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☆ 10 popular McDonald's menu items that cost up to 168% more now than a decade ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Collectively, the cost of a group of the most popular McDonald's items has doubled in that time. FinanceBuzzAmong the biggest McDonald's price hikes was for the McDouble sandwich, which went from an average price of $1.19 in 2014 to $3.19 in 2024 — a 168% increase. McDonald's has increased prices multiple times over the past decade. Executives acknowledged in February that McDonald's price increases had put off customers who made $45,000 a year or below. The fried-chicken chain Popeyes increased prices by 86%, while Taco Bell hiked them by 81%, the study found.

Persons: McDonald's, Price, —, FinanceBuzz, Burger, Taco Bell, Daniel Roccato Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Mac, Burger King, Business, Taco, University of San, Knauss School of Business Locations: McDonald's

☆ The way Americans buy and sell homes is about to get turned on its head
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The way Americans buy and sell homes is about to get turned on its head. And other broker tactics that critics say are anticompetitive, such as a rule that made sellers’ agents set compensation for buyers’ agents, will be prohibited. Goodbye, 6% commissionsFor decades, Americans have paid a standard commission of around 6% when selling a home, split between the seller’s broker and the buyer’s broker. A separate new rule will require buyers’ brokers to enter into written agreements with their buyers. Second, it led buyers’ brokers to push more expensive homes on buyers, so their payout would be higher.

Persons: Cowen, Stephen Brobeck, Norm Miller, Miller Organizations: CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, Industry, Consumer Federation of America, University of San Locations: America, University of San Diego

☆ Powerful Realtor Group Agrees to Slash Commissions to Settle Lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Debra Kamin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

American homeowners could see a significant drop in the cost of selling their homes after a real estate trade group agreed to a landmark deal that will eliminate a bedrock of the industry, the 6 percent sales commission. The National Association of Realtors, a powerful organization that has set the guidelines for home sales for decades, has agreed to settle a series of lawsuits by paying $418 million in damages and by eliminating its rules on commissions. Legal counsel for N.A.R. approved the agreement early Friday morning, and The New York Times obtained a copy of the signed document. “This will blow up the market and would force a new business model,” said Norm Miller, a professor emeritus of real estate at the University of San Diego.

Persons: ”, Norm Miller Organizations: National Association of Realtors, The New York Times, N.A.R, University of San Locations: U.S, University of San Diego

☆ Self-checkout is alienating shoppers, new research finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewSelf-checkout might make shoppers feel less loyal to a store, according to new research. One asked shoppers about their recent grocery-buying habits, including whether they used a self-checkout kiosk or were rung up by a human employee. In it, some shoppers read a short passage about how doing something themselves is rewarding before paying for groceries using self-checkout. But technology aimed at catching shoplifters using self-checkout has caused confrontations between Walmart employees and innocent customers, Business Insider reported. Do you work at a store with self-checkout and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Yanliu Huang, Farhana Nusrat, Huang, Nusrat, She's, Todd Vasos Organizations: Service, Business, Kroger, Costco, Drexel University's LeBow College of Business, Drexel, University of San, Walmart Locations: University of San Diego, Albuquerque , New Mexico

He will be the first former Chargers player to return to the team as head coach. The Chargers are the fourth of eight teams to fill their head coach job, following New England, Las Vegas and Tennessee. Manuel may promote Sherrone Moore to replace Harbaugh after the offensive coordinator filled in for him during the final three games of the regular season. Herbert will be playing for his fourth head coach and possibly fourth offensive coordinator in five seasons. Harbaugh became a first-time head coach at the University of San Diego in 2004 and left after three seasons to start a four-year run at Stanford.

Persons: — Jim Harbaugh, hasn’t, Harbaugh, Brandon Staley, Tom Telesco, Jan, Warde Manuel, Manuel, Sherrone Moore, Brady Hoke, Rich Rodriguez, Lloyd Carr, —, Justin Herbert, Herbert, Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer, Turner, Don Yee, Yee, Tom Brady —, Sean Payton, John, he’s, David Shaw, Leslie Frazier, Mike Vrabel, Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, Steve Wilks, Todd Monken, Giff Smith, Kellen Moore —, Patrick Graham, Mike Macdonald, Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Brian Callahan, JoJo Wooden, Brandon Brown, Joe Hortiz, Ian Cunningham, Terrance Gray, Jeff Ireland, Ed Dodds, Jeff King, Dawn Aponte, ___ Maaddi, Lage, ___ Organizations: Los Angeles Chargers, Associated Press, NFL, Chargers, Bolts, Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Michigan, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wolverines, College Football, Alabama, Rose, AFC, Houston Oilers, Giants, Jets, Jaguars, Bowl, Denver, Minnesota Vikings, Broncos, Carolina Panthers, NFC, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh, University of San, Stanford, 49ers, NCAA, Big, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Nine, New York Giants, Terrance Gray , New Orleans Saints Locations: COSTA MESA, Calif, Michigan, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New England, Las Vegas and Tennessee, Atlanta , Carolina, Seattle, Washington, Pasadena, San Francisco, Baltimore, University of San Diego, Minnesota, Atlanta, Carolina, Detroit, Tennessee, Chicago, Buffalo, Terrance Gray , New Orleans, Tampa , Florida

☆ US identifies 2 Navy SEALs declared dead after operation off Somali coast
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The two Navy SEALs who the US Navy declared dead after they went missing while conducting an operation on January 11 off the coast of Somalia have been identified as Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher Chambers who was 37 and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram who was 27, the US Navy announced Monday. Blake Chaney, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, said in a statement that Chambers and Ingram “were exceptional warriors, cherished teammates, and dear friends to many.”“Chris and Gage selflessly served their country with unwavering professionalism and exceptional capabilities,” Chaney said. According to biographies provided by Naval Special Warfare Command, Chambers, from Maryland, enlisted in the Navy in May 2012 and had served with SEAL units on the West Coast since 2014. Ingram, from Texas, enlisted in September 2019, immediately going into pre-special warfare training after completing boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Illinois. “During this expansive search operation, airborne and naval platforms from the US, Japan, and Spain continuously searched more than 21,000 square miles to locate our missing teammates.

Persons: Christopher Chambers, Nathan Gage Ingram, Capt, Blake Chaney, Chambers, Ingram “, ” “ Chris, Gage selflessly, ” Chaney, Ingram, CENTCOM, ” CNN’s Natasha Bertrand Organizations: CNN, Navy, US Navy, Special Warfare, NSW, Warfare, Central Command, US, Special Warfare Command, Marine, Recruit Training Command, Terrorism, Medal, National Defense Service, Numerical Meteorology, Oceanography Center, U.S . Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San, Oceanography, Naval Research Locations: Somalia, West Coast, Iran, Yemen, Maryland, Texas, Lakes , Illinois, Japan, Spain, University of San Diego

☆ The bodies of 2 Navy SEALs will probably never be found after rescuers searched 21,000 square miles without success, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two Navy SEALs went missing off the coast of Somalia during a night mission on January 11. It's now conducting recovery operations, but experts say their bodies will likely never be found. AdvertisementThe bodies of two Navy SEALs lost at sea earlier this month will probably never be found, military experts said. Airborne and naval platforms from the US, Japan, and Spain took part in the "expansive" search-and-rescue operations, per CENTCOM. He added: "Our prayers are with the SEALs' families, friends, the US Navy, and the entire Special Operations community during this time."

Persons: CENTCOM, It's, —, Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis, Inglis, Joe Buccino, Buccino, Bradley Martin, Martin, Michael Erik Kurilla Organizations: Navy, Service, US Central Command, Associated Press, Chilean Naval Reserve, Meteorology, Oceanography Center, US Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San, Oceanography, Naval Research, Special Warfare, US Navy Locations: Somalia, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, CENTCOM, Japan, Spain, University of San Diego

WASHINGTON (AP) — The 10-day search to rescue two Navy SEALs lost in the Arabian Sea during a mission to board a ship and confiscate Iranian-made weapons has been ended and the sailors are now considered deceased, the U.S. military said Sunday. In a statement, U.S. Central Command said the search has now been changed to a recovery effort. “We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example," said Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command. They loaded onto small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat. The U.S. Navy ultimately sunk the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said.

Persons: “, Erik Kurilla, USS Lewis B, Puller Organizations: WASHINGTON, Navy, U.S, . Central Command, Meteorology, Oceanography Center, U.S . Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San, Oceanography, Naval Research, Special Warfare, U.S . Central Command, U.S . Navy, USS, Central Command Locations: U.S, Japan, Spain, University of San Diego, Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Gaza

ATLANTA (AP) — Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their head coaching vacancy on Tuesday, his second interview in two days. The Falcons announced the interview with Harbaugh, who is exploring a return to the NFL after leading Michigan to the national championship. The Los Angeles Chargers announced Monday that Harbaugh had interviewed for their head coaching vacancy. Harbaugh is the second high-profile candidate to talk with the Falcons this week, following the team's interview with Bill Belichick on Monday. Before conducting the interviews with Belichick and Harbaugh, the Falcons held virtual interviews with five candidates, only one of whom has head coaching experience.

Persons: Jim Harbaugh, Harbaugh, Bill Belichick, Belichick, of Famer Don Shula’s, Anthony Weaver, Ejiro Evero, Brian Callahan, Steve Wilks, Mike Macdonald, ___ Organizations: ATLANTA, —, Atlanta Falcons, The Falcons, NFL, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Michigan, Falcons, Super Bowl, Patriots, 49ers, Super, Stanford, University of San, of Famer, Baltimore Ravens Locations: — Michigan, Michigan, New England, University of San Diego, Carolina, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Baltimore

☆ Talking to my friends every day made me realize I don't need marriage or kids to be happy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Jillian Anthony | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I'm single and child-free, and I'm closer than ever with four friends who are all married with kids — all thanks to an app. Meanwhile, my Marco Polo friends in California all got married and had kids by their mid-20s; they now have 10 children among them. Through Marco Polo, I got a long-distance yet close-up look at their lives. And, in some significant ways, my Marco Polo besties helped me get there. AdvertisementWe are closer than ever, and we still talk on Marco Polo every day.

Persons: Marco Polo, furrowed brows, it's, I've, They've, We've, Marco Polo besties, they've, Jillian Anthony Organizations: Service, University of San Locations: University of San Diego, New York City, California, Manhattan, Austin

That was the vision of Joan Kroc, billionaire philanthropist and heiress to the McDonald’s fortune of her husband, Ray. And today, 20 years later, 26 grand, state-of-the-art Kroc centers have opened in places as varied as Ashland, Ohio; Guayama, Puerto Rico; and Quincy, Illinois. Half was to be earmarked for the construction of recreation centers, with the other half deposited into endowments to support them. In the two decades since Kroc’s bequest, quantifying the precise impact on all of the communities served by the Kroc centers is difficult. She explained that Joan Kroc meant for the place to be accessible to all — that beauty was part of her plan.

Persons: Joan Kroc, Ray, Army didn’t, Joan Kroc’s, MacKenzie Scott, Kroc, revved, she’d, Ronald McDonald, MacKenzie, Phil Buchanan, Scott, ”, “, that’s, Angelia Grandberry, Grandberry, Lisa Napoli, Joan Organizations: Salvation Army, Phoenix Kroc, Army, baseball’s San Diego Padres, San, National Hockey League, Catholic, Notre Dame, University of San, Ronald McDonald House Charities, National Public Radio, Center, Coast Kroc, Associated Press Locations: Ashland , Ohio, Puerto Rico, Quincy , Illinois, Boston, Augusta , Georgia, San Francisco, U.S, Southern California, baseball’s, St, Paul , Minnesota, San Diego, University of San Diego, Biloxi , Mississippi

☆ The 19 most promising cybersecurity startups of 2023, according to VCs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

We asked a select group of VCs to name the most promising computer security startups in 2023 so far. Cybersecurity was a hot area of venture investment during the pandemic but VCs have slowed investment in information security as part of an overall slowdown. The number of acquisition deals in the second quarter this year are up by 50% compared to the first quarter, PitchBook data shows. So, when we asked dozens of VCs at the most successful firms to name the most promising startups of 2023 so far as part of our annual Most Promising Startups project, quite a few were security startups. We asked the VCs to name startups that are in their portfolios and ones that aren't.

Persons: Cybersecurity Organizations: University of San Locations: University of San Diego, PitchBook

While many of the passengers Berry Henson has taxied during some 3,000 rides knew he played golf, few were aware of just how good he is. For Henson, who has played just three events on the PGA Tour since turning pro in 2003, the US Open will mark a dream first career major appearance. New emotions, new feelings, but I feel like I’m getting through it pretty good.”Henson will make his major debut at the US Open. “A lot of my Uber passengers, when they find out what I do, end up following me on social media – they can’t believe it at first. “I think she’s gonna pass on a lot of birdies this week,” Henson said.

Persons: Berry Henson, Henson, ” Henson, CNN’s Dan Moriarty, “, I’ve, Kai Schwoerer, Uber, Ke Huy Quan, Richard “, ” Wang, Nick Kyrgios, “ I’ve, ”, “ It’s, Paul Lakatos, Phil Mickelson, ‘, it’s Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Country Club, Brook Country Club, PGA, ” Pepsi, European, Qualifying, University of San Diego, Getty, Twitter Locations: Summit , New Jersey, Canada, Oaks, Palm Springs, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, New Jersey

☆ Companies are learning that Gen Z isn’t the easiest generation to work with
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

By 2025, Gen Z will account for one-third of the workforce, according to the World Economic Forum. Companies need to refine their approach to working with Gen Z, Salinas said, and tech tools like ChatGPT and social media like TikTok could help make them successful. In return, Gen Z can provide companies with indispensable knowledge of social media and newer artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. "A lot of companies see culture as a secondary thing," Salinas said, but with Gen Z it is front and center. "Self-care, mental health, and global issues are important to them and, if it isn't a part of your company culture, that's a huge turnoff to Gen Z employees."

☆ Students and young engineers are fed up with Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Big Tech is losing its appeal for new graduates and young tech workers starting to look elsewhere to launch their careers. Peers and mentors warn them to avoid the trappings of embarking on a Big Tech career. Based on conversations with students and companies, even students from top schools including Stanford and MIT and junior engineers from top tech companies are "feeling the crunch now," Lerner said. Tech students are applying to jobs in other fieldsWhile students and young engineers are still interested in pursuing tech-focused careers, where they want to put in their time is changing. The impact of waning interest in Big Tech among students on major companies remains to be seen.

☆ Workers at $12 billion HR startup Deel say they may have been misclassified as independent contractors. Deel says it has not.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jenna Gyimesi | Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Over half the company's workers are classified as independent contractors — including the CEO. But in a recent Insider feature, workers at the $12 billion company said they have concerns Deel may have misclassified them and their colleagues as independent contractors. At least half the company's 2,000 workers around the world are employed as independent contractors. Many workers that Insider spoke to said there seems to be no noticeable difference in the responsibilities of independent contractors and employees. While most independent contractors work on short-term tasked based projects, contracts reviewed by Insider showed independent contractors at Deel work for multiple years at a time.

☆ Deel Speed: The inside story of a $12 billion HR startup's breakneck growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Insider spoke with more than 30 current or former Deel workers about the HR company's extraordinary rise, and the unconventional tactics that made it possible. "I think if you talk to anyone, they would say that Alex is the face but all decisions run through Phillipe," one former Deel worker told Insider. "They lose every employment and labor protection," Valerio De Stefano, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, said of independent contractors. Alex Bouaziz, Deel on Centre Stage during day two of Collision 2022 at Enercare Centre in Toronto, Canada. The company didn't have an internal human-resources team until sometime in 2021, by which point it had grown to hundreds of people.

☆ Steven Spielberg and Noam Chomsky say AI is soulless and scary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Both Steven Spielberg and Noam Chomsky have expressed their doubts about artificial intelligence. Spielberg said that AI requires humans to surrender creative expression and autonomy to AI. Both Spielberg and Chomsky separately gave their views on how AI could have serious repercussions on mankind's ability to create and think independently. Chomsky, a linguistics professor, cognitive scientist, and philosopher, believes that AI tools like ChatGPT have "sacrificed creativity for a kind of amorality." In the piece published on Wednesday, Chomsky, Roberts, and Watumull wrote that AI systems like ChatGPT are incapable of independent thought.

☆ Our quest to make AI love us back is futile — and dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But that's futile, experts say, because the AI of today can't feel empathy, let alone love. We've spent years trying to get AI to love us back. Experts told Insider that it's futile to expect the AIs that exist right now to love us back. During a simulation in October 2020, OpenAI's GPT-3 chatbot told a person asking for psychiatric help to kill themselves. Halpern, the UC Berkeley professor, told Insider AI-based relationships are perilous also because the entity can be used as a money-making tool.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court's 'major questions' test may doom Biden student debt plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

She did not realize she was setting off on a path toward another, less-welcome family first - racking up more than $150,000 in student debt. The major questions doctrine is an outgrowth of an approach favored by many conservatives and business groups to curb what they call the excesses of the "administrative state." Beginning in 2020, the administrations of President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Biden, a Democrat, repeatedly paused federal student loan payments and halted interest from accruing. Two lawsuits - one by six conservative-leaning states and the other by two student loan borrowers who opposed the plan's eligibility requirements - prompted lower courts to block it. 'INSUFFICIENT FUNDS'The major questions doctrine gives judges broad discretion to invalidate executive agency actions unless Congress clearly authorized them in legislation.

☆ Major car companies like Ford, Tesla, and Toyota are at 'high risk' of sourcing parts made by Chinese forced labor, a report finds: 'It's an industry-wide problem'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new report found "massive and expanding" links between major car companies and China's Xinjiang region. A year ago, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was signed into law, which banned US imports of products made wholly or partly in the Xinjiang region, unless the company could prove they were not using forced labor. "It is not impossible to audit one's supply chain to identify risks"The auto industry's supply chains are "closer to a ball of spaghetti than a linear chain," Simon Croom, professor of supply chain management at the University of San Diego, told Insider. The average automaker may have links to as many as 18,000 suppliers, including their direct suppliers, the suppliers of those suppliers, and so on. Per Croom, while many companies claim to lack full insight into their supply chains, "it is not impossible to audit one's supply chain to identify risks."

☆ They Loved the Diversity of Oakland. Could They Find a House They Loved There, Too?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Mark Kreidler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“The Seattle experience really solidified that thought for us, that this was something we all needed,” said Ms. Meredith, 43, an author and freelance writer. The younger Mr. Meredith spent his formative years in Jackson, Miss., and later did graduate work at the University of San Diego. “We loved the grittiness, the sunshine, and the diversity,” Ms. Meredith said. “Initially I think we were dumbstruck — awe-struck,” Ms. Meredith said. And they were willing to exhaust the Oakland market before they considered looking anywhere else.

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