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Record vulnerabilities forecasted for 2025, making a proactive security strategy essential to protecting against attacks The post Analysis Forecasts More Vulnerabilities In 2025 appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

In early January, as the Eaton Fire approached their neighborhood in Altadena, California, Ronald Dunlap and his wife made a last-minute decision to evacuate. “We got a warning to be ready to leave, [but] we never got the warning to leave,” says Dunlap, a 78-year-old artist. “All of the sudden, the power went out and we looked out the window and the fire was pretty close.” Hours later, the neighborhood was gone. “There’s nothing,” he says. “It’s just like somebody walked through with a blowtorch and just took everything out.” For more than three decades, he and his wife had lived in a small, charming house originally built in 1912 as a maid’s quarters for a larger adjacent house. “We bought that house after saving for years,” he says. At the time, it cost $165,000. Just before it burned down, it was worth around 10 times that much. The couple’s home insurance can cover only around half the money needed to rebuild, Dunlap says. (And at nearly 80 years old, he doesn’t want to spend the years it might take to go through the typical process of building a house in the area.) At the same time, he and his wife can’t easily move elsewhere in L.A. County since the cost of a modest home is now stratospherically higher than what they’d originally paid. Several of their elderly neighbors face the same challenges, he says. But now Dunlap is hoping they may be chosen as part of a new project. A new nonprofit, founded in the wake of the fires, plans to donate small prefab houses to lower-income fire victims who can’t afford to rebuild either because they were underinsured or don’t have insurance at all. [Photo: Samara] Steadfast LA, the nonprofit, plans to initially donate between 80 and 100 of the houses, most of which will be 950 square feet each. Joe Gebbia, one of the cofounders of Airbnb, is donating $15 million to the effort, which Steadfast LA plans to match with other donations. Gebbia’s other company, the prefab home manufacturer Samara, is building the homes at cost, with no profit. Steadfast LA also hopes to partner with other modular-home companies. Building homes in a factory can help with one of the biggest challenges the region faces: With some 16,000 structures destroyed, the construction industry isn’t “set up for that kind of capacity,” says Mike McNamara, cofounder and CEO of Samara. “And obviously people want to get their homes as quickly as possible. [Photo: Samara] Also, the Trump administration’s immigration policies could shrink the pool of available construction workers, adding to shortages that existed even before the fires. By building offsite, the company can avoid putting more strain on the labor market. It also can use a different supply chain. The homes are built primarily with metal instead of wood and don’t have the same competition for materials. “When you think about the overall construction costs, it’s tiny compared to building a giant home on-site,” McNamara says. “The whole idea that we could just do all this work off-site is pretty interesting from a supply chain standpoint.” [Photo: Samara] The startup has a 150,000-square-foot factory in Mexico where it builds its homes on an assembly line. (Although the Trump administration may put tariffs in place for Mexican goods, McNamara says that it shouldn’t affect the company because it can use American building materials.) Automated equipment turns steel into 2-by-6 studs that are framed. Along other parts of the assembly line, the company builds roofs, walls, floors, and other components. As the structure is assembled, wiring, plumbing, and insulation are added. When the homes are shipped to a site, they essentially just need to be placed on a foundation and connected to utilities. The company also builds decks that are customized to the slope of the land on each property. The houses are designed for durability and should last 100 years, McNamara says. Normally, Samara’s homes are used as accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The smallest is a 420-square-foot studio. But its largest two-bedroom model is 950 square feet, similar in size to many of the homes that were lost in Altadena. The Dunlaps’ house was around 1,300 square feet. Around 600 of the houses that burned in the area were less than 1,000 square feet. In Pacific Palisades, some of the homes that were lost were mobile homes. [Photo: Samara] Steadfast LA will be screening homeowners to make sure they meet certain criteria, including being under certain income limits. But some other homeowners might choose to buy the houses directly, particularly if that’s all that their insurance money can cover. (A 950-square-foot two-bedroom unit starts at $261,000 plus an installation fee.) Some fire victims who have reached out to the company say they also want to take the opportunity to downsize. “People [are saying] ‘Hey, I’m older, my kids are gone,” McNamara says. “We just talked to a gentleman last week who was like, ‘My house is 2,800 square feet—I don’t even want a 2,800-square-foot house.'” [Photo: Samara] Because Samara is based in California, the houses have been designed for fire resistance. The roof and siding are made from metal. The doors and windows have dual-pane glass with aluminum frames. The homes don’t have attics with eaves, where embers often enter in a fire. The air-purification systems are specifically designed to handle wildfire smoke if there’s a fire nearby. Before houses can be built on lots that burned in the fire, federal and state workers need to clear out rubble and contaminated soil, and then properties will need to be greenlit for construction. Utilities on each street may need to be repaired. It’s not clear how long it will take before new construction can begin on each site, though the first stage of cleanup—removing household hazardous waste—was completed this week. Once the permits are in place, Samara can move quickly. Building a home in the factory takes around six weeks, and multiple houses can move through the assembly line at once. “Imagine every two days or three days, a unit pops off the back of the line,” McNamara says. It’s only a partial solution; even if the homes can be built quickly, residents will likely have to move back onto desolate blocks with empty lots where construction hasn’t yet begun. Meanwhile, multiple groups, including Steadfast LA, are pushing to find ways to help accelerate development overall. All of this is happening in the context of L.A.’s massive housing shortage. “We have to continue to address this broader housing shortage at the same time as we try to rebuild,” says Shane Phillips, the housing initiative project manager for UCLA’s Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies. That includes doing more to encourage people to rebuild multifamily housing, or housing with ADUs, he argues, rather than just replacing single-family homes. Steadfast LA’s founder, Rick Caruso, is a billionaire developer known for building malls. He also previously ran for mayor of L.A. and lost, and has criticized the current mayor for her handling of the wildfires—though the extreme weather conditions and the limitations of urban water infrastructure likely made stopping the fires impossible. (Altadena, it should also be noted, is separate from the City of L.A.) The new nonprofit is running parallel to a separate rebuilding program run by the city, as well as another run by the state. Caruso is widely expected to run for office again; if he does, he’s likely to make the fires and rebuilding part of his campaign. “There’s no question that there’s a political motivation behind Caruso’s effort here,” Phillips says. “But that doesn’t mean [it’s] not a positive thing.” View the full article

Student loan debt has an influence over borrowers’ career choices long after graduation, affecting their job satisfaction, career advancement, and investment strategies. According to a recent study conducted by MissionSquare Research Institute, the debt that’s carried by one in four Americans under 40 affects job-acceptance decisions for 56% of public-sector employees and 62% of those working in the private sector. “When they choose to accept . . . jobs, [the] majority of them have considered how that position or that job can help them with their student loan debt,” says the report’s author and MissionSquare’s head of research, Zhikun Liu. “It not only impacts people’s day-to-day financials, but also their morale at work, job acceptance, as well as their retention.” While most professionals take salary into consideration, Liu says borrowers are more likely to view compensation as a top priority, even at the expense of other factors like job satisfaction or advancement opportunities. That was especially true among male, Black, and Hispanic borrowers, according to the survey, who were about 10% more likely to view the debt as a significant factor in their career choices. Perhaps that is why retention rates were significantly lower among borrowers, with just 39% saying they wanted to stay with their current employer, compared with 61% of those without student loans. “We find that student debt leads to short-term financial planning and limited investment opportunities, which in turn hinders wealth accumulation and retirement planning,” Liu says. “They cannot take more risks, and their financial planning horizon is within the next few months, or within the year, versus [planning for] the next five, 10 years.” Borrowers are less satisfied with their jobs long after graduation According to the study, younger workers are more likely to say that student loan debt has limited their career advancement opportunities. Borrowers of all ages, however, report higher levels of career dissatisfaction and lower levels of loyalty to their current employer. According to the MissionSquare survey, more than a third of borrowers said the debt has served as a barrier to career advancement. Furthermore, while 18% of public sector employees without student loan debt report low work morale, the proportion jumps to 23% among borrowers. “It does force some trade-offs,” says Cassie Spencer, a career coach who works with students, recent graduates and mid-career professionals. “You may need to live at home for longer, if you can, or move to a smaller city with more affordable living costs, but that can mean [fewer] job growth opportunities.” Not being able to afford rent in a major city while paying down student loans or feeling pressure to take a less desirable job—or one with more limited career advancement potential—to secure a higher starting salary can reduce borrowers’ job satisfaction, employer loyalty, and long-term prospects. Furthermore, as graduates get older, Spencer says the debt often forces borrowers to delay major milestones—like purchasing a home, starting a family, starting a business, or changing careers—which can make them feel stuck. “It becomes a decision of, ‘do I continue to work in this job or this industry that I don’t love, or that I feel is having a negative impact on my life and my mental health, for something that could be better, even though the pay is not there?’” she says. “A lot of people in their early to mid-30s are not homebuyers yet; a lot of people are delaying starting a family; and there’s a lot of factors, but I think student loan debt is one of those factors.” Borrowers are better at pursuing professional development Though there are many challenges associated with student loan debt, it’s not all bad news for borrowers. This research suggests the added burden inspires them to pursue more professional development and educational credentials. According to the MissionSquare study, those with student loan debt are 37% more likely to say they are pursuing a professional development goal—such as new skills, responsibilities, leadership opportunities, and credentials—or have already achieved it. The desire for additional skills training at an affordable rate and at a quick pace has inspired many borrowers to pursue one-year master’s programs that begin during undergrad, often referred to as “accelerated Masters” or “four-plus-one” programs. “The influx of four-plus-one programs and the rise in students specifically looking for accelerated, shorter-term programs is astronomical,” Spencer says. She adds that such programs can help recent graduates begin their careers at a higher salary level, though there are risks, as it does add to their debt and makes it harder to switch careers later on. “Gen Z is already a generation that really does want to invest in their skills, and they want employers that are going to invest in them,” says Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer for Gen Z career platform Handshake. “For those with student loans in this generation, it’s even more so.” The long-term financial implications of student loan debt Taking on such a significant debt load at such a young age can also make it harder for borrowers to set and achieve long-term financial goals. Borrowers are less likely to also be investors, according to the MissionSquare study, and those that were reported a much shorter investment horizon. As a result, public sector employees with student loan debt were 14% more likely to strongly agree that their retirement savings are inadequate, as well as 9% of private sector staff. According to a recent survey conducted by Handshake 54% of borrowers say their student loan debt is a major source of stress, including 61% of Black and first-generation borrowers. “For some it can be crippling because they either don’t have the support or the knowledge or the teaching from anyone to know how to manage all of this,” Cruzvergara says, adding that it can also inspire borrowers to learn about personal finance sooner. “You can choose to make this motivational for you, and, quite frankly, get smart about your finances very early in your life.” How employers can help student borrowers—and themselves Cruzvergara advises all young people—but especially borrowers—to seek out the education and advice they need to manage their money responsibly. She also implores organizations seeking to hire young talent to offer student loan repayment plans, a perk which 25% of undergraduates in the Handshake survey say is essential, but one that just a tenth of full-time employers offer. With most of this year’s graduates leaving school with debt, Cruzvergara says employers should also remain open-minded about where they’re recruiting from. After all, in an environment where loans can have lasting career and lifestyle implications, some of the savviest students are intentionally turning down brand-name schools for more affordable alternatives. “It doesn’t mean the student couldn’t get into the expensive private school that has a better brand name, but maybe it does mean that that student made a smart financial decision from the get-go not to take on all of that debt,” she says. “So, that talent might actually be just as good, just as smart, just as intelligent, but may not be at the brand name school that the employer has historically recruited at.” View the full article

Starchitecture is heading to the moon. A lunar design from the international architecture and design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is part of a just-launched rocket mission that expects to land on the moon in early March. Not architecture per se, the design encases a shoebox-size data storage center that’s attempting to prove the concept of off-world disaster recovery services. Commissioned by Florida startup Lonestar Data Holdings, the solar-powered 8-terabyte data storage device is tacked onto the side of the lunar lander now making its way to the moon. A thin, 3D-printed object with sleek curves and a matte-black finish, BIG’s design sets a higher bar than the wire-jumbled scientific instruments typically seen on space missions. “As we prepare to return to the moon to stay, it is important that everything we do these coming years of lunar settlement is done with intention and care,” Bjarke Ingels, BIG founder and creative director, tells Fast Company. “We are laying the cornerstones of the lunar society we are about to establish. As such, every step of the way holds significance for the future.” [Image: Lonestar Data Holdings]The 10-by-7-inch device’s exterior is designed to cast shadows of the silhouetted faces of NASA astronauts Charlie Duke and Nicole Stott as the sun passes overhead. This may end up more of a design intention than a reality, as a photo of the lander shows the device crammed alongside other wiring and instruments with limited open space to cast those shadows. [Image: Lonestar Data Holdings]The data storage device is attached to the side of Athena, a lander developed by Houston startup Intuitive Machines (IM), through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. IM’s first lunar lander, Odysseus, made history in February 2024 by becoming the first commercial spacecraft ever to land on the moon. This new mission, IM-2, launched February 26 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk-owned SpaceX. Transit will take about one week, and the lander is expected to attempt lunar contact around March 6. The Athena lander is carrying NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations, including a drill and mass spectrometer that will measure the potential presence of volatiles or gases in the lunar soil, and a laser retroreflector array that can give future spacecraft a navigational reference point on the lunar surface. Also aboard the rocket carrying Athena is NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, an orbiter that will map the different forms of water that exist on the surface of the moon, providing key information for future settlement and exploration. The data storage device has more modest implications for humanity. As a proof of concept for backing up data in case of terrestrial disaster, the solar-powered data center will operate for just one lunar day, or about two weeks here on Earth. Ingels argues that the project still merits a level of attention to design. “Even if modest in scale, this data center is one of very few artifacts designed to remain part of the lunar landscape for years to come,” he says. So while BIG’s design won’t actually be functional for very long, the device will become the first piece of high design to make it to the moon. It probably won’t be the last. View the full article

Decision comes as ministers bet on expansion of London’s airports to boost economic growth View the full article

According to reports released this week, the Trump administration is considering scrapping a hallmark finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health—and even some oil companies are opposed to the idea. Based on reports from both Bloomberg and The Washington Post, Lee Zeldin, the recently appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has privately urged President Donald Trump to rewrite what’s known as the “Endangerment Finding,” a federal statement released in 2009 that set the stage for the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Here’s what to know about the finding, and what could happen if Trump rescinds it. What is the “Endangerment Finding”? The 2009 Endangerment Finding was the federal government’s official acknowledgment that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health. The statement specifically identifies six problematic gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. “The Administrator finds that six greenhouse gases taken in combination endanger both the public health and the public welfare of current and future generations,” the statement reads. “The Administrator also finds that the combined emissions of these greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines contribute to the greenhouse gas air pollution that endangers public health and welfare.” Today, the Endangerment Finding is the key legal mechanism underpinning the regulation of air pollutants from vehicles and power plants. Scrapping the finding was first suggested in the right-wing Project 2025, which also advised eliminating federal restrictions on fossil fuel drilling on public lands and curtailing federal investments in renewable energy technologies. The move was also considered during Trump’s first term, though it never came to fruition. What will happen if the Endangerment Finding is scrapped? Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act, the EPA can regulate air pollutants if it finds that they “cause, or contribute to, air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.” If the Endangerment Finding were to be revoked, that could set the scene for a major federal deregulation of greenhouse gas emissions, especially when it comes to the automotive industry and power plants. The possibility comes as several other levers of climate deregulation are on the horizon. This week, Congress is set to vote on two bills that would roll back climate regulations instituted in the final months of the Biden administration. The first bill concerns a fee on methane emissions by oil and gas companies, which the EPA said in November would reduce methane emissions by 1.2 million metric tons through 2035. The second bill concerns efficiency standards for tankless water heaters set by the Energy Department, which were predicted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 million metric tons over 30 years. Meanwhile, operations at the EPA might also have a major shake-up in store. During his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump said Zeldin is currently planning to cut “65—or so—% of the people from environmental.” A White House official later clarified that Zeldin plans to eliminate 65% of what it says is the EPA’s “wasteful spending,” which will include staff cuts. How are experts reacting to this news? So far, several legal experts have suggested that an attempt to roll back the Endangerment Finding would result in an influx of legal challenges, and that it wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny. Sean Donahue is an attorney who has represented environmental groups that support the Endangerment Finding. In an interview with The Washington Post, he argued, “You can have a lot of good and reasonable disputes about exactly how we should be addressing climate change. But the proposition that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities don’t endanger public health and welfare is not a position that could be supported by the science or what EPA’s own record suggests.” David Doniger, a senior strategist and attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told The Washington Post that his firm is prepared to challenge the move in court, should it come to that. Even some oil and gas companies are wary of the potential decision. According to Bloomberg, some energy companies have pointed out that nullifying the Endangerment Finding would open the doors for an influx of public nuisance lawsuits against oil producers and power plants. At the time of this writing, Trump has not commented on whether he plans to act on Zeldin’s recommendation. View the full article

Federal workers are facing uncertainty as President Trump and Elon Musk have already given notice to around 30,000 employees, with no signs of slowing down. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created with the purpose of slashing the size of the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce, leaving many career government employees scrambling. For those affected, the transition out of government work can feel daunting. Many federal workers have spent years—sometimes decades—building careers within the public sector, where job stability and structured career paths are the norm. Many people are now grappling not only with the financial implications of losing a job but also with the emotional toll of being abruptly separated from work they found meaningful. “I don’t cry often, but I absolutely lost it,” one anonymous Park Service worker who was let go told Fast Company recently. “I worked very, very hard, in a dangerous profession, to earn the position I was in, and to have it taken away from me truly hurt.” That worker and tens of thousands of others have been thrust into a competitive job market, where everything from a worker’s skill set to the wording of a résumé may differ. While the road ahead might seem uncertain, career experts say there are clear steps laid-off federal workers can take to position themselves for new opportunities. Making a successful transition is about understanding the private sector’s expectations and adapting accordingly. 1. Evaluate Your Skill Set and Practice Interviewing The first thing to do when looking for a job is understand where the opportunities lie and what the requirements are for those roles, says Fast Company contributor and Careerminds expert Amanda Augustine. She recently helped put together this guide for laid-off federal employees navigating a career transition. She says once you find a job post that seems promising, it’s about “seeing where your skill sets match up.” Job postings can give you ideas on how you can translate your previous experiences into terms that are being used in the job description, says Augustine. Your skill set from a government job likely won’t be a perfect match for the private sector, so it’s important to find a way to rephrase your strengths. Informational interviews are a way to get a better sense of where your skill set fits and what opportunities you should be looking into. This helps identify where a gap in experience might be that you can address by acquiring certification, a certain hard skill, or even a soft skill that you want to work to fill. Informational interviews can also help answer questions like what type of job you want to pursue, whether you’d like to work at a nonprofit, in the private sector, or doing something entirely different. You can also ask about the best way to translate your skills. There is also a lot of information out there for job hunters to see what kinds of questions employers will ask in interviews based on the industry they are in, says John Mullinix, head of growth marketing for Ladders. “On our site, we have a list of behavioral interview questions and how you might answer those for different industries.” 2. Update Your Résumé When looking for a new job, a strong résumé is key, as it’s likely the first thing a recruiter looks at. Mullinix says former federal employees should probably condense their experiences. “Federal résumés are often long because they want you to include every little detail. Most HR people are not going to spend that much time on your résumé,” he says. “We actually did a study. Right now they spend about six seconds looking at a résumé. So it’s not ideal for your résumé to be four to six pages long. You want it to be one to two max.” When deciding what to leave on and off your résumé, the main focus should be functionality. Federal résumés tend to be organized chronologically, with detailed summaries of each position. But in the private sector, this is not always what recruiters are looking for. “[Job seekers] want to include the [positions] that are most relevant or hyper-relevant for the roles that they’re going to apply to,” Mullinix advises. “We don’t need a 25-year summary. Try to keep it to the last 10 years.” The language that you use on your résumé is also important, as you want to talk about impact and achievement versus process. Including quantifiable results instead of generic descriptions of duties and responsibilities is always more valuable, Mullinix says. Employers want to know what you did and the impact you had. For employees with government clearances, unless it’s relevant for the role you are applying for, Mullinix says, you don’t need to include it. Government jargon does not always translate to the corporate world. When crafting your résumé, there is almost a language barrier in how government employees describe their skills in the private sector, says Augustine, noting, “The first thing to do is [think about] the civilian equivalents to any really specific government jargon that nobody outside of your field understands. There is actually also a large database online that describes different government terms and can help you understand how to strip out some of that very specific terminology to make it more generic, or in terms that a prospective employer will appreciate.” 3. Focus on Networking Networking can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re searching for connections outside your usual area of employment. But there are steps you can take to make it seem less overwhelming. Having an updated LinkedIn profile is key. “One thing you want to do is make sure you’re updating it so that it’s telling the same story as your updated résumé,” Augustine says. “But even beyond that, it starts with just connecting with those you meet. LinkedIn is not just for the people you meet while you’re working. It’s [for] your friends, your family.” Look up target companies and engage with their content on LinkedIn so you don’t come off as cold in your outreach, Mullinix advises. Now might also be a good time to attend relevant conferences, trade shows and or other networking events to make connections with target companies. Connecting with everyone you know and sending them each a thoughtful message so they are reminded how they know you, while also identifying loose connections (like a friend of a friend), is beneficial, says Augustine. You can also identify people on LinkedIn who previously worked for the government and have already transitioned to the private sector. Think creatively about networking opportunities—especially when it comes to virtual options. “There are various different ways to approach this,” Augustine says. “Not everybody’s good in a big, crowded room. Not everybody’s good face-to-face. One of the silver linings of COVID and the shutdowns is that a lot of virtual networking options opened up.” Augustine says you might also consider joining efforts with a former coworker who has also been laid off. Finding someone else to work with and share resources gives you a support system along the way, she explains. The odds of both candidates being an exact perfect fit for the exact same role are fairly slim, so you’re not really in competition. The job hunt may be challenging, and you may still be mourning your old role, but the most important thing is to be patient. Augustine and Mullinix agree that doing the work and staying consistent will help you land your next job. “Be patient with yourself,” Mullinix says. “Do the things that are hard and do them consistently, and you should see success.” View the full article

Yope is the latest photo-sharing app vying to take on Instagram and TikTok. The pitch? A hybrid of a private Instagram and a group chat. While WhatsApp and Snapchat allow for group messaging and Instagram offers private accounts, Yope blends the best of both—creating a space where users can share photos exclusively with their chosen circles. Launched in September 2024, Yope has grown exponentially over the past six months, now boasting 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily active users, many of whom are in the investor-coveted Gen Z demographic. The company also claims that 40% of users are still active on the app seven days after installing it. According to TechCrunch, Yope has raised an initial seed round of $4.65 million on a valuation of $50 million. Users can create and name groups, invite friends, and post photos exclusively within those spaces. Each group features a wall where Yope’s machine-learning technology stitches images into a continuously evolving photo collage. The app also offers a lock screen feature similar to the app Locket, displaying the most recent shared photos. A Snapchat-like streak function boosts engagement, while the “recap” feature—akin to Google Photos and Apple’s Photos app—compiles shared images into a slideshow. Videos posted by Yope ambassadors on TikTok and Instagram have racked up more than 56 million views, and the company told TechCrunch that 70% to 80% of its users join through invites from friends. The app’s user base currently skews young, with an average age of 18. “Instagram and Snapchat have become platforms for curated content. While Gen Z users take a lot of photos, only 1% of them are shared,” Bahram Ismailau, Yope’s cofounder and CEO, told TechCrunch. Yope is betting on a shift away from public platforms like Instagram and X in favor of private, closed-group sharing—reminiscent of an earlier internet era. Other apps have tried to capture this nostalgia. BeReal (RIP) had its moment, while Poparazzi and Locket also attempted—and failed—to redefine social media’s halcyon days. The question is: Can Yope succeed where others have fizzled out, or is it just another fleeting challenger to Instagram and TikTok? View the full article

Right-wing influencer and his brother were being held on multiple charges including sexual exploitationView the full article

The dramatic images of wealthy neighborhoods burning during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires captured global attention, but the damage was much more widespread. Many working-class families lost their homes, businesses, and jobs. In all, more than 16,000 structures—most of them homes—were destroyed, leaving thousands of people displaced. The shock of this catastrophic loss has been reverberating across Southern California, driving up demand for rental homes and prices in an already unaffordable and competitive housing market. Many residents now face rebuilding costs that are expected to skyrocket. Climate-related disasters like this often have deep roots in policies and practices that overlook growing risks. In the Los Angeles area, those risks are now impossible to ignore. As the region starts to recover, communities have an opportunity to rebuild in better ways that can protect neighborhoods against a riskier future, but at the same time don’t price out low-income residents. Research shows that low-income residents struggle the most during and after a disaster. Disaster assistance also tends to benefit the wealthy, who may have more time and resources to navigate the paperwork and process. This can have long-term effects on inequality in a community. In Los Angeles County, where one-third of even moderate-income households spend at least half their income on housing, many residents may simply be unable to recover. My research at the University of San Diego focuses on managing risk in the face of climate change. I see several ways to design solutions that help low- and moderate-income residents recover while building a safer community for the future. Better building policies that recognize future risk Before a disaster, communities trying to adapt to climate change often prioritize protecting high-risk, high-value property, such as a beachfront or hillside neighborhood with wealthy homes. My own research also shows a trend toward incremental climate adaptations that don’t disturb the status quo too much and, as a result, leave many risks unaddressed. Climate risks are often underestimated, in part because of policy limitations and a political reluctance to consider unpopular solutions, such as restricting where people can build. Yet disasters once considered unimaginable, such as the Los Angeles wildfires, are occurring with increasing frequency. Making communities safer from these risks requires communitywide efforts. And that can mean making difficult decisions. Policy changes, such as updating zoning laws to prevent rebuilding in highly vulnerable areas, can avoid costly damage in the future. So can not building in risky areas in the first place. California already has some of the strictest wildfire-prevention codes in the country, but the same rules for new homes don’t apply to older homes. Communities can invest in programs to help these property owners retrofit their homes by offering grants or incentives to remove highly flammable landscaping or to “harden” existing homes to make them less vulnerable to burning. Research shows that resilience efforts can spur “climate gentrification,” or displacement due to increases in property values. So, focusing on affordability in resilience efforts is important. For long-term affordability and resilience, governments can collaborate with communities to develop strategies such as supporting Community Land Trusts through grants, low-interest loans, or land transfers; implementing zoning reforms to enable higher-density, climate-resilient affordable housing; and incentivizing green infrastructure to strengthen community resilience. In some cases, communities may have to consider managed retreat (moving people out of high-risk areas) but with adequate compensation and support for displaced residents to ensure that they can rebuild their lives elsewhere. [Image: Beverly Hills Fired Department] Making the risks clear through insurance Insurance rates can also encourage residents and communities to lower their risks. Yet in many places, insurance policies have instead obscured the risks, leaving homeowners less aware of how vulnerable their property may be. For years, insurers underpriced wildfire risk, driven by market competition. California policies also capped the premiums they could charge. As fire damage and rebuilding costs soared in recent years, insurers unwilling to shoulder more of the risk themselves pulled out of the state. That left countless Californians uninsured and hundreds of thousands reliant on the state-run insurance known as the FAIR Plan. The plan imposes caps on payouts and is now struggling to stay solvent, resulting in higher costs that insurers are expected to pass on to consumers. Insurance reforms could help reduce the financial burden on vulnerable populations while also lowering overall risk. To achieve this, the reforms could incentivize building more resilient homes in less risky areas. As seen with the L.A. fires, what your neighbor does matters. Reducing fire risk in each home can make entire neighborhoods safer. Insurers can provide a road map for how to reduce those risks, while state and local governments can provide assistance to retrofit homes and help ensure that insurance premiums remain affordable. There are also innovative approaches to fund resilience efforts that can include insurers. One example is New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act, which requires fossil fuel companies to finance climate adaptation efforts. Equipping communities with resilience hubs When disasters strike, local groups and neighbors play critical roles in stabilizing neighborhoods. But residents also need more specialized help to find housing and apply for disaster aid. Building resilience hubs in communities could help support residents before, during, and after disasters. The resilience hub in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles provides one model for what these spaces can achieve. It’s anchored in a community arts center with solar power and backup energy storage. Residents can drop in to cool down during heat waves or charge their phones during power outages. It also hosts community classes, including in disaster preparedness. During and after a disaster, resilience hubs can serve as central organizing points. They can provide crucial information, resources, and assistance with completing paperwork to access aid. Having access to skilled help in navigating what can be a complicated, time-consuming process is often critical, particularly for people who aren’t native English speakers. Getting assistance is also often critical for displaced renters, who may have little certainty about when or if they will be able to return to their homes. Understanding their legal rights can be confusing, and rising costs as rental housing is rebuilt can price them out of the market. Research shows that building a supportive community can provide a crucial social safety net when dealing with disasters and also boost the community’s social and economic well-being. Reframing policies for everyone The catastrophic L.A. wildfires were a powerful reminder that governments and communities need to think carefully about the risks they face and the role policies may play as they learn to live with greater fire risk. Building a resilient future in a warming world will require bold, innovative, and collective strategies that support communities while advancing equitable solutions. Nichole Wissman is an assistant professor of management at the University of San Diego. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

US president has threatened 25% duties on EU importsView the full article

It used to be that if you asked a classroom of kids what they want to be when they grow up, you’d get answers like “firefighter” and “astronaut.” These days, Gen Alpha dreams of becoming content creators. A survey of 910 U.S. Gen Alpha kids (ages 12 to 15) by social commerce platform Whop found that nearly a third want to be YouTubers, while one in five aspire to become TikTok creators. Content creation isn’t their only ambition—19.1% also expressed interest in becoming mobile app or video-game developers. While the “iPad kid” generation is learning plenty from screen time, many feel their schools aren’t keeping up with the rise of digital careers. More than half of Gen Alpha say they feel unprepared by their education when it comes to building a personal brand and online presence—key components of a successful online career. “Everyone wants to be a content creator, especially kids who have grown up online. They can see the opportunities that exist to make money, find a community, and build a following,” says Cameron Zoub, Whop cofounder and chief growth officer. “[For] a 15-year-old today, if you have a laptop, there’s a million ways to make money on the internet.” Long gone are the days of lemonade stands and car washes. Gen Alpha sees real earning potential in streaming video games, selling products online, reviewing brands, securing sponsorships, and even competing in esports tournaments. Entrepreneurship is also on the rise. More than one in six Gen Alpha kids aspire to start their own business, with many already earning hundreds of dollars annually, despite being too young for traditional jobs. Brands are taking notice too: Nearly a quarter of Gen Alpha report that either they or someone they know has been approached for a sponsorship deal. With mid-tier YouTubers charging $5,000 to $10,000 per brand partnership, that’s some serious pocket change. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss told me to bring my sick four-year-old to work with me I want to start off by saying I am the absolute backbone of our store and everyone, including my boss, knows it. My boss has the flu right now and my four-year-old has been sick. She woke up crying, feverish, snotty, etc. I texted my boss at 4 am (I was scheduled to open at 10:30 am) explaining that my child’s sickness had taken a turn for the worse and asked if there was a possibility that anyone else could cover. She responded that there was no one besides me who could work and I would just have to bring my sick daughter with me. I’d been up all night with my child as well, which I also stated to my boss. I don’t feel like this is fair. My sales are the highest, I feel I work the hardest, and I’m often told how great I am. Even corporate has reached out to me about my amazing sales. Am I overreacting? No, you’re not overreacting. It’s not reasonable to expect to you bring a sick child to work (nor would customers be likely to appreciate it). I think where you erred, though, was in asking if you could take a sick day. If we had a time machine, I’d send you back in it to instead say, “Jane is very sick and I’ve been up all night with her, so I won’t be able to open the store today.” Don’t ask, which implies you’re open to hearing “no” — say you wouldn’t be there and why (just like you’d presumably do if you yourself were throwing up or in the ER or so forth). There are some situations where you simply cannot come to work because of sickness, period. In those cases, it’s better not to cloud the situation by presenting it as optional. 2. My coworkers saw porn on my phone’s lock screen I graduated from college last May and got my first office job. I have my work iPhone and my personal phone. I only ever use my work phone for work things, of course, but my problem came from my personal phone. I downloaded something on my personal phone so that every time I turn on the screen, the lock screen background is an AI porn pic. A new pic comes up every time. Aside from obvious benefits, this motivates me to never take out my phone at work. I won’t even check my phone until I get to my car. (The reduced phone use was my New Year’s resolution, and it has made me noticeably mentally sharper.) But today, my phone was ringing from my backpack while I had three coworkers in my cubicle talking about a project. I usually keep it on silent but forgot this time. It kept ringing, and one of them asked if I needed to get it. I said no, and tried to turn my phone on silent with my hand still in the backpack while I peeked inside it. One asked why I didn’t just take my phone out, and I said it was fine. But I was struggling to hold the backpack and unlock my phone at the same time, and the backpack slid down and fell on the floor with my phone still in my hand. The porn was only there for a split second, but everyone there saw it. Everyone went dead silent, and they were looking between me and each other. I put the phone away immediately and tried to start up the previous conversation again, but everyone was giving minimal answers. The meeting ended shortly after that. After half an hour of silently panicking in my cubicle, I said I was sick and left to work from home the rest of the day. I’m working from home the rest of the week. I have no idea what to do. I hate how everyone is judging me for something that is not deontologically bad, but I never would’ve shown it at work. Everyone is looking at me like they think something’s wrong with me, and I’m terrified it will get to my manager. Will I lose my job? Does everyone hate me? What do I do now!? First and foremost, you should take the porn off your phone’s lock screen. Yes, you didn’t intend to have it out at work but, as this experience showed, there are ways that can still happen and the consequences are too severe if it does. Moreover, even if you never intended to bring your phone out while you were there, you were bringing pornographic material into your workplace! Find another way to reduce your phone use. (That’s before we even get into the reality that as you go about your non-work life and are using your personal phone, you’re probably exposing other people to pornography against their will, which really isn’t okay to do.) As for work … all you can really do is to make a point of being scrupulously professional from here on out. It’s unlikely that people hate you, although some of them might feel a little icky around you for a while until that impression gets overridden. You’re probably not going to get fired (although you might get spoken to about what is and isn’t appropriate to have at work). But yeah, you made people really uncomfortable because you exposed them to something sexual against their will! Demonstrate through your actions that it was out of character and that you’re professional and respect boundaries, and it shouldn’t be impossible to live down. 3. Can my out-of-office messages say that emails sent while I’m out will be deleted? I am going on vacation for just over two weeks with my husband — our first decent holiday since before the pandemic. Given the amount of emails I normally receive (about 100 daily), I want to leave an out-of-office that will politely say that I will not be reading my emails and therefore they will effectively be deleted. I will give details of a team member who can handle urgent requests (which she is happy to do) but beyond that I would just want to ask people to resend anything non-urgent on the date after my return. I have seen OOO emails along these lines but sometimes they come across as a bit aggressive. What is your advice on how to word this? This will be the first time in 17 years I haven’t taken work or my laptop away with me and I so need the break. And also not to come back to several hundred emails to wade through! There are jobs and companies where you could do this and jobs and companies where you couldn’t, so the first thing to figure out is whether this will be okay in your job and in your company. In some jobs, this would be seen as off-putting to clients (since it puts the burden on them to remember to contact you again in X days, which won’t necessarily be seen as reasonable or client-friendly) and/or out of sync with your company’s culture, or it might result in you missing things you really needed to know (if someone doesn’t bother to resend later as instructed, which is highly likely in some cases, especially since a lot of people don’t pay attention to the actual content of OOO messages). So you really need to know if it’s going to be been seen as reasonable in your office. If you’re not sure, ask your boss. But if you’re confident it’s fine in your particular context, then I’d word it the message way: “Emails sent to this address March 10-21 will not be read. For anything urgent during that time, please contact X at Y. Otherwise, please resend your message after March 21.” Related: my colleague’s auto-reply says she might never answer your email 4. Using an inhaler during a job interview For reasons I won’t go into, my employer is in the process of downsizing. I am currently a full-time, salaried employee, but within the next month I will either be changed to a part-time hourly employee or let go. I am actively looking for a new full-time role, and my employer is supportive of my job search. My issue is that recent cold winter weather, work stress, and other stressors have caused my asthma to flare up. Currently, it is difficult for me to speak more than a few words before I start wheezing. My doctor’s advice has been to continue my daily medication and use my rescue inhaler as needed, which I have been doing. This is a flare-up, it will eventually pass. Do you have any tips on how to navigate job interviews when I will likely start wheezing and need to use my inhaler in the middle of the interview? Is it appropriate to let the hiring manager know ahead of time via email that I’m okay, I’m healthy, I’m just having a temporary flare-up and they shouldn’t be alarmed if I have to use my inhaler during the interview? At the level I’m at in my career, interviews could easily last up to an hour. You can absolutely let them know that. At the start of the interview, you could say, “I’m having a temporary asthma flare-up from the weather. It’s nothing to worry about, but I might need to use my inhaler at some point while we’re talking and I don’t want you to be alarmed if that happens.” People will generally take their cues from you on this kind of thing, so the more your vibe is “I have this under control,” the more likely they are to take it that way. 5. Should my resume have an objective at the top? I am applying for an internal department director position at my organization. I’m doing a redesign of my resume since it’s been a while. Is it appropriate to put “Objective” at the top? I’m seeing this in a lot of templates, but it seems like overkill to me – I mean, the objective to get the position, is it not? Objectives at the top of resumes were outdated 15 years ago, and it’s bizarre that they’re still showing up in resume templates. You do not need one, and should not use one. They’re unnecessary, take up valuable real estate that’s better spent on something more important, and will look dated. View the full article

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IRS Chief Operating Officer Melanie Krause will assume the role of acting IRS Commissioner following the retirement of Doug O’Donnell, the Internal Revenue Service’s acting Commissioner since January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced. O’Donnell, who has spent 38 years at the IRS, plans to retire on Friday after serving in multiple leadership roles, including as Acting Commissioner from November 2022 to March 2023. “On behalf of the Treasury Department, I want to thank Doug O’Donnell for his decades of public service and dedication to the nation’s taxpayers,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “He has been a remarkable public servant, and I wish him the best in retirement. At the same time, Melanie Krause and the agency’s leadership team are well positioned to serve during this critical period for the nation in advance of the April tax deadline.” O’Donnell expressed confidence in his successor, saying, “The IRS has been my professional home for 38 years. I care deeply about the institution and its people and am confident that Melanie will be an outstanding steward of the Service until a new Commissioner is confirmed.” Krause has served as the IRS Chief Operating Officer since April 2024, overseeing operations that include finance, risk management, facilities, human resources, procurement, privacy, and research. Before taking on this role, she was the IRS Deputy Commissioner of Operations Support, where she led key operational functions. Krause joined the IRS in October 2021 as Chief Data & Analytics Officer, overseeing research, applied analytics, and statistics and advancing AI and analytical research initiatives. She later served as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement from November 2022 to March 2023. Prior to her tenure at the IRS, Krause spent 12 years in the federal oversight community, including positions at the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. In addition to her work in tax administration, Krause is a licensed registered nurse and holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As acting Commissioner, Krause will manage the agency’s priorities leading up to the April tax deadline while maintaining oversight of its operational functions. The IRS has yet to announce a timeline for appointing a permanent Commissioner. O’Donnell’s departure marks the end of a career spanning nearly four decades. Krause will serve as acting Commissioner until a new appointment is confirmed. This article, "Krause Appointed Acting IRS Commissioner as O’Donnell Retires" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

IRS Chief Operating Officer Melanie Krause will assume the role of acting IRS Commissioner following the retirement of Doug O’Donnell, the Internal Revenue Service’s acting Commissioner since January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced. O’Donnell, who has spent 38 years at the IRS, plans to retire on Friday after serving in multiple leadership roles, including as Acting Commissioner from November 2022 to March 2023. “On behalf of the Treasury Department, I want to thank Doug O’Donnell for his decades of public service and dedication to the nation’s taxpayers,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “He has been a remarkable public servant, and I wish him the best in retirement. At the same time, Melanie Krause and the agency’s leadership team are well positioned to serve during this critical period for the nation in advance of the April tax deadline.” O’Donnell expressed confidence in his successor, saying, “The IRS has been my professional home for 38 years. I care deeply about the institution and its people and am confident that Melanie will be an outstanding steward of the Service until a new Commissioner is confirmed.” Krause has served as the IRS Chief Operating Officer since April 2024, overseeing operations that include finance, risk management, facilities, human resources, procurement, privacy, and research. Before taking on this role, she was the IRS Deputy Commissioner of Operations Support, where she led key operational functions. Krause joined the IRS in October 2021 as Chief Data & Analytics Officer, overseeing research, applied analytics, and statistics and advancing AI and analytical research initiatives. She later served as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement from November 2022 to March 2023. Prior to her tenure at the IRS, Krause spent 12 years in the federal oversight community, including positions at the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. In addition to her work in tax administration, Krause is a licensed registered nurse and holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As acting Commissioner, Krause will manage the agency’s priorities leading up to the April tax deadline while maintaining oversight of its operational functions. The IRS has yet to announce a timeline for appointing a permanent Commissioner. O’Donnell’s departure marks the end of a career spanning nearly four decades. Krause will serve as acting Commissioner until a new appointment is confirmed. This article, "Krause Appointed Acting IRS Commissioner as O’Donnell Retires" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

eBay has introduced a series of user experience (UX) enhancements designed to help shoppers find local listings and fast-shipping items more efficiently. The updates include improved delivery estimates, new search filters, and clearer retail standards, making it easier for customers to make informed purchasing decisions. eBay has leveraged artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of delivery estimates, addressing the challenges posed by its decentralized seller network. By analyzing factors such as a customer’s proximity to an item, the chosen shipping service, the seller’s shipping history, and real-time data synchronization, eBay has enhanced its predictive capabilities for delivery times. Search item cards now prominently display estimated delivery ranges for both free and paid fast shipping options. This allows customers to quickly identify items that can arrive within their desired timeframe. To further streamline the shopping experience, eBay has introduced a “Shipping and pickup” filter. This feature enables customers to easily locate items with fast delivery options, categorized as: U.S.: 2-4 days UK & Germany: 1-3 days By consolidating multiple shipping options into a single filter, eBay aims to simplify the search process and provide greater transparency on delivery times. Recognizing the growing demand for local pickup and same-day options, eBay has enhanced its local pickup feature by displaying precise driving distance on item cards. This update helps buyers assess whether a local purchase is convenient before committing to a transaction. The Shipping and pickup filter, introduced earlier this year, has also been updated to integrate various delivery options, including Free shipping, Local pickup, and Click & Collect, into a single streamlined search tool. In an effort to simplify the shopping experience, eBay has launched the eBay Top-Service badge in Germany. This new designation highlights listings that meet high-quality retail standards, such as fast and free shipping, free returns, and trusted sellers. The initiative replaces overlapping labels like “eBay Plus” and “eBay Garantie,” providing clearer signals to buyers. This article, "eBay Enhances Local and Fast-Shipping Shopping Experience with New UX Updates" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

eBay has introduced a series of user experience (UX) enhancements designed to help shoppers find local listings and fast-shipping items more efficiently. The updates include improved delivery estimates, new search filters, and clearer retail standards, making it easier for customers to make informed purchasing decisions. eBay has leveraged artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of delivery estimates, addressing the challenges posed by its decentralized seller network. By analyzing factors such as a customer’s proximity to an item, the chosen shipping service, the seller’s shipping history, and real-time data synchronization, eBay has enhanced its predictive capabilities for delivery times. Search item cards now prominently display estimated delivery ranges for both free and paid fast shipping options. This allows customers to quickly identify items that can arrive within their desired timeframe. To further streamline the shopping experience, eBay has introduced a “Shipping and pickup” filter. This feature enables customers to easily locate items with fast delivery options, categorized as: U.S.: 2-4 days UK & Germany: 1-3 days By consolidating multiple shipping options into a single filter, eBay aims to simplify the search process and provide greater transparency on delivery times. Recognizing the growing demand for local pickup and same-day options, eBay has enhanced its local pickup feature by displaying precise driving distance on item cards. This update helps buyers assess whether a local purchase is convenient before committing to a transaction. The Shipping and pickup filter, introduced earlier this year, has also been updated to integrate various delivery options, including Free shipping, Local pickup, and Click & Collect, into a single streamlined search tool. In an effort to simplify the shopping experience, eBay has launched the eBay Top-Service badge in Germany. This new designation highlights listings that meet high-quality retail standards, such as fast and free shipping, free returns, and trusted sellers. The initiative replaces overlapping labels like “eBay Plus” and “eBay Garantie,” providing clearer signals to buyers. This article, "eBay Enhances Local and Fast-Shipping Shopping Experience with New UX Updates" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Every quarter is a new nail-biter for the chipmakerView the full article

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The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. AI and energy are two of the most critical forces shaping the future of our planet—and their relationship is impossible to ignore today. From the significant power consumption of data centers to the growing energy requirements of AI-driven applications, the rapid adoption of AI is driving a surge in global energy demand that is outpacing the growth of renewable energy sources. This presents a crucial challenge: How to balance the environmental impact of this technology with the transformative potential it holds? The solution is more AI. Transform the environmental impact of energy production As I explored in my recent article, technologies like cloud, edge computing, and AI are reducing the carbon intensity of oil and gas production today while helping to advance the new energy systems of tomorrow. For example, consider the parallels between data intelligence for energy operations and autonomous vehicles. Much like how self-driving cars interpret real-time data about other drivers and traffic conditions to make decisions, AI-enabled devices in the oil field interpret data from wells and facilities in the network to take proactive and autonomous actions. This ensures that operations stay in the “sweet spot,” unlocking significant productivity gains while reducing costs and carbon emissions. This is only the beginning. Soon, AI will enable optimization throughout the entire production life cycle—from subsurface exploration to field development and production operations. This will allow us to optimize assets in real time, marking a significant step forward in energy production while maximizing performance and sustainability. But to realize this vision, we must unleash the full potential of AI across our industry. It must evolve from a digital tool that supports individual tasks into a fundamental capability set woven into the very fabric of our planning, decision making, and operations. AI will be the X factor for our industry. It has the potential to fundamentally transform the environmental impact of energy production. But for this to happen, we can’t rely on traditional AI and machine learning workflows. We need tailor-made solutions to meet the unique demands of the energy industry. Enter engineered AI. Engineered AI: AI for the energy industry The AI lexicon is constantly expanding and now includes everything from narrow AI to general AI to superintelligent AI, alongside the now ubiquitous generative AI. However, the unique challenges of the energy industry demand a specialized approach. To address them effectively, we at SLB propose “engineered AI”—a specialized approach to AI development focused on solving the energy sector’s most pressing challenges. Now, you may ask, “Do we really need more AI?” Well, consider this: Before a single barrel of oil or cubic foot of gas is produced, vast amounts of data are generated, analyzed, and acted upon. In fact, a single well can produce more than 10 terabytes of data per day, roughly equivalent to half of the text content in the U.S. Library of Congress. Engineered AI is purpose-built to address these complexities. It combines machine learning and generative AI with energy-specific data, physics-based modeling, and the deep domain expertise of the scientists and engineers across our industry. With open, secure, and adaptable architectures, we can unlock decades of historical data to drive innovation across the industry. As engineered AI evolves, it will enable the industry to rapidly accelerate and derisk processes such as reservoir design and management, construction of wells and facilities, and asset maintenance and performance. Ultimately, this will result in greater efficiency, reduced costs, and lower carbon emissions across the entire energy value chain. AI for the energy transition While engineered AI will be critical for improving performance and reducing emissions in the oil and gas industry today, it will also play a key role in scaling the low carbon solutions of tomorrow. Leveraging decades of subsurface data, we are already developing engineered AI solutions to identify optimal locations for carbon capture and storage and geothermal energy developments. This represents a significant step forward in reducing industrial emissions and accelerating the transition to clean, renewable energy systems. And as engineered AI capabilities mature, its impact will continue to accelerate. So, while the rapid growth of AI undoubtedly introduces new complexities to the global energy mix, I believe AI will unlock new opportunities, becoming one of our most valuable tools in delivering secure, affordable, and sustainable energy for all. When we get it right, AI isn’t just technology. It’s the key to a world with more energy and less emissions. Rakesh Jaggi is president of Digital & Integration at SLB. View the full article

Some precedents from Trump's first term do point to a scenario where depositories could re-enter the government mortgage market, according to one expert. View the full article