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The side-hustle economy is getting more middle-class

Person in denim overalls walks two leashed dogs along a tree-lined city sidewalk.
More women and middle-class Americans are seeking out second jobs.
  • Middle-income Americans are increasingly taking on multiple jobs, surpassing lower-income earners.
  • The share of multiple jobholders with a college degree has risen, and more women have multiple jobs.
  • It paints a picture of traditionally more affluent and stable Americans seeking out a second income.

America’s middle class is always hustling — and now, they’re side hustling.

The share of Americans with more than one job has been steadily rising for the last several years, and is still hovering at elevated levels. But the population holding multiple jobs looks different from before the pandemic, with a growing cohort of more traditionally stable Americans now seeking multiple income streams.

The second job is no longer just a survival tactic for the lowest earners, or a nice income boost for the highest earners — it’s increasingly showing up for college-educated, middle-income Americans and the women of the workforce, who seem to be seeking out an extra buffer of stability and income.

An analysis from the Richmond Federal Reserve found that before the pandemic, the share of multiple jobholders across income groups was similar: low-, middle-, and high-earners worked multiple jobs in roughly equal proportion.

In the past few years, that’s changed. Middle-income earners are much more likely to hold multiple jobs than their lower-earning counterparts, and sit just barely below their higher-earning peers.

At the same time, college-educated workers have increasingly been creeping into the multiple jobholder workforce. In the 1990s, they made up around 35% of those holding multiple jobs; by 2024, they made up over half, according to the Richmond Fed analysis.

Simultaneously, the number of women holding multiple jobs has increased in the last few years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s latest employment data. The gender gap in multiple jobholding has widened, meaning that more women — especially those aged 20 to 24 — are working in several roles. That tracks with a labor force where women have outnumbered men with college degrees, and younger women in some areas earn more than their male counterparts.

Line chart

Taken together, the data indicate that more educated and traditionally more affluent Americans feel an urge to bring in multiple income streams. Side hustles are increasingly prevalent across the economy: The share of Americans holding down a side hustle has increased from 19% in 2017 to 27% in 2025, per a Bankrate survey. Official measures of multiple jobholding also often fail to completely capture the number of workers participating in gig work, since BLS’s rate measures workers who hold at least one traditional wage job.

And that might show how workers feel about their prospects. Women have been shedding jobs in the past months, and the white-collar world has been shaken by layoffs attributed to AI. Taking a new job is risky — workers say it’ll cost more than ever to lure them away from their roles — so an additional job might offer more reassurance. For college-educated workers, middle-income earners, and women, a side hustle might be a buffer against an increasingly unsteady labor market.

Read the original article on Business Insider

The US Army’s special drone unit is returning to airborne infantry work. Officials say that was always the plan.

A small black quadcopter drone is seen flying in the sky above trees.
The decision to phase out the battalion’s experimental drone role sparked questions about how the Army intends to pursue drone warfare and lessons from Ukraine.
  • US Army officials said the drone experimentation role of one of its battalions was always meant to be temporary.
  • The decision to phase out the drone focus confused experts and lawmakers alike.
  • The Army’s priority is to democratize drone warfare lessons and tactics across formations.

The US Army says that its special battalion focused on drone warfare and lessons from Ukraine was always meant to be a temporary experiment, not a lasting element of the force.

The Unmanned Assault Battalion was created last fall as an experimental unit in the 173rd Airborne Brigade specializing in drone tactics. The 3rd Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment was tasked with testing uncrewed systems and developing battlefield lessons the Army could apply more broadly.

When news broke last month that the service intended to phase out the battalion’s drone-focused mission and return it to airborne infantry, with a focus on traditional warfighting, the move prompted questions about why the Army was ending the experiment and concerns about its wider approach to drone warfare.

At an Army modernization media roundtable on Wednesday, Army officials said that the shift had been planned from the beginning and presented how they intend to spread lessons on uncrewed aerial systems across the service.

“They were never flagged to be a permanent centralized drone unit,” Alex Miller, the Army’s chief technology officer, told reporters.

“In fact, we pushed back on having something like a drone corps since its inception because our theory of the case is, if you centralize that in one place, what you lose is the ability to actually scale that learning and send that out to the rest of the Army,” he added.

The plan, Miller said, was for the battalion to test uncrewed technologies and learn tactics in the six to seven months before they received their full infantry battalion equipment. Then, the Army would disseminate those takeaways across the service and the troops from the battalion would return to their role as airborne infantry.

When The Wall Street Journal first reported the change, an Army spokesperson said the service was committed to “drone dominance” but did not comment on future plans. The Journal reported that no end date was specified when the battalion’s drone role was established.

At the time, an Army spokesperson told Business Insider the unit’s findings would inform force design and future experimentation.

The reporting on the plans to phase out the battalion’s drone mission raised concerns among defense analysts and lawmakers, who questioned what the decision signaled about the Army’s commitment to drone warfare, the service’s willingness to learn from Ukraine’s warfighting experiences, and broader Pentagon priorities for uncrewed capabilities.

“We have deep concerns that eliminating this specialized drone unit will limit our ability to learn from allies, particularly the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and hinder our efforts to modernize drone warfare at the speed necessary to compete on the modern battlefield,” US lawmakers wrote in a recent letter to Army leadership.

A US Army soldier fires a rifle while standing next to a white wall.
After the conclusion of Exercise Saber Junction, the battalion will refocus on its core warfighting tactics.

The letter added that “this specialized unit was a prudent response in a moment when the character of warfare is changing faster than a conventional formation’s ability to adapt.”

The Army didn’t explain publicly that the drone mission was always intended as a short-term experiment when the planned change first drew criticism weeks ago, but officials said Wednesday they wanted to clarify.

“We’re sort of combating this narrative that we set something new up, and then we killed that new thing, and we’re going to sacrifice it at the altar of technology,” Miller said. “That’s just not true.”

He argued that spreading lessons across the Army rather than concentrating drone expertise in a permanent unit better fits the goal of making uncrewed systems a routine part of how the larger force fights.

“When we engage with the Ukrainians and we engage with their leadership, it was less a drone corps and was more of one platoon per company, one company per battalion, which looked an awful lot like how we were actually setting up our tactical UAS platoons as a formation anyway,” he said.

The Army rejected the idea that ending the battalion’s drone-focused mission represents a step backward in its efforts to integrate uncrewed capabilities.

“We are not slowing down on drones or autonomous systems, and we are not walking away from them,” Miller said.

Other officials, likewise, said that drone capabilities are continuing to spread across formations regardless.

“We are employing unmanned aircraft systems at all levels,” said Brent Ingraham, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisitions, logistics, and technology, adding that “while there was an experimental drone battalion, we are scaling that capability across the entire Army.”

Moving forward, the Army says it has several methods for sharing drone lessons and tips, including a Combined Arms Services platform that acts as a central repository for lessons from different soldiers and units.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Salesforce has held talks to buy Listen Labs, an AI customer research platform, for around $2 billion

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff onstage at his company's annual Dreamforce in San Francisco, September, 2024.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff speaks to thousands at the Moscone South Hall during Dreamforce in San Francisco on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
  • Salesforce has been in talks to acquire AI startup Listen Labs for around $2 billion.
  • Listen Labs, which was last valued at $500 million, sells an AI market analysis platform.
  • Recent AI M&A deals include Nvidia’s $12.9 billion acquisition of AI startup Hugging Face.

Salesforce could be on the hunt for acquisitions to beef up its AI capabilities.

The software giant has recently been in talks to buy Listen Labs, an AI-powered customer research platform for around $2 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The talks have not been finalized and could still fall apart, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

Salesforce and Listen Labs did not respond to requests for comment.

Listen Labs provides AI-driven market analysis for brands such as Anthropic, Google, and Nestlé. If the deal were to become finalized, it would be part of a wave of AI acquisitions in recent weeks, with Nvidia acquiring HuggingFace for around $12.9 billion and Stripe buying OpenRouter for around $8 billion.

Salesforce has been pushing to improve its AI efforts, with a particular focus on enterprise agents. The Information reported that they considered acquiring HuggingFace before it was sold to Nvidia.

Listen Labs, cofounded by Alfred Wahlforss and Florian Juengermann in 2023, was last valued at $500 million in a financing round earlier this year. Its backers include Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, Conviction Partners, Pear, and Neo.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Apple event recap: CEO John Ternus reveals new iPhone 18 Pro and first foldable device

New Apple CEO John Ternus
John Ternus helmed his first Apple event as CEO on Wednesday. He had “one more thing” to share.

For the first time in 15 years, a new CEO took the stage at Apple’s big fall event. Taking a page out of Steve Jobs’ book, John Ternus announced “one more thing” — Apple’s first foldable phone.

Ternus, a “product guy” who previously led Apple’s hardware team, took over for Tim Cook at the start of the month. The annual product keynote marked an opportunity for the new CEO to introduce himself to the wider world of Apple fans — and pitch them on increasingly expensive gadget upgrades.

The foldable iPhone Duo, which is shaped like a passport, becomes an iPad-shaped device when it’s open. It’s Apple’s biggest design change to the iPhone since Jobs first unveiled the phone in 2007.

Apple
The new Apple iPhone Duo foldable opens to reveal a larger iPad-like screen.

Customers will have to pay big to own one of the devices, which opens for pre-orders on October 16 and launches on October 23. The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999.

Apple also announced it was raising the price of its high-end “Pro” iPhone lineup by $100, a few months after raising prices on MacBooks and iPads — the result, Apple says, of the bruising memory shortage. The new iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299.

Apple also unveiled new Apple Watch models with new health-focused and AI features, the new AirPods 5, and detailed the many software features launching in iOS 27, which launches September 14.

Scroll on for a play-by-play of Apple’s big keynote:

That’s a wrap!
The Apple iPhone Duo foldable display
Apple iPhone Duo foldable

Apple wraps up its September hardware event after giving the final details for the foldable iPhone Duo, which CEO John Ternus introduced using Steve Jobs’ famous “one more thing” line. Apple’s stock is trading down 1% as the livestream concludes.

Thanks for joining us! See you at the next Apple event.

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 and launches October 23
The iPhone Duo
The iPhone Duo

You’ll have to be a bit patient for the Duo. Apple will make the foldable iPhone available to preorder on Friday, October 16, and it launches on Friday, October 23. It will cost $1,999 for the base storage.

Yes, a new iPhone form factor means new accessories too.
An accessory for the iPhone Duo is pictured.

Apple shows two new accessories for its foldable phone. First, there is a small kickstand to prop the unfolded phone up. There is also a case that protects the edges of the folded.

The iPhone Duo is eSIM only

Apple removed the SIM card slot to free up space for batteries. Since the iPhone 14, US models have been eSIM-only.

The iPhone Duo’s camera system

The iPhone Duo uses Apple’s 48 megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide camera, which is one of the same cameras found in the iPhone 18 Pro. (The iPhone 18 Pro includes a beefier overall camera system though.)

Apple’s new foldable phone, however, has another “FaceTime camera” which is visible upon opening the phone.

“iPhone Duo gives you fun new ways to use the camera that simply aren’t possible on any other iPhone,” Apple says. “With just a tap, iPhone Duo can become your personal photographer.”

iPhone Duo gets two batteries
The iPhone Duo
The iPhone Duo foldable

Apple says there are two batteries powering the Duo. Users will get up to 44 hours of usability if they only use the outer display, and up to 31 hours of video playback when using the inner screens.

Apple explains the tinkering it did to minimize creasing on the iPhone Duo’s screen

Foldable phones have long suffered from a visible crease down the middle when unfolded. But the goal is for the screen to look even and flat, without visible blemish. To improve on this issue, Apple developed a custom texture that creates a “flat matte surface” when opened. It’s made from a custom polymer and has a special coating for scratch resistance.

You can also use the iPhone Duo as … a clock

One of the many possible uses of the iPhone Duo is as a clock, Apple says.

In the launch video, a person sets up the foldable phone on a bedside table, and it turns into a clock.

“iPhone Duo can transform into a delightful bedside clock with the ability to wake you up with a gentle glow, timed perfectly with your alarm,” Apple says.

iPhone Duo is launching in two colors
Watching media on the iPhone Duo
Watching a show on the Apple iPhone Duo

Apple’s first foldable phone will be available in Star White and Night Sky.

iPhone Duo brings back Touch ID

Users will be able to unlock the foldable iPhone Duo by pressing a finger onto the side of the device.

“Essential controls are on the side to free up vertical space for content,” Apple says.

Apple’s new foldable phone looks like a little booklet or passport

Apple’s iPhone Duo, the highly anticipated folding phone, is roughly analogous to an iPad in size when unfolded, and a passport or small booklet when closed.

“We wanted the experience of using iPhone Duo to feel uninterrupted,” Apple says. “With two screens, the transition between open and closed had to be fluid and completely intuitive.”

Here are some more pics of the new foldable iPhone Duo…
Apple
Apple iPhone Duo foldable

Here’s how it looks when folded up, and what the software looks like on that front screen:

THE NEW iPHONE DUO FOLDABLE
The Apple iPhone Duo foldable display
Apple iPhone Duo foldable

Say hello to the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first-ever foldable phone.

John Ternus starts by saying he isn’t impressed by other foldable phones. In unveiling Apple’s long-awaited entry into foldable phones, Tenus had some harsh words for those who got a head start.

“Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones stuck together,” he said.

Catch up quickly: Here’s what has already been announced
Apple

We’ve seen:

  • iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
  • New AirPods 5
  • Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4
‘Siri recap’ will use ‘ambient listening’ to record conversations

Apple introduces “Siri recap,” a feature that uses “ambient listening” to take high-level notes of your conversations.

The feature gives a user recaps of their conversations. It can be turned off and on at any time via the control system.

“Privacy is protected at every step. These audio intelligence features do not create or store audio recordings,” Apple says. “The raw audio used for processing is completely inaccessible, even to Apple.”

Apple says it will be available in a beta version later this year.

The new Apple Watch Series 12 comes in ceramic finishes
Apple's Watch Series 12
Apple Watch Series 12 in ceramic finish
Apple Watch will let you ‘rewind’ conversations

The new Apple Watch will allow users to rewind conversations by up to 15 seconds, part of a suite of audio intelligence tools.

Additionally, the Apple Watch will be able to recognize sounds like a doorbell, a baby crying, or sirens.

Apple is replacing… the pacer test?

Apple says it’s releasing a new assessment tool. It will ask users to jog in place with a coach, as shown on the iPhone, and give users tips for better form. The speed will speed up throughout the test.

Listen up, longevity-maxxers: Apple will tell you your ‘health age’

Apple says it developed a new system that will take reams of data and tell a user their “health age.”

Apple says the number is “a simple way to discover how key health metrics align with your actual age.”

Apple’s new ‘readiness’ score

Your Apple Watch can now judge how hard you should push. A new “readiness” score will analyze recent activity, vitals, and sleep to give a “clear call on your body’s capacity to take on the day,” Apple says.

The score also updates during the day, and is viewable both on the Apple Watch and the iPhone Fitness app.

Apple unveils a more advanced ‘health sensing’ system for watches
Apple
Apple’s new health features

Apple says its new watches take “health and fitness to the next level” with a new sensor system.

The systems monitor a wearer’s heart rate all day. “Background heart rate readings are now taken every five seconds all day long, even while you’re on the go,” Apple says.

Say hello to the new Apple Watches
Next up, new Apple Watches!
The new Apple Watch models

Next up is the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, which include new Health-focused features.

The company says the new Apple Watch sensors sit closer to the skin, even during workouts, and will now monitor your heart rate variability, or HRV.

Apple says the new AirPods 5 have live translation

Apple says its new Airpods 5 have standardized live translation, an innovation which first launched last year.

In the launch video, the AirPods worn by an actor translate someone speaking Spanish.

The new AirPods 5 will start at $129.
The AirPods 5
The new AirPods 5

AirPods 5 have a “new acoustic architecture and advanced computational audio,” Apple announces. They will feature Apple’s classic open ear fit while upgrading the audio. They will cost $129 for the standard charging case, and $149 with the wireless charging case.

The AirPods 5 are also getting a volume swipe slider on the side to more easily control how loud your music or podcasts play.

Introducing: AirPods 5
Apple's AirPods 5 are pictured.
Next up, AirPods

Apple is talking about the success of its AirPods Pro models, but it sounds like we’re getting a new model of regular AirPods today.

Apple says its new operating system has child safety features

Kaiann Drance, the vice president of iPhone marketing, says iOS 27 has more child-safety features.

The features give parents “more flexible ways to manage what kids can see, who they can talk to, and when they have access,” Drance says.

Apple wants you to know your photos are real

Let’s face it: AI slop images are everywhere. Apple wants you to know whether images are generated or edited with AI.

Apple’s Maryam Azimi announced a reference image system that can help verify whether a photo was taken with an iPhone 18 Pro. The camera holds an image that lives with the “regular, editable photo.” She compared it to having a “digital negative” that users can compare against the original image.

Apple says variable aperture is coming to iPhone
Apple event
Apple’s fall 2026 event

Speaking at a Hollywood set, Kaiann Drance, the vice president of iPhone marketing, says variable aperture is coming to the iPhone.

“We’re introducing our biggest camera improvement in years, making stunning shots easy for everyone and adding new levels of creativity,” Drance says.

Aperture settings control how much light enters a camera. Drance says, “This is the most advanced camera we’ve ever made.”

The aperture system uses six laser-cut blades, Drance says.

The ‘largest increase in battery life ever on an iPhone’

You can worry a bit less about your phone dying. Apple hypes up the battery life of its new iPhone 18 Pro. The phone will have up to 24 hours per charge, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have up to 30 hours per charge.

The iPhone 18 Pro also supports 50% charge in about 15 minutes.

Apple’s new Siri upgrade comes with limits

While Apple boasts its new Siri updates, not everyone will get it at once. Siri AI is rolling out in beta for English speakers and will expand to French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish in October.

Some Siri features will also have usage limits if they rely on powerful large language models.

Don’t like Siri’s voice? Now you can customize it.

Apple says users can customize Siri’s voice to new levels of personalization.

In addition to the traditional accents, Apple unveils two new customization sliders: pace and expressivity.

Apple says the on-device model “also enables more accurate system-wide dictation, making it easy for you to get punctuation, spelling, and capitalization just right.”

Apple touts ‘a new Siri’

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will be able to run Apple’s most advanced on-device AI model. As Apple previously announced, Apple is launching its overhauled Siri with a dedicated app.

Welcome: glacier and burgundy
The new Apple iPhone 18 Pro
The new Apple iPhone 18 Pro

Introducing the new iPhone 18 Pro, Ternus lists colors like deep black and silver. There’s also a “fresh new color” called glacier, he says.

Plus, there’s the “sophisticated and unique” new addition, Ternus says: burgundy.

The first product reveal: iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
The iPhone 18 Pro lineup
The iPhone 18 Pro lineup

It looks like…an iPhone! Ternus reveals the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models. There are new colors, and the underlying computer chip technology will enhance photos and the new Siri AI, Apple says.

John Ternus says privacy protection is paramount

In what appeared to be a dig at AI labs, Apple’s CEO says that “others see that data as something to collect and store.”

“They move it to their servers and ask you to trust them,” he adds.

Ternus says that Apple intelligence instead stores data on individual devices when it can.

“When greater capability is needed, private cloud compute extends that same level of privacy protection, ensuring that nobody, not even Apple, can access what’s yours,” he says.

John Ternus says the iPhone is perfect for the AI age

The Apple CEO says the iPhone is the perfect medium to achieve what he calls an “intelligent personal hub.”

His comments come as the world eagerly awaits OpenAI’s entry into the AI hardware space later this year.

Tim Cook makes a brief appearance before handing things over to John Ternus
New Apple CEO John Ternus
New Apple CEO John Ternus

We finally see Tim Cook in the prerecorded video, smiling. “No, no, no! Not me,” he says. “That’s your guy. That’s your opening shot.”

John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO, appears to begin the keynote.

Apple starts with video about possible opening shots
Apple event
Apple’s opening video from its fall event

Apple’s event begins with several action shots imagining possible openings to the event. Characters in the scenes say that each one should be the beginning scene.

And we’re off! Apple’s fall keynote begins…
Prefer to watch? You can tune into the 1 p.m. ET livestream here:
A look at where the action is happening…
Steve Jobs Theater at the company's Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.
Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.

Apple shifted years ago from live keynote addresses (which run the risk of embarrassing demo fails) to pre-recorded keynotes. Apple, however, still hosts journalists and influencers at Apple Park, its Cupertino, California HQ. While Apple’s CEO typically greets attendees, who will watch the livestream from the Steve Jobs Theater on campus, we’re minutes away from seeing if new CEO John Ternus decides to switch things up — or keep the keynote pre-recorded.

Higher iPhone prices could entice people to try out Apple’s leasing program, Apple Upgrade
The iPhone 17 Pro
The iPhone 17 Pro

Apple recently overhauled its device subscriptions, which it now calls Apple Upgrade. The program offers the opportunity to lease a new iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or MacBook with monthly payments lower than those of traditional financing. It’s powered by buy-now-pay-later service Klarna.

With Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone expected to command a $2,000+ price tag, you can bet some customers might decide to rent instead of ponying up the full up-front cost.

Tim Cook scored a $47 million pay package to stay on as Apple’s chairman.

While Tim Cook is no longer CEO, Apple is keeping him around — and keeping him paid.

Cook’s new job as Apple chairman includes a $2 million salary (instead of $3 million as CEO), and comes with an annual equity award with a target value of $45 million for fiscal year 2027. The former CEO will also help engage with “policymakers around the world,” which means Apple isn’t losing its “Trump whisperer.”

Who is John Ternus? Get to know Apple’s new CEO before he takes the stage.
Tim Cook and John Ternus
Tim Cook and John Ternus

John Ternus studied engineering and once worked under Steve Jobs. Tim Cook, who is staying on as board chairman, called Ternus “one of a kind” and said the CEO transition would go “seamlessly.”

Read full story

Apple’s new CEO drums up hype with cryptic video.

John Ternus posted a short clip to X this morning ahead of Apple’s 1 p.m. ET event. The teaser, which shows a glimpse of what is presumably an unreleased device, could signal a glitzier marketing strategy under Ternus. It’s unusual to see Apple reveal actual imagery associated with coming devices ahead of an event, even if it’s not 100% clear what we’re looking at.

Read the original article on Business Insider

The foldable iPhone Duo is Apple’s boldest smartphone experiment yet

The Apple iPhone Duo foldable display
Apple’s foldable phone, the iPhone Duo.
  • Apple debuted the Duo, its first-ever foldable iPhone.
  • The phone has two displays and is 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max. It’s priced at $1,999.
  • The foldable is one of Apple’s first departures from the traditional iPhone form.

Since its 2007 launch, the iPhone has had the same basic design: a flat, rigid rectangle.

Now, Apple is folding on that form factor.

Apple debuted the new foldable iPhone Duo on Tuesday at its annual September hardware event, marking the biggest design change in the device’s history.

John Ternus, Apple’s CEO, critiqued other foldables that “feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together.” The company wanted a larger display, one that is “as natural and intuitive as an iPad,” he said.

The iPhone Duo
The iPhone Duo comes in two colors.

The device has two displays: the closed front and the full-sized open screen. When opened, the phone can also have two displays on each side of the hinge.

It’s 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 80% larger than the 18 Pro.

Apple said it has set the iPhone Duo price for $1,999.

Breaking the iPhone’s design rut

Apple certainly isn’t the first company to put out a foldable. Samsung continues to expand its lineup, while Chinese companies like Honor and Oppo offer cheaper (and thinner) alternatives. One of Huawei’s phones folds not once, but twice.

Still, the move is seismic for Apple, which largely iterated and finessed the form factor Steve Jobs first unveiled in 2007.

Watching media on the iPhone Duo
Watching a show on the Apple iPhone Duo

Designer Christopher Stringer recounted the process of picking a shape during Apple’s 2012 lawsuit against Samsung. The company tested an “extrudo” model, which had a lozenge-like shape, he said. Then, it landed on the iPhone design we know and love.

At the end of the 2012 trial, Apple explicitly received its design patent: a rectangle with rounded corners.

For years after, Apple tinkered with elements of the design. It extended the display and removed the home button. It tried out new colors and side buttons. It tried lighter and thinner models.

Throughout it all, the basic rectangle design stayed flat.

The new foldable doesn’t stray too far from Apple’s roots. It does open into a rectangle with rounded corners, after all.

Still, the design brings something new to the market — and shows Apple can still mix it up.

Read the original article on Business Insider

16 actors who transformed into real-life tech company CEOs and founders

andrew garfield as sam altman; sam altman
Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, and the real guy himself.
  • Andrew Garfield is making headlines for his portrayal of Sam Altman in “Artificial.”
  • The upcoming film is the latest in a new genre of entertainment: the startup biopic.
  • Sebastian Stan, Jared Leto, and Amanda Seyfried have all played tech CEOs for TV shows and movies.

We’ve all heard of musician and actor biopics — now, it’s all about the tech CEO biopic.

These days, startup founders can be just as famous (or infamous) as any other celebrity, and the dramatic lives they’ve lived in business or at home make great fodder for TV and movies.

To play these figures, some of our best-known actors had to ditch their signature looks to take on Steve Jobs‘ turtleneck and wire-frame glasses, or Elizabeth Holmes‘ red lipstick and frizzy blowout.

Here are 16 celebrities who transformed to play some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures.

Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman in ‘Artificial’
andrew garfield as sam altman; sam altman

“After the Hunt” wasn’t enough for Garfield and director Luca Guadagnino — now the two have teamed up to tell the story of OpenAI CEO and cofounder Altman.

“Artificial,” which is set for release in select theaters on Christmas Day, will focus on Altman’s 2023 firing by cofounder Ilya Sutskever (Yura Borisov) and subsequent rehiring one week later.

Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg in ‘The Social Reckoning’
jeremy strong and mark zuckerberg

“Succession” star Jeremy Strong will play the Facebook founder in “The Social Reckoning,” a film about the release of Facebook Files, a staggering number of internal documents leaked by whistleblower and employee Frances Haugen and published by The Wall Street Journal in 2021, and the subsequent congressional scrutiny that followed.

The film, set for an October 2026 release, is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter of “The Social Network,” making this something of a sequel to the 2010 classic.

Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in ‘The Social Network’
jesse eisenberg and mark zuckerberg

“The Social Reckoning” won’t be the first time Zuckerberg has been portrayed on screen — most famously, Eisenberg played the founder in “The Social Network,” which chronicled the earliest days of Facebook, back when it still had a “the” in front of it.

It juxtaposes the wild, early days of the website with two lawsuits Zuckerberg settled a few years later: one from cofounder Eduardo Saverin and another from his Harvard classmates, the Winklevoss twins.

Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker in ‘The Social Network’
justin timberlake and sean parker

The other famous “disruptor” portrayed in “The Social Network” is Parker, one of the cofounders of Napster, the original music streaming platform. He’s played by Timberlake in a career-best performance.

Parker comes in as an early believer and investor in Facebook, which ruffles the feathers of cofounder Eduardo Saverin.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Travis Kalanick in ‘Super Pumped’
joseph gordon levitt and travis kalanick

Gordon-Levitt played Uber cofounder and former CEO Kalanick in “Super Pumped,” a 2022 Showtime limited series. It focuses on the rise of Kalanick and his eventual fall from power, culminating in his 2017 resignation from the company.

Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in ‘The Dropout’
amanda seyfried and elizabeth holmes

Seyfried played Holmes all the way from her time at Stanford in 2003 (where she did the titular dropping out) through to the catastrophic collapse of her company Theranos in 2015, spurred by an exposé published in The Wall Street Journal, in the 2022 Hulu limited series “The Dropout.”

Theranos purported to manufacture a device that could do a litany of blood tests from a single finger prick, but, infamously, it never actually worked. In 2022, Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding investors.

There’s speculation that Seyfried will reprise the role, in a way, as Holmes in the coming documentary “You Can See Everything,” but it’s unclear how much, if any, involvement she has in the doc.

Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs in ‘Jobs’
ashton kutcher and steve jobs

The first mention of Jobs on this list goes to Kutcher, who played the Apple founder in the 2013 biopic “Jobs.” It follows his career from the beginning of Apple in 1976 to the introduction of the first iPod in 2001.

Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs in ‘Steve Jobs’
michael fassbender and steve jobs

Two years after “Jobs,” the late founder was portrayed again on screen, this time by Michael Fassbender in “Steve Jobs.”

Instead of a standard cradle-to-grave biopic, “Steve Jobs” checks in with the enigmatic figure at three different points in his career: first in 1984, before the introduction of the first Apple Macintosh computer; second, in 1988, when Jobs is the head of a new company, NeXT, and is preparing to launch its first computer; and finally, in 1998, as Jobs gears up to release the iMac.

Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs in ‘Pirates of Silicon Valley’
noah wyle and steve jobs

In 1999, the TV movie “Pirates of Silicon Valley” aired, starring Wyle as the Apple founder. It chronicles Jobs’ career from the ’70s to the ’90s, from the founding of Apple to his return as CEO.

Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates in ‘Pirates of Silicon Valley’
anthony michael hall and bill gates

The other half of the “Pirates of Silicon Valley” narrative focuses on Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft. He’s played by “Breakfast Club” star Anthony Michael Hall.

The film’s climax is based on the real-life falling out Gates and Jobs had in 1985, when Jobs felt that Gates had ripped off Apple.

Jared Leto as Adam Neumann in ‘WeCrashed’
jared leto and adam neumann

Leto really did physically transform to play the WeWork CEO and cofounder in the 2022 Apple TV+ miniseries “WeCrashed.” The show chronicled the immense success the coworking start-up experienced in its early days in 2010, all the way through its disastrous attempted IPO in 2019.

Anne Hathaway as Rebekah Paltrow Neumann in ‘WeCrashed’
anne hathaway and Rebekah Neumann

Hathaway costarred in “WeCrashed” as Neumann’s wife, Rebekah Paltrow Neumann, who was heavily involved in WeWork, even if she wasn’t officially a cofounder. She was, however, “an unpredictable and unmistakable presence” at the company, per Business Insider’s reporting.

Jay Baruchel as Mike Lazaridis in ‘BlackBerry’
Jay Baruchel and Mike Lazaridis

The creation of the BlackBerry, one of the earliest smartphones, was dramatized in “BlackBerry,” which starred Baruchel as one of the cofounders of RIM (the brand behind the phone) and one of the cocreators of the BlackBerry itself, Lazaridis.

The film begins with Lazaridis and his partner teaming up with Jim Balsillie (more on him later) to make BlackBerry the most popular smartphone in the world — only for its reign to end with the iPhone.

Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie in ‘BlackBerry’
Glenn Howerton and Jim Balsillie

RIM really got off the ground when Mike Lazaridis and his cofounder Doug Fregin were approached by Balsillie. According to the movie’s telling, Balsillie offered to invest $20,000 for a 50% stake in the company, and was eventually sold a 33% stake for $125,000 and the title of co-CEO.

The less we say about Howerton’s performance, the better — it really must be seen to be believed.

Lily James as Whitney Wolfe Herd in ‘Swiped’
Lily James and Whitney Wolfe Herd

2025’s “Swiped” is the story of the creation of Bumble through the eyes of its founder, Herd. Originally, she was a cofounder of Tinder, but resigned in 2014, and eventually received an out-of-court settlement after suing Tinder for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment, without either Tinder or its parent company, IAC, admitting to wrongdoing.

After leaving Tinder, Herd wanted to create an app that focused on female empowerment, and thus, Bumble, a dating app where women have to make the first move, was born.

Sebastian Stan as Vlad Tenev in ‘Dumb Money’
Sebastian Stan and Vlad Tenev

In 2023’s “Dumb Money,” which is about the “Gamestonk” GameStop short squeeze and subsequent drama that happened in 2021, led by the Reddit community r/WallStreetBets and one user in particular, Keith Gill, aka Roaring Kitty, Stan has a small role.

He plays Robinhood cofounder and CEO, Tenev. During the events of the film, Tenev directs Robinhood, an e-trading platform and investment app, to stop allowing users to buy certain stocks and options (including GameStop), which caused an uproar.

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