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I’m a VC with 5 kids. I encourage them to use AI and not to pick the safest career.

Lori Cashman headshot
Lori Cashman is raising five kids, including two sets of twins.
  • Lori Cashman has two sets of twins, who are 21 and 19, plus an 18-year-old.
  • She pays for their AI subscriptions and talks about the nuances of AI.
  • She wants them to hone their critical thinking in college, not prepare for a specific career.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lori Cashman, managing partner at Visible Ventures. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When people hear I had five kids within three years, they assume the baby years must have been the hardest. But when the kids were babies and toddlers, I managed pretty well. I could anticipate their needs, change up their routines, or hire a babysitter.

Things got trickier as they got older. Today my twins are 21 and 19, and my youngest son is 18. The older twins are entering their senior year of college, while the younger ones will start college in the fall, when my youngest will be a high school senior.

I’m also the founder of a venture capital firm that works with many Gen Z founders. I think this generation is entering adulthood at a uniquely destabilizing moment, with AI reshaping the workforce. I have worries, but I’m also hopeful.

AI is going to create lots of opportunities for this generation

Things are changing so quickly with AI. It’s really within the last year that I’ve been beating the drum, encouraging my kids to use any AI tools they can. They have an opportunity to get in at the ground level of something that’s going to be very big. I want them to embrace that: roll up their sleeves and learn as much as they can.

Lori Cashman family photo
Lori Cashman is a mom of five, including two sets of twins.

When I speak with investors, I tell them, “The surfer picks the wave.” Technological innovations, whether it was the early internet or the shift to mobile, have always created waves of opportunity, and AI will too, for those who choose to ride.

My husband and I pay for AI subscriptions for our kids. We also make room for nuanced conversations. There are a lot of mixed messages about AI, especially on campus. What academic dishonesty entails varies from professor to professor. I want my kids to use AI, but not abuse it, and no one has clear-cut answers for what that looks like, yet.

Interdisciplinary work is more important than ever

As my younger three kids prepare to start college, I’m encouraging them to focus on interdisciplinary learning. Most of my kids are studying economics in some form. I would like them to take advantage of different concentrations and certificates to enhance that degree.

It’s important they expand their thinking outside their major. College isn’t about preparing for a specific job anymore. It’s about learning to apply your skills at the intersection of different sectors. Maybe that’s medicine and climate; humanities and technology; sports and marketing.

The ability to solve interdisciplinary problems will serve Gen Z well in the future.

I want my kids to have a playful approach to building skills

Young kids learn through play, and young adults can do the same. Not everything should be about résumé building. As serious as some of these discussions are, young people ought to be somewhat playful in their approach.

Things are changing, yes. But being able to follow your curiosities and interests is a great way to build real-world experience and exposure. That, in turn, will equip them for whatever job they land in.

I believe Gen Z will be very entrepreneurial and end up trailblazing paths that look different from past careers. The promise of AI is that more people than ever will have the tools they need to build a successful business, as long as they can conceptualize new ideas.

My kids are all so different, despite being close in age

Being a twin mom, times two, is interesting. My kids are from the same bloodline, raised at virtually the same time, and they’re all so different. Having them so close together was challenging, especially in the teen years. Unlike parents with bigger age gaps between children, I didn’t have time to recognize my mistakes and adjust my parenting style. Like any parent, I was just doing the best I could.

That’s how I think about supporting Gen Z. There’s never been a pace of change like this. Helping young adults any way we can — whether that’s mentorship, a coffee chat, or internships — is the best we can do to prepare them for an uncertain future.

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A GoFundMe raises more than $600,000 for newborn daughter of BofA employee Erin Piacenti killed in Times Square stabbing

GoFundMe page for "In Memory of Erin Piacenti: Supporting Madison's Future."
A GoFundMe to support Erin Piacenti’s daughter has raised more than $600,000.
  • Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old vice president at Bank of America, was killed on Monday in a stabbing.
  • She had just returned from maternity leave, and a GoFundMe for her daughter has raised more than $600,000.
  • Piacenti was also a singer and recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary.

Erin Piacenti had finished her first day back from maternity leave at Bank of America on Monday afternoon, when she was fatally stabbed in Times Square. A few days after her death, a GoFundMe page to support her five-month-old, Madison, has raised more than $600,000.

Piacenti, who was 32 when she died, was a vice president at the firm’s Business Selection and Conflicts group, the team responsible for analyzing new potential business mandates in the investment bank. She’d been at the bank for around 18 months before Monday afternoon, when Pamela Cisneros, 49, fatally stabbed her in the abdomen in what New York City police described as an unprovoked attack. Cisneros also injured another victim before officers shot and killed her at the scene.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” a Bank of America spokesperson said in a statement. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”

Piacenti’s career gives a glimpse into her life, the GoFundMe page says, adding that she was “a thoughtful daughter and sister, a loyal friend, a devoted partner and companion in every aspect of Frank’s life, and, most recently, an incredibly loving mother to Madison.” In photos on the fundraising page, Piacenti wraps Madison in a towel on a rocky beach and, grinning, holds her in a white dress at what appears to be her baptism.

She’d recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary with Frank Piacenti, whom she met at Fordham Law School. They worked together for at least two years on the Fordham Law Review, according to past editions. A representative for the university said the school is “heartbroken to learn of the tragic and senseless loss of our alumna.”

A family spokesperson said in a statement that they are “devastated by the loss of Erin and request privacy at this time,” and asked that people donate to the GoFundMe in lieu of other gifts.

Before joining Bank of America, Piacenti worked at the law firm Davis Polk for more than three years, focusing on mergers and acquisitions for part of that time, according to an email sent out to the law firm’s employees after she was identified. A Davis Polk spokesperson said in a statement that she will be “greatly missed.”

When she was an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, Piacenti was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority and sang in an a capella group, belting pop songs in YouTube videos.

Piacenti’s death comes just over a year after a gunman killed Wesley LePatner, an executive in Blackstone’s real estate business, at her office. Though different in circumstance, both events shook Wall Street’s sense of safety and sparked an outpouring of support.

As of Thursday afternoon, donations continued to pour into the GoFundMe from more than 6,000 contributors.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Zuckerberg told Trump in call that a national AI regulator was a flawed idea

Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump
Mark Zuckerberg and President Donald Trump, seen here in 2025, spoke recently about an AI regulation proposal.
  • The White House is considering a plan for a national AI regulator.
  • Mark Zuckerberg shared his reservations about it with President Donald Trump.
  • This story was reported by Business Insider and POLITICO, part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed concerns about plans for a national AI regulator in a previously unreported phone call with President Donald Trump last month, marking the involvement of one of the world’s top tech executives in a fraught White House policy debate.

The proposal, championed by the Nobel Prize-winning Google DeepMind scientist Demis Hassabis and favored by some top White House officials, would create an independent organization modeled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the organization that oversees the securities industry under the supervision of the Securities and Exchange Commission. White House officials envision the group reviewing advanced models and testing them for potential risks before they are deployed more broadly.

When Trump spoke with Zuckerberg directly the week of August 17, Zuckerberg said he opposed the proposal, according to a senior White House official directly familiar with the conversation.

Another person familiar with the matter said Zuckerberg did not ask Trump to change his position, but told him that people the White House might appoint to the regulatory body should reflect Trump’s own approach to AI, which is widely seen as light-touch. That person added that Trump called Zuckerberg first.

The exchange came after senior White House officials previewed the proposal for a FINRA-style industry regulator with Trump and separately with major tech companies, including Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic, in mid-August, said the White House official.

FINRA is an industry-led body that serves as a front-line regulator in the U.S. securities markets, crafting and enforcing new rules for broker-dealer firms. It reports to the SEC and is led by a board made up of, among others, representatives from those FINRA member firms. The self-regulating organization oversees more than 3,000 financial firms, which help fund the body.

While an AI industry watchdog may be tasked with vetting new models, FINRA has little involvement in signing off on new investment products.

The idea for an AI regulator was popularized by Hassabis, who suggested in a July essay that the US establish a new “standards body” modeled after FINRA to handle AI risks such as emerging cybersecurity threats.

Hassabis briefed White House officials about the concept this summer, according to an administration official familiar with the matter. Google didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Donald Trump sits at a conference table speaking with a suited official beside microphones and water bottles.
President Donald Trump speaks with Demis Hassabis during a working lunch on innovation and AI, during the G7 Summit on June 17, 2026.

A spokesperson for Meta declined to provide a statement. A White House spokesperson said in a statement, “The Trump Administration is committed to balancing innovation and security in AI policymaking.”

The call between Zuckerberg and Trump underscores the competing pressures on senior White House officials as they craft AI policy, and the reality that any plans they craft remain vulnerable to private objections from industry delivered directly to Trump.

The debate comes at a fraught moment for the administration. AI agents are increasingly able to browse the web, operate software, and write code with limited human supervision, and have escaped human control in a string of high-profile incidents. Used by a hostile actor, they could also identify vulnerabilities or automate cyberattacks at a speed that outpaces existing safeguards.

Zuckerberg’s involvement is not the first time the administration’s AI policymaking process has faced last-minute drama. In May, David Sacks, the tech investor and White House advisor, upended the process of issuing a sweeping executive order on AI by calling Trump the morning of the planned signing ceremony and convincing him to cancel it.

Trump’s one-on-one conversations with tech executives over the last several months have become an informal part of the policymaking process — capable of slowing or redirecting initiatives after they have been developed inside the administration, at times frustrating top White House officials.

The call with Zuckerberg did not quash the idea of a new industry regulator and it remains under consideration in the White House.

In an August essay, Zuckerberg expressed skepticism about strict government oversight of new AI models, arguing that while the government and AI companies should collaborate closely, any policy which slows down a model’s release — even by a month — would “add significant risk to American leadership” over China.

The administration’s broader effort to balance security and innovation in AI policymaking — while allowing industry to lead — remains a priority, according to the administration official. The person said officials are considering two paths: a FINRA-style regulator, or a voluntary industry group modeled on the Motion Picture Association, as Sacks has proposed for AI.

Sacks — Trump’s former AI and crypto czar — is also opposed to the idea of a government regulator, calling it “a DMV for AI” where models “get lined up in a queue, waiting to get their test done.” In May, Sacks delayed Trump’s first AI executive order with a single call to the president, POLITICO reported at the time.

But, on the August 21 episode of his “All-In” podcast, Sacks outlined a system that he said has support from Elon Musk: creating an AI regulator like the Motion Pictures Association, which administers the voluntary MPA film rating system that gives movies “R” or “PG-13” labels.

“What the MPA did then was promote standards that then forestalled more intrusive, heavy-handed government action,” he said.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

Mark Zuckerberg speaks with David Sacks at a formal dining table with glasses and floral centerpieces.
David Sacks, former Trump AI advisor, and Mark Zuckerberg, during a White House dinner with tech leaders on Sept. 4, 2025.

FINRA, a private not-for-profit membership organization that operates under SEC supervision, writes and enforces rules for its over 3,000 member brokerage firms and 630,000 registered representatives. Its operations are funded by member fees, while rule changes are subject to SEC review.

An AI version of FINRA funded by industry fees could attract the necessary technical talent to conduct testing, and it would create a common criteria for assessing models, but critics of the idea are concerned that voluntary standards and pre-release testing could eventually be codified into law.

The biggest AI companies haven’t publicly endorsed or opposed the plan for a regulator, though Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark posted favorably about the idea on X in July. Anthropic declined to comment when asked about its stance, while OpenAI and Google didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Katie Roof, Daniel Lippman, and Stephen Council contributed reporting.

The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network is a multi-publication initiative publishing scoops, investigations, interviews, op-eds, and analysis that reverberate across the world. It connects journalists from Axel Springer brands—including POLITICO, The Telegraph, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, and Onet— on major stories for an international audience. Their ambitious reporting stretches across Axel Springer platforms: online, print, TV, and audio. Together, the outlets reach hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

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Xbox is putting monthly time limits on cloud gaming

A person, wearing a headset, holds onto an Xbox controller.
Xbox said the change comes as “the cost of providing cloud gaming grows.”
  • Xbox will introduce monthly cloud-gaming limits in November, the company wrote in a blog post.
  • Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions will cap pay at 15 hours. Users can pay for more time after.
  • It comes amid an industry-wide memory shortage crunch — and higher prices for gamers.

Don’t forget to watch the clock while you play!

Beginning in November, Microsoft‘s Xbox will put monthly cloud-gaming limits on its Game Pass plans, the company announced in a blog post. Right now, eligible subscribers can stream games without a monthly hour limit.

“We recognize that introducing limits is a meaningful change, particularly for players who regularly spend more time gaming through the cloud,” the company wrote. “We expect this upcoming change to impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers.”

Starting in November, the $22.99-a-month Game Pass Ultimate subscription will include 15 hours of cloud gaming each month. Premium members who pay $14.99 a month will get 10 hours, while Essential members will get five hours with their $9.99 monthly subscriptions.

Players who use up those hours will be able to buy more cloud time through the Xbox Store.

Cloud gaming has given owners of older Xbox hardware a way to play some games designed for newer systems without buying an entirely new console. It has also let Game Pass subscribers try games from the catalog before paying for the full download.

Xbox said it was making the change because “the cost of providing cloud gaming grows” as players use the service more and play for longer.

Gamers have faced rising costs for hardware, games, and subscriptions amid soaring memory and storage costs.

Xbox didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s questions about the price of additional playtime.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Dude Perfect’s first CEO is out after disagreeing with the board about the company’s next phase

Andrew Yaffe was Dude Perfect's first CEO
Andrew Yaffe was hired to grow Dude Perfect’s business beyond YouTube.
  • Dude Perfect’s first CEO is out at the YouTube group after about two years.
  • Andrew Yaffe and the company’s board said they had “different perspectives” on the best path forward.
  • He’ll be replaced by a company advisor on an interim basis.

YouTube sports collective Dude Perfect is losing its first CEO, Andrew Yaffe, after about two years in the role, a company rep confirmed.

Patrick Hurley, a principal at BP Capital Fund Advisors and an advisor to Dude Perfect, will serve as interim CEO. The company has hired a firm to begin the search for a permanent chief executive.

A joint statement from the company’s board and Yaffe said the change was a mutual decision.

“After two years of strong growth, Andrew and the Board have decided that now is the right time for new leadership at Dude Perfect. As the social media landscape continues to evolve, they developed different perspectives on the company’s next phase and the best path forward,” it said.

The statement said that the company had grown revenue significantly since Yaffe joined, driven by partnerships with State Farm, Disney, and others, and expanded through its live tour and other initiatives.

The joint statement came via prominent publicist Matthew Hiltzik, who’s represented a wide range of public figures and is known for handling crisis PR situations, though his work goes beyond that. In addition to working with Dude Perfect over the years, he represents fellow creator MrBeast.

Yaffe, a former NBA exec, said in a LinkedIn post that he and Dude Perfect “decided to go our separate ways.”

“I’m so proud of what we built together and how much progress we were able to make in less than 24 months, adding world-class talent to our team, defining a mission to Inspire Play and having clear business results and momentum to show for it,” he said.

Axios first reported the news of Yaffe’s departure.

Texas-based Dude Perfect, founded in 2009 by five college roommates, is one of the few creator-led companies to receive significant outside funding, raising over $100 million in early 2024 from Highmount Capital. The five Dudes — Garrett Hilbert, Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Coby Cotton, and Cory Cotton — are known for their wholesome, kid-friendly content featuring sports tricks. Based in Frisco, Texas, the company has grown into a sprawling enterprise with more than 62 million YouTube subscribers, merch sales, and a 22-city live tour. It’s also announced plans to open a theme park, but hasn’t shared any recent updates.

Earlier this year, Dude Perfect teamed up with Good Good, the YouTube golf collective, to tap each other’s audiences through cobranded merch and live events.

Good Good also shook up its leadership this week, with its CEO and president exiting on Wednesday amid backlash from a controversial ad with its former partner, Callaway, that critics said promoted violence against women. Good Good lost retail and merchandise partnerships as part of the fallout.

Hiltzik declined to comment on the status of Dude Perfect’s Good Good partnership.

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What the big bond sell-off means for your wallet

bond selloff
Bond yields are spiking over concerns about inflation, renewed tension in the Middle East, and government fiscal outlooks.
  • Global bond yields spiked this week.
  • The moves are tied to a web of concerns over inflation, wars, and fiscal outlooks.
  • From your mortgage to your investment portfolio, here’s what higher yields means for your money.

With America’s debt mounting and oil prices on the rise again, the bond market has been gripped by a sell-off this week.

Market jitters were first triggered last week, following Scott Bessent’s plan to have the Treasury as much as double its long-dated bond purchases. The move briefly quelled yields, but they rose again as investors feared the government wasn’t tackling the big fiscal issues that have been driving yields higher all year.

In the days that followed, a flare-up of US-Iran tension has driven oil back within striking distance of $100 per barrel, throwing fuel on inflation fears and recalibrating rate outlooks.

The 10-year Treasury yield on Wednesday was about 4.8%, the highest since 2023.

Line chart

From consumer prices to personal finance, here’s how the big bond market sell-off could impact your wallet.

What it means for your investment account

Higher bond yields can present a problem for stocks for a couple of reasons. For one, they offer a compelling alternative to equities. The thinking is, why risk the stock market when you can get a nearly risk-free rate of 5% socking your money into Treasurys.

The other reason has to do with higher borrowing costs and credit risk for companies. A higher cost of debt eats into earnings. For companies with shakier balance sheets, rising borrowing costs could threaten the overall health of the company.

All of this means one thing: potentially weaker stock returns. The stock market has already shed some of its summer gains as government bonds have convulsed this week, but more volatility could be coming. 5% has been the threshold to watch for the 10-year to know if more pain might be coming for stocks.

For stock investors looking to hedge rising yields, BlackRock’s top US strategist this week told Business Insider to focus on dividend-paying stocks and quality stocks, defined as shares of companies with stable earnings growth, high free cash flow, strong balance sheets, and strong competitive advantage.

Consumers could see higher mortgage rates and a tougher job market

It’s not just investors who need to know what’s going on in the bond market. Higher yields have implications for Main Street, too.

The bond market is signaling that it sees higher rates on the horizon for a variety of reasons. For consumers, that’s important because it suggests that the Federal Reserve likely won’t cut interest rates soon. Chair Kevin Warsh has held rates steady this summer, though they remain historically elevated. Some economists — and Fed governors — expect at least one hike this year. Some banks see as many as three hikes through early 2027.

Warsh said in his Jackson Hole keynote address last week that his top priority is taming inflation.

According to Marcus Sturdivant Sr., managing member at advisory firm, The ABC Squared, bond market volatility will impact anyone with adjustable rate payments, most likely those dealing with mortgage or auto loans.

“The cost of borrowing for Main Street and the requirements to obtain capital will tighten or restrict,” he told Business Insider.

Treasury yields influence a variety of consumer loan products, and their rise could lead to more expensive mortgage rates, auto loans, credit card rates, and personal loans.

However, a silver lining may be higher rates paid on savings accounts.

The already-sluggish real estate market in many areas could be poised for a sharper slowdown. Higher mortgage rates mean higher monthly payments. The 30-year mortgage rate edged toward 6.8% this week, pumping up borrowing costs while home prices remain elevated. Higher mortgage rates could also exacerbate the “lock-in effect,” with current owners opting to stay put rather than move and buy a new home at higher rates than their current mortgage.

Business leaders, meanwhile, might find themselves pinching pennies. The ripple effects of a bond sell-off and high interest rates will mean that it costs more to borrow money, leaving companies with less money to hire workers and offer raises. Job seekers could see a slowdown in an already brutal market.

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