A $2,500 interceptor drone built to destroy Iranian Shaheds was recorded flying at the speed of a bullet train
The startup released a video on Monday of the Sting flying over open fields in an apparent test. A speed counter on the drone's first-person-view user interface indicated that the Sting reached up to 315 km per hour, or roughly the top velocity of a standard bullet train.
Business Insider could not independently verify the drone's speed.
This is how new STING Shahed drone interceptors are born — now even faster and more powerful 😎🚀 pic.twitter.com/a6aoRsGik2
— Wild Hornets (@wilendhornets) August 11, 2025
The announcement comes as the Ukrainian drone industry has been trying for months to push the limits of its FPV interceptors.
Ukrainian units are increasingly looking to these low-cost drones, once a novel concept on the battlefield, as a solution against the Iranian-designed Shahed.
Russia, which manufactures the Shahed locally, has drastically increased the number of these exploding drones it deploys at a time, pairing them with ballistic missiles to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.
New Russian tactics that allow Shaheds to fly higher and faster have also made it more difficult for machine gun squads, a core pillar of air defense for Ukraine, to hit the loitering munitions reliably.
An interceptor drone's speed is key because the uncrewed system must be fast enough to catch up to the Shahed. The Shahed-136, the standard loitering munition used in Russia's drone waves, flies at about 115 miles per hour.
When reports first emerged of the Sting's existence in the fall of 2024, the drone's baseline was to fly faster than 100 miles per hour.
With Monday's video announcement, it has now been recorded notching nearly double that speed.
One of the industry's rising stars, the Sting is being deployed in active combat, though it's unclear at what scale.
The Wild Hornets have said that one interceptor costs $2,500 and that Ukrainian pilots have already used the Sting to destroy roughly 100 Shahed drones.
That's still a small contribution against the total volume of Moscow's drone attacks; Russia launched over 6,000 Shaheds and decoys in July alone.
But Ukraine hopes interceptor drones will soon shore up the gap in its air defenses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a goal for the country to build 1,000 interceptor drones daily.
Kyiv's forces generally report shooting down or disabling between 86 to 89% of Russia's Shaheds, meaning that several hundred still get through a month. The reported interception and disabling rate was 82% in May.
Russia, meanwhile, has been pushing drone technology of its own. It's been reported to be testing and deploying jet-powered versions of the Shahed, which is believed to be modeled after an improved Iranian design that can fly up to 500 miles per hour.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
A look inside JPMorgan's soaring new office tower — and all its high-end perks
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"Our cutting-edge Fitness Center offers access to cardio, strength and recovery equipment, locker rooms, daily group exercise classes, a nutrition consultation and sessions with a Well-being Performance Coach," the bank said on its intranet, according to screenshots obtained by Business Insider. "It may take up to five business days from your move into 270 Park to be able to join the Fitness Center," the bank told employees adding that "a monthly membership fee is required" to join the gym. The Jamie Dimon-led bank behemoth first unveiled details of the building's amenities in 2022. The 60-story skyscraper will stand at 1,388 feet tall and was designed by Foster + Partners, which has headed other iconic projects like The Gherkin in London and the Hearst Tower in New York. With the transition imminent, Business Insider put together a slideshow of the skyscraper's most interesting perks and amenities, from its in-building employee gym to AI tech systems and a massive food hall. We spoke to people who have seen some of the communications, looked over JPMorgan press releases, interviews and reports from other publications, and renderings from the architects designing the tower. A huge food court and in-office pub JPMorgan's head of global real estate, David Arena, told Fortune that the project would include a food court with 19 restaurants. He described it in the February interview as a "modern version of an Eataly," referring to a popular Italian food hall. The bank has said it will feature "diverse food operators and healthy menus." There's also an Irish pub in the building, according to Fortune, as well as the option for food to be delivered on-demand straight to employees' desks. 'State-of-the-art' membership gym Screenshots of an internal JPMorgan portal obtained by Business Insider said 270 Park's "state-of-the-art" fitness center will be operated by Exos, a corporate well-being company that also offers sports training for professional athletes. The bank's internal communications said the gym will only be available to employees assigned to work at 270 Park for now. When the building fully opens in 2026, any employee with a Midtown Manhattan work address will be able to use it. The company has said employees who use the gym will have to pay a membership fee, which has drawn some gripes from people posting on Reddit who said they were JPMorgan employees. The bank declined to comment on the gym cost. In-office wellness center Recent communications to employees also mentioned a Health & Wellness Center that will provide medical care and services to benefits-eligible employees based in the US. Licensed providers will be there to offer sick visits, acute care, general medical advice, lab work, allergy shot management, and international travel preparation. Most services at the Health & Wellness Center are free, the portal says, including Wellness Screenings and certain lab tests performed on-site. The public JPM website also mentions 270 Park will have "modern mother's rooms and prayer and meditation spaces." Elements of nature — from lighting to air and materials The 270 Park Ave tower will use "biophilic design" techniques to connect the outdoors to the indoors, according to JPM's website, through the use of plants and "healthier furniture and building materials." The windows of the building will bring in 30% more daylight than a typical office building, the site says, and use "circadian lighting" to "support a healthier indoor environment." The tower will have advanced heating and air-conditioning systems that both clean outdoor air as it comes in and filter recirculated air, the firm says. The tower will be New York City's largest all-electric skyscraper, according to the site, powered by renewable energy and producing "net zero operational emissions." 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More space — both indoors and out JPM says the new building will house up to 14,000 employees (compared to the other facility, which was designed for about 3,500). Architects Foster + Partners described "the social heart of the tower" as a three-story area above the trading floors called the "Exchange." The bank says there will be 2.5 times more outdoor space on the ground level of Park and Madison Avenues, including wider sidewalks and a large public plaza. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Playbook PM: Trump floats ‘severe' consequences if Putin meeting goes sideways
Presented by THE CATCH-UP TRUMP AND THE WORLD: President Donald Trump spoke with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this morning in an hourslong virtual meeting ahead of Trump's much-anticipated summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Though the White House has tempered expectations leading up to the confab, at stake is a potential ceasefire deal that could end the over three-year war in Ukraine. WHAT TRUMP IS SAYING: Speaking at the Kennedy Center, Trump said the meeting with leaders this morning was a 'very good call' that he rated a 10. He also said his plan has always been to speak with both Putin and Zelenskyy, and that he would call Zelenskyy after the summit on Friday. WHAT ZELENSKYY IS SAYING: 'Putin is bluffing,' the Ukrainian leader said in Berlin, where he traveled for the meeting. 'He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska on all directions of the Ukrainian front.' He doubled down on his call for sanctions, saying Putin is acting 'as if sanctions are not important to him and that they are not working. In fact, sanctions are very helpful and are hitting the Russian military economy.' WHAT PUTIN IS SAYING: Russia said today that its demands haven't changed. The Kremlin still wants all Ukrainian forces out of the key territories they've occupied and for Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO, Reuters' Dmitry Antonov reports. Russia currently has occupied around a fifth of Ukraine, including all of Crimea — a longstanding disputed territory. What Putin wants from Trump: Though a ceasefire is 'squarely on the agenda,' the meeting will 'venture further than that,' The Economist scoops this morning. 'One potential area is a deeper normalisation of diplomatic and business relations between America and Russia, including a lifting of sanctions. Mr Putin yearns for this kind of rehabilitation. Another is co-operation in the Arctic, for example over energy, resurrecting discussions that reportedly took place in February, with Russian officials keen to woo American business. What offers Russia might make for peace in Ukraine are less obvious.' WHAT EUROPE IS SAYING: There's about five things European leaders pushed this morning, POLITICO's Nette Nöstlinger and Veronika Melkozerova write. Foremost, they want Ukraine to have a seat at the table and for a ceasefire to be put in place before the real negotiations start. Ukraine will only start negotiations at the 'contact line' between both countries (not the territory further inland that Russia currently claims). They want security guarantees. And there needs to be a crackdown on Putin if things don't improve after the Friday summit. Other world leaders chime in: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said it was a 'great call' and that the 'ball is now in Putin's court.' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dubbed it a 'very good call' and said Europe, the U.S. and NATO will 'remain in close coordination.' A step back: This morning's call was pressure-packed for European leaders, who've been wary of the idea for a potential 'land swap' that might carve up Ukrainian territory and reward Russia for the war it started, WaPo's Ellen Francis reports. Trump has tempered expectations for what might come out of the summit, his administration calling it a 'listening exercise.' But many in Europe — none more than Zelenskyy — want to make sure that 'listening exercise' doesn't end with Trump agreeing with Putin's push to get more land. But it seems everyone's on the same page — for now. That's the message German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron signaled after the meeting. Trump 'largely shares' Europe's priorities, 'and that is why I can say that we had a really constructive and good conversation,' Merz said, flanked by Zelenskyy. Macron told reporters that Trump agreed that Ukraine must be involved in territorial discussions to end the war, and that Trump was 'very clear' that he wants to get a ceasefire in Alaska. More from our POLTICO colleagues in Europe Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your thoughts and scoops at abianco@ 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. THE NATIONAL GUARD TAKES D.C.: Trump told reporters while speaking at the Kennedy Center that he intends to request an extension to federalize the D.C. police force beyond 30 days, WaPo's Maegan Vazquez reports. 'We're going to be asking for extensions on that — long-term extensions, because you can't have 30 days,' Trump said. The latest: There were 43 arrests overnight in D.C. — twice the amount from Monday night — as the federal policing of the district is now well underway, per CBS' Kathryn Watson. Around 30 National Guard officers were patrolling the district last night — that number is set to climb tonight, according to the White House. In the background: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s self-proclaimed 'warrior on the Hill,' is not a public face in the fight against the district's federalization and has been largely absent from interacting with the media, POLITICO's Nick Wu reports. 'Norton's back-seat response to the most serious federal threat to the city's government in 30 years is out of step with her one-time reputation as a fierce defender of local prerogatives in the face of meddling by federal authorities. … Behind the scenes, Norton has been involved in marshalling a response to Trump's actions beyond her Monday statement.' Somewhere in the middle: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is walking a fine line on criticizing the Trump administration's plans. 'Even the shocking takeover, it seems, hasn't changed Bowser's conciliatory approach to the president,' POLITICO's Michael Schaffer writes in his latest Capital City column. 2. NEWS FROM THE KENNEDY CENTER: Trump visited the famed performing arts center in D.C. this morning to announce this year's honorees and that he will be hosting the 48th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony himself, which no president has ever done, WaPo's Travis Andrews writes. The honorees are: metal band 'Kiss', Broadway star Michael Crawford, country music legend George Strait, actor Sylvester Stallone and singer Gloria Gaynor. More from WaPo Tied together: It's notable to remember Trump named himself chair of the Kennedy Center's board earlier this year, and has tied his takeover of the Washington institution to his larger beautification project for D.C., NYT's Katie Rogers reports. Trump touched on this during the ceremony and said he would rid the district of crime and that 'we're going to redo the grass with the finest grasses.' 3. THE CRISIS IN GAZA: Israel has been hammering Gaza City with another 123 people reported dead in the last day, per Reuters. And 25 people were killed while seeking aid today, per AP. As the deadly war nears almost two years, not a single person has been charged or prosecuted by Israel for the Oct. 7 attack, even as several hundred Palestinians have been detained for suspicion of involvement and thousands of other Palestinians are being held for alleged connections to Hamas, NYT's Johnatan Reiss reports. How it's playing: The DNC will weigh two different resolutions on the growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip at its meeting this month, Semafor's Burgess Everett scooped. Votes will be held on whether to back a ceasefire and a return of hostages held by Hamas and on the resolution recommending 'suspension of military aid to Israel' and support for recognizing a Palestinian state. 4. FED UP: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is homing in on the Federal Reserve, calling for a 50 basis-point rate cut in September, Bloomberg's Daniel Flatley and colleagues scooped. Bessent said on Bloomberg TV that the Fed could go into a 'series of rate cuts' and said the Fed's benchmark should be lowered by at least 1.5 percentage points. He added there's a 'big list' of 10 or 11 potential names being floated to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell next May. 5. MAGA IN POWER: 'Leaving a top Trump administration post? The president may have an ambassadorship for you,' by AP's Will Weissart and Michelle Price: 'The new appointments can be viewed as consolation prizes for leaving a high-profile post in the Trump administration following rocky tenures. But they also reflect the degree to which Trump is trying to keep his loyalists close, even if their earlier placements in the administration were ill-fitting. During his first White House tenure, Trump was new to politics, made many staffing picks based on others' recommendations and saw heavy staff turnover. Trump has stocked his second administration with proven boosters, which has meant fewer high-profile departures.' 6. TECH CORNER: GE Appliances is set to invest $3 billion to build out its factories in the U.S. over the next five years to swerve Trump's tariffs, WSJ's John Keilman reports. The new factories in South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama will make refrigerators, water heaters and more and will spur 1,000 new jobs, according to the company. Not just GE: Some tech startups are also turning their focus back toward the U.S., boosting their hiring plans to take advantage of the tax deduction on domestic spending on research and development from Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, WSJ's Meg Tanaka and Theo Francis write. Chip on your shoulder: The U.S. has secretly placed location trackers in shipments of advanced chips believed to be at risk of diversion to China, Reuters' Fanny Potkin and colleagues scooped. It could also serve to 'build cases against people and companies who profit from violating U.S. export controls.' Plus: Bessent told Bloomberg TV that the revenue-sharing agreement with Nvidia and AMD could be a model applied to other industries over time, per FT's Myles McCormick. It all comes as Trump has cast himself as the central decision-maker of the global semiconductor industry, as NYT's Tripp Mickle writes this morning. 7. ON DEFENSE: 'How the unraveling of two Pentagon projects may result in a costly do-over,' by Reuters' Alexandra Alper: 'Trump's Navy and Air Force are poised to cancel two nearly complete software projects that took 12 years and well over $800 million combined to develop … The reason for the unusual move: officials at those departments, who have so far put the existing projects on hold, want other firms, including Salesforce and billionaire Peter Thiel's Palantir, to have a chance to win similar projects, which could amount to a costly do-over … Trump officials say the administration is striving to make the contracting process more efficient.' 8. CUTTING DEEP: A U.S. appeals court ruled today that the Trump administration can move forward with axing billions of dollars in foreign assistance funding, Bloomberg's Zoe Tillman reports. It reversed a lower court's decision that said the government had to pay out the money as appropriated by Congress for this year. 'The ruling is a significant win for President Donald Trump's efforts to dissolve the US Agency for International Development and broadly withhold funding from programs that have fallen out of favor with his administration, regardless of how Congress exercised its authority over spending.' TALK OF THE TOWN Mike Lee is writing a new book called 'The Uniparty', set to release next February. THE PODCASTING ERA — Kyle Tharp in his Chaotic Era newsletter put together a review of the estimated monthly downloads of prominent politicians' podcasts. The highs: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is leading the pack by a wide margin with nearly 1.5 million downloads per month. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's podcast is next with just over 442,000 downloads, followed by Rep. Dan Crenshaw's (R-Texas) show at over 366,000. The lows: All the other shows on the list slot in with low numbers, with Sen. Marsha Blackburn's (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Troy Carter's (D-La.) podcasts at the bottom. MEDIA MOVES — Katie Roof is joining The Information as deputy bureau chief of the venture capital section. She previously was a reporter covering venture capital for Bloomberg. TRANSITIONS — David Frash is now director of state and local government affairs at Anduril. He previously was the director for state & local government external affairs at NetJets. … Elizabeth Price Foley is now a partner at Holtzman Vogel. She previously practiced law at Cooper & Kirk, and is a founding member of Florida International University's College of Law. … Anastasia Dellaccio is joining The Digital Chamber as executive director of state and regional affairs. She previously was SVP for external affairs and engagement at the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. WEEKEND WEDDING — Antonia Pogacar, national battleground and candidate fundraising director for the DCCC, and Dan Kanninen, founding partner and CEO of Arc Initiatives and a Harris campaign alum, were married on Saturday on Madeline Island in Wisconsin. Bob Jauch, a former Wisconsin state senator, officiated the ceremony. Pic, via Natasha Lamalle … SPOTTED: Jim Doyle, Julie Merz, Buffy Wicks, Jeremy Bird, Betsy Hoover, Sam Cornale, John Bisangano, Aaron Florence-Weinberg, Jonae Wartel, Mitch Stewart, Paul Tewes, Julianna Smoot, Chris Wyant, Max Lesko, Mike O'Neil, Carlos Monje, Dave Wilkinson, Brian Farnkoff, Jordan Brooks, Kristen Bautz, Victoria Black, Michael McGarty, Mitchell Dunn, Tanya Bjork and Lon Johnson. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
Taylor Swift's net worth has reached the billions thanks to her showstopping Eras Tour — see how the pop star makes and spends her fortune
Taylor Swift has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion. According to Forbes, which published a series of 2024 billionaire reports, Swift is the first musician to reach 10-figure status solely based on songwriting and performances rather than brand deals, makeup lines, or business ventures. Swift's vast fortune is primarily thanks to her valuable discography and earnings from streaming deals, music sales, concert tickets, and merchandise. Representatives for Swift did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider regarding the 2024 Forbes report. As of August 13, 2025, Forbes estimates Swift's net worth to be $1.6 billion. The pop star's record-breaking Eras Tour, which began in March 2023, propelled the singer to billionaire status. Swift's 21-month, five-continent Eras Tour was nothing short of a sensation. By the end of its first year, it had become the first tour to gross over $1 billion in revenue and was on track to become the highest-grossing tour of all time. In October 2023, after Swift toured 56 dates across the US and Mexico, the Eras Tour had already generated $780 million and added $4.3 billion to America's gross domestic product, according to Bloomberg Economics. Throughout 2024, Swift also made stops in Tokyo, Australia, Singapore, Canada, and 11 countries throughout Europe. By the end of its run, the Eras Tour had grossed over $2 billion. The morning of Swift's final performance in Vancouver, The New York Times reported that the Eras Tour had crossed the $2 billion threshold, making it the first concert tour in history to do so. This figure was confirmed by Taylor Swift Touring, the singer's production company. All 149 stadium shows were sold out, and the company said over 10 billion people attended the Eras Tour. That means the average ticket sold for $204, well above the industry average for top concert tours, per The New York Times. Resale tickets were even pricier, often going for thousands in secondhand markets. (Artists like Swift don't earn anything from resold tickets.) The movie version of the tour broke box-office records before it was even released. It grossed more than $261 million worldwide. Worldwide ticket presales had already exceeded $100 million before "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" was released (a day early) on October 12, 2023, AMC Theatres reported. According to ticketing service Fandango, the film set a record for the highest first-day ticket sales in 2023. It has also become the highest-grossing concert movie of all time, surpassing "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never." Swift, who bypassed movie studios to personally fund the concert movie, received half of the film's box office earnings. It grossed $261 million worldwide. Swift cashed in on her blockbuster Eras Tour movie again by selling the streaming rights to Disney for more than $75 million. Once " Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" had left theaters, Swift struck a deal with Disney+ to release the film's extended version on streaming. According to Puck News, Disney paid upward of $75 million for the exclusive rights. Citing anonymous sources, the outlet reported that Disney's Bob Iger outbid Netflix and Universal Pictures (which handled VOD distribution for the film in December) for the streaming rights by offering a huge sum, which the other two streamers couldn't match. Swift also released an Eras Tour photo book, which sold over 800,000 copies in its first weekend. Shortly before the Eras Tour concluded, Swift released a photo book for Black Friday. As she did with the Eras Tour film, Swift circumvented traditional routes and opted to self-publish instead, ensuring she would get more of the book's revenue. The book was exclusively available at Target and sold hundreds of thousands of copies in its first weekend, becoming the second-best-selling non-fiction title after Barack Obama's presidential memoir. Swift has endorsement deals and partnerships with high-profile brands. Throughout her career, Swift has partnered with brands like Capital One, AT&T, Stella McCartney, Elizabeth Arden perfumes, American Express, Keds, Diet Coke, Walmart, and Apple. But touring has long been Swift's biggest money maker. The 1989 World Tour grossed more than $250 million in 2015. She earned even more during her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018. Billboard reported that at the time, the Reputation Stadium Tour broke the record for the highest-grossing US tour ever. Swift earned an average of $7 million per show, more than double the US per-concert average during the "1989" tour. But her tours don't just bring in ticket sales. Swift also makes a huge sum of money from merch. In April 2023, Forbes estimated that Swift's coveted on-site merchandise — which she sells at an average price of $80 —could add an estimated $87 million in proceeds to her fortune. Swift made $52 million in 2021 after rerecording earlier work that was acquired (and then sold) by Scooter Braun. Swift embarked on a mission to rerecord her first six albums after Scooter Braun, whom she accused of "incessant, manipulative bullying," purchased the legal rights to her back catalog in 2019. (He later sold the master recordings to Shamrock Capital, a private-equity company, in a reported $300 million sale.) Swift released the first installment in the series, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," in 2021. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 — indicating this would be a lucrative venture for Swift. Later that year, Swift's new version of "Red" became one of the year's top-selling albums. The two rerecorded albums helped place Swift on the " The Highest-Paid Entertainers 2022" report from Forbes. She has since released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)." The latter sold over 1.6 million equivalent units in its first week, surpassing the original's total. Swift amassed an estimated $230 million in record sales following the release of her 2022 album "Midnights." According to The Guardian, the massive sales for her 10th album, "Midnights," brought in $230 million for Swift's label Universal. With more than 1.5 million equivalent album units earned in the US in its first week, "Midnights" landed the biggest week for an album in seven years (since Swift's own album "Reputation"). Swift's latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," sold millions of copies in a matter of weeks. Swift's 11th studio album, " The Tortured Poets Department," was released on April 19, 2024. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 2.61 million equivalent album units sold in its first week, the second-biggest single-week total in history. This sum was thanks to high streaming numbers and physical album sales, especially vinyl sales, which Swift pushes more successfully than anyone else. According to a Billboard report from November 2023, one in every 15 vinyls sold in the US is one of Swift's. Fans continued to buy and stream "Poets" throughout the year, sending it to No. 1 for 17 weeks, the most of any album in 2024. On November 30, 2024, "Poets" was certified 6x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, meaning it has sold at least 6 million copies in the US. In 2025, Swift announced she had bought back her masters, which will likely increase her net worth over time. On May 30, 2025, Swift announced she had bought back her masters from Shamrock Capital. "All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy," Swift wrote in an open letter to fans. "I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me." The purchase gave Swift full ownership of her life's work — including her albums, music videos, and concert films — for the first time in her career. Swift did not disclose the terms of the deal, but sources told Billboard that she paid about $360 million, meaning Shamrock "did not make much, if any, profit off the sale of the assets." After Swift launched her rerecording venture, many devoted fans refused to listen to the original recordings of her first six albums, which they called the "stolen versions." The masters owned by Shamrock became systematically devalued with each "Taylor's Version" release, likely giving her leverage in their negotiations. Now that the masters belong to Swift, fans will once again feel free to stream and buy those albums, making them more valuable in her hands. Swift will also be able to sell physical copies, use the photography and artwork for merchandise, and license the songs for commercial use. She will continue to earn royalties from the "Taylor's Version" releases as well as the originals. "Ownership of the six masters will undoubtedly improve Taylor's take-home pay," Larry Miller, director of the Music Business Program at New York University, told Newsweek. "Under Braun's and Shamrock's ownership, Taylor declined requests to license the original masters for film and TV. Now they'll be licensed, and the old, much-loved masters will generate revenue for the rest of her life — and beyond." Swift has amassed an impressive fortune — and she knows how to spend it. Her real-estate portfolio is worth a reported $110 million. Swift's real-estate portfolio consists of eight properties in four different states. In Nashville, she owns a 3,240-square-foot condo worth an estimated $3 million and a 5,600-square-foot Greek Revival estate worth an estimated $2.5 million. In LA, Swift owns a 10,982-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion worth nearly $30 million. Across the coast, Swift owns an estate with seaside views in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, for which she reportedly paid $17.75 million. But that's nothing compared to the estimated $40 million worth of property Swift owns in New York City on the same block in Tribeca. That includes an 8,309-square-foot duplex penthouse and a four-story townhouse. She used to rent an apartment on Cornelia Street — the famous inspiration behind her "Lover" track "Cornelia Street" — which was listed in 2023 with a $17.9 million price tag. Swift needs a way to travel among all these homes. She reportedly owns a Dassault private jet. The Dassault 7X is registered to Island Jet Inc., a holding company listed under the same address as Taylor Swift Productions. Swift used to have two private jets, but she quietly sold one amid criticism of her carbon footprint. ("Taylor's jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals," a rep for Swift said in a statement. "To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.") There's no word on how much she paid for these vehicles, but a brand-new Dassault 900 has a list price of $44 million, according to Business Jet Traveler. Elon Musk owns a similar model that costs about $26 million. Swift often spends money dining out with her friends and partner, especially when in New York City. In the past, she's been spotted at The Fat Radish, The Spotted Pig, Sarabeth's, L'Asso, Nobu, and Vita Carota. But Swift has always been generous with her money, supporting causes and helping those in need. Swift pledged $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame to fund an education center. Her commitment to education doesn't stop with music; Swift also donated $50,000 to New York City public schools, People reported. She has donated millions to support victims of natural disasters. In 2010, Swift donated $500,000 to Nashville flood relief, and in 2016, she donated $1 million to the victims of the Louisiana floods. Swift also raised $750,000 through a Speak Now Help Now benefit concert for victims of tornadoes in the southern US in 2011, according to People. More recently, Swift made a $5 million donation to communities affected by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Swift has also been known to support victims of gun violence in recent years. In 2020, Swift gave $50,000 to a mother of five who lost her husband to COVID-19 days before Christmas. She and her mom, Andrea Swift, quietly made the donation, according to USA Today. She also gifted $13,000 each to two moms who were also struggling financially because of the pandemic. Swift has made several generous donations to LGBTQ+ organizations. Swift has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, threading references to the fight for equal rights into songs like "Welcome to New York" and "You Need to Calm Down." Back in 2016, Swift participated in a charity auction to help keep the historic Stonewall Inn operational. The New York City gay bar was the scene of a police raid in 1969, sparking a riot that helped launch the nationwide fight for LGBTQ+ rights. In more recent years, Swift has made generous donations to the Tennessee Equality Project and GLAAD, in addition to her vocal support of The Equality Act. And then there are the two famous checks she wrote for $1,989 — an ode to her best-selling album — sent to two fans to pay a student loan and to donate to a dance marathon benefit. The checks were sent out in 2014, according to People. Throughout the Eras Tour, Swift donated huge amounts to food banks along her route. Throughout the first US leg of her Eras Tour, Swift habitually made large donations to local food pantries. She continued this tradition throughout the tour's European leg. Swift also helps out her fellow pop stars. She gave Kesha $250,000 to help with legal fees during her lawsuit against Dr. Luke. For several years, Kesha was embroiled in a defamation lawsuit after she accused the music producer Dr. Luke, her former mentor, of "unrelenting abuse" and rape. (Dr. Luke denied the allegations, and they reached a settlement in 2023.) The "Rainbow" singer revealed Swift's donation during an interview with Rolling Stone in 2017. Kesha described Swift as "a fucking sweetheart. Very, very sweet, very, very genuine, extremely generous, picks up the phone every time I call her. My mom doesn't even always pick up the phone!" Swift has proven herself to be incredibly savvy with investments. In 2022, Swift pulled out of a $100 million sponsorship deal with Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX after she questioned whether the company was selling "unregistered securities." As Business Insider previously reported, many other celebrities, such as Tom Brady and Stephen Curry, failed to do so and were subsequently sued for endorsing the now-bankrupt crypto exchange.
