Author: arthursheikin@gmail.com

[ad_1] With 4 million app downloads, Estonia-based startup Vocal Image aims to help people improve their voice and communication skills with AI-powered coaching. But out of its 160,000 active users, it may be its CEO, Nick Lakhoika, who best embodies its mission.  Lakhoika was born in Belarus, didn’t speak English until his relocation to Estonia, and once struggled with speaking anxiety. Yet, he went on to “win a lot of pitch competitions” on behalf of the voice coaching startup, which was inspired by his journey, he told TechCrunch. “When I was at school, I was a little bit bullied for…

[ad_1] The kids just don’t work like they used to — and it might tell us a lot about how the economy is changing.Over the last 15 years, the job market for younger workers has changed dramatically in some aspects — and, in others, remained remarkably static. But the changing roles younger workers have taken mirror some of the biggest shifts in the economy — and, as the entry-level job market faces its own contractions, might show what could come next.To analyze how entry-level hiring and roles have changed, Business Insider looked at occupational data from 2010, 2019, and 2023…

[ad_1] Parents know raising a baby will cost them a fortune and a half.Childcare costs have remained above overall inflation for 25 years and do not show signs of slowing down. That growing cost is one reason some parents are forking over $30,000 a year in some states or working solely remote jobs to save money while their kids run in the background of meetings.Since 2000, day care and preschool costs in cities across the US have continually outpaced inflation. Childcare costs have increased 153%, compared to overall prices’ 90% increase, over that time.With return-to-office polices becoming increasingly common, parents…

[ad_1] China’s tech rebound, sparked by AI buzz around DeepSeek earlier this year, has been interrupted by a bruising food delivery war that hammered the shares of Alibaba, JD.com, and Meituan — three of the country’s biggest e-commerce players.The intense rivalry among the three tech giants has showered Chinese consumers with dirt-cheap indulgences — bubble tea and lattes for as little as 1 Chinese yuan, or $0.14, and meals dropped at their door in under 30 minutes.It’s not just food. As growth in China’s traditional e-commerce slows, companies are racing into the new fast-delivery segment.”It can be flowers, it can…

[ad_1] One of Australia’s largest banks has made it clear to employees that not coming into the office will have consequences.In an internal memo on Thursday, ANZ Group said employees’ salaries will be cut if they are not in the office for at least half the working week.Bloomberg first reported the memo. A spokesperson for ANZ confirmed the contents of the memo to Business Insider.”Our hybrid working expectation has been made clear to our employees, including potential impact on future remuneration if employees don’t have an appropriate exception,” an ANZ spokesperson said. They added that the flexible working policy has…

[ad_1] Top-tier tennis wasn’t the only thing on display at the US Open — Naomi Osaka’s blinged-out, bejeweled Labubu dolls also came to play.The Japanese tennis player delighted crowds at the US Open in New York City this week by showing off her Labubu dolls, of which she has at least two.But they’re not just any other Labubus — they’re sparkly, bejewelled, and holding tiny tennis rackets. Osaka, 27, also said she’s given the customized dolls names inspired by famous American tennis players.”This is my Labubu, she’s named Billie Jean Bling,” Osaka told a reporter on August 26, holding back…

[ad_1] In a warehouse in New Zealand, thousands of berets sit in limbo.The caps belong to Daan Kolthoff, the founder of South Pacific Berets. Kolthoff has spent nearly two decades running the beret retailer, where 85% to 90% of buyers are from the US.That pipeline has suddenly shut off.Last week, New Zealand’s national postal service — along with many others worldwide — paused US-bound parcel delivery. The big change came ahead of the Trump administration’s decision to end a long-standing tariff exemption on small packages below $800, known as the de minimis rule, which kicks in on Friday. Customs and…

[ad_1] Gap sure sounds ready to declare victory in the denim ad wars.Richard Dickson, CEO of Gap Inc., touted the success of Gap’s latest ad campaign, “Better in Denim,” on the company’s second-quarter earnings call Thursday. The company, which includes its namesake title as well as brands like Old Navy and Banana Republic, reported sales that missed Wall Street estimates, and its shares were trading down slightly after-hours.Despite the earnings miss and discussion of tariff-related headwinds, the earnings call felt like a denim celebration right off the bat.Before it began, the broadcast aired its viral Gap ad, which was released…

[ad_1] When Leon Lim finished a computer engineering undergraduate degree at the National University of Singapore, his career path seemed set.In 2020, he joined a government tech agency, specializing in cybersecurity. Within four years, he was earning a six-figure salary and on track for a managerial role.But in 2024, he left to join his wife’s family-run funeral business as an operations development manager.”It was a very difficult decision,” the 30-year-old told Business Insider.Watching his wife, Rachael Tay, up close — meeting families, managing operations, and modernizing the business — made him rethink the kind of impact he wanted to make.…

[ad_1] The Trump administration seems intent on controlling Intel’s ability to make key business decisions around its floundering foundry business unit. Intel’s CFO David Zinsner shared new details about the company’s recent deal with the Trump administration, which gave the U.S. government a 10% equity stake, at a Deutsche Bank conference on Thursday, according to reporting from the Financial Times. The deal was structured in a way to penalize Intel if it spins out its foundry business unit, which makes custom chips for outside customers, within the next few years. Last week’s deal included a five-year warrant that would allow…