Month: October 2025

• “Saturday Night Live” kicked off its 51st season this weekend.
• The cast wasted no time in getting back to an old favorite: mocking the Trump administration.
• James Austin Johnson returned as President Donald Trump while Colin Jost played Pete Hegseth.

“Saturday Night Live” returned to screens this weekend, kicking off its 51st season with a signature roast of the Trump administration and a nod to the recent crackdown on late-night TV.

The show, hosted by Bad Bunny, began with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, dressing down US military leaders over their appearance, referencing a speech Hegseth made this past week.

“This is serious,” an impassioned Jost said. “We are facing the greatest threat to freedom and democracy the world has ever known.”

“Late-night TV,” James Austin Johnson, returning in the role of President Donald Trump, interrupted.

Johnson’s Trump soon told the audience that he would be keeping an eye on “SNL” as he wanted to make sure it didn’t “do anything too mean” about him, and threatened to unleash his “attack dog at the FCC, Brandon Carr.”

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, played by Mikey Day, then danced across the stage to the tune of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” reminding Trump that it was Brendan, not Brandon.

“It’s crazy you’d think I’d care,” Johnson’s Trump said.

Johnson’s Trump ended the cold open with a warning to the audience: “Remember, daddy’s watching.”

It’s been a tense period for the late-night world, after “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was temporarily suspended over comments the host made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The suspension, which came after a threat from Carr, had fueled fears among some “SNL” fans that the show might tone down its critique of the administration.

They seemingly need not have worried, however.

Elsewhere in the show, host Bad Bunny appeared to enjoy himself as he poked fun at the backlash to the announcement that he would be headlining the next Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in California.

“You might not know this, but I’m doing the Super Bowl halftime show,” he said.

“I’m very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it. Even Fox News,” he added.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
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Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. One Big Tech worker earned $600,000 last year — but only half of that came from her main job. She made $302,000 from a side hustle she only spends five hours a week on.

Also, be sure to sign up for Business Insider’s upcoming markets newsletter First Trade, led by Joe Ciolli.

On the agenda today:

• BI’s Emily Stewart is starting to regret having an Amex Platinum card.
• Meet the most powerful Tesla executive you’ve never heard of.
• OpenAI launched its SaaS attack, and these companies are in the firing line.
• Pete Hegseth’s speech is another sign that workplace loyalty is dead.

But first: I read your Costco feedback.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider’s app here.

This week’s dispatch

A Costco revolt

In last Sunday’s newsletter, I confessed that I didn’t understand the whole Costco craze.

Sure, I anticipated some pushback. What I didn’t expect was an avalanche of reader emails in support of Costco. One called me “obviously overly privileged.” Another suggested I didn’t know how to shop for a family (for the record, I have two kids to feed!).

Yes, some readers agreed with me. But overall, Costco loyalists were eager to set the record straight: Shopping at Costco is an experience filled with great customer service, cost savings, and high-quality items. Cheap gas prices are a big plus, too.

Here are some reader responses, edited for length and clarity.

Costco has developed into a tribal entity. We belong to it; take pride in it, just as if it were a winning football team. We are faithful to it; we proselytize. Rather nicely, one of the characteristics of Costco is that it values our diversity, and serves it in multiple ways; so folks rarely feel excluded. — Philip Alan Rutter, 76, southeastern Minnesota

My husband and I have been members of Costco for 8 years. Before that, we had memberships to other variations, including Sam’s Club and BJs. The No. 1 reason for us having a membership is the gas prices. My husband has a 40-mile commute, one way 4x a week. The gas savings usually pay for the card. — Michele Fischer, 53, Newberry, SC

I was a member of Costco for several years. I canceled my membership when I came home yet again with way more “stuff” than I went for. I realized I just can’t afford to save that much money. — Bob Baron, 78, Charlotte, NC

As a former NYC resident, and current NJ resident, I appreciate Costco for what it is. Lifestyles are different in the city and suburbs. Costco has good quality products at great prices, be it $20 dress shirts or $100 beef. I have worn those $20 shirts for more than 3 years and still wearing it. Costco has its benefits, and drawbacks. But it has found a loyal market that no other company has been able to replicate. Costco is just different. — Ruchik Sadavrati, 52, Franklin Park, NJ

My wife and I have three small kids, and we live in a multigenerational home with my in-laws and my brother-in-law. Buying in bulk works well for us because that huge pack of chicken often provides dinner for all of us and the main portion of lunch for the kiddos the next day or two. It’s an even better deal for us to get snacks. Certain policies like DEI are very important to us, and Costco is one of the few that have stuck with it. — Zach Batton, 37, Pittsboro, NC

Agree or disagree with these takes? I’d love to hear from you. Please reach out at srussolillo@businessinsider.com.

Platinum woes

The American Express Platinum card is hot. It’s also the most expensive credit card on the block, since Amex just announced it’s hiking the annual fee 29%, from $695 to $895.

Amex says its perks are now worth $3,500, but that only matters if you’re actually using them — and you might have to shift your spending habits to do so. For BI’s Emily Stewart, that meant spending more money than she normally would’ve at places she might not have otherwise shopped at.

Now, she’s rethinking the card.

Introducing Ashok Elluswamy

In 2014, Elluswamy joined the Autopilot team as a founding member. Now, as the team’s big boss, he’s front and center in Tesla’s most defining initiatives.

Despite his influence at the EV maker, there’s minimal reporting on Elluswamy. BI spoke with more than a dozen colleagues, friends, and former classmates of the executive to better understand his rise within Tesla.

He’s taking on Tesla’s self-driving gamble.

The shot heard around the software industry

OpenAI recently showcased new workplace applications in sales, support, and contract tools, and it quickly sparked concern about market competition in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry.

Software companies like DocuSign and HubSpot took hits on the stock market after the launch. The move could force companies to either partner with OpenAI or compete against its AI tools.

Friend or foe.

Also read:

• These are the most “AI-proof” software companies, according to analysts
• Is OpenAI the new Amazon? The ChatGPT maker keeps branching out and erasing market value from competitors.

21 guns for loyalty

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had tough words for the military leaders he recently summoned to Washington, DC: Get on board with stricter standards, or get out.

It’s a message that’s already shaken corporate America. The military is famous for values not common in corporate America, like brotherhood and belonging — but Hegseth’s comments put less weight on those and more on performance metrics.

Hardcore hits the armed forces.

Also read:

• An online army is waging a culture war against US troops

This week’s quote:

“It’s hard to take out the king.”

— Jack Miller, president and CEO of T3 Sixty, on how difficult it is to bet against real estate behemoth Zillow.

How America’s trash is fueling toxic tofu in Indonesia

Despite Indonesia’s ban on plastic waste imports, the US continues to send millions of pounds of plastic to the country. Villagers are burning it to create tofu, contaminating the food with deadly toxins.

More of this week’s top reads:

• Sora 2 makes me realize the AI future really is here. It’s wonderful — and terrifying.
• The “stupidity” of 300 investment bankers tricked by a 20-something founder is a lesson in due diligence.
• “No driver, no hands, no clue”: San Bruno police officers were met with a first after pulling over a Waymo.
• Two top execs at Vanguard lay out their vision for quantum-powered investing.
• Exclusive: Meta Superintelligence Labs executives are pushing staff to ditch slow internal systems for faster engineering tools.
• Step inside Goldman Sachs’ Dallas office for 5,000 workers.
• This networking trick helps you skip the “cattle call” of applying for jobs.
• After a Reddit user took a dig at Harvey, Harvey’s CEO fired back — and brought receipts.

• Marissa Mayer’s shuttered photo app was just too beautiful for this cruel world.

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  The BI Today team: Steve Russolillo, chief news editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

• My career used to be my identity. I had spent years prioritizing work and was feeling burned out.
• I ended up quiet quitting, but it only exacerbated my burnout.
• I ended up resigning and traveling for a few months, and reclaimed my boundaries around work.

On any given day at 8:45 a.m., I would roll out of bed and make the five-foot commute to the kitchen to brew coffee. I’d throw on loungewear, wake up my laptop, and join my first meeting of the day.

People would talk on the screen, but my attention was elsewhere: an open browser of TikTok air fryer recipes or livestreams of the latest news. My plan was always to do the bare minimum.

I was quiet quitting, my own little protest.

I’d prioritized my career for years and felt burned out

Six years before my revolt began, I was 22 and landed a graduate marketing job at a fashion house in London, earning £14,500 a year (about $18,500 at the time). Over the years, I climbed the ladder until I was making £50,000 a year and no longer had to survive on frozen pizzas or battle long commutes, having moved into my own studio in the city center.

I embraced my 20s for the chaotic rite of passage that it is, hurtling forward like an Irish thoroughbred, racking up bad dates and corporate promotions, hoping one day to snag a Forbes 30 Under 30 badge.

However, in 2020, layoffs and budget cuts left me with double the workload. Though I took on more, I wasn’t compensated, and by the time the pandemic ended, I couldn’t ignore the years I’d spent prioritizing my career over my own mental health.

Overworked and burned out, it was time to stage my rebellion.

I entered my quiet quitting era

I chose to work from home as much as possible, even when most of my colleagues were in the office. I’d wiggle my mouse to appear active, take long midday gym breaks, and became an expert on all plotlines of The Real Housewives franchise.

At first, I felt proud of the time I was reclaiming. But it didn’t last. My mental health deteriorated when the purpose my career once gave me wasn’t replaced elsewhere. I was directionless, and waking each morning with the lethargy of someone who’d just finished an Ironman, despite sleeping 10 hours a night. Having previously been diagnosed with depression, I recognized the signs that I was heading there again.

After a year of quiet quitting, my breaking point arrived during a work call where colleagues argued over fonts used in a recent presentation. I thought, “Is this really what life is all about?”

My ‘quiet quit’ turned into a ‘loud quit,’ and I resigned

In December 2022, I handed in my resignation and bought a one-way ticket to Australia with no planned date for my return. I spent three months traveling there and across New Zealand before returning to London, trying to reclaim my zest for life.

I spent hours in nature, hiking mountains and sailing with dolphins at sunrise. I slowly remembered what it was to have fun and not take life so seriously. I shared my story with friends and strangers and realized how common burnout was, and that I wasn’t alone.

Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing. I could have done all this in London — spending more time in the city’s beautiful parks, or asking my boss for better support. Escaping wasn’t the only option; what I really needed were boundaries and the courage to advocate for myself sooner.

Traveling helped me reclaim my identity and set boundaries when I returned to work

The real problem was that my career had become my identity, and I didn’t know who I was without it. It took traveling 10,000 miles and spending a large chunk of my savings to dismantle that. And while I’m grateful for the perspective and memories my travels gave me, I wish I’d found ways to make those changes sooner, without losing a year of my life to quiet quitting.

When I returned home, I restarted my career as a freelancer and finally established clear boundaries around my work. My job no longer defines me; now, I enjoy it alongside the passions I’ve invested in for myself. Some days I’m a social media manager. Other days, I’m a rock-climbing yogi or a home cook pretending I’m a chef from The Bear.

Prioritizing balance, well-being, and passions outside work has helped me find purpose in my whole life — and that’s something I’ll never want to quiet quit.

Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for long-range strikes inside Russia would obliterate relations between the Kremlin and Washington, reports 24brussels.

Sources indicate that the United States is contemplating direct involvement to bolster Ukraine’s capability to target strategic Russian infrastructure. Last month, US Vice President JD Vance confirmed that Washington is reviewing a request from Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles that could reach deep into Russian territory, including Moscow, although no definitive decision has been made.

US President Donald Trump has expressed his disappointment in Putin for failing to achieve peace in the region, characterizing Russia as a “paper tiger” incapable of overcoming Ukraine. In response, Putin has questioned whether NATO is merely a “paper tiger” for its lack of effectiveness in stopping Russia’s advances.

How could US Tomahawk supplies impact Russia-US relations?

Putin declared that supplying Tomahawk missiles would signify the beginning of a new phase of escalation in relations between Russia and the United States. “This will lead to the destruction of our relations, or at least the positive trends that have emerged in these relations,” he stated in a video aired by Russian state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.

“This will mean a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States,”

According to Putin, while the Tomahawks would pose a threat, Russia intends to counter them with enhanced air defense systems.

What are Tomahawk missiles, and how far can they reach?

Tomahawk missiles are subsonic, long-range cruise missiles designed primarily for land attack missions. They are utilized predominantly by the US Navy’s surface ships and submarines, and also by the submarines of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. These missiles can strike high-value and heavily defended targets with remarkable precision from distances ranging from 1,000 to 1,600 kilometers.

What additional missile capabilities has the US supplied to Ukraine?

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the United States has provided Ukraine with an extensive array of missiles and missile technology. This assistance has included HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) equipped with precision-guided munitions, with several hundred units delivered since their introduction in mid-2022. These systems have been crucial in targeting Russian forces and logistics within occupied regions.

Additionally, the ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), long-range precision missiles capable of reaching targets beyond 300 kilometers, received approval for deployment to Ukraine as of early 2024.