Day: November 2, 2025

• Bruce Adams had a heart attack during a work meeting in 2024.
• Adams, who is CEO of the Credit Union League of Connecticut, spent six months recovering.
• His team thrived in his absence, which made Adams question whether he was still needed.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bruce Adams, 52, who lives in West Hartford, Connecticut. He is the CEO of the Credit Union League of Connecticut, a trade association. In October 2024, Adams had a heart attack and spent six months away from work as he recovered. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

It was a particularly stressful morning. I was at my desk in my home office, meeting with my team to finalize the details for our upcoming trade show. I stood up to get a bottle of water, and I didn’t make it 10 feet before I started hyperventilating. I had to lie down on the floor.

I texted my girlfriend and said, “Something’s happening to me. Cold sweats. Pain in my chest, but no arm pain. Doesn’t feel like a heavy weight.”

She called 9-1-1. I texted my COO and said, “I’m not coming back to the meeting. Something is wrong.” I texted my PR guy.

At the hospital, they determined that I was having what’s sometimes called a “widow-maker” heart attack. I had five blockages, so they had to do emergency bypass graft surgery. They sent me right over to the OR, and nine hours later, I was in the ICU.

Before going into surgery, I was able to talk to my girlfriend and some people who had come to visit. That was when I finally got emotional.

Before that, it was all work — still trying to get my PR guy to be ready to do a statement. It was a little irrational because there’s a smidge of, perhaps, too much self-importance.

I run a membership organization, and there were going to be hundreds of people at this trade show where I’d be conspicuously absent. Yet, I’m also not that important. The show is going to happen without me. But when you’re having that breakout moment, everything becomes super important.

My recovery

I view my time off from work as two chunks. The first three months were mostly physical, and the second few months were mostly mental and emotional. I’m blessed to have been given the time to recover.

In the course of finishing the first three months, I realized that maybe there are questions I ought to think about, like, “Why did I walk away from the plane crash, metaphorically speaking?”

I found a therapist who specializes in near-death experiences and medical crises. I had a therapist before. I’m a big fan of getting a regular mental tune-up, like an oil change for your car. She helped me ask hard questions and pointed me toward living a life that has time for parenting, work, rest, and play. I’ve been reminded in the worst possible way that we only have one shot at this.

Going back to work

We had switched offices between the time I left and came back. I didn’t have a badge to get into the building or know where the bathroom was. I felt like the new guy.

I was scared. I didn’t know that I could get my engine turning at the same RPMs as it was before. I didn’t know if I would be a drag on the people who had figured out how to move forward without me. I thought, as the CEO, I’ve got the biggest item on the budget’s wage line. Will people think I’m not worth it?

That was a few weeks of manageable, but actual, fear. Then it struck me that the whole reason I had that fear was because I had set that team in place — and they were able to do it without me.

The systems we had in place, and the people operating those systems, were not only able to respond in that immediate moment of our trade show — not knowing whether I’d live or die — but also for the next six months.

I had to honor what they did and accept that they could do it without me. At the same time, I had to accept that I still had something to offer. Those two things are hard to align, but are so important.

My first board meeting back was weird because normally, as the CEO, you’re presenting the financials and talking strategy. But what could I talk about? I had been gone for six months. Our COO, who had been the acting CEO, was sitting next to me.

The board had lived its own sort of trauma, and the COO had, too. We had stayed in touch, so I knew what was happening at work, and I was able to help make some decisions. But I had said to her, “I’m helping you as your friend, and you don’t want me to have surprises when I come back. But whatever decisions you make, I’m going to back you up.”

After I was back, during conversations with our members, I heard, “Jeez, your team did so great while you were gone.” And I thought, “I built a team that was able to withstand such a big shock.”

That was very, very gratifying. I’ve always been sort of a lead-from-behind guy, but I am even more so now. The refrain of being told this about my team reinforced that I felt like a coach. I felt I could be the leader, instead of the doer. Every functional team needs that.

Do you have a story to share about your career? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.

• Real estate investors are prioritizing multifamily properties for stronger cash flow.
• One investor calls them ‘triple-headed monsters’ due to their three main financial benefits.
• Owner-occupied financing and house hacking make multifamily investing accessible for beginners.

A multifamily property is a single building divided to house more than one family living separately — a duplex, for example, or a triplex or fourplex.

Several real estate investors whom Business Insider has spoken with are prioritizing this type of property, particularly in 2025.

“Prices and interest rates have essentially doubled in many markets in the last four or five years,” said Josh Lupo, who invests in multifamily properties in upstate New York with his wife, Ali.

The couple achieved financial independence after paying off six figures in student loans, partly thanks to their real estate portfolio. “The properties that used to make sense as long-term rentals, especially single-families, the numbers don’t really work anymore.”

Connor Swofford and Pieter Louw, childhood friends who began buying real estate together in 2024, have scaled to over 20 units by purchasing, renovating, and renting multifamily properties in Buffalo.

While they initially purchased a few duplexes, they’re now shying away from doubles and focusing on larger multifamily properties with at least three units.

“The cash flow and cap rates are a lot better,” said Louw, at least in their market. “Just looking at the numbers over the last year, it’s a more lucrative and safe investment.”

Massachusetts-based real estate investor, agent, and coach Dana Bull refers to multifamily properties as “triple-headed monsters” because of the three major financial benefits that come with this investment, including the acquisition discount and economies of scale.

Think about the maintenance required for a multifamily home versus a single-family home, she said: “If you buy a three-family, when the roof goes out, you only have one roof to replace. You have one driveway to shovel. You have the shared hallways to take care of.”

How to buy your first multifamily: Use owner-occupied financing and house hack to lower your mortgage

Buying multifamily properties isn’t just for seasoned investors.

Bull considers it a “fantastic entry-level investing approach.” Since duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes fall under the bracket of residential real estate, “you’re able to utilize residential loans, including low down-payment programs, if you intend to occupy the property, which is incredibly powerful.”

That’s what Mike Newton did to acquire his first property: a $450,000 duplex outside Seattle. He didn’t have the savings to buy it as a true investment property, which would require a down payment of at least 20%. However, since he was planning on living in half of the duplex, he secured owner-occupied financing and put down just 5%.

After closing, he moved into one of the units. The other unit was already occupied by a tenant, meaning he started generating cash flow immediately. Plus, he found a roommate for his unit. The rent from his two tenants covered the majority of his monthly mortgage payment, allowing him to save more money for his next property.

Newton, who has expanded to over 10 units, considers this strategy, known as “house hacking,” one of “the safest ways that you can start investing in real estate.”

By renting a portion of your primary residence, you can offset or even completely eliminate your mortgage. It’s a relatively low-risk way to see if you enjoy being a landlord and managing tenants.

It’s worth noting that not all markets have an abundance of multifamily properties. The New England market happens to have a large inventory of these properties, explained Bull: “These buildings were created in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a way to economically house people in areas close to or around cities like Boston.”

If there aren’t multifamily properties in your area, you can still house hack a single-family home by adding an ADU or converting an unfinished basement into a rentable space — or, like Newton, finding a roommate. The name of the game is getting creative with your space so that, ultimately, other people are paying down your mortgage.

• Teachers on overseas military bases are facing financial strains as a government shutdown persists.
• Military support staff, unlike soldiers, aren’t getting paid, a break from past shutdown norms.
• Teachers said they are worried about falling behind on rent and other bills.

European landlords don’t understand why their American tenants suddenly can’t make rent.

Teachers and other support staff who work on overseas US military bases are facing a tough situation as the government shutdown approaches the longest in history, and their paychecks dry up. While Trump has found a way to temporarily pay American soldiers around the globe, the over 14,000 people who keep military bases running aren’t so lucky.

Five teachers working for the Department of Defense Education Activity on various European bases told Business Insider they’re scrambling to bring translated letters to their landlords explaining that their employer isn’t sending paychecks at the moment, are full of worry about utility bills arriving, and recounting their situations to incredulous locals.

“Our teachers are all still going to school every day. The aides are still going, the substitutes are still going,” Cathy Indresano, the Italy-based president of the Overseas Federation of Teachers, said, adding that many school workers are often also military spouses. “And of course, we’re all working and nobody’s getting paid.”

This government shutdown ripple effect shows just how far-reaching the ramifications of the appropriations lapse are — especially as the Trump administration unilaterally makes calls on who and who shouldn’t be paid. Typically, Congress passes partial spending measures to keep military operations funded. Without that, this time around, the president decided to send paychecks to military and select law enforcement officers — but base support staffers are on their own, just like hundreds of thousands of other federal workers.

DoDEA’s communications operations chief Jessica Tackaberry told BI that DoDEA schools are considered excepted and operating as normal, as the agency “remains committed” to providing education to military-connected students.

“We understand the difficulties this situation may create for our dedicated educators and staff who are working without pay. DoDEA is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide guidance and support to employees as needed,” Tackaberry said. “Despite the fiscal uncertainty, students across our global school system continue to receive the same high-quality, rigorous education that prepares them for college, career, and life success.”

The events of this shutdown “left a whole bunch of people by the wayside, including these folks,” Bobby Kogan, the senior director of federal budget policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said.

The workers Business Insider spoke to are in a unique position: They’re stuck in shutdown limbo thousands of miles away from the stalemate in Washington. They described financial hardships, reduced snacks in classrooms, and having to explain to incredulous locals that yes, they are stuck indefinitely working without pay.

“We’re just a small little entity here that people don’t realize it’s still working away,” Indresano said, “and still supporting the military.”

Behind on rent and dealing with culture shock

Desiree has been teaching abroad for around 11 years. She’s never faced a shutdown like this.

Recent past shutdowns were technically partial shutdowns because the Department of Defense was funded ahead of time and carried on with normal operations, or, as in the 2013 shutdown, legislation was passed that meant troops and other DoD workers could be paid in the event of a shutdown.

The news that Desiree and her colleagues would receive no paycheck came abruptly. Her prorated check for the last days worked in September only covered around a third of rent at the apartment she moved into over the summer. Like other DoDEA employees who live off the base, she’s also stopped receiving her rent stipend. That means she’ll likely be late on her first rent payment.

“Money is just — it’s not flowing, except for out,” she said, adding, “In some situations, I don’t have a whole lot of choice. It has to keep going. I mean, we have to buy food. I have to put gas in my car.”

Desiree said that many teachers may have just incurred moving costs ahead of the start of the school year, and might not be on as firm a financial footing. One fairly new DoDEA employee said that’s exacerbated by the weak dollar compared to the euro. It’s made it even harder to save up ahead of the shutdown.

“My bank account’s already in the negative,” the worker said. “For me personally, I won’t be able to make rent next month. I don’t have it.”

Another strain is that some overseas DoDEA workers aren’t allowed to pick up second jobs, a backup plan helping some US-based federal workers stay afloat. Living across the ocean from loved ones adds to the stress, making things “a little tougher,” as Indresano said.

“Not being in the US, we don’t have the luxury of being able to go to a food bank that they would have there — not that we need that at the moment, but you never know. It depends on how long this lasts,” Indresano said.

The government shutdown hits classrooms overseas

Parents and students on overseas military bases recently fought to keep extracurriculars and sports running amid a funding lapse, but in the day-to-day of teaching, the shutdown still looms. One teacher pointed to the classroom snacks they and their colleagues often pay for out of their own pockets.

“There are families that don’t have the food and things like that,” the teacher said. “So teachers are providing snacks. We can’t go buy that for them because we’re not getting paid.”

Desiree said she’s been unable to buy school supplies, something the school usually gets an allowance for. That means that their ceramics classes could go without clay, and the school could run out of paper soon.

James has been teaching overseas for over two decades. He’s weathered multiple shutdowns, but this is the first time his paycheck has been suspended. Having spent a good amount of time in his local community, he sees familiar faces at the coffee shop and grocery store. Some of the locals have heard about the shutdown, or they ask what’s going on.

“There’s a certain amount of surprise as well as sympathy for what we’re going through,” he said. However, he’s observed that his local friends struggle to “wrap their mind around how Congress, meaning both the House and the Senate,” could let the government shut down and workers go without pay.

“It’s very difficult for them to conceptualize how that happens,” he said.

A group that calls itself “In Maine, Love is Louder” organized a rally in Augusta over the weekend to highlight good things happening in communities statewide.

• Tesla uses a team of data collectors to train Optimus how to be human.
• The workers run, dance, and perform simple tasks like wiping a table hundreds of times.
• Data collectors said the role is physically demanding, occasionally absurd, and always meticulous.

Inside a glass-walled lab at Tesla’s engineering headquarters, dozens of workers act out the motions of everyday life: lifting a cup, wiping a table, pulling open a curtain.

They repeat each action hundreds of times during eight-hour shifts, and their work is captured by five cameras attached to their helmet and a heavy backpack. CEO Elon Musk sometimes stops by to watch, and Tesla investors visit regularly for demos.

It’s like being a “lab rat under a microscope,” one former worker told Business Insider.

The goal is simple: Teach Optimus, the company’s robot, how to move like a human.

Musk has identified Optimus as a crucial part of the business. During the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Musk said that it “has the potential to be the biggest product of all time” and said the company would eventually produce 1 million units per year. He has also projected that Optimus would account for around 80% of the automaker’s value one day.

Tesla intends for Optimus to perform a wide variety of tasks, including factory work, household chores, and caregiving. The work of the “data collection operators” is designed to pave the way for Optimus to replace human labor.

Business Insider spoke with five current and former workers to understand how Optimus is trained. They said the role is physically demanding, occasionally absurd, and always meticulous. They sprint, squat, and dance. If their movements are deemed not “human enough,” one worker said, their performance is critiqued.

A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

Tesla is one of many tech companies, including Figure and 1X, attempting to replicate complex human behavior in a robot. The ultimate goal, as with much of the AI industry, might be autonomy, but an army of flesh-and-blood workers props up the sleek demos and lofty promises.

‘Teaching a baby’

Training a robot to be human isn’t glamorous.

Most data collectors start out wiping down a table, sometimes for weeks. “You take a step, wipe the table, go into a reset pose, and do it all over again,” one former worker said. It’s “rinse and repeat until break time.”

The workers receive detailed documents about how to perform simple tasks, and they’re guided by a thick, constantly evolving manual, three workers said. They’re also paired up with a peer to ensure the tasks are performed correctly, five people said.

“Tesla is very strict on how everything needs to be done,” one worker said. “It can be very tough mentally and physically.”

Since data collection started, workers have largely used motion capture suits to teleoperate the robot — teaching it with manual movement. In June, the company told workers it was pivoting away from motion-capture suits and teleoperation and toward collecting data using only cameras, Business Insider previously reported. The change followed the departure of program director Milan Kovac.

The worker-mounted cameras point in all directions, helping precisely place the data collectors in the environment, workers said. They said the team was told it would be faster to scale data collection without the motion-capture suits.

Since the June shift, the company has incorporated multiple new training processes, including stationing cameras around workers while they perform tasks, three workers said.

Jonathan Aitken, a robotics expert at the University of Sheffield, told Business Insider that the camera towers could supplement the data by providing a broader view of the environment.

Workers are sometimes outfitted with haptic gloves, which track the minute movements of their hands, three employees said. Musk has said Tesla has spent considerable energy trying to develop a human-like hand for Optimus, calling it “an incredibly difficult engineering challenge.”

Workers have also recorded themselves mirroring each other’s movements, three people said. At the company’s Fremont, California, plant, data collectors have organized vehicle parts and worked on conveyor belts while wearing the headset and backpack, two people said. Experts who spoke with Business Insider said that collecting different data points for the same task can be helpful for training.

Other tasks are so simple that a former worker likened them to “teaching a baby.” Two data collectors said they recorded themselves working on brain teasers designed for actual babies: putting rings on by size and color, or putting shapes into their corresponding slots.

Tesla has also begun using AI-generated prompts to help train the robot, three people said. During some training exercises, workers receive a series of AI-generated prompts via a headset, which is attached to the 30- to 40-pound backpack via wires. Though they’re often wearing the backpack, it sometimes sits nearby on a chair or table.

Workers said the exercises have included squatting, doing the “Chicken Dance,” acting like a gorilla, pretending to vacuum, sprinting for several yards, pretending to golf, and twerking. Workers are expected to perform each exercise within three to five seconds, the workers said. Two people recalled instances where some tasks made them uncomfortable, including AI-generated requests to crawl on all fours or remove a piece of clothing.

Aitken said the seemingly random tasks could help Tesla understand which areas it needs to improve on.

“How do you know you’ve covered the entire range of things you’ll need it to be able to do?” he said.

‘Cardio all day’

The work can take a physical toll, four people said. One former worker described it as “basically doing cardio all day.”

One former worker said they sustained a back injury while training the robot. They said the unbalanced weight of the backpack made it feel like they were constantly “walking with a limp.” They said they went on medical leave as a result.

“I lost feeling in my right leg and had a sharp pain in my back,” they said.

Workers said they saw colleagues sustain back and neck injuries due to the nature of the role.

Some people experienced problems during teleoperation, which can involve motion-capture suits and a virtual reality headset. A mix of poor image quality and the length of time workers spent wearing the gear triggered severe motion sickness, three people said. They said it could be especially disorienting when the robot fell over.

“You’d have the feeling you’re falling because you’re seeing through its eyes, but you’d be standing upright,” one worker said.

For now, teleoperation is mostly reserved for investor visits.

“The investors want to see the bots moving in action,” one former worker said. “When we’re in mo-cap, we’re controlling the bots so it looks more fluid.”

Investors are sometimes accompanied by Musk, who has brought his 5-year-old son X to see the robot, two former workers said. One of the former workers compared the demos to “putting on a big show.”

“It felt like theater,” the former worker said.

Half the time, two workers said, the robot tumbles over when performing tasks that require bending or leaning, sometimes damaging expensive equipment. It’s typically strapped into the gantry — a supportive rig that keeps the robot upright — unless it’s performing tasks that involve traveling more than a few feet, three workers said.

Aitken said the robot should be able to remain upright with ease in a controlled environment like Tesla’s offices. “Having it stand up and maintain balance should be one of the first things you look at,” he said.

Musk said during Tesla’s recent earnings call that the robot is a 24/7 presence at the company’s engineering headquarters and walks around the office and escorts people to meeting rooms.

Kung fu and candy

At one point, more than 100 people worked on data collection, three people said. The company cut dozens of data collectors in September following twice-yearly performance reviews.

Workers are scored on how well they perform the tasks, five people said. They receive feedback on everything from bodily angles to positioning.

The data collectors have an online dashboard with grades based on data quality and quantity. Each worker is expected to gather at least four hours of usable video footage per shift, five people said. If the video footage is deemed unsatisfactory — if the worker’s positioning isn’t quite right, for instance — workers can be penalized.

For the workers who train it, Optimus’ performance metrics are less clear. When training relied primarily on teleoperation, data operators could press a button to see if Optimus would perform the task. (More often than not, it couldn’t, three people said.) Now, these evaluations are less common, and the workers said they have less transparency into the robot’s progress.

In company videos, Optimus can be seen walking, folding laundry, performing kung fu moves at the “Tron Ares” premiere, and handing out candy in Times Square.

A robot demo “is always the very best demo they could show you,” Alan Fern, an AI and robotics expert at Oregon State University, told Business Insider.

“When you see something like it performing kung fu, it looks like it’s doing something intelligent, which leads people to extrapolate its capabilities, but that’s just not true,” Fern said. “It’s just reacting to its environment. There is not a cognitive thought behind it.”

Musk, meanwhile, continues to tout a grand vision. “It won’t even seem like a robot,” he told investors in October. “It’ll seem like a person in a robot suit.”

For now, Optimus is still learning through repetition, trial and error, and endless hours of human labor.

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