• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Dell employees are not OK. Every year, the company conducts an engagement survey for its workers, called "Tell Dell." One metric of employee satisfaction has dropped by 50% in two years amid layoffs and its push to get workers back in the office.

On the agenda today:

• Six former federal workers spoke to BI about what life is like after being laid off by DOGE.
• Why so many law-abiding Americans are fine with committing return fraud.
• These MBAs are ditching corporate America to run unsexy small businesses.
• The freakiest aspect of the Coldplay "kiss cam" fiasco isn't a potential office affair, writes BI's Katie Notopoulos.

But first: Unpacking the new generational debate.

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This week's dispatch

Your ultimate guide to the 'Gen Z stare'

Millennials gave us skinny jeans and avocado toast. Gen Z? They've mastered the stare.

Yes, that stare — the blank, expressionless look from the younger generation that's been lighting up the internet lately. Is it real? A post-pandemic side effect? A silent cry for help? Or is it just how Gen Z vibes?

At Business Insider, we dove headfirst into the phenomenon, decoding the psychology, exploring what it means for careers, and examining how it plays out in the workplace.

What is it? As more of Gen Z enters the workforce, some millennials say younger workers greet customers and colleagues with wide eyes, blank expressions, and pregnant pauses. Most of the debate hinges on Gen Zers working customer service roles, like hostessing at restaurants or taking orders at coffee shops. While this could be a sign of workplace awkwardness or underdeveloped soft skills, others are pushing back and saying the trend's blame is misplaced.

Is it real? Our resident Gen Zer Amanda Yen says, "It's ironic that millennials are diagnosing their Gen Z counterparts in much the same way boomers diagnosed and pathologized them. Millennials, are you sure you're not just becoming your parents?"

The value of silence. BI's Katie Notopoulos, an older millennial, said if you're on the receiving end of the "Gen-Z stare," maybe you're the problem. "One thing I learned is that sometimes silence is the best way to handle a situation. In other words, you might say: Give 'em the 'Gen Z stare.' If someone keeps pushing, eventually you have to leave some silence hanging in the air — no more room for them to negotiate." Just don't get Katie started on how Gen Zers answer the phone!

Is screen time to blame? Psychologists and generational experts are weighing in, saying the phenomenon could have more to do with natural growing pains on a first job. There are also factors unique to Gen Z's upbringing, including how the generation has grown up in front of screens. One professor told BI that it's naive to underestimate the impact that COVID-19 shutdowns and online learning could have had on young people's development.

What do Gen Zers think? We asked several young people between the ages of 17 and 27 what they thought about the debate. A 21-year-old from Boston thinks the whole thing is overblown. A 20-year-old from the Bay Area said she sees it all the time. A 17-year-old heard from her parents that she had been inadvertently doing it.

We asked our readers if they had experienced the "Gen Z stare." The results are in, and spoiler — a majority of you have!

Life after DOGE

It's been six months since Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency slashed the federal workforce in an effort to "streamline the Federal Government, eliminate unnecessary programs, and reduce bureaucratic inefficiency."

After months of being in limbo, a recent Supreme Court ruling allowed the stalled firings to proceed. In a series of conversations with BI, six former government employees spoke about their career shifts, what life is like outside government work, and more.

"I'll always be known as that."

Also read:

• 'How much longer until I break?': The emotional toll of working in the federal government right now

One box of fibs at a time

The ability to return a purchased item has become a core part of the shopping experience. Retailers say consumers are taking advantage of returns — and a recent report from Appriss Retail and Deloitte found it's costing businesses $103 billion a year.

Some consumers are committing outright fraud by shipping back empty boxes or claiming a package never arrived. Others are sending back items after months of use. The culprits are often everyday consumers, and they don't feel bad.

A nation of retail fraudsters.

Also read:

• The rise of the anti-Amazon avengers

The hot new MBA hustle

Elite millennials like Dan Schweber are quitting corporate America in favor of search funds: the practice of buying and running small businesses, also known as "mini private equity."

Plenty of these unglamorous small businesses — like carwashes, plumbing, or snowplowing — are owned by boomers looking to retire. That makes them prime for millennial MBAs like Schweber, who can, in some cases, turn them into multimillion-dollar companies.

Here's how they do it.

Cut the (kiss) cameras

You've probably heard of the viral concert "kiss cam" video that appeared to show Astronomer CEO Andy Byron embracing the company's head of HR Kristin Cabot, then springing apart once they realize they're on camera. The reaction prompted Coldplay's Chris Martin to comment, "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy."

A potential office affair is good gossip, but BI's Katie Notopoulos thinks there's something more troubling here: the knee-jerk reaction to identify the people in the video.

Why she regrets seeing that video.

This week's quote:

"It was like being the lead investigator on your own murder."

— A millennial who was paid to catch people secretly working multiple jobs but ended up joining them.

More of this week's top reads:

• New York's tech elite give Mamdani points for "charisma" — and engaging with them at closed-door meet.
• Meet the 23-year-old investigators tasked with finding Ukraine's missing soldiers.
• Elon Musk's North Star is becoming increasingly clear.
• Amazon's Ring goes full founder mode, taking the company back to its crime-fighting roots.
• The ex-Amazon employee who's helped nearly 4,000 laid-off workers score jobs.
• Rideshare drivers use apps to help them judge whether a ride is worth it. Uber and Lyft are trying to kill some of them.
• Why Sam Altman and OpenAI are making a web browser.
• Make sure you're doing this in your job search — especially if you're early-career.

• The Minecraft generation is cashing in.

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

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we spotlight some of our top stories and bring you behind the scenes of our newsroom. This week, we put a big question to BI readers: Can millennial dads really have it all?

Many fathers told us they're feeling burned out trying to excel at work and be fully present at home. I get it. As a dad of two young kids, I do my best to be an active, present, and equal parenting partner. But I also see, every day, just how much of the heavy lifting my wife does.

What's your take on the millennial dad paradox? Is true balance possible—or just a myth we're still chasing? We'd love to hear from you.

On the agenda today:

• The Supreme Court won't stop DOGE cuts. The mood in DC is bleak.
• For today's elite VCs, controversy can be good for deal flow.
• How Trump's immigration crackdown is changing Wall Street.
• Federal filings reveal how much Google is paying top talent.

But first: Side hustle tips from the pros.

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This week's dispatch

Inside an exclusive entrepreneurs' club

Kathleen Elkins is the kind of journalist who preaches what she covers. She's been writing for years about real estate investing, e-commerce entrepreneurs, and side hustles. She has taken this coverage and put it to practical use: Last year, she started her own business selling pickleball paddles online.

Kathleen recently profiled an exclusive group of Amazon sellers making seven figures in annual revenue. (No, she's not a member — maybe one day!) I sat down with Kathleen to learn more about these entrepreneurs and how they achieved their success.

How did you find out about this niche community of thriving Amazon sellers?

A previous source who I keep in touch with is super ingrained in the Amazon seller community and suggested I talk to one of the cofounders of Million Dollar Sellers. She put us in touch, we set up an intro call, and I pretty immediately knew that I wanted to proceed with a story about the community and how one gets into the exclusive club.

What is it like to be a member of this club? How does one get into it, and what are the benefits?

The cofounder I spoke to, Eugene Khayman, told me the two biggest perks of being a member are the Facebook Group and the events. He likened them to "a family reunion, where you're actually excited to see everybody there." He knows how difficult and lonely it can feel at times to sell to faceless customers, and the in-person events help him get fired up and gain positive momentum.

What did you learn from these e-commerce sellers that might help you in your own side hustle?

After writing about e-commerce entrepreneurs for years, I decided to give it a go myself, mostly out of curiosity: Can anyone — including a journalist with some savings and a couple of free hours after work — make money selling things online? What does it really take? Turns out, a lot of time and effort. Starting a business, even as a side project, is all-consuming.

I'll leave you with two takeaways: One, I'm going to have to spend money on Amazon ads. Two, keep talking to people in the e-commerce space who know what they're doing and get curious. As Eugene told me, "It's all about putting yourself in a room with people that are smarter than you."

Fear and denial in DC

For months, mass DOGE layoffs were stalled as a legal battle between the White House and advocacy groups played out. That all changed Tuesday, when the Supreme Court announced it wouldn't stand in the way of the Trump administration.

BI spoke to 16 employees at federal agencies to gauge the reaction. Most used words like "fear," "uncertainty," "disheartening," and "bleak" to describe the mood within their agencies. Some expressed concern about their livelihoods and financial security, as well as the future of public service.

"I can't see any of this ending well."

Also read:

• What we know so far about how federal job cuts could play out

It's not just Shaun Maguire

When the Sequoia Capital partner called NYC mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani an "Islamist," it made national news and prompted two open letters. Instead of an apology or deleted tweet, however, Maguire only doubled down on his comments.

The saga might just mark a new era in a post-pandemic tech ecosystem. Top investors have learned they can be loud, bold, and polarizing, and it won't impact their ability to secure deals.

The venture capital "fame game."

Also read:

• Read the open letter circulating in support of the Sequoia partner who called Zohran Mamdani an 'Islamist'
• Who is Shaun Maguire, the VC partner facing backlash over his remarks about Zohran Mamdani

Trump's border policy hits Wall Street

Though the financial industry isn't the obvious target of Trump's immigration crackdown, its effects are still being felt across hiring, travel, and dealmaking.

Lawyers, executives, and business leaders told BI how Trump's border policy is changing their daily lives, from amending the language they use at the border to scrutinizing immigration compliance in M&A deals.

Wall Street as a border town.

Google salaries revealed

The search and cloud giant keeps salary data confidential. However, publicly available work visa data filed with the US Labor Department offers a glimpse of how much it pays certain roles.

Google has hired thousands of software engineers through this process. The data shows they can command salaries as high as $340,000 before equity and bonuses.

See how much key roles make.

This week's quote:

"She always made it clear she would walk away when the time was right. She made enough money that she doesn't need to work."

— Linda Yaccarino's friend on Yaccarino leaving her CEO role at X.

More of this week's top reads:

• Big Four internship season is in full swing. Here's how to get through the door at KPMG, according to three current interns.
• Grok, the AI chatbot from Elon Musk's xAI, explained.
• Companies have plans for extreme weather and workplace violence. Now, some are planning for ICE raids, too.
• Is your chatbot judging you? How Big Tech is cracking down on 'preachy' AI.
• Law firms' new competition is small, fast, cheap, and AI-driven — and it's not a law firm at all.
• These are the most popular AI coding tools among engineers.

• Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino couldn't turn Elon Musk's business around — because of Elon Musk.

  ---

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

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. The dust is still settling on the nasty breakup between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Here's the latest on how the bromance soured so quickly.

On the agenda today:

• Floyd Mayweather's fitness business is on the ropes. Gym owners are punching back.
• Trouble in Florida's real estate is bad news for the rest of us.
• BI obtained a recording of a Tesla training session that reveals what an instructor told staff about company culture.
• Text scammers are preying on job market fears, and young people are taking the bait.

But first: Time to network.

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

This week's dispatch

Networking has a new era

For job seekers, there's a saying that's been around for as long as I can remember: "It's not what you know, it's who you know."

That mantra is perhaps more important now than ever.

My BI colleague Tim Paradis, who writes about leadership and the workplace, published a piece last week titled, "There's really only one way to get a new job these days."

Spoiler alert: It's through networking and connections.

Recruiters and career coaches say professional elbow-rubbing is even more imperative in this economy, where companies are flattening management layers and becoming more discerning about who they hire. Research also shows that companies are hiring fewer people in roles that AI can do.

Friday's jobs report showed the winners and losers of the workforce are increasingly coming into focus. Roles in healthcare and service work are still growing, whereas the white-collar workforce and new grads looking for work are struggling.

In this market, one way for job seekers to get ahead is to build genuine relationships that can help them stand out in competitive hiring processes.

"You've got more reasons to treat networking like healthy eating or hitting the gym — and not something you do only in January," Paradis writes.

BI's Alice Tecotzky and Paradis outlined some of the dos and don'ts of networking in 2025:

Be specific: Make sure your LinkedIn messages stand out. When it comes to online outreach, send a tailored message instead of a boilerplate one.

Keep it professional — even online: Experts say maintaining professionalism on social media is key.

Dress for the industry: In-person schmoozing is back, and dressing the part is crucial. Each industry requires a slightly different look. Know your audience.

Don't wait until you need a job: A common mistake is that people often start networking only when they need a job. Maintaining relationships even when you're secure in a job matters.

Don't make it all about you: Too many people only highlight their own experiences. Come up with questions ahead of time for the people you are meeting.

Don't ask for too much: "You need to be very targeted and strategic about your ask, and you can probably only get away with asking them one thing," Dorie Clark, a communication coach who teaches at Columbia Business School, told BI.

On the ropes

Mayweather Boxing and Fitness had 70 franchises at its peak in 2023. Dozens have shuttered since then, and four of the franchisees have sued.

Ten franchisees who spoke to BI said their industry was facing broader economic challenges, but they also said Mayweather hasn't done enough to promote the brand. The company pushed back, saying it's "deeply misleading" to suggest a lack of contribution from the star boxer, and that Mayweather's stardom isn't a "silver bullet" for a small business.

Facing off.

Tides turn on Florida real estate

The Sunshine State was a pandemic-era hot spot, luring millions of movers. Now, residents are facing an affordability crisis, hurricane-fueled insurance headaches, and steep property tax bills.

Florida's net migration has waned since 2022 despite substantial housing supply. But it's not just a Florida issue; it could be a bellwether for the rest of the country.

A grim warning for America's homebuyers.

Inside a Tesla training session

Tesla halted production at its Austin factory during the week of Memorial Day and held cleaning and training events for employees, including one focused on company culture.

BI obtained a recording of the session, where the instructor encouraged employees to take responsibility for Tesla's culture and play a more active role in improving it. "A lot of people leave this company, and they have kind of a negative taste in their mouth," the instructor said, adding: "It's us as the people on the ground that are a reflection of the culture."

A glimpse into how the company is handling morale.

The rise of text scams

No, it's not just you. There's been an uptick in scam text messages offering fake job offers, and it's about to get worse.

The opportunity is ripe right now for job scammers targeting people desperate for work. The labor market is getting rocky and more Americans are on edge about finances. Plus, AI is making these scams harder to detect.

No one is immune.

This week's quote:

"It's definitely founder preparation boot camp."

— Lisa Vo on how the Forward Deployed Software Engineer role at Palantir is key for producing startup founders.

More of this week's top reads:

• "Looksmaxxing" has roots in the toxic online world of incels. So be careful with this new bot on ChatGPT.
• VC giant Andreessen Horowitz's power move has spurred some niche drama at New York Tech Week.
• Middle manager jobs are changing — and it's a career opportunity for millennials and Gen Z.
• Meet the "reclusive" tech billionaire making an audacious bid to buy TikTok.
• Walmart workers are sharing photos of price hikes of 38% or more — and some prices are up at Target, too.
• Six Wall Street veterans share the best trades they've ever made.
• How Lattice is preparing for a world where humans and AI agents work together.
• The 14 dealmakers investors call when they want to offload their private equity fund stakes.
• What the anonymous tech site Blind reveals about the mood in Silicon Valley.

• What a top Microsoft exec learned from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, per an internal email.

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  The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.