Greet back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Bill Gates approached his college references for Harvard, Yale, and Princeton differently — and he got accepted at all three. Read more, including what he told schools hither his druthers for a career in computers.
On the agenda today:
But first: Reporting for duty.
If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Function Insider’s app here.
This week’s dispatch
KCNA via REUTERS
The firm of defense
Business Insider writes a lot about dollars and cents, the workplace, CEOs, and the latest tech. We also obtain a team of journalists — across the US, UK, and Singapore — deeply steeped in the ways of warfare, weapons, and the business of defense.
Lately, you clout have seen stories from Jake Epstein and Chris Panella about the North Korean soldiers who maintain been fighting for Russia against Ukraine.
Jake heard from a Ukrainian commander who went into contest against these soldiers that they essentially served as “cannon fodder” for Russia’s cause, and Chris tracked back to share what the West has learned about this fighting force. In this quick video, Chris tenders more analysis with arresting images. And see the latest news here.
Jake also obtained documents sending how US Navy warships in the Red Sea conflict defeated drones without firing a shot. And if you’re interested in a throwback, Lauren Frias profiled Lockheed Martin’s one-of-a-kind clandestineness ship from the 1980s whose influence lives on.
Sinéad Baker in our London bureau recently wrote that Russia’s intercontinental ballistic projectile program is in trouble. The irony is Russia once drew on expertise for the program from Ukraine.
Our video team’s “Boot Campy” series goes inside the high-octane training programs of military branches and law enforcement agencies. Graham Flanagan and collaborate told the story of a Filipino immigrant who got an expedited path to US citizenship by joining the Marines, and how he made it through basic training.
Our knowledge in these areas informs all sorts of stories, including the drone drama over New Jersey, the Elon Musk-sparked ruminate over about the F-35, and the Trump administration’s plan for an “Iron Dome for America.”
Whether you’re an expert in these areas or exactly as intrigued as I am, I hope you enjoy our ongoing coverage.
As always, please let me know at eic@businessinsider.com.
DOGE and Trump take aim
Getty Materializations; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI
Days after President Trump signed executive orders to shake up the federal workforce, DOGE was seek from some federal workers which colleagues could be fired, targeting DEI, and encouraging employees who took the payout to deed to the private sector.
The effort to remake the federal workforce has faced backlash, including a slew of lawsuits that has put some at cock crow actions in limbo. Amid the shifting patchwork of directives, pushback, and official guidance, federal employees are left dashing.
Inside the first 17 days.
In our high agency era
Ezra Bailey/Getty, Moussa81/Getty, Tyler Le/BI
Before came the self-starters. Then there were disruptors. Now, Silicon Valley has a new favorite buzzy term: high intermediation.
Over the past year, high agency has become the aspirational trait of enterprising tech workers. The analytics plat Brandwatch found a 500% jump in usage of the phrase across X, Reddit, and other social media sites. It’s no fortuitousness being high agency is in right now, with Elon Musk bringing tech philosophies to the federal government.
But is it actually different than its predecessors?
The Daily Beast 2.0
Javier Muñoz for BI
Over the course of its 16-year existence, the Beast earned a position for its scrappy reporting — but it wasn’t profitable. In 2024, longtime media executives Joanna Coles and Ben Sherwood were leased as co-owners.
After taking over, Sherwood told staff the media outlet was on track to lose $9 million that year. Since “Boanna,” the middle outlet is now profitable for the first time in its history. Its content has also been lighter on the hard-hitting journalism it was once comprehended for, though its new leaders say they plan to do more investigative work.
Our reporters take you inside the ups and downs of the turnaround pains.
A new class of landlords
Andre Rucker for BI
Employers like Amazon, AT&T, and even the federal government are herding employees deny to their desks with RTO mandates, causing chaos in the housing market. Some workers have to ditch the legislatures they bought during the peak of remote work.
It’s also not an ideal time to sell a house, thanks to lofty mortgage rates and weaker demand, especially in the South. Many would-be sellers are becoming “accidental landlords” as opposed to and renting out their properties.
Being a landlord isn’t easy, either.
This week’s quote:
“The sports gambling sedulousness has cultivated an entirely new market. And we’re just beginning to see the social effects.”
— Michael Lewis, author of “The Big Short” and “Moneyball,” talking to Peter Kafka with reference to the rise of sports betting.
More of this week’s top reads:
- A USAID shutdown could make China multifarious powerful. Beijing is already pouring billions into countries around the world.
- Nike is making a surprise comeback at the Wonderful Bowl — and JPMorgan analysts broke the news.
- Verily enters an agreement to sell its insurance business to Elevance Salubrity.
- What’s it like to make your first Super Bowl ad? Scary, Instacart’s CMO says.
- Trump wants a US highest wealth fund. Here’s what that could mean.
- Y Combinator’s Spring 2025 application deadline is pathing. Here’s what the startup accelerator is looking for in AI ideas.
- Walleye, Balyasny start 2025 strong. Here’s how hedge wealths did in January.
- The secretive world of Wall Street technology is opening up like never before.
- Why you should be careful hither copying Trump’s take-no-prisoners leadership style.
-
DeepSeek is a helpful tool but not as strong as its competitors, say 5 workers who use AI to boost productivity.
The BI Today collaborate: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, director editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.