ResidentialBusiness

Key Takeaways Effective interviewing is essential for assessing compatibility and shared goals with potential business partners.Preparation, including research on values, vision, and industry knowledge, significantly enhances the interview process.Targeted questions help uncover motivations, strengths, and weaknesses, enabling better alignment of business objectives.Analyzing interview outcomes through compatibility, skills relevance, problem-solving abilities, and communication styles is crucial for making informed partnership decisions.A strong cultural fit boosts team morale and operational efficiency, enhancing the likelihood of a successful partnership. Finding the right business partner can make or break your venture. It’s not just about shared goals; it’s about complementary skills, values, and vision. When you interview a potential partner, you’re not only assessing their qualifications but also gauging if their personality and work ethic align with yours. Effective interviewing is crucial to uncovering the nuances that can lead to a successful partnership. You’ll want to ask the right questions to reveal their motivations, strengths, and how they handle challenges. This process isn’t just about filling a role; it’s about building a foundation for collaboration and growth. Get ready to dive into the essential steps for interviewing a potential business partner and ensure you make the right choice for your journey ahead. Importance of Interviewing a Potential Business Partner Interviewing a potential business partner is crucial for the success of your small business. This process goes beyond evaluating credentials; it allows you to assess compatibility in values, vision, and work ethic. A strong partnership can significantly impact your business model and growth strategy. Effective interviews uncover motivations that drive potential partners. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses aids in aligning your business goals with their skills. In the competitive landscape, shared innovation and a collaborative approach foster better problem-solving abilities, enhancing customer acquisition and sales strategies. Asking targeted questions helps you identify not only their past experiences but also their approach to challenges. It’s essential to explore areas like marketing tactics, funding options, and financial management. You can gauge their understanding of essential aspects like budgeting, cash flow, or even digital marketing approaches. Moreover, establishing clear communication during interviews sets a solid foundation for future collaboration. It’s vital to determine how each partner views their role in areas like human resources, team building, and leadership. This can influence employee benefits, payroll, and overall workplace culture. Securing the right partner through effective interviewing strengthens your small business’s position in the market. It leads to smoother operations and better alignment in legal structures, whether you choose LLC, partnership, or other forms. This groundwork lays the foundation for future collaborations, ensuring you’re prepared for challenges associated with entrepreneurship. Preparing for the Interview Process Preparing for the interview process involves essential steps that enhance your evaluation of a potential business partner. Effective preparation sets the foundation for a successful partnership. Researching Your Potential Partner Researching your potential business partner helps you gauge their fit for your small business. Focus on these key areas: Background Check: Investigate their professional history. Look into previous business ventures, successes, and failures. This information reveals their reliability and competence. Values and Vision Alignment: Ensure your potential partner’s values and vision align with your business goals. Misalignment can lead to conflicts that hinder growth. Industry Knowledge: Assess the partner’s expertise and how they stay informed about market trends. Their familiarity with the industry can drive innovation within your venture. Developing an Interview Guide Developing an interview guide ensures you cover important topics during your discussions. Include questions that address these aspects: Goals: Identify shared business goals. Discuss short-term and long-term objectives to align your visions. Experience: Inquire about relevant experiences that showcase their skills. Look for insights into their problem-solving abilities and decision-making processes. Funding Strategies: Explore their knowledge of funding options such as loans, angel investors, or crowdfunding. Understanding their approach to financial management is crucial for sustainable growth. Marketing and Sales: Discuss marketing tactics and customer acquisition strategies. Their insights can clarify how they can contribute to building your brand and expanding your market reach. Roles and Responsibilities: Define potential roles in human resources, team building, and leadership. Clear expectations foster effective collaboration. Scalability: Evaluate their ideas for scaling the business. A partner’s growth strategy can significantly influence your small business’s future trajectory. By preparing adequately and asking the right questions, you set the stage for a fruitful collaboration. Key Questions to Ask During the Interview When interviewing a potential business partner, focus on critical questions that reveal compatibility and skills. These discussions ensure alignment in vision and capability, fundamental for a successful business partnership. Assessing Compatibility What are your core values, both personally and professionally? This question helps determine if your values align, crucial for a cohesive partnership. What does success look like to you? Understanding each other’s definition of success guides expectations and shared goals. What motivates you in your professional life? Knowing this can clarify your partner’s drive, commitment, and overall fit within the business. How would you describe your communication style? Communication compatibility affects all aspects of collaboration, influencing decision-making and project execution. Evaluating Skills and Experience What relevant experience do you have in our industry? Specific experience indicates familiarity with market trends, customer acquisition strategies, and potential challenges you might face. How have you approached funding options in past ventures? Discussing experiences with loans, angel investors, and crowdfunding reveals financial understanding and business acumen. What skills do you bring that complement our business goals? Identify specific skills such as marketing expertise, financial management, or product development that enhance your startup’s potential. Can you share specific examples of past successes? Real-world achievements demonstrate capability and reliability, critical for navigating small business challenges. Asking these questions allows you to gauge compatibility and expertise, setting a strong foundation for collaboration. Analyzing the Interview Outcomes Analyzing interview outcomes is critical for determining a potential partner’s fit within your small business. Consider the following aspects during your evaluation: Compatibility with Business Goals Evaluate how well the candidate aligns with your business goals. Assess their vision and how it complements your startup’s targets. Look for specific examples demonstrating their commitment to shared objectives. Skills and Experience Relevance Assess the candidate’s skills and experience related to essential business functions. Priority areas may include marketing strategies, funding approaches, or product development. Analyze if their past experiences with partnerships or collaborations contribute positively to your business model. Problem-Solving Abilities Investigate the candidate’s problem-solving abilities by asking how they’ve handled challenges in previous ventures. Check for examples where their innovation led to successful outcomes. Assessing these scenarios provides insights into their capacity to contribute effectively. Communication Styles Determine the effectiveness of the candidate’s communication style. Strong partnerships require clear communication, especially concerning roles and responsibilities. Evaluate their responses during difficult conversation scenarios to gauge their communication proficiency. Financial Acumen Review the candidate’s understanding of finance and accounting principles. Inquire about their familiarity with funding options—such as venture capital, crowdfunding, or angel investors—and their ability to manage cash flow, budgets, and expenses. Financially savvy partners contribute to stable growth. Cultural Fit Assess the candidate’s potential cultural fit within your business’s environment. Strong alignment in values and work ethic promotes better team building and enhances employee morale. Look for shared beliefs in areas such as leadership and collaboration. Strategic Thinking Evaluate the candidate’s strategic thinking skills and ability to develop a growth strategy. Questions regarding their market research practices and understanding of the target audience can reveal their readiness to help scale your small business. Utilize this analysis to make informed decisions about potential partnerships, aligning those choices with your business plan and overarching goals. Conclusion Finding the right business partner is essential for your success. The interview process is your opportunity to dig deeper into a potential partner’s motivations and skills. By asking the right questions and fostering open communication, you can uncover whether their vision aligns with yours. Remember that compatibility in values and work ethic is just as important as complementary skills. A thorough analysis of the interview outcomes will guide you in making informed decisions. This careful approach not only strengthens your partnership but also sets the stage for a thriving business. Prioritize this process and you’ll pave the way for a successful collaboration that can navigate future challenges together. Frequently Asked Questions Why is finding the right business partner important? Finding the right business partner is crucial because it affects the success and longevity of your venture. A successful partnership involves shared values, complementary skills, and a united vision, which together foster innovation, problem-solving, and smoother operations. How can effective interviewing help in selecting a business partner? Effective interviewing allows entrepreneurs to assess compatibility in values and work ethic. By asking targeted questions, one can uncover motivations, strengths, and industry experience that align with business goals, laying the groundwork for a fruitful collaboration. What questions should I ask during a partner interview? Key questions to ask include inquiries about core values, definitions of success, motivations, communication styles, relevant experience, past funding methods, and examples of successes. These questions help evaluate a potential partner’s compatibility and expertise. How can I prepare for interviewing a potential partner? Prepare by researching potential partners to understand their background, values, and industry knowledge. Developing an interview guide to cover essential topics like shared goals, funding strategies, and marketing tactics ensures a thorough assessment. What should I analyze after conducting an interview? After the interview, analyze outcomes based on compatibility with business goals, relevance of skills, problem-solving abilities, communication preferences, cultural fit, and strategic thinking. This evaluation is crucial for making informed partnership decisions. Image Via Envato This article, "Mastering the Art of Interviewing a Potential Business Partner for Success" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Effective interviewing is essential for assessing compatibility and shared goals with potential business partners.Preparation, including research on values, vision, and industry knowledge, significantly enhances the interview process.Targeted questions help uncover motivations, strengths, and weaknesses, enabling better alignment of business objectives.Analyzing interview outcomes through compatibility, skills relevance, problem-solving abilities, and communication styles is crucial for making informed partnership decisions.A strong cultural fit boosts team morale and operational efficiency, enhancing the likelihood of a successful partnership. Finding the right business partner can make or break your venture. It’s not just about shared goals; it’s about complementary skills, values, and vision. When you interview a potential partner, you’re not only assessing their qualifications but also gauging if their personality and work ethic align with yours. Effective interviewing is crucial to uncovering the nuances that can lead to a successful partnership. You’ll want to ask the right questions to reveal their motivations, strengths, and how they handle challenges. This process isn’t just about filling a role; it’s about building a foundation for collaboration and growth. Get ready to dive into the essential steps for interviewing a potential business partner and ensure you make the right choice for your journey ahead. Importance of Interviewing a Potential Business Partner Interviewing a potential business partner is crucial for the success of your small business. This process goes beyond evaluating credentials; it allows you to assess compatibility in values, vision, and work ethic. A strong partnership can significantly impact your business model and growth strategy. Effective interviews uncover motivations that drive potential partners. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses aids in aligning your business goals with their skills. In the competitive landscape, shared innovation and a collaborative approach foster better problem-solving abilities, enhancing customer acquisition and sales strategies. Asking targeted questions helps you identify not only their past experiences but also their approach to challenges. It’s essential to explore areas like marketing tactics, funding options, and financial management. You can gauge their understanding of essential aspects like budgeting, cash flow, or even digital marketing approaches. Moreover, establishing clear communication during interviews sets a solid foundation for future collaboration. It’s vital to determine how each partner views their role in areas like human resources, team building, and leadership. This can influence employee benefits, payroll, and overall workplace culture. Securing the right partner through effective interviewing strengthens your small business’s position in the market. It leads to smoother operations and better alignment in legal structures, whether you choose LLC, partnership, or other forms. This groundwork lays the foundation for future collaborations, ensuring you’re prepared for challenges associated with entrepreneurship. Preparing for the Interview Process Preparing for the interview process involves essential steps that enhance your evaluation of a potential business partner. Effective preparation sets the foundation for a successful partnership. Researching Your Potential Partner Researching your potential business partner helps you gauge their fit for your small business. Focus on these key areas: Background Check: Investigate their professional history. Look into previous business ventures, successes, and failures. This information reveals their reliability and competence. Values and Vision Alignment: Ensure your potential partner’s values and vision align with your business goals. Misalignment can lead to conflicts that hinder growth. Industry Knowledge: Assess the partner’s expertise and how they stay informed about market trends. Their familiarity with the industry can drive innovation within your venture. Developing an Interview Guide Developing an interview guide ensures you cover important topics during your discussions. Include questions that address these aspects: Goals: Identify shared business goals. Discuss short-term and long-term objectives to align your visions. Experience: Inquire about relevant experiences that showcase their skills. Look for insights into their problem-solving abilities and decision-making processes. Funding Strategies: Explore their knowledge of funding options such as loans, angel investors, or crowdfunding. Understanding their approach to financial management is crucial for sustainable growth. Marketing and Sales: Discuss marketing tactics and customer acquisition strategies. Their insights can clarify how they can contribute to building your brand and expanding your market reach. Roles and Responsibilities: Define potential roles in human resources, team building, and leadership. Clear expectations foster effective collaboration. Scalability: Evaluate their ideas for scaling the business. A partner’s growth strategy can significantly influence your small business’s future trajectory. By preparing adequately and asking the right questions, you set the stage for a fruitful collaboration. Key Questions to Ask During the Interview When interviewing a potential business partner, focus on critical questions that reveal compatibility and skills. These discussions ensure alignment in vision and capability, fundamental for a successful business partnership. Assessing Compatibility What are your core values, both personally and professionally? This question helps determine if your values align, crucial for a cohesive partnership. What does success look like to you? Understanding each other’s definition of success guides expectations and shared goals. What motivates you in your professional life? Knowing this can clarify your partner’s drive, commitment, and overall fit within the business. How would you describe your communication style? Communication compatibility affects all aspects of collaboration, influencing decision-making and project execution. Evaluating Skills and Experience What relevant experience do you have in our industry? Specific experience indicates familiarity with market trends, customer acquisition strategies, and potential challenges you might face. How have you approached funding options in past ventures? Discussing experiences with loans, angel investors, and crowdfunding reveals financial understanding and business acumen. What skills do you bring that complement our business goals? Identify specific skills such as marketing expertise, financial management, or product development that enhance your startup’s potential. Can you share specific examples of past successes? Real-world achievements demonstrate capability and reliability, critical for navigating small business challenges. Asking these questions allows you to gauge compatibility and expertise, setting a strong foundation for collaboration. Analyzing the Interview Outcomes Analyzing interview outcomes is critical for determining a potential partner’s fit within your small business. Consider the following aspects during your evaluation: Compatibility with Business Goals Evaluate how well the candidate aligns with your business goals. Assess their vision and how it complements your startup’s targets. Look for specific examples demonstrating their commitment to shared objectives. Skills and Experience Relevance Assess the candidate’s skills and experience related to essential business functions. Priority areas may include marketing strategies, funding approaches, or product development. Analyze if their past experiences with partnerships or collaborations contribute positively to your business model. Problem-Solving Abilities Investigate the candidate’s problem-solving abilities by asking how they’ve handled challenges in previous ventures. Check for examples where their innovation led to successful outcomes. Assessing these scenarios provides insights into their capacity to contribute effectively. Communication Styles Determine the effectiveness of the candidate’s communication style. Strong partnerships require clear communication, especially concerning roles and responsibilities. Evaluate their responses during difficult conversation scenarios to gauge their communication proficiency. Financial Acumen Review the candidate’s understanding of finance and accounting principles. Inquire about their familiarity with funding options—such as venture capital, crowdfunding, or angel investors—and their ability to manage cash flow, budgets, and expenses. Financially savvy partners contribute to stable growth. Cultural Fit Assess the candidate’s potential cultural fit within your business’s environment. Strong alignment in values and work ethic promotes better team building and enhances employee morale. Look for shared beliefs in areas such as leadership and collaboration. Strategic Thinking Evaluate the candidate’s strategic thinking skills and ability to develop a growth strategy. Questions regarding their market research practices and understanding of the target audience can reveal their readiness to help scale your small business. Utilize this analysis to make informed decisions about potential partnerships, aligning those choices with your business plan and overarching goals. Conclusion Finding the right business partner is essential for your success. The interview process is your opportunity to dig deeper into a potential partner’s motivations and skills. By asking the right questions and fostering open communication, you can uncover whether their vision aligns with yours. Remember that compatibility in values and work ethic is just as important as complementary skills. A thorough analysis of the interview outcomes will guide you in making informed decisions. This careful approach not only strengthens your partnership but also sets the stage for a thriving business. Prioritize this process and you’ll pave the way for a successful collaboration that can navigate future challenges together. Frequently Asked Questions Why is finding the right business partner important? Finding the right business partner is crucial because it affects the success and longevity of your venture. A successful partnership involves shared values, complementary skills, and a united vision, which together foster innovation, problem-solving, and smoother operations. How can effective interviewing help in selecting a business partner? Effective interviewing allows entrepreneurs to assess compatibility in values and work ethic. By asking targeted questions, one can uncover motivations, strengths, and industry experience that align with business goals, laying the groundwork for a fruitful collaboration. What questions should I ask during a partner interview? Key questions to ask include inquiries about core values, definitions of success, motivations, communication styles, relevant experience, past funding methods, and examples of successes. These questions help evaluate a potential partner’s compatibility and expertise. How can I prepare for interviewing a potential partner? Prepare by researching potential partners to understand their background, values, and industry knowledge. Developing an interview guide to cover essential topics like shared goals, funding strategies, and marketing tactics ensures a thorough assessment. What should I analyze after conducting an interview? After the interview, analyze outcomes based on compatibility with business goals, relevance of skills, problem-solving abilities, communication preferences, cultural fit, and strategic thinking. This evaluation is crucial for making informed partnership decisions. Image Via Envato This article, "Mastering the Art of Interviewing a Potential Business Partner for Success" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

New AI features from LinkedIn will soon help job seekers find positions that best suit them—without the need for exact keyword matches or specific job titles. LinkedIn’s new AI-powered job search interface allows users to express their goals in plain language, says Rohan Rajiv, LinkedIn’s head of career products. For example, users can type a phrase like “business development or partnership roles in video games” and still be matched with relevant positions in the gaming industry, even if job listings don’t use those exact terms. Job seekers can also enter more abstract goals like “using brand marketing skills to cure cancer” to uncover marketing roles at pharmaceutical companies and oncology centers, Rajiv demonstrated in a session with Fast Company. Powered by large language model (LLM) AI, the new search tool interprets the intent behind job seeker queries and job descriptions, making it easier to match people with opportunities in a job market that often frustrates both applicants and employers. “LLMs are amazing at looking at a job description and extracting semantics out of them and nuance out of them, and inferring things from them,” says Erran Berger, VP of engineering at LinkedIn. Recent survey data from LinkedIn shows that job seekers are applying to more positions than before, increasing the volume of applications that hiring teams must review. “They say they are spending three to five hours a day sifting through applications, and less than half of these applications meet the required criteria,” Rajiv notes. The enhanced AI search can also surface jobs and employers that applicants may not have previously considered. LinkedIn currently lists more than 15 million job postings. Another new feature, “job match,” helps users assess their fit for a role before applying. By analyzing both job descriptions and user profiles, the AI identifies how closely someone matches a job’s criteria and highlights areas where qualifications are strong or lacking—such as experience with a particular technology. Unlike traditional keyword searches, LLMs are less likely to overlook relevant experience. For example, the AI understands that a web developer likely knows HTML, even if it’s not explicitly listed. This insight allows users to refine their profiles with relevant skills or consider roles better aligned with their background, saving time for both candidates and recruiters. Another feature will provide context around whether a position is “actively hiring,” whether it’s being promoted on LinkedIn, and, when available, how long applicants typically wait to hear back. These AI innovations build on tools introduced last year to help recruiters identify strong matches and come roughly 20 years after LinkedIn first began helping users connect with job opportunities. At that time, the company recognized that its vast career and network data could help recruiters discover candidates not actively searching for roles, Berger explains. “Twenty years ago, LinkedIn transformed the traditional job search by connecting recruiters with passive candidates,” CEO Ryan Roslansky says in a statement to Fast Company. “And today, with the launch of AI-powered job search, we’re not just introducing a new way to find a job, but an entirely new way to discover what’s possible.” LinkedIn has steadily expanded its job-matching capabilities, introducing automated job recommendations around 2010 and consolidating job search tools into a dedicated tab on its main platform in 2016. These changes reflect how users often combine job searches with other research activities, such as exploring company profiles. Currently, more than 11,000 LinkedIn users apply for a job every minute. The company expects that its rich history of job and job seeker data will continue to enhance its AI matching tools. “We’re really uniquely positioned to take this rich data that we have—and what’s possible with AI now—to build this feature in a way that few, if any, other companies can,” Berger says. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Amazon Fire Max 11 feels like the grown-up version of the Fire Tablets that used to be just good enough. It's bigger, cleaner, and doesn’t stutter when you try to do more than scroll through a book or stream a show. Right now, you can grab a certified refurbished unit with 128GB of storage and no lock-screen ads for $139.99 (down from $239.99). And it’s not old tech, either—it came out last summer and earned PCMag’s Best Budget Tablet of the Year 2024. Like-New Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet $139.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $239.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $139.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $239.99 Save $100.00 Its 11-inch screen is a bright, crisp LCD panel with a 2,000 x 1,200 resolution and decent 213ppi sharpness. It’s not quite iPad-level quality, but it gets close, especially for reading, streaming, or even casual drawing with the optional $36.99 stylus. The aluminum build adds a bit of a premium touch, and the stereo speakers are surprisingly solid for something at this price. There’s no headphone jack (which feels like a miss), but Bluetooth 5.3 is stable for wireless headsets. Internally, it’s running on 4GB RAM and a processor that keeps things snappy. You can browse, download, and play light games without the usual budget-tablet lag. You can expand storage beyond the already generous 128GB via microSD (sold separately) up to 1 TB. That said, it still runs FireOS 8, which is Amazon’s custom take on Android. If you’re already tied into Kindle, Prime Video, and Audible, it makes sense. But if you rely on Google apps or want Play Store access out of the box, it’s not the most open system—you’ll have to sideload apps manually, notes this PCMag review. Camera-wise, it’s nothing to write home about: It's got two 8MP shooters that are fine for Zoom calls or document scans, but not much else. Battery life also doesn’t quite live up to the advertised 14 hours; you’re more likely to get around eight to 10 hours, depending on what you’re doing. The tablet charges via USB-C and technically supports 15W charging, but Amazon ships it with a slower 9W adapter. Still, for under $150, it’s hard to find a tablet with a screen this good and that much storage. Amazon also sells some solid accessories to go with it. There’s a magnetic slim cover for $49.99 that makes it easier to carry around without scratching the screen, and a matte anti-glare screen protector for $17.99 if you’re reading outside or just hate smudges. And if you want to turn the Fire Max 11 into a basic productivity setup, the $84.99 keyboard case snaps on magnetically and works well for emails or notes. View the full article

Scammers can make good money by selling you something you can actually get for free—like government services. The Federal Trade Commission is alerting consumers to fraudulent websites that are claiming to be associated with the IRS and charging up to $300 to file paperwork for obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN). The EIN application is available for free on the real IRS website and requires just a few minutes to complete. An EIN, which is a corporate identifier for filing taxes, is required for anyone opening a business, estate, or nonprofit as well as those with household employees (such as a family hiring a nanny). How the EIN scam worksThe services identified by the FTC are impersonating the IRS or misrepresenting their affiliation in one or more of the following ways: Using IRS seals, logos, formatting, colors, fonts, layouts, and imagery on their websites and ads Using "IRS" in their domain names or on their websites Using the term "EIN Assistant" Failing to disclose that they are not affiliated with the IRS Failing to disclose that payments are 100% service fees, as EINs are free This also isn't the only way scammers are profiting off of "helping" consumers apply for government services. The Better Business Bureau has tracked online services that charge people to enroll in the Department of Homeland Security's Trusted Traveler Programs, such as TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. These programs do cost money, but you don't have to pay for the application itself. (Note that TSA PreCheck contracts with several third-party enrollment providers, with total fees varying slightly from $67 to $78.) How to apply for an EIN—for freeIf you do need an EIN, you can complete the application using the IRS' EIN Assistant tool. You'll need to provide information about the legal structure of your business as well as personal information like your name, address, contact information, and tax ID. Your EIN is generated immediately upon completion and verification, and the whole process takes fewer than 15 minutes if you have all of your information ready. View the full article

WeightWatchers said Tuesday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to eliminate $1.15 billion in debt and focus on its transition into a telehealth services provider. Parent WW International Inc. said it has the support of nearly three-quarters of its debt holders. It expects to emerge from bankruptcy within 45 days, if not sooner. WeightWatchers, which was founded more than 60 years ago, has struggled recently. In 2023, the company moved into the prescription drug weight loss business—particularly with the $106 million acquisition of Sequence, now WeightWatchers Clinic, a telehealth service that helps users get prescriptions for drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Trulicity. Its latest earnings report Tuesday showed that first-quarter revenue declined 10% while its loss on an adjusted basis totaled 47 cents per share. However, clinical subscription revenue—or weight-loss medications—jumped 57% year over year to $29.5 million. In September, WW International CEO Sima Sistani resigned, and the New York company named Tara Comonte, a WeightWatchers board member and former Shake Shack executive, interim chief executive. Comonte, now CEO, said in a statement Tuesday that, “As the conversation around weight shifts toward long-term health, our commitment to delivering the most trusted, science-backed, and holistic solutions—grounded in community support and lasting results—has never been stronger, or more important.” Shares of the company have traded at under $1 since early February. In after-hours trading, the stock plunged by half to 39 cents. The bankruptcy filing was made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. —Associated Press View the full article

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed President Donald The President’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed. The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of experienced, decorated officers. The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals. Just after beginning his second term in January, The President moved aggressively to roll back the rights of transgender people. Among the Republican president’s actions was an executive order that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness. In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy in February that gave the military services 30 days to figure out how they would seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force. Those actions had been stalled by the lawsuits. “No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X following Tuesday’s Supreme Court order. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind. “No more pronouns,” he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. “No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s—-.” The Defense Department said Tuesday that officials are currently determining the next steps, but officials were not aware of any actions being taken right away. Three federal judges had ruled against the ban. In the case the justices acted on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, had ruled for seven long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations. A prospective service member also sued. The individual service members who challenged the ban together have amassed more than 70 medals in 115 years of service, their lawyers wrote. The lead plaintiff is Emily Shilling, a Navy commander with nearly 20 years of service, including as a combat pilot who flew 60 missions in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The The President administration offered no explanation as to why transgender troops, who have been able to serve openly over the past four years with no evidence of problems, should suddenly be banned, Settle wrote. The judge is an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush and is a former captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps. Settle imposed a nationwide hold on the policy and a federal appeals court rejected the administration’s emergency plea. The Justice Department then turned to the Supreme Court. The policy also has been blocked by a federal judge in the nation’s capital, but that ruling has been temporarily halted by a federal appeals court, which heard arguments last month. The three-judge panel, which includes two judges appointed by The President during his first term, appeared to be in favor of the administration’s position. In a more limited ruling, a judge in New Jersey also has barred the Air Force from removing two transgender men, saying they showed their separation would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations that no monetary settlement could repair. The LGBTQ rights groups Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation called the high court order a devastating blow to dedicated and highly qualified service members. “By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice. Transgender individuals meet the same standards and demonstrate the same values as all who serve. We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down,” the groups said in a statement. The federal appeals court in San Francisco will hear the administration’s appeal in a process that will play out over several months at least. All the while, though, the transgender ban will remain in place under the Supreme Court order. In 2016, during Barack Obama’s presidency, a Defense Department policy permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military. During The President’s first term in the White House, the Republican issued a directive to ban transgender service members, with an exception for some of those who had already started transitioning under more lenient rules that were in effect during Obama’s Democratic administration. The Supreme Court allowed that ban to take effect. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, scrapped it when he took office. The rules the Defense Department wants to enforce contain no exceptions. The policy during The President’s first term and the new one are “materially indistinguishable,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the justices, though lawyers for the service members who sued disagreed. Thousands of transgender people serve in the military, but they represent less than 1% of the 2.1 million troops serving. A senior defense official said in February that they believe there are about 4,200 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria currently serving in the active duty, National Guard and Reserves. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues, said that between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million. Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. —Mark Sherman, Associated Press View the full article

Key Takeaways Streamlined Ad Management: Hootsuite Ads centralizes social media ad campaigns across major platforms, simplifying scheduling and performance tracking from one dashboard. Advanced Audience Targeting: The tool offers precise targeting options based on interests, demographics, and behaviors, helping businesses reach the right customers more effectively. Real-Time Performance Tracking: Users can monitor key metrics and adjust campaigns dynamically, ensuring optimal performance and better return on investment (ROI). Content Creation and Sharing Tools: Hootsuite Ads provides built-in capabilities for creating and sharing engaging content, including videos and user-generated material, to enhance ad effectiveness. Comprehensive Analytics: Gain valuable insights into campaign performance at a granular level, allowing for strategic refinement and improved social media growth over time. In today’s fast-paced digital world, effective social media advertising can make or break your brand’s success. Hootsuite Ads offers a powerful solution to streamline your ad campaigns and maximize your reach. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, you can easily create, manage, and optimize your ads across multiple platforms. Imagine having the ability to track performance metrics in real time while refining your strategy on the go. Hootsuite Ads empowers you to do just that, ensuring your marketing efforts are not only efficient but also impactful. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, leveraging this tool can elevate your advertising game and help you connect with your audience like never before. Overview of Hootsuite Ads Hootsuite Ads provides a streamlined approach for managing your social media advertising campaigns. This tool helps small businesses maximize their online presence by simplifying ad creation and optimization across major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. What Is Hootsuite Ads? Hootsuite Ads is an integrated solution designed for social media marketing. It enables you to create, manage, and monitor paid ads effectively. From targeting specific demographics to adjusting budgets, Hootsuite Ads covers everything necessary for successful social media campaigns. You can leverage its features to enhance brand awareness, engage your audience, and achieve better ROI on your advertising efforts. Key Features of Hootsuite Ads Hootsuite Ads offers several essential features that can enhance your small business social media strategy: Audience Targeting: Reach the right customers with precise targeting options based on interests, behaviors, and demographics across different social media platforms. Performance Tracking: Monitor engagement rates and other key performance metrics in real time, allowing you to adjust your campaigns dynamically for optimal results. Content Creation Tools: Utilize built-in tools for content sharing, including video content and user-generated content, to enrich your social media ads. Social Media Analytics: Gain insights into your ad performance and how it contributes to overall social media growth, helping you refine strategies over time. Scheduling: Create a content calendar to plan your ads, ensuring timely promotion aligned with relevant social media trends and your brand voice. By leveraging these features, you can enhance engagement with your audience, improve community management, and drive effective ad campaigns that resonate with your customers. Benefits of Using Hootsuite Ads Hootsuite Ads offers powerful tools for small businesses to enhance social media marketing efforts. These benefits streamline ad management and refine targeting capabilities, ensuring effective social media campaigns across platforms. Streamlined Ad Management You can manage paid social campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn from one dashboard. This centralizes your workflow, simplifying social media marketing. Hootsuite enables the creation, scheduling, and management of ads within its platform, allowing you to track performance metrics in real time. Adjust your strategies based on data insights to improve results and maximize ad spend. Organize your paid and organic content in a unified content calendar, providing you with a clear overview of your social media strategy. Enhanced Targeting Capabilities Hootsuite Ads enhances audience targeting by allowing you to segment users based on interests, demographics, and behaviors. This targeting precision helps you reach potential customers more effectively. Use insights from social media analytics to identify trends and tailor your ads accordingly, ensuring they resonate with your audience. Optimize your campaigns to align with your brand voice and storytelling, driving engagement and brand awareness. By leveraging these targeting tools, you can significantly improve your social media engagement and ROI on advertising efforts. Comparison with Other Ad Management Tools For small businesses navigating social media marketing, comparing Hootsuite Ads with other ad management tools reveals distinct advantages tailored for your needs. Hootsuite Ads vs. Competitor A Hootsuite Ads excels in managing social media campaigns across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can monitor performance metrics in real-time, making adjustments quickly to enhance your advertising strategy. Competitor A may offer individual platform management, but Hootsuite’s integrated interface simplifies scheduling for both paid ads and organic posts. With Hootsuite’s advanced audience targeting, you reach specific demographics effectively, increasing your engagement rate and brand awareness more efficiently than with Competitor A. Hootsuite Ads vs. Competitor B Hootsuite Ads stands out against Competitor B by providing comprehensive analytics that allow you to assess campaign performance on a granular level. You track results at the campaign, ad set, and ad level, which helps refine your social media strategy based on data insights. While Competitor B focuses on ad creation, Hootsuite goes further with tools for content creation, including video content and user-generated content options. This holistic approach aids in boosting not just paid social but also organic growth through effective community management and storytelling techniques, enhancing your overall online presence. User Experience and Interface Hootsuite Ads provides a user-friendly interface, simplifying the process for managing social media campaigns across multiple platforms. Ease of Use Hootsuite Ads streamlines ad campaign creation, management, and optimization across popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You access intuitive tools designed for users at all experience levels. The platform centralizes advertising efforts, allowing you to manage both paid ads and organic reach from one hub. This organization reduces complexity, making it easier for small businesses to implement effective social media strategies without overwhelming technical knowledge. Dashboard Features The dashboard of Hootsuite Ads enhances your advertising capabilities by offering centralized management for paid and organic content. You can easily view and handle your social media posts, making scheduling and monitoring straightforward. Real-time analytics provide insights into performance metrics, allowing you to adjust content and strategies based on immediate feedback. Utilize this feature to boost brand awareness and increase social media engagement with your audience, ensuring your marketing efforts align with your brand voice and storytelling approach. Conclusion Hootsuite Ads offers a comprehensive solution for managing your social media advertising needs. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features you’re equipped to create and optimize campaigns that resonate with your audience. The ability to track performance in real time allows you to make informed adjustments that enhance engagement and ROI. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise Hootsuite Ads simplifies your advertising efforts across multiple platforms. By centralizing your campaigns you can focus on what matters most—connecting with your audience and driving meaningful results. Embrace the power of Hootsuite Ads and watch your social media advertising transform into a more efficient and effective strategy. Frequently Asked Questions What is Hootsuite Ads? Hootsuite Ads is a powerful tool for managing social media advertising campaigns. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows users to create, manage, and optimize ads across various platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn from a single dashboard. How does Hootsuite Ads improve advertising for small businesses? Hootsuite Ads simplifies the ad management process by centralizing efforts, providing real-time performance tracking, and offering advanced audience targeting. This enables small businesses to reach their audience more effectively and maximize their return on investment. What features does Hootsuite Ads offer? Hootsuite Ads includes features for audience targeting, performance tracking, content creation, and social media analytics. It also helps with scheduling posts, making it easier for users to manage both paid and organic advertising strategies. Can Hootsuite Ads track performance in real time? Yes, Hootsuite Ads allows users to track performance metrics in real time. This helps marketers refine their strategies and make adjustments on the go based on immediate data insights. How does Hootsuite Ads compare to other ad management tools? Hootsuite Ads stands out for its integrated approach to managing campaigns across multiple platforms, real-time performance monitoring, and comprehensive analytics. These features enhance audience targeting and improve overall engagement compared to competitors. Is Hootsuite Ads suitable for beginners? Yes, Hootsuite Ads is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for users at all experience levels. Its streamlined dashboard simplifies the management of campaigns, reducing complexity for beginners and small business owners. What are the benefits of using Hootsuite Ads for audience targeting? Hootsuite Ads enhances audience targeting by allowing businesses to segment their audiences based on interests, demographics, and behaviors. This improves the effectiveness of campaigns by helping businesses reach potential customers more precisely. Image Via Envato This article, "Maximize Your Marketing with Hootsuite Ads for Effective Social Media Advertising" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Streamlined Ad Management: Hootsuite Ads centralizes social media ad campaigns across major platforms, simplifying scheduling and performance tracking from one dashboard. Advanced Audience Targeting: The tool offers precise targeting options based on interests, demographics, and behaviors, helping businesses reach the right customers more effectively. Real-Time Performance Tracking: Users can monitor key metrics and adjust campaigns dynamically, ensuring optimal performance and better return on investment (ROI). Content Creation and Sharing Tools: Hootsuite Ads provides built-in capabilities for creating and sharing engaging content, including videos and user-generated material, to enhance ad effectiveness. Comprehensive Analytics: Gain valuable insights into campaign performance at a granular level, allowing for strategic refinement and improved social media growth over time. In today’s fast-paced digital world, effective social media advertising can make or break your brand’s success. Hootsuite Ads offers a powerful solution to streamline your ad campaigns and maximize your reach. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, you can easily create, manage, and optimize your ads across multiple platforms. Imagine having the ability to track performance metrics in real time while refining your strategy on the go. Hootsuite Ads empowers you to do just that, ensuring your marketing efforts are not only efficient but also impactful. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, leveraging this tool can elevate your advertising game and help you connect with your audience like never before. Overview of Hootsuite Ads Hootsuite Ads provides a streamlined approach for managing your social media advertising campaigns. This tool helps small businesses maximize their online presence by simplifying ad creation and optimization across major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. What Is Hootsuite Ads? Hootsuite Ads is an integrated solution designed for social media marketing. It enables you to create, manage, and monitor paid ads effectively. From targeting specific demographics to adjusting budgets, Hootsuite Ads covers everything necessary for successful social media campaigns. You can leverage its features to enhance brand awareness, engage your audience, and achieve better ROI on your advertising efforts. Key Features of Hootsuite Ads Hootsuite Ads offers several essential features that can enhance your small business social media strategy: Audience Targeting: Reach the right customers with precise targeting options based on interests, behaviors, and demographics across different social media platforms. Performance Tracking: Monitor engagement rates and other key performance metrics in real time, allowing you to adjust your campaigns dynamically for optimal results. Content Creation Tools: Utilize built-in tools for content sharing, including video content and user-generated content, to enrich your social media ads. Social Media Analytics: Gain insights into your ad performance and how it contributes to overall social media growth, helping you refine strategies over time. Scheduling: Create a content calendar to plan your ads, ensuring timely promotion aligned with relevant social media trends and your brand voice. By leveraging these features, you can enhance engagement with your audience, improve community management, and drive effective ad campaigns that resonate with your customers. Benefits of Using Hootsuite Ads Hootsuite Ads offers powerful tools for small businesses to enhance social media marketing efforts. These benefits streamline ad management and refine targeting capabilities, ensuring effective social media campaigns across platforms. Streamlined Ad Management You can manage paid social campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn from one dashboard. This centralizes your workflow, simplifying social media marketing. Hootsuite enables the creation, scheduling, and management of ads within its platform, allowing you to track performance metrics in real time. Adjust your strategies based on data insights to improve results and maximize ad spend. Organize your paid and organic content in a unified content calendar, providing you with a clear overview of your social media strategy. Enhanced Targeting Capabilities Hootsuite Ads enhances audience targeting by allowing you to segment users based on interests, demographics, and behaviors. This targeting precision helps you reach potential customers more effectively. Use insights from social media analytics to identify trends and tailor your ads accordingly, ensuring they resonate with your audience. Optimize your campaigns to align with your brand voice and storytelling, driving engagement and brand awareness. By leveraging these targeting tools, you can significantly improve your social media engagement and ROI on advertising efforts. Comparison with Other Ad Management Tools For small businesses navigating social media marketing, comparing Hootsuite Ads with other ad management tools reveals distinct advantages tailored for your needs. Hootsuite Ads vs. Competitor A Hootsuite Ads excels in managing social media campaigns across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can monitor performance metrics in real-time, making adjustments quickly to enhance your advertising strategy. Competitor A may offer individual platform management, but Hootsuite’s integrated interface simplifies scheduling for both paid ads and organic posts. With Hootsuite’s advanced audience targeting, you reach specific demographics effectively, increasing your engagement rate and brand awareness more efficiently than with Competitor A. Hootsuite Ads vs. Competitor B Hootsuite Ads stands out against Competitor B by providing comprehensive analytics that allow you to assess campaign performance on a granular level. You track results at the campaign, ad set, and ad level, which helps refine your social media strategy based on data insights. While Competitor B focuses on ad creation, Hootsuite goes further with tools for content creation, including video content and user-generated content options. This holistic approach aids in boosting not just paid social but also organic growth through effective community management and storytelling techniques, enhancing your overall online presence. User Experience and Interface Hootsuite Ads provides a user-friendly interface, simplifying the process for managing social media campaigns across multiple platforms. Ease of Use Hootsuite Ads streamlines ad campaign creation, management, and optimization across popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You access intuitive tools designed for users at all experience levels. The platform centralizes advertising efforts, allowing you to manage both paid ads and organic reach from one hub. This organization reduces complexity, making it easier for small businesses to implement effective social media strategies without overwhelming technical knowledge. Dashboard Features The dashboard of Hootsuite Ads enhances your advertising capabilities by offering centralized management for paid and organic content. You can easily view and handle your social media posts, making scheduling and monitoring straightforward. Real-time analytics provide insights into performance metrics, allowing you to adjust content and strategies based on immediate feedback. Utilize this feature to boost brand awareness and increase social media engagement with your audience, ensuring your marketing efforts align with your brand voice and storytelling approach. Conclusion Hootsuite Ads offers a comprehensive solution for managing your social media advertising needs. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features you’re equipped to create and optimize campaigns that resonate with your audience. The ability to track performance in real time allows you to make informed adjustments that enhance engagement and ROI. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise Hootsuite Ads simplifies your advertising efforts across multiple platforms. By centralizing your campaigns you can focus on what matters most—connecting with your audience and driving meaningful results. Embrace the power of Hootsuite Ads and watch your social media advertising transform into a more efficient and effective strategy. Frequently Asked Questions What is Hootsuite Ads? Hootsuite Ads is a powerful tool for managing social media advertising campaigns. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows users to create, manage, and optimize ads across various platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn from a single dashboard. How does Hootsuite Ads improve advertising for small businesses? Hootsuite Ads simplifies the ad management process by centralizing efforts, providing real-time performance tracking, and offering advanced audience targeting. This enables small businesses to reach their audience more effectively and maximize their return on investment. What features does Hootsuite Ads offer? Hootsuite Ads includes features for audience targeting, performance tracking, content creation, and social media analytics. It also helps with scheduling posts, making it easier for users to manage both paid and organic advertising strategies. Can Hootsuite Ads track performance in real time? Yes, Hootsuite Ads allows users to track performance metrics in real time. This helps marketers refine their strategies and make adjustments on the go based on immediate data insights. How does Hootsuite Ads compare to other ad management tools? Hootsuite Ads stands out for its integrated approach to managing campaigns across multiple platforms, real-time performance monitoring, and comprehensive analytics. These features enhance audience targeting and improve overall engagement compared to competitors. Is Hootsuite Ads suitable for beginners? Yes, Hootsuite Ads is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for users at all experience levels. Its streamlined dashboard simplifies the management of campaigns, reducing complexity for beginners and small business owners. What are the benefits of using Hootsuite Ads for audience targeting? Hootsuite Ads enhances audience targeting by allowing businesses to segment their audiences based on interests, demographics, and behaviors. This improves the effectiveness of campaigns by helping businesses reach potential customers more precisely. Image Via Envato This article, "Maximize Your Marketing with Hootsuite Ads for Effective Social Media Advertising" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

There is no place more joyous than a garden center in May. The shelves are full of annuals, vegetables, and perennials ready to go home with you. Gardeners everywhere are waiting with bated breath, trying to find the perfect day to get plants in the ground. Pops of color are emerging as tulips, irises, peonies, and lilacs fill yards. What you do this month will determine how successful your summer garden is, so strap into your overalls, grab your sunhat and spade, and get outside. Let's install a summer garden. I'll go over the maintenance tasks you should tackle first, then get into the details on what you should plant and how to do it. Perform a few garden maintenance tasks firstYour watering systems may have taken a hit during winter, so it's vital to check each line before you turn on irrigation for the summer. Often, I've found that I am the problem, having nicked lines while weeding or digging around in spring. Ensure that the controller is working by standing outside, testing each zone and walking around to check each end point. You can usually hear a leak, so keep an ear out for loud gushing or hissing while also scanning visually. If you use a hose bib setup, check that as well. We've had a hot spell early on the west coast, meaning my irrigation went on earlier than ever this year. (For plants growing in full sun, water in the morning and aim for 1 to 2 inches of water per week.) Credit: Amanda Blum Your established beds can benefit from a layer of compost, which will act as a general fertilizer, as well as create volume back in your beds if they’ve experienced erosion during the winter. Follow the compost with a layer of mulch. Spending this time spreading the compost and mulch will give you the opportunity to size up each part of your garden, so take notes as you go for which areas need weeding, are experiencing pests, or have plants that look like they might not have survived the winter. Shrubs, trees, and vinesA number of shrubs go through blooming cycles in spring, like lilac and forsythia. Once they’ve bloomed, you can prune them back, and in some cases, like lilac, this may trigger a second bloom later in the season. In either case, it will take one fall task off your list and keep the garden looking tidier. Lilac in bloom. Credit: Amanda Blum This is a good time to plant new woody shrubs and trees—the weather is mild and the ground should be soft from the rains. For your existing trees, make sure you feed them with a fertilizer that is appropriate for them this month. Your garden center can help identify which fertilizer is best for the trees you have. Each of these trees will be creating shoots this month, and you should prune them back as necessary to maintain the shape of the tree and to keep fruit to an amount the tree can reasonably support. Ensure you are only using clean pruners or loppers—carry diluted bleach or Lysol with you in a spray bottle while outside. Cleaning your tools in between plants ensures that you do not transmit virus, fungus or disease between plants. Clematis plant climbing the wall. Credit: Amanda Blum Finally, climbing perennial vines like clematis, roses, and honeysuckle should be coming out of their slumber at this point, and you’ll want to ensure you’re supporting them by tying them loosely to their trellises as they climb. Annual flowers Annuals at the nursery. Credit: Amanda Blum It is finally time to put some annuals in the ground, which provide pops of color and can last all summer if you treat them right. Garden centers should be full of annuals at this point of the year, including petunias, lobelia, marigolds, and begonias. Annuals are a bit more tender than perennials, so you want to wait until you are past the risk of freezing to plant. Annuals can fill an area with color in the space and time between perennials blooming, and are ideal for window boxes and planters, where it might be hard for annuals to survive the winter. Most hanging baskets have annuals for the same reason—they’re too exposed for perennials or anything else to survive winter. Make sure that the beds you're planting into have a slow release fertilizer like Osmacote in them, and that they will get regularly watered. Perennial flowersMost people will have tulips in bloom or just completed at this point—remember not to cut them down after bloom. Tulips need their leaves in order to come back next year, so let them compost in place. Once the foliage has yellowed, it’s OK to divide or move the bulbs. Once the tulip has bloomed, it’s a great time for a bulb fertilizer, so they’ll be strong next year. You can also plant summer bulbs like dahlias and cannas now, if the risk of frost is gone. You can divide irises now. Credit: Amanda Blum If you didn’t get new perennials planted in April, you can still do so now, or divide the perennials you have. The ground should be very workable now, and you may be noticing which plants are ready to be divided as you move about the garden. If you’d like them to bloom this summer, you’ll want to get this task done in May. As you plant, ensure you’re using slow release fertilizer in the ground where you plant. This time of year, be vigilant in checking your garden center, grocer, and anywhere else that has a "sad plant shelf" (SPS). Stores will discount these plants that don't look especially happy at 50% off or more, and because they're perennials, that's a deal. Plant them as you would any other, and while they might not come back this year, they will next year. Delphiniums and agastache are my favorite SPS finds. Your roses need a spring fertilizer and might need some shaping at this point or help attaching to the trellis. Look for signs of stress or pests and ensure you’re treating them with appropriate treatments. Your garden center can help. VegetablesOnto the main event! Gardeners across the country wait for the precise moment to put their tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants into the ground, and sometime this month, that day will arrive. Here on the west coast, it's usually Mother's Day, but what you're actually waiting for is steady overnight temps over 50 degrees. If in doubt, join a local gardening group, because this will be the main topic of conversation this time of year. That means it's time to begin hardening off vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants as appropriate. Credit: Amanda Blum Perennial vegetables like asparagus and artichokes should be active now. Remember to harvest asparagus daily, taking only spears that are larger than your pinky. Once spears become thinner, it’s time to leave the plant alone for next year. Watch your artichoke plants for ants or aphid infestations, which may be sprayed off, but will return without further treatment like neem oil or nearby trap flowers like nasturtiums. Both asparagus beds and artichokes will benefit from a spring fertilizer. Nasturtiums are excellent trap plants. Credit: Amanda Blum By mid to late May, almost all regions should be planting their warm weather crops. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers, but also beans, corn, cucumbers, and everything else. Your beans and corn can be direct seeded, as can melon, pumpkin, and both winter and summer squash, but using starts will give you a leg up for the summer. If you planted potatoes in the spring, it’s likely time to hill up earth around the sprouts. Strawberry plants that need to be thinned. Credit: Amanda Blum Thin out your strawberry beds of runners and give your strawberry beds a dusting of fertilizer. Strawberry plants can either focus their energy on producing these runners or on fruit, but aren’t very good at doing both. Each spring the beds must be thinned to create better and larger fruit. You can give away the runners or plant them elsewhere. Pest controlReduce snail and slug populations by putting out traps and going on regular evening hunts. Doing this now, as the rains cease, will greatly reduce problems later this summer. Hang pheromone traps in your fruit trees now, which will control pests this summer and protect your fruit. View the full article

The Real ID requirement goes into effect today (Wednesday May 7, 2025). The deadline has been 20 years in the making, and its implementation today could cause some headaches—or at least some confusion—for those trying to fly domestically. Here’s what you need to know about today’s Real ID deadline and what it means for you. What is Real ID? A Real ID is the name given to an updated form of driver’s licenses and state IDs that have enhanced security measures. The federal government sets these standards, even though Real IDs are issued by individual states. From May 7, a Real ID will be required in most circumstances to board a domestic flight in America, enter certain federal facilities in the country, or enter nuclear power plants. However, while the Real ID requirements are going into effect today, the federal legislation mandating Real IDs was actually passed 20 years ago in 2005. The Real ID Act of 2005 was passed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and aimed to strengthen the requirements needed to enter facilities or vehicles that terrorists were likely to target. However, over the past 20 years, the Real ID requirement has been delayed multiple times. But those delays are now a thing of the past, and the Real ID requirement is now in effect. How do I get a Real ID? Though Real ID is a federal requirement, it is issued by individual states. A Real ID can take a few different forms, the most common one being a state driver’s license. However, it may also be another form of state identity card. The usual way to get a Real ID is to go to your state’s driver’s license agency and apply for a new driver’s license. This new license will now be Real ID-compliant. And yes, though the Real ID deadline is today, you can still apply for one at any time in the future if you don’t already have one. How do I know if I have a Real ID? Some states have been issuing Real IDs for years. The easiest way to tell if you have a Real ID or not is to look at your identity document. “REAL ID-compliant cards will have a star marking on the upper top portion of the card,” according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security FAQ. You can view examples of Real ID stars here. What is an Enhanced ID? To make this situation more confusing, some states offer “enhanced IDs,” which are identified with a flag instead of a star. Both are considered Real ID compliant, according to DHS. What if still I don’t have my Real ID? Though the Real ID requirement was 20 years in the making and finally goes into effect today, the fact of the matter is that the federal government knows that many Americans still do not have a Real ID. In April, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told CBS News that about 19% of travelers showing up at airports still did not have the new identification. Most Americans who fly domestically are used to boarding the plane with nothing more than their driver’s license. But while technically the Real ID requirement goes into effect today, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, says people with non-Real ID driver’s licenses will still be able to use them to board a domestic flight. Noem confirmed to a congressional committee that people without Real ID-compliant identification will still be able to fly—for now, reports the Associated Press. Noem said that those without a Real ID “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” but added, “But people will be allowed to fly.” “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible,” Noem told lawmakers. However, while non-Real ID holders will still be able to board flights with additional checks, it’s not clear how long this grace period will last. That means that if you don’t have another acceptable form of identification that will get you on a domestic flight, it’s best not to delay getting your Read ID-compliant identification. Are other forms of identity still valid for air travel in the United States? While the Real ID requirement is now in effect to board a domestic flight, you don’t need a Real ID document to get through security as long as you have a valid passport. Even if the flight is domestic only, you can still simply show a passport to board the plane in the United States. No other form of document is required—provided you have a passport—not even a Real ID. According to the AP, Noem also told lawmakers that tribal identification will be accepted at security checkpoints. Can I use a Real ID to travel internationally? One important thing to note is that while you can board domestic flights with your passport, things don’t work the other way around. That is, you cannot use your Real ID to board an international flight. While a Real ID will allow you to get around via plane within America’s borders, other nations will still require a passport to enter their country. Finally, it’s worth pointing out that the Department of Homeland Security has a lengthy FAQ answering dozens of questions about the transition to Real ID, which is worth checking out. View the full article

Netflix is finally pushing out the major TV app redesign it started testing last year, with a top navigation bar and new recommendation features. It’s also experimenting with generative AI and TikTok–style vertical video clips on mobile devices. Netflix first teased the new TV app in June 2024, with Reuters calling it the company’s biggest redesign in a decade. It’s unclear why the rollout has taken this long, but Netflix says users will start seeing it in “the coming weeks and months.” “Our redesigned homepage is simpler, more intuitive, and better-represents the breadth of entertainment on Netflix today,” Eunice Kim, Netflix’s chief product officer, told reporters. Netflix’s new menu The most obvious difference with the new design is the top navigation bar, with some different menu options than before. You can still filter for TV shows and movies, but the “New” section is gone and there’s an extra tab for Netflix’s gaming endeavors. Netflix is also replacing the “My List” menu with new section called “My Netflix,” which covers both watch list items and shows-in-progress. A new spotlight design at the top will also help Netflix highlight live events, such as its Christmas NFL games. Netflix is making some subtler changes as well. Instead of using the entire top half of the screen for details on the current selection, the app will simply expand the selected cover art and put the description right underneath. The app will also use badges such as “Emmy Award Winner” or “#1 in TV Shows” to explain why it’s recommending something. But the most interesting change is one you might not really even notice. With the new home screen, Netflix says it will adapt recommendations on the fly based on how you’re interacting with the app at that moment. If you’re stopping to watch a lot of romantic comedy trailers, for instance, the recommendation rows further down the app may update to reflect that. “Because everything will happen seamlessly in the background, you won’t even notice it happening,” Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief technology officer, told reporters. “It’ll just be magically easier to find something to watch.” AI and vertical video Netflix is also playing around with some new mobile app features, though these seem to be in the earlier stages. For instance, the company announced that it’s testing generative AI search on iOS as a “small opt-in beta,” confirming earlier reporting by Bloomberg. Stone says Netflix is using large language models from OpenAI for the feature, which will allow for queries like “I want something scary, but not too scary, and also maybe a little bit funny, but not, like, ha-ha funny.” Netflix plans to test a vertical video feed on mobile devices as well, with clips that users can scroll through and tap on to watch full content. That feature will start to appear in “the coming weeks.” What it all means The new design follows a set of across-the-board price hikes for Netflix, whose standard ad-free plan jumped from $15.49 per month to $18 per month in January. Nonetheless the company reported 13% earnings growth last month, beating estimates. While Netflix no longer discloses subscriber numbers, it’s playing a somewhat different game now, squeezing customers for more revenue while also chasing engagement for its ad business. As such, serving up the right content to each user may be more important than it’s ever been. Much like Amazon Prime a few years ago, Netflix’s new design will help emphasize live events, but it’s also leaning into the idea that any two users could see completely different things when they open the app. The new recommendation system could mean that you see completely different things on subsequent visits as well. View the full article

Of all the confusing display tech terms, few are easier to mix up than OLED and QLED. Barely half a letter separates them, but they work very differently, and those differences can matter a lot when it comes to the quality of your TV or monitor. Let's break down the differences, and why you should care when display shopping. There are a lot of sub-categories in both of these display types, but for the purposes of this article, I'm going to mainly focus on the core distinctions between these two main groups. It's also worth pointing out that while you may sometimes see OLED panels in smartphones, there aren't any QLED smartphones just yet. OLED vs. QLED: The simple versionIf you're TV shopping and just need the briefest breakdown, here it is: OLED displays use pixels that emit their own light individually, which provides perfect blacks, greater contrast, and vivid displays, but a greater risk of picture burn-in. OLED displays typically struggle to be as bright as competing display tech, and can have a shorter lifespan (though it's still typically measured in many years). Meanwhile, QLED displays use a blue backlight and "quantum dot" pixels to turn that light into red, green, or blue light. This allows QLED displays to be much brighter than OLED, making it easier to see in sunny rooms with a lot of natural lighting. They're also less prone to burn-in, though they're usually thicker than OLED (making them ill-suited for smartphones) and have worse black levels. Easy, right? Well, it can get a bit more complicated than that, so let's dive deeper. How do OLED displays work?Typical liquid crystal display (LCD) screens use a backlight shining through liquid crystals that filter the color of the backlight to create each pixel's hue. The downside to this technique is that those liquid crystals can't fully block the backlight, which is why even when your monitor shows a completely black screen, it still looks "on." Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays get around this problem by using pixels that light up individually, with no backlight required. This means that if a part of the screen displays pure black, those pixels will just be off. At that point, the only light coming from that part of the screen will be any ambient light bouncing off of it. Why should I get an OLED display?There are several advantages to this type of display: Perfect black levels and incredible contrast: Since there's no backlight, black levels on OLED displays are technically perfect. Or, more accurately, they're as dark as the room you're watching in. It also means that the contrast between dark and light parts of the screen can be much, much higher. Wide viewing angles: Since you're looking at pixels that are effectively a series of tiny lights without any filters, there are fewer issues with viewing angles. You can watch an OLED TV from way off to the side and still see it clearly. Thinner displays: Since OLEDs don't require a separate backlight, the displays can be made super thin. Many smartphones use this type of display, for exactly this (and other) reasons. Lower power consumption (sometimes): Technically, OLED displays consume more power to reach similar levels of uniform brightness compared to LCDs, however, the per-pixel lighting means they don't always need to. Some smartphones take advantage of this by offering minimal ambient displays that light up a few pixels to show the time or notifications while keeping the rest of the display dark to save power. This also means, in some cases, switching to dark mode can actually make your phone last a bit longer. That said, there are some downsides to OLEDs as well. The biggest issue is burn-in. While modern OLEDs have gotten better at handling this, images that stay on your screen for long periods of time (like menus, taskbars, or lower-thirds) can leave "ghosts" of the image that persist even when they're no longer being shown. They also cost more than LCDs, and that cost scales the bigger the display. For smartphones, that might not be a big deal (even some budget phones have OLED panels now), but for TVs that can mean several hundred or thousands of dollars for the biggest screens. Since OLED displays can also have a shorter lifespan, it's worth considering before making a huge investment. How do QLEDs work, and what are quantum dots?So, what makes Quantum Light Emitting Diode (QLED) displays different? To explain that, we need to talk about quantum dots. Without getting too deep into the physics of how they work, quantum dots are nanoparticles that emit different colored light based on how large they are (on an atomic scale). In practice, QLED displays start with a blue backlight—since blue light has the shortest wavelength and thus highest energy—which then hits the quantum dot layer. This layer contains a mixture of quantum dots sized to produce either green or red light when struck by the backlight. This subtle distinction can make a big difference when creating vivid, bright displays. With white backlights, all color wavelengths are present, and LCDs create specific colors by blocking the light the wavelengths that aren't needed. In a quantum dot display, you only need to start with blue light, then let the quantum dot layer essentially "slow" it down to red or green wavelengths. So, why should I get a QLED display?This process is more energy efficient than using pure white backlights, which means it can make colors that are much more saturated and vivid than regular LCD displays. It still doesn't achieve the pure black levels of OLED displays, but it can result in much better contrast than LCD displays without a quantum dot layer. Also, notice how I keep saying "LCD display"? That's right, despite "QLED" sounding similar to "OLED," they're still LCD panels. The blue backlights are LEDs, but these displays still use an LCD layer to filter light. Some manufacturers have started using quantum dots on OLED panels, and those are called QD-OLED. Which isn't confusing at all. QLED displays have some useful advantages compared to OLED panels. Including: High peak brightness: QLED TVs can get much brighter than comparable OLED displays, making them best suited for large, bright rooms. If you have a lot of windows in your living room, for example, you might want one of these. A wide, vibrant color gamut: Since quantum dots reproduce colors more efficiently, you can get really vibrant and accurate colors from a QLED panel. This is great for high-dynamic range content that makes all your colorful movies and shows really pop. No risk of burn-in: QLED displays don't suffer from burn-in issues since the inorganic quantum dots don't degrade like OLED pixels can. This also leads to a longer lifespan for your TV overall. Larger TVs for lower costs: Generally speaking, OLED TVs can get super pricey when you start looking at bigger sizes. QLEDs, however, will usually be more accessible without sacrificing size. One of the biggest downsides of QLED TVs compared to OLED is that some models have shorter viewing angles, meaning your friend on the far side of the couch might have a worse view. Some TV manufacturers use features like local dimming—basically, making the backlight dimmer for darker parts of the image—to improve black levels, but those will vary by manufacturer. To make matters more confusing, some manufacturers use quantum dots for their LCD displays, but don't call them "QLED." Hisense, for example, uses the ULED label. The company says this term refers to a "special sauce" of different TV technologies, but that combination includes quantum dots with an LED backlight and LCD matrix. It's annoying to get lost in the marketing jargon, but if you're looking for a bright TV that can compete with the sunshine coming through your windows, QLED TVs are gonna be your best bet. Otherwise, if you prefer really deep contrast, usually watch in a darker room, and maybe have a bit too much money to spend, OLED TVs will be more your speed. View the full article

Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Company’s workplace advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions. Q: How can I improve my team’s morale? A: Team morale isn’t an extra or a “nice to have.” It’s critical to a functioning company. And it’s not looking good out there. According to the latest Gallup report, only 36% of employees say they feel engaged at work. That means 64% of employees are feeling some degree of unhappy at work. Low morale can take a lot of different forms—from feeling less enthusiastic, less motivated, or less satisfied with work, all the way to feeling burned out, apathetic, and resentful. It probably goes without saying that when employees have low morale they do a worse job. Not only are they less productive, but they’re certainly not feeling inspired to come up with creative or innovative ideas, and they’re more likely to quit or spread the negative vibes to the rest of the office. If you’re a manager, here are three things you can do to help boost your team’s morale: Treat your employees like adults The number-one bad boss complaint is micromanaging. Most people like to have a sense of autonomy in their work lives. At the same time, most people crave structure. So the best thing a manager can do is give their employees clear (and reasonable) expectations, and get out of their way. That doesn’t mean you are absentee, it means you make yourself available to help address questions and issues, and set up regular check-ins, but otherwise trust that employees will complete their work in their own way. (Remember, that might not be how you would do it.) One important part of that equation is letting employees work where they work best. Many surveys have found that employees want more flexibility to work from home, while more bosses are demanding they come into the office. Unless there is a compelling need for someone to be in the office, an easy way to boost morale and give employees a sense that you trust them is to trust them to get their work done even if they aren’t clocking eight hours in a cubicle. Make people feel like they belong Remember the Great Resignation? Back in 2021, when people were quitting their jobs at a higher rate, there were a lot of contributing factors. But beyond the obvious things—like fair pay, benefits, flexibility, and work-life balance—there was a deeper issue that hasn’t gone away just because the job market has tightened. One of the top reasons people resigned during that period was that they didn’t feel a sense of belonging at work. Especially in a climate where the very concept of equity and inclusion is under attack, it’s important to help employees feel like their workplace is a place where they are valued. Contributor Mita Mallick says that one way to help employees feel included is to be intentional about building community. “Share regular updates and ensure people feel like they are part of the mission,” she advises. “Talk about your organization’s failures and struggles, and celebrate the big and small wins. Make everyone feel like they own a piece of the mission to deepen engagement and commitment.” Another tip from Mallick: To make sure new hires feel included, pair them with current employees and help facilitate introductions to employees in other parts of your company. If your company has employee resource groups, that’s another good place to help employees build community. Add perks that show meaningful appreciation Oftentimes management’s ideas of “perks” and “fun” make employees roll their eyes. Awkward happy hours and cheesy employee appreciation events do little to boost employee morale because they don’t feel genuine or give employees something they really value. What do employees actually value? Time, money, and genuine appreciation. There are pretty simple and low-cost ways you can give all of those things. To give the gift of time, consider offering summer Fridays, or even a year-round four-day workweek. Fewer working hours doesn’t have to mean less work getting done. It will likely mean that people will be more efficient (and less tired) in the time that they are at work. Another way to give the gift of time is the option for remote work. Not only does it give employees more autonomy (see above), it cuts down on commute time, giving people back an hour or two of their day. The gift of money might seem hard in lean times, but if you can’t give raises as you have in the past, you might still be able to offer monthly spot bonuses for those who do exceptional work. Finally, genuine appreciation costs you nothing and can go a long way. If employees have low morale it’s likely that they feel what they do isn’t noticed and doesn’t matter. Remembering and recognizing work anniversaries and life events is baseline for employees to feel seen. Praising and celebrating work is equally important—and not just the big splashy projects that bring in money. Pay attention to those who solve problems, toil away at the necessary but unglamorous behind-the-scenes work, manage relationships, and more. Want some more advice on building your team’s morale? Here you go: Employees who quit have realized this 1 missing thing about their job This workplace perk may boost your employees’ morale New study finds that hybrid work boosts morale—and profits 10 ways managers accidentally destroy team morale View the full article

The whole world mourned when news broke of Pope Francis’s death on April 21. The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church was admired even by nonbelievers as a man of progressive values leading the church into the modern era. While some wished his policies had gone further, most agreed that the late pope acted as a much-needed moral leader to humanity. His death leaves a void that must be filled through an election process known as the conclave, which starts today (Wednesday, May 7, 2025). Let’s take a deeper look at that procedure, the frontrunners, and how the Catholic Church moves forward from here. Who is in charge after the pope’s death? Almost immediately after the pope’s death, his signet ring—also known as the “fisherman’s ring”—is destroyed along with the pope’s lead seal. This is both symbolic and practical as these items are used to authenticate documents created by the pope. While the Catholic Church waits for new leadership, the College of Cardinals is temporarily in charge, but no major policies are made until a new pope is elected. Officially, this period is known as “sede vacante,” which translates to “the seat is vacant.” When does the conclave begin? The 2025 conclave begins today (Wednesday, May 7, 2025). It begins with a pre-conclave mass at St. Peter’s Basilica at 10:00 a.m. Vatican time (4:30 a.m. ET). Vatican News has a full conclave schedule on its website, including start times. You can also live-stream certain activities at St. Peter’s Square courtesy of Vatican Media Live, the official YouTube channel of the Holy See. Finally, you can follow live news coverage of the conclave with most major news outlets. USA Today has an extensive roundup of where to watch. How does the conclave work? Eligible cardinals, prominent church leaders, and former advisers to the pope, are locked away—free from the influence and distractions of the outside world—in the Sistine Chapel to vote. The word conclave comes from the Latin phrase “cum clave,” which means “with a key,” so it’s a fitting name. In order to be eligible to vote in the conclave, cardinals must be under the age of 80. It is important to note that only men are allowed in the Catholic priesthood. There are 135 eligible cardinals for the conclave but Archbishops Antonio Cañizares and Vinko Puljić will not participate due to poor health, as Catholic News Agency reported. Francis appointed 80% of the cardinals voting for his successor, expanding the decision-making process to 71 countries and eliminating European dominance. For the first time ever, countries such as Rwanda, Myanmar, and South Sudan will also have a vote, the Washington Post reports. Upon entering the conclave, cardinals take an oath of secrecy, making the process even more mysterious. Outsiders eagerly await the results of the votes by watching the color of smoke emitted from the Sistine Chapel. On the first day after mass, the initial secret ballot is cast. In order for a winner to be declared, a two-thirds majority must be won. If not secured, the ballots are burned along with a chemical to make black smoke. After the first day, up to four ballots can be cast daily, two in the mornings and two in the evenings. The process repeats until the new pope is elected. White smoke, bells ringing, and a declaration of “Habemus Papam!” signal a new beginning. How long does the conclave last? This depends on how long it takes to reach a two-thirds majority. The longest conclave dragged on for almost three years—from November 1268 to September 1271. Eventually Pope Gregory X was elected, as the Associated Press points out. Thankfully, modern conclaves in the 1900s and beyond have been much less suspenseful, lasting under four days. Pope Francis was elected in two days and many predict a similar situation for his predecessor. Who are the frontrunners to be the new pope? Although there are only two requirements for being elected pope, being male and a baptized Catholic, no one outside of the Cardinals has been elected since 1378, so President The President’s AI-generated image is a bit of a pipe dream, as this election will also likely promote from within as well. There are four cardinals whose names are swirling around as front runners: Seventy-year-old Cardinal Pietro Parolin of Italy served under Francis as the Vatican’s secretary of state. He has a global worldview yet is still considered a moderate. As Francis’s former right-hand man, his odds are good going into the conclave, perhaps even too good. There’s an old Italian saying: “He who enters a conclave as a pope, leaves it as a cardinal,” so let’s not put the horse in front of the cart. If 64-year-old Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is elected he would be the first modern Asian pope. His election would also signal the church’s continuation of Francis’s legacy. Tagle, who is a favorite among TikTok users, also spoke out on social issues and migrant rights. He urged the Catholic Church to be more inclusive and less harsh on the LGBTQ+ community, single moms, and divorced individuals. Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana, age 76, is an energetic conservative who once played guitar in a funk band. In 2013, he claimed not to want the top job in an interview with the BBC, but we are pretty sure he’d take it if it was offered. His election may mean more old-fashioned family values, but Turkson did speak out against the criminalization of homosexual relationships in Ghana. Cardinal Péter Erdő from Hungary, age 72, is also considered conservative, but has the respect of many more liberal members of the conclave. This makes him an ideal compromise candidate if voting comes to that. What will the final choice say about the future of the Catholic Church? With the world at large currently at a crossroads between traditions and progressive ideals, the new pope will signal how the Catholic Church plans to move forward. Will it continue with Francis’s more liberal ideals or will the pendulum swing the other way toward habit and convention. Only the white smoke can tell—the rest is secret. View the full article

Residents living near SpaceX headquarters in Boca Chica, Texas, will soon have a new public body through which to raise concerns about everything from road maintenance to garbage collection. Earlier this month, more than 200 residents voted to establish the city of Starbase, Texas—a 1.5-square-mile community governed by three elected officials, all of whom have ties to SpaceX, the space exploration company based in the area. Of the 218 people who voted in the election—many believed to be SpaceX employees—only six opposed incorporation. The news marks a win for Musk, who has wanted the area around his company’s headquarters to become a city since at least March 2021. “It sounds like the city will be governed by a city commission comprising current and former SpaceX employees, who presumably answer to Musk,” says Lily Roberts, managing director of inclusive growth at the Center for American Progress, a think tank that published a report on the rise of the new company town in 2019. Roberts believes SpaceX’s control of Starbase poses concerns. But Ajay Agrawal, a professor of management at the University of Toronto who has studied company towns and visited Starbase for a SpaceX launch before the incorporation effort began, sees potential upside. Agrawal noted the area’s lack of infrastructure. “If SpaceX succeeds in its mission, then it will be like the Port of Los Angeles, except the gateway to space,” he says. What he saw during his visit, however, didn’t match that vision. “It struck me how underdeveloped the route [from the airport] was.” The fact that the commission is composed of individuals with ties to Musk may give some observers pause. Still, the incorporation process introduces limits on the city’s authority. “They obviously can’t legally create some kind of independent society,” says Roberts. “They’re still subject to state and federal laws. Given how little Musk has demonstrated that he knows about how government works, I’m not sure that he knows that.” Musk did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment. However, he posted on X when the incorporation election was ratified by Cameron County’s election department: “Now, it is official!” While Musk has welcomed the decision, Roberts argues that the company’s desire to incorporate a city is misguided. “Most businesses do not want to incorporate cities,” she says. “Businesses typically make a product or sell a service—they don’t want to worry about the sewer system or run a school district.” Nevertheless, they may now find themselves responsible for managing those services alongside the civic aspects they want control over. “It sounds like SpaceX wants power over closing the public beaches and public roads during their launches,” says Roberts. “Because this is a relatively isolated area, they might want to find a faster track to building new housing. But all of the city services that come along with being a city seem far beyond what SpaceX is equipped to provide.” Agrawal isn’t convinced that’s a problem. “Having visited the site, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had already taken over things like garbage management and security,” he says. “They would need far greater security than what sort of a local police force of that area would have had [for their launches].” There are also checks and balances in place that prevent Starbase from seceding from federal oversight. “They will only be able to control, or certainly influence, municipal-level decisions,” says Agrawal. “They won’t be able to override federal or state rules.” Even if the three elected commissioners wanted to manage everything from trash pickup to road maintenance—and hand control to Musk—there’s no guarantee that Musk has the capacity or interest to govern effectively. “I think that Musk has proven with DOGE that any skills he has are not transferable from business to government,” cautions Roberts. “He can’t find the cost savings he promised, he accidentally fired people who keep track of nuclear weapons and then had to rehire them, and he keeps claiming that people receiving Social Security are dead when they’re very much alive.” Because of these issues, Roberts offers a cautionary note to potential residents: “SpaceX employees who move to Starbase may come to realize that there’s a huge difference between the campus model of big tech firms and a whole town where everyone—including the teacher and the firefighter, not just the scientists—has the same boss.” View the full article

The revolt against him isn’t huge, and it isn’t about constitutional principleView the full article

Following sweeping local election victories there is intense scrutiny of the rightwing party’s platformView the full article

San Francisco-based company forecast stronger than expected outlook for current quarterView the full article

As far back as records of the subject go, the art and science of leadership has always addressed one constant question: How should humans lead other humans? Today, that paradigm is shifting. Leaders must now learn to guide hybrid teams—composed of both human professionals and AI systems that support and augment human team members, while increasingly also performing complex tasks independently. Already, more than 75% of knowledge workers report using AI at work. Meanwhile, Gartner predicts that 100 million workers will collaborate with “robo-colleagues” by 2026. This is not a minor evolution. It may be the most profound transformation in human history of how we conceive of and implement leadership. As AI systems grow more advanced, we must reimagine what it means to lead. The skills that ensured success in the past will not be sufficient for what lies ahead. Through my research and my work with organizations undergoing this shift, I have identified seven essential ways that leaders must evolve if they are to lead effectively in this new age of AI-augmented work. 1. Become a Conductor of the AI Orchestra Shift: from task director to systems orchestrator As AI moves into the mainstream, and as agentic AI begins its rollout in workplaces around the world, leaders must understand how humans and AI systems interact across their organizations. They must become skilled conductors of what I call the “AI orchestra.” This requires more than just tool proficiency. It means enabling and supporting every human team member with the skills they need to coordinate across multiple AI systems. It means learning to give clear and strategic direction to AI systems, human team members, and the unified system of which they both form a part. Critically, it also means learning how to assess AI-generated outputs with discernment. Just as a conductor ensures harmony and rhythm without playing every instrument, today’s leader must orchestrate intelligent collaboration between humans and machines. Exercise: Assign a team project that requires the use of three distinct AI tools to solve a single challenge. Afterward, debrief together: How did team members coordinate their use of the tools? Where did friction arise? What did the exercise reveal about managing complexity? 2. Gain Firsthand Experience of Collaborating with AI Shift: From delegating AI adoption to modeling it You can’t lead what you haven’t lived. Leaders must personally engage with AI tools—not to become technical experts, but to develop an intuitive understanding of their evolving capabilities and limitations. When team members see their leaders using AI thoughtfully, it normalizes adoption and sets the tone for healthy human-AI collaboration. Just as importantly, this firsthand experience equips leaders to make better strategic decisions about where and how to implement AI. Exercise: Use AI for three leadership-related tasks this week—writing a summary, analyzing trends, and preparing communications. Note what worked, what didn’t, and share your reflections with the team. 3. Intentionally Create Skill Development Opportunities Shift: From assuming organic growth to designing skill resilience As AI handles more cognitive tasks, human skills like critical thinking, reasoning, and interpersonal judgment risk erosion. Leaders can no longer rely on natural work progression to build these abilities. Paradoxically, we must sometimes introduce friction—by designing projects that intentionally limit AI use—to preserve the skills AI cannot replicate. Exercise: Create “AI-free zones” within select tasks or stages of a project. Ask teams to complete these without assistance, then reflect: Which human capabilities were most essential? What gaps became visible? 4. Master the Art of Asking Questions Shift: From providing answers to elevating inquiry The most effective leaders of hybrid teams will distinguish themselves not by giving commands but by asking better questions. Prompting AI well requires the same clarity, curiosity, and critical thinking that great leadership has always demanded. This shift also enhances team dynamics. Asking questions encourages dialogue, surfaces blind spots, and builds collective intelligence—both human and machine. Exercise: Create a “questioning matrix” focused on five areas: ethics, data quality, user experience, regulatory impact, and business value. Apply this to your next AI initiative to guide both human discussion and machine prompting. 5. Cultivate Clarity of Purpose Shift: From doing more to focusing on what matters most AI dramatically expands what is possible. But when everything becomes feasible, the leadership challenge becomes discernment—knowing what is worth doing. Purpose provides direction amidst the noise. It ensures AI is deployed to amplify what truly matters—not just what’s trendy or easy. Exercise: Draft a one-sentence “AI purpose filter” (e.g., “We implement AI only when it deepens customer trust or improves outcomes”). Then evaluate all current AI initiatives through this lens and realign as needed. 6. Develop Enhanced Emotional Intelligence Shift: From performance oversight to emotional stewardship The AI transition is deeply human—and often unsettling. People worry about their relevance, identity, and future. Leaders must acknowledge this emotional landscape and create psychological safety. Leading AI-augmented teams requires greater empathy, openness, and emotional clarity. Teams need help not just with tools, but with meaning. Exercise: Host “AI concern circles” where each person shares one fear and one hope about AI in their work. Listen without judgment. Follow up with individuals who express high anxiety and help them envision new roles for their unique human strengths. 7. Transform Into a Moral Agent Shift: From operational decision-maker to ethical guide AI raises urgent questions about bias, surveillance, accountability, and human dignity. These questions cannot be outsourced or automated. They are leadership responsibilities. Studying AI ethics is important—but ethical leadership begins with cultivating your own moral compass. Leaders must be willing to pause, challenge assumptions, and prioritize long-term human impact over short-term gains. Exercise: Run an “ethical pre-mortem” for your next AI project. Imagine it has failed ethically one year from now. What went wrong? Who was harmed? Use this scenario to build safeguards and accountability from the outset. The Future of Leadership Is Human + Machine The integration of AI across the workforce will not make human leadership obsolete—but it will reshape the role of leader from the ground up. In this new era, the most successful leaders will be those who evolve from directive to facilitative, from efficient to intentional, from reactive to reflective. Leading AI-augmented teams requires more than technical adaptation. It demands a deeper humanity—one that blends curiosity, ethics, emotional intelligence, and purpose. If done right, the result won’t be less human leadership—it will be more. View the full article

In today’s fast-paced business environment, effective problem-solving isn’t just about finding quick fixes—it’s about developing a systematic approach that leads to innovative and sustainable solutions. While many leaders get caught up in complex frameworks and lengthy processes, I’ve found that the following three simple yet powerful questions will revolutionize how you and your team tackle challenges. These questions—”What if?”, “So what?”, and “Now what?”—form a natural progression that guide you from creative ideation to practical execution. Let’s explore how each question serves as a crucial waypoint in your problem-solving journey. Start with “What if?” Innovation begins with the permission to imagine. The “What if?” question creates a space for bold thinking, encouraging you to temporarily set aside practical constraints and explore the full spectrum of possibilities. This is where breakthrough solutions often emerge. Recently, a midsize manufacturing company faced declining market share. Instead of immediately jumping to conventional solutions like cost-cutting or incremental product improvements, their leadership team started with “What if?” What if they completely reimagined their customer experience? What if they could transform their waste products into a new revenue stream? This expansive thinking led them to develop an innovative recycling program that not only reduced costs but also opened up an entirely new market segment. The Critical “So What?” While “What if?” generates possibilities, “So what?” helps you to turn a critical lens inward and evaluate relevance and impact of your new ideas. This question forces you to examine how potential solutions align with your strategic objectives and whether they truly address the core problem. Be prepared for the necessity to leave some ideas on the cutting-room floor. Consider a tech startup that brainstormed dozens of new features for their project management software. By asking “So what?” for each idea, they realized that many of their exciting possibilities, while innovative, wouldn’t meaningfully improve their users’ experience or solve their actual pain points. This crucial filtering process helped them focus their limited resources on developments that would deliver real value. Turning Vision into Reality with “Now What?” The final question—”Now what?”—bridges the gap between ideation and execution. This is where you break down your chosen solution into actionable steps, identify required resources (e.g., Budget? People?), and establish clear timelines. A retail chain exemplified this approach when implementing a new customer loyalty program. After confirming the strategic value of the initiative, their “Now what?” phase involved mapping out specific technical requirements, training needs, and rollout phases. This detailed planning revealed potential bottlenecks early and allowed them to launch the program smoothly across hundreds of locations. Making it Work in Practice To implement this three-question framework effectively: 1. Create dedicated space for each phase. Don’t rush from “What if?” to “Now what?” before thoroughly exploring the “So What?” of possibilities and validating their value. 2. Involve diverse perspectives. Different team members from a range of departments will bring unique insights to each question, enriching the problem-solving process. 3. Document your journey. Capture the key insights and decision points at each stage—they often prove valuable for future challenges. The Power of Simplicity In an era where business challenges grow increasingly complex, there’s profound value in straightforward frameworks that cut through the noise. These three questions provide a versatile tool that can be applied to everything from product development to organizational change. By moving systematically from imaginative exploration to practical execution, this three-question approach ensures that innovation remains grounded in reality while still pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. The next time you face a significant challenge, try starting with these three simple questions. You might be surprised by how effectively they guide you toward meaningful solutions. View the full article

As the arms race in the artificial intelligence world ramps up, Big Tech companies are rushing to become your default AI source. Meta, last week, launched the Meta AI app to challenge ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. It’s a system that measures up feature-wise with its competition and some might argue it improves on some aspects. But with Meta’s long history of privacy problems, it’s reawakening some old concerns about the company. The tool offers “personalized” answer and advice as well as a social network for people to share their AI conversations and images. But if you’re looking to scrub the system’s memory of you, that’s a bit more challenging. And our early tests show the tool still could use some polishing when it comes to accuracy. In my first conversation with Meta AI, the chatbot offered to create a “hype intro” for me. How could I refuse? Meta, after all, has plenty of my personal data on file from my Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts, not to mention my use of the Quest AI headset. So, I figured, it should be able to describe me pretty well. Here’s what it said: “You’ve got that effortlessly cool, indie vibe going on, like you’re perpetually sipping coffee in a vintage bookstore. You’re probably a fan of obscure indie bands, spend hours curating your Spotify playlists and have a fondness for vinyl records. Your wardrobe’s probably filled with thrifted cardigans and skinny jeans and you can wax poetic about the merits of artisanal coffee versus your local coffee shop’s brew.” Meta AI, apparently, thinks I am a total hipster. While it might have been trying to suck up to me in that summary, boy did it whiff on the facts. I don’t drink coffee. I like the Beatles, The Who, and ’80s and ’90s pop. The only curating I’ve done on Spotify is recreating playlists from concerts I’ve gone to. And, as I munch on my second fistful of Fritos Queso Flavor Twists in the past 5 minutes, I can promise you that there are no skinny jeans in my wardrobe, nor will there ever be. Obviously, the AI has a ways to go, but then again… most AI systems still do. Still, Meta’s AI made an aggressive effort to get to know me better as we chatted (rather than requiring you to type in your replies, Meta’s app welcomes voice chat), asking me about everything from my favorite book to my political views. While it’s not hard to appreciate an AI system’s efforts to learn more so it can answer questions with a response tailored to the person asking them, Meta’s history with handling personal information in the past could give some users pause. Meta AI keeps a history of your chats, archiving your inputs and its replies. It also, however, keeps what it calls a Memory file, with specific pieces of information, based on your previous talks. Those Memories and the transcripts of previous talks can be deleted, but there is a bit of hunting that you’ll have to do to find where they’re stored. (And, as The Washington Post points out, you’ll need to delete both the Memory and the chat history where the system learned that factoid for it to be completely erased.) You’ll also have to trust Meta has permanently deleted the information or—if you choose not to delete it—that it will use the information responsibly. That may be a big ask for some people, given the recent information provided by whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams, who told the Senate Judiciary Committee in April that Meta is able to identify when users are feeling helpless and can use that as a cue for advertisers. (Meta denied the allegations at the time, telling TechCrunch the testimony was “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.”) Meta AI said it didn’t have access to my Facebook account or to any pictures or visual content when I asked about its access. And when I tested it by asking about a few recent posts, it seemed to not know what I was talking about, though when I asked if it had access to my Instagram page it got a bit squirrely. Meta AI says beyond our conversations, it uses “information about things like your interests, location, profile, and activity on Meta products.” I then asked about something related to my Instagram page and it said it did not have real-time access “or any information about your current activity or interests on the platform.” When I tried to press for more information, it regurgitated the same answer about “interests, location, profile, and activity.” A Meta spokesperson told Fast Company, “We’ve provided valuable personalization for people on our platforms for decades, making it easier for people to accomplish what they come to our apps to do — the Meta AI app is no different. We provide transparency and control throughout, so people can manage their experience and make sure it’s right for them. This release is the first version, and we’re excited to get it in people’s hands and gather their feedback.” People who use Meta AI to inquire about or discuss deeply personal matters should be aware that the company is retaining that information and could use it to target advertising. (Ads are not part of the platform now, but Mark Zuckerberg has made it clear he sees great revenue potential in AI. Competitor Google, meanwhile, has reportedly begun showing ads in chats with some third-party AI systems, though not Meta AI.) That may be fine if Meta AI eventually tries to upsell me Frito Twists or (shudder) skinny jeans, but it’s a lot more concerning if it’s mining your deepest secrets and insecurities to make a buck. View the full article

UK authorities are cracking down on polygamous working, the most productive form of slacking there is View the full article

“He just put it in bold!” exclaimed Ryan Gosling’s character in a Saturday Night Live video that attracted a cult following in the world of graphic design last year. The follow-up to a 2017 SNL bit in which Gosling played a man haunted by his realization that the logo for the 2009 blockbuster Avatar was expressed in the gauche Papyrus typeface, the newer video centered on his fresh horror of discovering that the same graphic designer responsible for the first logo had updated the wordmark for the movie’s sequel by simply setting it in bold type. A year later, it seems that life is imitating satire, as, following last week’s announcement of Amazon’s brand refresh, 2025’s three biggest rebrands to date—including those of Walmart in January and OpenAI in February—have, to the untrained eye, more or less involved hitting “Ctrl+B” on the companies’ wordmarks and logos to put them in bold. All three of these corporate behemoths’ updated wordmarks are somewhat heavier than their predecessors, while not representing radical changes. Unlike Walmart’s brutalist look of a generation ago, with its massive and intimidating all-caps, sharp-cornered letterforms projecting its retail dominance, these new marks are all clean, respectable sans-serifs with enough roundedness to signal a degree of friendliness and approachability. Perhaps this style might be dubbed Blanding Bold. Their associated symbolic elements have undergone a similar transformation. While OpenAI’s “blossom,” Walmart’s “spark,” and Amazon’s “smile” all look basically the same as they did before, much to the consternation of some social media users who feel personally affronted that these expensive rebrands did not result in more noticeable changes, the differences are there. The blossom’s strokes have thickened and evened, improving its overall composition while still allowing it to evoke an unfolding flower, a foreboding whirlpool, or imagery of a more alimentary nature. The new spark met the approval of logo guru Armin Vit, who called it “softer, warmer, and more friendly while being so much better executed,” and noted that “the bolder weight of the segments gives the icon more presence and strength to stand on its own as it moves forward as the company’s primary logo.” And the Amazon logo received an injection of lip filler, resulting in what the design agency Koto calls a “deeper and more emphatic smile” (to the extent that a smile can be “emphatic”). While the rebrands of these three giants, with their estimated combined value of $3 trillion, have attracted the most attention, this bold new trend in corporate graphics has been spotted in many other quarters over the past year or so, including PayPal, ABC, Reddit, the CW network, Workday, the Guggenheim, Herman Miller, Eventbrite, Crumbl, New York City Football Club, New York Botanical Garden, and even Fluz. Patient zero in this outbreak might be the 2019 Slack redesign, in which the wordmark was Ctrl+B’d and the logo’s hot dog shapes plumped just like Ball Park Franks. What accounts for all this boldness? Companies have long expressed the desire to get more bang for their branding buck; “Make the logo bigger” is a common refrain among design clients (and one that designers tend to dread hearing). It would seem that making the logo bolder is the next best thing, allowing for more logo per square inch, a denser deployment of general logo essence, and a symbol that, like Amazon’s, is more emphatic overall. For what brand would not want its logo to be emphasized? And if a company’s goal is to use its logo to communicate boldness as a brand attribute, the single most obvious, literal, no-brainer way to do so is to just put it in bold. View the full article

Artificial intelligence. It’s pretty cool, I guess? Look at those neat videos. And the thousands of product design iterations just to get those creative balls rolling. Sure. Awesome. Or is it? Maybe. Who knows. All that seems to be the summary of Figma’s 2025 AI Report, based on a survey of 2,500 designers and developers. While tools like ChatGPT and Figma’s AI features are embedded in daily workflows, the report reveals a stark disconnect. Enthusiasm for AI’s potential is high, but its practical impact remains uneven, the numbers show, constrained by vague goals, quality concerns, and cooling expectations. The report underscores a paradox: professionals see AI as essential to their future, but struggle to meaningfully harness it today. It kind of fits my own experience. It’s there, but not there yet. Figma’s study shows that a staggering 76% of AI projects prioritize vague objectives like “experimenting with AI” over concrete goals such as revenue growth, with an eye-popping 9%. It makes me weep for all the gigawatts evaporating in the name of a revolution that’s not actually happening, at least for designers and developers. The ambiguity reflects the technology’s nascent state, Figma’s Head of Insights Andrew Hogan tells me in a phone interview. “There’s a lot of play and experimentation happening—it’s natural,” he explains, comparing the current moment to early mobile app development, where rapid iteration preceded clear use cases. One survey respondent likened building AI products to “running a restaurant where the menu changes daily,” a metaphor Hogan calls “the quote of the survey.” So much contradiction I’m not so sure about that parallelism with mobile app development, which struck me as a much faster, much more impactful revolution than AI, in practical, tangible economical terms, not just paper gains. Past technological shifts, like desktop publishing or the iPhone, delivered seismic industry changes within months. By comparison, AI’s impact feels incremental and anecdotal. Sure, there are brilliant examples of big AI impacts in some industries—mostly audiovisual—but having a synthetic research minion, a repetitive-task assistant, or an artificial creative buddy don’t seem quite as revolutionary as a billion smartphones taking over our lives. Hogan acknowledges the tension and, at the same time, has a warning: Companies risk dismissing AI too early if experiments fail to yield quick wins, potentially missing strategic advantages. He also says that, while the research highlights these contradictory data points between expectations/desires and reality, the data shows real progress: 34% of Figma users shipped AI products this year, up from 22% in 2024. The question is whether the vague goals—again, back to the figure of 76% of companies saying let’s play, throw some mud against the wall and see if it sticks—will harden into measurable ROI before disillusionment sets in. The research shows that there are efficiency gains thanks to AI. But there’s a dichotomy here, too. Seventy-eight percent of professionals say it speeds up their work (up from 71% last year), but only 58% believe it improves quality, while 47% feel it makes them better at their jobs. What about the ones who think the quality is just the same or worse, and the 53% who don’t think AI makes them better at their jobs? It’s a strange, puzzling juxtaposition. Developers report higher satisfaction (67% say AI boosts work quality) than designers (40%), partly because code generation tools offer clearer utility. Designers, meanwhile, grapple with generative AI’s unpredictable outputs. Hogan attributes this gap to the “limitations of how we as humans interact with these things,” not the technology itself. He cites Amara’s Law: We overestimate short-term change and underestimate long-term transformation. “Mobile took years to reshape industries,” he says, pointing to Uber’s evolution. Yet tools like ChatGPT sparked expectations of rapid, iPhone-level disruption—a bar AI hasn’t yet cleared. Cooling expectations Despite 85% of professionals calling AI essential for future success, expectations for its near-term impact are cooling. Only 27% predict AI will significantly influence company goals in the next year, unchanged from 2024. Hogan frames this as a recalibration, not disillusionment. “The hype gets ahead of what most people can do today,” he says, likening AI’s trajectory to the internet’s gradual adoption. Yet the “Cambrian explosion” of AI apps—like the one that happened with the iPhone’s apps—is yet to come. Sure, there are niche applications like medical document interpreters or predictive maintenance tools, but where are the truly transformative apps beyond being able to talk to glorified Wikipedia oracles? Where’s the Uber of AI? The answer may lie in agentic AI, the fastest-growing product category. These tools, which automate multistep tasks, saw a 143% year-over-year surge in development (from 21% in 2024 to 51% in 2025). But Hogan warns they require rethinking design principles. “When should an agent check in with users? What information should it share?” Design’s role here is critical—52% of builders say design is more important for AI products than traditional ones, as intuitive interfaces bridge the gap between capability and usability. AI’s paradox—ubiquitous yet underutilized, and underwhelming for a large part—stems from its adolescence. Designers and developers are caught between excitement, collective hysteria, and pragmatism, navigating a landscape where prototyping and iteration matter more than ever. The technology’s potential is real, yes. Code generation already accelerates development, and is used by 59% of developers. Agentic tools promise workflow revolutions, and adoption is rising. But without clearer goals, trust in outputs, and design-led refinement, AI risks becoming a toolbox without a blueprint. As Hogan puts it, “We’re still early.” The challenge isn’t whether AI will reshape design, but whether teams can evolve their processes fast enough to meet its uneven promise. For now, the future belongs to those who treat AI not as a magic wand, but as clay—malleable, demanding, and far from fully molded. View the full article