Beef prices hit a record high in 2026 WW NEWS/Getty Images Andrew Schnipper has been opening restaurants for decades, but he builds menus differently now. Early on, he and his brother offered a broad menu that ranged from salads to hamburgers. He says if he could start over, he would have built a more focused concept from the beginning. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andrew Schnipper, cofounder of multiple restaurants, including Schnipper's and Hamburger America. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. When my brother and I opened Schnipper's in 2009, we thought having a broad menu made sense. We were focused on burgers, but we also served salads, sandwiches, and other comfort food. At the time, we thought people would want variety because, honestly, even we were asking ourselves how many burgers someone could eat every week. What I've learned over the years is that today's customers are looking for specialists. They want restaurants that do a few things really well. That's one of the biggest reasons our newer concept, Hamburger America, has such a focused menu. If you look at Hamburger America, there are a couple of burgers, a couple of sandwiches, and that's pretty much it. We're very focused there, and as a result, we do those things very well. Hamburger America's menu. Business Insider I think one of the hardest things about running a large menu is that almost everything sells to somebody. You'll have a few blockbuster items, but even the lower-volume dishes develop loyal customers. That makes it difficult to remove anything once the menu grows too large. Looking back, I probably would have built a more focused concept from the beginning. How my brother and I built our restaurant business The Schnipper brothers. Courtesy of Andrew Schnipper My brother and I first got into the restaurant business in 1990 when we opened Hale and Hearty, a soup concept in New York City. We eventually built 18 locations before selling our interest in the business in 2006. Later, we launched Schnipper's, and eventually, we partnered with George Motz to open Hamburger America. George had spent decades documenting hamburger history through books, documentaries, and pop-ups, but he didn't want to open a restaurant without experienced operators. My brother and I already had experience building and running restaurants, so we decided to partner with him. Our partnership works because we have different strengths. My brother trained as a chef and focuses heavily on the food and culinary side of the business. I focus more on operations, accounting, and building restaurants. Hamburger America's cheeseburgers. Business Insider We trust each other in our respective areas, and I think that level of respect is critical in any partnership, especially a family business. Rising costs have changed the restaurant industry The restaurant industry has changed a lot since I started. Food and labor costs have gone up dramatically, especially since the pandemic. We've never seen prices increase the way they have in the last several years. We're paying about double for meat compared with when we first opened our burger business, and prices have also gone up significantly since the pandemic. Labor costs have increased, too. Outside of Hamburger America. Business Insider Most restaurateurs I know want customers to feel like they got a good value. That creates a challenge because ingredient costs and labor costs keep rising, but there's only so much you can pass along to customers before prices become too high. I think most of us in the industry are absorbing part of those increases ourselves. We're making a little less money than we used to. Why I still love restaurants after all these years Even with those challenges, I still love the business. Andrew Schnipper inside of Hamburger America. Business Insider However, there's not a week that goes by that I don't look at my brother and ask, "Why would anybody voluntarily do this for a living?" Then you watch customers come in and enjoy what you built, and it reminds you why you're doing it. There's something extraordinarily satisfying about putting out a product that people love and come back to. Especially in the lunch business, you realize you're part of somebody's day. People enjoy the experience, and that gives us a huge amount of satisfaction. I really believe you either have hospitality in your DNA or you don't. If you're doing this just to make money, I think it's probably a terrible idea. You really have to love hospitality, love food, and enjoy making people happy. That's what has kept my brother and me doing this for decades. Read the original article on Business Insider

Patricia Cohen / New York Times: How Schneider Electric is using AI in call centers and manufacturing to complement employees' work and boost productivity, rather than to replace them  —  For many chief executives, success in adopting artificial intelligence is measured by the number of jobs they can eliminate.

Monica Trott started having colon cancer symptoms around age 30, but doctors reassured her it was a pregnancy symptom. She wasn't diagnosed until years later, with stage 3 colon cancer. Courtesy of Monica Trott A military spouse had a common symptom of colon cancer for years, but doctors dismissed it as pregnancy-related. She eventually had a colonoscopy that found a golf-ball-sized tumor, and was diagnosed with stage 3c colon cancer at 32. Now five years cancer-free after treatment, she said a big challenge was learning to ask for help. Monica Trott was about to turn 30 when she started to notice blood in her stool. As a gastroenterology nurse who helped people prepare for colonoscopies, she was deeply familiar with common symptoms of colon cancer and knew rectal bleeding was serious. During 2019, however, she was well into her second pregnancy. When her doctor said it was likely hemorrhoids related to pregnancy and being on her feet all day, Trott went along with it. She ate more fiber, as instructed. The blood went away temporarily, but kept coming back. Then, in 2021, during her third pregnancy, the symptoms returned worse than ever, even as the doctors treating her insisted nothing was out of the ordinary. "I'm seeing blood. I'm seeing mucus now. I'm so tired all the time. So I was bringing them all these symptoms. And every time they would just tell me, 'It's hemorrhoids. You're pregnant, and there's not much else we can do,'" Trott told Business Insider. Weeks after she gave birth in 2021, she insisted on a colonoscopy. The procedure found a golf ball-sized tumor in her rectum at age 32. She was diagnosed with stage 3C, meaning the cancer had spread to nearly a dozen lymph nodes. After successful treatment, Trott is now 38 and celebrating five years cancer-free alongside her husband and three children. As a military spouse, the family adapted to unique challenges during her diagnosis and treatment. She shared what everyone should know about colon cancer, from screening to survivorship. "You have to advocate for yourself," Trott said. "Learn to ask for help and accept help." Coping with a young cancer diagnosis After months of reassurance from doctors, the last thing Trott had expected was a cancer diagnosis. Still, she was grateful it hadn't spread to her liver or elsewhere beyond the lymph nodes. "It was a big shock," she said. "It does feel like a miracle that it did not spread to other organs." Trott scheduled a surgery two weeks after receiving her diagnosis, followed by six months of chemotherapy. She grappled with uncertainty about what to tell her children, and if she'd miss out on seeing them grow up. Her family, including her husband, parents, and sisters, became a source of strength, a reason to endure the side effects of chemo and stay focused on healing. After surgery and chemo, Trott waited five years to celebrate being cancer-free, the milestone when the risk of cancer recurrence drops significantly. Courtesy of Monica Trott "My kids, at the very beginning, it was so hard because they were so little, and the depression was just telling me, 'Don't get close to them. There's no use," Trott said. "Thinking of my kids alone is what eventually got my mindset that, OK, I need to fight. Whatever is next, I'm going to do it." To manage the side effects of chemo and surgery, she relied heavily on her community, moving back in with her parents in Texas while her oldest daughter stayed in Alabama with her husband, stationed there at the time. Her sisters also helped. "That was a crazy family dynamic," Trott said. "I think about it now, how it must have been and how hard it must have been to see their daughter going through this. But thankfully, my parents are the strongest people, so they were there for me through it all." She now lives with her husband and three kids — ages 9, 7, and 5 — in San Antonio. Trott's takeaway from the experience: Don't be afraid to seek support, whether that's screening for colon cancer at the earliest sign of symptoms, or leaning on your community to manage daily life. "I've seen so many people…that they don't want to be a burden, or they're the helpers," she said. "Just learn to ask for and accept help. There's no benefit in saying you did it all by yourself." Life after cancer Six months after starting chemotherapy, Trott got to "ring the bell," signaling she had finished treatment. Scans at the time showed she was NED — short for no evidence of disease — meaning her scans were cancer-free. It started a countdown to five years, the milestone when the risk of colon cancer recurrence drops significantly. Trott hit the five-year mark in May and is still reflecting on what being a cancer survivor means to her. Trott's family, including her husband and three children (pictured), her parents, and her sisters, were major sources of support as she learned to ask for help during cancer treatment. Courtesy of Monica Trott After taking a few years to focus on her health and her family, Trott is gradually returning to work, subbing as a school nurse at her kids' school. She's also considering a move to oncology nursing. Reclaiming her life after cancer, Trott said she has been navigating the stigma of colon cancer and the misconception that she was somehow to blame for getting the disease. All the while, she's still dealing with the effects of treatment, as she's experiencing early menopause symptoms, which can be a side effect of chemo. "When I first was diagnosed, I was almost embarrassed to tell people, and I never shared my stage at the beginning. I almost felt like it was my fault, and people were going to look at me like, 'Oh, well, you must have been eating really bad food.' Like this is an old people's disease," she said. Now, Trott is finding meaning in her experience by urging others to listen to their bodies, and to be aware of the most common symptoms of colon cancer, like abdominal pain and changes to bathroom habits. "Now I'll meet a stranger, and I'm like, 'Hey, how are your bowel movements?'" she said. Read the original article on Business Insider

The author's kids (not pictured) are getting older, and he says his role as a parent is changing. emholk/Getty Images When my kids were younger, they needed my wife and me for everything. Now, they're 9 and 11, and they've gotten more independent over the years. My role as a parent has changed, and I have to embrace the time we have together. When our two kids were little, my wife and I were needed for everything. Every snack, every bedtime routine, every scraped knee, every middle-of-the-night wake-up. Our days revolved around the rhythm of theirs. Now my daughter is 11, and my son is 9, and something has changed. They still need us, of course, but not in the same constant, physical way. Increasingly, their lives exist just beyond the edges of ours. They spend more time with friends. They ride bikes around the neighborhood without us. They close their bedroom doors for alone time. Sometimes they disappear outside for hours and come back only when they're hungry (which in the age of screens and distraction, is amazing). I knew this stage was coming, but I wasn't prepared for how strange it would feel while living inside it. Parenting has become less physical and more emotional When kids are small, parenting is tangible. Your time is dominated by tasks like packing lunches, tying shoes, and carrying sleeping children from the car to bed. Your parenting role is obvious: Keep them alive! Now, much of the work happens in subtler ways. My wife and I spend less time actively doing things for our kids and more time paying attention to them. For example, listening carefully when they casually mention a friendship issue, noticing changes in their mood, or trying to create space for them to still want to talk to us. I like to bring one of my kids with me when I walk the dog, as it's an excellent opportunity to talk and be present. The questions they ask are changing, too. They're less concrete and more layered. Conversations drift toward social dynamics, insecurity, growing independence, and trying to figure out who they are becoming. I've realized that parenting older kids requires a different kind of restraint. You can't solve every problem for them anymore. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stay calm, stay available, and resist the urge to be a helicopter parent by giving them space to step up on their own. I miss parts of the earlier years more than I expected There are things I don't miss about early parenting. The lack of sleep, the constant chaos, the feeling that someone always needed something from me physically. But there are other parts I miss intensely. I miss how uncomplicated our relationship used to be. Back then, connection was automatic. Our kids wanted to be near us all the time. Family time happened naturally because their worlds were still so intertwined with ours. As they get older, our connection requires more intention and effort on our part. There are evenings when both kids are off doing their own thing while my wife and I sit quietly in the kitchen, realizing how much the house has changed. Not worse, exactly. Just different. I've started to understand why parents always talk about time moving so fast. It's not because childhood disappears all at once, but instead because they slowly become less dependent on you. I'm making sure we embrace the small moments As my kids grow up, I find myself being more protective of small moments, whether that's driving them to soccer or gymnastics, doing the dishes together after dinner, or hearing about some random thing that happened at school. Those conversations are often brief and unpredictable. But more often than not, these are when the most meaningful connections happen, and they share their thoughts or feelings about their days. Plus, older kids can easily tell when your attention is divided. If I'm half-listening while checking my phone or thinking about work, the conversation ends pretty quickly. That's why being present matters more now than ever, because attention is no longer guaranteed. My role as a parent is changing Whether I'm emotionally ready for it or not, I have to accept that my role as a parent is changing. My kids don't need constant supervision anymore. What they seem to need most is consistency, guidance, and, of course, our unconditional love and support. A parent who's emotionally available, calm, and paying attention — even as they become more independent. I spend less time with my kids than I used to, but I'm learning that parenting older children isn't necessarily about maximizing time together. It's about creating enough trust, steadiness, and openness that they still want to come back and share pieces of their world with you as it expands beyond your reach. Read the original article on Business Insider

A new book looks into the long history of people who have opposed vaccines.

Politico: Sources detail AI companies' engagement with US FERC as the energy regulator readies a June proposal to speed up data center connections to regional power grids  —  “The hyperscalers, when they do come speak to us, they don't speak FERC,” Swett said.  “Their complaints about the utilities …

Trump admin wants to rely on states for coal ash monitoring, enforcement, allow them to bypass national standards.

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Russia fired Oreshnik ballistic missiles at Ukraine from a restricted zone in the country's southeast. Residents who live nearby said they know little about the launch site. Kremlin / Handout / Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect Russia fired its Oreshnik ballistic missile at Ukraine on Sunday from a range in its steppe. The dilapidated state of the nearby town contrasts with the expensive missiles Russia develops there. "Nothing reaches us," a businesswoman in the restricted town said. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has ordered Oreshnik ballistic missiles to be fired at Ukraine, and each time they came from a restricted area in the barren steppe of southeastern Russia. The most recent Oreshnik attack came on Sunday amid a massive barrage that killed four people and injured many more, according to Ukrainian media. Strangely, the powerful $40 million ballistic missile caused only a smattering of damage to a garage complex near Kyiv. That may be due to the missile's armament and Russia's intent. A clue about the missile's use is its name: the Russian word Oreshnik means "hazel bush." In Russia, hazel bushes have been used for hundreds of years to make rods for corporal punishment, a Russian lawmaker recently said. The damage from the May 24 attack was largely caused by 90 missiles and hundreds of drones heading toward Kyiv. Speaking to the Russian outlet Vot Tak, political scientist Oleg Saakyan estimated that Russia used weapons worth about $1 billion that night. The Oreshnik missile struck in approximately six clusters, the absence of explosive flashes showing it was likely armed with inert warheads. It appears to be a demonstration of raw power. "It appears that none of those projectiles have any explosive in them," said Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. "All the attacks happened at night. Even a relatively small explosive charge would produce visible flashes." All three Oreshnik missiles that have struck Ukraine were launched from Kapustin Yar, a historic missile test range near Znamensk. The small town, with just under 30,000 inhabitants, lies about 700 miles east of Kyiv and not far from the Kazakhstan border. Surrounded by barren steppe and a reinforced-concrete fence, the town is a so-called "closed administrative-territorial area." To protect Russian military secrets, no one may enter the town unless they are registered there, have been expressly invited, or have undergone an elaborate advance registration process. Anyone with a permanent residence in the town receives a pass from the authorities, featuring, among other things, an ascending rocket. The dilapidated state of this small town is in stark contrast with the advanced and expensive missiles Russia develops there. A run-down rocket-town Officials test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Kapustin Yar range. The restricted town of Znamensk is nearby. RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY/via REUTERS On social networks such as X and Instagram, several unflattering images of Znamensk can be found. They show completely run-down wooden huts, unpaved roads, apparently abandoned houses with smashed windows, and a Lenin statue standing in front of sagging power cables. In Russia, mockery erupted in January after the second launch. Firing an Oreshnik costs at least the equivalent of $40 million; other sources put the figure at $60 or even $80 million. Users fantasized about what a handsome town the Russians could turn Znamensk into if they invested that sum into proper roads, new facades and modern infrastructure. "Whether this is the 19th or the 21st century? No idea," one user wrote. Another, after the January attack, juxtaposed images of Kapustin Yar with Lviv's beautiful old town in western Ukraine. The Russians, he wrote, supposedly wanted to "liberate" Ukraine and Lviv. "How absurd: perhaps Kapustin Yar should be liberated from the Russians instead." Another X user wrote: "This is exactly where the Russians fire their 'hazelnuts' at Ukraine from — to demonstrate vividly to Ukrainians and the whole world the greatness of so-called Russian civilization. A civilization that considers firing rockets at residential cities the highest form of cultural expression. So that everyone will be envious." Nevertheless, Znamensk is a proud place. Since 1946, almost every Soviet and Russian missile program has been tested at the range, formally designated Military Unit 15644. A wide variety of missiles and more than a hundred satellites have been sent into orbit from here. And today, war is being waged from here. Ukraine keeps the test range under constant observation: it is enough for the Russians merely to simulate activity at the training ground to trigger an air alert across Ukraine. Ukraine has repeatedly tried to damage the site with drone attacks. Apart from a few fires, it has so far failed. The site lies several hundred kilometers from the Ukrainian border, leaving Ukrainians mere minutes to take cover. For the residents of Znamensk, the test range is of great importance. It secures jobs and brings life to the town. Every May 13, for example, the anniversary of the missile range is celebrated with military parades and ceremonial speeches. The municipal "Museum of the Strategic Missile Forces" organizes tours and festivities. Children and teenagers from the "Young Army" also visit regularly — a kind of nationwide Russian leisure club under the patronage of the Defense Ministry, which puts adolescents in uniforms, has them dance in videos for the fighters of the "special operation" (the official term for the Ukraine war), or write greeting letters to the "liberated" children of Donetsk. 'They do their own thing' Military vehicles transited through the Kapustin Yar training range during a 2020 exercise. Reuters The consequences for the residents of Znamensk are limited. In a Telegram chat with a local resident, it was said that the local population is involved in military activities as little as possible. "Everything is quiet here," said one businesswoman. "Nothing reaches us." Even when Ukrainian drones come, she said, "They turn on the alarm and notify all of us by phone. No reason to worry." She said she couldn't say what happens with the Oreshnik missiles. "That is a military secret. Nobody knows where they are stationed." And even if someone did know something, no one would ever talk about it. Another resident, speaking about the night of the missile launch, said: "I didn't hear anything. They do their own thing there." It is entirely possible that residents do not notice the missile launches. The test range covers many hundreds of square kilometers; residents of Znamensk probably hear little more than a distant, thunder-like rumble when an Oreshnik is launched, and which couldn't be distinguished from test launches. The missiles are also quickly out of sight: they typically climb to an altitude of several hundred miles and reach speeds of 13,000 kilometers per hour, roughly 10 times the speed of sound. It therefore takes only a few minutes to reach their target. Other states learn of the launch via satellite surveillance, monitoring the Earth's surface. On infrared scans, the exhaust plume, several thousand degrees Celsius hot and rising from the ground into orbit, is immediately visible. An infographic of the Oreshnik ballistic missile's flight profile. Graphic by AFP via Getty Images The Russians in Znamensk can lead quiet lives. They play in volleyball tournaments in the sports hall attached to the administrative wing of the test range. They can walk in the "Fairy-Tale Glade" park, where several life-sized rocket-shaped monuments are arranged around a fountain. The victims of the missiles manufactured here are primarily Ukrainians. But neighbors in Kazakhstan are also severely affected. Russia has leased parts of western Kazakhstan as an extension of the test range — the contract currently runs until 2030. For local Kazakhs, the lease of the land has serious consequences. As the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported in 2024, Russia prefers to test its missiles over Kazakh territory. As a result, missile parts and fuel fall into the steppe, causing fires, killing livestock, and contaminating soil and water. The steppe is littered with craters; no recultivation takes place. Researchers have now found that cancer rates in the region are above average. Neurological damage and disabilities among children are strikingly common. State assistance from Kazakhstan is practically nonexistent. Julius Fitzke, a trainee at WELT in the foreign affairs department since July 2025, lived in Russia for three years. Read the original article on Business Insider

College grads might need to pivot in their job search, such as searching for internships instead of full-time work. ferrantraite/Getty Images Some fields that tend to attract college grads may be difficult to enter quickly. New job seekers having a hard time landing work can make some pivots. A grad focusing on applying to big companies can switch their strategy to small businesses. For Cross Sierra, the path from college to career has included an accelerated MBA, a nationwide job search, and crashing on friends' couches. The 23-year-old hopes to become a high school athletic director. So far, though, he's only become frustrated by what feels like an impossible job market to break into. "What more do I have to do?" he asks. Economists and workplace observers say it's a question many recent graduates are asking. Despite the usual advice about the importance of networking and conducting a targeted job search, the market for entry-level workers is tougher than it was a few years ago. Hiring has slowed across much of the economy, leaving fewer openings and longer searches for many newcomers. In fields that tend to draw fresh grads — including finance, professional and business services, and healthcare — hiring rates are about as low as they've been since the pandemic, said Dante DeAntonio, senior director of economic research at Moody's Analytics. Job seekers might need to consider pivoting their approach. If you're applying only to big-name companies, you could widen your search to include smaller employers. If you're an accounting major focused on landing a job at a Big Four firm, you might also look at accounting roles in other industries. And if you're set on a full-time job, you may need to consider an internship as a way in. "Focus on getting your foot in the door, even if it's not the ideal thing you want," economist Guy Berger said. "Once you have a job, it becomes much less stressful to look for another one." Berger said both high school and college graduates should expect a longer job search and be flexible with offers. The underemployment rate for recent college graduates has edged down from its 2025 high of 42.4%, but at 41.5% in March, it is still above its late 2024 low. That data, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, suggests some graduates are taking positions that don't require their years of schooling. In the hot post-pandemic labor market of 2022, job hunters could be picky, Berger said. If they didn't like something, it was easy to move on. "Now, it's the kind of thing where you might have to bide your time more," he said. College graduates are going to have to be flexible The difficulty of finding work can depend on where you are hoping to end up. Cory Stahle, senior economist at the job platform Indeed, said healthcare and education jobs have clear pathways that could make the job search less onerous. "They're going to have an easier time finding a job versus something that's more kind of market-based," he said of grads looking for work in those fields. Healthcare, in general, has been propping up the job market — and helped keep overall job growth positive in 2025 as hiring has lagged in other industries. Another possible hiccup for new grads: AI. Some large companies have been laying off workers while investing in technology. That search for efficiency will push some employers to cut back on hiring less-experienced workers in hopes that AI could take on some of the load, DeAntonio said. "The first domino to fall is likely to be a pullback in hiring amongst younger workers," he said. Anxiety about AI and its effect on work is spilling into graduation ceremonies, where some students have booed speakers who mention the technology. Priya Rathod, workplace trends editor at Indeed, said grads might have to take a less direct route into their careers than they did a few years ago, though that doesn't make those paths any less promising. "Your career is going to be more like a lattice than a ladder, so remember that even if you don't have the perfect role right now, it doesn't inhibit you from getting that perfect role down the road," Rathod said. Graduates might need to rethink what a first step looks like. Contract work, temporary jobs, and internships can help build experience while the search for a permanent role continues. Postings on Indeed through April suggest demand for interns has been pretty strong, roughly in line with 2024 levels and above 2025. While some internships are limited to enrolled students, the positions can lead to full-time offers. "It's going to help you understand how the company functions," Rathod said. "It's going to help you make connections within the company." Rathod also pointed to the National Federation of Independent Business's jobs report, which showed that about a third of small business owners had openings they couldn't fill — the highest level since June 2025. She said that smaller employers can offer graduates a wider range of experiences and greater opportunities to build relationships with senior colleagues who could become mentors. "It can help give you access to things that you wouldn't be able to engage in or projects you wouldn't be able to engage in at larger companies," Rathod said of smaller firms. People can also pivot how they job search Instead of only looking at job boards, take the hunt to social media. Anya Roodnitsky, who attended Dartmouth College, landed a job after a video on Instagram went viral, leading to coffee chats and new connections. "I was sitting in the kitchen, and had just hit 'submit' on my 300th application. I was like, 'This isn't working,'" Roodnitsky said in an as-told-to essay with Business Insider. "It hit me that I should create a funny presentation video." Someone who saw her video flagged a job posting at an energy company. "I applied, and the company's recruiter reached out the next day," Roodnitsky said. For Sierra, who completed his MBA in May at a college in New Hampshire, the plan is to stay with a friend and spend the summer coaching for a travel baseball club in Massachusetts. If that doesn't turn into a full-time gig, he'll continue searching — as he has for more than a year. "I've just got to keep my head down and keep going," Sierra said. "This too will end." Read the original article on Business Insider

Dan Gallagher / Wall Street Journal: Memory chip makers are leveraging their newfound power to secure long-term agreements, a move set to reshape the industry's business model and stabilize prices  —  Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix are cheap despite their $1 trillion valuations if long-term contracts stabilize the sector

Dan Shipper, the CEO of media and AI software company Every, told Business Insider that he thinks people are underestimating Codex. Alex Broadway/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images Dan Shipper says his AI-focused company — Every — spent a lot of money on his token use. AI reads and drafts his emails, he said. It's also helping the company create pitch decks. He said Every believes it's building an employee model that looks like the future of business. Dan Shipper says he doesn't write many of his routine emails. Instead, the CEO of Every — an AI-focused media, software, and consulting company — said he uses OpenAI's Codex to read his inbox, check his calendar, propose meeting times, and draft responses. The tool is not allowed to send emails without his approval, but Shipper said much of the scheduling correspondence around his Business Insider interview was generated by AI. "All the words are pretty much Codex," Shipper said. He's considering changing the "From:" field in his email to indicate when messages are drafted with his AI agent's help. His New York City-based business is built around AI. Shipper cofounded the company in 2020 with backing from Starting Line and Reid Hoffman. It writes its own technology newsletter, sells AI consulting and training services, and builds apps like Sparkle, a computer-file automation tool. The firm also gets early access to models and tools from major AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, giving Shipper a close-up view of where the tech is heading. That perspective has made him optimistic about how people will work in the future. And he thinks his business is structured like a company of the future. That optimism is expensive. Every's AI expenses Extremely smart take on the tokenmaxxing panic and why it won’t last: https://t.co/Su1yOhAuL7 — Dan Shipper 📧 (@danshipper) May 29, 2026 Shipper told Business Insider he spent about $13,000 on his personal Codex overages last month, one of the highest AI bills he could recall. "I got some side eye from our COO, Brandon Gell, on that one," he said. Asked how much larger that bill was compared with the same month last year, Shipper responded: "Way more. Way, way, way, way, way, way, way, more." At Every, AI access is just part of the cost of employing people. All 27 full-time employees get the entry-level $20-a-month subscriptions, while technical workers get $200-a-month plans, and the company pays overages. Token budgets are akin to other employee costs, like health insurance or company-issued laptops, Shipper said. Even with the high costs, nobody at Every has been told they're spending too much on tokens, he added. "We've started to figure out how we will think about overages," he said. "As long as you don't spend so much money that we go bankrupt, we'll be fine." AI changed how the company works Every's spending shows how deeply embedded AI has become in its workflow. Shipper said the company once experimented with giving every employee their own AI agent, but moved away from that model because the agents required too much upkeep. Instead, Every now uses a smaller number of agents that serve specific teams or the whole company. One of them, called Claudie, helps the consulting team draft initial slide decks, put together sales proposals, and track client to-dos by reading transcripts and updating the company's task manager. Shipper said he does not see those tools as replacing Every's workers outright. Instead, he said that AI could push more people into manager-like roles earlier in their careers. "Very few people actually get the opportunity to be managers, because managing humans is very expensive and risky," he said. "I think many, many more people are capable of that than we think." Still, Shipper said AI has limits. As a writer, he said, the technology is useful for research, drafting, and editing, but it is not especially good at knowing what is interesting. That is where he thinks humans still matter most: not in doing every task by hand, but in knowing what is worth doing. Predictions for AI's future Shipper thinks OpenAI , and its CEO Sam Altman, might have a trick up its sleeve. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Right now, Anthropic is all the rage. The AI startup just launched its well-received update to its Opus model, leapfrogged OpenAI as the nation's most valuable AI company, and is racing toward its IPO. Shipper is betting that OpenAI's Codex is better positioned than many people realize. He said Anthropic has "a ton of momentum," but predicted the narrative around OpenAI could shift over the next few months. "What they're doing with Codex is incredibly impressive," he said. Also, for anyone looking for help with their prompting skills, Shipper said he's still nice to the robots just in case they — you know — accidentally start to dominate us humans. "I'm usually very nice, because you never know when they're going to take over the world," he said with a laugh. Read the original article on Business Insider

People in their 20s and 30s are spending hundreds of dollars to treat or prevent "tech neck." Marina Demeshko/Getty Images Are you getting a prematurely wrinkled, creased neck from spending hours on your laptop? If so, you just might have 'tech neck.' People are spending big money on creams, gadgets, and procedures to try to prevent or reverse it. Nora Ephron was around 62 when, in 2003, she wrote that she felt bad about her aging neck. Today, a distinctly modern phenomenon known as "tech neck" is leaving people as young as their early 20s feeling the same way. Though not an official diagnosis, the term "tech neck" is popular on social media and recognized by dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and physical therapists. It refers to horizontal lines or creases on the neck, as well as postural changes such as rounded shoulders and a forward head position. Anyone can get tech neck, but based on social media posts, women in their 20s and 30s are most concerned about preventing or "fixing" its signs, with some spending upward of $5,000 to reduce fine lines and improve posture. Lindsey Wallace, a 35-year-old marketing director based in Los Angeles, first learned about tech neck from an Instagram reel. "It became my latest fixation when I looked in the mirror, and I noted lines getting deeper. My neck and upper chest was changing at a rate that my face wasn't," Wallace told Business Insider. "As soon as I turned 30, I would say is when I became concerned, but I didn't quite know the term yet, or why the wrinkles were appearing." "Now it all makes sense," she added. "I am hunched over a computer for over 10 hours a day." $5,000 for a fresher neck Dr. Kristy Hamilton, a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Houston, Texas, and social media chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, told Business Insider that tech neck is "both a musculoskeletal and aesthetic concern." "When a person hunches over a laptop, tablet, or phone for a lengthy period of time, the head tilts forward and places significant stress on the cervical spine and surrounding tissues," she said. The delicate, thinner skin of the neck ages faster than the face because we constantly move it in different directions, which leads to creases. A consistent downward-facing posture speeds up this process as the skin is repeatedly folded, Hamilton said, and weakens the supportive muscles. In the short term, patients may notice stiffness and soreness. But over time, untreated tech neck can contribute to spinal misalignment and chronic pain, as well as accelerated skin aging, Hamilton said. For Wallace, it's the aesthetics that bother her — a lot. So much so that she estimates she's spent at least $5,000 trying to correct it. Each night, she uses a neck firming cream, a red light therapy mask, a hydrating collagen neck mask, and a high frequency wand, a handheld device that stimulates the skin with electric current and neon gas, from the skincare brand NuDerma. On top of that, every six months, she gets a laser treatment called CoolPeel, which stimulates collagen production by creating microinjuries in the skin, and costs about $1,200 to $1,600 per session for the face and neck. The skincare products leave her neck feeling smoother and more hydrated when she's consistent, but she believes the laser treatment has had the biggest impact on reversing her fine lines. Lauren Cummings, a 31-year-old PR account executive based in New York City, has spent around $1,000 on tech neck treatments since she became concerned about postural issues and some horizontal lines on her neck a few years ago. She's paid for chiropractor appointments, tightening creams, and done one session of a collagen-stimulating laser treatment called EVERESSE. "I'm getting more concerned as I'm now in my 30's and want to prevent it from getting worse," she said. For James Sheridan, a 38-year-old engineering and product development firm CEO who has spent hundreds reversing his tech neck, the condition reflects a wider problem with modern working conditions. "The conversations are usually less about vanity and more about how modern work slowly wears on your neck, back, wrists, and eyes if you're not careful," Sheridan, who is based in Vancouver, Washington, said of discussions he has with friends about the neck. Neck-maxxing now to prevent tech neck later For many of those on the tech-neck lookout, the battle starts early. Chloe Coles, a 24-year-old health and wellness PR account executive at Everything Branding based in San Diego, said tech neck is a regular topic of conversation among the women in their 20s at her office. She, for one, doesn't have it yet. "I'd say I'm more concerned that it could become a problem, so I try to stay on top of it before it gets there," Coles said. Chloe Coles, 24, has spent a few hundred dollars in the hopes of preventing tech neck. Everything Branding Most of her team keeps their screens at eye level to avoid slouching, uses a standing desk, and takes advantage of the communal wearable red light therapy device. Caroline Applegate, 24, also an account executive at the agency, said she bought a $134.99 side-sleeper pillow to support her posture while she sleeps. "We use computer holders for better posture, do some workouts to make sure we are sitting up right and not looking down, have pillows on our chairs that also help with posture," Coles said. The Everything Branding team with their office red light therapy device. Chloe Coles Coles estimates she's spent a few hundred dollars on neck skincare, weight training, yoga, Pilates, and Thai massages to actively combat tech neck. She thinks that the combination of everything she's tried "seems to make a difference." Yahya Khan, a 29-year-old founder based in New York City, noticed lines on his neck two years ago, and they've affected his mood at work more than he expected. "When you're running a business, and your appearance is part of how clients perceive your credibility, you notice things," he said. Khan has spent about $400 so far trying to fix his fine lines. Yahya Khan worries about that tech neck could affect his career. Yahya Khan All aboard the tech-neck prevention train Anti-aging neck creams have been around for decades, but the rise of tech neck has given skincare brands an opportunity to market them to a younger crowd. Ulta, the beauty retailer particularly popular with people aged 25 to 30, launched six new neck-focused skin products between 2025 and 2026. There are 64 neck-focused products available on Ulta's website and 14 on Sephora's. In February, SickScience's ShapeShift Advanced Jaw & Neck Firming Serum, a product that claims to be "clinically shown to reduce the appearance of skin slackening, crepiness, and tech neck," was added to the Ulta stocklist. K-beauty brand Anua's Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream, launched in March and currently sold exclusively at Ulta, promises to help address "tech neck concerns with consistent use." These products add to the bevy of goods and services showing up on the market as health optimization trends like biohacking and looksmaxxing take hold with consumers. Tech neck creams and gadgets are by no means the only products people are shelling out on in an effort to keep looking good in the workplace; people are dishing out thousands for "tweakments," to fix their hairlines, and more. How to prevent tech neck Even if you work a desk job, there are things you can do to help prevent the musculoskeletal and aesthetic signs of tech neck. It's important to set up your workstation to encourage upright posture, Hamilton, the plastic surgeon based in Houston, said. "Elevating your screen to eye level, keeping shoulders back, and taking frequent breaks to stretch can help minimize strain," she said. Dr. Maya Thosani, a double board-certified Dermatologist and owner of Modern Dermatology in Scottsdale, Arizona, recommends applying your facial skincare routine to your neck and upper V-chest too. "Consistent care will likely be more effective than using specialty neck creams," she told Business Insider. Wallace, the marketing director in LA, swears by the money and effort she has put into keeping her neck looking eternally young. "If I wake up in the morning and I didn't do any treatments the night before — no serums, no mask, no neck wrinkle-cutting cream — you instantly wake up and see the difference," she said. But be warned, the treatments aren't always a walk in the park. "The wand on the highest setting is not for the weak," she said. Read the original article on Business Insider

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