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Palmer Luckey: AI won't save founders from the hardest parts of the job
Aspiring entrepreneurs hoping that artificial intelligence will allow them to retreat into pure technical work are headed for a rude awakening. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and Anduril, argues that while AI accelerates execution, it does nothing to alleviate the heavy burden of legal, interpersonal, and strategic accountability.
Why I turned down MIT for a lesser-known federal academy
At 17, Hannah Mitchell faced a choice that baffled her teachers: decline a spot at MIT for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. While peers fixated on prestige, Mitchell sought the one thing the elite university couldn't offer: the freedom to choose a civilian maritime career over a mandatory military commitment.
Jane Street Seeks Swag Manager for $200,000
A base salary reaching $200,000 for a merchandise role might sound like a corporate outlier, but for Jane Street, it is simply the cost of maintaining a brand. The secretive trading firm is searching for a program manager to oversee its cult-like collection of math-themed apparel and gear.
What Gen Z Can Learn From Baby Boomer Work Habits
At 24, Madeline Marriott is the youngest employee at an independent bookstore, surrounded by colleagues three decades her senior. While she initially viewed their tech struggles as a sign of resistance, the experience has fundamentally shifted her perspective on professional efficiency and the value of human connection in the workplace.
Tovala Founder David Rabie on the Persistence of Entrepreneurial Fear
After generating over $100 million in revenue during the last six months, Tovala founder David Rabie remains haunted by the fragility of his success. Despite achieving profitability in 2024, the entrepreneur admits that the decade-long struggle to build his meal-tech company has left him permanently braced for collapse.
The High Cost of the H-1B Dream
For thousands of high-skilled immigrants, the H-1B visa is both a golden ticket to a U.S. career and a source of profound personal instability. As federal policy shifts toward higher fees and stricter oversight, many workers find themselves living in a state of perpetual limbo where long-term life planning remains impossible.
Kirill Bigai on the hiring playbook behind Preply's growth
Kirill Bigai spends over half his workweek interviewing candidates for Preply, the language-learning startup now valued at $1.2 billion. As the company scales its team beyond 800 employees, the CEO relies on a specific set of questions to determine if applicants are motivated by ambition or simply escaping their current role.
Captain Kerry Titheradge on the Lessons of Filmed Leadership
Captain Kerry Titheradge, star of Bravo’s Below Deck, manages his yacht crew under the constant scrutiny of television cameras. By reviewing his own performance on screen, the veteran captain has identified critical blind spots in his leadership style, forcing him to rethink how he motivates and corrects a younger generation.
A Tech Layoff and the Long Road Back to Employment
Sneh Hira, an operations manager at Block’s Afterpay division, watched as her team’s workload was fragmented among new hires, only to be laid off herself in February. Her subsequent months of job hunting revealed a landscape transformed by AI, relocation requirements, and the necessity of a rigid, disciplined routine.
From Corporate Counsel to AI Mentor: A Legal Career Pivot
After two decades as a high-level corporate attorney, Ron Masciantonio traded the pressure of Five Below’s executive suite for a solo practice and a new, unconventional side hustle: teaching artificial intelligence how to think, negotiate, and redline contracts like a seasoned legal professional.
LeBron James on the threshold of retirement
At 41, LeBron James finds the prospect of retirement surfacing during mundane moments—a bus ride to the arena, a flight, or quiet time at home. Speaking on the Mind the Game podcast, the Lakers star revealed that his exit strategy relies not on a calendar date, but on his own internal standard.
Inside the World of a $250,000 Elite Matchmaker
For the high-net-worth men who hire Sameera Sullivan, finding a partner is an investment that can cost up to a quarter of a million dollars. Sullivan, who left a corporate agency to launch her own firm, manages a database of 22,000 women to curate matches for her ultra-wealthy clientele.
The Hidden Labor Behind a Vintage Reselling Business
Most observers assume running an online vintage shop requires little more than snapping a quick photo and listing an item. In reality, sisters Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein and Hillary have found that turning discarded objects into a sustainable business is a grueling cycle of research, restoration, and complex logistics.
How a Louisiana farming town became a hub for Meta's data center workers
When Meta announced plans for a $50 billion data center in rural Richland Parish, the quiet farming community faced an immediate housing crisis. For local entrepreneurs Angel and Bryan Crawford, the influx of thousands of construction workers turned a real estate pivot into a thriving business model for workforce housing.
Why Brent Franson killed his startup to build Death Clock
After four years of pouring resources into a mental-health app that remained stubbornly unprofitable, founder Brent Franson realized the danger of a product that is just good enough to keep alive. He shuttered the company, discarded the entire codebase, and pivoted to a controversial AI-driven health tool.
From BCG Partner to Startup Executive: A Career Transition Strategy
After eight years at Boston Consulting Group, Daniel Dantus discovered that the skills honed in high-stakes strategy consulting—navigating new environments and rapid relationship-building—were not the end of his professional journey, but the toolkit required to build actual products and businesses in the volatile startup ecosystem.
Why Gen Z is returning to touch typing in the age of AI
Julia Andrusiak first realized her two-finger typing technique was a professional liability when her loud, rhythmic clacking disrupted a college lecture. Now 26 and working in an AI-focused role, she is among a growing cohort of digital natives rediscovering the mechanical keyboard to keep pace with an increasingly automated workforce.
The 21-Year-Old Sneaker Reseller Making $280,000 a Month
At 21, Robbie Cartwright runs Yorkshire Trainers, a business that generated a record $280,000 in monthly sales this May. While his peers chase instant gratification, Cartwright remains hyper-focused on scaling his operation, often at the expense of his social life and traditional milestones.
From Burnout to Millions: The UX Designer Who Quit to Build Games
After seven years of juggling client demands and absorbing the workloads of laid-off colleagues, Kelsey Fiegle hit a breaking point. She walked away from her Chicago agency role with no backup plan, only to find that betting on her own game development project would eventually reach 276 million plays.
A $900 Lesson in Ambition: Dining at a Michelin-Star Restaurant
When Kimanzi Constable took his son to Sühring in Bangkok, the three-Michelin-star meal cost $900. For the father, who spent his own teenage years homeless, the exorbitant price tag was not merely about the German whisky or the tasting menu—it was a tangible demonstration of what hard work can provide.
Redefining the Retirement Cliff at Forty
As his fortieth birthday approaches, a freelance writer and his wife are abandoning the traditional retirement model. After years of running spreadsheets that never show a clear exit, the couple has decided to stop chasing a finish line that feels both financially unattainable and personally undesirable.
The Side Hustle Strategy That Replaced a Senior Lawyer’s Salary
Lucy Zheng balances a high-stakes career as a senior corporate counsel with a sprawling portfolio of 10 income streams. While her legal salary provides stability, her most profitable venture now stems from a digital content business that rivals her corporate earnings despite requiring only 20 hours of work per week.
From Google Layoff to Startup Founder: A Career Pivot
Rob Waters was mid-flight to a client meeting when his laptop screen went black, signaling his sudden termination from Google. Despite a swift offer to return to the tech giant with a six-figure salary, the 42-year-old chose to walk away from his equity to launch his own AI venture.
The Graduation That Took Four Extra Years
When Celia Krefter graduated from her New York City college in May 2022, the pandemic had robbed her of a traditional experience. Rather than face an uncertain job market, she accepted an administrative role within her own theater department, effectively hitting pause on her departure to reclaim a sense of closure.
Scaling to $5M: How Luba Patlakh Kaplun Overcame the Founder’s Trap
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The patient strategy that built Apple's retail empire
During a decade of nightly calls and close collaboration, Ron Johnson learned that Steve Jobs’ greatest asset was not speed, but a deliberate refusal to rush. While the tech industry fixated on rapid iteration, Jobs maintained a singular focus, waiting years between major product launches to ensure perfection.
JPMorgan veteran returns from Detroit city hall to lead $1.5T initiative
After a two-decade tenure at JPMorgan and a brief stint as Detroit’s chief operating officer, Marcus von Kapff has returned to the bank. He now heads the firm's Security & Resilience Initiative, leveraging his recent public-sector experience to navigate the complex intersection of federal policy and private industrial investment.
To Beat AI Job Bots, This Startup Demands Handwritten Cover Letters
Faced with a deluge of AI-generated applications for a handful of internship roles, the flip-phone startup Dumb.co pivoted to an analog solution. By requiring candidates to submit handwritten cover letters, the company forced applicants to prove their genuine interest in the brand’s mission of digital disconnection.
Inside the Job Hunt After an Oracle Layoff
Jerehmiah Jessee-Lantz, a 42-year-old Kansas City resident, received a termination email from Oracle at 5 a.m. in March. Despite his previous experience as a manager tasked with conducting layoffs, the sudden loss of his own position forced him to navigate a modern hiring landscape defined by algorithmic gatekeepers.
From a $1,500 Coffee Cart to an Eight-Figure Empire
Audrey Finocchiaro transformed a makeshift coffee cart built from basement scrap wood into a multi-million dollar hospitality brand. Starting with a maxed-out credit card and a Subaru Outback in 2017, the 33-year-old cofounder of The Nitro Bar now oversees five locations, 145 employees, and a massive digital following.