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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The LG S95TR 9.1.5-channel home theater soundbar system includes a soundbar, a wireless subwoofer, and rear speakers, creating a surround sound setup that far surpasses what a simple soundbar can offer. If you’re looking for a more cinematic experience that’ll bring you completely immersive audio, this wireless surround system is one of the best options on the market (especially for LG TV owners)—and right now, it’s 50% off on Amazon, bringing its price down to $799.99 (originally $1,599.99). LG S95TR 9.1.5-Channel Home Theater Soundbar with Rear Surround Speakers and Wireless Subwoofer $799.99 at Amazon $1,599.99 Save $800.00 Get Deal Get Deal $799.99 at Amazon $1,599.99 Save $800.00 This soundbar system supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X spatial audio, and its wide array of 14 drivers, combined with a 16-inch wireless subwoofer, will fill any medium-to-moderately-large room with cinematic sound. Despite this, the bar itself stands at just 3 inches tall and 49 inches wide, making it compact enough to fit on most TV stands. Unlike ceiling-mounted speakers that are a headache to install, the rear speakers on this system have grilles on the top that bounce sound upward to simulate a ceiling-mounted speaker setup. While sound modes can be adjusted on the bar, standard mode works just fine and adapts to most content, making it a low-maintenance sound system overall. If you find yourself constantly putting on subtitles to deal with unclear audio, this system’s dedicated center channel keeps speech clear, and its dialogue enhancement modes can further improve clarity without distorting the rest of the sound. While any TV brand will benefit from great surround sound and Atmos, there are a couple of bonus features that will only work with an LG, such as using the TV’s own speakers to enhance the center channel and wirelessly connecting to the TV without cables. View the full article

Staying organized isn’t always about complicated software. Many people simply need a clear place to list tasks, plan their work schedule and keep daily priorities visible. Excel planner templates make that easy. Below you’ll find practical spreadsheets designed to help individuals manage tasks, organize work and plan projects without unnecessary complexity. Using Excel to Plan Tasks, Work and Projects For many people, Excel is the easiest place to organize work. A spreadsheet can quickly turn into a task list, project timeline or work schedule without learning new software. Users can list tasks, assign priorities, track deadlines and monitor progress in one place. Because spreadsheets are flexible, they work equally well for personal productivity, small team coordination or larger project planning. With formulas, filters and simple formatting, Excel becomes a practical tool for managing daily work and longer-term planning. 10 Best Free Excel Planner Templates We’ve collected ProjectManager’s 10 best Excel planner templates for planning tasks, work and projects that you can download and use for free. Want more planning templates for Excel? Visit our project management templates page where we’ve created over 100 free templates for Excel and Word. These Excel planner templates are useful, but if you need to plan complex projects try ProjectManager instead. ProjectManager is an award-winning equipped with robust tools that allow individuals, teams and organizations to create detailed project schedules, allocate resources, estimate costs and monitor projects as they’re executed. Get started for free today. /wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Gantt-CTA-2025-1600x868.jpgLearn more 1. Action Planner Template for Excel An action plan outlines the concrete steps required to achieve a goal. Instead of vague intentions, it breaks work into specific tasks, assigns responsibilities and establishes deadlines. Teams and individuals use action plans to organize priorities, monitor progress and ensure that important objectives move forward through clear, manageable actions rather than scattered efforts. /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/action-plan-template-project-plan-2024-600x229.png This Excel action planner template converts goals into structured tasks that can be tracked over time. Users begin by defining project goals and objectives, then organize action steps into detailed task lists with priorities, start dates, due dates and status indicators. Resource requirements, departments and estimated costs can also be recorded, helping planners coordinate work while monitoring progress and accountability. 2. To-do List Template for Excel A task list is one of the simplest ways to stay organized when managing work, errands or personal responsibilities. It captures tasks in a single list so priorities, deadlines and progress remain visible instead of scattered across notes, emails or memory. /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/weekly-schedule-template-excel-600x243.png This Excel to-do list template helps organize both individual and team daily tasks by allowing users to track start dates, due dates and completion percentages. A visual progress bar quickly shows task status while the notes column captures details, making it easier to manage priorities and keep work moving forward. 3. Daily Schedule Planner Template for Excel When days become packed with meetings, tasks and personal commitments, a daily schedule provides structure. Breaking the day into time blocks helps people focus on one activity at a time, making it easier to manage workload, protect productivity and avoid scheduling conflicts. /wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Daily-Schedule-Template-600x188.png This daily schedule planner template organizes each day into time blocks where users can assign tasks, categorize activities and set priority levels. By laying out the entire day visually, the spreadsheet helps individuals balance work, meetings and personal activities while maintaining a realistic and organized daily workflow. 4. Weekly Schedule Planner Template for Excel Looking at work one day at a time can make it hard to see how responsibilities fit together. A weekly schedule solves this by mapping tasks and commitments across the entire week, helping busy individuals balance workload and plan upcoming priorities. /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/weekly-schedule-template-excel-600x243.png This weekly schedule planner template provides a structured grid for organizing activities across each day of the week. Users can assign meetings, project tasks and personal commitments into time slots, creating a clear overview of the week while ensuring important work fits realistically into the schedule. 5. Time Blocking Planner Template for Excel Time blocking works by assigning specific tasks to dedicated time slots throughout the day. Instead of reacting to interruptions, individuals reserve focused periods for important work, helping them control distractions, protect deep work sessions and maintain steady progress. /wp-content/uploads/2024/09/timeblocking-template-screenshot-600x313.png This Excel time blocking planner template organizes each weekday into structured time intervals where tasks, priorities and notes can be recorded. Users can plan focused work sessions, schedule meetings and allocate personal routines, creating a clear daily work schedule that improves concentration and productivity. 6. Project Planner Template for Excel A project plan describes how a project will be organized and managed from start to finish. It outlines goals, defines project scope, identifies deliverables, assigns responsibilities and establishes a project timeline. By documenting these elements in advance, teams create a clear roadmap that guides execution and keeps work aligned with project objectives. /wp-content/uploads/2025/04/project-plan-template-for-excel-600x282.png This Excel project planner template helps users organize the core components of a project plan in one structured spreadsheet. It includes sections for project goals, success criteria, stakeholder information, project scope and task dependencies. The template also supports timeline planning, resource allocation and budget tracking, allowing teams to connect tasks, responsibilities and deliverables while monitoring project progress across the entire project timeline. 7. Project Execution Planning Template for Excel Once a project plan is approved, a project execution plan (PEP) explains how the work will actually be carried out. It focuses on operational details such as task coordination, team responsibilities, schedule control and resource management so project teams understand exactly how deliverables will be produced during execution. /wp-content/uploads/2025/05/project-execution-plan-template-600x315.png This Excel project execution planning template helps translate planning decisions into actionable work. The spreadsheet allows users to organize project tasks, define deliverables, assign team members and track schedule progress. Resource requirements, cost tracking and completion status can also be monitored, helping project teams coordinate execution activities while maintaining visibility over timeline performance and budget usage. 8. Project Deliverables Planner Template for Excel Every project produces outputs that must be completed, reviewed and approved before work can move forward. These outputs are called project deliverables. They include documents, designs, systems, reports or any measurable result created during a project that contributes to meeting project goals and satisfying stakeholders. /wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Project-deliverables-template-600x296.png This project deliverables planner template helps organize deliverables alongside the tasks required to complete them. Users can assign responsibilities, set priority levels, track start and finish dates and monitor completion status. By documenting deliverables and their supporting tasks in one spreadsheet, teams can coordinate work more clearly and keep project outputs progressing on schedule. 9. Project Timeline Planner Template for Excel A project timeline maps out when project activities should begin and finish. It connects tasks to dates, durations and milestones so teams understand how work unfolds over time. By visualizing the sequence of activities, a project timeline helps planners coordinate dependencies, anticipate delays and keep the overall schedule aligned with project objectives. /wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Project-timeline-template-600x240.png This project timeline planner template organizes tasks, start and finish dates, durations and completion percentages in one structured spreadsheet. It also visualizes the project schedule through a Gantt chart layout, allowing users to quickly see task sequencing and progress. By combining scheduling data with visual planning, the template helps teams coordinate activities and maintain control of the project timeline. 10. Resource Planner Template for Excel Projects and business operations depend on resources such as people, equipment, materials and budget. A resource plan identifies what resources are needed, how much effort they require and when they will be used. By organizing this information, teams can allocate work effectively and prevent resource shortages or scheduling conflicts. /wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Resource-Plan-Screenshot-600x213.jpg This resource planner template helps organize team members, workloads and associated costs within a single spreadsheet. Users can assign tasks to specific resources, estimate effort levels, track rates and calculate total costs across a project timeline. With this information visible in one place, planners can balance workloads and ensure resources support project objectives efficiently. Use ProjectManager to Plan Tasks, Work and Projects Better Than Excel ProjectManager offers robust project management features such as Gantt charts, task lists, workload management charts, timesheets and real-time dashboards and reports. In addition to that, it’s also equipped with AI project insights, online team collaboration features and unlimited file storage that further help project managers ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Watch the video to learn more! If you need a tool to help you manage projects, then signup for our software now at ProjectManager. Our online software helps teams across industries plan, track and oversee projects as they unfold. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today! The post 10 Excel Planner Templates for Planning Tasks, Work and Projects appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

Industry comments are favorable, but with statements like "no bill is perfect" and "bold action is needed," groups want changes before it goes to the president. View the full article

In a strategic move aimed at enhancing customer relationships and experiences, SAP SE has announced the establishment of its new Customer Value Group, effective April 1. This innovative structure is poised to streamline operations, consolidating the Customer Success and Customer Services & Delivery divisions under the leadership of Thomas Saueressig, who takes on the role of Chief Customer Officer. For small business owners navigating the complexities of customer engagement and technology adoption, this development carries significant implications. SAP’s intent with the Customer Value Group revolves around fostering a more customer-centric approach. By merging the functions of selling, delivering, and supporting their cloud and AI-enabled solutions, SAP aims to create a seamless experience that stretches from initial contact through the entire customer lifecycle. “In a business where adoption and renewal define success, the lines between selling and delivering disappear,” remarked Christian Klein, CEO of SAP SE. This unity could simplify interactions for small businesses, allowing them to focus on growth rather than navigating scattered support channels. Saueressig’s extensive career at SAP makes him an intriguing choice for this position. He has considerable experience overseeing cloud strategies and customer services, which positions him to understand the unique needs of small businesses. Small business owners often grapple with issues like limited resources and the need for effective customer engagement, and the development of a dedicated focus on customer success may lead to improved experiences when leveraging SAP’s offerings. The Customer Value Group aims to prioritize the long-term value realization for clients, and that may translate into more personalized service for small businesses. This could manifest as tailored software solutions that genuinely cater to the distinct requirements of smaller enterprises, potentially allowing them to compete more effectively in a digital landscape. However, small business owners should also consider potential challenges that may arise from these changes. The consolidation of services might initially result in growing pains as SAP works to integrate the new structure. Transition periods can often lead to confusion or temporary disruptions in service. Therefore, clear communication from SAP will be crucial to avoid any drop in service quality during this integration phase. Moreover, while the focus on cloud and AI solutions promises enhanced efficiency, small business owners must evaluate how these technologies can be effectively implemented within their operations. The move toward AI-driven offerings holds potential benefits, such as improved analytics and customer insights, but requires investment and training that not all small businesses may be prepared to undertake. To summarize, the creation of SAP’s Customer Value Group, led by Thomas Saueressig, appears to be a positive step in the quest for improved customer experiences. By integrating the customer journey and enhancing the focus on long-term value realization, SAP aims to better serve its small business clientele. However, business owners should remain vigilant regarding possible service disruptions and the practical challenges of adopting new technology. As SAP shifts its focus towards a more unified customer strategy, small businesses will need to assess their own operations to ensure they can leverage the potential benefits without getting overwhelmed by the changes. For a deeper dive into the announcement and its implications, you can read the original article here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "SAP Launches Customer Value Group to Enhance Client Engagement" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Google’s AI Overviews may be reducing traditional search clicks, but publishers still have meaningful growth opportunities in breaking news and Google Discover, according to new data from Define Media Group. Organic search clicks have fallen 42% since AI Overviews began expanding in Google Search, according to Define Media Group’s analysis of Google Search Console data across its portfolio of 64 sites. Why we care. AI-generated answers are reshaping search traffic. Evergreen content is losing clicks, while real-time news coverage and Discover distribution are emerging as stronger traffic channels for publishers. By the numbers. Across Google Search, Discover, and Google News, breaking news traffic grew 103% from November 2024 through early 2026 in the company’s dataset. Losses were concentrated in informational and evergreen content: Organic search traffic averaged 1.7 billion clicks per quarter from Q1 2023 through Q1 2024. After AI Overviews launched, traffic fell 16% immediately and never recovered. As Google expanded AI Overviews in May 2025, declines accelerated. By Q4 2025, search traffic was down 42% from the pre-AI Overviews baseline. Discover’s role: Google Discover, which grew 30% across the portfolio, is now the main growth engine for breaking news distribution. Discover traffic rose steadily as web search traffic fell. For the first time in the dataset, Discover and web search now drive roughly equal traffic. The report also found a sharp increase in Discover traffic after the December 2025 Google core update, though some gains softened after Google’s February 2026 Discover core update. Meanwhile, Chartbeat data showed Discover was the primary driver of Google referrals to news sites as of last summer. See: Google traffic to news publishers is steady, but it isn’t traditional Search. Why is this happening? AI Overviews appear less often for news queries than for other topics. AI Overviews appeared for about 15% of news queries — nearly three times less often than in categories such as health and science — according to Ahrefs data cited in the report. News queries often trigger the Top Stories carousel, which links directly to publisher articles. Searches for major developing events, such as international conflicts, typically show Top Stories rather than AI summaries. Define Media Group suggests Google may be avoiding AI-generated summaries for breaking news because events change rapidly, accuracy stakes are high, and generative systems can still hallucinate. The report. BREAKING! News Thrives in the Age of AI View the full article

Nothing says springtime like a canvas tote drop from Trader Joe’s. That’s right. The highly anticipated shopping bags are back and ready to fly off the shelves (and, probably, the resale sites) once again. Trader Joe’s totes are historically massively popular. The brand’s mini totes, which are just 13-by-11-by-6 inches, first dropped in 2024 and became an instant sensation after going mega-viral on TikTok. Once they sold out, they quickly began popping up on resale sites. While the totes only cost $2.99 in stores, resellers majorly marked them up, with some listing the bags for hundreds or even thousands. Since 2024, Trader Joe’s has released a few other versions of the totes as well, like Halloween-themed bags, which were also massively popular. Now, the bags are coming back, and this time, you can get one in a larger (more practical?) size. Nakia Rohde, a Trader Joe’s spokesperson, told Fast Company that the “next new bag will be a large canvas bag with lavender handles and a pink logo.” That means you’ll be able to hold way more TJ’s goods. But if your heart is set on the mini bag, don’t fret. They are heading back to stores this spring, and they’ll be popping up in the same springtime colors as last year: delicate pink, baby blue, mint green, and lovely lavender. Still, you’ll have to stay nearby Trader Joe’s if you want to snag one. Rohde did not give an exact date that any of the totes will be available nationwide, but said they should be in stores by mid-March, with dates varying based on location. It may also be a good idea to refer to your local TikTok influencer. TJ’s tote bags are certainly not the first item to experience viral fame that leads to an instant surge in purchases. Stanley tumblers, mini waffle makers, beauty products, and tons of other everyday items have, too. However, the Trader Joe’s totes have not seemed to lose their luster since they first arrived on the scene. And, remarkably, it all happened without the brand even having to advertise the bags at all. “Our Mini Canvas Tote Bags certainly sold more quickly than we anticipated,” Rohde told AP News in 2024. “Before we had the opportunity to promote them in any way, customers across the country found them at their neighborhood Trader Joe’s.” View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. For the residents of the place known only as "the Town," that feeling of being trapped in your small hometown is literal: Once you set foot in the place, you can never leave it. That's more than just a metaphor in the sci-fi series From: the Town is surrounded by woods inhabited by bloodthirsty creatures, a fact hapless new residents the Matthews family discover only after it is too late to leave. While statistically, there must be plenty of people out there who are perfectly content to stick around the place where they grew up, this queer boy ain't one of them. And I can't be alone, because there are lots of other shows about the nightmarish potential of seemingly pleasant little communities, most of them featuring characters who are in some way trapped there, including these 10 standout examples. From is streaming on MGM+. Midnight Mass (2021) It might not be the best of Mike Flanagan's Netflix work, but it's certainly the most emotionally devastating. Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) returns to the tiny, isolated community of Crockett Island, his arrival coinciding with that of Catholic priest Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater). Riley is wrestling with his justifiable guilt over a drunk-driving death for which he was responsible, while the charismatic priest is reviving the town's once-flagging religious fervor while exacerbating local tensions. The brewing conflict, involving the limits of both faith and guilt, is fascinating, while the inseparably horrific elements are rather terrifying. Stream Midnight Mass on Netflix. Midnight Mass (2021) at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix Wayward Pines (2015 – 2016) Based on a trilogy of Blake Crouch novels, this show initially, stars Matt Dillon as a Secret Service agent investigating the disappearances of two fellow agents in the Idaho town of Wayward Pines. Things go awry pretty much immediately, and he wakes up from a car accident to find one of the agents (Carla Gugino), who's also his ex, having settled down in the seemingly idyllic community—and 12 years older than when he last saw her only a few weeks earlier. Even more dramatically, the local sheriff (Terrence Howard) enforces a strict "no one ever leaves" policy, on pain of having one's neck slit—fear of being stuck in a small town being both a common theme and, apparently, an American nightmare. The mysteries pile up from there. Stream Wayward Pines on Hulu. Wayward Pines at Hulu Learn More Learn More at Hulu Dark (2017 – 2020) Dark began as a mystery involving a missing child and evolved, over its three seasons, into a wildly complex time travel narrative exploring dark family secrets over the course of several generations. The German import has a striking look and incredibly atmospheric feel, with an ensemble cast of teens and adults whose narratives are deftly intertwined. It turns out that small towns in Germany might hold as many horrors as those of the United States. Stream Dark on Netflix. Dark (2017 – 2020) at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix The 'Burbs (2026 – ) By no means a tonal match for From, this fun and very loose adaptation of the 1989 Tom Hanks film finds Keke Palmer's Samira and Jack Whitehall's Rob moving back to his impossibly safe and tidy hometown. Their house happens to be across the street from a dilapidated Victorian eyesore that may or may not have been the location of a murder a couple of decades before—a murder of a girl who made the mistake of trying to get away. As Samira adjusts to new motherhood as well as life on the cul-de-sac, she learns that even the nicest of her neighbors (played by Julia Duffy, Paula Pell, Mark Proksch, and Kapil Talwalkar) have secrets, and comes to suspect that her husband knows more about the missing girl than he's letting on. Stream The 'Burbs on Peacock. The 'Burbs (2026 – ) at Peacock Learn More Learn More at Peacock Twin Peaks (1990 – 1991, 2017) With all due respect to every other "small towns are weird" show, I'm not sure that there's any finer example of the form than than this groundbreaking bit of weirdness from David Lynch and Mark Frost, in which teens and adults in the deceptively quiet Twin Peaks face tragedy accompanied by supernatural threats from outside of our normal space and time. I think? The mysteries here aren't really meant to be solved as much as pondered with an eye toward nebulous existential dread (and if that's not your idea of fun, I'm not sure what you're doing here). Kyle MacLachlan plays FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, who arrives in the title town to investigate the murder of teenager homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), precipitating a (very) long night of the soul as Cooper uncovers secrets and mysteries among the town's delightfully, and often disturbingly, weird residents. Stream Twin Peaks on Paramount+. Twin Peaks at Paramount+ Learn More Learn More at Paramount+ Castle Rock (2018 – 2019) Canceled after two (rather excellent) seasons, Castle Rock was a victim of its marketing. The show was promoted as a dive into some kind of Stephen King connected universe, promising Easter eggs without suggesting much by way of storytelling. And yet! There are actual stories here, with real dramatic heft—the first season’s “The Queen,” told from the unstable perspective of a character (played by Sissy Spacek) with worsening dementia, was one of the best, and most existentially horrifying, things on television that year. The second season introduces young Annie Wilkes, (Lizzy Caplan), the Kathy Bates character we know from Misery. The cast across the two seasons is stellar, and includes Bill Skarsgård, a creepy character not named Pennywise. There’s plenty of stuff for King fans to sink their teeth into as we dive into the backstory of a different Stephen King town, but it all works rather well on its own. Stream Castle Rock on Hulu. Castle Rock (2018 – 2019) at Hulu Learn More Learn More at Hulu Haven (2010 – 2015) A couple of Stephen King situations here, which feels entirely fair given the writer's ease in situating the most horrific events imaginable in the most seemingly innocuous locales. Based on the King novella "The Colorado Kid," this X-Files-esque procedural has got the "weird stuff in a small town" vibe down pat. Emily Rose stars as Audrey Parker, an FBI Special Agent sent to the title town of Haven, Maine on a routine case. Soon, she gets drawn into “the Troubles," a series of harmful supernatural events that have recurred throughout the town’s history—and, by no coincidence, they are happening again. A supernatural-case-of-the-week format gives way to a bigger mystery when Audrey comes to learn that this isn’t her first time in Haven. Stream Haven on Peacock and Prime Video. Haven (2010 – 2015) at Peacock Learn More Learn More at Peacock It: Welcome to Derry (2025 – ) One more from King, who's not just great at situating horror in small towns, but in conveying the unique trauma of being a kid trapped in a small town. Set in the 1960s, this It prequel dives into the backstory of Derry and Pennywise the clown through the eyes of children who met him during his previous visit to the town. By the end of the first episode, it's clear that even the most adorable children aren't safe, and this is a show that will, if nothing else, go hard—and that's before Bill Skarsgård's memorably creepy Pennywise even shows up, and before we dig deeper into the secrets and lies of the adults of Derry. Stream It: Welcome to Derry on HBO Max. It: Welcome to Derry (2025 – ) at HBO Max Learn More Learn More at HBO Max The Returned (2012 – 2015) A slow-burn French mystery, The Returned finds the dead returning to life in a tiny French town: a teenage bus-crash victim; a child killed by burglars; a groom who died by suicide on his wedding day; a serial killer. The arrival of these people—they're literally zombies, but the show veers from the usual tropes—wildly complicates life for their families, even as strange phenomena accompany them, including the reveal of a town lost beneath the local lake. Audiences were split on the ambitious second season, but the first is a masterpiece. Stream The Returned on Prime Video and Tubi. Hemlock Grove (2013 – 2015) One of the first of Netflix's original series, this supernatural thriller takes us to the title Pennsylvania town, where economic realities have shut down the steel mill and left residents with few options other than the two remaining employers, the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies and the Hemlock Acres Hospital. Take your pick, but do so knowing that Olivia Godfrey (Famke Janssen), head of the Godfrey Institute, is rumored to be conducting all sorts of weird experiments. When two teenage girls are murdered, a 17-year-old Romani kid, rumored to be a werewolf, is the prime suspect. And while he actually is a werewolf, that doesn't make him a murderer. Rent Hemlock Grove from Prime Video. Hemlock Grove (2013 – 2015) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Teacup (2024) Given his place in the horror-novel pantheon, it's a bit surprising that Robert McCammon's novels haven't been adapted more than just this once (though there's at least one more in development). Teacup takes the limited locale of From and shrinks it even further: here, the characters are not bounded by a town from which they can't escape, but by the borders of their rural Georgia ranch. Leaving will get you killed, and even just trying to leave is likely to leave you injured. Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman lead the cast of mysteriously trapped characters, and while the show was cancelled after just one season, it builds to an effective, and ruthlessly brutal, conclusion. Stream Teacup on Peacock. Teacup (2024) at Peacock Learn More Learn More at Peacock View the full article

The lender will offer a comprehensive suite of residential lending programs and commercial lending solutions, such as builder construction loans. View the full article

A group representing this part of the industry also called for more implementation time and some changes to borrower determinations. View the full article

Effective leadership team-building games can greatly improve collaboration among team members. These activities, like “Build the Tallest Tower” and “Crocodile River,” encourage strategic thinking and boost communication skills. Other games, such as “Human Knot” and “Plane Crash Survival,” focus on problem-solving and critical thinking. Implementing these exercises promotes trust and strengthens interpersonal relationships, but comprehending how to choose the right ones for your team is essential. Consider what each game offers and how it aligns with your team’s goals. Key Takeaways Social Connect Starter fosters communication and team cohesion through interactive discussions and fun icebreaker questions, enhancing overall collaboration. Build the Tallest Tower emphasizes strategic thinking and teamwork, encouraging participants to brainstorm and manage resources effectively. Crocodile River requires participants to strategize and communicate under pressure, promoting collaboration and problem-solving skills. Active Listening Challenge improves understanding and reduces misunderstandings, nurturing a culture of open communication and continuous improvement within the team. What If? Scenario Solution engages teams in creative problem-solving through hypothetical scenarios, enhancing critical thinking and adaptability in collaborative environments. Social Connect Starter The Social Connect Starter serves as an effective tool for team building, particularly when you want to nurture a sense of belonging among group members. This leadership activity encourages open communication through interactive discussions led by a facilitator. You’ll engage in fun leadership games, starting with icebreaker questions like, “What is something interesting you have done recently?” or “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” These questions stimulate conversations, allowing participants to share personal insights. As you interact, you’ll observe team dynamics and build rapport, enhancing overall team cohesion and morale. Reflecting on insights gained from these discussions nurtures deeper connections among team members, paving the way for improved collaboration in future tasks. Build the Tallest Tower Engaging in the “Build the Tallest Tower” activity offers a hands-on approach to team building that emphasizes strategic thinking and collaboration. In this challenge, groups compete to construct the tallest freestanding tower using limited materials like straws, paper, and tape, often topped with marshmallows. This activity serves as one of the most effective leadership games for students, as it encourages participants to brainstorm and strategize collectively. Teams must allocate tasks and utilize materials wisely, highlighting the importance of resource management in teamwork. With a time limit adding pressure, participants improve their problem-solving skills and creative thinking as they adapt to evolving ideas. This fun leadership activity not merely promotes teamwork but additionally allows individuals to develop quick decision-making skills as they navigate the building process. Crocodile River In the Crocodile River activity, you’ll face an obstacle course designed to simulate crossing a dangerous river using stepping stones. This game emphasizes teamwork and communication skills, as your group must strategize effectively to guarantee everyone crosses safely without touching the “water.” Teamwork and Communication Skills Participating in the Crocodile River activity allows teams to boost their teamwork and communication skills through a series of collaborative challenges. This team-based obstacle course requires strategizing, role assignment, and using limited resources to cross the imaginary river. It promotes collaboration under pressure and strengthens problem-solving abilities as you work together without leaving anyone behind. Challenge Team Strategy Communication Focus Assign Roles Define strengths Share observations Navigate Plan steps together Verbally guide others Support Encourage each other Listen actively Cross River Execute as a unit Provide feedback Navigating Challenges Together The Crocodile River challenge serves as a practical exercise in maneuvering obstacles collectively, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and communication. In this engaging activity, teams must work together to navigate across “stepping stones,” ensuring that no one is left behind. As you strategize on how to cross the course, you’ll develop crucial skills like patience and problem-solving. Using discs or plywood as stepping stones, you can tailor the setup to fit your group’s size for safety and engagement. This challenge not only improves open communication but additionally encourages participants to support each other under pressure. In the end, the Crocodile River Challenge serves as an effective leadership game for teens, nurturing team bonds and cultivating leadership skills in a dynamic environment. Human Knot The Human Knot is a practical exercise that promotes team bonding through communication and trust. As you and your group work to untangle yourselves without releasing hands, you’ll learn to strategize together, enhancing your problem-solving skills. This engaging activity not just strengthens interpersonal relationships but additionally builds crucial cooperation among team members. Team Bonding Benefits Engaging in the Human Knot exercise can greatly improve team bonding by promoting collaboration and communication among participants. This team-building activity requires everyone to physically connect and work together to untangle themselves without letting go of each other’s hands. As you navigate this challenge, you’ll improve your communication skills by articulating strategies and listening to ideas, which are essential in leadership skills activities for students. Furthermore, the Human Knot nurtures trust, as you rely on your teammates to overcome physical constraints and achieve a shared goal. Versatile for various group sizes, this exercise can strengthen team dynamics and boost productivity. In the end, incorporating leadership training games like the Human Knot can lead to higher job satisfaction among team members. Communication and Trust When participants take part in the Human Knot game, they quickly discover that effective communication and trust are vital components for success. This leadership exercise requires teamwork as you stand in a circle, holding hands with two different people, during strategizing how to untangle the knot without letting go. Through this process, you learn the importance of verbal communication and active listening, which are fundamental skills in leadership games for adults. Trust is built as you rely on teammates to steer through the challenge together. Below is a table summarizing key aspects of the game: Aspect Importance Outcome Verbal Communication Articulating strategies Improved teamwork Physical Trust Reliance on teammates Stronger community Problem-Solving Guiding through challenges together Enhanced collaboration Plane Crash Survival In a challenging scenario like Plane Crash Survival, participants face the vital task of prioritizing survival items after a hypothetical plane crash. This leadership activity game promotes critical thinking and collaborative decision-making skills. Teams work together to rank items based on their importance for survival, which encourages discussion and teamwork. Key elements of the game include: Effective communication: Participants must articulate their viewpoints clearly. Negotiation: Team members negotiate differing opinions to reach a consensus. Trust-building: The high-pressure environment encourages reliance on each other’s expertise. Plane Crash Survival is versatile, making it suitable for various group sizes and settings, whether in-person or remote. As a leadership development game, it improves participants’ ability to collaborate under pressure, helping teams build trust and rapport as they maneuver through challenges effectively. Active Listening Challenge Active listening is a vital skill that can greatly improve communication within teams. The Active Listening Challenge emphasizes the importance of concentrating, comprehension, responding, and remembering what’s said. In this exercise, you pair up with a teammate, where one person shares a brief story or idea as the other practices active listening techniques. These techniques include paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions to guarantee comprehension. This challenge boosts empathy and rapport among team members, allowing individuals to feel heard and valued, which is imperative for effective collaboration. By focusing on active listening, your team can reduce misunderstandings and improve overall dynamics, leading to a more productive work environment. For younger participants, consider incorporating leadership games for elementary students that promote similar skills. Finally, including feedback sessions after the challenge encourages reflection on listening skills, nurturing a culture of open communication and continuous improvement within the team. What If? Scenario Solution Building on the skills developed through the Active Listening Challenge, the “What If? Scenario Solution” activity presents a stimulating way to improve team collaboration. This exercise encourages you to explore hypothetical scenarios, such as pandemics or natural disasters, prompting creative problem-solving and critical thinking among participants. By participating in this fun leadership exercise, you’ll engage in the following: Analyze diverse leadership approaches to understand how different individuals tackle the same challenges. Collaboratively develop viable solutions, improving adaptability and decision-making skills under pressure. Encourage open communication, as team members must listen and incorporate each other’s ideas. Integrating the “What If?” activity into your leadership workshop ideas not just boosts teamwork but also equips your team with crucial skills for real-world challenges. This approach helps create a cohesive unit that can effectively navigate complex situations together. Frequently Asked Questions How Can I Adapt These Games for Remote Teams? To adapt team-building games for remote teams, start by choosing activities that can be easily facilitated online. Use video conferencing tools for real-time interaction, ensuring everyone can participate. Modify physical games into virtual formats, like trivia or scavenger hunts. Incorporate digital collaboration tools, such as shared documents or whiteboards, to improve engagement. Schedule regular sessions and encourage open communication to build relationships, ensuring that all team members feel included and valued. What Is the Ideal Group Size for These Activities? The ideal group size for team-building activities typically ranges from five to fifteen participants. Smaller groups, around five to seven, allow for deeper engagement and more personalized interactions. Larger groups, up to fifteen, can cultivate diverse perspectives but may dilute individual participation. It’s vital to balance the group size to guarantee everyone feels included and can contribute effectively. Ultimately, the right size depends on the goals of the activity and the dynamics of your team. How Long Should Each Game Last? Each game should ideally last between 30 to 60 minutes. This timeframe allows participants to engage deeply without losing focus or energy. Consider the complexity of the game and the number of participants when determining duration. For simpler activities, 30 minutes may suffice, whereas more intricate ones might require closer to an hour. Always leave time for a debriefing session afterward, as this helps reinforce learning and promotes team reflection on the experience. Are There Any Age Restrictions for Participants? There aren’t universal age restrictions for participants in team-building activities, but it’s crucial to contemplate the specific game’s nature and objectives. Some games may be better suited for adults, whereas others can involve younger participants. Always guarantee activities are appropriate for the age group, promoting safety and engagement. It’s advisable to check the guidelines or recommendations associated with each game to guarantee a positive experience for all involved. What Materials Are Needed for These Games? To conduct team-building games, you’ll need a few crucial materials. Gather items like ropes, cones, and balls for physical activities. For problem-solving games, consider puzzles or scenario cards. You’ll likewise want notepads and pens for brainstorming sessions. Confirm you have a timer to keep track of game duration. Furthermore, prepare any props specific to the activities you choose, as they can improve engagement and participation among participants during the games. Conclusion Incorporating team-building games like “Build the Tallest Tower” and “Crocodile River” can greatly improve collaboration within your leadership team. These activities promote vital skills such as communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. By engaging in these structured experiences, team members cultivate trust and strengthen their interpersonal relationships. In the end, implementing these games not merely improves team dynamics but additionally contributes to a culture of continuous improvement, leading to a more effective and cohesive work environment. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Effective Leadership Team Building Games to Enhance Collaboration" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Running gives you a lot of things: Stress relief, personal records, chafing—the list goes on. In fact, you can add "butter" to that list right now. Running content creator Libby Cope has gone viral not for her pace or mileage, but for what she makes along the way. Her video showing how she churns butter on a train run has racked over one million likes across Instagram and TikTok. Let's dig into the science of how this works, and why this is my favorite kind of running influencer content right now. How to churn butter while you runIn her viral videos, Cope pours heavy cream and salt into double-bagged Ziplocs, tucks the squishy dairy parcels into her running vest alongside her boyfriend, and heads out onto the trails. By the time they're done, so is the butter. They spread it on sandwich bread and eat it right there. So, how crazy is this feat exactly? As the Center for Dairy Research explains it, this sort of makes perfect sense. Milk is an emulsion—a mixture of fat and water molecules that don't naturally want to coexist. Left alone long enough, milk will begin to separate, with the fattier molecules floating to the top. That fatty layer skimmed from the surface is cream. And cream, it turns out, is one aggressive trail run away from becoming butter. When cream is agitated—like with all the shaking that comes with a trail run—the fat molecules suspended within it start bumping into each other. Eventually, they begin to stick together, clustering into larger and larger clumps and pushing the remaining liquid (buttermilk) to the outside. What's left in the center of that shake-up should be butter. The key variables are time and intensity of agitation. A casual stroll probably won't cut it, since the movement needs to be sustained and vigorous enough to keep the fat molecules colliding. A trail run, with its constant up-and-down impact, its jostling vest pockets, and its 30-plus minutes of continuous movement, is more likely to get the job done. Essentially, your body is doing the work a wooden churn or a stand mixer would otherwise do. There are plenty of other variables to consider, of course. Cold temperatures can slow the process, while too much heat will melt the whole production. Quality and amount of ingredients, the intensity of the run, and the weather outside all play a role in refining this run-churn process. Cope’s videos aren’t the only examples of runners using their workout to make food. Running influencer TrailswithZach posted a tutorial last fall of how he makes chocolate ice cream while running, garnering over 137 thousand likes. Here’s another example from runner Irene Choi, who took things in a more creative direction with a corn juice honey butter recipe. Why this social media trend matters (beyond the butter)At a time when the online running community feels plagued by unrealistic expectations, this micro-movement is a breath of fresh air. It could be easy to write all of this off as a quirky internet moment, but there’s a deeper takeaway here. Cope told Runner's World that the experience has been a grounding reminder of why she runs in the first place, and all the joy it brings her. That's the part that sticks, much like butter on bread. Online running culture gets daunting and discouraging, with all the pressure to buy the right shoes, post the fastest times, sign up for all the trendiest races, and so on. Churning butter while you run is a joyful reminder that running can also be playful and weird. Even if you don’t get down and dirty with buttercream yourself (something I have zero plans to do), these videos are a great way to reflect on why you run in the first place. View the full article

René Redzepi, the chef behind Copenhagen’s Noma, has resigned from the iconic restaurant he co-founded and its food non-profit MAD, amid abuse allegations. The move comes after protesters gathered outside Noma’s 16-week Los Angeles pop-up Wednesday. A recent New York Times article reports that former employees of the restaurant allege a pattern of abuse, including “punching, slamming, screaming,” from 2009 and 2017. The Times interviewed dozens of former employees throughout 18 of the chef’s 23 years at the restaurant. The report also alleges unpaid interns worked 16-hour days. On Wednesday, protestors outside Noma’s L.A. pop-up chanted and held up signs that read “Unpaid Labor Built Your Empire,” and “No Michelin Stars for Violence.” (The price for dinner at the L.A. residency is a staggering $1,500 a person.) Fast Company has reached out to Noma for comment on the allegations and protest. Noma, which under Redzepi, put New Nordic cuisine on the map, holds three Michelin stars and is considered one of the best restaurants in the world, if not the best. “An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions,” Redzepi wrote on Instagram. “I have worked to be a better leader and Noma has taken big steps to transform the culture over many years. I recognize these changes do not repair the past.” “After more than two decades of building and leading this restaurant, I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter,” he added. As a result of the controversy, a number of corporate sponsors have withdrawn their support for the L.A. pop-up, including American Express and its booking platform Resy, Blackbird, and Cadillac. Redzepi’s fall from grace is especially surprising given the number of accolades the chef has received over the years and the cult status Noma achieved. However, he is not the first celebrity chef to resign amid accusations of abuse. Perhaps the most notable is Mario Batali, who was forced out of his Italian food-hall Eataly in 2017 after sexual harassment and assault accusations, and had to sell his minority stake in the company. He was later found not guilty in a Boston court while on trial for indecent assault and battery in 2019. View the full article

Fancy a chauffeur? Uber is courting the well-heeled with a new ride option that will see it extend its reach from a taxi alternative to offering a more exclusive, limousine-style service. Uber announced Thursday it will launch a chauffeur ride option—Uber Elite—that will offer a “luxury ride experience” targeting executives and other frequent travelers. Uber Elite will become the rideshare operator’s most expensive option, and will be offered on an invite-only basis for current Uber Black and Uber for Business clients in San Francisco and Los Angeles, followed soon by New York. Uber is banking on a market for “a more elevated experience,” though the accompanying cost may be difficult to justify for some people. Just consider the hypothetical ride that the company shared as an example in its announcement. An Uber Elite customer could request a ride from the San Francisco International Airport to the city’s Union Square, with an option for a meet and greet at baggage claim, for a whopping $177.95 for the roughly 13-mile journey. That’s more than three times the cost of an UberX, a standard ride-alone option, while the city’s BART system costs only $11.80 for that same journey. PREMIUM PRICING FOR PREMIUM EXPERIENCE The premium pricing is seemingly justified by a premium experience: Uber Elite will partner with fleet companies that employ professional chauffeurs driving luxury vehicles. In addition to the option to be met at baggage claim by the chauffeur, riders can expect complimentary amenities that some Uber drivers already offer in quest of a 5-star rating: Chargers, bottled water, mints, and hand-sanitizing towelettes. Riders can also make special requests, like champagne, which surely come at an extra cost. But there is a notable perk for anyone who has dealt with the frustration of trying to reach a human through Uber’s customer support options: Uber Elite riders will have access to premium 24/7 phone support, which will be available before, during, and after the trip. What’s more, riders can call their chauffeur directly before pickup and rides can be arranged with as little as one hour notice or up to 90 days in advance. Chauffeur services have become the new battleground for rideshare companies. In October, Lyft acquired TBR Global Chauffeuring for about $110 million, expanding its reach into the luxury market in more than 3,000 cities in 120 countries. That said, Lyft has also been appealing to more budget-conscious customers recently, with recent blog posts touting the benefits of opting for rideshare versus car rentals and car ownership. Since its founding in 2009, Uber has steadily expanded its options to corner nearly every transportation option, from bikes to air taxis in select markets. Last year, riders booked more than 13.5 billion trips with Uber, the company reported last month. Even so, Uber’s stock has stalled; it’s fallen more than 27% from an all-time high in October and slumped nearly 2.8% in mid-day trading on Thursday. View the full article

Pay transparency laws were supposed to address the pay disparities that tend to impact women and people of color in the workplace. Over the last decade, 15 states have introduced laws that require varying degrees of disclosure from employers—from including explicit salary ranges in job postings to verbally sharing those details with prospective employees during the interview process. But new research out of Cornell University indicates that those laws have not been as effective as intended—in part because many employers fail to truly comply with them. These laws often do not clearly articulate how broad a salary range should be, and simply instruct companies to provide a “good faith” salary range. (The pay transparency law in New York, for example, states that at the time a job is posted, the range “must be the minimum and maximum annual salary, or hourly rate, the employer believes, in good faith, they are willing to pay.”) As Fast Company has previously reported, this means some employers provide broad salary ranges that technically abide by the law, but are of little use to job applicants. Cornell’s findings show that these wide salary bands can have the exact opposite effect than was intended by advocates of pay transparency: Across four studies, researchers saw significant variation in the breadth of salary ranges—and a clear pattern of women preferring jobs with narrower salary bands compared with their male counterparts. So even as pay transparency laws have sought to put all applicants on even footing, women are often discouraged from applying to jobs with wide salary ranges, reinforcing gender-based pay gaps. But it turns out that women face obstacles even when they opt for jobs with narrower ranges. “In terms of the implications of this work, those that applied to narrower pay ranges then negotiated less assertively,” says Alice Lee, the new multipart study’s lead author and assistant professor of organizational behavior at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. “If women are sorting into jobs with narrow pay ranges, that is then constraining their likelihood to negotiate assertively for a higher salary—and these policies that are intended to mitigate these gaps might be actually perpetuating these gaps.” Lee’s research team conducted a collection of studies to understand the effects of pay transparency laws. In an analysis of nearly 10 million job postings, they found a broad spectrum of pay ranges. Two following studies looked at how applicants responded to different job postings, along with how they negotiated when they started interviewing. A final study tested out a few interventions that the researchers thought might encourage women to apply to jobs with wider ranges. There were a few things that did seem to make a difference for female applicants—namely, being more transparent about how compensation was determined in the original job posting. “We just included some clarifying information to the job ads in addition to the pay ranges we provided,” Lee says. “It was just two sentences that informed applicants of the typical starting salary, as well as sort of the qualifications and the system through which pay is determined . . . for those that saw the job ad with this clarifying information, women applied just as frequently as men to jobs with wider pay ranges, and we also saw no gender gap in negotiation behavior.” As Fast Company has reported, overly broad salary ranges have been a recurring issue in states that have enacted these laws. The language of these pay transparency laws leaves room for interpretation, and many employers are not particularly incentivized to volunteer more information than necessary. (Pay transparency laws could impose stricter limits on salary bands, as is the case in states like New Jersey—though this might be a tough sell in regions where corporate interests hold more sway.) The state agencies that enforce these laws tend to prioritize the most flagrant violations—employers who openly flout the law and do not disclose any salary range, for example—which means there are fewer repercussions for companies that effectively try to get around the law by posting unhelpful salary ranges. In New York City, for example, the New York City Commission on Human Rights brought 33 complaints against a variety of employers in the year after the city’s pay transparency law took effect in late 2022. But the vast majority of those complaints focused on companies that had neglected to include any salary information in their job postings. While the agency did bring a handful of complaints against companies that used very broad ranges, Fast Company’s reporting found that there were other major employers who posted jobs with salary bands that spanned about $100,000. Employers have their reasons for posting wide salary ranges. Many of them want to stay competitive to attract the best talent—which can mean leaving some room for negotiating compensation, even if that might exacerbate pay disparities. Sometimes companies don’t have a clear compensation strategy and scramble to come up with an appropriate salary band, which is especially likely for AI roles that are in demand and can command high salaries. But companies can send the wrong message when they use broad salary ranges—in turn alienating prospective employees. Lee says there is an element of risk aversion that also plays into why women are more likely to steer clear of broad salary ranges. Job applicants may also make assumptions about how much a company values equitable pay practices or the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion more broadly. “If a company cares about [diverse talent]—which I think, personally, all companies should—then they should absolutely care about what their pay ranges are signaling,” Lee says. For employers who purport to care about pay equity, Cornell’s research suggests that employers only need to take a few steps to embrace the spirit of these pay transparency laws. Providing even minimal context on how compensation is determined—along with a typical starting salary—goes a long way. The researchers found that women responded positively to relatively basic language, which noted “your exact offer will reflect your relevant experience, skill level and the responsibilities of the role, in line with our standardized compensation guidelines.” In some cases, Lee says, it might make sense for a company to use a large salary band, but outline specific pay tiers within that range, based on experience and qualifications. Lee points out that these laws do give workers an opening to ask more questions about compensation and advocate for themselves. But ultimately, it’s companies who hold a lot of power in those negotiations, regardless of legal protections—and many of them may not even be aware of the message they are sending to prospective employees. “I do think—I hope—that some employers do truly care about attracting [diverse] talent, and you might be constraining and preventing many of those people without even knowing so,” Lee says. “I think these findings might come as a surprise to some people.” View the full article

In 2020, Waymo began offering fully driverless rides to the public in Phoenix, turning the city into the closest thing the U.S. has to a real-world laboratory for autonomous vehicles. What began as a cautious pilot has since grown into a sprawling robotaxi network that now includes freeway travel and service to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Since then, Waymo has expanded to cities including San Francisco and Austin, while rivals like Tesla and Zoox are racing to deploy their own autonomous fleets. But the technology’s spread has come with a steady stream of logistical and political questions for the cities hosting it (especially since Phoenix, with its wide roads and relatively simple grid, represents one of the easier environments for autonomous vehicles to navigate). Fast Company spoke with Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego this week at Austin’s South by Southwest festival about what it’s actually like to govern a city where driverless cars are more fully integrated into the transportation system. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. You’ve overseen Phoenix during the whole arc of Waymo’s rollout. What’s changed in the city once AVs moved from a pilot to something residents can actually use? People have really appreciated Waymo’s expansion onto the freeways, because they can get where they’re going more quickly if it’s a longer distance. When we started, we were the first airport to have autonomous service in the world, which is a point of pride for Phoenix. We originally started pickups at our Sky Train, and now we’ve moved to the curb. We tried to be very safety-focused and make sure we tested and piloted before we did full deployment. It’s a point of pride for us that we were the first in the world to have autonomous vehicle service at the airport. We think it really shows we’re a technology-forward city and that we’re willing to embrace innovation. What’s been the biggest benefit of having those Waymos on the streets in Phoenix? We had a real shortage of drivers, so more people have the ability to get where they’re going, particularly during hours like overnight when it’s harder to find people who want to be working. So it’s really improved quality of life for riders. We’ve also seen some traffic-calming impacts. The Waymos go the speed limit. Phoenix has above-average traffic speeds for big cities in the United States, so speeding and red-light running are challenges for us. Waymos follow traffic rules, so that’s helped have a traffic-calming effect. Have you seen any evidence in Phoenix—crash data, traffic incidents—that verifies Waymos are making the roads safer? Are there other metrics you look at? We look at Waymo’s crash data, and the Waymos crash less than traditional human drivers. I don’t know that we’ve done a full analysis, but we could—we probably should. You’re the second person to ask me that today, so maybe I’ll take the hint and do that analysis. Based on the Phoenix experience, what’s something cities tend to underestimate when they first start integrating AVs into the roads? What adjustments do they have to make? It’s really important to have good communication. If there are issues with the programming, you want to make sure Waymo knows and can fix them. When we’ve reported issues to Waymo, they’ve been great about adapting the programming. What does the communication pipeline between your office and Waymo look like? Our first responders work directly with Waymo. If we’re going to have an unusual event or an emergency we’re responding to, they have the ability to work directly with the company. We also work directly with Waymo to report any incidents or opportunities, or if we want to partner on anything. Fast Company has reported on incidents in San Francisco where robotaxis can stall and take time to clear off the roads, partly because there’s no human driver to communicate with. Have there been incidents like that in Phoenix? Early on, we had a street closure for an arts festival and a bunch of Waymos got very confused by it. We shared the incident, and Waymo updated the programming. We haven’t had a repeat of the issue. Generally, when we’ve had challenges, they’ve been fixable. We don’t have the same problem repeatedly. We’ve trained our first responders, and it’s important to me that as new entrants come into the autonomous vehicle market, first responders can communicate with vehicles from outside the car. That’s worked fine with Waymo. In Arizona the state regulates autonomous vehicles. The city does not. But it’s been a partnership. For example, we had an issue where a Waymo drove into a pole in an alley. We shared the issue, and they updated the programming. I think they reported it to the federal government, but we weren’t their regulator. We were more like their partner. When you say they update the programming, what does that mean? I think they go out, look at what happened, and make sure the system understands how to react to that type of object or situation. There was an issue in another community where there was a stop sign in the bed of a pickup truck. The Waymo saw the stop sign and stopped, because it was programmed to stop when it sees one. But it wasn’t aware of a moving stop sign driving down the street. Once they programmed it to understand that situation, it was fixed. Are other AV companies coming to Phoenix? Right now we have Waymo and Tesla. Zoox announced last week that it plans to come, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Is there a point where there could be too many AV companies operating in a city? I chaired the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee, and one of our recommendations was that certain safety standards should be common across companies—for example, first responders should be able to communicate with vehicles from outside the car. In Phoenix we’re also starting to think about how to design cities for more autonomous vehicles. Do we need more drop-off and queuing space in front of buildings? Should we adjust parking ratios? Some people in Phoenix imagine having their own autonomous vehicle that drops them off at work, then goes and makes money as a robotaxi and comes back later. I think we’re a ways away from that. But we do think about whether traffic might move differently if there are more AVs. That could have environmental benefits and reduce the need for pavement. I care a lot about climate action and emissions. Waymos are lower-emission compared to our average vehicle fleet, and reducing tailpipe emissions helps us with our air-quality challenges. I grew up with asthma, so that’s something I’ve cared about for a long time. Have there been actual changes to urban design yet, or is that still theoretical? We’re really looking at our parking minimums. I’d love to see Phoenix devote less space to pavement and more to active uses. That could help enable better mass transit as well. There are ongoing discussions about bringing Waymo to New York. Do you think the calculus changes in a much denser city? In some ways there could be benefits. A Waymo can see many things at once, whereas a human driver has a limited field of vision. But cities should be ready to train first responders and make sure all stakeholders understand how to work with the technology. What does transportation look like five or 10 years from now in Phoenix? We recently went to voters with a ten-year plan. As part of that, we talked about advanced transportation technologies. I’m really interested in how these technologies can help Phoenix grow up rather than out—encouraging more density and more sustainable land use. And voters approved that plan? Yes, with 78% approval. It was our general plan for the city. We also passed a regional transportation sales tax and set aside $250 million for advanced technology. Are other cities asking you about Phoenix’s experience with Waymo? Yes. We’ve had people from all over the world come visit. Delegations from the European Union, officials from Prague, and others have come to see how our regulatory system evolved and how the safety systems work. I’ve taken visiting officials on Waymo rides when they’re interested in bringing the technology to their own cities. The first head of government to ever ride in an autonomous vehicle was the Dutch Prime Minister in Phoenix in a Waymo. The Secret Service was very nervous about protecting him, so they did a lot of test runs. We had this bizarre parade through downtown Phoenix where there was a relatively small Jaguar with the prime minister surrounded by large armored Secret Service vehicles. Have you taken Waymos yourself? Yes. I was the first customer when we expanded service to Sky Harbor Airport. It was a good experience, except there were a bunch of cameras watching as we drove up, and I unbuckled early so I could get out quickly. The Waymo stopped because I had unbuckled. So it was my fault. As mayor, I’m glad they’re responsive to safety issues. As a human, it was a little embarrassing. View the full article

Google is launching Ask Maps, a conversational AI feature that lets users ask Google Maps complex, real-world questions and get personalized, actionable answers — powered by the company’s Gemini AI models. What’s new. Users can now ask Maps questions like “Is there a public tennis court with lights on that I can play at tonight?” or “My phone is dying — where can I charge it without a long wait?” and get a conversational answer with a customized map view. Key capabilities include: Personalized recommendations — Results are tailored based on your search and save history, so Maps already knows, for example, that you prefer vegan restaurants before you ask. Trip planning — Ask for recommended stops along a route and get directions, ETAs, and insider tips sourced from over 500 million community contributors across 300 million places. Direct action — Book reservations, save places, or share them with friends directly from the response. Why we care. Ask Maps changes how people find places — shifting discovery from keyword searches to AI-generated recommendations. The businesses that will get picked will be the ones with rich, accurate, up-to-date Maps profiles and strong community engagement — because that’s the data Google’s AI is drawing from to make its picks. What to watch. Ask Maps is rolling out now in the U.S. and India on Android and iOS, with desktop coming soon. What’s next. Advertisers and local businesses should pay close attention — when AI starts mediating how people discover places, visibility in Maps becomes more critical than ever. Keeping business listings accurate, complete, and review-rich will matter more as Gemini draws from that data to power recommendations. View the full article

The biggest new restaurant trend is small. Special menus with petite, less expensive portions are popping up all over, from large chains like Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory to trendy urban eateries and farm-to-fork dining rooms. Restaurants hope that offering smaller servings beyond the children’s menu will meet many different diners’ needs. Some people want to spend less when they go out. Others are looking for healthier options or trying to lose weight. Younger consumers tend to snack more throughout the day and eat smaller meals, said Maeve Webster, the president of culinary consulting firm Menu Matters. “These are really driven by, I think, changes in the way people are thinking about their relationship with food, the way they spend money on food, what is a good value and what’s not,” Webster said. Looking for value Beth Tipton, the co-owner of Daniel Girls Farmhouse Restaurant in Connersville, Indiana, introduced an eight-item Mini Meals menu last fall after several customers requested smaller portions. The menu, which includes daily specials like a half piece of meatloaf with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy for $8, now accounts for about 20% of the restaurant’s orders, she said. Older adults make up about half of the restaurant’s clientele, Tipston said, and some customers told her the regular menu was a stretch for their budgets. As someone who underwent weight-loss surgery, she also knew from experience that many restaurants won’t allow adults to order from their children’s menus. “We wanted it to be available to all without the word ‘kids meals’ attached,” Tipton said. “With the rising costs all around us we wanted to help in any way we can, and this is a great option.” Eating out and GLP-1s Some restaurants are adding menus to court users of GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Zepbound, Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro. Last fall, restaurateur Barry Gutin ran into two different friends who told him they were taking GLP-1s and struggling to find restaurant meals that met their dietary needs and smaller appetites. GLP-1 users tend to eat less, so they need nutritionally dense foods that are low in fat and high in protein and fiber. Gutin, the co-owner of Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar in Philadelphia, Washington, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Orlando, Florida, reached out to a doctor who specializes in weight loss and to Cuba Libre’s culinary director, Angel Roque. Over the next month, they developed the chain’s GLP-Wonderful menu, which is available during dinner. The menu has five classic Cuban options. Roque said the pollo asado on Cuba Libre’s regular menu has nearly 1,000 calories; on the GLP-1 menu, that’s slimmed down to 400 calories, but heavy on protein and fiber. He said it was also important to keep the GLP-1 meals flavorful and colorful, to stimulate appetites. “Many times when people are on those kind of regimes, they feel that they can’t do the same as everybody else. So we wanted to show them, yes, at Cuba Libre, you can,” Roque said. Gutin said the menu has increased business. He estimated that 10 to 20 groups at each location every week have at least one person who requests the GLP-Wonderful menu. “People say, ‘Thank you for serving us’,” Gutin said. Big chains go small Olive Garden, whose seven-item “Lighter Portions” menu rolled out nationwide in January, said GLP-1 users were one consideration. The Italian-style restaurant chain also wanted to appeal to patrons pursuing healthier diets or more affordable meals, said Rick Cardenas, the president and CEO of Olive Garden’s parent company, Darden Restaurants. “There is a consumer group out there that believes in abundance, but abundance is different for everybody,” Cardenas said in September during a conference call with investors. “So consumers can choose. We’re not changing our entire menu to make it a smaller portion.” The Asian fusion chain P.F. Chang’s began offering medium-sized portions last fall. The Cheesecake Factory added smaller, lower-priced Bites and Bowls to its menu last summer, while TGI Fridays recently began testing an “Eat Like A Kid” menu with smaller portions. A long-term change Smaller portions aren’t a new concept. Twenty years ago, small-plate tapas restaurants were all the rage, for instance. But to Webster, the menu consultant, the scaled-down dishes appearing now feel like a longer-term shift. For one thing, the trend is not tied to any particular cuisine. Webster also thinks consumers are thinking more about food waste than they used to, and smaller portions can alleviate some of their concerns. “I think it is a core need that consumers have, and a demand that has been lingering under the surface for a long time because restaurant meals, particularly at chains, have become so large,” she said. “Sure, it sounds great to take leftovers home, but they never taste as good.” During a recent visit to Shelburne, Vermont, from his home in North Carolina, Jack Pless was delighted to see the Teeny Tuesday menu at Barkeaters Restaurant, which specializes in locally sourced food. Pless, who’s in his 60s and used to own a restaurant, said he can’t eat as much as he used to at meals. “So many times you go out to restaurants, especially me or my wife, and we’ll take home a box and it’ll sit in the refrigerator for two, three days and start to grow a beard,” he said. Julie Finestone, the co-owner of Barkeaters, said she introduced the Teeny Tuesday menu last month to bring in more weekday business during the winter. She was concerned about the cost of offering lower-priced food options, like $12 reuben sliders, but said the decision has brought in more business than she expected. Finestone said she’s pretty confident Teeny Tuesday will become a year-round fixture. “Some people, it’s dietary. Some have smaller appetites. Some people don’t like to overindulge in the middle of the week,” Finestone said. “I think that it just spoke to people.” —Dee-Ann Durbin, AP business wrtier AP Video Journalists Mingson Lau and Amanda Swinhart contributed. View the full article

Digital investments will be restricted to niche Innovative Finance Isas from next monthView the full article

There’s a $298 midi dress on Reformation’s website with delicate lace detailing throughout and a button front that allows you to show some leg—it’s the kind of dress the brand is known for, versatile and a little seductive. On Quince, there’s what appears to be the same dress: It has the same silhouette, the same fabric, the same drape. The Quince version costs $69.90. That $228 difference is Quince’s entire business model. At a time of inflation, when consumers are looking to curb their spending, Quince’s approach has been wildly successful. Eight years after launch, Quince generates upwards of $1 billion in annual revenue, has a 1,000-strong staff, adds hundreds of new items to the site per week, and has expanded beyond clothing to furniture and home goods, menswear and kids, wellness products like collagen peptides, and even food. (Its $125 caviar has been a huge hit.) This week, Quince snagged $500 million in Series E funding, valuing the company at $10.1 billion. Quince hasn’t achieved this scale without blowback. It has been sued by the parent companies of Coach and UGG for copying their designs, and Williams-Sonoma has taken aim at its comparative advertising practices. Most recently, Quince has been hit by a consumer class action lawsuit claiming its pricing is deceptive. All of this has shaped the public perception of Quince as a company that makes cheap knock-offs. Now, Quince is betting that it isn’t enough to be known as a dupe factory. It needs something more: a brand. In a sign of this evolution, Quince hired Dakota Kate Isaacs—who previously built the cult skincare brand The Ordinary—to be its first head of brand strategy and narrative. “My role is not to create a new story,” she tells Fast Company. “It’s to humanize Quince and let consumers get a glimpse behind the curtain.” The Copycat’s Playbook In 2018, Sid Gupta, his wife Zunu Mittal, and two others launched Quince in Palo Alto, California. These founders believed they had identified enormous inefficiencies in the retail industry that consumers end up paying for. Whereas direct-to-consumer brands educated consumers about how bypassing department stores allowed them to cut out retail markups, Quince was built to go deeper into the system and be, in its parlance, a “manufacturer-to-consumer” brand. By working directly with factories—cutting unsold inventory that inflate prices and eliminating brokers, suppliers, and other middlemen—they could sell products at a fraction of the price of competitors, including $50 cashmere sweaters, $80 silk blouses, and $100 linen sheets. Quince isn’t shy about the fact that it is actively monitoring what consumers are searching for on the internet and figuring out how to make cheaper versions of other brands’ best-selling products. In a radical move that has ruffled the industry, Quince points out on each product page how much other brands charge for items that look indistinguishable; they are often two, three, or five times more expensive. Can Quince Become a Real Brand? Quince brought on Isaacs to create an identity for the company that goes beyond being a copycat. Isaacs built her career at The Ordinary, a cult skincare label that disrupted the beauty industry with transparent pricing and ingredient-forward marketing. Starting as a P.R. intern, Isaacs quickly proved her mettle and spent five years building the company’s entire U.S. operation from scratch—hiring staff, developing social media strategies, getting into retail. One of her biggest accomplishments was landing the brand in Sephora. Sephora’s merchants initially resisted The Ordinary because they thought it would encourage their customer to trade down from more expensive labels—but it eventually became one of Sephora’s top-selling brands. The parallel to Quince is not lost on Isaacs. Just as The Ordinary challenged the assumption that skincare had to be expensive to be effective, Quince is challenging the assumption that quality clothing and home goods require premium prices. “The consumer has kind of been conditioned to believe that quality must be expensive to be real,” Isaacs says. “I’ve seen behind the scenes, I know how this works.” When Quince approached Isaacs for this new role, she was intrigued by the opportunity to help bridge the gap between consumer perception and what she thought was a very radical business model underneath. She empathizes with some consumers’ wariness about Quince because she had similar reservations when she first encountered the brand four years ago. “My perception prior to joining the business was like, ‘Something’s sketchy here, like something’s off,'” she recalls. But as she’s gone behind the scenes at Quince, she believes there’s a compelling story to tell about how the company is radically reimagining the supply chain and democratizing quality. “People should think about Quince less as a brand and more as a new operating model for retail,” she says. Her job, as she sees it, is not to spin a new narrative but to do a better job explaining what the company already does. Isaacs is inspired by Everlane’s approach to storytelling when it first launched in 2011, as it tried to explain how the cost of a t-shirt balloons thanks to expensive brand campaigns and department store markups. Over the years, Everlane has moved away from this messaging, which gives Quince an opportunity to pick up where it left off. Isaacs wants every consumer touchpoint—from the first ad impression to the moment a package arrives—to convey a consistent message about quality, transparency, and the logic of the system. The Dupe Problem But changing consumer perception is no easy task. And Quince is known as being a dupe-maker extraordinaire. Quince’s rise is inseparable from the broader cultural moment that made dupe culture mainstream. For years, buying knockoffs carried a social stigma—something you did but didn’t necessarily advertise. That has changed in the era of social media and inflation, when many creators proudly share cheaper dupes of their favorite products. Susan Scafidi, a professor of fashion law at Fordham Law School, has observed this change closely. “Everyone has access to imitation goods, and social media celebration of dupes has become a communal way to concurrently show off fashion knowledge and financial savvy,” she says. “Dupe, a diminutive nickname for ‘duplicates,’ does some of the work of making the otherwise morally questionable world of fakes, copies, knockoffs, replicas, and worst of all counterfeits, sound adorable.” When asked about the dupe characterization, Isaacs pushes back. “Many silhouettes are not unique to a single brand,” she says. “These are things that have existed for years across categories—a silk slip dress, a cashmere sweater, linen bedding. These are not proprietary designs. They’re ubiquitous products that a lot of brands produce.” While Quince does makes general items that aren’t visually associated with a single brand, it has also copied designs with distinct features, like the Reformation dress, Coach’s Rogue bag, and UGG boots. Scafidi notes that while Quince has managed to avoid the most common fast-fashion IP violations—infringing trademarked logos or copyrighted fabric prints—it has found itself in more complex territory. Trade dress claims, like those brought by Deckers about Quince’s version of UGG boots, argue that a shoe’s silhouette alone can be protected IP if consumers strongly associate that shape with a particular brand. Quince responded to Deckers with an antitrust countersuit that argued that the company is running a “litigation mill” to maintain a monopoly over sheepskin boots. “That action may be largely part of Quince’s efforts to control the narrative and cast itself as a good guy,” Scafidi says, “a quality-oriented, transparent, slow-fashion brand trying to deliver value to consumers.” (Deckers lost its key trade dress claim, but it has come back with a new wave of lawsuits.) The Williams-Sonoma lawsuit alleges that by directly comparing its products to Pottery Barn and West Elm, Quince is unfairly benefitting from these brands’ hard-earned reputation for quality. Quince is fighting back, calling the suit a case of an established brand using litigation to squash a scrappier competitor. There has yet to be a ruling. “Brands can’t stop Quince from engaging in legitimate comparisons,” Scafidi says. But she points out that if Quince is, in fact, making lower quality products than those of Pottery Barn and West Elm, “creating a halo effect around lesser goods could be deceptive.” The Work Ahead Legal issues aside, Neil Saunders, managing director and analyst at GlobalData Retail, argues that building a brand entirely on dupes is a losing business strategy in the long run. “If your competitive position in the market, especially in fashion, is that you go around copying everyone else, you’ll definitely find an audience for it, but it’s not very imaginative,” he says. “If you’re a copycat, you’re always later to market. Premium brands do well because they have a distinct point of view and people will buy into that aesthetic.” That’s a ceiling that even a $10 billion dupe company will eventually hit, Saunders says. Without a strong brand, consumers have no reason to stick with Quince if a cheaper dupe-maker shows up. “I don’t know how defensible this business model is,” says Vidyuth Srinivasan, founder of Entrupy, a tech company focused on fighting counterfeits. “They’ve done an awesome job scaling this business model, but it is definitely possible to replicate it.” Now, it falls on Isaacs to reshape Quince’s identity from being maker of lower-priced goods to having a compelling story in its own right. Her goal is to focus on Quince’s efforts to shake up the status quo and democratize quality. The companies that have done this best—Everlane’s ‘radical transparency’ era, The Ordinary’s ingredient-obsessed honesty, Warby Parker’s mission-driven pricing—succeeded by making their mission feel urgent and understandable, then keeping it front and center. The $500 million raised in this round will go toward building a world-class team, expanding into new international markets—Canada is live, Europe is next—and deepening the company’s range of categories. The investment, Isaacs says, reflects confidence in something more durable than a dupe strategy. “This latest round has really shown the trust in the system that exists,” Isaacs says. For now, the Reformation dress—and the Quince dress that looks almost exactly like it—are still both for sale. The question is whether Quince can get consumers to want it not just because it’s cheaper, but because it’s Quince. View the full article

A reader writes: About two years ago, I had just started working at a major media company on the east coast, making good money. I was able to be the sole breadwinner for my family of four. Due to a complicated family situation, we were forced to move to the middle of the country to be near my in-laws. My job could not transfer, so I got a favor from my dad to get a remote job at his company, taking a major pay cut in the process. It was still enough to take care of everyone with the lower cost of living, and it was well above the average of the area. About nine months later, that company had a major restructuring and I was laid off. I had to scramble to find any work that paid even close to what I was making. I was able to get a contract with a local government agency that was open ended, but I had to take a rate well below my comfort level. The people at my work seem to like what I can provide them with and want to keep me around. With my one-year anniversary coming up, I asked my boss for a raise that was higher than a cost-of-living adjustment. He seemed amiable and said he would do his best. I did not have a hard figure to give him at the time. However, I finally have some hard numbers to work with, and I am now panicking. After fixed expenses, I have just above $1,000 a month for all incidentals, such as food, fuel, stuff for the kids, etc. We try to be as frugal as possible, but we are still spending at least double that every month on a “middle class” lifestyle. I have realized that I am going to need a raise of over 10% of my current salary for us to get above water. However, I know that government jobs pay poorly compared to the private sector, and that is going to be a hard lift. I am willing to get more education (they will pay for it) and do different shifts, etc. to try to negotiate. However, if I can’t get that amount of a raise, I literally cannot afford to work for them without a second job. I could tell them that I will have to look for another job, but considering this is my fourth job in three years, I don’t know how many companies are going to take me seriously. I also do not want to burn a bridge because poor money is still better than no money. My wife could work, but the only work she is qualified to do now would not pay for the childcare expenses that we would incur. My parents are not available, and hers are close but not close enough to be free babysitting. What do you recommend that I do here? What is the best way to tell my boss that the raise they offer is not enough? Do I just accept it and tighten our belts more? Do my wife or I bite the bullet and get another job? You can’t really ask for a raise based on your living expenses; what employers pay you is based on the value of your work to them and the market rate for that work in your geographic area. That’s particularly true in government, where pay rates tend to be highly regimented and your boss isn’t likely to have much flexibility. So: is the amount you want to ask for reasonably aligned with the market in your area and justified by the level you’re contributing at? If so, go ahead and ask for it! Who knows, maybe you’ll get it. But if it’s wildly outside the realm of what the work normally pays, you’re likely to come across as out of touch (and are very unlikely to get it). In some situations where you’re highly valued and have a good rapport with your boss, you could lay your cards on the table and say something like, “I’ve run the numbers and to stay long-term, I’d need to be earning $X. Is that realistic here or not something you could do?” Note that’s not getting into the reasons why, which ultimately aren’t relevant to your employer. It’s just moving straight to the bottom line, while acknowledging that it might not be possible. And even then, I wouldn’t do it if you know the number will seem colossally outside the norm for the field (although 10% probably isn’t). But ultimately, if the job doesn’t pay what you need to earn, the options are to find ways outside this employer to bring in more income — whether that’s adding a second job, moving into a different job, or whatever else you come up with. The job pays the range it pays. Related: the Ask a Manager guide to asking for a raise The post I can’t afford to stay at my job without a large raise appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Google redesigned the Asset Optimization section in Google Ads for Demand Gen campaigns, consolidating AI-powered creative controls into a single, cleaner interface. Why we care. Advertisers managing creative at scale now have a centralized panel to toggle automated features on or off — making the process less manual and time consuming. What’s new. The redesigned layout groups three key automation capabilities together: Auto-generated shorter videos — AI trims existing video assets into shorter cuts to qualify for additional placements. Automatic video resizing — Videos are adapted across multiple aspect ratios to maximize inventory coverage. Landing page image pulls — Images are sourced directly from an advertiser’s landing page to generate additional creative variations. How it works. The new panel surfaces simple toggles for features like Resized videos and Image assets, letting advertisers quickly enable or disable each automation without digging through multiple menus. Bottom line. Advertisers running Demand Gen campaigns should head into the Asset Optimization panel now and audit which automations are enabled. Turn on video resizing and landing page image pulls if you haven’t already — these are low-effort wins that can meaningfully expand reach without additional creative production. Also make sure your landing pages are clean and visually strong, since Google will be pulling from them directly. And as Google continues rolling out more AI-driven creative tools, start shifting your workflow toward providing high-quality source assets and letting the platform handle format and placement optimization from there. View the full article

The Senate passed a bipartisan housing bill in an 89-10 vote, but how quickly and easily the bill can pass the House remains unclear. View the full article

For more than a century, Utah has kept gambling almost entirely out of the state. There are no casinos, no lotteries and no racetracks that allow bets, a prohibition rooted in the conservative ideals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which views gambling as a vice that leads to selfishness and addiction. But now, the state is fighting a new, more challenging battle to keep gambling outside its borders. It’s on the verge of enacting a law intended to undercut prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, which allow anyone with a smartphone to wager on anything from whether it will rain in Los Angeles to whether the United States will go to war. While regulators and other states are still debating whether those markets constitute finance or gambling, Utah has already made up its mind. “We are putting a casino in the pocket of every single American, and they are targeting especially young people,” said Gov. Spencer Cox. “It is really awful what they are doing, and we are going to make sure this doesn’t happen in our state.” Cox said he will sign the legislation, putting conservative Utah at odds with the federal government. Kalshi has already sued the state, and the company is backed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency responsible for regulating financial markets. The conflict puts Utah, a place that’s not known for picking fights, on the frontlines of a cultural, political and economic battle sweeping the country. On one side is a state deeply rooted in what is widely known as the Mormon church, where both politicians and faith leaders have treated the issue as a moral crusade. On the other is a growing industry — Kalshi and Polymarket are estimated to be worth $20 billion each after their last fundraising rounds — with connections in Washington that may offer some regulatory protection. President Donald The President‘s eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket and an investor in the latter. The President’s social media platform Truth Social is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict. Whoever wins this round could shape how other states handle the issue in the future. “What’s at stake here is whether states will be able to regulate gambling or if gambling is going to be subsumed into finance and ultimately regulated by Congress,” said Todd Phillips, a professor at Georgia State University who has written extensively about prediction market regulation. Utah takes aim at prop betting Polymarket and Kalshi allow participants to buy and sell contracts tied to the probable outcome of an event. Contracts are typically priced between one cent and 99 cents, which roughly translates to the percentage of customers who believe that event will happen. The companies argue they offer products that allow customers to manage risk, like how farmers can buy corn futures to lock in the price of their crops ahead of time. And derivative markets like the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange have long offered what are known as binary options to investors, which bet on whether an event will or will not happen. But unlike those derivative markets, the bulk of Kalshi’s trading volume and roughly half of Polymarket’s are now tied to sports. Kalshi said it saw more than $1 billion in volume traded on the Super Bowl alone. Utah is seeking to limit prediction markets from doing business in the state by taking aim at proposition betting in sports, which can be a significant source of their revenue. The bill that Cox plans to sign would expand the state’s gambling ban to include wagers on certain events happening in a game rather than the game’s outcome. An example of these “prop bets” would be how well a particular player performs, or a team hitting a specific threshold like rebounds or other metrics. The legislation also aims to stop sportsbooks companies like FanDuel and DraftKings that have set up their own prediction markets, which analysts say could allow the companies to get around state gambling prohibitions. Because of the vocal opposition of Utah officials, Kalshi preemptively sued the state in late February, asking a federal judge to stop Utah from enforcing its gambling restrictions on the platform. The judge has yet to rule on Kalshi’s request. Other judges in Nevada and Massachusetts have issued early rulings in favor of states looking to ban Kalshi and Polymarket from offering sports betting in their states, while judges in New Jersey in Tennessee have ruled in favor of Kalshi. Kalshi argues its product is different from sportsbooks companies or casinos because customers are betting against each other instead of against the “house,” spokesperson Elisabeth Diana said. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission under The President has agreed with Kalshi and has asserted that it has exclusive regulatory oversight of prediction markets. The agency argues states cannot ban the products from operating in their jurisdiction just because they are morally opposed to them. “To those who seek to challenge our authority in this space, let me be clear, we will see you in court,” chairman Michael Selig said recently in a video posted to social media. A moral crusade with religious roots It’s the first major issue in which Cox has clashed with The President in the year and a half since the Republican governor worked his way into The President’s good graces after not voting for him in 2016 and 2020. Patrick Mason, the chair of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University, said he is not surprised to see Cox and other Utah Republicans take a stand against prediction markets, even if it means going against their own party’s leadership in Washington. In the state, where about half of the 3.5 million residents are Latter-day Saints, even a simple game of church bingo is a rare sight. “Maybe they play for M&Ms, but never money,” he said. All the state’s major politicians, including the governor, lieutenant governor and its entire congressional delegation, are members of the church headquartered in Salt Lake City. When they view an issue as moral rather than political, the faith’s teachings often take precedence over appeasing the party, Mason explained. Church doctrine prohibits gambling in any form, saying it is motivated by “a desire to get something for nothing” and is destructive to individuals and families. “The idea that it goes against a sense of work ethic, a kind of fair exchange, has always been at the heart of the way a lot of people think about themselves in terms of Utah identity, and certainly Latter-day Saint identity and ethics,” Mason said. Because of Utah’s religious roots, the state has prohibited gambling since it was admitted to the Union in 1895. Along with Hawaii, it has the strictest gambling prohibitions in the country. Utah doesn’t even allow broad multi-state lotteries like Powerball or Mega Millions. Utah leads on both state and federal fronts Phillips, the professor focused on industry regulation, said if Congress does not step in to clarify whether these new prediction markets are legal, the issue will be left to the courts. “The line between gambling and finance is very, very fine,” Phillips said. “There’s a reason why Congress has, over and over again, stepped in to define and regulate financial markets when the products skew too close to gambling.” There is already some movement on Capitol Hill, led in part by another Utah Republican. Republican Rep. Blake Moore of Utah and Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal of California introduced bipartisan legislation this week to more aggressively regulate prediction markets. The bill would prohibit the platforms from allowing bets on war, assassinations, terrorist attacks or election outcomes, and allow states to ban sports-related betting. “We, as a society, should not be taking bets on whether we are going to invade Cuba,” Moore said. Democratic senators have also said they will introduce legislation to ban wagers on violence. “It’s insane this is legal,” Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said on social media. In court filings, Kalshi has tried to argue that its sports prediction market has economic utility and usefulness. It uses an example of an insurance company that underwrites the careers of college athletes using prediction markets to hedge the risk. Kalshi also argues that hotels, travel agencies and stadium management companies may be able to use prediction markets to hedge their risk against underperforming sports. Moore said he is not swayed by Kalshi and Polymarket’s economic arguments. “Utah’s economic outlook has been strong for many years,” he said. “I see no need why we need to embrace these as an economic tool.” —Ken Sweet and Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press View the full article

In an age where connection is paramount for businesses, Slack has taken significant strides this February to enhance workplace dynamics. By integrating artificial intelligence more deeply into its platform, Slack is positioning itself as an indispensable tool for small businesses striving for seamless communication and efficient workflows. This update introduces two groundbreaking features: the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and the Real-Time Search API. These tools reshape how small teams interact with both emerging AI technologies and existing data, facilitating better collaboration and knowledge sharing. The MCP server establishes a direct line between Slack and popular AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT, making it easier for small business owners to harness the power of AI without leaving the platform. With the interactive message composer, users can draft, format, and preview messages directly within an AI conversation. This functionality streamlines the communication process, allowing for the quick generation of personalized messages that align with the brand’s voice and style. “Your AI doesn’t just know things. It can actually do things in Slack,” Slack stated, highlighting the platform’s potential. The Real-Time Search API further enhances this interaction by delivering immediate access to workspace data as it is generated. Gone are the days of waiting for indexation; this feature allows small businesses to respond swiftly to customer inquiries or internal audits. For teams dealing with fast-paced projects, being able to locate information instantly can significantly reduce delays and enhance productivity. An added layer of insight comes from the Semantic Search feature available for Slack’s Pro customers, which interprets user intent rather than merely relying on keywords. This enhancement enables more nuanced searches, allowing team members to locate relevant documents or discussions even when using shorthand or multiple languages. The potential for improved efficiency here is substantial, addressing a common pain point for small businesses that may lack extensive documentation or guidance on best practices. Besides enhancing AI capabilities, Slack has revamped its user interface to foster a smoother onboarding process for new team members. The new side panel introduces guided tasks that help newcomers acclimate by prompting them to upload profile pictures or send their first direct messages. This feature simplifies integration for small teams, ensuring that everyone gets up to speed quickly and minimizing the disruption often experienced during new hires. However, there are practical considerations for small business owners when leveraging these new features. Integrating AI into workflows could require an adjustment period, particularly for teams less familiar with technology. Additionally, as Slack rolls out these updates, some features may not be immediately accessible based on licensing plans, necessitating ongoing communication with company administrators. Moreover, small businesses must weigh the potential costs associated with adopting new AI technologies. While the upfront investment may seem daunting, the long-term efficiencies gained from enhanced collaboration and streamlined operations could justify the expenses. As organizations look to make their communication more efficient, Slack’s new features suggest a pathway to greater connectivity. “We’re focused on making those bonds stronger and smarter,” the company emphasized, underlining the importance of cohesive teamwork in today’s business landscape. In summary, enhancing AI’s integration within Slack offers numerous benefits for small business owners, from improved message drafting to immediate data retrieval. While some challenges exist, particularly around technology adoption and cost, the potential to significantly enhance team efficiency makes these updates worth exploring. To learn more about these features, including their rollout timelines and availability, visit Slack’s Innovations webpage. As small businesses continue to navigate the evolving marketplace, tools like Slack promise to provide the connectivity necessary to thrive in a competitive environment. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Slack Unveils AI Enhancements to Strengthen Team Connections and Productivity" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In an age where connection is paramount for businesses, Slack has taken significant strides this February to enhance workplace dynamics. By integrating artificial intelligence more deeply into its platform, Slack is positioning itself as an indispensable tool for small businesses striving for seamless communication and efficient workflows. This update introduces two groundbreaking features: the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and the Real-Time Search API. These tools reshape how small teams interact with both emerging AI technologies and existing data, facilitating better collaboration and knowledge sharing. The MCP server establishes a direct line between Slack and popular AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT, making it easier for small business owners to harness the power of AI without leaving the platform. With the interactive message composer, users can draft, format, and preview messages directly within an AI conversation. This functionality streamlines the communication process, allowing for the quick generation of personalized messages that align with the brand’s voice and style. “Your AI doesn’t just know things. It can actually do things in Slack,” Slack stated, highlighting the platform’s potential. The Real-Time Search API further enhances this interaction by delivering immediate access to workspace data as it is generated. Gone are the days of waiting for indexation; this feature allows small businesses to respond swiftly to customer inquiries or internal audits. For teams dealing with fast-paced projects, being able to locate information instantly can significantly reduce delays and enhance productivity. An added layer of insight comes from the Semantic Search feature available for Slack’s Pro customers, which interprets user intent rather than merely relying on keywords. This enhancement enables more nuanced searches, allowing team members to locate relevant documents or discussions even when using shorthand or multiple languages. The potential for improved efficiency here is substantial, addressing a common pain point for small businesses that may lack extensive documentation or guidance on best practices. Besides enhancing AI capabilities, Slack has revamped its user interface to foster a smoother onboarding process for new team members. The new side panel introduces guided tasks that help newcomers acclimate by prompting them to upload profile pictures or send their first direct messages. This feature simplifies integration for small teams, ensuring that everyone gets up to speed quickly and minimizing the disruption often experienced during new hires. However, there are practical considerations for small business owners when leveraging these new features. Integrating AI into workflows could require an adjustment period, particularly for teams less familiar with technology. Additionally, as Slack rolls out these updates, some features may not be immediately accessible based on licensing plans, necessitating ongoing communication with company administrators. Moreover, small businesses must weigh the potential costs associated with adopting new AI technologies. While the upfront investment may seem daunting, the long-term efficiencies gained from enhanced collaboration and streamlined operations could justify the expenses. As organizations look to make their communication more efficient, Slack’s new features suggest a pathway to greater connectivity. “We’re focused on making those bonds stronger and smarter,” the company emphasized, underlining the importance of cohesive teamwork in today’s business landscape. In summary, enhancing AI’s integration within Slack offers numerous benefits for small business owners, from improved message drafting to immediate data retrieval. While some challenges exist, particularly around technology adoption and cost, the potential to significantly enhance team efficiency makes these updates worth exploring. To learn more about these features, including their rollout timelines and availability, visit Slack’s Innovations webpage. As small businesses continue to navigate the evolving marketplace, tools like Slack promise to provide the connectivity necessary to thrive in a competitive environment. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Slack Unveils AI Enhancements to Strengthen Team Connections and Productivity" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article