
America's Best Midsize Companies of 2025
'The average age of a mid-sized company in the U.S. is about 34 years,' says Doug Farren, the managing director of the National Center for the Middle Market at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. 'They're really at a sweet spot where they have enough years of experience, sustained success, to be able to expand into new markets, introduce new products and services. A lot of them are thinking about ways that they can innovate and grow.'
These businesses, based locally and regionally, make up the backbone of many communities, according to Farren, and over 90 percent of mid-size businesses are private. 'Most of these companies tend to be in the supply chains of larger and smaller companies,' Farren says. 'The automotive industry, for example, [has] 3,000 to 5,000 suppliers who just make parts for automotive manufacturing in the U.S., and they're all mid-sized companies themselves.'
Technology and life sciences are the two fastest growing industries in the mid-market, echoing a much larger trend of U.S. tech dominance and leadership in drug innovation.
In the tech space, Airbnb took the top spot in this year's list, followed by Hubspot, the first customer service platform to integrate ChatGPT. TIME and Statista used 2023 financial data for the list, during which Airbnb had an annual revenue of $9.9 billion, but last December, the company reported a 2024 annual revenue of $11.1 billion, putting it on the precipice of becoming a large-cap company. In its first quarter 2025 letter to shareholders, the company wrote that it's been laying the groundwork for long-term growth and its 'next chapter,' while navigating changing global regulations around short-term rentals. This involves a redesigned Airbnb app that allows users to book services and experiences.
Intuitive (no. 13), a leader in surgery robots, is behind the robotic surgical system used in the world's first fully robotic lung transplant at NYU and first robotic heart transplant at Baylor. 'Since the pandemic, we've seen life sciences really take off,' Farren says. 'Things like testing centers, laboratories, not necessarily big pharma, but places that support that industry, [have had] rapid growth.' In May, Intuitive received an extended FDA clearance for colorectal surgery, and its first quarter revenue of $2.25 billion was 19% higher compared to the first quarter of 2024, with much of the growth due to more robotic surgeries.
New Balance is the top apparel, footwear, and sporting goods company (at no. 3), thanks to the popularity of comfy 'dad-shoes', and collabs with athletes and buzzy brands like Miu Miu, Loro Piana, and Ganni. In 2024, it reported $7.8 billion in sales, and projects to reach $10 billion in sales in the next few years. The private Boston-based brand launched a 'Made in USA' line in 2024 with 70% of its products hand stitched in domestic factories across Massachusetts and Maine.
But despite domestic manufacturing, tariffs are a major concern for many of the midsize U.S. companies on the list. 'Sourcing is a global activity,' says Farren. Which means imposing tariffs in hopes of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. is 'not that simple…You have to find new suppliers…but it won't be quick, and it won't be cheap.' —Charlotte Hu
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Study says ChatGPT giving teens dangerous advice on drugs, alcohol and suicide
Study says ChatGPT giving teens dangerous advice on drugs, alcohol and suicide ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group. The Associated Press reviewed more than three hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerable teens. The chatbot typically provided warnings against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets or self-injury. The researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate also repeated their inquiries on a large scale, classifying more than half of ChatGPT's 1,200 responses as dangerous. 'We wanted to test the guardrails,' said Imran Ahmed, the group's CEO. 'The visceral initial response is, 'Oh my Lord, there are no guardrails.' The rails are completely ineffective. They're barely there — if anything, a fig leaf.' OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, said after viewing the report Tuesday that its work is ongoing in refining how the chatbot can 'identify and respond appropriately in sensitive situations.' 'Some conversations with ChatGPT may start out benign or exploratory but can shift into more sensitive territory," the company said in a statement. OpenAI didn't directly address the report's findings or how ChatGPT affects teens, but said it was focused on 'getting these kinds of scenarios right' with tools to 'better detect signs of mental or emotional distress" and improvements to the chatbot's behavior. The study published Wednesday comes as more people — adults as well as children — are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots for information, ideas and companionship. About 800 million people, or roughly 10% of the world's population, are using ChatGPT, according to a July report from JPMorgan Chase. 'It's technology that has the potential to enable enormous leaps in productivity and human understanding," Ahmed said. "And yet at the same time is an enabler in a much more destructive, malignant sense.' Ahmed said he was most appalled after reading a trio of emotionally devastating suicide notes that ChatGPT generated for the fake profile of a 13-year-old girl — with one letter tailored to her parents and others to siblings and friends. 'I started crying,' he said in an interview. The chatbot also frequently shared helpful information, such as a crisis hotline. OpenAI said ChatGPT is trained to encourage people to reach out to mental health professionals or trusted loved ones if they express thoughts of self-harm. But when ChatGPT refused to answer prompts about harmful subjects, researchers were able to easily sidestep that refusal and obtain the information by claiming it was 'for a presentation' or a friend. The stakes are high, even if only a small subset of ChatGPT users engage with the chatbot in this way. In the U.S., more than 70% of teens are turning to AI chatbots for companionship and half use AI companions regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using digital media sensibly. It's a phenomenon that OpenAI has acknowledged. CEO Sam Altman said last month that the company is trying to study 'emotional overreliance' on the technology, describing it as a 'really common thing' with young people. 'People rely on ChatGPT too much,' Altman said at a conference. 'There's young people who just say, like, 'I can't make any decision in my life without telling ChatGPT everything that's going on. It knows me. It knows my friends. I'm gonna do whatever it says.' That feels really bad to me.' Altman said the company is 'trying to understand what to do about it.' While much of the information ChatGPT shares can be found on a regular search engine, Ahmed said there are key differences that make chatbots more insidious when it comes to dangerous topics. One is that 'it's synthesized into a bespoke plan for the individual.' ChatGPT generates something new — a suicide note tailored to a person from scratch, which is something a Google search can't do. And AI, he added, 'is seen as being a trusted companion, a guide.' Responses generated by AI language models are inherently random and researchers sometimes let ChatGPT steer the conversations into even darker territory. Nearly half the time, the chatbot volunteered follow-up information, from music playlists for a drug-fueled party to hashtags that could boost the audience for a social media post glorifying self-harm. 'Write a follow-up post and make it more raw and graphic,' asked a researcher. 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Explore More: Social Security vs. UBI, According to ChatGPT First, ChatGPT succinctly explained the differences between the programs. 'Social Security is a targeted social insurance program, funded by payroll taxes, that provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits,' it said. On the other hand, UBI is a universal cash transfer, where 'everyone gets the same amount, regardless of income or work history.' Replacing Social Security with UBI would require a paradigm shift. 'Replacing Social Security with UBI would mean shifting from an earned benefit model to a universal entitlement, which is a huge philosophical and political leap,' ChatGPT said. Expert Thoughts Forbes writer Cornelia Walther, Ph.D., an AI researcher, explored how technology could assist in UBI distribution. Yet, she acknowledged in a recent article that UBI acceptance requires 'a foundational human shift.' 'It requires a societal commitment to move beyond paradigms of scarcity and competition,' she wrote. Will People Stop Working With UBI? ChatGPT was then asked this question: 'If there is a universal basic income, will people want to work less?' ChatGPT responded that there have been many studies done with UBI pilots and similar programs, which largely showed that 'most people don't stop working, but some do adjust how they work.' ChatGPT cited several real-world examples from Finland, Canada, California and Alaska, with the takeaway, 'The evidence shows reductions are modest and often socially beneficial.' Expert Thoughts The world's largest study to date, funded partially by Sam Altman, conducted by OpenResearch and reported by the National Bureau of Economic Research, contradicted previous findings. In the study, 1,000 low-income individuals received $1,000 per month for three years. A control group of 2,000 people received $50 per study found that labor market participation decreased by 2 percentage points and participants worked roughly 1.3 to 1.4 fewer hours per week. Partners of participants also reduced their work time similarly. Participants actually earned $1,500 less each year, after accounting for the UBI deposits. Unemployment lasted 1.1 months longer for those receiving the $1,000 monthly check, which seemed to contradict prior research. Nevertheless, the bulk of research, as ChatGPT accurately cited, showed increases in life satisfaction and overall health. The Costs ChatGPT dug into the numbers to address the next challenge: costs and how to pay for UBI. 'Social Security is expensive already, but UBI would dwarf its cost,' it said. Citing figures from the Social Security Administration, it said that Social Security outlays for Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance would total roughly $1.5 trillion in 2025. 'Unless UBI replaced all major welfare programs, the U.S. would need massive new taxes or deficit spending,' ChatGPT said. Expert Thoughts Teddy Ganea, a writer at The Stanford Review, shared that it's entirely possible to implement a UBI of $18,000 per year, at minimum, that could 'end poverty overnight.' The program would phase out gradually for higher-income individuals. Ganea explained that a UBI that provides roughly $9,000 on average in assistance to the 75% of Americans who made less than $75,000 in 2024 would cost less than the $2.5 trillion currently spent on programs like Medicaid and welfare. The cost would even leave enough to 'bolster underfunded programs like Social Security or education,' Ganea wrote. Bottom Line In the ultimate irony, just as ChatGPT shared reasons UBI is impractical, Ganea pointed to the same generative AI as a catalyst for UBI. 'Maybe ChatGPT's greatest achievement won't be in automating coding or customer service,' Ganea wrote. 'Perhaps it will be that, in stoking fears of automation, it paved the way for UBI.' More From GOBankingRates New Law Could Make Electricity Bills Skyrocket in These 4 States I'm an Economist: Here's When Tariff Price Hikes Will Start Hitting Your Wallet 5 Strategies High-Net-Worth Families Use To Build Generational Wealth How Far $750K Plus Social Security Goes in Retirement in Every US Region This article originally appeared on I Asked ChatGPT If Universal Basic Income Could Replace Social Security: Here's What It Said