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Purchase of Lake District club collapsed this week after government officials and the FT raised questions over strategic locationView the full article

Amid a merger with SpaceX, a $60 billion option to acquire the AI company Cursor, and an upcoming public offering, Elon Musk’s xAI firm is still losing employees. Every xAI cofounder, other than Elon Musk, has now exited the company. Dozens of people who served on xAI’s engineering and program staff have also departed, a Fast Company review shows. This overlaps with a significant share of the people meant to direct the startup under a new organizational structure that was only announced in February. While it’s natural for employees to come and go from any company, the string of xAI departures—and these are only the publicly searchable ones—is notable because they come as Musk continues to reorient xAI’s overall direction and contend with criticism of the company’s flagship chatbot, Grok. Fast Company ultimately identified about 80 people, including cofounders, technical staff, and legal advisors, who have departed xAI within the past year or so. It’s not publicly known how many people currently work at xAI in total, though Business Insider reported that about 1,200 people were employed at the company as of last March. (xAI and SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.) Founded in 2023, xAI is supposed to be focused on building “maximally curious” and “pro-humanity” AI systems that compete with models under development at companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. xAI’s founding members included a range of employees who previously worked at firms like Google’s DeepMind and OpenAI, including Igor Babuschkin, Kyle Kosic, and Christian Szegedy. But the company has continued to face a crowded field of AI labs offering large language models to consumers, enterprise businesses, and even the U.S. government. It’s also faced a notable surge in staff exits amid an AI talent war that’s seen top engineers shuffle between some of the world’s most valuable tech companies. This month alone, another cluster of staff at Elon Musk’s LLM venture indicated they’re leaving xAI. The most notable example is Anthony Armstrong, who, according to The Information, is resigning his post as chief financial officer after only a few months. Heinrich “Heiner” Kuttler—who Musk earlier this year said would be involved in directing the company’s compute and infrastructure team—said on X earlier this month that he was leaving, too. Other notable recent exits include Jack Schwaiger, who resigned after more than a year on the STEM and Medicine tutor teams, and Jeffrey Weischel, who worked on the company’s program staff. Scott Fitzgerald, a member of the technical staff, is also leaving; Jesik Min, another member of the technical staff, updated their LinkedIn to note their time at xAI ended this month. xAI’s evolving focus These departures have come amid transformative changes in xAI’s organizational structure—in particular, its deepening relationship with other Elon Musk-led companies. Last spring, xAI merged with X, Musk’s social media company, into one venture. Another major shift came this past fall, when xAI shifted its approach and scaled back a plan to improve Grok using generalist human AI trainers, called “AI Tutors”, that were meant to teach Grok. xAI subsequently laid off hundreds of people as part of the “strategic pivot” to focusing on tutors with more specialized expertise. Then, in early February, xAI initiated a merger with SpaceX as part of a new plan that partially involves building orbital data centers. Amid these changes, xAI cofounders had already begun leaving the company. By February 11, cofounders Tony Wu and Jimmy Ba had resigned, leaving xAI with just half of its original cofounders. That week, Musk also called a company all-hands, where he acknowledged that people were leaving and subsequently announced a new internal structure, per video of the meeting that xAI released online. At that all-hands meeting, several presenters, including Musk, encouraged employees to recruit their friends to join xAI, and Musk touted the company’s progress launching Grokipedia and its training centers, as well as success with products like Imagine and Grok. “When you first have a startup, you might have just a few dozen people, and they will just chat amongst themselves. As you grow to several hundred people, you have to, then, add more structure, just like an organism that grows from a single cell[…]Then you get organ differentiation, limbs. You grow a tail[…]The tail disappears, and then you become a baby,” said Musk in his opening remarks. “We’re organizing the company to be more effective at this scale. Naturally, when this happens, there are some people who are better suited for the early stages of a company and less suited for the later stages,” Musk added, before thanking the people who had left. As part of this new plan, xAI was divided into infrastructure layers, and then four main areas: Grok Main and Voice (its main AI product), Coding (its coding-specific model), Imagine (for video and images), and Macrohard (digital simulations of entire companies). Several longtime employees and cofounders were also appointed to steer those efforts. Now, only a few weeks later, it appears—at least based on the first names and nicknames listed on the organizational chart displayed on a presentation screen during that all-hands—that many of the leaders involved in the February restructuring have since left, including several additional original co-founders. These employees include Haotian Liu and Guodong Zhang, who were both supposed to be leading Grok Imagine, an image generator and AI assistant for code. Liu said he was “burnt out” and taking a break, and Zhang said he was excited about his next chapter. Toby Pohlen, a founding member of the company who was supposed to be leading Macrohard, has left the company, as well as Manuel Kroiss, who is sometimes called “Makro” internally. It’s not immediately clear what either is or will be doing next. Lianmin Zheng, who, it seems, was supposed to be working on machine learning and data infrastructure, has left the company for Meta. Amid transition and scandal, the departures continue In the midst of all this turnover, xAI has continued to evolve its approach to the AI business. In March, Musk said that the company was going to be rebuilt. xAI also announced a collaboration: a joint project with Tesla that would apparently involve integrating Grok and Tesla’s hardware and software. “Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of real-time computer screen video and keyboard/mouse actions,” Musk explained in an X post in March. “Grok is like a much more advanced and sophisticated version of turn-by-turn navigation software. “ Now, and ahead of the upcoming IPO, the company is reorganizing xAI’s engineering team yet again. This week, Elon Musk’s composite venture forged a new $60 billion deal with Cursor AI, a coding startup that SpaceX now has the rights to acquire. Notably, departures from xAI also follow several concerning incidents involving Grok. These include the chatbot declaring itself “MechaHitler” and posting antisemitic content online last year. Earlier this year, the chatbot was observed, by researchers, producing millions of nonconsensual pornographic materials, including sexual images of children (As a result, xAI is now under investigation in several countries). The company announced changes in response to both scandals. xAI has also faced serious criticism, and even a lawsuit, about air pollution in Memphis, where the company has established data center operations. Below is a Fast Company tracker of notable departures from xAI: View the full article

Experts have a lot of ideas about persuasion. Some suggest leveraging social proof to show that people have adopted the idea and had a positive experience. Others emphasize the importance of building trust and appealing to emotional, rather than analytical arguments. Still others insist on creating a unified value proposition. The problem is that change is not about persuasion. The best indicator of what we think and do is what the people around us think and do, and that effect extends out to three degrees of separation. It is not only those we trust, but even the friends of our friends’ friends—people we don’t even know—that affect our opinions and actions. So even if we are successful in convincing someone to adopt our way of thinking, chances are that once they re-embed in their usual social networks, they’ll be pulled right back. That’s why genuine transformation is never about crafting slogans or even training new skills. You need a strategy designed to shift the network itself and overcome resistance at its source. 1. Define the grievance and vision Every change effort starts with a grievance. There’s something that people don’t like, and they want it to be different. In a social or political movement, that may be a corrupt leader or a glaring injustice. In an organizational context, the problem is usually something like falling sales, unhappy customers, low employee morale, or technological disruption. When we work with organizations in our ChangeOS workshops, we always start by getting the team focused on the initial grievance—or the problem to be solved. Often, we find that the team has a fully fleshed out solution, but never really defined the problem and that makes it difficult to scale. Nobody wants to invest in a solution without understanding why the problem is important. From there, we move on to the vision. The best place to start is by asking yourself, “If I had the power to change anything, what would it look like?” Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for civil rights was for a Beloved Community. Bill Gates’s vision for Microsoft was for a “computer on every desk and in every home.” A good vision should be aspirational. It should inspire. One of the things I found in my research is that successful change leaders don’t try to move from grievance to vision in one step, but rather identify a Keystone Change, which focuses on a clear and tangible goal, includes multiple stakeholders and paves the way for future change, to bridge the gap. For King, the Keystone Change was voting rights. For Gates, it was an easy-to-use operating system. For you, it will undoubtedly be something different. The salient point is that every successful transformation I have come across started out with a Keystone Change. That’s where you should start as well. 2. A resistance inventory In Rules for Radicals, the legendary activist Saul Alinsky observed that every revolution inspires its own counterrevolution. That is the physics of change. Every action provokes a reaction because, if an idea is important, it threatens the status quo, which never yields its power gracefully. Clearly, if you intend to influence an entire organization, you have to assume the deck is stacked against you and anticipate resistance. A simple truth is that humans form attachments to people, ideas and other things and, when those attachments are threatened we tend to lash out in ways that don’t reflect our best selves. As much as we may hate to admit it, we all do it from time to time. Anyone who has ever been married or part of a family knows that. That’s why anytime you ask people to change what they think or what they do, there will always be those who will work to undermine what you are trying to achieve in ways that are dishonest, underhanded and deceptive. Once you are able to internalize that, you can begin to move forward. The key thing about overcoming resistance is to anticipate it, which is why one of the first things that we do when we start working with an organization is to do a resistance inventory, laying out the categories of resistance and discussing how they can be expected to show up, and what strategies can mitigate them. 3. Targets for action Organizational change consultants often recommend that changemakers prepare a stakeholder map. This isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but it is inadequate because it fails to distinguish between different kinds of stakeholders. Some stakeholders are targets for mobilization and others are targets for influence. For example, both parents and school boards are important stakeholders in education, but for very different reasons. School boards wield institutional power that can affect change, parents do not. So we mobilize parents to influence school boards, not the other way around. We need to approach constituencies and institutions in very different ways. One of the things we’ve consistently found in our work helping organizations to drive transformational change is that leaders construe stakeholders far too narrowly. Fortunately, decades of non-violent activism have given us powerful tools for both: the Spectrum of Allies for constituencies and the Pillars of Support for institutions. In both cases the same basic principle is at work: You start by identifying targets and adopting tactics to them. That’s easier said than done, because tactics can seem more concrete. We’ve seen successful actions, like hackathons and social media campaigns, so we want to jump right in. But the truth is that until you are able to identify, analyze and understand exactly what your actions are targeted at, you’re just wasting your time. We need to redefine the terms of our struggle in ways that bring relative strength to bear against relative weakness and tilt the playing field to our advantage. Applying strength to weakness In the final analysis, most would-be changemakers fail because they assume the righteousness of their cause will save them. It will not. Injustice, inequity and ineffectiveness can thrive for decades and even centuries, far surpassing a human lifespan. If you think that your idea will prevail simply because you believe in it, you will be sorely disappointed. Tough, important battles are won with good strategy and tactics, which is why successful change agents learn to adopt the principle of Schwerpunkt. The idea is that instead of trying to defeat your opponent everywhere, you want to deliver overwhelming force and win a decisive victory at a particular point of attack. Yet Schwerpunkt is a dynamic, not a static concept. You have to constantly innovate your approach as your opposition adapts to whatever success you achieve. For example, the civil rights movement had its first successes with boycotts, but moved on to sit-ins, “Freedom Rides,” community actions and eventually, mass marches. Defining the grievance and the vision, creating a resistance inventory and identifying viable institutional targets will help you apply strength to weakness. The key to success isn’t any particular tactic, leader or slogan, but strategic flexibility. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what most change efforts lack. All too often they get caught up in a strategy and double down, because it feels good to believe in something, even if it’s failing. Change, like many things, largely boils down to strategy and execution. It’s not a simple matter of belief or passion. You need to learn how to operate effectively, by studying those who succeeded and those who failed, building on your successes, dusting yourself off after the inevitable setbacks, correcting mistakes and returning to fight with renewed vigor. View the full article

Last year, Canada was one of the most reliable international buyers of American whiskey. Now it’s become one of the industry’s biggest losses. U.S. spirits exports to Canada have plunged by nearly 70 percent, collapsing from what had been a roughly $250 million annual market for American distillers to just $89 million, according to data compiled by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). The sharp downturn followed a trade clash sparked by President Donald The President’s tariffs, which prompted several Canadian provinces to remove American alcohol from store shelves. The owners of iconic American whiskey brands, like Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam, have responded with layoffs and pausing production. Even after some tariffs were lifted, many provincial liquor systems have continued to keep U.S. spirits out of their retail stores, delivering a devastating blow to one of the industry’s most important foreign markets, according to Fox News. From second to sixth: canada’s rapid market exit Canada, once the second-largest destination for American spirits exports, has now fallen to sixth place, Fox News reported. The collapse, notably, came quickly. From March through December, U.S. spirits exports to Canada dropped from $203 million in 2024 to just $60 million in 2025, a loss of roughly $143 million, Fox News reported. The President has repeatedly used tariffs as economic leverage, arguing that the strategy helps strengthen American manufacturing and correct trade imbalances. But the spirits industry says retaliatory actions by Canada have wiped out one of its most lucrative export markets. “Our industry thrives in a zero-for-zero tariff environment,” says Chris Swonger, president and CEO of DISCUS. While Swonger said distillers recognize the administration’s efforts to address trade imbalances, he added that the provincial bans have been especially damaging. “Since Liberation Day, it’s unfortunate to report that our industry has lost over 70 percent of our exports to Canada because many provinces have decided not to carry American spirits,” he said. Few places have felt the impact more than Kentucky, the epicenter of America’s bourbon industry. The state produces 95 percent of the world’s bourbon supply, supports more than 23,000 jobs, and generates about $9 billion annually, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. The export collapse is landing at a moment when the bourbon industry is already under mounting financial pressure. Several distillers have scaled back production, struggled with slowing demand, or faced mounting debt over the past year. Major producers are beginning to feel the strain. Japanese beverage giant Suntory—which owns Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and the House of Suntory portfolio—reported weaker whiskey sales last year. Brown-Forman, the parent company behind Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, has also warned of declining sales and profits as global demand softens. Why small brands are breaking first Smaller and midsize players are under even greater stress. Premium whiskey brand Uncle Nearest is insolvent and owes millions of dollars to vendors, including WhistlePig and American Spirits, creditors say. Meanwhile, MGP Ingredients, one of the largest contract distillers in the United States and a key supplier for many whiskey brands, has reported a sharp drop in whiskey sales as the broader market cools. The trade tensions are affecting more than just export numbers. Owen Martin, master distiller at Angel’s Envy, said the fallout from tariffs reaches deep into the bourbon-making process itself, according to Fox News. “There are the tariffs on finished goods and on us shipping abroad, but I’m even thinking a step below that,” Martin said. One example involves barrels. By law, bourbon must be aged in new American oak barrels, which can only be used once in bourbon production. But finishing casks—such as the port barrels Angel’s Envy uses to finish its bourbon—can be reused multiple times, creating a different set of logistical considerations when global trade conditions shift. “Those are the sorts of things, as a maker, that I have to be aware of in any given year,” Martin said. “You have different opportunities and different challenges.” For decades, the U.S. and Canada have been among each other’s most enthusiastic whiskey consumers. That mutual demand is what makes the current standoff particularly striking. “American consumers love Canadian whisky, and Canadians love Kentucky bourbon,” Swonger said. “We’re hoping this gets resolved.” —Leila Sheridan This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. View the full article

If you’re looking to save at Macy’s this season, you’ll want to know about seven key coupon codes that can maximize your discounts. From 35% off when you buy three items or more to a $30 discount on orders over $100, these codes can make a significant impact. New customers likewise have unique offers that improve savings further. Comprehending these options can lead to smarter shopping decisions, so let’s explore what each code entails and how you can benefit. Key Takeaways Use code LEADGEN35OFF1ST for 35% off when purchasing 3 items or more at Macy’s. Get $30 off a $100 purchase with the code FIRST30 at Macy’s Wine Shop. New customers can enjoy 25% off their first order by signing up for emails. Take advantage of 35% off select wine purchases when buying 3 bottles with code MG35. Sign up for a profile to receive an extra 25% off your next online order, stackable with other promotions. 25% Off Macys Promo Code When you shop at Macy’s, you can take advantage of various promo codes that provide significant savings on your purchases. One of the most beneficial options is the macys com discount code for 35% off when you buy 3 items or more using code LEADGEN35OFF1ST. If you’re a wine lover, you can also save $30 off a minimum purchase of $100 at the Macy’s Wine Shop with the promo code FIRST30. Moreover, there’s a promotion offering 35% off select wine purchases when you buy at least 3 bottles, using the code MG35. New customers should consider signing up for emails to receive a 25% off coupon code macys for their first order. Finally, don’t forget about the instant $15 off qualifying purchases at checkout, which provides immediate savings on eligible items. Up to 60% Off Macys Black Friday Star Deals Macy’s Black Friday Star Deals offer shoppers the chance to save up to 60% off a wide variety of items, making it an ideal time to stock up on necessities and gifts. You can find significant discounts across categories like clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, and home requirements. Popular brands, including Nike, adidas, and Under Armour, are featured at discounts of up to 50% off, making it a great opportunity to grab quality items at lower prices. Additionally, clearance items are marked down between 40% and 70%, providing even more savings on select products. If you’re looking to maximize your savings, consider using promo codes for extra discounts, especially when purchasing multiple items. Plus, if you’re a Macy’s Star Rewards member, you can enjoy special promotions and early access to these Black Friday deals, further enhancing your shopping experience during the holiday season. Extra 25% Off With Profile | Macys Coupon Creating a profile on Macy’s website has its perks, including an extra 25% off your next online order. This offer is available to new customers who sign up for Macy’s email list and text messages, making it easy to start saving right away. Once you’ve completed the profile creation process, you can combine this discount with other ongoing promotions for even greater savings. Profile Creation Benefits By signing up for a profile on Macy’s website, you can access an extra 25% off your next online order, greatly boosting your savings potential. This benefit not only improves your immediate discounts but also encourages customer engagement by personalizing your shopping experience. With a profile, you’ll gain access to exclusive offers and promotions throughout the year, making it easier to save on future purchases. The extra 25% off can be combined with existing promotions and coupon codes, further increasing your savings opportunities. Plus, creating a profile is quick and easy, making it a valuable step for anyone aiming to maximize their savings at Macy’s. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve your shopping experience. How to Redeem To redeem the Extra 25% off after creating your profile, sign up for a Macy’s account during the checkout process. This discount applies to your next online order and can be combined with other active promotions, giving you greater savings. After signing up, make sure to enter the specific promo code linked to this offer at checkout to activate the discount on eligible items. You’ll find that the Extra 25% off is valid on a wide range of products throughout the store. Furthermore, keep an eye out for seasonal promotions and clearance items, as combining the discount with already reduced prices can lead to significant savings on your purchase. Enjoy shopping! 30 Off Macys Promo Code When using promo codes at Macy’s, it’s important to know which products qualify for discounts. Many codes apply to specific categories, like the 35% off when you buy three or more items, making it a great chance for bulk purchases. Always check the terms of each promo code to maximize your savings and guarantee you’re getting the best deals on eligible items. Promo Code Usage Tips Using promo codes at Macy’s can greatly improve your shopping experience and save you money on your purchases. To help you make the most of these codes, consider these tips: Check for Minimums: Use codes like “FIRST30” for $30 off orders over $100, but verify you meet any minimum purchase requirements. Single Use per Order: Remember, you can only apply one promo code per order, but you can stack Starbucks Money for added discounts. Explore Offers Section: Always check the “Offers” section online for promo codes that may be automatically applied at checkout, giving you instant savings. Eligible Products Overview Macy’s promo codes apply to a wide range of products, making it easier for you to save money across various categories. Discounts can reach between 25% to 60% off select items during promotions. Specific codes can offer 35% off when you buy three or more items and $30 off orders over $100 at the Macy’s Wine Shop. Star Rewards members enjoy extra perks like free shipping on orders over $25. Beauty products often feature discounts of up to 30% off top brands, plus free gifts with certain purchases. Seasonal sales allow stacking of coupon codes, maximizing your savings on clothing, home goods, and more. Product Category Discount Range Clothing 25% – 60% off Home Goods 25% – 60% off Beauty Products 30% off + gifts Wine Shop $30 off $100+ 35% Off Macys Coupon If you’re looking to save money on your next shopping trip, taking advantage of the various off Macy’s coupons can greatly reduce your expenses. Here are some current offers you shouldn’t miss: 25% Off for New Email Sign-Ups: Sign up for Macy’s emails and receive a generous discount on your first purchase. 35% Off When Buying Three Items or More: This deal rewards you for shopping in bulk, making it perfect for stocking up on necessities. $30 Off Orders Over $100 on Wine: If you’re a wine lover, this offer helps you save on larger purchases. Additionally, Macy’s Star Rewards members can stack these coupons for even greater discounts. Regularly checking Macy’s website can reveal about six new offers each month, especially during major sales events like Black Friday, ensuring you never miss a chance to save. Up to 40% Off Select Women’s Clothing, Jewelry, and Accessories When searching for stylish women’s clothing, jewelry, and accessories, you can take advantage of Macy’s current promotion offering up to 40% off select items. This seasonal discount includes a wide range of chic options, such as dresses, tops, and eye-catching jewelry that can enhance your wardrobe. With this offer, you can refresh your closet without breaking the bank, as trendy pieces are available at a fraction of their original prices. The discounts apply to both online and in-store shopping, providing you with flexibility depending on your preference. As you browse, keep an eye out for additional promo codes that can be stacked with these discounts for even more savings on qualifying items. This promotion is an excellent opportunity to update your style as you enjoy significant savings. Don’t miss out on these stylish finds at Macy’s! Free Gifts With Beauty Purchases Looking for a way to improve your beauty shopping experience? Macy’s has you covered with exciting offers on free gifts with beauty purchases. When you buy select beauty items, you can receive additional products at no extra cost, enhancing the value of your shopping trip. Seasonal promotions often expand the number of free gifts available, making it an ideal time to browse. Here are three tips to make the most of these offers: Check Eligible Brands: Look for specific brands that qualify for promotional gifts. Explore Seasonal Promotions: Take advantage of seasonal deals for a wider selection of free gifts. Stay Informed: Regularly visit Macy’s website or app to find the latest details on eligible products and offers. Frequently Asked Questions How to Get Macys 25% Off? To get 25% off at Macy’s, start by signing up for their email list to receive a promo code for your first order. Then, create a Macy’s profile to open up an additional 25% off your next online purchase. Keep an eye out for special promotions where you can combine these offers with existing sales. Finally, check the Macy’s app frequently for exclusive coupon codes that mightn’t appear on their website. What Is the TRIPLE10 Promo Code? The TRIPLE10 promo code offers you an additional 10% off on select purchases at Macy’s. You can use it across various categories, like apparel, home goods, and beauty products, enhancing your savings. This code is valid for a limited time and may be combined with other promotions for deeper discounts. To apply it, enter TRIPLE10 during checkout, but be sure to check for any specific terms and conditions that may apply. What Is Excluded From Macy’s 25 Off? When using Macy’s 25% off coupon, you should know that several items are typically excluded. These often include gift cards, select branded items, premium cosmetics, and fragrances. Clearance merchandise is usually not eligible, especially items marked as “Last Act.” Furthermore, promotional items or those in limited-time flash sales may not qualify for the discount. Always check the fine print on your coupon for a complete list of exclusions before shopping. Can You Use Two Promo Codes at Macy’s? You can’t use two promo codes at Macy’s on a single order. The policy allows only one promo code per transaction, which means you need to choose the best one for your purchase. Nevertheless, you can combine that promo code with Star Money rewards for additional savings. Remember to check for any current promotions regularly, as Macy’s often updates discounts and offers, helping you maximize your savings throughout the shopping season. Conclusion In summary, utilizing these seven must-have coupon codes at Macy’s can greatly improve your shopping experience. From the 25% off for new customers to the 35% off when purchasing three items or more, there are various ways to save. Furthermore, seasonal promotions and extra discounts on select items provide further opportunities for savings. By staying informed and applying these codes at checkout, you can maximize your savings and make the most of your purchases this season. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Must-Have Coupon Codes for Macys This Season" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you’re looking to save at Macy’s this season, you’ll want to know about seven key coupon codes that can maximize your discounts. From 35% off when you buy three items or more to a $30 discount on orders over $100, these codes can make a significant impact. New customers likewise have unique offers that improve savings further. Comprehending these options can lead to smarter shopping decisions, so let’s explore what each code entails and how you can benefit. Key Takeaways Use code LEADGEN35OFF1ST for 35% off when purchasing 3 items or more at Macy’s. Get $30 off a $100 purchase with the code FIRST30 at Macy’s Wine Shop. New customers can enjoy 25% off their first order by signing up for emails. Take advantage of 35% off select wine purchases when buying 3 bottles with code MG35. Sign up for a profile to receive an extra 25% off your next online order, stackable with other promotions. 25% Off Macys Promo Code When you shop at Macy’s, you can take advantage of various promo codes that provide significant savings on your purchases. One of the most beneficial options is the macys com discount code for 35% off when you buy 3 items or more using code LEADGEN35OFF1ST. If you’re a wine lover, you can also save $30 off a minimum purchase of $100 at the Macy’s Wine Shop with the promo code FIRST30. Moreover, there’s a promotion offering 35% off select wine purchases when you buy at least 3 bottles, using the code MG35. New customers should consider signing up for emails to receive a 25% off coupon code macys for their first order. Finally, don’t forget about the instant $15 off qualifying purchases at checkout, which provides immediate savings on eligible items. Up to 60% Off Macys Black Friday Star Deals Macy’s Black Friday Star Deals offer shoppers the chance to save up to 60% off a wide variety of items, making it an ideal time to stock up on necessities and gifts. You can find significant discounts across categories like clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, and home requirements. Popular brands, including Nike, adidas, and Under Armour, are featured at discounts of up to 50% off, making it a great opportunity to grab quality items at lower prices. Additionally, clearance items are marked down between 40% and 70%, providing even more savings on select products. If you’re looking to maximize your savings, consider using promo codes for extra discounts, especially when purchasing multiple items. Plus, if you’re a Macy’s Star Rewards member, you can enjoy special promotions and early access to these Black Friday deals, further enhancing your shopping experience during the holiday season. Extra 25% Off With Profile | Macys Coupon Creating a profile on Macy’s website has its perks, including an extra 25% off your next online order. This offer is available to new customers who sign up for Macy’s email list and text messages, making it easy to start saving right away. Once you’ve completed the profile creation process, you can combine this discount with other ongoing promotions for even greater savings. Profile Creation Benefits By signing up for a profile on Macy’s website, you can access an extra 25% off your next online order, greatly boosting your savings potential. This benefit not only improves your immediate discounts but also encourages customer engagement by personalizing your shopping experience. With a profile, you’ll gain access to exclusive offers and promotions throughout the year, making it easier to save on future purchases. The extra 25% off can be combined with existing promotions and coupon codes, further increasing your savings opportunities. Plus, creating a profile is quick and easy, making it a valuable step for anyone aiming to maximize their savings at Macy’s. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve your shopping experience. How to Redeem To redeem the Extra 25% off after creating your profile, sign up for a Macy’s account during the checkout process. This discount applies to your next online order and can be combined with other active promotions, giving you greater savings. After signing up, make sure to enter the specific promo code linked to this offer at checkout to activate the discount on eligible items. You’ll find that the Extra 25% off is valid on a wide range of products throughout the store. Furthermore, keep an eye out for seasonal promotions and clearance items, as combining the discount with already reduced prices can lead to significant savings on your purchase. Enjoy shopping! 30 Off Macys Promo Code When using promo codes at Macy’s, it’s important to know which products qualify for discounts. Many codes apply to specific categories, like the 35% off when you buy three or more items, making it a great chance for bulk purchases. Always check the terms of each promo code to maximize your savings and guarantee you’re getting the best deals on eligible items. Promo Code Usage Tips Using promo codes at Macy’s can greatly improve your shopping experience and save you money on your purchases. To help you make the most of these codes, consider these tips: Check for Minimums: Use codes like “FIRST30” for $30 off orders over $100, but verify you meet any minimum purchase requirements. Single Use per Order: Remember, you can only apply one promo code per order, but you can stack Starbucks Money for added discounts. Explore Offers Section: Always check the “Offers” section online for promo codes that may be automatically applied at checkout, giving you instant savings. Eligible Products Overview Macy’s promo codes apply to a wide range of products, making it easier for you to save money across various categories. Discounts can reach between 25% to 60% off select items during promotions. Specific codes can offer 35% off when you buy three or more items and $30 off orders over $100 at the Macy’s Wine Shop. Star Rewards members enjoy extra perks like free shipping on orders over $25. Beauty products often feature discounts of up to 30% off top brands, plus free gifts with certain purchases. Seasonal sales allow stacking of coupon codes, maximizing your savings on clothing, home goods, and more. Product Category Discount Range Clothing 25% – 60% off Home Goods 25% – 60% off Beauty Products 30% off + gifts Wine Shop $30 off $100+ 35% Off Macys Coupon If you’re looking to save money on your next shopping trip, taking advantage of the various off Macy’s coupons can greatly reduce your expenses. Here are some current offers you shouldn’t miss: 25% Off for New Email Sign-Ups: Sign up for Macy’s emails and receive a generous discount on your first purchase. 35% Off When Buying Three Items or More: This deal rewards you for shopping in bulk, making it perfect for stocking up on necessities. $30 Off Orders Over $100 on Wine: If you’re a wine lover, this offer helps you save on larger purchases. Additionally, Macy’s Star Rewards members can stack these coupons for even greater discounts. Regularly checking Macy’s website can reveal about six new offers each month, especially during major sales events like Black Friday, ensuring you never miss a chance to save. Up to 40% Off Select Women’s Clothing, Jewelry, and Accessories When searching for stylish women’s clothing, jewelry, and accessories, you can take advantage of Macy’s current promotion offering up to 40% off select items. This seasonal discount includes a wide range of chic options, such as dresses, tops, and eye-catching jewelry that can enhance your wardrobe. With this offer, you can refresh your closet without breaking the bank, as trendy pieces are available at a fraction of their original prices. The discounts apply to both online and in-store shopping, providing you with flexibility depending on your preference. As you browse, keep an eye out for additional promo codes that can be stacked with these discounts for even more savings on qualifying items. This promotion is an excellent opportunity to update your style as you enjoy significant savings. Don’t miss out on these stylish finds at Macy’s! Free Gifts With Beauty Purchases Looking for a way to improve your beauty shopping experience? Macy’s has you covered with exciting offers on free gifts with beauty purchases. When you buy select beauty items, you can receive additional products at no extra cost, enhancing the value of your shopping trip. Seasonal promotions often expand the number of free gifts available, making it an ideal time to browse. Here are three tips to make the most of these offers: Check Eligible Brands: Look for specific brands that qualify for promotional gifts. Explore Seasonal Promotions: Take advantage of seasonal deals for a wider selection of free gifts. Stay Informed: Regularly visit Macy’s website or app to find the latest details on eligible products and offers. Frequently Asked Questions How to Get Macys 25% Off? To get 25% off at Macy’s, start by signing up for their email list to receive a promo code for your first order. Then, create a Macy’s profile to open up an additional 25% off your next online purchase. Keep an eye out for special promotions where you can combine these offers with existing sales. Finally, check the Macy’s app frequently for exclusive coupon codes that mightn’t appear on their website. What Is the TRIPLE10 Promo Code? The TRIPLE10 promo code offers you an additional 10% off on select purchases at Macy’s. You can use it across various categories, like apparel, home goods, and beauty products, enhancing your savings. This code is valid for a limited time and may be combined with other promotions for deeper discounts. To apply it, enter TRIPLE10 during checkout, but be sure to check for any specific terms and conditions that may apply. What Is Excluded From Macy’s 25 Off? When using Macy’s 25% off coupon, you should know that several items are typically excluded. These often include gift cards, select branded items, premium cosmetics, and fragrances. Clearance merchandise is usually not eligible, especially items marked as “Last Act.” Furthermore, promotional items or those in limited-time flash sales may not qualify for the discount. Always check the fine print on your coupon for a complete list of exclusions before shopping. Can You Use Two Promo Codes at Macy’s? You can’t use two promo codes at Macy’s on a single order. The policy allows only one promo code per transaction, which means you need to choose the best one for your purchase. Nevertheless, you can combine that promo code with Star Money rewards for additional savings. Remember to check for any current promotions regularly, as Macy’s often updates discounts and offers, helping you maximize your savings throughout the shopping season. Conclusion In summary, utilizing these seven must-have coupon codes at Macy’s can greatly improve your shopping experience. From the 25% off for new customers to the 35% off when purchasing three items or more, there are various ways to save. Furthermore, seasonal promotions and extra discounts on select items provide further opportunities for savings. By staying informed and applying these codes at checkout, you can maximize your savings and make the most of your purchases this season. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Must-Have Coupon Codes for Macys This Season" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A U.S. special forces soldier involved in the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been charged with using classified information about the mission to win more than $400,000 in an online betting market, federal officials announced Thursday. Gannon Ken Van Dyke was part of the operation to capture Maduro in January and used his access to classified information to make money on the prediction market site Polymarket, the federal prosecutor’s office in New York said. He has been charged by the Justice Department with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction. He could face years in prison. Van Dyke, 38, was involved in the planning and execution of capturing Maduro for about a month beginning Dec. 8, 2025, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. Even though he signed nondisclosure agreements promising to not divulge “any classified or sensitive information” related to the operations, prosecutors say the Army soldier used this information to make a series of bets related to Maduro being out of power by Jan. 31, 2026. “This involved a U.S. soldier who allegedly took advantage of his position to profit off of a righteous military operation,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post to social media. A telephone number listed for Van Dyke in public records was not in service. There was not yet an attorney listed for him in court documents. Polymarket, one of the largest prediction markets in the world, said it had found someone trading on classified government information, alerted the U.S. Department of Justice and “cooperated with their investigation.” “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket,” the company said in a statement. Second complaint filed against the soldier The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulates prediction markets, announced Thursday it had filed a parallel complaint against Van Dyke. That complaint alleges that Van Dyke moved $35,000 from his personal bank account into a cryptocurrency exchange account on Dec. 26 — a little over a week before U.S. forces would fly into Caracas and seize Maduro. Van Dyke used more than $32,500 to make a series of bets on when Maduro might be removed from power, according to the complaint. He placed those bets between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, with the vast majority occurring the night of Jan. 2 — just hours before the first missiles would fall on Caracas. In the early hours of Jan. 3, President Donald The President posted on his social media platform a photo of the now-captured Venezuelan leader, wearing a gray sweatsuit, headphones and a blindfold. The bets Van Dyke made on Maduro leaving power resulted in “more than $404,000 of profits,” the complaint said. Bets on three other Venezuela-related contracts netted the solider more than $5,000, according to the document. “The defendant was entrusted with confidential information about U.S. operations and yet took action that endangered U.S. national security and put the lives of American service members in harm’s way,” said Michael Selig, the commission’s chairman. The massive profits from the well-timed bets aroused public attention days after the raid and brought bipartisan calls for stricter regulation of the markets where people can wager on just about anything. Officials allege that shortly after the operation, Van Dyke put most of the money he won in a foreign cryptocurrency vault and then into a new brokerage account. He also asked Polymarket to delete his account, saying he had lost access to his email associated with the account, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. The President, when asked about the case Thursday, drew parallels between the embattled soldier and late professional baseball player Pete Rose, who was banned from the sport amid accusations that he placed bets on his own team. “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino, and you look at what’s going on all over the world and Europe and every place, they’re doing these betting things,” The President told reporters. The The President administration has been a key ally of the growing prediction market industry in a critical legal fight with states seeking to ban the platforms. The president’s eldest son is an adviser for both Polymarket and its competitor Kalshi, and a Polymarket investor. The President’s social media platform Truth Social is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict. Nearly two decades in the Army Van Dyke joined the Army in 2008 and, in 2023, was promoted to the rank of master sergeant, the second-highest enlisted rank in the Army, according to the indictment. Federal prosecutors said he was part of the special forces community and was stationed at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, but their indictment offered little other details about his military service. The document said Van Dyke was photographed following the raid on the deck of a ship “wearing U.S. military fatigues, and carrying a rifle, standing alongside three other individuals wearing U.S. military fatigues.” The Pentagon referred questions on the case to the Army and the Justice Department. Army officials declined to provide Van Dyke’s service record. Typically, the military services are reticent to offer details about members of the special forces and take measures to keep their identities secret. Bets on geopolitical tensions draw scrutiny The high-profile indictment comes as bipartisan lawmakers are considering legislation to ban prediction markets from allowing bets on war, assassinations or terrorist attacks. Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that a group of new accounts on Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the U.S. and Iran would reach a ceasefire on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for the new customers. On the same day the AP published the report, the White House warned staff against using private information to trade on prediction markets. On Wednesday, Kalshi fined and suspended three congressional candidates who the company said wagered on the outcome of their own elections. —Hallie Golden, Konstantin Toropin and Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press 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 Google Pixel Watch 4 has only been out a short time, and it’s already seeing a notable price drop—the 45mm LTE version in matte black is currently down to $389.99 (originally $499.99), the lowest the watch has dropped so far, while the smaller 41mm LTE model is also $389.99, down from its usual $449.99. In other words, you’re getting the larger 45mm version for the price of the 41mm. Google Pixel Watch 4 45mm, LTE, matte black $389.99 at Amazon $499.99 Save $110.00 Get Deal Get Deal $389.99 at Amazon $499.99 Save $110.00 The Pixel Watch 4 is positioned as Google’s premium wearable—its circular display is larger than before and can hit up to 3,000 nits of brightness, so it stays readable outdoors without much effort. Plus, the LTE model adds some independence from your phone, including the ability to send satellite SOS messages if you are out of cellular range. Dual-band GPS also improves location tracking, especially in crowded cities or areas with weak signals. The overall look leans minimal and polished, closer to a traditional watch than most square-faced smartwatches. Day-to-day use feels focused on speed and convenience. Charging is one of the standout improvements here. You can go from empty to full in about 30 minutes, and even a quick 15-minute top-up gets you to around 50%. That makes it easier to wear the watch all day and still track sleep at night without planning around long charging breaks. That said, while battery life is solid, daily charging will still be part of the routine. Most of the core experience will feel familiar if you have used a recent Pixel Watch—including built-in Gemini for voice commands, along with a full set of health sensors such as heart rate, blood oxygen, temperature tracking, and sleep monitoring. Fitness tracking is reliable for runs, walks, and gym sessions, though it still leans more toward general wellness than advanced sports metrics. In all, this is a well-rounded Android smartwatch, and it makes sense if you want a watch that looks good and stays easy to live with. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $148.99 (List Price $179.00) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $79.99) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $359.00 (List Price $429.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

NASA is looking not to the stars but back to our planet for inspiration. In honor of Earth Day, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shared an interactive digital tool turns satellite images of the planet’s landscapes into a typeface. “The planet can spell your name—literally,” the Kennedy Space Center’s X post says. Using a feature called “Your Name in Landsat,” users can type in whichever word they choose into the generator’s textbox. The site will then generate the phrase using landscapes from Earth, like rivers, lakes, farmland, and more. When hovering over each “letter,” users can learn more about where the landscape is located and even its coordinates. NASA first unveiled the tool in August of 2024 for Camp Landsat, a virtual summer camp the agency runs. The letters are part of an extensive record of satellite images from Landsat—the longest ongoing series of Earth observing missions—which spans more than 50 years. The Landsat mission was first launched on July 23, 1972 and has since successfully launched eight satellites that have photographed the planet. The project has not only awarded earthlings with high-resolution imagery for fun visualizations like “Your Name in Landsat”; it has also provided valuable data for scientists and policy makers alike to make decisions regarding the environment and natural resources. The images that feed into the word generator are part of the satellite program’s Alphabet Image Gallery, with images sourced from the NASA Earth Observatory, NASA Worldview, USGS EarthExplorer, and the ESA Sentinel Hub. Some letters get more than one iteration depending on how complex and prevalent the shape is in nature. Take the “A” which has five different options, with landscapes ranging from Yukon Delta, in Alaska, to Lake Guakhmaz, in Azerbaijan. The “G” in comparison, is somewhat rarer, with only one option currently available in the gallery: an image from Fonte Boa, a municipality in the Amazonas state of Brazil. People love the tool. The social media post received over 22 million views and more than 1,300 people posted their creations in the comments. (Even brands like Xbox got in on the fun.) “I’m here for this,” one user replied. Another added, “that’s cool as hell, are you kidding me.” Beyond serving as a delightful interactive feature, Your Name in Landsat is also a powerful visualization that reminds us of how vast the world is and why its natural landscapes are worth saving. View the full article

April is shaping up to be yet another brutal month for job cuts in the technology sector. But the announcements may not have the immediate effect that many companies are hoping for. Here’s the latest on the situation. Microsoft to offer buyouts to 7% of its US workforce While Microsoft hasn’t announced another round of layoffs, the Windows giant is planning job reductions of another kind. As Fast Company reported yesterday, the Redmond, Washington, company is expected to offer buyouts to 7% of its U.S. workforce by the end of June. A buyout is when a company offers an employee a financial incentive to resign. Buyout helps companies avoid being forced to choose which employees to let go, while still reducing their workforce and achieving their goal of lowering operational costs. An employee who accepts the buyout loses their job, but generally gets a significant financial incentive for the voluntary move. Buyouts typically target employees who are closer to retirement age. As for the reason for the buyouts, it’s the same reason driving most of the tech industry’s recent layoffs: the drive to cut labor costs so more money can be spent on building out the huge data centers needed for AI training and services. Meta to lay off 10% of its workforce While Microsoft is giving some of its employees the option of voluntary buyouts, Meta isn’t providing its employees an option at all. Yesterday, the company told its employees that it will lay off about 8,000 of them—roughly 10% of its workforce—on May 20. An additional 6,000 currently open roles will not be filled. Meta’s latest layoff comes after the company has committed $135 billion in capital expenditure to its latest round of AI initiatives. Much of that expenditure will go to building massive data centers that the company needs to run its AI systems. As Fast Company reported yesterday, Meta says the job cuts aim to boost efficiency while also offsetting its “heavy spending on artificial intelligence.” Nike announces 1,400 tech job layoffs Also yesterday, shoe giant Nike announced it was laying off around 2% of its workforce, or about 1,400 employees. While the company is primarily known as a maker of apparel and footwear, the job cuts will mostly hit Nike’s technology roles. But while Nike’s job cuts will primarily target its tech workforce, the company is one of the few to not suggest that AI is behind the layoffs. Instead, Nike says the job cuts are part of its “Win Now” strategy, which aims to modernize its manufacturing, merge parts of its supply chain, and reshape its technology division. Nike’s layoffs will reportedly impact employees globally, including in North America. Snap to lay off 16% of its global workforce The trifecta of tech job cuts announced yesterday aren’t the only ones in April. On April 14, Snapchat maker Snap Inc. announced it would cut 16% of its global workforce. As CNBC reported, that equates to about 1,000 jobs, while another 300 currently empty roles will remain unfilled. The primary driver behind the job cuts is the desire to cut costs by leveraging AI instead of a human workforce. “We believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers,” CEO Evan Spiegel wrote in a letter announcing the job cuts. GoPro to reduce its workforce by 23% Finally, earlier this month, on April 7, wearable camera maker GoPro announced that it planned to lay off 145 workers. But while that may seem small in comparison to the other companies on this list, it represents a staggering 23% of the company’s workforce. According to the Wall Street Journal, GoPro’s job cuts come as the company struggles with profitability amid macroeconomic pressures, including increased memory costs as AI demand drives prices higher and tariffs add costs. The company reportedly hopes to reduce operating costs in order to help it return to profitability by the end of the year. Company stock prices react to layoffs While layoffs are devastating to the affected workers and their families, investors usually cheer the news of job cuts. That’s because reducing the workforce is usually the fastest way for a company to cut costs. It’s why share prices tend to increase after a company announces major job cuts. But this time, investor response has been a mixed bag. Since GoPro, Inc. (Nasdaq: GPRO) announced its job cuts, the stock has climbed an impressive 73%. Likewise, Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) stock rose immediately after it announced its job cuts. After the announcement, SNAP stock was up about 7%. However, as of yesterday’s close, the stock had given back some of those gains, now up only about 4.3% since the layoffs were announced. But the other companies’ stock prices have hardly reacted. Shares in Meta Platforms Inc. (Nasdaq: META) fell more than 2% yesterday, and are barely up half a percent in premarket trading this morning, as of the time of this writing. Shares in Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) fell nearly 4% yesterday and are up only about 1.3% in premarket trading today. Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) shares fell nearly 2% yesterday and haven’t even recovered half of that this morning. In other words, announcing major job cuts no longer seems guaranteed to get investors excited about a stock—and that’s something the tech giants are likely taking note of this morning. View the full article

Airlines worldwide have begun canceling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices — but the disruption doesn’t end there. For travelers, it can mean having to navigate a confusing web of passenger protections that vary widely depending on where they’re flying. And the timing is amplifying the impact. “These pressures are arriving at a time when summer travel demand is ramping up, with major events such as the World Cup expected to put additional strain on airports,” said Eric Napoli, chief legal officer at AirHelp, a company that helps travelers secure compensation for flight disruptions and advocates for passenger rights. Here’s what to know if your flight is canceled. Are these cancellations happening at the last minute? In most cases, no. At least for now, fuel-related cuts are often being made days or weeks in advance. Lufthansa Group, for example, said this week it is cutting 20,000 short-haul flights across its network through October. That gives you more time to adjust plans than you’d typically get with weather-related disruptions, which tend to trigger last-minute cancellations. My flight was canceled. What should I do first? Check your airline’s app or website immediately for rebooking options. If you’re flying on a U.S. carrier, that’s often the fastest and easiest way to secure a new seat, according to Tyler Hosford, security director at International SOS, a global risk management and travel security company. Non-U.S. carriers tend to have fewer digital tools, Hosford said, so it’s worth trying multiple channels, including the airline’s customer service lines or airport desks. Do I have the right to a refund or a new flight? In most cases, yes. Airlines typically offer either a refund or a rebooking on the next available flight. The exact rules vary by country, but those are the baseline options you can expect. In the U.S., for example, if your flight is canceled and you choose not to travel, the airline must refund you, regardless of the reason. Airlines may offer travel credits instead, but you’re entitled to a full refund for airfare and any extras you didn’t use, such as baggage fees or seat upgrades. Are passenger rights the same everywhere? No, and protections vary widely by region — from the Montreal Convention, which governs airline liability across more than 140 countries, to specific consumer protection laws in the U.S., Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Brazil. Europe has some of the strongest protections, including compensation in certain cases. And they apply to any flight departing from an EU airport, regardless of the airline, as well as to passengers flying on an EU-based carrier into the EU — even if the journey starts outside Europe. The United Kingdom maintains a similar framework. The U.S. and Canada offer more limited protections. Policies vary widely across Asia, and in some cases travelers may need to rely more on airline policies than formal regulations. To get a clearer picture, experts recommend searching the name of the country you’re departing from and “passenger rights” before your trip. What protections apply? It depends. Airlines may cite fuel shortages or rising fuel costs as the reason for cancellations. But whether you’re entitled to compensation often comes down to if the disruption is considered within the airline’s control under local laws. Regardless of the cause, Napoli said, airlines in the European Union, for example, still have a “duty of care,” meaning they must provide “necessary support” to travelers, including rebooking. “While airlines are citing fuel shortages as a reason for upcoming cancellations, travelers need to know that this does not automatically waive their rights” under EU laws, Napoli said. How can I prepare before a trip to avoid headaches? A few steps can make disruptions easier to manage. Sign up for flight alerts to stay informed, and book directly with the airline when possible — it’s much easier to resolve issues with the carrier directly than through a third-party booking site. Knowing your options ahead of time and having a backup plan can make a significant difference if plans change. What do I need for a claim or complaint? Documentation is critical. Save everything: boarding passes, receipts, cancellation notices and any communication from the airline. Take screenshots of app or website updates and any communication taking place online, and jot down key details from phone calls. Napoli also recommends asking the airline for written confirmation of a flight disruption, including the stated reason. Should I accept the first alternative flight the airline offers? Not necessarily. Experts say one of the most common mistakes travelers make is taking the first option without checking alternatives. Look at other flights, routes or even nearby airports because you may find a faster or more convenient way to reach your destination. Can I book a different flight myself? Yes, but proceed carefully. If the airline’s rebooking option doesn’t meet your needs — especially if your new flight isn’t for several days — you can look for alternatives and request a refund instead. Just be aware you may need to pay any fare difference up front, and you might not be reimbursed later. Any other tips to avoid getting stuck? — Book flights earlier in the day so you have more rebooking options if something goes wrong. — Set up flight alerts through tracking apps such as Flighty to get early notice of cancellations or delays. In some cases, Hosford said, notifications arrive before the airline’s. — Consider nearby airports as backup options. — Be kind. Airline agents may be more willing to help when interactions stay calm and respectful. “Ultimately, the shortage is squeezing the entire system, from travelers to airlines, and is something to watch as the industry looks for any relief ahead of the summer travel season,” Napoli said. —Rio Yamat, AP Airlines and Travel Writer 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. At $109.99, the Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) are selling at a clear discount from their usual $159.97 price at retailers like Best Buy. Shipping is free with Prime, while non-members pay an extra $6, and the deal is set to end in three days or when stock runs out. These are not Apple’s top-tier earbuds, but they cover the basics most people expect, especially if you already use an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) $109.99 at Woot $169.00 Save $59.01 Get Deal Get Deal $109.99 at Woot $169.00 Save $59.01 Day-to-day use is about as simple as it gets. The H1 chip connects quickly to Apple devices and switches between them without much effort. Audio leans toward a balanced, slightly bass-forward profile that works fine for playlists, YouTube videos, and calls. Spatial Audio with head tracking is here too, adding a directional effect when watching supported content, though it feels more like a nice extra than a reason to buy. Battery life holds up at around six hours per charge, with the case bringing total listening time close to 24 hours. You can top them up with a Lightning cable, MagSafe, or any standard Qi wireless charger. Said, these earbuds use an open-ear design without silicone tips, so they sit loosely compared to other in-ear models. That can make them more comfortable for long stretches, but also less secure if you are moving around a lot, notes this PCMag review. The lack of a seal also means outside noise comes through, since there is no active noise cancellation or transparency mode. You don't get built-in EQ controls, either. And while the stem controls are responsive, it’s easy to press them by mistake when adjusting them. Still, for a straightforward, low-hassle pair of earbuds that work best inside Apple’s ecosystem, these third-generation Apple AirPods do a serviceable job. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $148.99 (List Price $179.00) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $79.99) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $359.00 (List Price $429.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Earlier this week, in a live interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, President Donald The President was asked for his reaction to reports that Apple, Amazon, and some other companies had not filed refund requests for tariffs they paid over the past year—tariffs the Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional. “I think it’s brilliant if they don’t do that,” The President replied. “If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them.” To be clear, this wasn’t negotiation posturing. This was the president openly signaling that companies who forfeit money to which they are entitled will be “remembered” for a symbolic display of loyalty. The government has collected a combined $166 billion or so from U.S. importers; an act the Supreme Court ruled an overstep of presidential power. The companies in question are in effect taking the administration’s side despite the court’s ruling. Left unspoken but clearly implied is that those who exercise their legal rights may find themselves remembered, too, but certainly not for being “brilliant.” Given the Iran war, as well as the panoply of controversies and alleged scandals swirling around the administration, this incident was easy to miss. But it’s worth pausing over and paying attention to what companies affected by the illegal tariff scheme ultimately do. The tariffs, imposed last year and affecting U.S. trade with practically every country on earth, were struck by way of a 6-to-3 Supreme Court ruling in February, resulting in the $166 billion forced refund. Despite this lack of ambiguity, it’s not hard to imagine why a company might at least ponder whether it’s worth trying to stay on the president’s good side. The The President administration has not been shy about involving itself in the actions of private commerce, taking an unusually active stance over mergers, regulation, even bailouts or direct ownership stakes. Nevertheless, The President’s not-so-veiled threat is one that companies should firmly resist. It amounts to betraying shareholders and customers alike. For starters, the board members and executives of publicly traded companies obviously have fiduciary obligations to their shareholders. Shrugging off millions (or even billions) of dollars in legally recoverable refunds does not square with those duties. Moreover, it’s a bad look for a brand. Many companies passed along tariff costs through higher prices. Declining to pursue refunds in effect tells customers: We raised your prices because of costs we are now choosing not to recover, because the president said he’d be impressed if we didn’t. As a contrast, consider Costco, which has been among those striking an aggressive stance on the refunds. In November 2025, well before the high court’s ruling, the discount club chain filed a federal lawsuit challenging the tariffs as unlawful, asking the courts to order full refunds including interest on all tariffs paid. Costco executives have told investors the company would in effect pass along the refunds to its customers through “lower prices and better values.” Admittedly, that sounds a bit vague, but the company has said it will be open about the process. And compared to speculation about ignoring the refunds to curry favor with the administration, Costco’s simple clarity about adhering to the rule of law practically sounds like a profile in courage. Plenty of businesses have shown no hesitation about collecting refunds, particularly smaller enterprises. And shipping businesses FedEx, DHL, and UPS have all indicated they’ll be passing along refunds to customers who were billed to cover tariff fees. For many others, the process will admittedly be more complex. The payout fund is designed to reimburse entities that paid directly to import the tariffed goods—not the end consumers who may have ultimately absorbed those costs in the form of higher prices. Unlike the case of shipping, there’s usually not a clean paper trail to quantify what an individual customer might be owed. (Class action lawsuits are already coming together to challenge how the money is being distributed.) Still, this seems like a moment for companies to at least make clear their intent. The Costco response is a handy and straightforward example: Collect the refund and be vocal about returning value to customers. Treat this as an opportunity to demonstrate loyalty to shoppers. At the very least, signaling a greater interest in pleasing the administration than in pleasing your own shoppers seems like a shortsighted way to treat consumers, particularly in a moment when affordability is in the zeitgeist. “I’ll remember” cuts both ways. View the full article

Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket have roared into the public consciousness, drawing scrutiny from regulators and politicians. They’ve also captured the imagination of social media users, some of whom post outlandish claims of striking it rich by pointing AI models at prediction markets and making bank. But a new study published in the Cornell University archive arXiv suggests it’s not as easy as that. Researchers at Arcada Labs, through its Prediction Arena benchmark, tested six frontier AI models by giving each $10,000 to trade on prediction markets over 57 days earlier this year, tracking how they handled real-time information and decision-making on platforms like Kalshi. “We wanted the most realistic evaluation in the world on whether models could make real-time decisions,” says Grace Li, co-founder of Arcada Labs and co-author on the study. The goal was to see how AI could handle “real-time information, make real-time decisions, and be rewarded exactly for the magnitude of how contrarian their decision is,” Li adds. The findings were not great for your 401(k)s. Within that period, every model lost money, between 16% and 30.8% on Kalshi, though models lost less over a shorter stretch on Polymarket. Li believes that gap may come down to how the systems were allowed to operate: models could search across a wider universe of markets on Polymarket, versus a standardized set on Kalshi. On Polymarket, “the models have access to trade on any market,” she says, whereas on Kalshi “they’re starting up with just a set of 26 because we had to explicitly list the markets.” In retrospect, Li adds, “we didn’t realize just how big of an impact giving the models free range to pick their own markets would have.” Which is why she thinks that the social media posts crowing about big returns might not be overstating their impact. Li explains that on Polymarket, “right now [LLM trading] is actually living up to the hype,” and points to more recent internal runs in which “Opus 4.6 made a couple of phenomenal trades recently.” But she says even those successes aren’t evidence of get-rich-quick schemes, but more proof of what increasingly autonomous models may soon be able to do. “We actually imagine the models to improve steadily over time, overtaking the human baseline,” she says, “until AI hedge funds become a thing of the norm.” Yet that’s not what she’s most interested in finding out. “We are less interested in what is the absolute economic gain from this capability, and more interested in what does this added unit of intelligence mean for humanity,” she says. View the full article

Professional service firms appear to be braced for flatlining growthView the full article

The fallout from an ambassadorial appointment like no other threatens even worse procedural ‘sludge’ in WhitehallView the full article

British pension schemes will soon be forced to support my portfolioView the full article

There is an “unprecedented degree of change in the business environment,” as one CEO in the latest Fortune/Deloitte CEO survey put it. If you’re struggling to scale your company, you’re not alone. Growth is harder and fatigue is everywhere. This volatile environment makes focus all the more important. I have worked with over a hundred VC or Private Equity backed startups through scaleups, and there are consistent barriers that every CEO and C-Suite, no matter your industry or business model, must overcome in order to grow successfully. As my old boss at Cisco, John Chambers, used to say “Concentrate on what you can control, not on what you can’t.” As a leader, here are five common factors that you can control that could be holding you back: 1. Confusion brings you down As an organization grows and scales, teams often lose sight of their core objectives. This leads to confusion, misalignment, and diluted motivation. When people are unclear why they are doing what they’re doing, their engagement and performance drop. Many leaders fall into the trap of chasing too many opportunities or reacting to the latest market noise, rather than sticking to a clear, differentiated strategy. Without radical focus, energy and resources are watered down. Scaling requires a disciplined plan—knowing exactly what you want, why it matters, and how you’ll get there, and then saying “no” to distractions. Regularly revisit your strategy and ruthlessly prioritize your core purpose and values. 2. Measure what matters Many companies mistake activity for progress, but it’s not just about having a plan for growth—it’s about working that plan with discipline. In scaling organizations, it’s common for teams to operate without clear, shared metrics for success. But without visible progress markers and regular, disciplined check-ins, accountability wanes. This makes it easy for priorities to drift and for mediocrity to creep in. Ask yourself, are you tracking the right metrics, measuring outcomes, and iterating based on what you learn? If you’re not measuring execution at a granular level, you risk drifting or burning out while making little real progress. Track everything and celebrate small wins to fuel momentum. 3. What got you here will not get you there What worked when your organization was smaller often breaks when you try to scale. As complexity increases, teams often lack robust ways of processing information, making decisions, and solving problems. If these old, informal methods persist, teams get bogged down in confusion, judgment, and finger-pointing rather than curiosity and shared learning. Processes that were once efficient become bottlenecks. In order to overcome this, technology, workflow, and decision-making structures must evolve. If your infrastructure, from sales processes to financial controls, can’t handle growth, execution will falter. Don’t be afraid to rebuild core systems to support the next stage of scale. 4. People don’t scale, teams do No amount of ambition or capital can compensate for the wrong team or a lack of alignment. Scaling exposes weaknesses in team leadership, skills, and coordination. Ask yourself: do you have the right people in the right seats? Are your team leaders and teams aligned, and does everyone understand the goals and the urgency? Invest in hiring and developing talent density in teams. Ensure the team’s incentives (care why) and goals are in sync with the business’s direction (know why). 5. Have clear values, structure, and role definition Scaling brings new people, changing structures, and evolving roles. When new employees are added to an organization, it can create friction with existing employees if their values don’t align. A study by Columbia Business School found that the tipping point for shaping existing employees’ values is when 20-40% of new employees have different values—this can be positive, but can also lead to a negative impact on company culture. It’s also true that without clear definition and communication about who is responsible for what, teams become inefficient, drop balls, and experience internal friction. This lack of structure undermines performance and accountability. With rapid change, new joiners, shifting priorities, and changing values, team cohesion and psychological safety can break down. When people don’t feel safe to speak up, take risks, or admit mistakes, trust erodes and collaboration suffers. This leads to siloed behavior and stunted learning. All this needs to be taken into account in order to ensure your employees are contributing to growth, not hindering it, and have opportunities to reach their full potential. The key to successful scaling Successful scaling isn’t just about increasing revenue—it’s about building the durable systems, culture, and relationships that make growth sustainable. If you’re stuck in your scaling plans, step back and diagnose your organization across these five areas. Often, the real obstacle is not just one thing, but a combination that needs clarity and focused action. View the full article

Using a self-employment tax calculator can simplify your tax preparation, but you need to comprehend a few key concepts first. Start by gathering all relevant income documentation, such as 1099 forms, and accurately determine your total net earnings after deducting business expenses. Then, input this information into the calculator, which will help you calculate your tax liability. Grasping these steps is essential, as they set the foundation for estimating your quarterly payments and leveraging tax deductions effectively. Key Takeaways Gather all relevant 1099 forms to report total gross earnings from self-employment and freelance work. Deduct allowable business expenses from your gross income to determine net business income. Enter your total self-employment income into the calculator, applying the 15.3% self-employment tax rate on 92.35% of your net earnings. Estimate your quarterly payments by dividing your total self-employment tax liability by four, considering due dates. Ensure the calculator accounts for additional Medicare tax if your income exceeds $200,000 for single filers. Understanding Self-Employment Tax When you’re self-employed, grasp of self-employment tax is fundamental to managing your finances and meeting your tax obligations. This tax includes Social Security and Medicare, totaling 15.3% on net earnings exceeding $400. To calculate it accurately, you’ll use Schedule SE attached to your Form 1040, applying the tax rates to 92.35% of your net profit from Schedule C or Schedule F. Remember, income above $176,100 incurs only the Medicare tax rate of 2.9%, and an additional Medicare tax applies to higher earners. It’s vital to make self-employment tax payments quarterly, with specific deadlines to keep your tax status compliant. Utilizing a self-employment tax calculator can simplify this process, helping you determine your tax liability effectively. In addition, knowing how to figure out 1099 taxes can aid in managing your tax responsibilities as a self-employed individual. Determining Your Total Net Earnings Determining your total net earnings is crucial for accurately calculating your self-employment tax, as it forms the basis of your tax liability. Start by compiling all income sources, including your 1099 forms, which reflect your gross earnings from self-employment activities. Then, subtract allowable business expenses—like advertising, insurance, and travel—from your gross income. This gives you your net profit, the amount subject to self-employment tax. Don’t forget to include specific income types, such as rental income or royalties on 1099-MISC, as they can impact your total net earnings. Remember, only 92.35% of your net earnings is considered for self-employment tax; multiply your net profit by this percentage. To answer the question, “how much should I set aside for taxes 1099?” you’ll need to know how much of 1099 income is taxed to guarantee you’re prepared for your tax obligations. Keep thorough records to support your calculations. Inputting Your Income and Expenses After you’ve calculated your total net earnings, the next step involves inputting your income and expenses into the self-employment tax calculator. Start by gathering all relevant 1099 forms that report your income, as these will provide the basis for your total earnings. Input your total gross income, including all freelance work and contract jobs. Next, deduct qualifying business expenses like advertising costs, supplies, and home office expenses to determine your net business income. If you have additional sources of income, such as net farm income or church employee income, be sure to enter those as well. This thorough input will help you understand how much you should set aside for taxes 1099. The calculator will then apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to your adjusted net earnings, giving you an accurate estimate of your self-employment tax liability, which is crucial for completing your self-employment tax form 1099 accurately. Calculating Your Tax Liability To calculate your self-employment tax liability, you’ll start by inputting the necessary information into the calculator. This includes your net earnings, which you find by subtracting your business expenses from your total income. Once you have that, the calculator will help you estimate your tax obligation based on the self-employment tax rate and any applicable deductions. Input Required Information When calculating your self-employment tax liability, you’ll need to gather specific information to confirm accuracy. Start with your net business income, which is your total earnings from self-employment minus any allowable business expenses. Don’t forget to include any additional income types, such as net farm income or church employee income, if applicable. You should likewise provide details about any employer-paid income, like wages or tips, already taxed under Social Security. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4O-JNRIvXg The calculator will ask for the total amount of self-employment income for the year, crucial for determining the 15.3% tax rate. If you’re wondering how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, make sure the calculator reflects both Social Security and Medicare taxes accurately on your self employed tax form 1099. Calculate Net Earnings Calculating your net earnings is vital for determining your self-employment tax liability, as it directly affects how much you owe. To calculate net earnings, start with your total income from all 1099 forms and subtract qualifying business expenses to find your net profit. Remember, self-employment tax applies to 92.35% of your net earnings, reflecting the 15.3% tax rate. If your net profit exceeds $400, you must file and pay self-employment tax using Schedule SE with your annual tax return. Grasping these figures helps you determine how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, ensuring you avoid underpayment penalties and comply with IRS regulations regarding your self-employment tax obligations. Accurate calculations are fundamental for financial planning. Review Estimated Tax Obligation Comprehending your estimated tax obligation is crucial for managing your finances effectively, especially if you’re self-employed. To determine how much you should put aside for taxes 1099, use the self-employment tax calculator. Input your net business income, which is your total income minus qualifying expenses. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, applied to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your net earnings exceed $400, you must report this on Schedule SE. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you visualize your obligations: Income Range Self Employment Tax Rate Additional Medicare Tax $0 – $400 0% N/A $400 – $200,000 15.3% N/A $200,000 + 15.3% 0.9% Regularly reviewing this can help you avoid underpayment penalties. Estimating Quarterly Payments Estimating quarterly payments for your self-employment tax is crucial to staying compliant with IRS requirements and avoiding potential penalties. To figure out how much you should set aside for taxes, use a 1099 calculator to determine your expected net self-employment income for the year. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% on 92.35% of that income. Once you have your total estimated self-employment tax, divide it by four to determine what you need to pay each quarter. Remember, payments are typically due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15. If your income exceeds $200,000 as a single filer, include the additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%. Finally, factor in qualifying deductions, like half of your self-employment tax, to guarantee your quarterly payments accurately reflect your actual tax liability and help you understand how much do I pay in taxes on a 1099. Utilizing Tax Deductions to Lower Your Tax Bill As you plan your quarterly payments, it’s equally important to contemplate how tax deductions can greatly lower your overall tax bill. Self-employed individuals can deduct half of their self-employment tax from their income on Form 1040, which helps reduce your taxable income. In addition, the Qualified Business Income deduction allows you to deduct up to 20% of your qualified business income, providing significant tax relief. Business expenses like advertising, insurance, and work-related travel can likewise be deducted, lowering your net profit reported on Schedule C, ultimately impacting your self-employment tax calculations. If you have a dedicated space for business use, consider claiming a home office deduction. Moreover, you can deduct health insurance premiums if they’re not provided by an employer. Frequently Asked Questions How to Calculate Your Taxes if You Are Self-Employed? To calculate your taxes as a self-employed individual, start by determining your net earnings. Subtract allowable business expenses from your total income reported on Schedule C. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your earnings exceed $400, file Schedule SE with your Form 1040. How Does the IRS Calculate Self-Employment Tax? The IRS calculates your self-employment tax at a rate of 15.3% on your net earnings. This includes 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, applicable if your net earnings exceed $400. To find your taxable income for this tax, you multiply your net earnings by 92.35%. You report this tax on Schedule SE, which you must include with your Form 1040 when filing your taxes. What Are Common Tax Mistakes for Self-Employed? Common tax mistakes for self-employed individuals include failing to track all income sources, especially cash payments, which can lead to underreporting. Not deducting eligible business expenses, like home office costs and mileage, can inflate taxable income. Misunderstanding the self-employment tax calculation, including the 92.35% factor, is another issue. Moreover, neglecting quarterly estimated tax payments and the Additional Medicare Tax for high earners can result in unexpected liabilities and penalties. How Much Should I Set Aside for Taxes 1099 Calculator? When calculating how much to set aside for taxes using a 1099 calculator, aim for about 15.3% of your net earnings. This percentage covers self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare. If your income exceeds $400, it’s crucial to calculate this tax to comply with IRS regulations. Furthermore, if your total income surpasses $200,000 for singles or $250,000 for joint filers, consider an extra 0.9% for Medicare on income above those thresholds. Conclusion In summary, using a self-employment tax calculator simplifies the process of determining your tax liability. By accurately inputting your total income and allowable expenses, you can effectively calculate your net earnings and tax obligation. Remember to take into account any additional taxes that may apply based on your income level, and don’t forget to estimate your quarterly payments. With careful tracking of your finances and utilizing available deductions, you can manage your tax responsibilities more efficiently. Image via Google Gemini This article, "How to Use a Self Employment Tax Calculator for Your Taxes" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Using a self-employment tax calculator can simplify your tax preparation, but you need to comprehend a few key concepts first. Start by gathering all relevant income documentation, such as 1099 forms, and accurately determine your total net earnings after deducting business expenses. Then, input this information into the calculator, which will help you calculate your tax liability. Grasping these steps is essential, as they set the foundation for estimating your quarterly payments and leveraging tax deductions effectively. Key Takeaways Gather all relevant 1099 forms to report total gross earnings from self-employment and freelance work. Deduct allowable business expenses from your gross income to determine net business income. Enter your total self-employment income into the calculator, applying the 15.3% self-employment tax rate on 92.35% of your net earnings. Estimate your quarterly payments by dividing your total self-employment tax liability by four, considering due dates. Ensure the calculator accounts for additional Medicare tax if your income exceeds $200,000 for single filers. Understanding Self-Employment Tax When you’re self-employed, grasp of self-employment tax is fundamental to managing your finances and meeting your tax obligations. This tax includes Social Security and Medicare, totaling 15.3% on net earnings exceeding $400. To calculate it accurately, you’ll use Schedule SE attached to your Form 1040, applying the tax rates to 92.35% of your net profit from Schedule C or Schedule F. Remember, income above $176,100 incurs only the Medicare tax rate of 2.9%, and an additional Medicare tax applies to higher earners. It’s vital to make self-employment tax payments quarterly, with specific deadlines to keep your tax status compliant. Utilizing a self-employment tax calculator can simplify this process, helping you determine your tax liability effectively. In addition, knowing how to figure out 1099 taxes can aid in managing your tax responsibilities as a self-employed individual. Determining Your Total Net Earnings Determining your total net earnings is crucial for accurately calculating your self-employment tax, as it forms the basis of your tax liability. Start by compiling all income sources, including your 1099 forms, which reflect your gross earnings from self-employment activities. Then, subtract allowable business expenses—like advertising, insurance, and travel—from your gross income. This gives you your net profit, the amount subject to self-employment tax. Don’t forget to include specific income types, such as rental income or royalties on 1099-MISC, as they can impact your total net earnings. Remember, only 92.35% of your net earnings is considered for self-employment tax; multiply your net profit by this percentage. To answer the question, “how much should I set aside for taxes 1099?” you’ll need to know how much of 1099 income is taxed to guarantee you’re prepared for your tax obligations. Keep thorough records to support your calculations. Inputting Your Income and Expenses After you’ve calculated your total net earnings, the next step involves inputting your income and expenses into the self-employment tax calculator. Start by gathering all relevant 1099 forms that report your income, as these will provide the basis for your total earnings. Input your total gross income, including all freelance work and contract jobs. Next, deduct qualifying business expenses like advertising costs, supplies, and home office expenses to determine your net business income. If you have additional sources of income, such as net farm income or church employee income, be sure to enter those as well. This thorough input will help you understand how much you should set aside for taxes 1099. The calculator will then apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to your adjusted net earnings, giving you an accurate estimate of your self-employment tax liability, which is crucial for completing your self-employment tax form 1099 accurately. Calculating Your Tax Liability To calculate your self-employment tax liability, you’ll start by inputting the necessary information into the calculator. This includes your net earnings, which you find by subtracting your business expenses from your total income. Once you have that, the calculator will help you estimate your tax obligation based on the self-employment tax rate and any applicable deductions. Input Required Information When calculating your self-employment tax liability, you’ll need to gather specific information to confirm accuracy. Start with your net business income, which is your total earnings from self-employment minus any allowable business expenses. Don’t forget to include any additional income types, such as net farm income or church employee income, if applicable. You should likewise provide details about any employer-paid income, like wages or tips, already taxed under Social Security. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4O-JNRIvXg The calculator will ask for the total amount of self-employment income for the year, crucial for determining the 15.3% tax rate. If you’re wondering how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, make sure the calculator reflects both Social Security and Medicare taxes accurately on your self employed tax form 1099. Calculate Net Earnings Calculating your net earnings is vital for determining your self-employment tax liability, as it directly affects how much you owe. To calculate net earnings, start with your total income from all 1099 forms and subtract qualifying business expenses to find your net profit. Remember, self-employment tax applies to 92.35% of your net earnings, reflecting the 15.3% tax rate. If your net profit exceeds $400, you must file and pay self-employment tax using Schedule SE with your annual tax return. Grasping these figures helps you determine how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, ensuring you avoid underpayment penalties and comply with IRS regulations regarding your self-employment tax obligations. Accurate calculations are fundamental for financial planning. Review Estimated Tax Obligation Comprehending your estimated tax obligation is crucial for managing your finances effectively, especially if you’re self-employed. To determine how much you should put aside for taxes 1099, use the self-employment tax calculator. Input your net business income, which is your total income minus qualifying expenses. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, applied to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your net earnings exceed $400, you must report this on Schedule SE. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you visualize your obligations: Income Range Self Employment Tax Rate Additional Medicare Tax $0 – $400 0% N/A $400 – $200,000 15.3% N/A $200,000 + 15.3% 0.9% Regularly reviewing this can help you avoid underpayment penalties. Estimating Quarterly Payments Estimating quarterly payments for your self-employment tax is crucial to staying compliant with IRS requirements and avoiding potential penalties. To figure out how much you should set aside for taxes, use a 1099 calculator to determine your expected net self-employment income for the year. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% on 92.35% of that income. Once you have your total estimated self-employment tax, divide it by four to determine what you need to pay each quarter. Remember, payments are typically due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15. If your income exceeds $200,000 as a single filer, include the additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%. Finally, factor in qualifying deductions, like half of your self-employment tax, to guarantee your quarterly payments accurately reflect your actual tax liability and help you understand how much do I pay in taxes on a 1099. Utilizing Tax Deductions to Lower Your Tax Bill As you plan your quarterly payments, it’s equally important to contemplate how tax deductions can greatly lower your overall tax bill. Self-employed individuals can deduct half of their self-employment tax from their income on Form 1040, which helps reduce your taxable income. In addition, the Qualified Business Income deduction allows you to deduct up to 20% of your qualified business income, providing significant tax relief. Business expenses like advertising, insurance, and work-related travel can likewise be deducted, lowering your net profit reported on Schedule C, ultimately impacting your self-employment tax calculations. If you have a dedicated space for business use, consider claiming a home office deduction. Moreover, you can deduct health insurance premiums if they’re not provided by an employer. Frequently Asked Questions How to Calculate Your Taxes if You Are Self-Employed? To calculate your taxes as a self-employed individual, start by determining your net earnings. Subtract allowable business expenses from your total income reported on Schedule C. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your earnings exceed $400, file Schedule SE with your Form 1040. How Does the IRS Calculate Self-Employment Tax? The IRS calculates your self-employment tax at a rate of 15.3% on your net earnings. This includes 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, applicable if your net earnings exceed $400. To find your taxable income for this tax, you multiply your net earnings by 92.35%. You report this tax on Schedule SE, which you must include with your Form 1040 when filing your taxes. What Are Common Tax Mistakes for Self-Employed? Common tax mistakes for self-employed individuals include failing to track all income sources, especially cash payments, which can lead to underreporting. Not deducting eligible business expenses, like home office costs and mileage, can inflate taxable income. Misunderstanding the self-employment tax calculation, including the 92.35% factor, is another issue. Moreover, neglecting quarterly estimated tax payments and the Additional Medicare Tax for high earners can result in unexpected liabilities and penalties. How Much Should I Set Aside for Taxes 1099 Calculator? When calculating how much to set aside for taxes using a 1099 calculator, aim for about 15.3% of your net earnings. This percentage covers self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare. If your income exceeds $400, it’s crucial to calculate this tax to comply with IRS regulations. Furthermore, if your total income surpasses $200,000 for singles or $250,000 for joint filers, consider an extra 0.9% for Medicare on income above those thresholds. Conclusion In summary, using a self-employment tax calculator simplifies the process of determining your tax liability. By accurately inputting your total income and allowable expenses, you can effectively calculate your net earnings and tax obligation. Remember to take into account any additional taxes that may apply based on your income level, and don’t forget to estimate your quarterly payments. With careful tracking of your finances and utilizing available deductions, you can manage your tax responsibilities more efficiently. Image via Google Gemini This article, "How to Use a Self Employment Tax Calculator for Your Taxes" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Note: This article discusses sensitive topics like suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is in danger, please call the national suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. LLM-powered chatbots have brought humans and technology closer together than ever before–but at what cost? Many people have begun turning to LLMs for advice, seeking guidance on anything from fitness plans to interpersonal relationships. But for society’s most vulnerable minds (e.g., adolescents, the elderly, and those with mental health conditions), this intimacy presents a hidden danger. These tools can descend into something darker: enablers for suicide and self-harm (SSH). Chatbots have been known to reinforce SSH ideation, even encouraging users to self-harm. Most (if not all) LLMs have policies surrounding SSH, but they often don’t go far enough. To keep users safe, the industry cannot merely write better policies; we must build systems capable of executing clinical nuance at scale. We need a clinically and technically sound approach to successfully prevent harm. Here’s what that looks like. Medical Misalignment: How current models fall short What’s currently missing from chatbots’ underlying models is a demonstrated clinical understanding of how SSH and other harm types (e.g., delusions or dementia, etc.) actually present. Currently, conversations are only flagged and escalated to a human reviewer if the user inputs explicit language like “I want to kill myself. How many pills should I take?” But that’s almost never how it happens. In reality, conversations involving SSH often start benignly, with a teenager asking for homework help or an elderly person asking for scheduling assistance. Over the course of several sessions, the user might express that they feel lonely, like a burden, or misunderstood. The danger lies in how standard LLMs process conversational timelines. While modern LLMs have memory and can recall previous prompts, they suffer from context deficit when it comes to safety evaluation—they fail at cumulative risk synthesis. If a user hints at hopelessness in prompt one and asks about painkillers in prompt four, the LLM evaluates the safety of the latter largely in a vacuum. It remembers the words, but it fails to connect the psychological dots to recognize the escalating threat. What does this lack of clarity and nuance mean? Classic warning signs get missed and vulnerable users may follow through on their SSH ideations. To improve user safety, LLMs must be trained to better evaluate user risk over time. As part of their risk assessment, clinicians continuously monitor the below factors: Biopsychosocial history: The deep context provided during intake. Non-verbal and presentation cues: Changes in affect, mood, tone of voice, or even physical presentation (e.g., appearing disheveled). Behavioral shifts: Changes in life engagement, activity levels, and evolving symptomology that shift a diagnostic perspective. While LLMs will never be able to provide the degree of care and attention clinicians do, we can use savvy engineering to move the needle substantially in the right direction. Technical Targeting: How clinically grounded engineering can make a difference Standard LLMs are essentially language predictors. They generate responses based on the statistical probability of one word following another. Because of this, when tasked with evaluating user safety, an out-of-the-box LLM defaults to generalized assumptions, scanning for explicit danger words (e.g., “suicide” or “kill”) rather than subtle behavioral shifts. Pairing AI systems design with clinical psychology can swap this probabilistic modeling for clinical precision. Embedding strict clinical rubrics into the model’s architecture, we force the AI to evaluate intent, situational stressors, and vulnerability like a clinician would. This means translating clinical guidelines into an operational scoring matrix with a dynamic, dimensional framework built on definitions for: Acute risk: The immediate presence of a plan, intent, and the means to carry out SSH. The mathematical baseline for a user’s danger level. Contextual multipliers: The overall weight of a user’s stressors. Are they in a cycle of chronic ideation? Have they recently experienced a severe setback like a job loss or eviction? These act as risk escalators. Protective factors: A critical clinical component often ignored by standard AI. Does the user mention dependents, a desire for therapy, or use recognized harm-reduction techniques? These mitigate the immediate risk score. Improper facilitation: A common flaw in LLM safety is permitting users to extract harmful instructions by disguising them as fiction, roleplay, or research—this is one of the main vectors for enabling off-platform harm. Regardless of whether a request is framed as screenplay or a school project, the LLM must refuse to provide actionable details such as dosages, injury methods, or concealment tactics. When physical harm is at stake, stated context never outweighs real-world safety. Rather than relying on basic keyword identification as a trigger for escalation, the engine weighs a user’s acute risk and contextual vulnerabilities against their protective factors to determine a final total risk acuity score, radically outperforming legacy filters. But building a clinically sound model is just the first step. Human moderators have a big role to play, too. They are the ones who review the cases escalated by LLMs. To help prepare these teams, engineers and clinicians can work together to build training modules that help moderators understand cumulative risk acuity, recognize user danger, and protect their own mental health as they navigate emotionally impactful scenarios. If left unaddressed, SSH will become increasingly prevalent in LLM interactions. Getting prevention and intervention right requires collaboration—between clinicians and engineers, and between chatbots and moderators. A true “two sides of the same coin” approach. The good news is, we’re seeing some momentum in the field, and technology companies have begun seeking expert, clinical counsel on how they can enrich their AI offerings to double down on user safety. Safe Strategy: A smarter, better future for AI This dual strategy, built on both mental health practices and technological savvy, should be the standard for all AI tools. Any technology company that builds conversational AI tools (or white-labels tools for systemic integration) has a vested interest here; they are potentially liable for their tool’s behavior. We can no longer afford to treat SSH as an afterthought; it must be treated as a critical safety vector. We need to engineer protections for high-acuity crises into the foundation of our AI tools. While SSH incidents may represent a smaller fraction of total traffic, they are the highest severity interactions a model will ever handle. The ramifications of failure are enormous, resulting in lasting emotional and physical damage or loss of life. This work is the ultimate “yes, and.” It’s advanced technology and evidence-based psychological health. It’s work that’s difficult and profoundly good for humanity. It’s how we protect the mental health of vulnerable users and the human moderators who intervene. It’s how we all stay safe together. View the full article

A proposed update to Basel III capital rules from federal banking regulators does not specifically include mortgage insurance as a factor in determining the risk weight for a mortgage loan held on a bank's balance sheet. Industry experts say it should. View the full article

The modern email inbox can be disorganized and unwieldy. Important emails get lost under spam and receipts, and the search function doesn’t always work like you hoped it would. Many of us gave up on inbox zero long ago. If that sounds like you, this new smart email client might be exactly what you’re looking for. Extra is an email inbox app designed by Build Forever, a software company founded by a trio of former Pinterest employees. The app intriguingly reimagines the entire user experience of the inbox from one of stacked, accumulating, text-only subject lines to an image-rich interface that surfaces the most important emails for you using AI. Build Forever promotes their email client like a personal assistant (“Your entire inbox. Handled for you.”), and it works by analyzing emails before they’re opened and organizing them in order of urgency. There’s a Today Tab that shows your most important emails at a glance, and they’re classified by terms like “Needs action” and “Happening today” to get to now, or “Good to know” and “More to browse” for emails you can get to later. Demo screenshots of the app, which is available now only through a waitlist, shows an interface that’s much more visual, digestible, and welcoming than text-only subject lines. Instead, Extra gives the inbox the look of an AI chatbot and digital magazine. Extra’s Today Tab spits out a summary that tells you things like upcoming events, people who emailed you and why, and when a package you ordered is expected to arrive. Its output is formatted like a ChatGPT response, with bullet points, bold text, and emoji, and users can write back and ask it questions. The app’s smart categories feature auto-organizes your inbox into sections like news, shopping, and travels, and email is illustrated with full images, turning the interface into something more like a personalized newspaper. Emails live or die by their subject lines in an all-text inbox, but with Extra, editorial illustrations, photojournalism, and product photography can drive clicks now too. Extra has a voice composer and the app can also assist in writing emails in your tone, while the sender feature auto-cleans your inbox by noticing which emails you never open and unsubscribing from them for you. The inbox is ripe for a redesign as it’s gotten tougher to manage, and email platforms like Gmail and Proton Mail have experimented with AI features to try and improve and personalize it. There’s a functional incentive to improve the inbox, but Extra shows there’s also a chance to redesign the interface for reading emails entirely. As social media has homogenized into short-form video feeds, it’s left an opening for a better text-based alternative that email could evolve to fulfill. Email fatigue is real, but redesigning the inbox could change the experience for good, making it both more actionable and more fun to look at. View the full article

Earlier in my life, I worked for a global company. I passed my manager in the hallway, and wanted to ask her a question. She was stressed and answered before I had even completed the question. I tried again. She did it again. On the third attempt, I looked at her and said, “Can you please be quiet until I have finished my question?” She stopped. I finished. She answered and then rushed away. Five minutes later, I did the exact same thing to one of my own people. That moment has stayed with me for decades. It wasn’t the most dramatic experience of my life, but it was one that made me embarrassed. I’d like to think that I’ve learned something since then. But it’s easy to slip back into habits that I wanted to leave behind. Most leadership communication failures are unconscious. And you can’t train unconscious habits away through values workshops, culture decks, or offsite strategy days. This is the problem with how organizations try to fix culture. The thing is, you can’t upskill culture. It is too abstract. Culture accumulates from thousands of conversations within an organization, and shapes how people behave, day after day, in meetings and corridors and one-on-ones. Communication shapes behavior, but behavior drives results. This is the sequence. Every instruction, presentation, piece of feedback, and every stressed or friendly hallway exchange moves people toward a desired behavior or away from it. If you want to understand the true state of an organization—its culture, its energy, and its direction, you need to listen to the everyday conversations. Strategy documents tell you what leadership intends. Conversations tell you what is actually happening. And every conversation will either build or break engagement. This is important because engagement is the bridge between communication and behavior. When people feel genuinely engaged, they do things because they want to, not because they have to. That’s the big difference. They show more creativity, collaboration, and higher commitment. But when they feel disconnected, they comply at best, which we now call Quiet Quitting. Global employee engagement fell from 23% to 20% in 2024. This is the second decline in twelve years, and it matched the drop that we saw during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Manager engagement dropped from 30% to 22% over the same period. Here is another disturbing fact: The people most responsible for driving team engagement are themselves disengaging. The ripple effect is predictable. Gallup’s data shows that you can attribute 70% of the variance in team engagement to the manager. The largest lever for organizational performance is the person leading the team, and specifically, how that person communicates. Highly engaged teams show a 23% increase in productivity and a 51% reduction in turnover compared to disengaged ones. The three communication superpowers After 20 years of working with leaders across industries and continents, I have identified three capabilities that set apart leaders who build high-performing cultures from those who erode them. I call them the ‘Three Communication Superpowers.’ The first is empathy. This is genuine presence, real connection, the ability to make the person in front of you feel that they matter. The team member I interrupted with a stressed response needed a leader who was actually listening. The second is clarity. You need to communicate so that people understand what the company expects from them, and remember what matters. As Martin Gutmann and I argued in a previous piece for Fast Company, transparency and clarity are distinct muscles. Clarity is about direction, and direction is what people need to perform. People can’t act on what they don’t remember, so the content needs to stick. The third is energy. This is your passion that manifests in how you look and how you sound, like your non-verbal communication. It’s the oldest form of communication, and people read body language and tone before they process words. A leader who delivers important messages in a flat, distracted way signals that the message itself is low priority. Energy is about letting genuine commitment show. The good thing is that these three superpowers are trainable. These are all examples of skills, which you can develop. When leaders take the time to develop them, engagement rises, behavior shifts, and results follow. Culture changes because leaders start having different conversations—with more presence, more direction, and more genuine care for the people they lead. That’s where it starts, and that’s where you can change it. View the full article

A few years ago, employees at the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, received an unusual internal reminder: colleagues should avoid using “您” (nín), the formal and respectful version of the Chinese word “you.” Instead, employees were encouraged to address everyone using “你” (nǐ), the informal form, regardless of rank. For many younger staff members, the change felt natural. ByteDance had deliberately built a fast-moving start-up culture that emphasized equality, speed, and open communication. But for others, particularly those accustomed to more traditional professional environments, the change felt almost radical. After all, in Chinese culture the choice between 你 and 您 is not merely linguistic—it signals respect, hierarchy, and social distance. This small linguistic shift reveals something important: China’s business culture is evolving, but the cultural signals of respect and power still matter deeply. For international executives navigating China’s complex business landscape, understanding these signals can make the difference between smooth collaboration and subtle misunderstanding. Respect is relational, not individual In many Western workplaces, respect is often associated with equality, informality, and open debate. Leaders encourage employees to challenge ideas, address colleagues by their first names, and voice disagreement directly. In China, respect is often expressed differently. It is closely tied to relationships and to the roles individuals occupy within a broader social structure. This perspective has roots in Confucian philosophy, which emphasises social harmony and ordered relationships. One enduring idea is 尊卑有序– the belief that relationships should reflect an appropriate order between senior and junior. In business settings, this principle often appears in subtle ways: seating arrangements in meetings, the order of speaking, and how people are introduced. To outsiders, these details may seem minor. But in China, they often communicate respect before a single substantive discussion even begins. Ignoring them can unintentionally undermine trust. When “Vice” titles matter—and when they don’t One subtle but revealing example concerns how professional titles are used. In many Western organizations, titles are frequently shortened or ignored in conversation. A Vice President may simply be introduced by first name or described casually as part of a team. In China, however, titles often carry symbolic meaning because they reflect hierarchy and organizational standing. International executives often ask whether they should include the prefix “副” (vice or deputy) when introducing someone with a title such as 副总裁 (Vice President) or 副主任 (Deputy Director). The answer depends on context. If the person is the most senior representative present from their organisation, it can be appropriate to introduce them simply using the senior title. A visiting Vice President, for example, may be introduced as “总裁” (President) or “负责人” (Head) in an external meeting. The intention is not to exaggerate the title, but to convey respect toward the organisation’s representative in that moment. However, if the actual senior leader is present, omitting the prefix 副 would be inappropriate. Doing so could blur the hierarchy and create confusion about authority. This illustrates how titles in Chinese professional culture function not merely as administrative labels, but as signals of relational balance. For international managers unfamiliar with this system, small details like these can easily become moments of confusion, or opportunities to demonstrate cultural awareness. Power is closely linked to responsibility Another common misconception is that hierarchical cultures necessarily produce authoritarian leadership. In reality, the Chinese understanding of power often places strong emphasis on responsibility. Authority is expected to carry obligations toward the collective. Leaders are responsible not only for achieving results but also for maintaining organisational stability, protecting group cohesion, and ensuring long-term success. As a result, decision-making may involve more consultation and careful relationship management than some Western executives expect. What may appear as hesitation is often a deliberate effort to balance multiple relational considerations. Understanding this logic can prevent frustration in cross-cultural collaboration. China’s workplace culture is evolving China’s business culture today is not static. Rapid economic development, global exposure, and generational change are reshaping workplace norms. Younger professionals, particularly those who have studied or worked abroad, often combine elements of Chinese and Western communication styles. The ByteDance example illustrates this shift. By discouraging the use of “您”, the company attempted to reduce hierarchical distance and encourage open communication. Yet such changes coexist with deeply embedded traditions. In many state-owned enterprises, government institutions, and established corporations, hierarchical etiquette remains important. Rather than viewing Chinese business culture as rigid, it is more accurate to see it as adaptive—a blend of historical values and modern organizational practices. Different sectors, companies, and generations may operate according to slightly different expectations. For international leaders, context matters. Why this matters for global leadership As China continues to play a central role in the global economy, intercultural competence is becoming a core leadership skill. Misunderstandings about respect and power can quietly undermine partnerships, negotiations, and team management. Small signals, how meetings are structured, how feedback is delivered, or how colleagues are addressed, can shape perceptions of credibility and trust. Leaders who succeed across cultures tend to approach unfamiliar systems with curiosity rather than certainty. They observe carefully. They ask questions. And they recognise that behaviours which feel natural in one culture may carry very different meanings in another. The future of intercultural leadership In a world where organisations increasingly span continents, cultures, and languages, the ability to interpret cultural signals is becoming essential. China’s evolving approach to respect and power illustrates a broader reality of global business: cultural traditions rarely disappear. Instead, they adapt. For international leaders, success will not depend solely on strategy or market knowledge. It will also depend on understanding the subtle ways people communicate respect, authority, and trust—and responding to those signals with cultural intelligence. Because in global business, relationships still matter. And respect remains one of the most powerful signals of all. View the full article