Thirty-eight thousand ChatGPT queries versus a single almond may sound like a strange sequel to the “100 men versus a gorilla” viral debate meme. Instead, it’s just Sam Altman’s response to public concerns over AI’s water usage. In a recent podcast, the OpenAI CEO sat down with tech reporter Alex Heath to discuss the future of the technology while also addressing concerns over AI’s impact on society—with one moment in particular going viral. When asked about public concerns over the water usage of large language models like ChatGPT, Altman tried countering the worries by offering a comparison to a more…
Author: Staff Writer
Some Americans are giving new meaning to the proverb that your home is your sanctuary. The at-home wellness trend continues to evolve and grow, with the global market for wellness real estate projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030, according to the latest figures from the Global Wellness Institute. This market has nearly tripled since 2019, the organization found, and the U.S. alone accounted for nearly 29% of related spending in 2025. While a sauna or a cold plunge were the go-to among many wellness-minded homeowners just a few years ago, things are changing. These days, “invisible wellness” is the…
The psychedelic compound that makes magic mushrooms so trippy shows serious promise for protecting cancer patients from years of chronic pain. For people undergoing cancer treatment, the nerve pain associated with blasting the body with chemotherapy can be debilitating. Even worse, the pain and discomfort can last for years—well after the body is done fighting cancer—and there’s no effective treatment to relieve it. Known as peripheral neuropathy, the condition is caused by damage to nerves in the extremities, often the hands, feet, arms, and legs. Clinicians and researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found that…
Just a few weeks after coming under fire for a children’s Halloween costume that drew comparisons to blackface caricatures, Target’s Halloween collection is under fire again, although this time around the retailer isn’t alone in the controversy. Target, Walmart, and Amazon have pulled a “German Army Soldier Adult Costume” from their websites. Originally sold by Orion Costumes, the outfit features a vintage-looking jacket and pants set that resembles the uniforms of Nazi soldiers during World War II. While the costume is no longer listed on any of the three retailers’ websites, links to archived pages reveal the product’s name and…
The newest addition to Tesla’s fleet of robotaxis is now on the road. While the driverless taxi service previously offered only the Model Y, it recently introduced the Cybercab—a golden car with butterfly doors, interactive touchscreens, and no steering wheel. So far, the Cybercab is available solely in Austin, Texas, but a viral advertisement for the new vehicles has social media users everywhere raising their eyebrows. A maybe not-so-accessible ride Tesla posted its now widely shared ad with the caption: “Cybercab is designed to be a great experience for every rider.” The video sees riders with mobility aids storing them…
For decades, Cindy Gallop worked in the advertising industry, building brands. But at 45, she stepped away from her career and built her own. Now, at 66, she’s known as the founder of sextech, has one of the most-watched TEDx videos on YouTube, and is building her own startup, Make Love Not Porn. “I’m a great believer in using your personal brand to be your own filter. I sum up my personal brand with the tagline, ‘I like to blow shit up.’ I am the Michael Bay of business,” said Gallop.Her words could well represent the sentiments of middle-aged women…
At a recent board meeting, someone suggested that we needed to go hard on PR and marketing to “build hype.” When the phrase “build hype” came up, the rest of the room soured immediately. To many, hype was synonymous with snake oil. The company in question is doing legitimately impressive technical work, work that will define the category it is in, and almost no one outside its immediate customer base knows about it. Later that meeting, I asked the founder: Had anyone, anywhere, ever pulled off a similar technical feat before? No, he said. This would be a world first.…
Andrea Palacio and her husband thought they were playing it safe. In a search for a passive income business, they paid $470,000 for a South Florida landscaping company a few years ago. It was, in their words, a “boring business,” which was hands-off and had good cash flow. Within days of the deal closing, though, the seller vanished, 10 of the 12 employees quit, and revenue took a sudden dive from $70,000 per month to $40,000. Making matters worse, they had pledged personal assets as collateral on their Small Business Administration loan. Palacio, pregnant while raising a 7-month-old, was thrust into a role…
Apple’s annual iPhone launch event will take place on Wednesday, September 9. It is a staple of the tech scene every year, but this year’s iPhone event is arguably one of the most consequential for Apple in well over a decade. Not only is the company expected to unveil its first-ever foldable iPhone, but this year’s showcase will also be the first under Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus. Here’s what to expect—and what to watch out for. The world’s first foldable iPhone Despite being nearly 20 years old, the iPhone has had only two major designs throughout its history. The…
Below, Paul Osterman shares five key insights from his new book, Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment. Paul is a Professor Emeritus of Human Resources and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. What’s the Big Idea? The rise of disposable work is allowing companies to gain flexibility and cut costs while shedding responsibility for their workers. We need guardrails to keep that flexibility from coming at the expense of workers and the public. Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by Paul himself—in the Next Big Idea App, or buy the book. 1. Companies do not want employees…