How to "layoff-proof" your job, from 6 top recruiters at Netflix, McKinsey, Walmart, and more

From left, Benjy Spiro, Rod Adams, Erika Love, and Marie Ablaza.

Benjy Spiro, Rod Adams, Erika Love, and Marie Ablaza

• AJ Eckstein hosts a podcast interviewing recruiters from major tech, retail, and finance companies.
• He reached out to six leading recruiters to share advice on potential layoffs.
• Recruiters from PwC, Walmart, Lockheed Martin, Netflix, and more share how to safeguard your job.

Since the start of 2023, more than 108,000 employees in the tech industry have been laid off, the layoff tracker layoffs.fyi found, with big-name companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook each cutting thousands of positions.

Many employees are stuck feeling anxious about their job security. While you can't control external factors that may impact your job, you can take action to make yourself a more valuable and secure employee.

I'm a podcast host and job-search expert who interviews leading recruiters at some of the world's largest companies including Netflix, McKinsey & Company, Accenture, and Walmart. I've interviewed more than 30 recruiters in order to pull back the curtain on the recruitment process and help job seekers. 

In light of the current job market, I asked some of my previous recruiter guests: "What advice would you give employees to strengthen their job security as some companies are undergoing layoffs?"

These are the answers they gave:

Marie Ablaza, who recruits for Netflix in the Bay Area, told me workers should "keep growing their skills, take an interest and help other teams, keep an open dialogue about growth and development opportunities with your manager, and network internally in your company and outside of it."

Ablaza added that employees should be aware of areas within their company that need support or extra resources and see if their skill set can fill those gaps. Offering to help out, if you can, shows versatility, she added. 

PricewaterhouseCooper's talent-acquisition and onboarding leader, Rod Adams, has been at the company for more than 25 years and experienced several market fluctuations. 

Adams believes that workers today have more career opportunities than past generations.

"In a constantly shifting job market, employees shouldn't be stagnant either," he said.  

"Take advantage of all the learning and development opportunities that your company offers, and try to come away from each project or experience having learned something new," Adams continued. Upskilling can help strengthen your position in a company, he added. 

Erika Love, a lead recruiter and DEI specialist at McKinsey & Company, said the recent layoff news was "disheartening," but employees should feel comforted by the "outpour of support" on social media for those who have been affected.

"Companies will continue to seek talent to help them navigate uncertainty," Love told me. "Now is the time to take inventory of your skill set, jump at the opportunity to join projects that will directly improve efficiencies across your teams, and network internally and externally to continue fostering learning, growth, and relationships." 

She said the rise of remote work since the pandemic has meant it's easier than ever to connect virtually with people for learning opportunities or to network.

She recommended collaborating as much as possible with peers and being vocal about what you're doing. Love said this will allow you to "build support and signal your ability to be resilient."

Benjy Spiro, who has sourced talent for Disney, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and is now an MBA campus-recruiting manager for Walmart, said employees should "become a subject-matter expert in what they do; be the person that everyone turns to."

He said staying inventive when approaching your work can help make you indispensable to a team. 

Linda Le, who's been a talent-acquisition analyst at Lockheed Martin for a little over six months and has amassed more than 260,000 followers on LinkedIn for her transparent career advice, recommended that job seekers thoroughly research a company's financials and historical treatment of employees before accepting an offer.

"Companies that seemed secure last year are now laying off thousands of people day in and out. There are excuses given for over-hiring, the pandemic, fear of economic downturn, but the truth of the matter was just poor planning that put profit over employees." Le said. 

When she was interviewing for jobs six months ago, Le said she asked each company she was applying to "where they stand in their budgets, retention, and hiring profits."

She looked outside of tech and did her own research into industries that had budget controls, discretionary spending, and overhead planning. This research led Le to Lockheed and the defense industry. 

Le said candidates should know "it is OK to accept a role with smaller companies and industries outside of your usual prospects." 

Accenture lead recruiter Madeline McCooe told me that nervous employees need to "prioritize their mental and physical well-being" to be able to show up as their best selves at work.

During times of economic uncertainty, McCooe said she encouraged employees to "find ways to relax, recharge, and set boundaries."

After speaking with these leading recruiters from different industries, the main takeaways include: always stay flexible and open to new opportunities, never stop expanding your network, and be cognizant of your place on your team and the unique skills you offer. 

These lessons are relevant to any career, regardless of the economic climate. In times of uncertainty, it can feel especially comforting to take back some control over your future. Layoffs are never easy, but they can provide an opportunity for workers to reflect on their position within their companies and generate positive changes in their own careers. 

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I quit an emotionally-draining job and started a dog-walking business. I love being my own boss and finishing work at 4.30 p.m.

Kelsey Clark went into dog walking and sitting after quitting a job at a vet.

Kelsey Clark

• Kelsey Clark became a professional dog walker after she quit a job at a veterinary clinic.
• Her first client was a customer of the clinic who asked her to watch her dog.
• In April 2021, she hired her first contractor after becoming overwhelmed working 12-hour days.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelsey Clark, a 29-year-old from Vancouver, British Columbia, about her work as professional dog walker and sitter. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up on a farm — we had horses, pigs, cows, and dogs. I'm very comfortable around all sorts of animals.

I started working at a veterinary clinic in spring 2018. It was quite hands-on, and I got trained to understand different dog behaviors and what to do in emergency scenarios. Every so often, I'd be taught in a classroom for half a day about different pet foods and types of medication. I think that set me up for success.

But the job came with a lot of highs and lows. It was stressful and a lot of work for the pay. You could have just dealt with a dog dying but would still have to put on a smile. I became emotionally drained.

In September 2019, I quit without a plan of what to do next.

It was my last day, and one of the clients asked whether I could watch her dog while she went on vacation to Italy for 2 weeks.

When she came back, she needed a dog walker and asked whether I was available. So I gave it a go.

For a month or so, I had only that one client, and that was a big struggle because it was my only income. I said to myself, "I don't know how, but I'm going to try to make this work." 

In October 2019, I met my second client while I was walking a dog in the forest. I registered a company that month too. After five months, I ended up with about 15 clients. I was getting by, but not making enough to save.

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, I had only four left. It started to pick back up in winter 2020.

Eventually, I was working up to 12 hours a day. I had too many clients to handle. I hired my first contractor in April 2021.

By the time I hired that person, I had a network of friends in the industry. We would refer clients back and forth. That's how I filled my first contractor's schedule. When she was at her max, I hired another person.

In contractors, I looked for experience with animals, good communication skills, dog-behavior knowledge, and time-management skills, as well as people who were good in a client-facing role. The number hours they work depends on their availability and what I have for them.

The business grew and grew from word of mouth

Recently, I've found more clients from social media. I follow dog accounts on Instagram, and whenever they post, I comment. We usually have a conversation over direct messages. If they get to a time when they're looking for a dog walker, they think of me.

My usual workday starts between 10 and 10:30 a.m. I pick up all the dogs in my car that live the farthest away from where we're going to walk. Then I pick up dogs who live closer to where we'll be taking our walk.

I have a permit allowing me to walk six dogs at a time — you're not allowed to walk more than six in Vancouver. I think walking more than six dogs at a time can be chaotic and sometimes harmful for the dogs if there's too much stimulation for them. 

We go for our walk. Then I do all the drop-offs in reverse order of the pickups. I do that routine twice a day. I'm usually done with work between 4 and 4:30 p.m., but sometimes I don't finish until 7 p.m.

Sometimes I do one-on-one dog walks throughout the week, which I charge more for. 

Working up from walking one or two dogs at a time to six dogs wasn't too hard because I had a period when I was gradually able to add more clients to my roster. 

My walking schedules are Monday to Friday. I do my administration work on the weekends, usually Saturday, communicating with clients and scheduling.

When people ask me what I do, they think it's a joke or that dog walking isn't a career you can make good money from. Last year, I made six figures in revenue from my company.

I love dog walking, but I've had some negative experiences 

While I enjoy walking dogs, I've been in upscale areas and had people yell at me because they think a dog I'm walking is too excited. I'm not fazed because I've read the rules. I know what I'm doing, and I know what I'm not allowed to do.

My favorite thing is not having a boss. I've had jobs that I dreaded going to. Now I have such an amazing clientele and get to interact with owners all the time.

I'm planning to merge my company with a friend's. I'll be stepping back into more of a managerial role, and my contractors will do most of the legwork.

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Check your junk drawer — a new survey shows Americans have unspent gift cards totaling about $21 billion

Almost two-thirds of Americans are holding on to at least one unredeemed gift card.

Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

• About 60% of Americans have at least one unredeemed gift card, per a Credit Summit survey of 1,200 people. 
• This amounts to about $21 billion in unredeemed gift card credits collectively.
• More than one-third of survey respondents are saving the cards for special occasions.

Gift cards are an easy solution during the holiday season, but a lot of it — almost $21 billion — goes unspent, according to a December survey by Credit Summit, an online financial advice website. 

"Gift cards are popular, but for some reason, Americans seem reluctant to cash them in," wrote Rebecca Stumpf, the website's vice president of editorial and public relations.

About 60%, or almost two-thirds of the respondents to Credit Summit's survey of 1,200 Americans aged 16 and older said they are holding on to at least one unredeemed gift card. Most of those hanging onto unredeemed gift cars are between 18 to 24 years old. Nearly 85% of respondents said they have at least one unspent gift card.

But more than one-third, or 36.4% of survey respondents say they are saving the gift cards for a special occasion, while 23% of them say they are waiting until they need something from the particular retailer. Over half, or 55% of survey respondents said their unredeemed gift cards were worth $200 or less.

Credit Summit is urging people to use their gift cards — otherwise, they should regift or resell them.

"There's no real advantage to saving them, and the accrued value of unredeemed cards shows that the longer people hang onto them, the higher the risk that the card will be lost, or the value reduced due to fees or inflation," wrote Stumpf.

Some states also allow "inactivity fees" can be charged if a card hasn't been used in a year, which means people may actually lose money if they save the cards for a special occasion, Credit Summit noted.

"When these cards go unredeemed, there's only one big winner: The companies that issue them," Stumpf wrote.

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Tesla investor looking to rein in Elon Musk drops his bid for a board seat, saying the EV maker's shareholders 'have been heard'

Ross Gerber said Friday that he had ended his run for a seat on Tesla's board.

Emma McIntyre / Staff/Getty Images

• Tesla investor Ross Gerber is no longer running for a seat on the EV maker's board.
• Gerber wanted to rein in Elon Musk and has been pushing to identify potential successors to the CEO.
• "As a friendly activist, I feel that shareholders have been heard," he said.

The activist investor pushing for Tesla to treat its customers better and start looking for potential successors for CEO Elon Musk has ended his campaign for a seat on the EV maker's board.

Ross Gerber announced his intention to run for a board seat earlier in February, saying it was time for Tesla to "grow up".  At the same time, he has repeatedly underlined he wanted to rein Musk in rather than boot him out as CEO. 

"After careful consideration, I've decided to withdraw my nomination for the Tesla board of directors," the CEO of investment firm Gerber Kawasaki said on Twitter on Friday. "As a friendly activist, I feel that shareholders have been heard."

"Looking forward to what Tesla has to show us next week," he added, referring to the tech giant's investor day on March 1.

The carmaker's shares suffered a record plunge in 2022 that wiped out nearly $700 billion in market capitalization. The selloff came as investors fretted about rising interest rates and Musk being distracted by his controversial revamp of Twitter – although the company's stock price has rebounded this year.

Usually, activist investors like Gerber try to take board seats in a bid to revive a company's share price by pushing out significant numbers of top executives. But he has repeatedly described himself as a "friendly activist" who wants to rein in rather than replace Musk.

"I'm not here to create problems, and I love the team at Tesla," he told Insider in an interview that took place a week before he ended his campaign. "But Elon is focused on another area of his life right now, and I care about Tesla's success."

"I'm not running hoping Elon will step down," Gerber added. "What I want is the opposite."

Gerber made improving Tesla's succession planning, communication, and customer service the three key goals of his board seat bid.

As of December 31, his firm held 440,000 Tesla shares, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Tesla has about 3.16 billion shares outstanding, according to Yahoo Finance.

Read more: Tesla lost its edge – and Elon Musk has no one but himself to blame

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Chinese students have developed a $40 set of lips that couples can use for 'long-distance kissing'

Chinese students have developed a $40 set of lips that couples can use for 'long-distance kissing.'

Gettu

• A remote kissing device, complete with a pair of 3D lips, is on sale in China for about $40.
• It appears to mimic the pressure, movement and heat of a partner's lips, the SCMP reported. 
• "This society is full of amazing and mystical things," a person on Weibo said about the device.

Students at a university in China are trying to promote monogamous kissing between long-distance couples — by developing a contraption that mimics the gesture of kissing a partner's lips.

The silicon device, complete with a set of 3D lips, is meant to imitate the pressure, movement, and heat of a partner's lips, the South China Morning Post reported Friday. 

The device, which is being sold on the Chinese online retail platform Taobao as a "long-distance lovers miracle kissing device," costs 260 Chinese yuan, or about $38, for one individual set of lips and about $79 for a pair. About 100 pieces are sold every month, SCMP reported.

Listing for the remote "kissing device" on Taobao.

YiDiLian YiCunXiangSi XiXi on Taobao

—China in Pictures (@tongbingxue) February 22, 2023

The contraption needs to be paired with a mobile app, which connects the user with their partner to enjoy a virtual kiss, the SCMP wrote, citing Chinese media outlet Sichuan Guancha. 

The device was created and patented by students of Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology, a university in eastern China, per the local media outlet The Global Times. 

Jiang Zhongli, the lead inventor of the design, told state-run media Global Times that he was in a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend at university, and could only stay in touch with her by phone. "That's where the inspiration of this device originated," Jiang, who has since graduated from the university, told the media outlet. 

Since the instrument can only pair one sender and one receiver at any point, it could also promote monogamous relationships, he said, per the SCMP. Both users also need to give their consent before using it.  

The gadget is similar to the "Kissinger," a Malaysian invention that had a similar function, but came with a touch-sensitive silicon pad instead of 3D lips, per CNN. 

 

People on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, had a mixed response to the new kissing contraption.

"This society is full of amazing and mystical things," said one comment. 

Others seemed less impressed — one person felt this is "awkward," and another questioned "isn't that just kissing plastic?" 

Representatives of Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

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I do 'Bare Minimum Mondays' at work to help beat the 'Sunday scaries' and avoid burnout. It's completely changed my life and how I approach my job.

Marisa Jo Mayes has gone viral for TikToks of her "Bare Minimum Mondays," which she says helped redefine her relationship to work.

Marisa Jo Mayes

• TikTok creator and startup founder Marisa Jo Mayes has gone viral for doing "Bare Minimum Mondays" at work.
• She says it helps her avoid the dread and pressure that many people feel when returning to work on Mondays.
• "It's really a way to start the week prioritizing yourself as a person over yourself as an employee," she said.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marisa Jo Mayes, a self-employed TikTok creator and startup founder who has gone viral for doing what she calls "Bare Minimum Mondays" at work. It has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2020, I worked in medical device sales. I was completely miserable and burned out. I thought the problem was my boss or the work culture in corporate America, so I quit my job and gave self-employment a whirl.

I soon realized the issue was bigger than that. I had a "hustle culture" problem, a perfectionism problem. I was still approaching work the same way as in my corporate job. It was like a cycle of stress and burnout. I'd feel bad because I was so burned out I couldn't do anything. So I'd make an insanely long to-do list for Mondays in the hopes of overachieving my way back to feeling good about myself and how much I was getting done.

Every week, the "Sunday scaries" would hit, and every Monday, I'd sleep in until the absolute last second because I knew that list was waiting for me. The pressure I was putting on myself was paralyzing, and I realized something had to change.

One day last March, I gave myself permission to do the absolute bare minimum for work, and it was like some magic spell came over me. I felt better. I wasn't overwhelmed, and I actually got more done than I expected.

I've done Bare Minimum Monday every week since.

Managing expectations was really important. I learned to cut out "wishful thinking" tasks and aim for two to three important things that'll move the needle, and I'm thrilled when I finish those.

On a Bare Minimum Monday, I don't take meetings and take it slow for the first two hours. I'll do some reading, some journaling, maybe some stuff around the house. It's two hours of no technology — no checking email — just doing whatever I need to do to feel good starting my day.

Around 10 or so, I let myself do whatever I want creatively. It could be shooting content or making visuals for my brand; it's work-related but I make sure it's creative work that I enjoy.

I'll do an hour of that before breaking for lunch or a walk. Then I do my main work tasks for two hours. I'm not multitasking, I'm not distracted, I'm not on my phone. If I'm not done after that, I'll do another hour, but it's usually no more than that. My Monday workday is shorter but because it's really focused work, I get the same amount done as my old 8-hour workdays.

Most comments I've received about Bare Minimum Monday are either "You're living my dream" or "What an entitled millennial who doesn't know the value of hard work." At one point in my corporate career, I probably would've rolled my eyes, too. But after experiencing burnout, I get it.

I'm neurodivergent, and I think for neurodivergent people, we often do extra mental lifting that neurotypical people don't do in order to mask or fit in. Because we're overcompensating, we can be more prone to burnout. Letting myself off the hook for a lot of unspoken expectations and rules that didn't really matter was so liberating.

I understand Bare Minimum Monday isn't realistic for everybody. I'm self-employed, I work from home, I'm not a mom. But for anyone interested in trying it, pay attention to where you're putting unnecessary pressure on yourself or setting unrealistic expectations. If you know you won't have time for something, don't put it on your list.

Also, it's not a productivity hack. I get more done when easing the pressure, but I never meant for it to be a way to do more work. It's really a way to start the week prioritizing yourself as a person over yourself as an employee. It's radically changed my life, not because of the productivity, but because of that self-compassion.

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Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels opened its newest location in New York City with rooms starting at almost $600 — see inside

A hotel room inside Virgin Hotels' new New York City location.

Brittany Chang/Insider

• Richard Branson's latest Virgin Hotels property has opened in New York City.
• This is the brand's seventh location as the hotel chain continues its US expansion.
• See inside the 460-guest room hotel with a modern Virgin flair.

Richard Branson doesn't spend all of his time in the thick of the billionaire space race. Sometimes, he's busy opening new hotels too.

Virgin Orbit

Virgin Hotels' latest property in New York City has officially begun welcoming guests.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The hotel, which is on Broadway, is still wrapping up final construction projects and ironing out kinks ahead of its grand opening in the spring.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But many of the guest rooms and common spaces are now accommodating the first batch of visitors.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And its 9,000 square feet of event and meeting spaces already have hosted a handful of public events, including designer Peder Cho's New York Fashion Week debut.

Virgin Hotels

Source: Forbes

Let's take a look around New York City's latest hotel with a cheeky Virgin flair.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The sprawling property is located in the thick of Midtown Manhattan just a short walk from Koreatown, the Empire State Building, and Penn Station.

Brittany Chang/Insider

This centralized location means the hotel's event spaces and guest rooms have sweeping views of the city and unobstructed sights of the Empire State Building.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Inside, the 460 guest rooms and suites all have floor-to-ceiling windows, stylish red Smeg brand mini-refrigerators …

Brittany Chang/Insider

… and a "dressing room" that separates the vanities, closets, and bathroom from the bedroom.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Like any modern smart home, features like the lights and thermostat can be adjusted with Virgin Hotels' app, Lucy.

Brittany Chang/Insider

These rooms start at 277 square feet, which pales in comparison to the crown jewel 2,800-square-foot duplex penthouse, aptly named Sir Richard's Flat.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Now, onto the publicly accessible spaces and amenities.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Hotels in New York City aren't just for travelers. Here, hotel lounges and bars are often filled with a mix of travelers and locals.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And Virgin Hotels seems to be priming itself for just that.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Both guests and locals can visit the Everdene, a 4,000-square-foot multi-room hub filled with food, beverages, and lounges.

Brittany Chang/Insider

During the day, guests can take a yoga class in the outdoor Conservatory.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And at night, they can sip on a cocktail in the "Shag Room" lounge while listening to the live DJ.

Virgin Hotels

Virgin's properties — whether it be hotels, cruises, or planes — all have a modern flair with splashes of its iconic red color.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Source: Insider, Insider

 

Here, it's not just a splash: It's a dramatic red staircase that connects the third-floor Everdene to the upstairs pool and restaurant, still under construction.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The hotel's outdoor heated pool will be exclusive to guests.

Virgin Hotels

But its indoor counterpart — a lounge with a tropical flair — is open to both guests and the public.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Nightly rates for Branson's latest hotel currently start at $595 a night.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Virgin Hotels has seven locations around the world in destinations like Dallas, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and now New York City.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Its next hotel will open in Glasgow later this year.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And over the horizon, the brand plans to open new properties in Miami and Denver in 2025.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Source: Virgin Hotels

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Heinz plans to give a new boat to a man who says he survived 24 days stranded at sea by eating ketchup after tracking him down

Elvis Francois said he still liked ketchup despite his ordeal.

Emo News

• Elvis Francois says he survived being stranded at sea for more than three weeks by eating ketchup.
• Heinz sought the internet's help last week to locate him so it could give him a new boat.
• He was found by local outlet Emo News in Dominica and given a cellphone by a telecoms company. 

A man who says he survived being stranded at sea for 24 days by eating little more than ketchup has been found after Heinz launched a campaign to track him down.

The ketchup maker appealed to the internet to help find the castaway last week so it could celebrate his return home to Dominica and give him a new boat. 

Elvis Francois told Insider on Saturday he'd heard from many people that Heinz was trying to find him, but he didn't have a phone. Insider has viewed a copy of his photo ID to verify his identity.

"I spoke to Heinz yesterday and they said they'll try to find a way to organize getting a boat for me," he said.

A media outlet in Dominica called Emo News tracked him down on the Caribbean island after it saw Heinz's appeal to find the 47-year-old. 

"I knew Elvis lived in the community near me and I took a drive to go and look for him – and found him," Emerline Anselm, the CEO of Emo News, told Insider. 

Anselm put out a Facebook Live video with Francois on Thursday to show that he'd been located and that he was not an impersonator. "I would say I'm a kind of mysterious person; I like to travel," he said in the video.

The video was seen by a Heinz representative, who said in a comment: "We've hopped into your DMs - let's get Elvis his boat!"

Francois was given a cellphone by Dominican telecoms company Flow.

Emo News

A Kraft Heinz representative told Insider it had spoken to Francois: "We are working through the logistics of gifting him a new boat. We will have more to share on Monday."

Francois said he felt "quite excited. Depending on the size of the boat I could use the boat to do fishing or tours of the Caribbean."

Francois was in Saint Martin in December repairing his boat when it drifted out to sea. He says he survived by eating ketchup three times a day with garlic powder and stock cubes for 24 days.

He was rescued on January 16 about 120 nautical miles northwest of La Guajira, in northeast Colombia, after a plane saw a "help" sign on his boat, The Associated Press and CNN reported.

Colombian Navy personnel attend castaway Elvis Francois after he was rescued in January.

Colombian Navy/AP

Eating ketchup for 24 days hasn't put him off the condiment, as Francois told Insider he still used it. He said surviving after so long at sea was a "relief," but added it "was not easy when you can't do anything but wait." 

Flow, a local telecommunications company, gave him with a cellphone after learning that he didn't have one. When presenting it to him in a Facebook Live video, he said he'd rationed the ketchup and ate it "three times a day."

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Supply Chains Have Healed Yet Their Mark on Inflation to Endure

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A 47-year-old OnlyFans model makes $16,000 a month and fans tell her she looks like Princess Diana all the time

Lauren Spencer is often asked to role-play as Princess Diana in voice messages

Lauren Spencer

• Lauren Spencer is a 47-year-old OnlyFans model and in the top 0.5% of earners on the platform.
• She said her popularity on the site could be boiled down to her being a Princess Diana look-alike.
• She makes around $16,000 a month and gets requests to role-play as Diana.

In less than two years, Lauren Spencer has broken into the top 0.5% of earners on OnlyFans, which she said is down to her resemblance to Princess Diana.

Before making the switch to content creation, she had owned a cleaning company with her husband for over 10 years, but when the pandemic hit, she saw her work dry up because of restrictions.

"We went from having a normal income to nothing overnight," she told Insider. So she signed up for OnlyFans to earn money from home.

The 47-year-old had a side hustle doing webcam-modeling work, where viewers join a chatroom and pay to watch explicit content live. But with the cleaning business no longer operating, fans who said Spencer looks like Princess Diana suggested she try OnlyFans out.

"I often get comments from fans saying, 'You remind me of her.' Every time I'm told that, I'm flattered," Spencer said.

The OnlyFans creator said that she will sometimes dress like Diana at her fans' request. Now she's earning an average of $16,000 a month.

"When people ask me for custom movies, then I do that, but it's not how I dress day-to-day," she told Insider.

She customized a top and skirt to recreate Diana's "revenge dress," an off-the-shoulder black dress Diana wore to a 1994 event on the day her then-husband, King Charles, admitted to cheating on her.

The 47-year-old spends over 60 hours a week working as an OnlyFans model

Lauren Spencer

She said she spends over 60 hours a week working as an OnlyFans creator, which translates to around nine hours a day, including on the weekends. 

Spencer said the vast majority of her earnings come from subscriptions: "So far this month, I've made more than $16,000 and from that, around $15,350 is from subscriptions, and close to $725 is from tips."

Her day involves responding to messages from subscribers in the morning, taking photos and videos, and doing livestreams on other platforms like Instagram and TikTok to market herself and attract new subscribers.

She learned to shoot, edit, and upload her own content using the iMovie video-editing app through trial and error.

"Promotion is the be all and end all, and social media is the primary method," she said. She uses hashtags that are relevant for her target audience and comments on other creators' posts to boost her engagement.

Fans sometimes ask Spencer to pretend that they're King Charles and ask her to tell them "naughty stories" about how she is cheating on them with the driver or with the butler, she said.

She says she does "tasteful nudity," reads erotic stories, and likens her content style to "old-school tease." She also offers fans up-close pictures for a subscription fee of $9.99 a month.

One fan even went as far as to send Spencer a picture of Diana with every message they sent her on OnlyFans, she said.

"The fact that I remind lots of people of Diana has definitely helped. It's a kink for some to see someone like her, who is proper and decent, in underwear," she said.

The pros of being a OnlyFans model "far outweigh" the cons for Spencer. "I think doing OnlyFans is sometimes portrayed as being a last stop for women who can't do anything else or have no skills or are desperate, but that's not true," she said. "I love it. I have complete control over what content I put out."

Spencer said her goal is to save enough money to open an animal sanctuary.

She said the downsides are that she's now working longer hours, and that sometimes, people stigmatize sex work. "I have less time now than I did with the cleaning business, but I prefer this," she said.

She loves not employing staff anymore, saying it "used to be the biggest bane of my life, as people would not turn up for work and problems would then escalate."

"This is far more fun, it's not physically taxing on my body and there's no limit to how much I can earn," Spencer said.

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I've taught a racial justice unit at a Christian college in Florida for 12 years. Now an angry parent might get me fired.

Professor Sam Joeckel said a parent complained to his university about a racial justice unit in his composition class.

Courtesy of Sam Joeckel

• A Florida professor says his job is in jeopardy after a parent complained about a racial justice unit in his writing course.
• Sam Joeckel has incorporated a racial justice unit into his writing course for 12 years.
• He said the parent told the Palm Beach Atlantic University that he is "indoctrinating" students.

Florida school districts recently began implementing a new law requiring all books in a public school to be vetted by a trained media specialist. But the state's book bans and reviews of educational content might have reverberating effects beyond the K-12 classroom.

Insider's Yelena Dzhanova spoke to Sam Joeckel, a long-time English professor at Florida's Palm Beach Atlantic University. He said he recently received notice that his job is being reconsidered after a parent complained to the university president about a racial justice unit in one of his writing classes. The university declined to comment.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

I've been teaching a racial justice unit in my English classes at the Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida for 12 years. 

The unit this semester is incorporated into a composition class, which most first-year students have to take. All professors who teach this course at my university include readings or topics or themes of their choice that provide material to engage with for assignments.

The goal is to basically help students improve their writing. So that never changes. But the subject of the class, the readings of the class, all of that is completely at the discretion of the professor. I've taught many different variations, many different themes and topics in the class, but racial justice has usually been a part of it.

But a parent called the university president, and apparently the parent used the word "indoctrinating" to describe the unit. And on February 15, the dean and the provost confronted me about it in the hallway.

I posted what I heard from them on Instagram, and my post exploded.

When I went into the office two days later, I got an email in the morning saying the dean wanted to convene a meeting for that very afternoon. 

That's never happened before. I've never had the dean contact me for a meeting that would take place that same day.

So when I walked into the meeting that afternoon, I noticed that an HR representative was also present. So I sit down and the dean pulls out the syllabus for my course and just reviews the entire thing. He was going through portions of the syllabus that have absolutely nothing to do with racial justice.

At this point, I'm very confused, because he had said that the concern was that I'm indoctrinating students. 

So he asked me questions about my learning outcomes and the measurement of outcomes. And then, when we finally do get to the racial justice unit, he asks me just a few questions that he has in his notes. I could tell that they were prepared questions. I answered the questions, and he basically responded by nodding and saying, "Okay." He asked me one or two follow-up questions. And then we moved on.

He didn't voice any concern during that meeting about the racial justice unit.

But he did seem to focus on and question my pedagogical approaches.

So I walked away from that meeting with the opinion that the university is attempting to make this an issue of my curriculum and my pedagogy, rather than racial justice, as the parent claimed. Because if it was overtly about racial justice, the university would face a lot of controversy and negative attention, and it doesn't want to attract that.

At the beginning of every semester, all faculty at my university are required to submit their syllabi to their deans. So I've been here for 20 years, so that's 40 semesters. So 40 semesters, and four classes per semester, is 160. So they have in their possession at least 160 of my syllabi.

 

And not once have they examined one of those 160 syllabi and said, "Your pedagogy seems off here." And I've been promoted multiple times and have the highest rank at the university.

So if in fact that is what the university is doing, it is completely unfair and wrong. This is completely disrespectful to a professor who has been at the university for 20 years. I've been teaching the course for longer than I've been teaching any class in my career — and I've taught 18 different courses in my career.

This whole process was contrary to all protocol of the university. So what happens is, if a student has a problem, the student's supposed to go to the professor. And if it's not resolved there, the student's supposed to go to the department chair. If it's not resolved there, the student's supposed to go to the dean, and then if that doesn't get resolved, then it goes higher up. 

Well in my case, it wasn't even the student. It was a parent, and the parent didn't come to me. The parent went straight to the university president. After speaking with the parent, the next move that the university makes is to postpone the issuance of my contract renewal. That seems to me completely unfair.

They sent a letter that university officials will let me know the status of my employment by March 15. 

Everyone else at this university has already received their contract renewal form. They received theirs on February 15. So mine has been delayed, pending this review.

I'm currently still employed by the university.

My students are aware of what's going on. The upperclassmen, whom I have taught before, show support for me. 

But then I also teach some students who are first-year students, like in the composition class. And we're still kind of getting to know each other. So they just kind of seemed a bit shell-shocked now when they're in the classroom. 

But I just carry on and do my job, and keep doing what I've been doing for 20 years.

This was my first job out of graduate school. I was born and raised in Las Vegas. I went to California to get my doctorate and moved out here with my wife for my first job as a university professor.

And I've been here ever since. 

So I stay here partly out of my history with the university.

Also, as you may or may not know, the job market for English professors is bleak. I mean, it's really bad. So it's tough to find another job. 

But I will say also, that I love these students. These students are amazing, and I teach some really cool classes. And I really enjoy my work. I enjoy teaching.

If they terminate my contract, I'm not stuck in Florida. I could move, but I do want to continue teaching at the university. My roots aren't deep here in Florida. I don't have any other family members here or anything like that. But the university where I've taught for 20 years is here, and I'd like to keep teaching these students.

Since hearing of the complaint, I haven't slept. I haven't gotten more than four hours since learning of the review. I've completely lost my appetite.

Physically, I'm not too healthy right now. I feel completely beaten down. But I do feel just like I'm not going to relent. I feel confident in my cause, so that strengthens me. And I've also secured legal counsel, so I have a team of lawyers who are helping me through the process.

At this point, the ball is in the university's court. I'm just waiting for them to let me know what they want to do next. So in the meantime, I'm just teaching my classes and doing what I've always done.

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How a 34-year-old Ukrainian founder created scrappy business opportunities amid the chaos of war

Alina Kachorovska is the founder and CEO of her eponymous footwear brand.

courtesy of Kachorovska

• Alina Kachorovska has kept her business afloat thanks to scrappy opportunities amid the war. 
• She's made boots for Ukrainian soldiers and focused on international expansion to sustain the brand.
• She talked about how she's continuing a multigenerational tradition of shoemaking. 

On March 12, 2022, two weeks after Russian air raids marked the start of the war in Ukraine, an order for heeled booties appeared on Alina Kachorovska's computer.

"This moment is forever in our hearts," Kachorovska, the founder, CEO, and designer of her eponymous footwear-and-accessories brand, said. "This was a celebration of life." 

The order, which came from the eastern part of the country — an area that Russia had recently bombed — restarted production at Kachorovska's 16-year-old business after the war had paused operations. 

Kachorovska, which relied heavily on domestic direct-to-consumer sales before the war, felt a major impact from the displacement of Ukrainians. However, the 34-year-old founder is keeping her company afloat thanks to strategies such as streamlined communication systems, assembly-line project planning, and scrappy opportunities amid the chaos, without losing her optimism and dreams for international expansion. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kachorovska (@kachorovska_atelier)

 

"I was not afraid since the first moment the war began, because we know what we stand for, what we fight for," Kachorovska said. 

Kachorovska, who spoke with Insider via video call from her generator-lit apartment in Kyiv, revealed how she's continuing a multigenerational tradition of shoemaking despite the war.

A family legacy takes a modern step

Alina Kachorovska (left) learned the craft of shoemaking from her grandmother, Leonida Zarembicka (middle) and mother, Olena Kachorovska (right)

courtesy of Kachorovska

Kachorovska said she remembers the smell of leather and glue wafting through her childhood home. Her grandmother started making shoes in 1957 during the Soviet occupation of Ukraine. In the early 1990s, after the Soviet Union dissolved and restrictions on starting entrepreneurial efforts for profit eased, her mother opened an atelier. Both matriarchs taught Kachorovska the craft of shoemaking through trying times.

"It was not a mission of their lives to become great shoemakers," she said. "It was just life." 

But Kachorovska saw shoemaking as something more: She combined her family history and love of fashion to achieve her dream of being a designer. 

"There is definitely one thing that did not change," Kachorovska said. "It's the passion for shoes, the obsession with shoes, and the excitement for what fashion can bring to a woman."

Opportunities during wartime

Kachorovska employees worked from the factory to produce boots and shoes amid the war.

courtesy of Kachorovska

When the war began, "you thought that you lost everything in a second," Kachorovska said. 

When the dust settled, she focused on survival. To keep her business operating, she's had to adapt to the consequences of war: citywide blackouts forced her to purchase generators for the factory, and she had to find alternative routes for transporting products when the roads became blocked with debris from bombings. 

"Our strategy is to fight," she said of herself, of her community, and of her business. 

She also found business opportunities in unlikely places, such as creating boots for soldiers.

100 employees work from Kachorovska's shoe factory.

courtesy of Kachorovska

In March 2022, when the Ukrainian government asked those who were able to join the fight, there was an increase in demand for army boots. Kachorovska teamed up with other factory owners, each contributing a different component of the boots — such as leather, soles, or labor — to produce and donate a hundred pairs, she said. 

When the demand for boots remained high, Kachorovska raised funds to produce more, which also supplied the salaries for her employees. 

"They were so grateful because, in these circumstances when you think that everything is lost, just to know that you have a job and will be paid encouraged people," she said. 

Looking toward international expansion

Kachorovska is the founder, CEO, and designer, giving her a multitude of responsibilities for the brand.

courtesy of Kachorovska

In mid-March, after the army-boot initiative, Kachorovska aimed to generate international buzz to scale her business. MICAM Milano, an international footwear exhibition in Milan, was coming up, but Kachorovska found that the cost to participate was out of reach. 

She wrote to the international financial institution the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development asking if it would finance the cost of her entry. The investment bank agreed two hours after Kachorovska sent her email.

There, Kachorovska inked a deal with the Canada-based Maguire Shoes, which produces shoes and accessories from brands across the world, to create a product line for its stores. Separately, she's in negotiations with Canadian and US department stores to sell her creations in North America.

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A post shared by Kachorovska (@kachorovska_atelier)

 

Kachorovska first dreamed of taking her brand international six months before the war with Russia began, she said. Despite the many challenges she faces as a business owner in a war zone, she's ready to grab any opportunity available to continue her dream and her family legacy.

"I put together all of my dreams to create something bigger," she said. "And I think I did it."

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Zelenskyy shows the simple bedroom at his office that he has called home since Russia invaded Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 15, 2023.

Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed the spartan room he has lived in since Russia invaded a year ago.
• The small room off his office contains a single bed, a sink, and other modest furnishings.
• Ukraine's president gave a tour of his office to a journalist for a documentary marking a year of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mainly lived in a simple, austere room in his office since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago.

"This is my home, I live here," Zelenskyy said while giving journalist Dmytro Komarov a tour of his office as part of a new documentary.

The small room contains a single bed, a sink, and other modest furnishings.

—ҐРУНТ (@grntmedia) February 24, 2023

 

Zelenskyy recounted waking up at home with his family on the day of the invasion and how he came to his office, where he has since spent most of his time as a wartime president.

"I love my family, but for me, as president, being here was a priority," he said.

In April of last year, two months into the war, Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska said that she had not seen her husband in person since the war began.

In the documentary, Zelenskyy also showed off his closet, filled with his now signature casual and mostly khaki-colored clothing, as well as some suits that he said he is looking forward to wearing after the war.

He also showed the journalist the back room from which he made international phone calls and spoke to dozens of world leaders on the morning of the invasion.

One leader he said he did not speak to was his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy said that while he had made efforts to speak to Putin directly before the invasion, he had been repeatedly rebuffed.

When asked if he would now speak to Putin, Zelenskyy said: "No. Now I am not ready to talk to him."

The Ukrainian president also explained why he chose to stay in the country despite being warned that he was a target and that he should pack up and leave.

"I didn't think about what would happen, about myself," Zelenskyy said. "Again, this isn't about bravery. I thought about the consequences of my leaving and what would happen."

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The AI industry is hot right now. 5 experts share 4 tips for finding a job in the sector.

The AI industry includes everything from chatbots and conversational search engines to self-driving vehicles.

OpenAI

• ChatGPT and new search engines from Google and Microsoft have intensified interest in AI.
• Some companies are considering how they can use the technology for specific business needs.
• Insider spoke to five experts to find out what companies look for when recruiting in the field.

The hype surrounding ChatGPT and new search engines from Google and Microsoft is intensifying interest in artificial intelligence across many sectors.

The AI industry is vast, encompassing not only buzzy chatbots and conversational search engines but also things like self-driving vehicles. The excitement around OpenAI's ChatGPT has already prompted some companies to consider how they can leverage the tech for specific business needs. Several news outlets, for example, have tapped the chatbot to generate some content. 

"ChatGPT is a good example of how the barriers of using AI are dropping quite substantially and in a very rapid fashion," Matthew Forshaw, a senior skills advisor at the Alan Turing Institute, told Insider. 

For many companies, tools like ChatGPT could be used in an assistive capacity, managed by workers with knowledge of AI tech and ethics, Forshaw said. 

Big technology companies have laid off tens of thousands of workers in recent months, but workers with AI skills are still in demand. Jim Monroe of Ada, an automation company specializing in customer service, said that a lot of companies "are still prioritizing AI roles both in terms of the hiring as well as if they are conducting layoffs."

Insider spoke with five experts about breaking into the field. Here's their best advice for jobseekers.

1. Build a strong foundation in math and computer science

Having a firm grasp of technical skills around deep learning can help candidates land AI roles with higher salaries.

Many high-paying jobs in the AI industry, such as data scientists and machine-learning engineers, usually require a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a technical field such as computer science or math, experts previously told Insider. 

Highly educated data scientists and core AI specialists with technical know-how are still highly in demand despite recent layoffs, Forshaw said.

Ngaire Moyes, LinkedIn's UK country manager, told Insider that "machine-learning engineer" had been one of LinkedIn's fastest-rising jobs in the UK for the past two years.

"As AI continues to become embedded into how many organisations operate day-to-day, it is a trend we anticipate will only continue to grow," she said.

Some experts also recommend learning programming languages and gaining an understanding of AI frameworks, the programming interfaces that serve as building blocks to train and deploy AI models. 

"Candidates do have to have baseline programming knowledge at some level," Ada's Monroe said. "Programming skills in Java, Python, PHP, C., or Ruby would be fairly common. Natural language processing is really hot right now, but data science and data analytics skills are still in high demand."

Math and statistical analysis are also important skills for many AI roles, Monroe said. There is an analytic component to correlating data and predictability to ensure the AI is presenting the right answers or outcomes in specific business cases, such as customer service chatbots, he said.

2. Showcase your ability to solve real-world problems

Polo Chau, associate professor at Georgia Tech's School of Computational Science and Engineering, told Insider that job candidates need to be able to articulate how classroom learning translated to the real world. "You need to connect the practical applications of what you know with the specific problems that your audience is trying to solve," he said.

For instance, let's say you participated in a hackathon where you created machine learning programs using different statistical techniques. You should be able to explain to hiring managers how you developed or invented or adapted techniques that led to a significant improvement, and that can be applied to solve a problem, Chau said.

"If you're talking to a logistics company that's trying to improve how it routes packages, you can talk about speed improvements. If you're talking to a healthcare company that's trying to figure out patient eligibility for studies, you can talk about fairness improvements. If you're talking to a retailer that's trying to understand customer trends, you can talk about accuracy improvements," Chau said.

3. Develop strong presentation skills and cultivate an empathetic mindset

The most successful candidates have strong communication and presentation skills, Chau said. 

"Throughout the pandemic, a lot of things have been virtual so people have not had the opportunity to present their work in front of a live audience," he said. "Presenting on a screen when everyone is in a tiny box involves a different communication style and energy."

Now that many conferences and networking events are in-person again, candidates need to perfect their elevator pitches. This is true for people looking to work in AI, but it's also good advice for jobseekers more generally, too.  "You need to have prepared a quick summary of what you've done," he said. "And you need to practice it."

A collaborative and empathetic approach is also key, Asu Ozdaglar, head of MIT's department of electrical engineering and computer science, told Insider. "You need to know technical concepts around machine learning and algorithms and decision-making, but you also need to be asking, 'How should those decisions take into account the human context?'"

ChatGPT's growing popularity illustrates that point, Ozdaglar said. "In many cases these tools will be used to augment human decision-making. So when they're deployed they not only need to be effective and efficient, but also reliable, fair, and equitable."

4. Prioritize networking by attending events

As the AI arms race heats up across Silicon Valley, networking has become crucial to breaking into the industry. 

Brianne Kimmel, a venture capitalist who founded the Silicon Valley based venture firm Worklife Ventures, said many of the conversations around AI are happening at small dinners or self-funded weekend hackathons. So, it can feel like AI is limited to insiders, she said.   

"The technology is accessible to everyone, and no longer limited to PhDs who work at Google, but the deals getting done are happening quickly and quietly," Kimmel said. 

Still, Kimmel— who recently launched a bootcamp for AI startups— suggests that it's best to jump in and learn alongside early builders. That's especially true for those who want to break into AI in areas like marketing, sales, or as non-technical operators as there's no need for formal education.

"My usual framing of the problem is we're all figuring this out together," Kimmel said. She invited a dozen women in tech to attend a recent OpenAI hackathon even though they weren't all ready to make the leap to AI full-time. 

"I think it's super important to come and learn about the technology and to just hear and observe the types of companies that are being built," Kimmel said. "Six or 12 months from now, if you decide to leave a company, you have exposure to what's already been built, and areas with white space for starting a venture-scale business." 

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I stopped doing porn for studios after discovering OnlyFans. Here's how it gave me more freedom and control over the adult content I make.

After starting to make adult content on OnlyFans, Cindy Starfall stopped making porn videos for other platforms.

Cindy Starfall

• Cindy Starfall ran away from home aged 15 to escape an arranged marriage to a stranger.
• Years later, after attending college, she started doing porn to support herself financially.
• She describes why she prefers making adult content on OnlyFans to making adult films.

This as-told-to article is based on a conversation with a 33-year-old porn star and OnlyFans creator who uses the stage name Cindy Starfall. Insider has verified her earnings with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity. 

I became a porn star when I was 21 to support myself financially. 

My family has always been very strict and sex is not something we talked about. My real mother left me when I was two years old and I was raised by her sister, my aunt, who I call mom. Two months ago, she let it slip that my biological mom had found out that I do porn.

My family is not accepting of me being a sex worker. When my aunt found out, she said she thought I'd been forced into the business.

I'm not embarrassed about it. When I decided to do porn I already made peace with the fact that videos of me would still be online years later and that people I know may find out. It's something I've had to accept.

But they don't understand that I like the job – it brings in good money and I get to be independent. I want them to know that it's just a job and porn stars are still people who are capable of having a normal life. It's tough knowing my family doesn't support me.

Growing up, I was told that at 18 I would be set up for an arranged marriage and all I would do is be a housewife. I didn't want that: I wanted to travel and build my own business, even if it was in porn, so I ran away from home at the age of 15.

Cindy Starfall became a porn star at 21.

Cindy Starfall

My family said the guy they had picked out for me was Taiwanese and from a good family, but I didn't know him.

One day when my mom was on vacation I packed my bags and had my friend pick me up. I stayed at my friend's house until I could support myself.

It was a sink-or-swim situation

I didn't want to go crawling back, so I worked multiple jobs and funded myself through college. Then at 21 I joined the porn business after I met an industry executive at a party who asked if I had ever done nude videos. I started out as a webcam girl on MyFreeCams and then started doing porn videos.

I took the opportunity and decided to save money and not depend on anyone. After opening an OnlyFans account three years ago, I stopped doing porn for other sites because it only pays a flat fee and the production company owns the content. I started making really good money on OnlyFans as my fans wanted to connect with me directly and they liked how I shot my own videos.

I work every day from 9-5 and I spend that time engaging with fans. I shoot content about twice a month and have it ready for the following month. I shoot my content using my phone and a tripod. If I'm shooting whilst traveling, I sometimes ask my friends to help.

One thing I love about OnlyFans is that I can keep my distance by being behind a screen. If someone is being rude I can block them, but if I'm on set and something doesn't go right, my agent is too far away. 

I get to work when I want and I don't have to be on set for hours. My fans love it because they feel a closer connection with me. They feel like they're on a trip with me when I shoot my content while traveling. Now I make about $20,000 a month and I've earned enough to buy a house.

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