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Unanswered questions are making it ‘super hard’ to operate, Walliser tells FT auto summit View the full article

U.S. President Donald The President opened his four-day Middle East trip on Tuesday by paying a visit to Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for talks on U.S. efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, end the war in Gaza, hold down oil prices and more. Prince Mohammed warmly greeted The President as he stepped off Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital and kicked off his Middle East tour. The two leaders then retreated to a grand hall at the Riyadh airport, where The President and his aides were served traditional Arabic coffee by waiting attendants wearing ceremonial gun-belts. Fighter jet escort The pomp began before The President even landed. Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s provided an honorary escort for Air Force One as it approached the kingdom’s capital. The President and Prince Mohammed also took part in a lunch at the Royal Court, gathering with guests and aides in an ornate room with blue accents and massive crystal chandeliers. As he greeted business titans with The President by his side, Prince Mohammed was animated and smiling. It was a stark contrast to his awkward fist bump with then-President Joe Biden, who looked to avoid being seen on camera shaking hands with the prince during a 2022 visit to the kingdom. Biden had decided to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia as he looked to alleviate soaring prices at the pump for motorists at home and around the globe. At the time, Prince Mohammed’s reputation had been badly damaged by a U.S. intelligence determination that found he had ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But that dark moment appeared to be distant memory for the prince as he rubbed elbows with high-profile business executives — including Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — in front of the cameras and with The President by his side. Later, the crown prince will fete The President with a formal dinner. The President is also slated to take part Tuesday in a U.S.-Saudi investment conference. “When Saudis and Americans join forces, very good things happen — more often than not, great things happen,” Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said. Oil production Saudi Arabia and fellow OPEC+ nations have already helped their cause with The President early in his second term by stepping up oil production. The President sees cheap energy as a key component to lowering costs and stemming inflation for Americans. The Republican president has also made the case that lower oil prices will hasten an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. But Saudi Arabia’s economy remains heavily dependent on oil, and the kingdom needs a fiscal break-even oil price of $96 to $98 a barrel to balance its budget. It’s questionable how long OPEC+, of which Saudi Arabia is the leading member, is willing to keep production elevated. The price of a barrel of Brent crude closed Monday at $64.77. “One of the challenges for the Gulf states of lower oil prices is it doesn’t necessarily imperil economic diversification programs, but it certainly makes them harder,” said Jon Alterman, a senior Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Qatar and UAE next The President picked the kingdom for his first stop, because it has pledged to make big investments in the U.S., but The President ended up traveling to Italy last month for Pope Francis’ funeral. Riyadh was the first overseas stop of his first term. The three countries on the president’s itinerary — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are all places where the The President Organization, run by The President’s two elder sons, is developing major real estate projects. They include a high-rise tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai and a golf course and villa complex in Qatar. The President is trying to demonstrate that his transactional strategy for international politics is paying dividends as he faces criticism from Democrats who say his global tariff war and approach to Russia’s war on Ukraine are isolating the United States from allies. He’s expected to announce deals with the three wealthy countries that will touch on artificial intelligence, expanding energy cooperation and perhaps new arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The administration earlier this month announced initial approval to sell $3.5 billion worth of air-to-air missiles for Saudi Arabia’s fighter jets. But The President arrived in the Middle East at a moment when his top regional allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are far from neatly aligned with his approach. The President’s decision to skip Israel remarkable, expert says Before the trip, The President announced that Washington was halting a nearly two-month U.S. airstrike campaign against Yemen’s Houthis, saying the Iran-backed rebels have pledged to stop attacking ships along a vital global trade route. The administration didn’t notify Israel — which the Houthis continue to target — of the agreement before The President publicly announced it. It was the latest example of The President leaving the Israelis in the dark about his administration’s negotiations with common adversaries. In March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t notified by the administration until after talks began with Hamas about the war in Gaza. And Netanyahu found out about the ongoing U.S. nuclear talks with Iran only when The President announced them during an Oval Office visit by the Israeli leader last month. “Israel will defend itself by itself,” Netanyahu said last week following The President’s Houthi truce announcement. “If others join us — our American friends — all the better.” William Wechsler, senior director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council, said The President’s decision to skip Israel on his first Middle East visit is remarkable. “The main message coming out of this, at least as the itinerary stands today, is that the governments of the Gulf … are in fact stronger friends to President The President than the current government of Israel at this moment,” Wechsler said. Restarting efforts to normalize Israel-Saudi ties The President, meanwhile, hopes to restart his first-term effort to normalize relations between the Middle East’s major powers, Israel and Saudi Arabia. The President’s Abraham Accords effort led to Sudan, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco agreeing to normalize relations with Israel. But Riyadh has made clear that in exchange for normalization it wants U.S. security guarantees, assistance with the kingdom’s nuclear program and progress on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. There seems to be scant hope for making headway on a Palestinian state with the Israel-Hamas war raging and the Israelis threatening to flatten and occupy Gaza. Prince Mohammed last week notably hosted Palestinian Vice President Hussein Sheikh in Jeddah on the sheikh’s first foreign visit since assuming office in April. Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the crown prince appeared to be subtly signaling to The President that the kingdom needs to see progress on Palestinian statehood for the Saudis to begin seriously moving on a normalization deal with the Israelis. “Knowing how the Saudis telegraph their intentions, that’s a preemptive, ‘Don’t even think of asking us to show any goodwill toward normalization,'” Abdul-Hussain said. Madhani reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. —Zeke Miller, Aamer Madhani and Jon Gambrell, Associated Press View the full article

Economists caution that much of the impact of The President’s tariffs is yet to be feltView the full article

Key Takeaways Engagement Boost: Facebook Live encourages real-time interaction, making your audience feel heard and valued, leading to increased brand loyalty.Improved Visibility: Live sessions enhance organic reach, helping your content appear more prominently in user feeds without relying heavily on ads.Preparation is Key: Setting clear objectives and using quality equipment enhances the overall viewer experience and keeps broadcasts professional.Audience Interaction: Utilize interactive features like live polls and Q&A sessions to foster community engagement and keep viewers interested.Effective Promotion: Announce your live streams across various platforms and engage with your audience to build anticipation and drive participation.Post-Live Strategy: Follow up with thank-you notes and highlight clips to maintain engagement and gather valuable feedback for future sessions. Going live on Facebook can be a game-changer for your brand or personal presence. It’s an incredible way to connect with your audience in real time, share your thoughts, and showcase your personality. But if you want to make the most of this powerful tool, you need to know a few key tips to stand out from the crowd. Why Use Facebook Live? Using Facebook Live offers significant advantages for small businesses. Increased engagement rate occurs as you connect with your audience in real time, encouraging immediate feedback and interaction. This interaction fosters customer interaction, making viewers feel valued and heard. Brand awareness improves through live sessions. You can showcase your personality and tell your brand story directly, creating a unique connection that enhances brand consistency. This approach positions your business as approachable and relatable, which can attract new social media followers. Facebook Live also boosts organic reach. Content shared in real-time often receives higher visibility on user feeds, reaching a wider audience without the need for extensive paid ads. This can support your overall social media strategy by integrating seamlessly with other platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Incorporating video content into your marketing enhances your overall content creation approach. Live videos are more engaging than static posts, making it easier for your message to stick with your audience. Moreover, utilizing Facebook Live as part of your social media campaigns can improve content sharing opportunities. Encouraging viewers to share your live stream increases your brand’s exposure, boosting the potential for additional user-generated content. Finally, analyzing the performance of your broadcasts via social media analytics enables you to refine future content. Monitoring engagement metrics helps identify what resonates with your audience, allowing you to adjust your strategy for even greater success. Preparing for Your Facebook Live Preparing for a Facebook Live session involves several steps that can enhance engagement and brand awareness for your small business. Proper planning ensures a smoother broadcast that resonates with your audience. Setting Goals for Your Stream Set clear objectives for each broadcast to drive effective engagement. Goals can include showcasing a new product, addressing customer feedback, or providing valuable tips related to your industry. Decide if you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads through this live video content. Defining your purpose allows for focused storytelling that aligns with your overall social media strategy. Choosing the Right Equipment Selecting the appropriate equipment plays a vital role in your Facebook Live quality. Invest in a good quality camera and microphone to enhance audio and visual experiences. Use strong lighting to create a welcoming atmosphere and optimize your video content. Additionally, consider streaming software that can facilitate graphics and interactive elements. High-quality setups can significantly increase your organic reach and improve your social media engagement rates. Engaging Your Audience Engaging your audience during a Facebook Live session can significantly enhance your brand’s online presence. Utilize several strategies to optimize viewer interaction and build a stronger community around your small business. Interactive Features You Can Use Live Polls: Use live polls to ask for viewer opinions on your products or services. This encourages participation and gathers helpful feedback. Q&A Sessions: Designate time for a question and answer segment. Invite viewers to submit questions in real time, fostering a sense of community. Comments and Reactions: Encourage viewers to comment and react during the broadcast. Responding to their comments builds connection and enhances engagement rates. Guest Appearances: Invite influencers or customers to join your live session. This technique promotes storytelling and provides varied perspectives that can draw in more viewers. Interactive Graphics: Use graphics and text overlays to highlight key points in your session. This increases viewer retention and keeps your content visually engaging. Best Practices for Audience Engagement Promote Ahead of Time: Announce your live session across all your social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Create a content calendar to ensure consistent messaging and build anticipation. Start Strong and Interactive: Open your broadcast with a warm welcome. Introduce yourself and invite viewers to introduce themselves, immediately setting a friendly tone. Regularly Respond to Comments: Acknowledge viewers by name and respond to their comments as they come in. This builds customer interaction and makes your audience feel valued. Utilize Content Sharing: After your session, share highlights on your other social media channels, like Instagram Stories or LinkedIn posts, to drive ongoing engagement and showcase your brand voice. Analyze Engagement Metrics: Use social media analytics tools to track viewer participation and engagement rates. This data helps refine your social media strategy for future broadcasts and boosts your organic reach. Incorporating these interactive features and best practices into your Facebook Live sessions empowers your small business to connect meaningfully with your audience, driving both brand awareness and community loyalty. Technical Tips for a Smooth Broadcast These technical tips ensure a seamless Facebook Live broadcast, bolstering engagement and brand awareness for small businesses. Preparation and Equipment Ensure a strong WiFi signal or 4G connection before going live. Tools like speedtest.net help you check your internet speed. Test your camera, microphone, and connection before going live. Perform a dry run by broadcasting to yourself or a small group of friends. Choose the right equipment; use a stand for your tablet or smartphone for the best view, and consider PTZ cameras for multiple angles. Optimal Settings and Resolution Resolution and Quality: Optimize camera settings for high-definition broadcasting, as Facebook recommends delivering clear video quality. Audio: Check microphones to ensure they are working properly. Poor audio quality can drive viewers away, negatively impacting engagement rates. Troubleshooting Common Issues Identify issues beforehand by running tests on audio and video. Address any inconsistencies in settings, as resolution problems can hinder viewer experience. Adjust lighting for optimal visibility. Poor lighting can affect video quality, leading to decreased organic reach. Have a backup plan in case an issue arises. Keeping a secondary device on standby can solve problems quickly, maintaining audience interaction and trust. Promoting Your Facebook Live Stream Promoting your Facebook Live stream effectively enhances your engagement and reach. Utilize the following strategies for maximum impact. Effective Pre-Live Promotion Strategies Schedule and Promote Facebook Events: Create Facebook events for your live streams well in advance. This approach gives your audience ample notice and builds anticipation. Engaging titles and detailed descriptions attract attention and encourage participation. Cross-Promotion on Other Social Media: Use platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to drive traffic to your live sessions. Share teasers, countdowns, and reminders to maintain interest across your social media posts. Announce Ahead of Time: Inform your followers about your upcoming stream, highlighting the date and time. Preview the topic, and invite questions to generate excitement and aid in your content creation process. Utilize Instagram Stories: Leverage Instagram stories to share behind-the-scenes content or quick updates about your Facebook Live plans. This aids in community management and keeps your audience engaged. Engage with Facebook Groups: Participate in relevant Facebook groups where your target audience spends time. Share details of your live stream, positioning yourself as an authority in your niche while increasing your organic reach. Post-Live Follow-Up Techniques Thank Your Audience: Acknowledge viewers post-broadcast with a thank-you post. This gesture boosts goodwill and enhances customer interaction, reinforcing community ties. Share Highlights: Post engaging snippets or key moments from your live stream on various social media platforms. This technique promotes content sharing and maximizes your video content’s visibility. Encourage Feedback: Request viewer feedback through comments or polls. This method leads to valuable insights, enhancing future social media strategies and content creation. Analyze Engagement Metrics: Review social media analytics to understand viewer engagement rates and preferences. Utilize this data to fine-tune your next live stream and maximize social media ROI. Create Follow-Up Content: Develop additional content, such as blog posts or videos, that expands on the themes discussed during your live stream. This not only drives traffic but also supports ongoing brand storytelling. Implementing these strategies strengthens your social media marketing efforts, bolstering brand awareness and fostering organic growth for your small business. Conclusion Embracing Facebook Live can be a game-changer for your brand or business. By engaging with your audience in real time you create genuine connections that foster loyalty and trust. Remember to prepare thoroughly and utilize the right tools to enhance your broadcasts. Interactive features and thoughtful promotion can significantly boost your visibility and engagement. Don’t forget to analyze your performance after each session to refine your strategies. With consistent effort and creativity you’ll not only enhance your brand awareness but also build a community around your content. Dive into Facebook Live and watch your audience grow. Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of going live on Facebook for brands? Going live on Facebook allows brands to engage with their audience in real time, increasing engagement rates and fostering immediate feedback. It enhances brand awareness by showcasing personality and storytelling, making the brand relatable and attracting new followers. Additionally, it boosts organic reach without needing extensive paid ads. How can small businesses effectively prepare for a Facebook Live session? Small businesses should start by setting clear objectives for their broadcast, selecting quality equipment like a good camera and microphone, and ensuring strong lighting. Using streaming software that enables graphics and interaction can also enhance viewer experience, encouraging higher engagement and organic reach. What strategies can I use to engage my audience during Facebook Live? Engagement strategies include using interactive features like live polls or Q&A sessions, promoting the session in advance, starting with a welcoming introduction, and responding to comments in real time. Sharing highlights post-broadcast can also sustain viewer interest and encourage community building. What technical tips can improve my Facebook Live broadcast? Ensure a stable WiFi signal or 4G connection, test all equipment before going live, and optimize your camera settings for high-quality video. Clear audio is crucial, so use good microphones and troubleshoot common issues like lighting beforehand to maintain viewer trust and interaction. How can I promote my Facebook Live sessions effectively? Promote your sessions in advance by scheduling events and utilizing cross-promotion on other social media platforms. Engage with Facebook groups related to your niche and encourage followers to share your events. After the broadcast, thank the audience and analyze engagement metrics for future improvement. Why is analyzing broadcast performance important? Analyzing broadcast performance helps you understand what worked well and what didn’t. By looking at engagement metrics, you can refine your content strategies for future sessions, ensuring you meet audience expectations and improve your brand’s online presence efficiently. Image Via Envato This article, "Effective Facebook Live Tips to Boost Engagement and Grow Your Audience" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Engagement Boost: Facebook Live encourages real-time interaction, making your audience feel heard and valued, leading to increased brand loyalty.Improved Visibility: Live sessions enhance organic reach, helping your content appear more prominently in user feeds without relying heavily on ads.Preparation is Key: Setting clear objectives and using quality equipment enhances the overall viewer experience and keeps broadcasts professional.Audience Interaction: Utilize interactive features like live polls and Q&A sessions to foster community engagement and keep viewers interested.Effective Promotion: Announce your live streams across various platforms and engage with your audience to build anticipation and drive participation.Post-Live Strategy: Follow up with thank-you notes and highlight clips to maintain engagement and gather valuable feedback for future sessions. Going live on Facebook can be a game-changer for your brand or personal presence. It’s an incredible way to connect with your audience in real time, share your thoughts, and showcase your personality. But if you want to make the most of this powerful tool, you need to know a few key tips to stand out from the crowd. Why Use Facebook Live? Using Facebook Live offers significant advantages for small businesses. Increased engagement rate occurs as you connect with your audience in real time, encouraging immediate feedback and interaction. This interaction fosters customer interaction, making viewers feel valued and heard. Brand awareness improves through live sessions. You can showcase your personality and tell your brand story directly, creating a unique connection that enhances brand consistency. This approach positions your business as approachable and relatable, which can attract new social media followers. Facebook Live also boosts organic reach. Content shared in real-time often receives higher visibility on user feeds, reaching a wider audience without the need for extensive paid ads. This can support your overall social media strategy by integrating seamlessly with other platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Incorporating video content into your marketing enhances your overall content creation approach. Live videos are more engaging than static posts, making it easier for your message to stick with your audience. Moreover, utilizing Facebook Live as part of your social media campaigns can improve content sharing opportunities. Encouraging viewers to share your live stream increases your brand’s exposure, boosting the potential for additional user-generated content. Finally, analyzing the performance of your broadcasts via social media analytics enables you to refine future content. Monitoring engagement metrics helps identify what resonates with your audience, allowing you to adjust your strategy for even greater success. Preparing for Your Facebook Live Preparing for a Facebook Live session involves several steps that can enhance engagement and brand awareness for your small business. Proper planning ensures a smoother broadcast that resonates with your audience. Setting Goals for Your Stream Set clear objectives for each broadcast to drive effective engagement. Goals can include showcasing a new product, addressing customer feedback, or providing valuable tips related to your industry. Decide if you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads through this live video content. Defining your purpose allows for focused storytelling that aligns with your overall social media strategy. Choosing the Right Equipment Selecting the appropriate equipment plays a vital role in your Facebook Live quality. Invest in a good quality camera and microphone to enhance audio and visual experiences. Use strong lighting to create a welcoming atmosphere and optimize your video content. Additionally, consider streaming software that can facilitate graphics and interactive elements. High-quality setups can significantly increase your organic reach and improve your social media engagement rates. Engaging Your Audience Engaging your audience during a Facebook Live session can significantly enhance your brand’s online presence. Utilize several strategies to optimize viewer interaction and build a stronger community around your small business. Interactive Features You Can Use Live Polls: Use live polls to ask for viewer opinions on your products or services. This encourages participation and gathers helpful feedback. Q&A Sessions: Designate time for a question and answer segment. Invite viewers to submit questions in real time, fostering a sense of community. Comments and Reactions: Encourage viewers to comment and react during the broadcast. Responding to their comments builds connection and enhances engagement rates. Guest Appearances: Invite influencers or customers to join your live session. This technique promotes storytelling and provides varied perspectives that can draw in more viewers. Interactive Graphics: Use graphics and text overlays to highlight key points in your session. This increases viewer retention and keeps your content visually engaging. Best Practices for Audience Engagement Promote Ahead of Time: Announce your live session across all your social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Create a content calendar to ensure consistent messaging and build anticipation. Start Strong and Interactive: Open your broadcast with a warm welcome. Introduce yourself and invite viewers to introduce themselves, immediately setting a friendly tone. Regularly Respond to Comments: Acknowledge viewers by name and respond to their comments as they come in. This builds customer interaction and makes your audience feel valued. Utilize Content Sharing: After your session, share highlights on your other social media channels, like Instagram Stories or LinkedIn posts, to drive ongoing engagement and showcase your brand voice. Analyze Engagement Metrics: Use social media analytics tools to track viewer participation and engagement rates. This data helps refine your social media strategy for future broadcasts and boosts your organic reach. Incorporating these interactive features and best practices into your Facebook Live sessions empowers your small business to connect meaningfully with your audience, driving both brand awareness and community loyalty. Technical Tips for a Smooth Broadcast These technical tips ensure a seamless Facebook Live broadcast, bolstering engagement and brand awareness for small businesses. Preparation and Equipment Ensure a strong WiFi signal or 4G connection before going live. Tools like speedtest.net help you check your internet speed. Test your camera, microphone, and connection before going live. Perform a dry run by broadcasting to yourself or a small group of friends. Choose the right equipment; use a stand for your tablet or smartphone for the best view, and consider PTZ cameras for multiple angles. Optimal Settings and Resolution Resolution and Quality: Optimize camera settings for high-definition broadcasting, as Facebook recommends delivering clear video quality. Audio: Check microphones to ensure they are working properly. Poor audio quality can drive viewers away, negatively impacting engagement rates. Troubleshooting Common Issues Identify issues beforehand by running tests on audio and video. Address any inconsistencies in settings, as resolution problems can hinder viewer experience. Adjust lighting for optimal visibility. Poor lighting can affect video quality, leading to decreased organic reach. Have a backup plan in case an issue arises. Keeping a secondary device on standby can solve problems quickly, maintaining audience interaction and trust. Promoting Your Facebook Live Stream Promoting your Facebook Live stream effectively enhances your engagement and reach. Utilize the following strategies for maximum impact. Effective Pre-Live Promotion Strategies Schedule and Promote Facebook Events: Create Facebook events for your live streams well in advance. This approach gives your audience ample notice and builds anticipation. Engaging titles and detailed descriptions attract attention and encourage participation. Cross-Promotion on Other Social Media: Use platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to drive traffic to your live sessions. Share teasers, countdowns, and reminders to maintain interest across your social media posts. Announce Ahead of Time: Inform your followers about your upcoming stream, highlighting the date and time. Preview the topic, and invite questions to generate excitement and aid in your content creation process. Utilize Instagram Stories: Leverage Instagram stories to share behind-the-scenes content or quick updates about your Facebook Live plans. This aids in community management and keeps your audience engaged. Engage with Facebook Groups: Participate in relevant Facebook groups where your target audience spends time. Share details of your live stream, positioning yourself as an authority in your niche while increasing your organic reach. Post-Live Follow-Up Techniques Thank Your Audience: Acknowledge viewers post-broadcast with a thank-you post. This gesture boosts goodwill and enhances customer interaction, reinforcing community ties. Share Highlights: Post engaging snippets or key moments from your live stream on various social media platforms. This technique promotes content sharing and maximizes your video content’s visibility. Encourage Feedback: Request viewer feedback through comments or polls. This method leads to valuable insights, enhancing future social media strategies and content creation. Analyze Engagement Metrics: Review social media analytics to understand viewer engagement rates and preferences. Utilize this data to fine-tune your next live stream and maximize social media ROI. Create Follow-Up Content: Develop additional content, such as blog posts or videos, that expands on the themes discussed during your live stream. This not only drives traffic but also supports ongoing brand storytelling. Implementing these strategies strengthens your social media marketing efforts, bolstering brand awareness and fostering organic growth for your small business. Conclusion Embracing Facebook Live can be a game-changer for your brand or business. By engaging with your audience in real time you create genuine connections that foster loyalty and trust. Remember to prepare thoroughly and utilize the right tools to enhance your broadcasts. Interactive features and thoughtful promotion can significantly boost your visibility and engagement. Don’t forget to analyze your performance after each session to refine your strategies. With consistent effort and creativity you’ll not only enhance your brand awareness but also build a community around your content. Dive into Facebook Live and watch your audience grow. Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of going live on Facebook for brands? Going live on Facebook allows brands to engage with their audience in real time, increasing engagement rates and fostering immediate feedback. It enhances brand awareness by showcasing personality and storytelling, making the brand relatable and attracting new followers. Additionally, it boosts organic reach without needing extensive paid ads. How can small businesses effectively prepare for a Facebook Live session? Small businesses should start by setting clear objectives for their broadcast, selecting quality equipment like a good camera and microphone, and ensuring strong lighting. Using streaming software that enables graphics and interaction can also enhance viewer experience, encouraging higher engagement and organic reach. What strategies can I use to engage my audience during Facebook Live? Engagement strategies include using interactive features like live polls or Q&A sessions, promoting the session in advance, starting with a welcoming introduction, and responding to comments in real time. Sharing highlights post-broadcast can also sustain viewer interest and encourage community building. What technical tips can improve my Facebook Live broadcast? Ensure a stable WiFi signal or 4G connection, test all equipment before going live, and optimize your camera settings for high-quality video. Clear audio is crucial, so use good microphones and troubleshoot common issues like lighting beforehand to maintain viewer trust and interaction. How can I promote my Facebook Live sessions effectively? Promote your sessions in advance by scheduling events and utilizing cross-promotion on other social media platforms. Engage with Facebook groups related to your niche and encourage followers to share your events. After the broadcast, thank the audience and analyze engagement metrics for future improvement. Why is analyzing broadcast performance important? Analyzing broadcast performance helps you understand what worked well and what didn’t. By looking at engagement metrics, you can refine your content strategies for future sessions, ensuring you meet audience expectations and improve your brand’s online presence efficiently. Image Via Envato This article, "Effective Facebook Live Tips to Boost Engagement and Grow Your Audience" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Let's cut to the chase: I dread running in the heat. You could say I'm a big baby about it, in fact. But as long as all my favorite marathons are in the fall (Philly, NYC, Chicago), I'll be sticking to a summer training schedule. As the temperature rises and summer approaches, runners everywhere are shedding layers and adapting their gear for the heat. After six marathons, I know what it looks like to invest in proper running gear. Here's a rundown of my favorite gear that keeps me comfortable when the sun is killing all my strength and motivation to lace up and go. Lightweight, technical running shirtsWhen it comes to warm-weather running tops, technical fabrics are non-negotiable. My go-to shirts feature moisture-wicking polyester blends that pull sweat away from my skin and dry quickly. (This blend is what Nike coined as "Dri-FIT.") Look for shirts labeled with terms like "heat gear" or "cool tech." These typically incorporate mesh panels in high-heat areas like the back and underarms. At the same time, these technical running shirts can break the bank. Search for "moisture wicking" in the clearance section of your favorite brand of athletic clothes, and you should be able to snag some affordable options. I prefer slightly looser fits in the summer that allow for better airflow, though not so baggy that the fabric clings when wet. For particularly hot days, tank tops provide maximum ventilation while still offering protection from the sun's rays on your shoulders and upper back. And for anyone who wears sports bras, I recommend finding a bra you like and buying five of 'em (or however many sports bras you go through before laundry day). As it gets warmer, I've been a big fan of wearing a bra that doesn't require a shirt on top, although I know that's not an option for everyone. This sports bra from Ciele keeps everything in place for me, and has been my go-to this season so far. Breathable running shortsIn warm weather, the right shorts make all the difference. I've found that 5-inch inseam shorts hit the sweet spot for comfort and mobility, but definitely experiment to find the right length for you. If you're ready to splurge, the best summer running shorts feature: Built-in liners that provide support without restricting movement Quick-drying, lightweight fabrics that won't chafe when wet Small interior pockets for keys and running gels Reflective elements for early morning or evening runs I especially appreciate shorts with split designs that increase range of motion and ventilation when you're really working up a sweat. Lightweight, responsive shoesI've been getting into rotating my shoes to help them last longer—stay tuned for my results. For now, what you need to know is that finding the perfect running shoes is about so much more than style or brand preference—the right shoes are essential for performance, comfort, and injury prevention. In particular, summer is the perfect time to rotate in your lightest, most breathable running shoes. For my lightweight pair this season, I've been a fan of the Saucony Endorphin series. For more cushioning and stability, I work in my Nucleo 2s. I know that some runners even prefer shoes with drain holes, for when you encounter puddles or water crossings, though these aren't necessary for most road runners. I'm also dipping my toe (pun intended) into the world of barefoot running these days. Something truly minimalist, like Xero Shoes, usually cost less than traditional running shoes. This tracks, since they are significantly less material than your standard shoe. Seriously. Be prepared to train as a borderline barefoot runner. An extra shopping hack: The Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 drops June 1—making that week the perfect time to get a great deal on the Endorphin Speed 4. Saucony Women's Endorphin Speed 4 $169.95 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Shop Now Shop Now $169.95 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Saucony Men's Endorphin Speed 4 $169.95 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Shop Now Shop Now $169.95 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Hydration and fuelingI've previously dedicated full posts to fueling during runs, and I could fill a book about my opinions on running gels alone. (A rambling and entirely subjective book, but still, a book.) If you’re unfamiliar with gels, picture a syrupy Go-Gurt-like packet of quick energy. Most advertise a prime combination of carbs, caffeine, and amino acids. My preference in gels is aptly named Gu. Other runners swear by Gatorade chews, Snickers bars, or even some loose dates in a Ziploc bag. Proper hydration becomes even more critical in warm weather. Depending on the length of your run and water availability, I alternate between: A lightweight handheld water bottle with a hand strap (perfect for runs under an hour) A minimalist hydration vest for longer efforts My FlipBelt with multiple small bottles for more balanced weight distribution Look for options with additional storage for essentials like nutrition, a phone, and keys. The best hydration gear feels secure without bouncing or chafing, even when you're picking up the pace. And while electrolyte mixes are over-marketed, they still do come in handy when it's time to replace all those lost fluids. I plan on testing some this summer, but for now, I can recommend brands like LiquidI.V. and TailWind. CamelBak Light Hydration Pack $65.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Shop Now Shop Now $65.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Moisture-wicking socksNever underestimate the importance of good socks! Cotton is the enemy when temperatures soar, as it holds moisture and leads to blisters. Instead, I invest in technical running socks with synthetic blends or merino wool (which, surprisingly, performs excellently even in heat). Some also feature mesh panels on the top that increase airflow around your toes. If you want to spring for features like odor control and moisture management, be my guest—but I haven't found a world of difference for that higher price. This six-pack from Nike for $30 is par for the course, and I wouldn't spend much more than that. A reliable running hatSun protection is crucial during summer runs, and a good running hat serves multiple purposes: It shields your face and eyes from harsh sunlight, keeps sweat from dripping into your eyes, and prevents sunburn on your scalp. My guess is you probably own a baseball cap that gets the job done. I personally wouldn't spend money on a technical running hat. But if you need something special, look for lightweight hats with moisture-wicking sweatbands and mesh panels for ventilation. Dark underbills reduce glare without making your head hotter. Body glide or anti-chafing balmAnti-chafing products are essential. I cannot ethically write a running gear round-up with including anti-chafing tips. When sweat and repetitive movement combine, painful chafing can quickly ruin a run. I apply anti-chafing balm preemptively to common trouble spots: inner thighs, underarms, sports bra lines, and anywhere else friction occurs. The best products create a long-lasting invisible barrier that holds up to sweat and won't stain your clothing. This Body Glide anti-chafing stick works like a charm for just $8.99. This small addition to your running kit can make the difference between a miserable, cut-short run and a comfortable long-distance effort. Final thoughtsTraining in the heat is no small feat. The right warm-weather running gear allows you to maintain your training through the hottest months safely and comfortably. While quality technical apparel isn't cheap, as the years go by I'm learning to accept what a worthwhile investment they are for dedicated runners. Remember that the best gear is the gear that works for your specific needs. What works for one runner might not work for another based on body type, running style, and personal preference. Don't be afraid to experiment until you find your perfect warm-weather running kit. View the full article

Bids are due on Tuesday for companies hoping to acquire Rite Aid’s prescriptions business, which it calls “its most valuable economics assets.” While the pharmacy chain has indicated that there are multiple potential buyers, it has also warned of risks to itself and its customers if a buyer doesn’t step up quickly. The Philadelphia-based chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, and as part of its court filings, Rite Aid said a timely sale is necessary to minimize “significant” customer attrition that could erode the value of the company’s assets. If the sale of Rite Aid’s pharmacy assets is done in a “disorderly and ad hoc manner,” the company said, then customers with prescriptions—not just at Rite Aid but at competing pharmacies—could also face service disruptions if other pharmacies are “inundated with requests and cannot efficiently process” the transfer of prescriptions. Rite Aid is a distant third to CVS and Walgreens, though grocery store chains like Walmart to Albertsons also have pharmacy divisions. Still, Rite Aid said it fills more than 100 million prescriptions a year, which could equal a lot of extra time and labor for nearby pharmacies on the receiving end of transfers. “Those pharmacies must receive legal prescriptions, integrate them into their systems, acquire a sufficient supply of medication to fill the prescriptions, and be staffed to handle the additional prescriptions,” the pharmacy chain said in the filing. “This is no small task.” Reached for comment by Fast Company, Rite Aid emphasized that its customers can continue to access services such as prescriptions and immunizations during the sale process and that it is still in “active discussions” with potential buyers. The company didn’t directly respond to questions about potential bidders or how much customer attrition it has seen so far. ‘This is it for Rite Aid’ Rite Aid previously filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 and it’s very unlikely there would be a third bankruptcy, says Scott Stuart, CEO of the Turnaround Management Association in Chicago. “This is it for Rite Aid,” he says, adding that the dynamic explains why the company wants a rapid and successful sale of its assets. “While there’s some urgency, for sure, the court will have to make the determination if the urgency is as great as they’re making it out to be,” Stuart says. What also remains to be seen is what will happen with the 1,200-plus stores that Rite Aid currently operates in 15 states. The company is looking to sell its assets in two phases, with the pharmacy business up for auction first. In court documents, it has already marked dozens of locations for closure, saying it saw “limited to no value” in keeping them open. Once the sale process is complete, all Rite Aid stores will either be closed or sold to other owners. It’s difficult to speculate about the future because there are several different potential scenarios for the outcome of these auctions, says Sarah Foss, a bankruptcy attorney and head of legal at Debtwire, who has been tracking the company’s filings. Because of the licenses and regulations related to filling prescriptions, there is a limit to the number of buyers that could step up to buy Rite Aid’s pharmacy assets, she adds. It’s likely the pharmacy assets will be absorbed by one of the standing pharmacy brands, Stuart adds. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, he adds, because these chains have already been rethinking their retail footprints and some consolidation is necessary. Will other pharmacies be inundated with prescription transfers? There could be “some” fearmongering at play by Rite Aid about the risks of disruptions to pharmacy care, though competitors may be incentivized to sit back and await an influx of customers that will naturally flow to them, says Joe Camberato, CEO of National Business Capital, a lending platform for business owners. But pharmacy customers who choose to go to competitors to get their prescriptions filled upon hearing of the bankruptcy and impending sales could mean the value of Rite Aid’s assets deteriorate quickly, which is a valid risk for debtors, Foss says. That said, because customers have prescription needs ranging from ad hoc to those that are regularly filled, customer attrition may be less problematic if the pharmacy assets are sold quickly, she adds. “We should know by the end of week with a little more clarity what’s going to happen,” Foss says. Customers may win in the end There may be a silver lining here for customers because a degree of reinvention and innovation is sorely needed in these pharmacy-retailer chains, Camberato says. Whereas Walgreens has been working to automate the prescription filling process to speed things up, for example, Rite Aid dragged its feet, he adds. While it’s unfortunate to see a company as big and familiar as Rite Aid go bankrupt, Camberato says it could be part of a long-overdue reset for an industry that hasn’t evolved in years. “If it pushes the rest of the industry to actually improve the customer experience, streamline operations, and treat pharmacy workers better,” he says, “then maybe something good comes out of it.” View the full article

AI integration remains a top priority across enterprises worldwide, yet success remains elusive despite widespread enthusiasm and significant investment. An October 2024 study by Boston Consulting Group found that only 26% of companies have derived measurable business value from their AI initiatives. As a result, CEOs face mounting pressure to deliver tangible ROI, shifting focus from experimentation to real-world outcomes. Modern AI development increasingly relies on open-source foundations, enabling rapid iteration and innovation. Many transformative breakthroughs have emerged from community-driven development—primarily in Python, the dominant language in data science. However, as enterprises attempt to operationalize these advances, foundational cracks are becoming harder to ignore. Fragmented toolchains, limited oversight, and inconsistent practices introduce significant vulnerabilities at scale. Security, in particular, is a growing concern. Over half (58%) of organizations use open-source components in at least half of their AI and ML projects, yet nearly a third (29%) cite security risks as their biggest challenge with open-source tools. These are precisely the gaps Anaconda aims to close with its new Anaconda AI Platform, a unified system designed to bring structure, clarity, and control to the chaotic open-source AI development landscape. Founded in 2012 in Austin, Texas, as Continuum Analytics by Peter Wang and Travis Oliphant, Anaconda now supports more than 50 million users globally. As the longtime steward of the most widely used Python distribution—trusted by 94% of the Fortune 500—Anaconda holds a uniquely strategic position. “Since ChatGPT put large language models on the map, enterprises have been eager to own their destiny in AI,” Peter Wang, chief AI and Innovation officer and cofounder of Anaconda, tells Fast Company. “Enterprise-grade AI workflows naturally break down into a few key steps, each of which can be streamlined and handled in a structured way.” Wang explained these steps include managing open-source Python libraries, tracking model weights, and continuously evaluating model performance. “Right now, AI teams are stitching together ad hoc solutions to solve each piece,” he added. “The Anaconda AI Platform offers a unified foundation, an integrated stack that supports the entire AI lifecycle. It eliminates the need for disconnected tools and duct-tape integrations.” The platform arrives at a pivotal moment as organizations seek structure around open-source AI development. Wang described it as a centralized control plane for AI workflows, streamlining processes from sandboxed development to enterprise-scale deployment. It enables teams to “develop once, deploy anywhere,” whether in the cloud, on-premise, or in sovereign data environments—without reengineering from scratch. “Every decision we make in product update, new feature, or change—is with the intent of furthering the advancement and democratization of data science and AI for all,” Wang says. “Python is currently the developer language of choice for AI programming, and our new platform aims to make it easier for community members and enterprises alike to innovate freely with AI and without compromising security or compliance.” As models grow more complex and regulations tighten, organizations need full visibility into their AI systems. Beyond its bold vision, the Anaconda AI Platform offers practical features like real-time governance, role-based access control, command-line integration, automated error correction, and pre-validated package security. These capabilities aim to reduce broken environments, improve deployment safety, and support better collaboration across distributed teams. “Data scientists can continue to work in the tools they know and trust, while the Anaconda AI platform manages the complex orchestration of management and dependency resolution into invisible infrastructure rather than daily friction,” says Wang. “Our goal is to break down long-standing silos between data scientists, machine learning engineers, and operations teams, so that everyone works from a shared source of truth with full visibility into an AI model’s lifecycle, from development through deployment.” A GitHub Moment for Open-Source AI Development? Just as GitHub centralized version control and collaboration in software development, the Anaconda AI Platform offers a similar home base for open-source AI in the enterprise. “While the GitHub analogy is compelling, in reality, what we’re building goes much deeper,” Wang says. “AI development through open source faces pain points that consistently hinder progress across AI, ML, and data science teams in large organizations. We’re addressing those day-to-day challenges to ensure that innovation can scale without friction.” The platform’s unified CLI authentication simplifies access across the Anaconda ecosystem with single sign-on. Previously, users had to manually manage tokens and settings across tools. Now, they authenticate once for seamless access. For enterprise administrators, role-based access controls ensure that only the right people access critical resources, balancing governance with innovation. Additionally, the Quick Start Environments feature offers preconfigured workspaces tailored for specific use cases like finance or AI/ML, eliminating setup hassles and enabling immediate productivity. This significantly improves onboarding, allowing new team members to contribute on day one. “A technical director at a financial services company told us this eliminated a one-month turnaround time for package approvals, creating a much more fluid development experience,” Wang tells Fast Company. “Likewise, an industrial customer shared that they’ve been able to reduce the equivalent of two full-time employees previously dedicated to manual package management and approval workflows.” Anaconda standardizes access to thousands of secure open-source packages, allowing organizations to transition away from legacy data analytics tools. “By automating vulnerability scanning, package vetting, and security policy enforcement, we eliminate the risks traditionally associated with downloading open-source packages,” Wang adds. “This level of security results in 60% fewer breach risks when developing with Anaconda.” Building a Responsible Foundation for Enterprises As AI becomes embedded in enterprise infrastructure, organizations are no longer just choosing models—they’re choosing ecosystems. Wang noted that speed alone won’t define success in enterprise AI; true success lies in scaling open innovation while maintaining control. “AI shouldn’t be the exclusive domain of hyperscalers or tech giants. By providing the tools that make open source AI both secure and scalable, we’re empowering organizations of all sizes to participate in this transformation,” he added. “The future of AI isn’t just about technological capability—it’s about responsible stewardship of these powerful tools.” With its scale and trust, Anaconda may well become the GitHub of AI, offering centralized control and enterprise-grade security without stifling the innovation that makes open-source ecosystems thrive. Wang believes that open source is the ideal foundation for accelerating AI innovation. “When teams can deploy solutions consistently across environments without rework, they deliver value faster,” Wang says. “We want everyone to reap the benefits of open source, as open innovation leads to the boldest of breakthroughs.” View the full article

You can learn a lot about an app before you download it from Apple’s App Store, such as what other users think of it, the access it has to your personal data, and how much storage it occupies. Starting soon, listings will also include a section on something critically important to millions of people: the accessibility features an app supports. Designed to help users with disabilities make more informed decisions about which apps to try, these new “nutrition labels” are part of a bevy of announcements Apple is making to mark this Thursday’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day. The company says they’ll all be available later this year. The new accessibility-details feature, which really is called “Accessibility Nutrition Labels,” lets developers indicate support for existing Apple features such as VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion, and captions. Some app providers already cover this ground in their app descriptions; third-party resources such as AppleVis are also valuable. But for the first time, Apple is providing a dedicated, consistent spot for accessibility information. Users will know where to look for it. Developers who enable these features will get credit for their efforts. And with any luck, many more companies will be incentivized to make their products as accessible as possible. Apple is also spotlighting a new Mac version of Magnifier, a feature for making real-world text and other elements easier to see. (It’s existed on the iPhone and iPad since 2016.) The Mac version works with USB cameras or an iPhone’s camera to enlarge text, adjust its perspective and contrast, and otherwise help people with impaired vision read more quickly and easily. It can handle multiple sources at once—for instance, capturing writing on a classroom whiteboard while simultaneously scanning in pages from a book. It also works with a new feature called Accessibility Reader that reformats textual material to be more legible and is embedded in Apple’s operating systems, so it’s available in any app. Other new items the company is previewing for Global Accessibility Awareness Day cover all of its platforms. For example, Braille Access is a feature for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro that lets braille users take notes and perform calculations, either with the Apple device alone or with specialized braille input hardware. (Apple supports more than 70 such products.) A feature called Live Listen allows an iPhone to be used as a remote microphone and displays captions in real time on an Apple Watch. Eye tracking, an existing input option on iPhones and iPads, is being upgraded for easier typing. Vision Pro is adding new features for magnification and spoken descriptions of environments, plus software hooks to let accessibility apps such as Be My Eyes get access to its main camera. Even CarPlay is getting some updates, including the ability to alert deaf and hard-of-hearing users to sounds such as a baby’s crying, sirens, and honking cars. Yet another Apple announcement involves Personal Voice, a 2-year-old feature that lets people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) use an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to create a digitized version of their voice for later use after the progressive disease has made speaking difficult or impossible. When I wrote about the original version of this feature in 2023, the fact that a user needed to spend only 15 minutes recording phrases and wait a few hours for the device to generate the digital voice was an impressive advance over previous technologies for voice banking. Apple says the new version requires only 10 phrases and less than a minute of on-device computation to generate a voice. In a brief demo the company gave me, the results sounded significantly more natural than those from the first version. Knock Apple for being “behind in AI” if you please—but Personal Voice is one potentially life-changing area where it seems to be making a giant leap forward. View the full article

Everything is more expensive this year, and that likely includes utilities like your water bill. While growing vegetables in your yard can be enchanting and empowering, it isn’t very efficient (compared to farms) in terms of water usage. There are a number of ways to become more efficient and sustainable, including using drip irrigation, but another way is to only plant vegetables that don't need too much water to begin with. Watering at the root is keyBefore I get to the specific vegetables, it's important to go over a few general watering tips. Remember that vegetables get hydration through their roots, which live underground. Watering from above, like a hose or sprinkler, has problems: you’re getting the plants wet more than the roots, which creates conditions for disease spread; you’re watering less precisely, therefore wasting water; and the impact of the water against the dirt causes droplets to bounce back up with whatever fungus or viruses are in the dirt, also spreading disease. Watering gently and consistently at ground level with drip irrigation is the best option for both the plant and your wallet. To ensure you’re watering efficiently, group plants with similar watering needs together in your garden, so you can set the drip appropriately to water less. But even more important is remembering that roots grow over time. A new seedling has shallow roots, whereas an end-of-season plant has deeply established roots. More roots means that the plant can absorb more water from deeper underground. Less roots means less hydration from the soil, so more water is needed at a shallower depth. (Though some vegetables, like corn and lettuce, will always be shallow rooted, and thus aren’t good candidates for less water.) Hothouse plantsAccording to Oregon State University, a tomato plant's need for watering is negated by the deep roots the plants establish over the season. As above, you want to water sufficiently early in the season as roots are established while taking care not to over water, which will result in those roots staying close to the surface. If the plant needs water, those roots will grow deeper in search of moisture. Reducing water greatly, if not cutting it off entirely mid-season, shouldn’t harm your harvest. The lack of surface water will reduce disease spread, and tomatoes will ripen if you reduce their watering. It’s not only tomatoes, either: Squash, which includes zucchini, summer and winter squash, as well as melons, eggplants, and hot peppers all behave the same in terms of water needs and roots. Beans Credit: Amanda Blum Most beans, particularly pole beans, have adapted to drought conditions over time. As such, they can survive and produce flowers and fruit with minimal moisture. Beans require water to germinate, so if you direct sow, ensure the seeds have consistent moisture levels. Once germinated, you can reduce (but not eliminate) water. Since beans have such a short season (usually 60 days or less), they require less water simply by existing for less time. Less moisture is going to reduce common bean problems like powdery mildew, a quickly spreading surface fungus. Chard and okra Credit: Amanda Blum For some heat hardier vegetables like chard and okra, they still require water, but do better with weekly or every-other-weekly deep watering, as opposed to daily drip. Okra is native to drier climates and prefers less water. The deep roots of the plant allow it to draw enough water from the soil to sustain itself. Chard and kale can use their huge leaves to shade the ground, which is an effective form of moisture retention. Occasional deep waterings will be enough for the plant to continue growing. Blueberries prefer less moistureI know, blueberries are a fruit and not a vegetable, but I felt compelled to include the advice here anyway. Consider it a bonus tip. A few years ago, Micah Geiselman, a blueberry farmer from Morning Shade Farm in Canby came to inspect my many bushes, and he had surprising advice: “People over-water their blueberries,” he explained to me. They appreciate good drainage and do better with less water. I’ve since changed the elevation of my blueberries to ensure better drainage and moved watering lines further away—the results were astounding. I experienced better yields, but the berries themselves were plumper and better tasting. This isn’t conclusive, of course, since there are too many variables to account for, but I take the advice of a blueberry expert seriously. View the full article

Utility’s chair tells MPs that retention payments are needed to prevent rivals ‘picking off’ staffView the full article

Humans, for all our intellectual sophistication, are still tribal creatures at heart. We tend to gravitate toward people who are like us—individuals who look like us, think like us, share our values, and even mirror our quirks and tastes. On the surface, this makes intuitive sense. It explains the evolutionary origins of empathy: we feel the joys, sorrows, and struggles of others more deeply when we perceive them as part of our own “in-group.” But here’s the catch: What feels good for individuals can be disastrous for diversity. If left unchecked, our biological instinct to seek sameness undermines one of the core ingredients of high-performing organizations—diversity of thought, experience, and identity. When everyone around you shares your values, it creates an echo chamber, rewards conformity, and inhibits innovation, which emerges when different perspectives and conflicting ideas transition from a state of tension to a state of harmony. Likewise, homogeneity of values and thoughts blinds us to the talents, ideas, and perspectives of people who might see the world differently—even when they are the key change agents that can help teams and organizations evolve. Diversity is a survival strategy Even amid today’s backlash against DEI initiatives, smart companies understand that removing barriers for historically marginalized individuals isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a strategic advantage. Meritocracy is only possible when individuals are evaluated on what they can do, not how much they conform to the dominant culture. That means hiring for “culture fit”—a euphemism for “people like us”—is fundamentally flawed. If you only let people in who mirror the existing values and norms, you don’t have a culture—you have a clique. The goal should be to allow cultural outliers and diverse thinkers not just to join but to thrive. And that introduces a practical challenge: working with people who don’t share your values, including your way of thinking and working. This isn’t progress—it’s a stagnant loop. You’re building your team, your circle, with people who are just like you, which means you’re all stuck on the same wavelength. The result? Predictable outcomes and a whole lot of missed opportunities for innovation. You’ve got a room full of mirrors, not windows. You love others’ ideas because they are just like yours. Success today is less about being true to your own values and more about being open to others’ values—even, and arguably especially, when they conflict with yours. Indeed, the ability to question your assumptions, see the world through others’ eyes, and remember that just because someone is different doesn’t mean they are wrong, or that you are right, which will boost your social skills, and in turn your employability and career success. The more perspectives we add to a system, the denser its cognitive landscape becomes. Each new viewpoint introduces a different angle, a fresh interpretation—yielding more ideas, more possibilities, and inevitably, more complexity. This complexity isn’t a flaw; it’s the cost of a richer, more textured understanding of the world. But it also demands greater mental flexibility—the ability to hold opposing ideas in tension, to think in shades rather than absolutes, and to make decisions amid uncertainty. So how do you work with people who challenge your most deeply held beliefs? 1. Professionalism over authenticity For centuries, people have gotten along in professional settings by pretending to like each other, or at least by pretending not to despise each other. This time-honored tradition of civility still works. You don’t have to like everyone. You don’t have to agree with everyone. You certainly don’t have to invite them over for Sunday brunch. But you do have to work with them respectfully and constructively. This means biting your tongue, smiling when necessary, and keeping your grievances to yourself. Authenticity sounds great—but in a workplace setting, professionalism The Presidents it. 2. Find common ground Even if you clash over politics, religion, or lifestyle choices, chances are you can find some common ground. Maybe you’re both passionate about the same industry trend. Maybe you both enjoy dark roast coffee. Maybe you both root for underdog sports teams. Think of it like being stuck at an airport bar during a layover. You might sit next to someone who is your ideological opposite—but after 45 minutes and a shared frustration over delayed flights, you find yourselves bonding. Finding common ground is about building bridges of human connection that can support collaboration, even across a chasm of differences. Seek those bridges. They are there. 3. Respect process over outcomes You won’t always agree on what the “right” answer is. But you can agree on how to get there. Focusing on process—asking questions, debating ideas, testing hypotheses—can depersonalize disagreements. Instead of framing it as “my values versus your values,” it becomes “let’s figure this out together.” In healthy organizations, the best idea wins—not the loudest voice or the most popular opinion. Respecting the process ensures that diversity of thought isn’t just tolerated—it’s leveraged. 4. Get comfortable being uncomfortable Most personal and professional growth happens outside your comfort zone. Working with people who reject your values forces you to examine your beliefs, sharpen your arguments, and sometimes even change your mind. That’s not weakness; it’s wisdom. Instead of viewing discomfort as a threat, reframe it as a sign you are learning. Be curious, not defensive. Ask questions, listen actively, and try to understand—not to convert or convince, but to expand your own cognitive tool kit. In a world where the pace of change is relentless and the problems we face are increasingly complex, intellectual humility isn’t just a virtue. It’s a competitive advantage. 5. Practice rational compassion Psychologist Paul Bloom argues for rational compassion—the idea that empathy alone can lead to biased, shortsighted decisions, especially when working with people who don’t share your values. Instead of relying on raw emotional reactions, rational compassion demands a more deliberate, reasoned approach: recognizing others’ needs without being overwhelmed by them, and acting in ways that are fair, sustainable, and strategic. When faced with ideological differences, practicing rational compassion helps maintain respect and effectiveness without slipping into resentment or moral grandstanding. It shifts the focus from feeling good to doing good—even with those we disagree with. In a tribalized and polarized world, the future belongs to organizations—and individuals—who can collaborate across differences, not despite them but because of them. Working with people who don’t share your values is not just a skill; it’s a superpower. It requires maturity, empathy, curiosity, and a dash of tactical faking. It forces you to confront your biases, question your certainties, and grow beyond your tribal instincts. And ultimately, it makes you not only a better colleague, but a wiser, more resilient, and more open-minded human being. View the full article

Federal ethics rules now seem little more than decorationView the full article

The top five lenders had an average of 30,887 loans guaranteed in 2024. View the full article

For its first six decades in business, Target sat on the sidelines when a new U.S. president entered office. But on January 10, ahead of Donald The President’s return to the White House, the big-box retailer broke with tradition and donated $1 million to the The President Inaugural Committee. Two weeks later, the corporate giant offered the new administration a different kind of gift: It announced that it was pulling back on its diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, eliminating programs designed to increase its Black workforce and the number of Black-owned brands on its shelves. The backlash was swift. Rallied by civil rights leaders like Jamal Bryant and Al Sharpton, customers began boycotting Target’s stores. This is the same retailer, after all, that had mobilized to support the Black community in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, which took place 10 minutes from its headquarters. Within a year of that tragedy, the company had committed to spending $2 billion with Black-owned businesses and adding products from more than 500 Black-owned brands to its shelves by the end of 2025. Now even the web page that tracked these commitments has disappeared. Many saw Target’s abrupt capitulation to the The President administration as a sign that it had never really believed in social justice in the first place. For months now, consumers have been registering their unhappiness by staying clear of Target. Since late January, weekly foot traffic across Target’s fleet of nearly 2,000 stores has been down between 3.8% and 7.7% compared to last year, according to Placer.ai, which tracks people’s locations based on their mobile data. Target’s stock has plunged around 40% over the past year. The company is also facing the consequences of The President’s trade war. Even a 30% tariff on China means that the 30% of products from Target-owned brands that are still produced in that country will be much more expensive. And then there are the innumerable goods from other brands—and other countries—impacted by The President’s so-called reciprocal tariffs. There’s no question that Target is dealing with a barrage of setbacks this year, but the retailer’s troubles date back even further. (Target turned down Fast Company’s request for an interview, but responded to questions via email.) After explosive sales growth in 2021 and 2022, the company has been flatlining: Net sales dropped $1.7 billion, or 1.6%, in 2023. Last year, they declined as well, though comparative year-to-year sales were up about 1% (2023 was a 53-week year). Target was projecting 1% growth for this year—before the tariffs were announced. Meanwhile, CEO Brian Cornell’s 2024 pay, which is tied to the company’s performance, dropped to $9.9 million—a 45% decline from the previous year. It wasn’t so long ago that Target had a reputation for providing a delightful shopping experience, with tidy, brightly lit stores and shelves stocked with well-designed products at affordable prices. Under Cornell, who became chief executive in 2014, the company built up a portfolio of more than 45 private-label brands, which are now worth more than $31 billion in annual sales. The retailer also became the exclusive launch partner to dozens of pioneering direct-to-consumer brands, helping to cultivate the retailer’s “Tarzhay” mystique. But that charm has been fading due to a series of missteps that the company made coming out of the pandemic. For one, it overestimated demand and bought too much inventory, which weighed on profits. (The company’s operating income dropped by more than 50% in 2022. And though it’s recovered ground in recent years, operating income was still down 38% last year from its 2021 high.) As the company wrestled with this excess inventory, the store experience seem to degrade: Customers started complaining about messy, disorganized aisles and long checkout lines. More recently, Target’s reliance on selling discretionary products, which make up 50% of its business and most of its owned brands, has held it back at a time when consumers are feeling the pinch of inflation. Target remains one of the biggest legacy brands on the American retail landscape, generating $106.6 billion in revenue last year. The question now is whether it can pull itself back from the brink, or whether its best days are over. How Shopping at Target Stopped Being Fun The weekend before Easter, Target dropped a limited-edition collaboration with Kate Spade. Collabs like these were once highly anticipated affairs that drove shoppers into stores. A decade ago, shoppers mobbed stores to get their hands on items from Target’s Lilly Pulitzer and Missoni collections. But on the morning of the Kate Spade drop, only a handful of women showed up at my large store in the Boston suburbs. When the doors opened at 7 a.m., customers found employees still unpacking Kate Spade merchandise from cardboard boxes and putting it on shelves. Fifteen minutes later, as shoppers got impatient, a manager said they could just go through the boxes themselves to fish for the bracelets and purses they had come to buy—giving the whole experience more of a bargain-basement vibe than a partnership with a beloved, high-end designer. The problems continued from there. While the store has a dozen changing rooms, only one was unlocked. Customers tried to find an employee to open up the other stalls, but nobody was available. Some shoppers just gave up on their quest, abandoning piles of clothes on the floor. Target says the Kate Spade collab resulted in the company’s largest launch day for a limited-time collection in the past decade. Even so, Placer.ai’s data shows that there was a 4.7% drop in foot traffic at Target stores compared to the previous year during the week of the collection’s launch. Shopping experiences like mine seem to have become increasingly common at Target, according to our own reporting and reporting from The Wall Street Journal and Vox. “The stores are disorganized, product is never where it’s supposed to be, and I’ve seen expired product on shelves—which is the worst thing you can do as a retailer—and there’s no one you can even complain to,” says Sucharita Kodali, principal analyst at Forrester, who specializes in retail. “These are serious executional problems.” This decline of the in-store experience didn’t happen overnight. For years, Target stood out from low-cost competitors like Walmart and Costco by offering a more pleasant shopping experience than their warehouse-like, no-frills ambience. But things began to devolve in the wake of the pandemic. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, many retailers saw an enormous boost in online sales as consumers used their stimulus checks to shop. Target’s sales exploded by $15 billion, or 20%, in 2020 as it sold customers garden furniture and decor for their home upgrades, and sweatpants for their homebound lifestyle. But consumers’ shopping behavior shifted quickly when society opened back up, a change that caught Target by surprise, according to Mickey Chadha, a retail analyst and vice president at Moody’s. To head off supply chain issues during the pandemic, Target had placed advance orders for products that people would want while stuck at home. But when lockdowns were lifted, “suddenly it had a lot of inventory that it couldn’t sell,” Chadha says. “It would take them a long time to recover from that decline in profitability.” Soon after, customers started voicing concerns about messy shelves and long checkout lines. A year ago, Fast Company spoke with Target customers and employees who complained the retailer was understaffing stores. A student at Illinois Wesleyan University wrote an op-ed in her college paper describing how she has found empty shelves and trash on the floors of her local store, and urging college students to take their business elsewhere. Redditors vented that Target’s grocery and bakery sections were out of stock, and inventory was often misplaced. Target also put many products behind plexiglass in 2023 in response to a wave of organized retail theft. “Target’s strategy used to be to wow customers with their assortment of exciting, higher-end items in store,” says Nicole DeHoratius, professor of professional practice at Columbia Business School who studies retail operations and supply chains. “But if you can’t touch and feel the products, or even read the packaging, why would you even go to the store?” DeHoratius points out that a poor in-store experience is likely to drive customers to shop online. But this presents another problem for Target since its e-commerce operations are still just a fraction the size of Amazon’s and Walmart’s. For several years Target has invested $3 billion to $5 billion annually to speed up its online deliveries. It’s also partnered with Shopify to bring more brands into Target Plus, its third-party marketplace. These efforts have been working: Target’s digital sales now make up nearly 20% of its overall business, generating $20 billion in revenue. But Walmart’s e-commerce sales, which reached $100 billion in 2024, are growing roughly twice as fast as Target’s. And Walmart continues to invest in its delivery infrastructure. In February, it announced that it was offering same-day delivery service to 93% of U.S. households (Target reaches 75% through its delivery service, Shipt). Walmart followed up with news in April that it has redesigned its approach to shipping and could now serve an additional 12 million households. “Walmart’s online shopping experience is more sophisticated,” says DeHoratius. “If a Walmart customer doesn’t shop in store, [it] can capture that sale online, but Target is unable to do that.” Unsplash Choosing essential groceries over affordable luxuries Target is working through its operational issues. A year ago, in an acknowledgment of customer frustrations with the slow checkout process, Target said it would open more checkout lines and launch express self-checkout with limits of 10 or fewer items. But a bigger issue for the company is that its unique value proposition—of offering better-designed products at good prices—may no longer resonate with American consumers. The Kate Spade collaboration was part of Target’s 25-year-long strategy of partnering with high-end designers, from architect Michael Graves to fashion designer Proenza Schouler, to create more accessible versions of their products. Target has also invested heavily in its more than 45 in-house brands across the fashion, home, and beauty categories. Many of these lines closely mimic the aesthetic of other popular brands. (Auden underwear is a cheaper alternative to ThirdLove; Open Story luggage is similar to Away’s minimalist suitcases.) “Target’s cachet was that they offered good products at a decent price,” says Chadha, the VP at Moody’s. “Their private-label strategy was very successful because you could only get those products at Target, and their margins were very high.” Target’s appeal to middle-class consumers was that they could visit a store to buy essentials like toilet paper and dish soap while also browsing for affordable luxuries. This led to the “Target effect” of stopping at the store to buy a few basics, and leaving with $100 worth of products you didn’t know you needed. But over the past four years, consumers have consistently felt worried about the economy. And in this environment, they are less eager to spend on discretionary purchases. This gives Walmart yet another advantage. For one thing, Walmart’s entire brand centers on offering low prices. (Since 2007, Walmart’s motto has been “Save money. Live better.”) Walmart is also continuing to expand its grocery offerings, which now make up roughly 65% of the store, and is currently building five new high-tech distribution centers for perishable products. “In an inflationary time, consumers shift from discretionary to nondiscretionary products, which basically means food and essentials,” says Chadha. “Walmart has gained market share because of its food offerings. But it has also improved its own in-house brands, which means customers pick up a few other things on their grocery run.” Target’s competitors are, indeed, finding more success with their in-house brands. Costco’s Kirkland brand now generates more revenue than Nike, and Walmart’s new private-label grocery brand, Bettergoods, is one of the country’s fastest-growing. (Target’s ultra-cheap Dealworthy brand, launched last year to compete with Amazon and Costco, is also growing quickly.) Though grocery currently makes up 23% of Target’s selection, the company is starting to move that needle. Target generated $23.8 billion from food and beverage in 2024, up $9 billion from five years ago. To keep up with this growing demand, it’s opened three new food distribution centers over the past two years, bringing its total to eight. It’s opening yet another in 2026. Then Came the Boycott Target was already on shaky ground as 2025 dawned. And then The President took office. For years, Target had positioned itself as a progressive company, supporting Pride month with rainbow merchandise and running commercials celebrating “Black joy” for Black History Month. Chadha points out that Target’s social justice stance made sense because it generally aligned with the company’s customer demographics. Walmart tends to have very large-footprint stores in rural locations that are more right-leaning; Target, conversely, tends to have smaller stores in more left-leaning urban areas. “Geography matters,” says Chadha. “Target’s stores are in places that generally skew blue.” Target took a particularly bold stance in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. In addition to its commitment to buy inventory from Black-owned businesses, Target vowed to increase its Black workforce by 20% over three years, to donate $100 million to support Black-led nonprofits, and to offer scholarships to students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The directive came from the top. In an interview with the ​​Economic Club of Chicago a year after George Floyd’s murder, Cornell said the killing had compelled him to rethink his leadership at Target. “I recognize that it’s time to take it to another level, and that as CEOs, we have to be the company’s head of diversity and inclusion,” he said. But when The President took office in January of this year, his administration took aim at DEI, saying it would draw up a list of private companies that could be investigated for “illegal DEI discrimination.” Target abruptly announced it was pulling back on all of its DEI initiatives. Target was far from alone in capitulating: Dozens of companies, including Amazon, PepsiCo, and Walmart, quickly eliminated DEI programs. But Target’s reversal was more painful, says Jamal Bryant, the Atlanta-based pastor who helped kick-start the Target boycott. To Bryant, it revealed how superficial and performative Target’s promises to the Black community had been. “We’ve never asked Target for a handout; we were looking for a handshake,” he says. “And for Target to withdraw that hand so suddenly was disappointing.” On February 2, Bryant used his pulpit at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, to urge people to “fast” from shopping at Target during Lent, the 40-day period before Easter. He wasn’t sure whether the boycott would have any impact. But according to Placer.ai, foot traffic to Target across all stores has been down by at least 4% every week of the boycott compared to last year. Meanwhile, Costco and Walmart were seeing increases in foot traffic. “I was shocked,” Bryant says. “You have to understand, this is the largest boycott by Black people since the Montgomery Bus boycott.” For weeks, Target didn’t acknowledge the boycott. But days before Easter, Cornell sat down with Bryant and Reverand Al Sharpton, who had also supported the boycott. The civil rights leaders asked Target to restore its internal DEI efforts, deposit $250 million into Black-owned banks, establish new partnerships with HBCUs, and renew its commitment to invest $2 billion in Black-owned businesses. Cornell committed only to the last issue, so Bryant says the boycott is still on. (The week of April 28, Target’s foot traffic was down 5% compared to last year, according to Placer.ai.) The question is whether there’s any way for Target to bounce back from these many intersecting crises. The analysts I spoke with believe there is still time for Target to turn things around. For one thing, Target is a very big company; it has the resources to invest in fixing its operational problems and making inroads with the communities it has alienated. It wouldn’t be the first big retailer to rebound. Just a decade ago, Walmart’s stock plunged amid worries that it couldn’t keep pace with Amazon. But Walmart managed to beef up its e-commerce operations and is in a much stronger position today. Kodali, the analyst at Forrester, acknowledges that Target is at a low point, but she believes it can recover. “Retail is cyclical,” she says. “Target has lost its mojo, but it is not irreparably damaged. It needs to refresh its store experience, its technology, its employee training programs, but it can make a comeback. Target is too big to fail.” She says that 30% tariffs on Chinese goods—if that rate sticks—could actually help Target, along with other value retailers. “The tariffs will affect inflation more than lower sales for any mass merchant,” she says. As long as Target can improve its shopping experience, it could be a destination for what she calls “essential goods.” Last week, Cornell sent around an email to staff acknowledging the “tough few months” Target has faced this year. “There’s been a lot coming at us—macro challenges in the environment,” he wrote, “but also headlines, social media and conversations that may have left you wondering: Where does Target stand? What’s true? What’s not?” He noted that “silence” from the highest levels of the company have exacerbated this uncertainly. Cornell has yet to speak publicly about the company’s DEI rollback, and his message to employees didn’t mention it either. “I want to be very clear,” he wrote. “We are still the Target you know and believe in.” Whether he was stating a fact or an aspiration, however, remains to be seen. View the full article

It can be tempting for business leaders to overly rely on data to drive their decision-making. But so often that approach can sacrifice the human connection that’s needed between leaders and their employees and customers. At Fast Company’s annual Impact Council meeting last week, Elyse Cohen, chief impact officer of the Selena Gomez-founded beauty brand Rare Beauty; and David Ko, CEO of mental health and sleep assistance platform Calm, took to the stage to discuss why leading like a human is so important, particularly at a time of striking technological advancement. Data-driven human connection Although Calm leverages AI, the company predominantly uses those capabilities to democratize access to its app, which includes guided meditations, bedtime stories and soundscapes, and video lessons for movement and stretching. According to Ko, Calm is using AI to translate these features into other languages, expand content options, and increase people’s comfort levels with the technology. Ko wants to employ what he calls “human-centered AI,” which puts the user at the center of data insights. “We want to use the data to continue to evolve, to make the product better, so that ultimately we can make you healthier and be with you in your mental health journey every step of the way,” Ko said. For Cohen, AI plays a limited role in her day-to-day operations. Rather the data she looks to comes from robust customer interactions and feedback, which, in large part, stems from the company putting mental health advocacy at the core of their business from day one. “We didn’t anticipate a community like this. It really was launching this company at a time when a global pandemic was happening. Our audience was experiencing more loneliness than ever. And so by default, we created these virtual ways to connect, which then turned into this powerful community,” she said. “As the brand grew, it became quite clear that our community was the heart and soul of this brand.” Letting Gen Z lead Many of the lessons that Cohen and Ko have learned from their customers and employees about human connection comes from younger generations, who appreciate transparency in the workplace and want to see their values reflected in the brands they work for or spend money on. “The way everyone is so open about a therapy appointment, or being stressed, it’s not the same moment of hiding those feelings,” Cohen said. “It’s a lot more of wearing them on your sleeve and opening up the conversation for a leader to then ask how they are—and they will tell you.” As important as it is to allow employees to be open about their mental health in the workplace, Cohen also noted that it’s important for company leaders to engage with “kitchen conversations” across the board with their employees. “When it comes to the personal part of their life, that’s where they’re open and willing to talk and wanting to talk,” Cohen said. “I could tell you every employee that went to Coachella.” To Cohen, it’s about understanding “the whole person” and who they’re showing up to work as. “Our employees come to the office ready to talk and ready to actually share,” she said. Making mental health conversations company-wide Cultivating an environment where people feel like they’re actually being listened to can create space for vulnerable conversations, which build trust and are crucial to companies that create products and build communities centered around mental well-being. For Calm and Rare Beauty, that ethos originates at the internal level. Ko said that he’s dealt with panic attacks since the age of 14, but he didn’t start to think about how his own mental health impacted the environments he worked in—including, initially, at Calm—until later in life. “What I started to do was to open up dialogue around [my mental health], show my own vulnerability and talk about what I have been through,” he said. “If we really want to have conversations around mental health and the workplace, it’s got to be supported at all levels. If the conversation is just for HR [and] the benefit managers, it’s not enough.” Cohen agreed that the tone company leaders set permeates the business as a whole. “I think we forget that it’s how we show up every day,” Cohen said. “We can bring in every benefit we want. We can say that we focus on mental health. But it is truly how a leader shows up that creates the culture, and it’s the full ripple effect because it’s what everyone is following.” View the full article

Common personal care and beauty products like lotions, soaps, shampoos, eyeliner, and even eyelash glue can contain formaldehyde or preservatives that release formaldehyde—a known carcinogen that has been linked to cancer. And Black and Latina women could be at particular risk. Formaldehyde is a preservative (it’s a key ingredient of embalming fluid) and so it’s sometimes added to beauty products as a way to extend their shelf life and inhibit the growth of bacteria or mold. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are seen as an alternative to formaldehyde, but these chemical compounds do the same thing: they extend shelf life while slowly releasing formaldehyde into the product over time (just how much depends on multiple factors, but studies suggest longer storage times and higher temperatures lead to more formaldehyde released). That formaldehyde could then be absorbed by the skin, and even though the amount may be small, experts say low levels of formaldehyde still pose health risks. Personal care products are often used frequently, so repeated exposures could add up. These chemicals have already been found in hair-straightening products, which are predominantly used by Black women. A new study, recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, found that this risk extends beyond chemical hair relaxers to all sorts of beauty products: lotions, shower gels, face creams, shampoo and conditioners, hair oils, eyeliner, eyelash glue, and so on. In that study, researchers asked a group of Black and Latina women in Los Angeles about their use of personal care products over a week. More than half reported using items that contain formaldehyde-releasing preservatives—and many of those products are ones that the participants used daily, or multiple times in a week. Finding formaldehyde in beauty products For the study, 64 Black and Latina women were tasked with tracking all of their beauty product use, logging the information in an app developed by the Silent Spring Institute, a research organization focused on the environmental causes of breast cancer. (Silent Spring chemists authored the study, and it was part of a larger research effort between Silent Spring, Occidental College Black Women for Wellness, and Columbia University.) That app also asked them to take a photo of each ingredient label, which allowed the researchers to analyze the ingredient lists for formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives often go by complex chemical names like 1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, also called DMDM hydantoin or DMDMH, meaning they don’t actually appear as “formaldehyde” on ingredient lists. Fifty-three percent of participants said they used at least one product with formaldehyde releasers on its ingredient label, and DMDMH was the most common. Of the items that contained any formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, DMDMH was in 47% of skincare and 58% of hair products. The fact that these toxic chemicals are in so many products highlights the health risks women face, particularly Black and Latina women. One woman in the study used three products with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives: a leave-in conditioner, rinse-off conditioner, and a body wash. Some women used these products multiple times a day, like hand soap or lotion. Over a five day period, 20 study participants used lotions with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives for a total of 76 times. One eyelash glue even specifically listed formaldehyde as an ingredient. The preservatives were also found in hair gels, oils, curl creams, and edge controls, predominantly used by Black women. The study didn’t list specific brands or product names containing formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, though it did note that 12 such lotions were from Bath & Body Works. “While this study does not specify which of body lotions its participants were using, we rigorously test formulas for all our personal care and home fragrance products, including FRPs to meet regulatory and safety standards,” a Bath & Body Works spokesperson said in a statement. Protecting consumers from formaldehyde releasers Formaldehyde exposure is linked to adverse health effects, including increased risk of multiple types of cancer. Researchers say there’s been a growing concern about formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and how personal care products that contain them could pose a risk to women’s health, particularly Black and Latina women. Previous studies have connected the use of hair relaxers to an increased risk of uterine cancer in Black women. Others say these formaldehyde-releasing chemicals aren’t a concern. Unilever, for example, has a web page about how it doesn’t use formaldehyde as an ingredient but does use “formaldehyde donors” like DMDMH. It says they’re safe to use, per the U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel and Europe’s Scientific Community on Consumer Safety. Still, in Europe, products with formaldehyde are more regulated. The European Union has banned formaldehyde in cosmetics, and requires any cosmetics with formaldehyde releasers above a 0.001% concentration to have a warning label. The U.S. currently doesn’t ban formaldehyde in cosmetics (a federal ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers in chemical hair straighteners was considered back in 2023, and is currently stalled after President Donald The President paused all federal regulations). At least 10 states, including California and Oregon, have enacted or considered laws to regulate formaldehyde in cosmetics—either by banning it, or requiring warning labels for formaldehyde releasers. There has been a drop in products containing formaldehyde in California after the state’s Safe Cosmetics Program began in 2007, but experts say even beyond warning labels, banning formaldehyde releasers completely across the country would be the best-case scenario to reduce risks. The researchers suggest people avoid products containing DMDMH. Silent Spring has resources for how people can avoid formaldehyde releasers, including by noting the other chemical names for such preservatives that may appear on ingredient lists. Black Women for Wellness also has resources for consumers concerned about chemical exposure. “We’re trying to do the right thing,” Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of Black Women for Wellness, says in a statement. “But there needs to be more government oversight. We shouldn’t have to be chemists to figure out what kinds of products will make us sick.” View the full article

In large organizations, HR usually has a process for documenting concerns about employees’ effectiveness that can be used either to help fix those problems—or to provide a basis for later termination. One of the central records used for this purpose is the dreaded performance improvement plan, or PIP. If you get called in to see your supervisor and get hit with a PIP, you’re likely to experience a range of emotions. Understanding your emotional reaction and how to cope with it is an important part of moving forward successfully. Let’s consider a range of emotions you might be experiencing and what you should do: Feeling Grief One possibility is that the PIP comes out of the blue. You may be thinking that work is going fine and you suddenly find out that there are concerns. Because work is often an important part of both your identity and your ability to maintain your life and lifestyle, it represents a tear in the fabric of your life story. And that will trigger a grief process. The five stages of grief described by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) don’t necessarily have to happen in that order, but you should recognize that they may accompany the news that you are struggling in your job. You have to resist the urge to act on the basis of these emotions. If you get angry, you should not lash out at your bosses or the organization in email or on social media. If you feel like bargaining, take a beat, and avoid making promises that you will regret later. Instead, give yourself a few days to reflect on the situation. Were you dismissing warning signs about your performance? Are there elements of your job that you have been ignoring? Do you think the organization is looking for a way to show you the exit? After that reflection, schedule a meeting with your supervisor to talk over the situation. In preparation for that session, make a realistic plan for how you will address issues discussed in your PIP. Develop a list of questions you have about the path forward. Wait to schedule that meeting for a time when you feel that you can really hear the answers to your questions. Feeling Relief Perhaps surprisingly, you may find that the PIP brings with it a feeling of relief. You may have been struggling to complete your job responsibilities. Perhaps you feel that you’re in over your head. You might even hate your job, but were soldiering on by inertia. If the PIP brings a feeling of relief, it’s probably time to look for a new job. The feelings you’re having are helping you see that you can have a more fulfilling work life by changing paths. Make a list of the things you really like about your job, as well as those you don’t. Think about the characteristics of a job that would be appealing. Consider talking with your supervisor or someone in HR about alternative paths. Often, your supervisor wants you to be successful—even if that success means that you should be working elsewhere. They may have great suggestions about a role that would best suit your talents. Feeling Clarity Sometimes—particularly early in your career—you have a nagging sense that there is something wrong at work. You’re doing your work as well as you can, but feel like you’re missing something. You may have the sense that everyone else is working from a different version of the script than you are. In this case, the PIP may actually help to clarify what is going wrong. This can happen when you have a supervisor who is not good at providing regular feedback and coaching. In this situation, you can really dive into the PIP (after taking a day or two to see this as an opportunity, rather than a punishment). Sit down with your supervisor and other team members and talk about the elements of your performance that have raised concern. Ask about training and classes you can take to improve your performance. Find a peer who is good at these tasks and ask for some mentorship. The people who emerge most strongly from a PIP are those who embrace the opportunity for growth and lean into the chance to improve skills. As this process moves forward, talk with your supervisor about how to get more timely feedback on your performance. This conversation is likely to help you improve, and may also provide some feedback to your supervisor that can lead to their growth as well. View the full article

Amid the ongoing evolution of digital privacy laws, one California proposal is drawing heightened attention from legal scholars, technologists, and privacy advocates. Assembly Bill 1355, while narrower in scope than landmark legislation like 2018’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)—which established sweeping rights for consumers to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of their personal information—could become a pivotal effort to rein in the unchecked collection and use of personal geolocation data. The premise of the bill (which is currently undergoing analysis within the appropriations committee) is straightforward yet bold in the American legal landscape: Companies must obtain clear, opt-in consent before collecting or sharing users’ precise location data. They must also disclose exactly what data they gather, why they gather it, and who receives it. At a glance, this seems like a logical privacy upgrade. But beneath the surface, it questions the very structure of an industry built on the quiet extraction and monetization of personal information. “We’re really trying to help regulate the use of your geolocation data,” says the bill’s author, Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward, who represents California’s 78th district, which covers parts of San Diego and surrounding areas. “You should not be able to sell, rent, trade, or lease anybody’s location information to third parties, because nobody signed up for that.” Among types of personal information, location data is especially sensitive. It reveals where people live, work, worship, protest, and seek medical care. It can expose routines, relationships, and vulnerabilities. As stories continue to surface about apps selling location data to brokers, government workers, and even bounty hunters, the conversation has expanded. What was once a debate about privacy has increasingly become a concern over how the exposure of this data infringes upon fundamental civil liberties. “Geolocation is very revealing,” says Justin Brookman, the director of technology policy at Consumer Reports, which supported the legislation. “It tells a lot about you, and it also can be a public safety issue if it gets into the wrong person’s hands.” For advocates of the new legislation, the concern goes beyond permission screens. It’s about control. When location data is collected silently and traded without oversight, people lose agency over how they move through the world—and who’s watching. A power imbalance at the heart of location tracking To understand the urgency behind proposals like AB 1355, look at how current data practices operate. The core issue isn’t merely that companies collect information—it’s how relentlessly and opaquely they do so, often without real accountability. Consent, when obtained, is typically buried in lengthy and confusing policies. Meanwhile, data brokers operate with minimal regulation, assembling detailed behavioral profiles that may influence credit decisions, hiring, and insurance rates. Most people have little knowledge of who holds their data or how it’s used. For example, a fitness app might collect location data to track your exercise routes, but then sell that information to a data broker who assembles a profile for targeted advertising. This same information, in the wrong hands, could also be used to stalk an individual, track their movements, or even determine their political affiliations. “A lot of people don’t have the luxury to know that they should opt out or that they need to know how to find out how to opt out,” Ward says. Equally troubling, Ward argues, is who benefits. The companies collecting and selling this data are driven by profit, not transparency. As scholar Shoshana Zuboff has argued, surveillance capitalism doesn’t thrive because users want personalized ads. It thrives because opting out is hard, if people even realize they’ve been opted in. AB 1355 proposes a shift: Consent to collect and share data must be given proactively, not retracted reactively. Rather than requiring users to hunt through settings, the burden would fall on companies to ask first. That rebalances the relationship between individuals and data collectors in a way that could set new norms beyond California. “It’s designed to take a lot of the burden off of consumers, so they don’t have to worry about micromanaging their privacy,” Brookman says. “Instead, they can just trust that when geolocation is shared, it’s being used for the reason they gave—if they agreed to it in the first place.” Industry groups, unsurprisingly, have raised concerns about operational impacts and innovation costs. In particular, critics warn that the burden on businesses could stifle innovation, particularly in sectors reliant on data-driven services. The California Chamber of Commerce wrote in an opposition letter that was shared with Fast Company that AB 1355 would create “confusion in operability for businesses” and impose costly new compliance burdens. “Changing the rules has real economic cost to businesses and consumers,” the letter states. “Constantly doing so without adequate justification or need is irresponsible at best.” A state bill with national stakes The bill is part of a larger trend among states moving to fill the federal vacuum on privacy regulation. Since the CCPA’s passage, several states—including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Texas—have enacted their own data privacy laws. These measures vary in scope and strength, forming a state-by-state patchwork that complicates compliance but signals widespread concern. While most of these laws are general-purpose, a handful—such as recent efforts in Maryland and Massachusetts—have begun to zero in on specific risks like geolocation tracking, mirroring some of AB 1355’s core protections. Broadly speaking, California’s evolving legal framework, from the CCPA to its 2020 update via the California Privacy Rights Act (which expanded privacy protections in part by establishing the California Privacy Protection Agency) and now AB 1355, often sets informal national standards. Many companies adopt California’s rules across the board simply to streamline operations. That precedent-setting role isn’t lost on Ward. “I would hope that this could be model language that others could be able to adopt as well,” he says. But location data adds urgency. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, digital trails have taken on new weight. GPS data near abortion clinics or health apps tracking reproductive health are no longer abstract risks—they’re flashpoints in the national conversation about privacy, autonomy, and the role of technology in our most personal decisions. View the full article

Only one in four U.S. employees strongly agree that their organization cares about their overall well-being, with stark implications. Gallup reports that high employee well-being leads to improved performance, fewer sick days, and lower rates of burnout and turnover. “When your employees’ well-being suffers, so does your organization’s bottom line,” the group noted. At one time we may have thought that workplace well-being was separate from personal well-being. But now with digital overload, remote work, and a blurring of lines between work and home, it is a critical area for addressing how we feel about life in general. So how can organizations make mental health a real, lasting priority in the workplace? Here, experts offer eight strategies. 1. Speak up from the top and lead with experience “As leaders, the most important role you can play in creating a mentally healthy workforce is to tackle stigma by having conversations in the workplace around mental well-being,” says Zoe Sinclair, founder of the workplace mental well-being consultancy This Can Happen. Sinclair suggests leaders share their own lived experiences—like periods of stress or burnout—through internal company blogs, panels, or team meetings, to normalize mental health conversations. “Leaders have the power to create change directly from the top down. Ensure that you’re consistent in your approach and that mental health is regularly a part of your conversations in the workplace,” she adds. “This will truly help to tackle the taboo.” 2. Call out toxicity and don’t let it fester Reinvention coach and Uncaged author Katia Vlachos argues that one of the most overlooked contributors to mental distress at work is unchecked toxic behavior. “One of the most powerful things a leader can do to support mental health at work is to name the dysfunction, and actively protect their people from it,” she says. Vlachos has seen firsthand how unspoken dysfunction, from subtle gaslighting to exclusion, can erode trust and well-being. To foster a mentally healthy workplace, she says, leaders must “have the awareness and courage to say, ‘This [toxic behavior] is not okay. And I won’t allow it on my watch.’ ” “Protecting mental health means protecting people’s dignity,” she adds. To do that, she says, it’s important to create “clear, safe channels for employees to speak up—without fear of facing retaliation or of being dismissed as ‘difficult.’ ” “When people feel safe to be themselves at work, they don’t just survive; they thrive. And so do their organizations.” 3. Rewire workplace conversations Most workplace conversations start with problems (for example: We’ve missed our targets for the second quarter), say David Pullan and Sarah Jane McKechnie, leadership experts and the authors of The DNA of Engagement: A Story-Based Approach to Building Trust and Influencing Change. But this approach triggers our brains’ defense mechanism. A small shift in the structure of how we communicate can significantly improve psychological safety, and that can be done via Pullan and McKechnie’s “DNA” model: Dream-Nightmare-Action. This method starts with leaders acknowledging the Dream (a team’s aspirations), then addressing the Nightmare (challenges), and finally moving to Action (the solution). This sequence creates psychological safety because people feel understood before they feel challenged, the authors add. Collaborative conversations lead to engaged teams co-authoring innovative solutions. It’s practical neuroscience: “connection before correction.” 4. Use Generative AI to remove the emotion from employee feedback AI is more often associated with productivity gains than emotional well-being, but Michael Wade and Amit Joshi, professors at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and authors of GAIN: Demystifying GenAI for office and home, argue otherwise. “We believe that organizations and leaders can also leverage this technology to strengthen psychological safety within organizations—when implemented thoughtfully,” they say. They propose a GenAI-powered “anonymous feedback system,” a way of collecting, analyzing, and acting upon data or feedback from employees. Advanced AI systems can collect employee feedback while completely disconnecting it from identifying information, they explain. These tools can then analyze patterns to identify systemic workplace issues. Rather than simply passing along potentially charged emotional language that might trigger defensive responses from leadership, AI can reframe feedback into actionable, solution-oriented recommendations while preserving the substance of concerns, Wade and Joshi say. They add that for discussions involving sensitive workplace issues, AI-mediated communication channels can help establish psychological distance that enables more open and honest conversation. 5. Make accommodations, even if they’re small, for people who think differently Alex Partridge, neurodiversity advocate, founder of LADBible, and author of Now It All Makes Sense, knows from experience how conventional workplaces often ignore neurodiverse employees’ needs: “Being neurodiverse and trying to fit in isn’t always easy. For some people, the office can be a difficult place to focus and a sensory nightmare,” Partridge says. Seemingly simple accommodations—like remote work where possible and setting meeting agendas ahead of time—can be transformative, he says. “There are many times I have sat in meetings and been unable to think clearly enough to contribute,” he adds. “Time and time again, the outcome of the meeting was decided by the loudest and most confident voices, but often the best ideas were trapped inside anxious minds.” Partridge recommends forward planning to help all employees get the best from meetings. “All the information to be presented in the meeting should be sent to attendees via email, and then everyone has a deadline—24 hours works well—to put forward their solutions and ideas. “Small accommodations in the workplace can make a huge difference, and they’re something that all neurodiverse employees are entitled to.” 6. Redefine ‘productivity’ and model it from the top Leaders need to rethink “busy-ness” as a byword for productivity, which has a knock-on effect across teams, says Philip Atkinson, organizational coach and author of Bee Wise: 12 Leadership Lessons From a Busy Beehive. “Ask someone how they are, and the answer is often, ‘Good, thanks. Busy.’ We’ve bought into the idea that being constantly busy is success.” He points out that speed often leads to poor decisions and chronic fatigue—we might be ticking things off for a dopamine hit, but may be acting before we think. “We’re always on, always available. It’s become a badge of honor.” Instead, Atkinson suggests leaders prioritize what really matters. “Our competitive advantage, in the age of AI, doesn’t come from doing more but thinking harder. Instead of a ‘to-do list’, let’s try making a ‘to-don’t list.’ ” 7. Respect your people’s work-life boundaries “Every time you email someone a quick question at 10 p.m., you’re effectively saying that personal boundaries are optional,” says Nik Kinley, leadership coach and author of The Power Trap: How Leadership Changes People, and What To Do About It. He warns leaders to think carefully about after-hours communication, because what starts as a convenience or habit becomes a silent expectation. “People need time away to recharge their batteries and be fully productive. So, lead by example and cut the off-hour emails,” he adds. “Schedule all but the most urgent to be sent early the next day. If you see others sending nonurgent emails out of hours, ask them to schedule them, too. Publicly lay down the ground rules.” This isn’t just about mental health, Kinley says. “It’s about people sustaining high productivity and performance levels through extended periods of pressure.” 8. Prioritize human connection Leaders under commercial pressure often seek out quick solutions and focus relentlessly on results, says Josephine McGrail, wellness coach and author of The Morning Miracle, Messages of Love, and Fall in Love With You. “What people truly need is human connection: a place to speak and be heard, not judged, not fixed. We need to remember our human element in the workplace,” she says. According to McGrail, outdated management practices and paradigms such as “Don’t let down your guard” are part of the problem, and are actually unsustainable in the long term. “People thrive when they feel included—like they matter and their input matters.” “Fear and anxiety at work arise when we feel a deep sense of isolation and can’t relate to each other. Therefore, your team needs to see you present authentically as a leader,” she says. McGrail suggests leaders not only visibly celebrate big wins but also speak honestly about how they deal with disappointment and stress. By prioritizing human connection, leaders can better motivate and inspire their teams, she says. View the full article

I was mid-text argument with my colleague John when I caught myself, again, hovering over the “send” button, rewriting the same defensive message for the third time. It was about politics. But frankly, the content didn’t matter. What mattered was how my nervous system was lighting up like a pinball machine. I wasn’t responding. I was reacting. So I stopped. I paused the conversation, switched from text to voice note, and eventually asked if we could meet in person so that I could show up in a way that honors him. That single decision, to press pause, completely changed the tone and outcome of the conversation. By meeting in person, John and I demonstrated that we both really cared about each other, and we ended up not only resolving the disagreement but also learning more about each other’s upbringings and communication styles. Research done on international conflict suggests that taking repeated breaks from conflict can improve the odds of reaching an agreement. I call this the “strategic pause.” A PAUSE IS NOT A SHUTDOWN During my disagreement with John, I realized that I was operating from Superior Self Justin. In other words, I was approaching the conversation by thinking that I was better than him and, as a result, my words and tone were dehumanizing. I teach leaders to recognize the three “selves” that show up during conflict: Superior Self: I’m right and you’re wrong. Inferior Self: I’m wrong and I always mess this up. Equal Self: We’re both humans here. Let’s work this out together. Most shutdowns happen when we’re stuck in Superior or Inferior mode. We lash out or retreat. But a pause from Equal Self sounds like: “I noticed this conversation is starting to feel unproductive. I’d like to take a break so I can come back with more clarity and respect.” This is different from disappearing. It’s about signaling your intent to return (not escape) and taking responsibility for how you want to show up, even when you can’t control how the other person will respond. THE 90-SECOND RULE The brain isn’t wired to have a rational conversation in a heightened emotional state. When the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, is triggered, it hijacks your ability to think clearly. That’s where the 90-second rule comes in. Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, found it takes just 90 seconds for the initial surge of stress hormones to clear from the body (if you don’t re-trigger them by rehashing the moment). But here’s the caveat: 90 seconds might not be enough. Especially if the issue touches a core value or past trauma, or you’re entering the conversation already emotionally depleted. Sometimes it can take 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s hours, days, or even weeks. APPLY THE STRATEGIC PAUSE IN REAL TIME I will be honest. When my amygdala hijacks my rational brain, I don’t always catch myself in time to practice the strategic pause. The term “amygdala hijack,” introduced by psychologist Daniel Goleman, PhD, describes situations in which the amygdala overrides the rational prefrontal cortex, leading to impulsive reactions. Luckily, our brain’s neuroplasticity allows it to adapt and change in response to experiences and practices. Engaging in regular emotional regulation strategies, such as mindfulness and illeism, can strengthen the neural pathways associated with the prefrontal cortex, enhancing our capacity for self-control and emotional awareness. If you recognize that you’re in a dysregulated state in time (it’s okay if you don’t; we’re only human), the next step is asking for a break. To effectively communicate that you want a break, avoid accusatory statements such as: “You are making me feel triggered and angry, so we need to take a break.” Instead, use “I” statements. For example: “I’m feeling overwhelmed and want to pause so I can come back with more respect and intention.” WHAT YOU DO DURING THE BREAK MATTERS THE MOST A strategic pause only works if you use it well. I’ve seen people step away, then spend the entire time stewing in righteous anger, rehearsing comebacks, or screenshotting texts for third-party validation. That’s not a reset; it’s an escalation. During my disagreement with John, I asked myself: “What would Equal Self Justin do?” Equal Self Justin would want to know how the conversation could go better. He would listen more, and ask John about his story, upbringing, and value system. A powerful tool for regulating and accessing our Equal Self is illeism. This is the practice of talking to yourself in the third person. For instance: “Why is Justin so upset?” instead of “Why am I upset?” This creates just enough cognitive distance to reengage the rational brain. Strategic pauses aren’t a cure-all. You may still get stonewalled, the other person may escalate, or they might refuse to reengage. Unfortunately, you cannot control the outcome. But when you return as your Equal Self—who is clear, respectful, and regulated—you give the conversation its best chance to move forward constructively. View the full article

This past weekend, there were more disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport due to Federal Aviation Administration equipment outages. It has added to the air travel chaos at Newark over the past month, which has included air traffic controllers losing communication with planes for up to 90 seconds, and led to the delay and cancellation of hundreds of flights. On Monday morning, there were at least 59 flight delays and more than 80 cancellations at Newark, according to FlightAware data. Air traffic controllers and the 79,000-member Air Line Pilots Association, are calling on the FAA to update its aging infrastructure to ensure the system is as safe and efficient as possible. At least five Newark air traffic controllers have taken 45 days of trauma leave after the radar and radio communication loss during the busy afternoon of April 28. Caught in the middle of the issues at Newark is United Airlines, which is the most active airline at the New Jersey airport. While the problems lie with the FAA system, the airline is where people often aim their frustrations over cancellations and delays. This presents United with a unique brand challenge. The brand must find solutions and communicate clearly with its customers about a problem that it’s ultimately not responsible for, or in control of. United was forced to cancel at least 35 flights per day last week (as of Friday). Josh Earnest, United’s executive vice president of communications and advertising, says that while people understand that United Airlines is not responsible for running the air traffic control tower, the brand still has to act. “People know it’s not our equipment or employees managing the airspace, but our brand is so big, and our presence at Newark in particular is so large, that they expect us to do something about it,” Earnest says. Transparency is key For Earnest, the key to navigating a situation like this is for the brand to be as transparent and clear as it possibly can. United has a responsibility to ensure and assure its customers that not only are its flights safe, but that the cancellations are directly related to that safety. “We don’t usually aggressively promote the fact that we had to cancel a bunch of fights,” Earnest says. “But in this case, we did because people expect us to do something about the problem. And by taking 35 fights out of the schedule [each day], that makes it much more likely that the other 293 fights, or whatever it is, will operate on time. The airport’s less crowded, there’s less congestion. That’s us taking proactive steps to try to solve that problem.” The next step is communicating this to customers. So far, United has been utilizing social media and earned media to do that. The Newark outage story has been getting such a bright media spotlight that the brand has used it to get its own message out. United CEO Scott Kirby appeared on CBS’s Face The Nation this past weekend to talk about the issues. And Kirby’s original May 2 memo about Newark flight cancellations appeared in The Wall Street Journal just an hour after it was sent. Safety first Canceling flights would initially qualify as kryptonite to any airline brand. But Earnest says that while it may cause some short-term pain, it’s an investment in the brand’s long-term health. “The most important issue that people should associate with our brand is safety. The operational environment is messy, but the reason that it’s messy is that we’re keeping it safe,” he adds. “So when there’s a lack of staffing in the control tower or some other issue, the right thing to do is to slow down the operation at the airport, with more separation between the planes. That’s something that we’re going to need to continue to reinforce, and we’re going to spend our credibility to do it. The good news is that’s not a tough decision to make because it’s actually our first and highest priority.” The situation in Newark hasn’t slowed down United’s marketing operation. This week, the airline unveiled and prompted its first flights featuring Starlink Wi-Fi. Earnest says that in times like this, the brand is provided an opportunity to really shine. “If we handle it well, we will earn credibility with our customers in those moments,” he says. “As challenging as this is, it is an opportunity for us to actually earn even more of our customers’ confidence.” View the full article

If you saw a group of millennials out on a Saturday in the mid-2010s, they were most likely wearing leggings—the uniform of that era. And there’s a good chance they were Lululemon’s Align leggings. Ten years ago today, Lululemon’s designers developed a new material called Nulu that was buttery soft, thin, and stretchy. It put them into a $98 pair of leggings called Align. The fabric proved so irresistible that women started wearing the pants right out of the yoga studio and into the rest of their lives. On the newly launched Instagram app, you would see twenty- and thirtysomethings wearing the pricey leggings out to brunch, or for school pickups, or on long flights. Some women even wore them to the office with a crisp button-down oxford shirt. If the Align legging didn’t kick-start athleisure—blending activewear with everyday outfits—then it certainly accelerated the trend. And it helped propel Lululemon from a scrappy yoga startup into a global activewear giant. Over the past decade, Lululemon has generated more than $1 billion on its Align franchise. And it has spawned so many copycats from other brands that two years ago it launched an entire “dupe swap” marketing campaign, where it invited people to trade in their dupes to get the real thing. Chip Wilson, a yoga obsessive, launched Lululemon in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1998. For its first decade in business, the company remained small and focused on designing high-quality clothing that was perfect for yoga, which was taking off throughout North America. But by 2010, the company’s growth accelerated as it went public and began expanding its network of stores. In 2012, Lululemon hit $1 billion in annual revenue. After the Align leggings launched, the company scaled quickly, growing from $1.8 billion to $10.8 billion over the past decade. Today, Lululemon is celebrating the anniversary of the Align pants by launching a range of new products, including a dress and a new version of the pants that offer a seamless construction in the front, developed with customer feedback. But the company is also thinking ahead about how it must evolve beyond this comfortable legging into entirely new categories of clothing. I sat down with Antonia Iamartino, senior director of franchise innovations, research, and product innovation, to hear about how she created the Align pant and how she’s thinking ahead about how to spin out the next billion-dollar franchises for Lululemon. Antonia Iamartino Designing a Billion-Dollar Pant Back in 2015, most people went into the yoga studio wearing sweatpants or compression leggings designed for running. Iamartino joined Lululemon in 2005, shortly after she trained as a fashion designer in Vancouver. A decade ago, she was promoted to oversee the yoga category. In this new role, she wanted to design a pair of pants that were ideal for the practice, which involves a variety of physical postures and movements. At the time, Lululemon had developed a very specific design philosophy called the “science of feel,” which was about creating garments that responded to the way people wanted to feel in a particular moment, rather than the purely technical features of a garment. In focus groups, Iamartino began to get a sense of how yogis wanted to feel throughout their yoga practice. “They talked about wanting softness and warmth,” she recalls. “They wanted pieces that felt cozy and inviting.” Iamartino set out to find a material that would meet these specifications. This was a challenge, because many of the fabric mills that Lululemon worked with were used to creating athletic apparel. “Our inspiration was the texture of a rose petal; something that felt soft and textured,” she says. “But it was hard to find this among the nylon fabrics on the market.” Over the course of 18 months, she worked with various mills, providing details about what she was looking for. After co-creating 10 different iterations of the material with the mills, she landed on the fabric that would become Nulu. The material had a very soft texture thanks to a process called napping that creates a fuzzy, velvet-like feel on the surface. The matte texture of Lululemon’s leggings made them different from much of the slick, shiny sports apparel that was popular at the time. The material was also very lightweight and had just enough compression to make the wearer feel gently hugged but not tightly restricted. “When we landed on this material, the feedback was unanimous and quick,” Iamartino remembers. “It was clear we had found something that was very appealing to yogis.” Beyond the Yoga Studio When the Align leggings launched, they were an immediate hit. On social media, women raved about how comfortable they were for yoga. But over time, as word about them spread, customers realized they wanted to wear the pants all the time. Iamartino says that Lululemon happened to catch some important fashion trends along the way. For one thing, skinny jeans were in style back then. Black leggings were aesthetically similar, and could be paired with the same tops you might wear with denim. Fashion was also becoming more casual, so some people felt comfortable wearing leggings to college classes or even to some workplaces. Finally, fitness and wellness were taking off, as people invested in their health by working out and doing yoga, creating a $100 billion global industry. But mostly, Iamartino believes Align was successful because of how it made the wearer feel. Store managers began to report about how customers would come out of the changing room and do a little dance in their Align pants, feeling the leggings with their hand and bouncing around. Ultimately, Iamartino believes that staying laser-focused on the goal of creating comfort helped Lululemon achieve a pair of leggings that transcended the practice of yoga. “We likely wouldn’t have gotten the same result if we had set out to design the best casual pant,” she says. “It was really the purity of our intention that helped us achieve this fabric, which had this universal appeal. All the tenets that we designed against—the quality, the stitching, the texture—really transcended the experience of yoga in the end.” But What Comes Next? Over the past 10 years, as the Align pant exploded in popularity, Iamartino helped transform the garment from a single product into a franchise. She worked with her team of designers to develop new products, like shorts and wide-leg pants. Now there’s even an Align dress. The next step is helping Lululemon think about how it can create the next big franchises. In many ways, the COVID-19 lockdowns took clothing to its casual extreme, with people wearing sweatpants for months on end. But in the post-pandemic world, Iamartino believes people are moving in the other direction and opting for clothing that is dressier. In conversations with customers, Lululemon staffers found that fewer people are wearing leggings and joggers to work; they’re looking for pieces that are drawn from a more formal wardrobe, like trousers and blazers. “But what’s different, this time around, is that they are unwilling to compromise on comfort,” Iamatino says. “So pieces need to look more formal on the exterior but feel much more comfortable.” Lululemon’s designers are now focused on creating pieces that do just this. The company made its first foray into clothing that could be worn to the office in the mid-2010s, as it launched trousers for both men and women that looked a lot like khakis but were made from technical fabrics. Over the years, as customers began to see Lululemon as a brand that could outfit them for work, the brand has expanded its range of professional garments. This year, one of its bestsellers is its women’s Daydrift trousers, which have the silhouette of old-school men’s trousers, with pleats and a waistband. But they’re actually pull-up pants made from a stretchy fabric that’s infused with Lycra. They feel extremely soft to the touch. The trousers have been very popular among working professionals, and Lululemon has been struggling to keep them in stock. Iamartino is now thinking about how Daydrift could also become a franchise. The brand is launching Daydrift shorts for the summer, with more possible products in the pipeline. Lululemon is launching other garments that are designed for the office, and much like with Align, the company spends a lot of time developing the right fabric for these pieces. For its blazer, for instance, Lululemon has created a till fabric with a textured feel akin to cotton or wool that is made from a wrinkle-free synthetic material. Lululemon’s success over the course of its history has come down to innovation. It began as a yoga brand, but over the years it has created garments for a wide range of activities. Now it’s next evolution is to create clothes that allow you to move comfortably through the rest of your life. And the lesson that Iamartino takes from designing the Align pants is that the way to succeed is to thoughtfully design products that make people feel good no matter what they’re doing. “We know people today want to feel polished but also comfortable as they’re moving throughout their life,” she says. “We can design around that.” View the full article

The odds of winning the lottery are about one in 300 million. If you have a tattoo of an old Mountain Dew logo on your body, your odds of winning Mountain Dew’s new sweepstakes are much, much higher. The soda’s owner, PepsiCo, is launching the contest to celebrate Mountain Dew’s new logo hitting store shelves. It’s asking people who have a tattoo of the old Mountain Dew logo to upload a photo to social media and tag Mountain Dew for a chance to win a trip for two to Las Vegas to get a tattoo of the new logo. Last year, Mountain Dew retired its jagged, abbreviated “Mtn Dew” logo introduced in 2009 for a new logo that spells out the citrus soda brand’s entire name. If the old visual identity was styled in the fashion of Y2K-era extreme sports and gaming, the new one was designed to look modern, outdoorsy, and retro-inspired. The new brand mascot, “Mountain Dude,” wears long hair, aviators, and a green fur coat to convey its new brand persona. The contest is a bid to promote the rebrand with the drink’s most devoted fans: people who love Mountain Dew so much they already made it permanent. Entrants just have to post a photo of their tattoo with the hashtag #DoTheDewTattooSweepstakes on Instagram or X—and no cheating, since tattoos have to be from before May 6, 2025, when the contest began. PepsiCo estimates there are “hundreds” of people with the old logo, though a cursory search shows just five accounts have posted photos of old Mountain Dew logo tattoos. The contest will award five winners, so if you’re a legal U.S. resident of one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., and at least 21 years old with an old Mountain Dew logo tattoo, you could likely win one of the sweepstakes prizes: round-trip flights for two to Las Vegas, a three-night’s stay at the Mandalay Bay luxury resort and casino, and some spending money ($500 for fun and $900 in credits for food and beverage). Who is getting this tattoo? Getting a logo tattoo is a high-commitment act of loyalty to a brand, but companies have found plenty of willing fans to trade their skin for prizes. There were 381 people who agreed to get Domino’s logo tattooed on their bodies to win a “100 pizzas a year for 100 years” promotion in Russia in 2019, and Subway awarded as many as nine winners to get tattoos to win free sub sandwiches in 2022. For Mountain Dew, though, it’s latest promotion is all about fan service and the love of the game. It’s not handing out free cases of soda in return for getting a tattoo like brands have done before. Instead it’s rewarding people who already had tattoos of the logo. It’s a branding stunt, sure. But it’s also a brand heritage play, since it’s all about past iterations of the logo. Should winners feel attached to their current Dew tattoo, the sweepstakes fine print is on their side: Instead of getting inked with the new Mountain Dew logo, they can just pocket the $2,000. View the full article

BESSEMER, Ala.—They all came here for peace, and so far, the land has given it to them. For Marshall Killingsworth, the peace comes from the owls whose hoots echo across the valley as he sits in his favorite spot in his garden. For David Havron, it’s looking up at the stars at night as the moonlight glistens off the lake just outside his back door. For Mary Rosenboom, it’s the calls of the songbirds as the sun slowly sets over the hilly terrain. For Becky Morgan, it’s the view of the mountain from her recliner—through the long windows that line the sides of her home. But all these residents in this area of rural Jefferson County are afraid—fearful that their peace may soon be disturbed. “Town is moving closer to us,” Jeff Lowe said last week. “And we’re not happy about it.” Marshall Killingsworth Killingsworth, Havron, Rosenboom, Morgan, and Lowe are just a few of the residents whose homes are adjacent to a 700-acre, wooded plot of land that soon may be transformed, through years of construction, into a 4.5-million-square-foot data processing center located just within the city limits of Bessemer, Alabama, a city of about 25,000 southwest of Birmingham. If built to planned capacity, the data center would be one of the largest in the United States and could become one of the largest single consumers of electricity in the state. Of nearly a dozen residents interviewed by Inside Climate News, none expressed support for the project as planned. Instead, all shared fear and frustration over their inability to obtain information about the $14.5 billion proposal from politicians charged with representing the public. Efforts by Inside Climate News to speak with public officials in Bessemer about the proposal, called Project Marvel, were met with silence. The mayor, his chief of staff and the city’s attorney all signed a nondisclosure agreement with the developer, staffers said, and would not be able to answer questions about the project. Members of the Bessemer City Council, tasked with approving or rejecting the rezoning necessary for the proposed data center, have repeatedly refused to comment. “I thought I answered your question,” said Carla Jackson, a council member who represents the area of Bessemer where the data center is planned. “And I was so sweet about it. Right now, while it’s under litigation, I’m not going to talk about it.” The Details on Data Centers In the last decade, technological evolution has quickened pace, with massive data centers now in demand for more intensive computational tasks like cryptocurrency mining and processing artificial intelligence requests. That digital demand, in turn, has made its way into the physical world as tech companies search for cheap land, electricity, water, and resources necessary for the development of large data processing centers like the one being proposed in Bessemer. A data center is like a city with computer servers as the buildings, requiring network cables, power sources, and cooling infrastructure, like roads, power lines, and sewer networks in a municipality. Data flows like traffic. Similar to the police and surveillance in a city, a data center also has security infrastructure—electric fences, anti-ram barriers, infrared cameras, alarms, lights, and sometimes even guard stations and other surveillance systems to protect against attacks. As of early 2025, the United States has more than 5,000 data centers, according to industry reports, compared to around 1,000 just five years earlier. And with that increased demand comes an inevitable, increased demand for resources. Project Marvel The proposed data center campus in Bessemer, if realized, would consist of 18 buildings, each larger than the average Walmart Supercenter, that would house massive server farms for data storage and processing. Located on about 700 acres of wooded land currently zoned for agricultural use, the proposed physical infrastructure would require the permanent clear-cutting of at least 100 acres of forest. The company behind the project is a newly created limited liability company, Logistics Land Investments, first formed in May 2023, according to records from the Delaware secretary of state. The company’s registered agent is not a person, according to business records, but the Corporation Trust Company, also based in Delaware—an entity that has been used by large tech companies like Google and Apple for corporate dealings in the past. Despite its brief history, Logistics Land Investments has already found itself in at least one legal battle. Court records show that company has been sued by the First Baptist Church of Red Oak, Texas, a place of worship that was located on land the development company was interested in buying for another project. After the sale fell through, the church sued, arguing that the company had breached their agreement. The president of Bessemer’s City Council, Donna Thigpen, was the only public official interviewed who confirmed she had not yet signed an NDA. In fact, Thigpen said, she’d been largely left in the dark on the proposed data center thus far. “We have not met with the builders yet,” she said. “We know nothing about it.” She referred further questions to the mayor’s office, though she noted he’d signed an NDA. The mayor’s office did not respond to several requests for comment. The only information about the project made public so far has been in limited answers from the company’s attorneys to residents’ concerns in planning and zoning meetings held earlier this year. Those few answers provide only small, fragmented insights into what could be one of the largest capital outlays in recent state history. But even that information is probably more than is legally required to be given to residents, according to arguments made by an attorney for Bessemer in a recent court hearing. “There’s no provision in the code of Alabama that authorizes the asking of questions, the furnishing of environmental reports or development plans, or anything of that nature,” he told a Bessemer judge. “You have a right to be heard as to whether you agree with that ordinance or not. Nothing more, nothing less.” The city had landed in court after a group of residents filed suit, claiming that property owners weren’t given proper public notice ahead of a recent public hearing on the proposal. Because residents packed the meeting room, the city argued in court, there was no deficiency in public notice. Monica Agee, a Jefferson County Circuit Judge in the Birmingham division, issued a temporary restraining order on April 14 preventing the Bessemer City Council from voting on the proposed rezoning of the property from agricultural to industrial. After issuing the restraining order, Agee transferred the case to the county’s Bessemer division, where the matter was scheduled for a hearing. Agee’s temporary restraining order was “wrong and illegal,” attorney Shan Paden, representing the city, told Bessemer judge David Hobdy at an April 23 hearing. Hobdy scolded the lawyer for his comments about the judge. “I take issue with the fact that you’re saying that judge knew what she was doing was wrong,” Hobdy said. “That’s a circuit judge of Jefferson County, too, so I think she had appropriate authority to act at her discretion.” Lawyers for both the residents and the city of Bessemer brought up the size of the project in making their respective arguments about how the judge should eventually rule. “This is a $14 billion project,” Paden said. “To give you the scope of that, the entire value of all the real estate in the city of Bessmer in 2018 was $345 million dollars,” Paden said in part. Public officials should be judging the merits of such a project, the lawyer argued, not a judge. Lawyers for the residents living near the proposed data center site, on the other hand, argued that the size of the project demands robust public notice and close adherence to relevant law. “This is about protecting property owners’ rights to protect their land from money-grabbing AI developers who have devastated many, many communities across the country,” the residents’ attorney, Reginald McDaniel, said. John Parker Yates, another attorney for the residents, reminded the judge that the identity of the developer and its potential client is still not known. “This could be a Chinese data center,” he said. “And that’s scary—that could be happening in our backyard and us not know.” In the end, Judge Hobdy chose not to dismiss the lawsuit outright as lawyers for the city of Bessemer had asked him to do. Instead, he told both parties that he planned to hold over the case long enough for city officials to begin the public notice process and rezoning process again, in accordance with Alabama law. If and when that process is complete, the judge said, he’d consider ordering a dismissal in the case. Hobdy set a status update hearing in the case for August 1. Despite the delay in the necessary rezoning achieved through the residents’ lawsuit, community members opposed to the project now have another, likely more difficult task ahead: to convince public officials to vote against moving the proposal forward. Marshalling the Troops Marshall Killingsworth walked in his garden on a recent afternoon, his daylilies blooming in the warm Alabama sun. Killingsworth, 80, retired after working for decades in IT at major companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Drummond Coal. Even in retirement, though, he’s busier now than ever. He spends much of his time outside, tending to an elaborate, well-kept yard overlooking a wooded valley where the data center is now proposed to be built. Soon, Ron and Becky Morgan, married nearly 28 years, came and sat with Killingsworth. Ron, an Army veteran, jumped into the conversation as soon as he arrived, talking intensely about potential noise, light pollution and the environmental impact of the necessary clear-cutting and construction. Becky placed her arm on Ron’s leg. “We just got here,” she said, laughing. “Other people want to talk too.” “You Can’t Turn It Off Like AC” In Alabama, almost all the new electric demand that the state’s largest energy company, Alabama Power, has projected is for data centers, said Daniel Tait, executive director of Energy Alabama, a nonprofit organization that advocates for clean energy in the state. Many data centers use alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, nuclear and hydrogen, to reduce carbon emissions and reduce their reliance on the electric grid, although investors in the Bessemer project have not outlined any such plans. Lawyers representing Logistics Land Investments did not respond to requests for comment. As demand for digital content grows, an “arms race” has escalated between tech giants to build digital warehouses and bring their services to market first. Data centers were initially smaller and demanded 50 to 200 megawatts of power to run. Driven by the development of AI, a new, second round of data centers uses five times more energy, averaging 2 to 3 gigawatts to sustain operations. They are considered “high capacity” because once the center is running, it doesn’t stop. “You can’t turn it off like the AC,” Tait said. If built to full capacity, the Bessemer data center campus is projected to consume around 1,200 megawatts of energy and could feasibly consume around 10.5 million megawatt hours per year. That’s more than 90 times the amount of energy used by all residences in Bessemer and more than 10 times the amount of energy used by all residences in Birmingham annually. Increased demand for energy, or at least the potential for it, is already driving Alabama Power’s desire to double down on fossil fuel investments. The company, an effective monopoly, has asked the state’s Public Service Commission to approve its purchase of a gas-powered power plant in recent days, potentially exacerbating the state’s reliance on dirty energy that contributes to climate change. When a technology company proposes to a municipality to build a new digital storehouse, however, sometimes “elevated demand load is overstated because every party is financially invested in overstating the need,” Tait said. Even as the city moves forward with its plans, for example, there is no guarantee the data center will have customers once built. Jefferson Traywick serves as Jefferson County’s first ever economic development adviser. In an interview, he said that there are multiple potential customers engaging with investors about potential end use. Traywick said he’d signed an NDA as well, so he couldn’t say who those possible customers might be. “I really don’t even know,” he said. Ideally, data center companies should pay for their own infrastructure, but in practice, this often doesn’t happen, Tait said. The vast majority of these infrastructure projects benefit only the data center, not the broader customer base. Tait believes building these operations “should not be on the backs of regular people to benefit the wealthiest corporations in America.” These corporations, he said, “should pay their fair share. If anything, they should pay more than their fair share.” Brenda Small and her daughter, Brianna, live in a small trailer park just outside the boundaries of the proposed development. Last month, they were quick to express their opposition to the project. Small said her power bills are already approaching $500 some months. “That’s ridiculous for one month,” she said. Small worries her bills will soar even higher because of increased energy demand from the data center. Brianna In Georgia, tech companies and consumer advocates have negotiated and agreed that the data center operators cover their own infrastructure costs rather than passing those expenses entirely to consumers. Georgia has also been more forward-thinking about clean energy, Tait said. But Mississippi’s approach to cost allocation is a “free-for-all.” Last year, Mississippi passed a state law that declares anything Amazon needs to build is automatically in the public interest, with no Public Service Commission review. This approach is “the most egregious example we see in terms of a cost allocation problem,” Tait said. Alabama law contains tax carve-outs for capital projects, including a specific, 30-year tax abatement meant to attract large data centers. If approved by Bessemer officials, a tax abatement under the economic development law could amount to a tax cut of more than $500 million. Not a Drop to Drink? So-called hyperscale data centers like those used by Google, Meta, and other large tech companies can consume hundreds of gallons of water daily and millions annually. Smaller centers often use less than 100,000 gallons daily but can still consume a significant amount of a town’s water supply if not properly managed. To cool heat generated by thousands of servers in one data center, a chilled water system is typical for a hyperscale data center. The central chiller cools the water, circulates it through heat-absorbing coils, and dissipates the heat into the air through a cooling tower. The water then recirculates. In smaller centers, water can be piped to nearby wastewater facilities. Lawyers for Logistic Land Investments have said in documents that the proposed Bessemer facility’s end user may choose to rely on a so-called “closed loop” cooling system meant to reduce water usage and waste, but it’s unclear exactly how that system will work—what the water demand will be and where wastewater would be discharged. Despite the rapid construction of new data centers driven by the demand for AI, cryptocurrency mining, and cloud computing, Alabama lacks a comprehensive water plan. Under state law, if you own land next to a river or stream in Alabama, you can use the water without a permit. Businesses using more than 100,000 gallons of water daily are required to file a certificate and declare the water usage as beneficial, but the reporting is largely self-regulated without meaningful oversight, and penalties are nonexistent for noncompliance, according to Cindy Lowry, executive director of Alabama Rivers Alliance. Most states in the east have a regulated water withdrawal system, she said. Alabama does not. “We have virtually nothing,” said Lowry. If different sources pull from one river, like the Black Warrior River, and everyone is filling out a certificate, “There’s nobody looking to say: ‘How much can the system handle? How many straws are in the system?’” Lowry said. By consuming large amounts of water, a data center, like the one proposed in western Jefferson County, has the potential to become the largest water consumer in the state. Already, 80% of water withdrawals in the state are for cooling coal, gas, and nuclear plants, Lowry added. Often, utilities may not have initially planned for such massive water demands. With their high water consumption for cooling systems, data centers pose several significant water challenges for Alabama. A data center can strain local water utilities capacity, increase water bills for existing customers, disrupt the natural flow of rivers, reduce the water available for downstream users, and potentially destroy local ecosystems. Dynamics like these worry Ron and Becky Morgan. The couple is among the few residents in the area on well water, Becky explained, putting them at risk of becoming victims of groundwater contamination—water used to cool data centers is mixed with chemical coolants—or more general water scarcity. “We’re on the front lines when it comes to water,” she said. Jeff Lowe, a retired firefighter, said he worries about the impact the facility will have on the ability of first responders to adequately address fires in the area. “They say Warrior River is going to supply it,” Lowe said of the local water utility. “But I don’t know if they can. They can’t even keep the fire hydrants around here going.” Lowe said he also wonders about the additional fire risk posed by the data center itself, potentially replete with electronic equipment and lithium batteries, in a community with limited resources to respond to large, industrial fires. “I just don’t know if they have the resources to deal with something like that before it gets out of hand,” he said. The Loss of the Land On the whole, residents fear perpetual daylight will replace starlight and the 24-hour mechanical whir of machinery will be their surround sound, drowning out the birdsong. They foresee the banks of Little Blue Creek and other wetlands being deforested, the lakes flooded with potentially toxic runoff laced with coolants, and wildlife driven from their habitat. David Havron, president of the Rock Mountain Lakes Landowners Association, is one of the residents who filed suit against the city, resulting in the restraining order that delayed the city council’s vote to move the project forward. David Havron He worries that the nighttime view from his dock, just a stone’s throw from his back door, will soon be ruined in favor of a project that he believes will provide little benefit to his neighborhood or those living in it. “It’s going to look like a sunset,” he said of the light pollution. “A constant haze in the sky.” With less vegetation to absorb rainwater because of the clear-cutting necessary to complete the project, Havron said residents are worried flooding could become worse in the area, with runoff potentially filling the lakes around which many of the residents have built their homes and lives. Then, there’s the risk to wildlife. “It’ll all be gone,” Havron said. “It’ll run off. There’s a set of bald eagles. There’s deer and coyotes, racoons and turkeys and everything else here. It’ll all be gone. . . . It’s going to have to be cut.” “We’re Going to Fight” Not long after Ron and Becky Morgan had arrived at Marshall Killingsworth’s garden gathering, Mary Rosenboom came and sat down among the daylilies, completing the circle of neighbors brought together by the fight to save their community from an unwanted development. A sales professional, Rosenboom said she’d never delved into political or environmental issues until the data center came knocking at the community’s door. Once she began to look into the potential impacts, she quickly realized this was a fight she was willing to join and, if necessary, help lead. Now, she’s become an accidental activist. “It was absolutely an accident, but here I am,” she said. Sitting in front of her was a brightly colored binder, filled with research on data centers, city governance, and what the impact could be in her community. It’s a hard fight to win, Rosenboom said, when there’s so little information being provided about the specifics of the project. The non-disclosure agreements, the residents said, was one of their top concerns. “When you’re dealing with public funds and public ordinances, there should be no NDA,” Ron Morgan said. Even if public officials are unwilling to talk about the possible impacts of the project, the residents around the site say they’re ready for a war. Securing the restraining order and delaying the process was a battle won, they said, but the fight is still well underway. Becky Morgan, also a plaintiff in the suit against the city, said previous public hearings have been largely a formality, with officials doing little to meaningfully engage with citizens’ concerns. “It’s just a farce,” she said. And when it came time for officials to ask questions of the developer, there was little desire on the part of public officials to push the data center representatives for more substantive information. “They already had their marching orders,” her husband, Ron, said. “And now we have ours.” The next stage of the fight is already underway. The last week of April, more than 100 residents gathered inside Rock Mountain Baptist Church to hear from lawyers McDaniel and Yates about what may come next. The pair characterized securing a delay in the rezoning process as a win but warned residents that a protracted legal fight could drag on for years and cost the community upwards of six figures. John Parker YatesReginald McDaniel Outside the legal realm, the lawyers said, residents should do all they can to press local political leaders to oppose the project and provide as much information about the proposal as possible before and during newly scheduled planning and zoning commission and city council meetings in the coming weeks. No matter what, the lawyers told the crowd, fighting a municipality with practically unlimited resources over a multibillion-dollar project will be an uphill battle. It was a reality many of the residents were already coming to terms with. They were ready for the fight. —By Lee Hedgepeth and Lanier Isom, Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for its newsletter here. View the full article