Costco Switched Its Kirkland Diapers and Parents Aren't Happy
The complaints, including a TikTok video with nearly 100,000 likes describing the new diapers as 'paper-thin,' highlight the risk for retailers as they lean heavily on lower-priced store brands to lure in penny-pinching consumers.
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
With Trump's TikTok Ban On Hold, ByteDance Is Quietly Launching AI Apps
In 2024, Congress passed a law saying that TikTok — and any other app owned by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance — would have to be sold, or they would be banned in the U.S., making good on a threat that President Trump made in 2020 and President Biden made in 2023. Earlier this year, Trump ordered the Department of Justice not to enforce that law, a reprieve that has kept TikTok online past the law's January deadline. But the non-enforcement order has done more than just 'save' TikTok: it has enabled its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to continue developing and introducing new products into markets in the U.S. and across the world. In many cases, these products have focused on new uses for AI. In addition to new apps for the Chinese market, ByteDance has launched English-language tools like Trae, an AI coding assistant; Dreamina, an AI image generator; PicPic, a generator of 'AI Replicas' or avatars, EasyOde, a music licensing platform, and an open source AI agent called Agent TARS. These tools come on the heels of earlier launches like hosting infrastructure tools Katalyst and KubeAdmiral and AI music generators Mawf and Ripple. Some of these products have not disclosed their ties to ByteDance, which often releases new apps under development through Singapore-based subsidiaries. ByteDance's flood of new products is, to some extent, just the company keeping up with its competition. Trae's offerings, for example, are similar to the Microsoft juggernaut VS Code, while Dreamina's are comparable to Midjourney and Google Veo. But the new apps also make clear that ByteDance will remain a central part of the geopolitical struggle for AI supremacy between the US and China. As TikTok has exploded in popularity, ByteDance has taken efforts to distance the app from its Chinese roots. ByteDance has employed hundreds of people with ties to Chinese state media, including some who have worked on TikTok. But recently, manyByteDance executives — including founder Zhang Yiming — have relocated to Singapore, and the company has long proclaimed itself 'born to be global,' rather than Chinese. Nevertheless, China is the profit center for ByteDance's operations, and it has become the primary market for the company's AI efforts. Last year, ByteDance's Chinese ChatGPT competitor, Doubao, became China's most popular chatbot. (It also complied more readily with state censorship dictates than other Chinese chatbots, according to a Fudan University research assessment.) The company appears to have further ambitions when it comes to AI: domain registration records show that for the past four years, a Chinese ByteDance subsidiary has owned the domain — though it appears the company has not yet activated the site. ByteDance has also shown consistent interest in creating apps for children. Its homework helper app, Gauth, has remained available in the U.S. due to Trump's nonenforcement order, but the Chinese tech giant has also tested other products focused on kids. For years, as Congress was considering whether and how to ban TikTok, ByteDance was running Rex and Friends, a children's app for learning English. It also registered — but apparently never developed — the web domains and Domain registrations also reveal a potential ByteDance pivot back to news apps. The company previously ran English-language news apps TopBuzz and News Republic, but discontinued them as TikTok rose to prominence. But in 2024, the ByteDance subsidiary Spring SG Pte. Ltd. (which currently distributes ByteDance's Cici AI assistant app, among others) registered several additional news-related domains: and ByteDance did not respond to a detailed request for comment about its new products and domain registrations. In just under a month, Trump's third nonenforcement order allowing TikTok and ByteDance to keep operating in the U.S. will expire. Public discussion of the order has focused heavily on TikTok itself, but the law applies to all ByteDance's apps. Today, those apps persist on millions of American devices, providing everything from video editing in CapCut to AI tutoring in Gauth to an agent self-executing code on a developer's computer through TARS. In the U.S., ByteDance has largely become synonymous with TikTok. But around the world, TikTok is just one of many of the company's smash-hit products. Trump has said that he intends to broker a deal in which ByteDance would sell at least some of its interest in TikTok's U.S. operations to a conglomerate of U.S. investors. One TikTok insider recently told Forbes that any such deal would likely go beyond TikTok and include other ByteDance apps, too. Congress's sell-or-ban law is about more than just TikTok: it will determine the fate of one of the world's largest tech giants in the U.S. for years to come. More from Forbes Forbes AI Generated Pro-Iran Propaganda Is Flooding TikTok, Instagram And YouTube By Emily Baker-White Forbes TikTokers Are Claiming Credit For Trump's Parade Attendance By Emily Baker-White Forbes Trump's Deadline For A TikTok Deal Is Almost Up. Here Are 5 Things To Watch By Emily Baker-White
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
What Americans Said About Money In 1994 Still Rings Alarm Bells For Today's Crisis
Thirty years before today's financial influencers started preaching about emergency funds and investment basics on TikTok, ordinary Americans were already sounding the alarm about the nation's broken relationship with money. A revealing street interview from 1994, captured by documentary filmmaker David Hoffman on his YouTube channel, shows that the financial challenges plaguing Americans today have deeper roots than many realize. The Great Spending Hangover In 1994, Americans were experiencing what experts called a 'major transition' from the 1980s' culture of excess. The previous decade had been characterized as a 'decade of spending,' where people routinely spent more than they saved, riding high on what were described as 'terrific' market returns that weren't expected to continue. Don't Miss: Would You Have Invested in eBay or Uber Early? The Same Backers Are Betting on Named a TIME Best Invention and Backed by 5,000+ Users, Kara's Air-to-Water Pod Cuts Plastic and Costs — 'The 1990s are turning out to be a savings decade,' one expert observed, noting that Americans were finally beginning to save 'a significant portion of their income'—something they 'hadn't followed before.' This shift was seen as the beginning of a 'long term savings boom.' Sound familiar? Today's Americans are grappling with similar realizations about overspending, just with different triggers—pandemic-induced financial stress, inflation, and economic uncertainty rather than the end of an 80s bull market. America's Savings Rate: A Global Embarrassment The numbers from 1994 paint a stark picture that resonates today. The U.S. maintained a 'very low savings rate' of around 4%—described as 'abysmally low' compared with international peers. Swedish citizens kept one year's income in the bank, Canadians managed three months of expenses, Japan saved 25%-30% of income and China saved in the mid-30s. Financial experts criticized Americans as 'sloppy and lazy' with their spending, advocating for savings rates between 10%-20% annually. The diagnosis was brutal but accurate: Americans 'lived beyond their means.' Trending: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can Fast forward to today, and the U.S. personal savings rate has fluctuated dramatically—spiking during the pandemic but generally remaining well below the levels financial advisors recommend for long-term stability. Retirement Reality Check: Then and Now Perhaps most prescient were 1994 Americans' concerns about retirement funding. They recognized that Social Security would 'not be enough' to support their desired lifestyle and understood they would 'have to have enough invested on their own' to retire comfortably. This realization drove increased interest in 401(k)s and IRAs as 'crucial investment vehicles for retirement'—a trend that has only intensified as traditional pension plans have largely disappeared and Social Security's long-term viability remains questionable. Timeless Investment Wisdom The investment advice shared in 1994 reads like a modern financial planning handbook. Americans understood that diversification was key to 'limiting risks' and should span different asset classes. They recognized that for long-term goals spanning 10, 15, 20, or 30 years, there was 'very little risk in stocks' because market 'dips will even out' and could represent buying opportunities. Most importantly, they grasped that trying to 'figure out the highs and the lows' of the market was 'virtually impossible'—a lesson many retail investors are still learning today amid meme stock frenzies and crypto Behavioral Trap That Never Changed Perhaps the most striking insight was the observation that people typically do the 'opposite' of what they should: buying more when prices rise (lower potential returns) and hesitating when prices fall (higher potential returns). This counter-intuitive behavior pattern remains one of the biggest obstacles to successful investing three decades later. The 1994 interviews reveal that while investment vehicles and technology have evolved dramatically, the fundamental challenges of saving, planning, and smart investing remain remarkably consistent. The Americans who recognized these truths 30 years ago were ahead of their time—and their insights remain more relevant than ever. Read Next: These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion – Image: Imagn Images Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article What Americans Said About Money In 1994 Still Rings Alarm Bells For Today's Crisis originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
How Gen Zers are landing roles in tech — or pivoting away
Kanika Mohan thought she'd have a job after graduation — and hopefully it would come with three meals and laundry service. The 21-year-old studied computer science, had a slate of summer internships at top tech companies, and regularly attended campus career fairs. A first-generation college student, the 2025 grad felt STEM was the surefire path to corporate success. "I love building things and computer science was a pretty hot topic over social media," Mohan said. The jobs were cushy, with all kinds of perks. "It was just insane to think about," she added. "I never saw my parents have any of those jobs. My parents worked regular, non-corporate, blue-collar jobs." Frustrated by a monthslong job hunt, Mohan began looking outside Big Tech. She said she applied for business analyst and marketing roles at airlines, banks, and consumer companies, and any other opportunity she could find in her skillset. She was eventually hired by a major tech company, but she's glad that she broadened her search. Mohan's experience is increasingly common. Jobs in computer science and tech have long been advertised as a path to lucrative salaries and luxurious office perks. But, with AI and widespread corporate cost-cutting contributing to a white-collar hiring slowdown, the industry is hemorrhaging entry-level opportunities. The tech job market is not just rough for newcomers. Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor, wrote in a new blog post that the US tech industry seems to be in an employment recession because it mirrors the Great Recession. US job postings for tech workers on job-search platform Indeed have cooled more than overall postings from Great Resignation peaks. However, some more experienced job seekers may fare better if they have the skills needed in the growing AI talent war. As doors close across the industry, tech grads are having to rethink their dream roles. BI spoke with Gen Zers and labor market experts to understand the challenges young tech aspirants are facing — and potential solutions. Business Insider is reporting on how each generation is experiencing the job market. If you're open to sharing your experience, reach out to one of these reporters at allisonkelly@ jkaplan@ and mhoff@ And read our coverage: Ambitious Gen Zers did everything right. Then they hit the job market. Frustrated job seekers are giving up on their dream roles: 'I'll take almost anything' Job searching in 2025? It's a mess no matter how old you are. Welcome to the age of office paranoia, when layoffs, AI, and job insecurity are terrorizing workers 'Chances are you won't get a job at Microsoft' After landing her role, Mohan now teaches other 20-somethings on TikTok about how to break into the tech industry. "One thing I realized is that a lot of people have a dream company or a dream role," she said. "But it's really tough to do that anymore. You can't just be like, 'I want to work at Microsoft, so I'm only going to apply to Microsoft.' Chances are you won't get a job at Microsoft." Economists said this is a smart strategy. The number of computer and information sciences grads has increased in recent years, so holders of those degrees face more competition for a shrinking number of openings. AI is also shifting what entry-level work looks like in those fields, and companies are looking for ways to cut costs and streamline their workforce. Zhao, the Glassdoor economist, told Business Insider that many tech employers have been slow to hire entry-level workers. A Burning Glass Institute report showed that the unemployment rate for Gen Zers and younger millennials in computer and math occupations has recently increased from before the pandemic, meaning recent graduates could be up against others competing for similar roles. "It's no surprise that new graduates in computer science and engineering have had a tough time getting their foot in the door," Zhao said. It's part of why Gen Zers like Timothy Innamorato are considering pivoting. He wanted to work in tech, but he's also been applying for grocery store and janitorial jobs. Since completing a certification program in computer science and information technology last year, 27-year-old Innamorato has sent out a few hundred job applications, he said, and has landed around eight interviews in his field. "I've been shifting my views on whether or not I even want to continue looking at the moment, especially with the AI thing that's happening now," he said. He's also gotten a few interviews for grocery store jobs, which he's been applying to because he needs something to keep him afloat. He's had some success getting callbacks when he applies to custodial positions in his local school district. "Everybody now is shifting over to the idea of going to do trades, so being a plumber or doing HVAC or being an electrician. Honestly, that doesn't sound like a bad thing, it's just that you got to be on your feet a lot more and you got to go to people's houses and crawl in attics," he said. "It's not the same as IT. But I mean, I don't know." How to stand out in the application 'numbers game' Charley Kim, 23, recently landed a software engineering role at a Big Tech company. He said he's lucky — he graduated in 2024 with a computer science degree and knows several friends who are still looking for work. "There are just so many people applying to the jobs, and there's only a limited number of jobs out there," Kim said, adding, "Getting an interview is probably harder than the interviews themselves." Though Kim said that the job hunt can feel like a random "numbers game," he thinks the effort he put into networking paid off. Not only did talking to people already in the tech industry help him hone his application, he said it allowed him to get the referrals he needed to make his résumé stand out from the pile. Christine Cruzvergara, chief education strategy officer at Handshake, said it's important to build a community because job searching can be time-consuming and emotionally taxing. As Mohan put it, the post-grad job search can feel "really scary, really harsh, and really painful." Cruzvergara said your community can include friends, advisors, or whoever can help you feel better and give you real feedback during job hunting. Cruzvergara also suggested not filling out hundreds of applications and instead making sure you're putting enough time into checking out the company, including whether it seems like a good fit. " Mass applying is actually hurting people because they're putting in lower-quality applications that aren't going to stand up in a competitive applicant pool," Bonnie Dilber, a recruiter at a software company, previously told Business Insider. Natasha Pillay-Bemath, vice president of global talent acquisition and executive search at IBM, said there will continue to be demand for entry-level talent, especially in "more critical, complex spaces of tech like AI and cloud." Strong applicants should show that they can both master using AI and also lean on soft skills like creativity and effective communication, she said, as AI takes away the "rote work" of an entry-level hire. Mohan said she had a few different versions of her résumé and cover letter depending on the types of roles she was applying for. Putting her experience and interests on paper — and occasionally using AI to optimize for specific positions — helped her build confidence. "Building my résumé early on helped me also realize that I know I can switch industries," she said. "I realized what industry I like and what roles I like because there's so, so many different things you can do. You won't know that unless you actually try."
