, around 20 to 300 kilometers from the front lines. Hitting these rear area mid-range targets is creating new problems for the Russian military logistically, because it now "takes much more time to deliver armaments to the front lines," and "from a psychological point of view," because "the area which they considered to be safe now is a new kill zone," said Taras Berezovets, head of the military cooperation department of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces. Drones have been a vital weapon for Ukraine, and it now has new types. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images Ukraine's defense ministry said that in recent months, "destruction of enemy logistics, depots, and other targets has increased fourfold." "A battlefield runs on logistics," it said. "Ukraine is making sure Russia's does not." The UK defense ministry observed on Monday that Ukraine's growing ability to disrupt Russia's transportation nodes using drones "has likely been one of the enablers for Ukrainian success." The battlefield, it added, remains in "context flux," but Ukraine's forces have created a "new threat" by hitting Russian logistics, including along the strategic M-14 highway connecting Russian-occupied Crimea with Russia. Stepanenko said Ukraine's large long-range drones are a poor fit for these shorter missions. They can be more vulnerable to the dense electronic warfare Russia uses closer to the front, and they are expensive enough that using them to chase lower-value targets like trucks doesn't make sense. And the shorter-range drones lacked the reach. Ukraine uses its celebrated long-range drones to hit far into Russia. Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images New mid-range drones are creating chaos in Russian rear areas, and Stepanenko suspects the strike campaign "is likely going to get a lot stronger over the coming weeks and months until Russian forces find a countermeasure." Ukraine is saying the same. "Hits at distances of more than 20 kilometers are now twice as high as in March and four times as high as in February. And there will be more," Zelenskyy said last month. "This is a priority area." Ukraine's defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said Ukraine is "launching a 'logistics lockdown' for the Russian army," with more progress to come as the country invests over $110 million into these efforts. Berezovets said use of this mid-range strike technology in large quantities "will change the front lines." And Ukraine now has better planning and systems to take advantage of it. An opportunity for Ukraine Ukraine has developed improved battlefield awareness and planning capabilities, allowing it to identify more effective targets and make a greater impact on the overall fight. ISW analysts said that its operational planning is "maturing." Making the difference are things like Ukraine's new Delta battlefield management system, which combines intelligence and data from satellites, combat units, drone feeds, and other sources to provide a better overall picture of the fight, both enemy and friendly forces, for targeting and coordination. Delta, which has received praise and consideration from NATO officials, became mandatory for all units in August. Analysts said it is "enabling better awareness, planning capabilities, and thinking about Russian operational weaknesses." Ukrainian forces, ISW wrote, "are taking time to shape the battlefield and set conditions ahead of better-scoped maneuvers." Stepanenko said that Ukraine's military planning has evolved and shifted away from simply reacting to assaults in front of them "to actually thinking long-term" in order "to disrupt Russian ability to bring up troops and equipment closer to the battlefield and therefore disrupt Russian preparations for offensive operations.'" She said another help is the Ukrainian government's new awards program, which rewards soldiers for battlefield kills with points they can use to buy equipment like drones. It can reward pursuing important targets that are harder to reach, helping units focus beyond the immediate targets for strategic effect. Military reforms are also in play. Jack Watling, a land warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute, wrote in Foreign Policy that changes to Ukrainian training structures are making soldiers better prepared and sustaining morale. Ukraine has momentum, not an overwhelming advantage, and Russia still has a large military, the ability to adapt, and the capacity to keep pressure on the front. The momentum, though, is something Ukrainian forces haven't had in a long time. The war has been a constant cat-and-mouse fight, with new tactics and technology often countered by the other side. That means Ukraine's current opening may not last. ISW analysts wrote that "Ukraine likely has a unique and time-constrained opportunity to exploit its current initiative while Russian forces remain vulnerable." Read the original article on Business Insider

Because AI and LLMs are reshaping the traditional SaaS model, founders are forced to focus less on software alone and more on delivering measurable business outcomes, defensible workflow ownership, strong retention, and efficient growth. Crunchbase guest author, Ivan Nikkhoo argues that rather than chasing trends like adding services, founders should build deep moats, understand customer workflows, adapt pricing toward usage- or outcome-based models, and prove that AI creates lasting value.

So far in 2026, U.S. companies have pulled in nearly 80% of global seed- through growth-stage financing, per Crunchbase data. That’s a sharp divergence from the years leading up to the AI boom, when American companies typically secured less than half of all investment.

KFC's global modernization effort includes a new logo and packaging, menu upgrades, and restaurant redesigns, all aimed at improving the customer experience. KFC KFC is undergoing a global brand overhaul to modernize while keeping its nostalgic elements. The Colonel faces competition in the chicken market, especially in the US, despite global growth. The legacy chain's strategy hinges on digital engagement, new menu items, and immersive experiences. The Colonel is staying put. Almost everything else at KFC is changing. The 74-year-old fried chicken chain is rolling out one of the biggest global brand overhauls in its history, betting that new sauces, specialty beverages, redesigned restaurants, and a refreshed logo and packaging can help it define what executives call the "next chapter of chicken." The challenge is modernizing one of the world's most recognizable restaurant brands without losing the nostalgia and familiarity that made it iconic in the first place — and avoiding a rebranding catastrophe like Cracker Barrel experienced last year. "We have a history of keeping pace with the consumer, and now everything we're doing is in service of making sure we're setting the standard for the modern chicken quick service restaurant," KFC Global CEO Scott Mezvinsky told Business Insider. The effort comes as chicken has become one of the hottest segments in fast food. Raising Cane's, Dave's Hot Chicken, Chick-fil-A, and Popeyes have intensified competition, particularly in the US, where KFC is trying to regain momentum. "KFC has become a global brand with an American problem, rather than an American brand with global ambitions," said Usha Haley, the Barton distinguished chair of international business at Wichita State University. As of its latest earnings report, the chain continues to expand aggressively, with more than 34,000 restaurants across 151 countries, and it has posted sales growth almost everywhere over the last three quarters — except the US. Though KFC has narrowed its customer-satisfaction gap with rivals over the past year, recent scores show the brand still faces pressure from newer chicken chains that have captured younger consumers' attention. The brand also remains behind Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Raising Cane's, and Wingstop in US consumer spending, according to InMarket. KFC's response to the competition has included revitalization efforts, such as the self-aware "Kentucky Fried Comeback" campaign, launched last year to reverse still-slumping sales in the US. Its new global strategy is built around menu upgrades, digital engagement, and what executives describe as a more immersive restaurant experience. KFC's new line of sauces includes Chimichurri Ranch and Hot Honey Habanero, while its Kwench drink lineup features new shakes and boba drinks. KFC "The worst thing we can do is stand still — but the other thing that we can't do is just completely change who we are," Val Koropeckyj, KFC's global chief marketing officer said, adding that updating the strategy for a legacy brand with as much scale as KFC has is like maneuvering a cruise ship: "You can absolutely change course, but it takes intention and distance." A cornerstone of that intention is a menu overhaul. KFC this year launched a new global beverage platform, called Kwench, and is pushing deeper into boneless chicken products with regional sauces like Chimichurri Ranch and Hot Honey Habanero, which executives say better align with what consumers crave. "Our brand was built around buckets of chicken," Koropeckyj said. "That's not how people eat today." Instead, she pointed to trends like snacking, grazing, flavor exploration, and beverages as growth opportunities. KFC's beverage push in particular puts it squarely in the middle of a growing battle for younger consumers. Across the restaurant industry, chains from Starbucks to McDonald's have invested heavily in customizable, visually striking drinks as Gen Z and younger millennials increasingly treat beverages as affordable indulgences and social-media-friendly experiences. The chicken chain's new global beverage platform includes boba refreshers, sparkling lemonades, iced coffees, and shakes designed to give customers new ways to treat themselves beyond mealtimes. "People drink more and more often than they eat," Christophe Poirier, KFC's global chief concept officer, told Business Insider, adding that KFC executives see beverages as a way to attract younger consumers and create reasons to visit the brand beyond a traditional chicken meal. "We need to be in constant evolution to be forever young," Poirier said. That evolution extends beyond the menu. KFC's redesigned restaurants drew inspiration from the Sphere's screen in Las Vegas and the sleek design of the Apple Store. KFC Poirier is leading a redesign effort intended to transform KFC from a traditional quick-service restaurant into what he calls a "QXR" — a quality experience restaurant. He cited Las Vegas' Sphere as an example of the kind of immersive environment consumers increasingly expect, and pointed to Apple Stores as inspiration for reducing friction between customers and employees. His thinking is rooted in the belief that restaurants no longer compete only with other restaurants. "The enemy in any place is what I'm calling the feed," Poirier said, referring to social media. "The new generation, they have no patience for boredom." Future KFC locations will feature more dynamic digital elements, flexible spaces, and redesigned service areas intended to feel less transactional and more experiential — think immersive screens, layouts that shift with different dayparts, and hospitality-focused service areas that blur the line between employee and customer. The goal, Poirier said, is to create restaurants that can "beat the feed." Whether customers view the changes as innovation or catch-up remains an open question. Haley, the international business professor at Wichita State University, described the strategy as "optimization" rather than true reinvention. "Nearly every element of KFC's strategy follows a path a faster rival already went down," Haley said. "Everything here makes KFC a better-running version of what it already is." Michael Della Penna, chief strategy officer at InMarket, pointed to KFC's recent sales gains and growing digital engagement as signs that the chain's efforts are beginning to resonate, though there's still a long road ahead. Still, Haley argues that KFC's greatest advantage isn't its sauces, beverages, or loyalty program, which will also be getting a facelift. "KFC's heritage is a moat that rivals are spending fortunes to manufacture," she said. "The solution lies in modernizing the system, and sanctifying the icons." That may be why, amid all the boba-inspired drinks, new sauces, and immersive restaurants, KFC isn't messing with the one asset its competitors can't copy: the older man in a white suit who has been the figurehead behind the brand's chicken for nearly three-quarters of a century. As competitors continue to crowd into the chicken market, Mezvinsky is betting that KFC's history remains one of its biggest advantages. "We know that chicken is the category growing the fastest," he said. "And we also know that we're the chicken kings." Read the original article on Business Insider

Four days after Apple confirmed that Siri AI would not launch in China, Huawei took the stage in Dongguan and declared HarmonyOS 7 the beginning of the agent era. The gap Apple could not fill, Huawei has moved into with an architecture built specifically for it. What HarmonyOS 7 actually changes The headline change is […] The post HarmonyOS 7 steps into the AI gap Apple left open in China appeared first on AI News.

May Lee with her father at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Courtesy of May Lee May Lee, a lifelong soccer fan, bought a ticket for the World Cup final for $10,925. She scaled back travel plans for her 60th birthday to afford the ticket. This is Lee's first year going to the World Cup without her father, who died in 2019. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with May Lee, a 59-year-old seasonal broadcast engineer at a research station in Antarctica, and former marketing and communications manager at Hewlett-Packard. It has been edited for length and clarity. Soccer has been a lifelong passion for me — I just love it. Watching the matches in person gives you a sense of global humanity at its best, rooting for someone outside yourself. It was also something my dad and I shared together, and this year will be the first time I attend a World Cup game without him. I applied for all three lottery rounds and didn't get any tickets. I was so bummed. And then, in the very last lottery, I thought to myself: 'OK, forget it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience — I don't care how much it costs.' So, I spent $10,925 on a category 3 ticket to see the final at MetLife Stadium in July. The ticket was 4 months of my pay at the time I think FIFA has gone way overboard with pricing. But unfortunately, if I do want to attend the World Cup, which I do, there's nothing I can do about it. I started working at Hewlett-Packard as a software engineer around 1988 and worked there until I was laid off last year during a downsizing. I knew I didn't want to retire just yet, but I also didn't need to chase a big salary. So, I decided to take a job as a broadcast engineer at McMurdo Station, a research station in Antarctica, for 5 months. This involved keeping the McMurdo TV and radio station running. I will return to work there in the fall. May Lee and her father's tickets to the 1994 World Cup. Courtesy of May Lee Having had a high salary in the tech world for years, I didn't really need to worry about opening a special savings account for the World Cup. Instead, I decided to use whatever I earn from working in Antarctica to pay for my ticket. It ended up being almost four months of my five months' pay. I had already booked accommodation and flights in September and used air miles to purchase the flights from San Jose, which is near where I live in Santa Clara. These worked out to $11. Hotel prices in New York were astronomical, so I'm staying in a room in my friend's condo for $175 a night. I scaled back my grandiose birthday plans I'm turning 60 this year, and had planned some big trips to celebrate. Every five years for my birthday, I go to Paris. I love France and consider myself a francophile; my favorite national soccer team is France. I had initially planned a three-week trip around Europe for my 60th birthday. I was planning to go to Italy and dine at as many three-Michelin-star restaurants as possible, then rent a motorhome and drive to Lake Como, Rome, and other cities, before ending up in Paris. 
 May Lee with the World Cup trophy. Courtesy of May Lee As the World Cup ticket was so expensive, I ended up canceling that idea and scaling back to a two-week trip to Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris. I had also planned a two-and-a-half-week luxury cruise to Iceland to see the total solar eclipse. I've canceled that too. Instead, I'm flying to London for a couple of days to see some West End shows, then heading to Iceland to see the total solar eclipse and stay in an Airbnb. In the end, it's not a huge hardship. I'm taking my dad's ashes with me My dad used to take me to the local YMCA to play soccer when I was a little kid. He was a doting father. He never grew up playing soccer himself, but he would come to all of my games and take photos of me. I played all through elementary, high school, and college. May Lee pictured with her YMCA soccer team in 1978 (above) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville soccer team in 1988 (below). Courtesy of May Lee Soccer was a fun, personal experience I shared with my dad, so when the World Cup last came to the US in 1994, I treated him to tickets. It was my first taste of an international competition, and it was just amazing. We also went to Brazil in 2014. It was the first time either of us had ever been to Brazil, so it was a great thing to share with him. We had talked about maybe going to see a women's World Cup in 2019, but he died that year, so we didn't go. It will be bittersweet going without him this year. I know he would want me to be happy and to enjoy life, doing something I've obviously loved and been passionate about my entire life: soccer. May Lee shared her love of travel with her father. The two are pictured at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Courtesy of May Lee And while he won't physically be with me, I keep a locket of his ashes in my purple necklace pendant wherever I go. I know that he's always with me in heart and spirit. Life is about experiences I'm going to make the most of my time in New York. It's going to be a vacation filled with my passions, loves, and interests — fine dining, theater, and obviously, the World Cup. Of course, on TV you get the close-ups, but seeing it in person, there's just no comparison. It's like live theater versus watching a movie. The good vibes and energy are something that you can't experience when you're watching it at home. For me, life is about experiences. I'd rather pay the money for something like this than have it sitting in the bank or buy a lot of material things. That's kind of me in a nutshell. Read the original article on Business Insider

Gas prices are falling, but remain above $4 per barrel. Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The average price of gas has fallen for three consecutive weeks, according to AAA data. Average prices across the US are still above $4 per gallon as of Monday morning. Oil prices slumped after the US and Iran agreed on a tentative deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Pain at the pump is easing. The average price of gas across the US has fallen for three consecutive weeks, and continued to fall on Monday, according to AAA data. "The national average for a gallon of regular has been falling for three straight weeks, delivering some relief to drivers during the busy summer travel season," AAA said in a statement on Friday. At the time of AAA's release, the average price of a gallon of gas nationwide was $4.12, down from a high of $4.56 in May. By Monday morning, the average price had fallen a further 1.5% to $4.06. Gas prices spiked from less than $3 in February after the start of the US-Iran war. The war crippled global oil supply by leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical Iran-controlled waterway through which about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows. This, in turn, pushed crude prices sharply higher. Since then, oil prices have jumped on escalations of the conflict and fallen on any news of a potential peace deal or reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. AAA data released Friday showed the price of gas has fallen sharply in recent weeks. AAA On Monday, oil prices dropped 5% after news that the two countries had agreed to a tentative deal to reopen the strait, with Iranian officials saying the conflict would end on Monday night. The price of Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, has fallen from close to $120 per barrel in late April to around $83 as of 6 a.m. ET Monday. While the price of fuel is falling in tandem with the broader drop in oil prices, gas is still more than a third more costly than it was before the conflict began. In some US states, gas prices remain above $5 per gallon. In California, usually the most expensive state for gas, the average price per gallon is $5.74. Read the original article on Business Insider

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Consumers are showing a willingness to let AI agents take on more shopping-related tasks, according to new research from Accenture. The company’s 2026 Consumer Pulse Research, based on a survey of 25,590 consumers across 16 countries, found that 74% of respondents would trust a personal AI agent more than their best friend to make a […] The post Accenture: Consumers show growing trust in AI shopping agents appeared first on AI News.

Amanda Snyder Cathey built a free layoff support tool. Stephanie Alvarez Ewens Amanda Snyder Cathey said she lost her job the day after she finalized her divorce. The product designer said she was surprised to learn that she qualified for certain benefits. The experience inspired her to share her findings with others by vibe coding a free layoff support tool. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Amanda Snyder Cathey, a senior product designer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who built a free layoff support tool. Her identity and background have been verified. This story has been edited for length and clarity. The day after finalizing my divorce in February, I got laid off from a senior product design role at a real estate tech company. A few weeks later, my landlord told me I had to quickly move out because the house I was renting had a septic issue. I knew getting laid off was a possibility. We had several layoffs during the five years I was at my last company. But it was still a shocker. I have three daughters. The oldest is starting college in the fall, so I had to reapply for financial aid at every school she wanted to get into since my income had changed drastically. I was laid off once before, but I quickly found another job, so I never applied for unemployment benefits. I knew I'd need more runway this time because it's a very different job market now. When you lose your job, you're in a fog. It's just very overwhelming. I didn't want to be a deer in the headlights, so I took some time off just to get myself together and figure out what to do next. The perfect use case One night, I was brainstorming with a friend about things I could build with AI, because in every job interview I've had, I've been asked about how I use it. At the same time, I saw a problem based on my experience finding the resources I needed most. I also noticed all these people on LinkedIn talking about layoffs and how they were struggling. Building a layoff support tool seemed like the perfect use case. So what I did was I created a one-stop shop where people can search by state for information on accessing unemployment benefits, health insurance, health coverage, food assistance, and other essential resources. I made sure to include mental health resources because getting laid off is a real blow to your self-confidence. The tool, called RIF Surfer, lives on a website that also has a checklist of steps to follow after a layoff, plus information I found surprising and helpful after mine. For example, I didn't know that you could still qualify for unemployment benefits even after receiving a severance package, or that I could qualify for Medicaid. So, it's a lot of me trying to demystify some of these things. Vibe-coding for the first time I'm a designer, not an engineer, but I built RIF Surfer in one week by vibe coding with Claude. I was inspired by the gov.uk website, which has a benefits finder. It's very utilitarian. I wanted to keep my site very basic and straightforward. I found it fairly easy, like being an art director, which I'm familiar with, because as a designer, it comes with the territory. I just thought of Claude as a cognitive partner. It felt natural. The tool and website it's on didn't cost anything to make beyond my Claude subscription and some additional usage fees. One night, I hit my usage limit and paid around $50 so I could keep working because I was really into it. My plan is to keep RIF Surfer free for users. I think where it could be monetized would be outplacement firms or enterprise. Companies could white-label it and tailor the information for the folks they lay off. For now, though, I just want it to be a free community resource — a soft landing and a way for folks to bounce back. We've all got to learn how to surf this wave. Read the original article on Business Insider

"Retire By 30" author Cody Berman and his wife, Lauren. Courtesy of Cody Berman Cody Berman achieved financial independence by focusing on two levers: income and expenses. He increased his income through side hustles and saved big by house hacking. He continued widening the gap between his income and expenses, and invested the excess. Cody Berman's income more than quadrupled in three years, while his spending barely changed in that same timeframe. That widening gap, he said, was the key to reaching financial independence before his 26th birthday. Berman, the author of "Retire by 30" and host of "The Financial Independence Show," said people pursuing FIRE (financial independence, retire early) often obsess over tax optimization, investment nuances, and advanced strategies. But his own path was much simpler: He pulled two levers at once, growing his income while keeping his expenses low, then invested the difference. Lever 1: He kept expenses low Berman, 30, started keeping his expenses low immediately after college, when he moved back home for seven months to save on housing while working his first corporate job in Boston. When he moved out, he still kept his largest expense as low as possible by living with roommates and splitting a room. His portion of the rent was $450 a month. Eventually, he bought a multi-family home and house-hacked, which turned housing from an expense to a source of cash flow. He went from paying $450 a month in rent to netting about $500 a month by renting a portion of his home — roughly a $1,000 monthly swing, he said. Between the low housing costs and driving a paid-off truck, Berman said he lived comfortably on about $2,000 a month from 2019 to 2021. He still went out with friends, ate at restaurants, and spent money on things he valued. The difference was that he made intentional choices that compounded: splitting dishes, buying fewer drinks, keeping housing costs low, and avoiding car payments. Berman avoided a car payment for years by driving an old, paid-off truck. Courtesy of Cody Berman "A lot of the old FIRE content is focused on hyperfrugality: sell your car and bike 20 miles in a snowstorm to work, or live in a storage unit," Berman said. "I don't think you have to do any of that. You just have to live slightly differently from your peers — so slightly that people might not even know that you're doing it." During his most frugal years in his early 20s, Berman said, his lifestyle did not look dramatically different from his friends' lives: "From the outside, I really don't think someone could say, 'Oh, it looks like Cody's living a deprived life.'" Lever 2: He increased his income Berman didn't just focus on cutting expenses. He started side hustling to earn extra income in college and continued doing so while working his first corporate job in commercial real estate lending. Over the years, he said he's tried more than 30 side hustles, including selling digital products, landscaping, tutoring, podcasting, freelance work, and flipping items on eBay. During his short corporate stint, he lived off his side-hustle income and saved his full salary. After seven months, he had about $35,000 in savings, which gave him the runway and confidence to quit and pursue entrepreneurship full time. That early experimentation eventually narrowed into three main revenue buckets: digital products, real estate, and personal-finance education. Digital products became his biggest business. Berman started by selling printables on Etsy and Shopify, including simple Valentine's Day products like love coupons and love notes. His digital-products business later grew into Gold City Ventures, which includes a template library, courses, and communities. Real estate became another major source of income. He's experimented with long-term rentals, Airbnbs, flipping, hard-money lending, and investing in real-estate syndications. His third main bucket is personal-finance education, which includes his podcast, social media, YouTube, and book. In 2019, his first full year of entrepreneurship, Berman said he earned $96,000. The next year, his income rose to $198,000. By 2021, it reached $403,000. He lived on about $24,000 a year all three years. The formula: He invested the gap The math was simple but powerful. Across those three years, Berman created a roughly $625,000 gap between what he earned and what he spent. YearIncomeSpendingGap 2019$96,000$24,000$72,000 2020$198,000$24,000$174,000 2021$403,000$24,000$379,000 Not all of that necessarily became investable cash after taxes and business expenses, but it gave him the capital to invest, which is ultimately what allowed his wealth to snowball. At first, Berman said, he put most of the money into index funds. Later, he began buying real estate. By late 2021, shortly before his 26th birthday, Berman said he had about $500,000 invested in the stock market, 13 rental units producing about $3,700 a month in cash flow, and a digital-products business earning more than $10,000 a month. That was the point when he considered himself financially independent. Business Insider reviewed screenshots of Berman's Vanguard, Schwab, and Empower accounts showing that his net worth exceeded $1 million as of 2026. BI also reviewed a ThriveCart screenshot showing that Gold City Ventures had processed more than $1 million in sales through the platform. "Especially in the FIRE world, we're such spreadsheet nerds," Berman said. "People nerd out about the nuances and a mega backdoor Roth versus this retirement account and that retirement account. But at the end of the day, early on in your journey, let's say you have less than $100,000 net worth, the biggest factor by far, bar none, is the gap between your income and your expenses." Read the original article on Business Insider

After being laid off from StubHub, Steven Lowe worked as a restaurant host in New York City while searching for his next role. Steven Lowe Steven Lowe finally felt financially stable after landing a role at StubHub — then he was laid off. After months of searching for work, Lowe took a restaurant host job in New York City. Lowe later landed a new full-time role, but it came with a steep pay cut from StubHub. Steven Lowe's financial goals always seemed just out of reach. Then, in early 2024, he landed a six-figure art director role at StubHub — the highest-paying job of his career. "It was the first time I was able to comfortably make my student loan payments," said Lowe, who's 41 and lives in Brooklyn. A little over a year later, he was laid off. He's still struggling to find a job that good. Job searching is "like taking a shot in the dark," Lowe said. Lowe is among the dozens of job seekers I've spoken with over the past year who've struggled to navigate a sluggish hiring landscape shaped by cost-cutting, economic uncertainty, and AI adoption. US businesses are hiring at one of the slowest rates since 2013, and as of May, more than a quarter of unemployed workers had been looking for work for 27 weeks or more, the highest level since December 2021. While searching for full-time employment, many job seekers have turned to part-time work to make ends meet. And even when full-time offers come along, they often carry a steep pay cut. Business Insider is speaking with workers who've found themselves at a corporate crossroads — whether due to a layoff, resignation, job search, or shifting workplace expectations. Share your story by filling out this form. Applying to anything and everything Before joining StubHub, Lowe spent nine years as a senior art director at the e-commerce company Boxed. He was laid off around March 2023, shortly before the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Given he'd been out of the job market for nine years — and was reentering at a time when hiring was starting to slow across the US — Lowe said his job search was particularly challenging. By fall, he was done being picky. "I was applying to any and everything if I even felt remotely capable," he said. That's when he came across a product-design role at StubHub. Lowe said that about halfway through the interview process, the recruiter asked whether he'd be interested in a newly created art director role instead. The company felt his qualifications were a bit lacking for the product-design position, he said, but believed he'd be a strong fit for the art director job. He started in February 2024. Then, in mid-April, he learned he was being laid off. Lowe said he doesn't know why his role was cut, but that other employees were laid off around the same time. A frustrating return to the job market Lowe said the end of his time at StubHub was stressful, with several major projects. After the layoff, he decided to collect his severance and take a month off to decompress before job hunting. Eventually, Lowe started applying for roles through LinkedIn and Indeed while also reaching out to people in his network for leads. He secured a referral for one promising position, but didn't land it. The benefits of networking were somewhat limited, he said, because many people in his circle were also unemployed and searching for work. While the rejections were difficult, Lowe said his previous job search had taught him not to take them personally. He knew there were often factors at play behind the scenes that candidates couldn't see. "I felt a little stronger mentally this time," he said. A restaurant job helped him stay afloat As the months dragged on, Lowe's unemployment benefits began running out. To make matters worse, he had moved into a more expensive apartment about six months before losing his job. Fortunately, he had a backup plan. Before building a career in design, Lowe had occasionally worked in the hospitality industry when he needed extra income. So last October, he began looking for restaurant work on Harri — a job platform tailored to the industry — and soon came across an opening for a host position at Rosemary's, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan's West Village. He had eaten there for the first time earlier that year. Lowe applied for the role and received an email the next day inviting him to an open call. Within a few days, he attended the event and was hired as a host. "I had that job in three days as opposed to waiting weeks and weeks for interviews for roles that never panned out," Lowe said. "It was wild." The position paid $22 an hour and provided roughly 26 hours of work a week — enough to help cover bills, but not replace Lowe's previous income. He continued applying for art and creative direction roles during his time at the restaurant. This spring, a friend told Lowe about an administrative assistant opening. Lowe had previously done freelance design work for the company in 2023, so he already knew the products, team, and how the business operated. The opportunity was different from what he had been looking for, but it offered more stable hours and slightly better pay than the restaurant role. In May, he accepted the position and left the restaurant. The new role provides what amounts to full-time hours but pays substantially less than his former StubHub job — Lowe estimates roughly 60% to 70% less annually. While the role has helped him regain some financial stability, Lowe said he eventually hopes to return to work in the field where he spent more than a decade of his career. "It's not a total solve to my career job search issues," he said. "But it's an improvement that I'm grateful for." 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