• Meta is expanding its AI hardware effort and tapped veteran engineer Rui Xu to lead it.
• It hints that Meta’s Superintelligence Labs is exploring new AI device types beyond smart glasses.
• MSL chief Alexandr Wang said he aims to create a personalized AI agent across multiple devices.

Meta’s superintelligence division is building a dedicated hardware team — and hiring a veteran engineer to lead it — as the company pushes deeper into AI-powered devices.

Meta is already known for the smart glasses and virtual reality headsets made by its Reality Labs division. This newer effort is part of Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), the high-profile AI division announced last year, which hints that Meta is mulling other types of AI devices.

The effort, which has not yet been reported, has seen some Reality Labs engineers transition to MSL to prototype the AI division’s software on Reality Labs hardware, with the two divisions working closely together, a source familiar with the matter said.

The tech giant is hiring Rui Xu, who headed hardware at Dreamer, an AI agent startup whose founding team Meta acqui-hired last month, to lead hardware at MSL, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Prior to Dreamer, Xu served as the chief operating officer of K-Scale, a robotics startup that shut down last year, The Information reported. Nat Friedman, who leads the products and applied research division at MSL, had invested in K-Scale through the AI Grant program he co-founded.

Xu previously worked on smart devices at TikTok owner ByteDance, leading a lab that shipped millions of units in China, according to his LinkedIn. He also has management experience at smartphone maker Xiaomi, laptop manufacturer Lenovo, and internet giant Tencent.

Meta declined to comment. Xu did not respond to an email requesting comment.

Tech giants like OpenAI are racing to build an AI-native personal device that isn’t just a smartphone.

In a February podcast appearance, MSL chief Alexandr Wang said that Meta wants to expand beyond phones into a world where everyone has a personalized AI agent that lives across a “constellation” of devices.

“You’re going to want your personal agent to be with you in a bunch of different ways that will always be on, see what you see, hear what you hear,” Wang said on the podcast.

“Over the coming months, you’re going to see incredible velocity coming from us,” he added.

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• Business Insider spoke to auto executives at the New York Auto Show. They all talked about AI.
• Top bosses also chatted about company collaborations, the future of sedans, and product launches.
• I asked six executives to choose a car from a competing automaker. There was a clear winner.

The auto industry is under siege on multiple fronts — tariffs, supply chain shocks, the associated rising costs, competition from China, and uneven demand for EVs.

So when I walked into the New York Auto Show this week — my third consecutive year at the expo — I expected executives to have a wide array of answers to the industry’s myriad challenges.

Instead, they all said the same thing: They’re responding to these pressures with a trunk full of AI.

That bet could dramatically change how automakers design, build, and sell vehicles. Most importantly, it could collapse a product’s development timeline and make companies more agile.

For decades, developing a new vehicle typically took four to six years from design to production. That timeline is now too slow as companies try to respond more quickly to fickle demand and global disruptions.

Nissan executives, for example, said they’re aiming to cut development time dramatically — targeting 36 months for a new powertrain and about 30 months for vehicles built on the same platform.

“Lead time to development time, all said and told, is a couple of years,” Eric Ledieu, the vice president of Infiniti America, Nissan’s luxury arm, told Business Insider. “Trying to get that cycle shortened is really our ambition.”

Executives from Hyundai said it’s doing the same, though it declined to share an exact timeline.

“The people that are using AI today, it will make them more efficient and effective,” Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, told me. “The quicker that you lean in, the quicker you can embrace it. I think it will help you be more efficient and get to market a lot faster.”

Toyota, Ford, and GM executives are all humming a similar tune. Behind the show’s flashy product launches — a sleek Corvette concept from Chevy, a rugged new Hyundai SUV, EVs from Kia and Subaru — the executives all discussed their desire to find ways to move more efficiently.

Everything on the Javitz Center’s showroom floor, it seemed, flowed from that effort.

So many collabs

One way to move faster is to work together.

It typically costs $1 billion or more to bring a new car to market. Increasingly, automakers are deciding they won’t do it alone.

Toyota and Subaru have partnered on EVs and now sell — or are preparing to launch — four closely related models. Nissan’s Rogue Plug-In Hybrid is a rebadged version of the Mitsubishi Outlander. Ram’s ProMaster City cargo van shares key components with the Fiat Scudo sold in Europe.

“The other big trend I see that’s a huge shock to this industry is a need for consolidation,” Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan and Infiniti’s chief product and planning officer, said.

Pandikuthira said the Rogue Hybrid’s ties to Mitsubishi were partly due to the new compressed timelines.

“The costs are going up so much,” he added. “It doesn’t have to be a merger or some giant partner. We just have to do joint projects.”

He added that automakers producing fewer than 5 million to 8 million vehicles a year may struggle to survive on their own.

The return of the sedan

For years, US automakers have steadily walked away from sedans, betting instead on higher-margin SUVs and trucks. Now, that calculus may be shifting.

With consumer costs still rising, several executives said they’re reconsidering smaller, more affordable vehicles — including sedans — to reach buyers who have been priced out of the market.

There are also practical reasons. Sedans tend to be more aerodynamic than SUVs, making them a better fit for EVs, for which efficiency is critical.

And there may be a cultural shift, too.

“I think the younger generation wants a little bit of differentiation,” Ledieu said, adding that SUVs and crossovers are “what mom and dad drive.”

So. Many. Light. Bars.

One of the most visible design trends at the auto show was the rise of LED light bars — thin strips of light stretching across the front or rear of a vehicle.

And now, some new cars (including the Genesis G90 Winback concept and the redesigned VW Atlas) have two.

They’ve been around for a few years, but they’re no longer just a concept-car gimmick. They’re showing up across entire lineups.

Lincoln and Lucid feature them on nearly every model. Hyundai, Ford, GM, and Toyota have adopted them widely as well.

What was once a futuristic flourish is quickly becoming standard.

Showing up is expensive

Presenting at the New York Auto Show doesn’t come cheap. Multiple executives told Business Insider they’re spending seven (and sometimes eight) figures to exhibit at the event.

That cost is changing how and where automakers choose to reveal their biggest vehicles.

Infiniti unveiled its coming 2027 QX65 SUV at a stand-alone event with former NFL stars Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski days before media previews began. Volkswagen showed off its redesigned 2027 Atlas at a warehouse a day before the Javitz Center opened to the press.

Even newcomers are opting out. Slate, the EV truck startup backed by Jeff Bezos, showed off its vehicle at a small shop about a mile from the convention center.

“Auto shows used to be the only place you reveal a car,” Ledieu said. “Now, you’re revealing them in all kinds of different places.”

Other executives said they still see a payoff from the show, even after complaining about the cost.

A clear winner

Amid all the talk of supply chains, geopolitical risk, and the industry’s uncertain future, I slipped in one lighter question during six of my interviews:

If you could take home any car from the show floor — and not one from your company — what would it be?

Bentley was the clear favorite. Four executives picked the luxury brand, including two who singled out the Flying Spur sedan.

All asked for anonymity when naming a rival.

A few other standouts made the cut, too: Chevy’s mid-engine Corvette and Hyundai’s body-on-frame Boulder concept each earned a nod.

• My family faced years of financial instability and unpredictable income streams.
• We relied on Airbnb income, credit cards, and even retirement savings to get by.
• Despite everything, we found a way to buy a home we loved and make it work.

“It’s got good bones,” the seller said, as if he had to sell it to me.

He didn’t. We both knew I was already in love with the house.

For some, a kitchen that hasn’t been touched since 1948 would be a total gut renovation, but I’m enamored by the pale green cabinetry, original wallpaper still intact, and hardwood floors that need little more than a good waxing. The seller and I stood in the living room while my husband refereed the kids’ fight over bedrooms, and I pictured mornings with coffee on the sunporch. It’s a forever home material, and we can almost afford it.

Almost.

When the seller accepted my verbal offer, my heart leaped into my throat. I looked him in the eye and said, with complete confidence, “We’ll make it happen.”

The truth was, I had absolutely no idea how we’d pay for it.

From the outside, our life probably looked stable enough — and at the start, it was

Early in our marriage, my husband had a stable career making six figures, with benefits and health insurance. His income gave me the freedom to build a life as a freelance writer and writing coach. A generous gift from his father helped us buy our first home.

Then, almost at the same time I sold a book, my husband was let go from his job, and our roles reversed overnight. He picked up consulting projects when they came along, but for the most part, we survived on my earnings. Some months worked beautifully. Others, we waited anxiously for invoices to clear while maxing out credit cards on groceries and gas.

Years of financial insecurity have been taxing on our marriage

Financial insecurity chips away at the image I have of us: educated adults who know how to pay bills, file taxes, and make responsible choices. When the numbers stop working, I’m thrust back into childhood — years of food scarcity and housing instability, living in my grandmother’s basement, dreaming of a real home that never materialized.

About a year ago, we made a move that seemed, at least temporarily, like a solution. We relocated to Nyack to be closer to my son’s private school. Instead of selling our family home, we turned it into an Airbnb. It was a surprisingly good financial decision. Over the course of the year, we earned about $50,000 — enough to cover our bills and keep everything moving forward.

Sometimes life throws a curveball

Living in temporary housing took a toll on us, and Airbnb income was unpredictable. This past winter, bookings were slow. Once again, our credit cards were approaching their limits. We decided to sell our family home and downsize.

Around this same time, our town began cracking down on short-term rentals, shutting down the business that had kept us afloat. That’s when we dipped into our retirement account. We pulled $20,000 from our IRA — something we had somehow managed to avoid until then.

We used the money to pay off the credit cards and catch up on the mortgage.

Borrowing from our retirement felt both terrifying and inevitable

My biggest fear is letting our children down and putting them through what I experienced as a kid. When financial troubles arise, a quiet panic creeps in. A voice whispers, you’re not doing life right. You’re supposed to be more stable by now. Retirement savings are supposed to be sacred. The adult thing to do is leave them alone and let them grow.

But the adult thing is also keeping oneself and one’s children housed and fed.

Having an IRA to draw from feels both humbling and miraculous. Like the second financial gift from my father-in-law, or the winter I was awarded a generous grant for writers with medical expenses, it reminds me that survival is always a mix of luck, strategy, and stubborn work.

I thought stability meant not needing help

I didn’t doubt our house would sell quickly. But even with that equity, the best we could afford in Nyack was at the bottom of the market. Our sublet was up June 1, and we didn’t have money to throw away on another rental. We were searching for the cheapest house in a competitive town, on a tight timeline. Sitting down with a real estate agent, going over our numbers, I realized the math wasn’t mathing. Fighting back tears, I said, “I feel like my luck has run out.”

The real estate agent listened quietly and said something simple: “I don’t think luck runs out.”

I decided to believe her.

Then this house appeared.

For years, I thought stability meant never needing help, never touching retirement, never falling behind. But that’s not how most lives work. Stability, it turns out, is patched together from whatever holds: a gift from a parent, a well-paying freelance assignment, a house that “has good bones,” a sentimental seller more interested in finding someone to love it than taking the highest offer.

By the grace of something—timing, stubbornness, creative accounting—we managed to qualify for a mortgage. Our neighbors generously offered us a bridge loan to use as the deposit. When the seller wouldn’t accept an offer contingent on the sale of our house, our IRA came to the rescue: in real estate, an IRA or 401(k) counts as “liquid assets” if you’re willing to liquidate them, and so we were able to use those funds toward the down payment.

By the time you read this, I hope to be in contract. But if this house doesn’t work out, something else will. I don’t know how, but we always find a way.

• United Airlines is introducing “basic” business class on long-haul flights later this year.
• These unbundled tickets can be cheaper because they let flyers only pay for what they value.
• Some industry analysts say the move could make business class more expensive over time.

United Airlines is changing how people fly in its most expensive cabins.

The airline said Friday it’s soon rolling out new “basic” fares for its Polaris business class and Premium Plus premium economy cabins that strip out some perks — like seat selection and lounge access — in exchange for lower prices.

It’s essentially basic economy for premium seats. The goal is to let customers tailor their experience based on what they actually value, while simultaneously monetizing the growing demand for premium comfort.

For example, flyers who already get lounge access via a credit card can opt out of paying for a bundled perk they would not use. They can also save if they don’t care where they sit or that their ticket is nonrefundable.

United is also targeting travelers who may have considered upgrading but were previously priced out. By dangling the carrot of more “affordable” premium fares, the airline can make money off of seats that would otherwise fly empty.

The on-board experience won’t change. All Polaris customers will still get beds, chef-curated meals, and more privacy; Premium Plus still includes better food, a large recliner, and a leg and footrest.

The unbundled fares will launch “later this year” on long-haul international, transcontinental, and select Hawaii routes. United outlined how its new “Base,” Standard,” and “Flexible” fares will work:

United’s Polaris lounge is more upscale than its regular Club lounges. The upgrade option to United Polaris Studio refers to the new suite-style pod it’s launching on future Boeing 787s in late April.

United is applying the same new fare structure to its Premium Plus cabin. Those revamped fares — also called Base, Standard, and Flexible — mirror the Polaris options, minus lounge access.

United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella framed the changes as offering customers “more choice,” saying the new pay-as-you-go structure will make it “easier to find a fare that includes the benefits they want most — whether that’s a great value, added perks, or maximum flexibility.”

The reworked business class is part of a broader wave of new products, like door-equipped business class and beds in economy, coming to United as it chases premium revenue.

United joins a larger basic business class trend

United is the first US airline to deploy basic premium fares, but it’s not the first globally.

Air France, KLM, Finnair, Emirates, and Qatar Airways have experimented with stripped-down business-class options for years, unbundling seat selection, lounge access, and other previously free add-ons.

Delta Air Lines has also been signaling a similar direction, teasing a “business-class-lite” product since 2024. Former company president Glen Hauenstein, who retired in February, said on a January earnings call that the fare type was a “2026 initiative.”

It’s still unclear how the new à la carte premium structure will ultimately affect pricing or the customer experience. Some industry analysts have said basic business class could gradually erode the traditional premium cabin without necessarily making flying cheaper over time.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, previously told Business Insider that fares for the new business-class ticket are likely to be similar to current levels, while the cost of fully flexible tickets would steadily rise.

He added, however, that corporate customers who pay for business class primarily to ensure employees are rested and well-fed may welcome lower fares that strip out perks they deem unnecessary.

Artificial intelligence could transform medicine, education, and scientific discovery, but it could also deepen inequality, supercharge cybercrime, erase jobs, and put unprecedented power in the hands of governments and tech companies.

In interviews with Business Insider, former AI leaders with from Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, DeepMind, and the White House, describe a future where AI systems grow more capable, more autonomous and harder to control, and they debate what that means for the rest of us.

• Amazon is adding a 3.5% surcharge to some orders, it told sellers.
• The surcharge is meant to offset higher costs from “fuel and logistics,” the e-commerce giant said.
• Oil prices have risen sharply since the US and Israel’s war on Iran started in late February.

Amazon is adding a new charge for some sellers to offset higher fuel prices.

The e-commerce giant plans to start adding a 3.5% “fuel and logistics-related surcharge” on orders it ships through its Fulfillment by Amazon service in markets including the US and Canada starting on April 17, according to a message sent to sellers.

Starting May 2, the fee would also apply to Buy with Prime and multi-channel fulfillment in the US and Canada, two other fulfillment services that Amazon offers to sellers, the message said.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the surcharge.

Oil prices have soared in the month since the US and Israel began a war with Iran that has interrupted crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Companies and services, from airlines to the US Postal Service, have since added surcharges to account for higher fuel prices.

“Elevated costs in fulfillment and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry,” Amazon’s message to sellers reads.

While Amazon has “absorbed these increased costs so far,” the new fee is meant to cover “a portion of the actual cost increases we are experiencing,” it says.

“We remain committed to our selling partners’ success and to maintaining broad selection and low prices for customers,” the Amazon spokesperson said.

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