• Up to 7% of Microsoft’s US workforce, or about 8,750 people, could qualify for voluntary buyouts.
• Microsoft says the program is about giving people more options if they want to retire.
• The buyouts provide a way to trim its workforce without needing to conduct layoffs.

Microsoft is offering one-time buyouts to long-serving employees in the US, according to an email obtained by Business Insider.

The move could affect up to 7% of its US workforce of 125,000 people, or about 8,750 people, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The tech giant says it’ll provide buyouts to people who want to retire and whose years of service, plus their age, add up to 70 or more. For example, a 58-year-old who has worked 12 years at Microsoft would qualify.

That amounts to “a small percentage of our US employees,” Microsoft’s chief people officer Amy Coleman wrote in the email. The program excludes some very high-ranking employees and some who work in sales.

The buyouts allow the company to trim its workforce without needing to conduct high-profile layoffs. Microsoft has undergone several rounds of layoffs in recent years.

Tech companies are under pressure to reduce their head count because of AI. The fintech company Block cut 40% of its entire workforce in February, citing AI. Meta is also laying off 10% of its staff next month.

Microsoft’s email did not mention AI, saying that the company is offering more options for people who may want to retire.

Microsoft is also overhauling its pay and rewards system to better recognize high performers and make expectations clearer, the email said. The company is moving away from tying stock awards to bonuses, giving managers more flexibility to reward top staff.

Microsoft has been pouring billions into AI to compete with other tech giants like Google and is set to spend close to $100 billion in capital expenditures this year, according to a Business Insider analysis.

Microsoft declined to comment.

• Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders signed off on the Paramount Skydance merger.
• Paramount CEO David Ellison celebrated the news in a memo to employees.
• Read Ellison’s full memo to Paramount staffers.

David Ellison is celebrating a major milestone in Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

WBD shareholders voted for the Paramount deal in a special meeting on Thursday morning, prompting the Paramount CEO to take a victory lap.

“We are grateful for the trust and confidence shareholders have placed in our leadership team and in our plan to combine our organizations to build a next-generation media and entertainment company — one that better serves both the creative community and consumers around the world,” Ellison said in a memo to employees, which was obtained by Business Insider.

Ellison also thanked Paramount staffers for “the exceptional work happening across our teams,” highlighting the success of the “Scream 7” horror movie in theaters as well as viewership of shows like “Landman” and sports on CBS.

“These achievements reflect not only the strength of our portfolio, but the talent, creativity and commitment of our people,” Ellison told employees.

The Paramount-WBD mega-merger still requires regulatory approval, and while analysts widely expect the process to be smooth in the US, the deal could face challenges abroad or from state attorneys general.

Some top Hollywood stars are against the Paramount-WBD deal, including “The Pitt” star Noah Wyle and “The Sopranos” creator David Chase. More than 4,000 people signed a letter saying that this deal “would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape” and lead to “fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences” in the US and abroad.

Read the full memo from Ellison here:

Dear Team,

This morning, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted to approve our acquisition of the company. This marks another important milestone in the process, and we are grateful for the trust and confidence shareholders have placed in our leadership team and in our plan to combine our organizations to build a next-generation media and entertainment company — one that better serves both the creative community and consumers around the world.

On the regulatory front, we continue to engage constructively with regulators and we’re making progress towards securing the approvals needed to close the transaction. At the same time, our Integration Management Office (IMO), led by Tony Driscoll, is working around the clock, and in close collaboration with counterparts at WBD, to ensure we have the systems, processes and plans in place to ensure a smooth transition on day one and beyond.

I also want to take a moment to recognize the exceptional work happening across our teams. This has been an incredibly busy period, and your focus, resilience and execution have made a real difference. From Scream 7 becoming the highest-grossing installment in the iconic franchise’s 30-year history, surpassing $200 million globally; to Landman becoming the most-watched series in Paramount history; to the continued exceptional performance of CBS, which now has 13 of the top 20 primetime series, excluding sports — more than all other broadcast networks combined — and the standout performance of CBS Sports during March Madness and The Masters Tournament; to the launch of our new in-house publishing imprint, Paramount Global Publishing — these are real, tangible examples of progress.

And just in the last week alone, our new Paramount Pictures team delivered an outstanding first-ever CinemaCon presentation, while our Ad Sales team continues to build strong momentum highlighting our strategy of great storytelling fueled by innovation during their Upfront dinners.

Collectively, these achievements reflect not only the strength of our portfolio, but the talent, creativity and commitment of our people. The months ahead will be both busy and exciting as we work to close the transaction and launch the combined company. I am deeply grateful for everything you are doing and proud of what we are building together.

Let’s go!

David

• A former MrBeast employee sued the YouTuber’s company, alleging retaliation.
• Lorrayne Mavromatis’ suit says she was demoted and fired after she filed a complaint and took maternity leave.
• A spokesperson for MrBeast broadly denied the allegations.

A former MrBeast employee has sued the famous YouTuber’s company, alleging it violated the Family and Medical Leave Act and retaliated against her after she reported sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.

Lorrayne Mavromatis joined the company, founded by 27-year-old Jimmy Donaldson, in 2022 as head of Instagram and worked in social media roles until leaving in 2025.

Her complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in North Carolina, says that she experienced a workplace in which sexual harassment and hostile treatment of female employees were common.

A MrBeast spokesperson broadly denied the allegations.

“This clout-chasing complaint is built on deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements, and we have the receipts to prove it,” they said in a statement. “There is extensive evidence — including Slack and WhatsApp messages, company documents, and witness testimony — that unequivocally refutes her claims. We will not submit to opportunistic lawyers looking to manufacture a payday from us.”

Mavromatis’ suit alleges that in November 2023, she complained of sexual harassment and hostile work conditions to then-human resources head Sue Parisher (who is Donaldson’s mother) and then-CEO James Warren’s aunt. The suit says Mavromatis was told two months later that her claims were “unsubstantiated.”

The suit says she was then demoted to a midlevel management position in a division that employees referred to as a place “careers go to die.” The MrBeast spokesperson said Mavromatis was not demoted but moved into a role she requested, and her salary didn’t change.

The suit alleges that MrBeast’s company never sent Mavromatis information about her FMLA rights before she took maternity leave in early 2025. The complaint says the company terminated her less than three weeks after she returned from leave, telling her that she was “too high caliber” for her role.

The MrBeast spokesperson shared a screenshot of Mavromatis’ signature acknowledging receipt of the employee handbook, which they said showed she was aware of the FMLA policy.

Mavromatis’ suit alleges that she feared retaliation for not working during her pregnancy leave, and says she was on a work conference call while in the labor and delivery room.

The MrBeast spokesperson shared a screenshot that they said showed a Slack exchange between Mavromatis and a coworker. In the exchange, Mavromatis said she needed to postpone a meeting because she was in labor, to which the coworker responded in all caps, “BUT OF COURSE.”

The suit alleged that a few weeks after giving birth, the company asked Mavromatis to work, including on the production of a video in Brazil with the Brazilian soccer star Neymar.

The company shared a screenshot that it said showed Mavromatis offering to go to Brazil for the Neymar shoot, despite being on maternity leave, citing the value of having her as a Brazilian citizen on the ground.

The suit says MrBeast’s company was a hostile environment for women

The suit makes a series of claims about the workplace environment and Donaldson.

It alleges that Warren, a cousin of Donaldson, made her meet him in his home for one-on-one meetings and told her that her appearance had a “certain sexual effect on Jimmy.”

The suit says that when Mavromatis asked Warren why Donaldson would not meet with her on certain projects, Warren told her, “Jimmy gets really awkward around beautiful women. Let’s just say that when you’re around and he goes to the restroom, he’s not actually using the restroom.”

The MrBeast spokesperson said Donaldson has an eye condition and Crohn’s disease, both of which he’s been open about, which explains his lack of eye contact with Mavromatis and his trips to the bathroom.

Mavromatis’ suit alleged Donaldson once asked her to fetch him a beer — something she never saw him ask a male employee to do — and when she brought it to him, he took one swig and tossed it on the ground.

The suit also says that “executives’ demeaning treatment towards women was publicly displayed at MrBeast headquarters when male executives laughed and made jokes at the office about female contestants of BeastGames who complained they did not have access to feminine hygiene products and clean underwear while participating in the show.”

The company has faced workplace controversies

MrBeast has previously faced workplace-related controversies.

In 2024, Donaldson cut ties with an employee and friend who was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a minor. Around the same time, Donaldson gave a statement apologizing for using racist and homophobic language earlier in his career after some of the comments resurfaced online. That year, the company shared plans to hire an HR officer and implement companywide sensitivity training as part of an assessment of its internal culture.

On the set of his “Beast Games” Amazon show, a worker was hit by a collapsing tower and spent eight days in the hospital, Business Insider previously reported.

More recently, Donaldson said he’s worked 15-hour days and has an unhealthy work-life balance.

Some of the years of Mavromatis’ employment coincide with a time when MrBeast’s company was run largely by Donaldson and family members. The company has since hired several outside professionals, including current CEO Jeff Housenbold, as it seeks to improve profitability and prepare for an eventual IPO.

• Elon Musk’s xAI recently announced a partnership with AI coding startup Cursor.
• The two companies have also explored a three-way partnership with French AI startup Mistral.
• Musk is looking to catch up to Anthropic and OpenAI.

Elon Musk is ramping up efforts to compete with AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI.

Musk’s AI startup, xAI, has held discussions in recent weeks with Mistral and AI coding startup Cursor about a potential three-way partnership, people familiar with the matter said. Mistral is a French AI startup that was founded in 2023 and has positioned itself as an independent alternative to US frontier labs.

SpaceX, which owns xAI, announced a deal this week with Cursor that gives SpaceX the option to buy the French company for $60 billion. Business Insider reported last week that Cursor was training its AI model on xAI’s infrastructure.

Musk is pushing xAI into more partnerships to try to catch Anthropic and OpenAI, which have lately jumped ahead in AI coding services and AI agents.

Musk has floated the idea of closer AI collaboration with Mistral and Cursor to take on rivals like Anthropic, insiders told Business Insider. Mistral cofounder Devendra Chaplot joined xAI last month, after a stint at AI startup Thinking Machines Lab. He currently leads pretraining at xAI.

Representatives for xAI, Cursor, and Mistral didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Musk’s AI company, which launched its Grok chatbot in 2023, has been working to scale its infrastructure and improve model performance. It has rapidly established one of the largest data center footprints in the AI race. Last year, xAI said it had around 200,000 Nvidia graphic processing units, and Musk has said it plans to expand to 1 million GPUs.

Musk has made several changes to xAI’s leadership ranks over the past few months. Since late last year, he has repeatedly expressed concerns to engineers about Anthropic’s lead in the AI race, people familiar with the matter said. Michael Nicolls, a SpaceX executive and xAI’s president, said earlier this month that the company is “clearly behind” its competitors and needs to take action to catch up.

Musk has slammed Anthropic in public, describing its AI models as “misanthropic and evil.” Anthropic has emerged over the past year as a leading competitor in the AI race, particularly when it comes to AI coding tools. Anthropic in January blocked xAI from accessing its Claude AI models through the Cursor coding tool.

Musk, who helped found OpenAI in 2015, is also in the process of suing OpenAI, accusing the company of straying from its original nonprofit mission. Musk has positioned xAI as an alternative to what he calls “woke” AI.

Do you work at xAI or have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at gkay@businessinsider.com or Signal at 248-894-6012. Use a personal email address, a non-work device, and non-work WiFi; here’s our guide tosharing information securely.

• The US has used large amounts of key munitions in its war with Iran, experts assessed.
• It has enough for this fight, but “the risk — which will persist for many years — lies in future wars,” they said.
• Many of those munitions would be vital against China, and they take a long time to replenish.

The US has been using critical munitions at such a high rate against Iran that it could face risk in a future war — especially with China, defense experts warned.

US forces “heavily used” seven key munitions in the 39 days of its air and missile campaign against Iran before a fragile ceasefire went into effect, two warfare experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a new report.

The US military “has enough missiles to continue fighting this war under any plausible scenario,” they wrote, looking at munition stockpiles. “The risk — which will persist for many years — lies in future wars.”

The problem is how many munitions have been used and how long it takes to replace them.

“These missiles will also be critical for a potential Western Pacific conflict,” CSIS researchers Mark Cancian and Chris Park said.

“Even before the Iran war, stockpiles were deemed insufficient for a peer competitor fight. That shortfall is now even more acute, and building stockpiles to levels adequate for a war with China will take additional time.”

Reduced stockpiles also affect supplies to Ukraine and allies, and ultimately, “the United States will compete with those countries that also want to replenish and expand inventories,” they said.

Depleted stockpiles

The seven key munitions, long-range ground attack munitions or air and missile defense munitions, “have been highly effective in fighting this war, and expenditures have accordingly been high,” the experts said. The report found that the US may have expended more than half of its prewar inventories of four of the munitions.

On defense, the US had around 360 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors before the war, depleted by previous conflicts, and used about 190 to 290 during it, the researchers estimated, relying on publicly available information, including Pentagon budget documents.

PAC-3 interceptors for the popular Patriot air defense system have also been used at a high rate, with the US starting the war with around 2,330 and using up to 1,430, though it may still have older versions.

The interceptor missiles have seen surging demand globally, and there were concerns about their stocks even before the war. Ukraine has already warned of critical shortages and raised concerns about how the US use against Iran will affect its supply.

The US had more than 400 warship-launched SM-3 interceptor missiles before the war and has used between 130 and 250. Use of the SM-6 has been lower, with up to 370 used out of about 1,160.

For offensive strikes, the US had around 90 Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) before the war and has used an estimated 40 to 70. It’s a newer munition that saw its first combat use in this conflict.

Another munition is the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile, for which the report estimated the US had more than 3,000 in its inventory before the Iran war and used more than 850 in the conflict.

And the US had more than 4,000 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs), a long-range cruise missile, in its inventory before the war and has used around 1,000, the report said.

Replacing them is slow

The US has been moving to boost production. The White House in March announced plans to quadruple the output of some key weapons, and manufacturers have outlined increases.

Lockheed Martin said it will raise THAAD interceptor production capacity to 400 a year from 96 over the next seven years, and Tomahawk maker RTX said it will increase annual production to more than 1,000 and boost SM-6 production to more than 500 a year. There are also plans to increase production of Patriot PAC-3 interceptors by 2030.

Lockheed Martin has also increased PrSM production and has agreed to quadruple production.

The CSIS report warned that “until this increased production becomes available, the United States will face choices on allocating production to meet demands.”

Much of that expansion depends on new funding from Congress, and production will still take time.

Based on the five-year average production rates, the report presented estimates for how long it would take to replace the weapons. For JASSMs, the researchers estimated 48 months; 42 months for PAC-3s; and 53 months for THAAD. The shortest was Tomahawks at 47 months.

“Many of these systems are constrained by production capacity, so manufacturing lead time is even longer,” they said.

Franz-Stefan Gady, a defense expert at the Center for a New American Security, also warned on Wednesday that it would take four to five years to replenish US precision munition stockpiles. Others have likewise been sounding the alarms, many long before the war even started.

The US could be vulnerable in future wars

The US still has enough munitions to sustain operations against Iran, the experts said.

But many of the munitions being depleted are critical for a fight against a peer adversary like China, especially for countering ballistic missiles, where the US has few alternatives.

For the seven key munitions assessed, “large numbers are also needed for a future conflict in the Western Pacific. Many allies and partners use these systems as well, creating competition for output,” the researchers said.

In a war with China, the US would need sufficient long-range strike to overwhelm and penetrate Chinese defenses, as well as significant defenses to counter its substantial missile arsenal.

This assessment, like others before it, said that a high-intensity fight with China could consume US munitions even faster than the war with Iran.

The US military can shift assets back to the Pacific after the Iran war and rebuild inventories, “but restoring depleted stockpiles and then achieving the desired inventory levels will take many years.”

“Prewar inventories were already insufficient,” the CSIS report said. “The levels today will constrain US operations should a future conflict arise.”

• West Point is the longest continuously garrisoned military installation in the United States.
• It also houses the highly selective United States Military Academy at West Point.
• Public tours include the Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point, and views of the campus and academic buildings.

I knew I was in the right place when I saw the tank outside the parking lot.

Established by George Washington in 1778, West Point is the longest continuously garrisoned military installation in the United States. It is also home to the United States Military Academy at West Point, an elite, highly selective institution that trains future military leaders.

West Point’s storied history is especially resonant ahead of America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. Amanda Bundt, tour manager at West Point Tours, told Business Insider that West Point “is one of the reasons we are a country.”

“We were here for all four years of the Revolutionary War fighting for our independence, so we have great honor in that aspect,” Bundt said.

West Point is an active military post and college, but some parts of the campus are open to the public through guided tours.

I visited West Point in April to learn more about its Revolutionary War history and modern curriculum equipping soldiers for war. Take a look.

West Point, located about 50 miles north of New York City, played a key role in keeping the British at bay during the Revolutionary War.

West Point overlooks the Hudson River, which was the fastest and most reliable way to transport troops, weapons, food, and other crucial supplies during the war. George Washington knew that controlling the river was key to America’s survival in the fight against the British. He established his headquarters there, calling West Point “the most important Post in America.”

In 1802, Congress authorized the establishment of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Sylvanus Thayer, known as the “Father of the Military Academy,” became the school’s superintendent in 1817 and established a strict code of conduct, rigorous fitness standards, and a standardized curriculum.

Famous graduates include Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Chief of Staff of the US Army Douglas MacArthur, and former CIA directors David Petraeus and Mike Pompeo.

Tours of the military academy begin at the Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center.

I bought a $22 ticket for the West Point Story tour, which lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes.

While waiting for the tour to begin, I walked through the West Point Experience exhibit that shows what it’s like to be a cadet.

The exhibit featured a model of a room in the West Point barracks, as well as details about West Point’s history, values, 47-month course of study, and graduation requirements.

To enroll in West Point, cadets must be between the ages of 17 and 23, be unmarried with no legal dependents, pass academic, physical, and medical examinations, and be nominated for admission by a member of Congress or the president or vice president of the United States. The acceptance rate is around 10%. Once admitted, tuition is free.

Graduates are required to serve in the Army for five years of active service and three years in the reserves.

When the tour bus pulled up into the parking lot, a staff member checked our tickets and IDs.

Since West Point is an active military post, everyone who takes a tour must present a government-issued photo ID to undergo a background check.

Our tour guide told us to keep our phones and cameras out of sight until we passed through the security checkpoint.

He also gave a rundown of the rules. Photographing cadets? Permitted. Photographing security gates or military police? Not allowed.

Once we were through the gate, our guide pointed out some of the brick homes where West Point instructors live.

West Point has 500 instructors, 75% of whom are members of the garrison and are posted to West Point. The other 25% are civilians.

With 4,400 cadets, the student-to-instructor ratio is six-to-one.

The bus took us past Michie Stadium, where West Point’s football and lacrosse teams play.

The outdoor stadium holds 40,000 people.

The grounds of West Point were full of military statues and monuments like “The American Soldier” by Felix de Weldon.

The sculpture was a gift from the classes of 1935 and 1936, honoring enlisted combat soldiers.

Our first stop off the bus was the Cadet Chapel, a non-denominational Protestant worship space built in 1910.

The Gothic Revival chapel was designed by architect Bertram Goodhue and constructed using granite from a local quarry.

The chapel was decorated with replicas of battle flags donated as class gifts.

The space can hold 1,500 people.

The Bibles and hymnals were lined up in the pews with military precision.

Our tour guide said we were allowed to look through the books as long as we put them back exactly where we found them.

“Indeed, there is somebody with a wooden board who measures the space between them and makes sure it’s uniform,” the West Point tour guide said.

The Cadet Chapel houses the world’s largest pipe organ in a house of worship, with a total of 23,511 pipes.

The pipes range from the size of one’s index finger to “thunder pipes” measuring 30 inches in diameter.

A limestone carving of St. Michael, the patron saint of soldiers, was displayed behind the altar.

The carving was donated by the family of West Point alums and former President Ulysses S. Grant.

The Cadet Chapel’s 178 stained-glass windows were designed by Willett Studios, a Philadelphia-based company that beat Tiffany & Co. for the contract.

The Sanctuary Window at the front of the chapel features West Point’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.”

A pew at the front of the chapel was reserved for West Point’s superintendent.

Every superintendent’s signature dating back to the founding of the chapel in 1910 appeared on silver nameplates on the pew.

The current superintendent, Lieutenant General Steven W. Gilland, graduated from West Point in 1990 and is married to his West Point classmate, Betsy Gilland.

Outside the chapel, we took in stunning views of West Point’s main post, which spans about 3,000 acres.

West Point also features a 13,000-acre military reservation with rugged terrain used for field training exercises, known as Camp Buckner.

Back on the bus, our tour guide pointed out the West Point Jewish Chapel completed in 1984.

West Point has a total of six chapels and one interfaith religious center.

As we disembarked from the bus at our next stop, Trophy Point, we got one of our first looks at some West Point cadets on their way to class.

The grey and black uniform is the cadets’ standard weekday uniform known as “As For Class.” The camouflage uniform, worn for field exercises, is called the Army Combat Uniform or ACU.

Looking out at the Hudson River, our tour guide explained how West Point was located in a crucial strategic position during the Revolutionary War.

West Point is situated above an “S”-shaped turn in the river, overlooking the narrowest part of the channel where the current is at its swiftest. In other words, it’s where British ships would be at their most vulnerable.

“Washington knew if those ships were fighting the ebbing tide, the narrow channel, and the swift current, there would be no better place to shoot at them than from West Point,” our tour guide said.

To further fortify the Hudson River, Washington ordered a giant chain strung from one end of its shore to the other as a deterrent.

The chain stretched 1,700 feet, weighed 65 tons, and took 270 men to anchor it in place. It successfully deterred the British from trying to attack West Point.

Instead, the British attempted to take West Point through other means by conspiring with the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold, who was placed in command at West Point in 1780. When Arnold’s plot to surrender West Point to the British was exposed, he evaded capture and defected to the British army.

While learning about West Point’s Revolutionary War history, two helicopters roared past in a reminder of its contemporary military significance.

The West Point tour guide guessed that the helicopters may have been used for air assault training, where soldiers rappel out of a helicopter while it hovers 50 feet off the ground.

Further along at Trophy Point, our guide pointed out the Trophy Point Amphitheater, where graduating classes receive their class rings.

The tradition of West Point class rings dates back to 1835.

Each year, gold from rings donated by past West Point graduates is melted down and incorporated into the outgoing class’ rings.

Sedgwick Monument holds special significance to West Point Cadets.

This statue of Major General John Sedgwick, nicknamed “Lucky John,” is said to bring good fortune to cadets who sneak out after curfew in their dress uniforms to spin the spurs on his boots the night before exams.

Across the parade ground, we could see the Jefferson Library, completed in 2008.

The library is named for President Thomas Jefferson, who was president when the United States Military Academy at West Point was founded in 1802.

Washington Hall houses West Point’s mess hall, which feeds all 4,400 cadets in under 25 minutes.

In West Point’s dining hall, a team of over 200 cooks serves more than 13,000 meals per day.

Mealtimes at West Point feature unique etiquette rules. Cadets line up in formation before the meal and march into the hall. Plebes, or freshmen, are in charge of setting the table and pouring water for the upperclassmen.

On the other side of the parade ground, the superintendent lives at Quarters 100, a home built in 1820.

The historic home spans 16,600 square feet.

Trophy Point also featured a putting green.

West Point features an 18-hole golf course open to the public.

On the bus back to the Visitors Center, we passed Lincoln Hall, which houses classrooms.

Lincoln Hall currently houses the English and Philosophy and Social Sciences departments, the Combating Terrorism Center, and the Office for Economic and Manpower Analysis, but is undergoing renovations.

Cullum Hall is an alumni building with a grand ballroom.

Cullum Hall was designed by architect Stanford White, who designed the Washington Square Arch in New York City, in 1898.

West Point Club, another event venue, featured a semicircular wall of windows overlooking the Hudson River.

Members of the public can also book events at the West Point Club.

When it was built in 1911, Thayer Hall was the world’s largest indoor riding arena.

“In 1959, they repurposed it as a classroom building and an office building, but the cadets say on a hot day, they can still smell the horses,” our tour guide said.

We caught a brief glimpse of the new Cyber and Engineering Academic Center that is under construction before returning to the Visitors Center.

The building will house the departments of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Systems Engineering.

“Cyber warfare is the latest thing in national defense, so West Point’s getting ready,” our guide said.

After the tour ended, I stopped at the West Point Museum, where I saw artifacts like President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s military uniform.

Eisenhower graduated from West Point in 1915.

The West Point tour offered a combination of US history and contemporary Army education, providing a fascinating look into the past, present, and future of America’s military.

Evidence of West Point’s distinguished history and unbroken lineage, known as “The Long Gray Line,” was visible at every turn.

While admiring a view of the Hudson River and the surrounding mountains, my gaze was drawn up to a particularly striking tree along the sidewalk. Above its enormous trunk, its knarled branches had begun to flower with spring blooms. Then I noticed the plaque. It was a gift from the class of 1888.