• Citigroup is the latest investment bank to crack down on talent poaching, taking a similar approach to Goldman Sachs by requiring junior bankers to disclose any future-dated offers they have taken. The disclosures aim to dissuade analysts from taking buy-side offers. But experts tell Fortune these employment disclosures are ethically dubious and have potential for legislative pushback.

Citigroup is hopping on the loyalty oath trend, asking its newest class of junior investment bankers to disclose whether they have accepted future job offers from another firm.

First-year Citigroup analysts will be required to complete an “attestation,” aimed to “foster a fair and transparent environment,” according to a memo reviewed by Bloomberg this week. The attestation is expected to be a one-time form, but may become an annual recurrence for these analysts, Bloomberg reported. Experts tell Fortune employment disclosures for future-dated offers are ethically dubious and have potential for legislative pushback. 

Citi’s effort reflects an industrywide crackdown on talent poaching by private-equity firms that participate in “on-cycle recruiting,” Fortune reported earlier this month.

The recruiting frenzy has junior analysts penning future-dated buy-side job offers before they complete their investment-banking training, or even before they set foot on their job sites. The practice has frustrated banks unable to retain talented workers after their initial contracts end.

Last month, JPMorgan Chase told incoming graduates they would be fired if they accepted future jobs elsewhere before completing their first 18 months. Goldman Sachs followed, introducing quarterly loyalty oaths, where junior bankers have to disclose if they have taken future-dated private-equity jobs. Now, it’s Citigroup’s turn.

But job disclosure initiatives to dissuade junior bankers from taking PE offers come with their own risks, experts tell Fortune.

“I would call [employment disclosures] draconian, unethical … soul-and-motivation-killing,” Joshua Bienstock, a labor and employment attorney and associate professor of business law at the New York Institute of Technology, told Fortune.

Bienstock said he doesn’t “see anything positive about” the employment disclosure trend in investment banking—rather, he sees the loyalty oaths as a wedge to drive top talent away from the large firms as young employees have new priorities. 

A 2024 SHRM study found Gen Z prioritizes flexible work schedules over competitive work salaries. Bienstock said employment disclosures represent an “oppressive” employer that young workers are willing to leave now more than ever.

“The brightest of the best are going to look at these large, behemoth companies and say, ‘Why do I need you, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs?’” Bienstock said. “I could go to other places where maybe I’m not going to make exactly the same amount of money, but I’m not going to be in this kind of onerous situation.”

Paul Webster, managing partner at Page Executive North America, a search and recruitment firm, told Fortune previously that investment banking loyalty oaths meant to retain top talent may have the opposite effect: diminishing company loyalty and increasing a worker’s willingness to jump ship.

“It’s going to really kill employee morale,” Bienstock said.

Possible legislative pushback 

New York State attempted to pass a law in 2023 to ban noncompete agreements for all employees regardless of wage or income level before ultimately being vetoed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Bienstock warns employment disclosures could face similar legislative scrutiny in a state that harbors a deep “disdain” for noncompetes and other restrictive covenants.

In February, New York State Sen. Sean Ryan introduced a new bill that would ban noncompete agreements except for highly compensated workers, a main sticking point for Hochul in the previous bill.

“I see the same thing happening here—that there’s going to be a really, really quick reaction, particularly [by] New York City and New York State, to creating prohibitions or limitations” on the employment disclosures, Bienstock said.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Millennials have officially overtaken Generation X as the largest cohort of managers in the American workforce in 2025. This generational handoff marks more than a demographic curiosity—it’s potentially a major shift in how organizations are led, as millennials have a different management style than their predecessors.

According to the semiannual Worklife Trends report by Glassdoor, millennials became the largest share of the managerial workforce in late June 2025, overtaking Gen Xers, who dominated leadership during the past two decades. At current aging trends, according to projections from Glassdoor lead economist Daniel Zhao, Gen Z will provide a greater share of managers than baby boomers in late 2025 or 2026. Already, Gen Z makes up one in 10 managers.

Glassdoor

Since becoming the most populous generation in the labor force in the mid-2010s, millennials have steadily risen through the ranks, propelled by demographic inevitability, retirements among baby boomers, and new attitudes toward organizational leadership. This ascent caps years of warnings and speculation about how millennial values would shape the workplace.

In an interview with Fortune, Zhao said millennials are inheriting a tough situation, but it could be worse. Workers by and large “don’t feel like they’re in a great situation” right now, but Zhao noted things have not deteriorated for workers since the last edition of the report in January 2025.

Although Zhao didn’t use this particular Gen Z slang, the state of the workforce that is now majority managed by millennials is mid. “At the very least it doesn’t seem that workers are feeling worse,” Zhao said. “I don’t know if you can call that a silver lining.”

Millennials managing through the ongoing ‘burnout crisis’

Millennials are widely credited with pushing “empathy” and “well-being” to the forefront of management culture. They prioritize policies such as remote work, mental-health benefits, and boundary-setting—yet there’s a reason millennials stress mental health so much: They are experiencing record levels of burnout, stress, and job insecurity themselves, leading some workplace experts to warn of a looming “manager crash” in 2025. Zhao agreed this lines up with anecdotes in Glassdoor reviews, but not the data in his research.

Zhao, for his part, writes that the mental-health challenges facing the current workforce show “no signs of abating.” He writes of burnout as an “ongoing crisis,” with mentions in Glassdoor reviews spiking 73% year over year as of May 2025. “Reviews about burnout often refer to the cumulative effect of several years of layoffs and understaffing wearing on employees who remain.”

Of course, the term “burnout” became largely synonymous with the millennial generation in Anne Helen Petersen’s viral 2019 Buzzfeed article on the subject, which morphed into a book and a deep vein of reporting for years to come. Speaking to Petersen’s thesis, that millennials were born into a culture and climate of constant work from a young age, the average number of direct reports per manager has almost doubled in recent years, piling burnout levels of stress onto the burnout generation, just as they become the majority of managers.

Zhao declined to comment on Petersen’s thesis directly, but on the subject of burnout more generally noted that many millennial managers, especially those in their forties and late thirties, are aging into the “sandwich generation,” with responsibilities that have been typical for Gen X: “Millennials right now are in a place where their career pressures might be highest, but there are also these other personal pressures that are really stressing millennials out.” Zhao added that “in a sense, they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Despite their ambitions, many millennial managers report receiving little to no formal leadership training, often feeling unprepared for the complexities of managing teams across multiple generations and responding to rapid organizational change. This is bound to worsen with double the reports of the historical average. And while they stress empathy, millennials are the generation that invented the term “ghosting” for their avoidant behaviors on social media, and many struggle with assertiveness and managing workplace conflict head-on. Finally, millennials are the “participation trophy” generation, and some bruising TikTok videos have argued that millennial bosses have a toxic tendency to try to befriend all their direct reports. “Wolves in sheep’s clothing,” they were called. Ouch.

The flip side of emotional intelligence

Zhao told Fortune that the well-worn cliché about millennial managers being known for their focus on empathy has a flip side. Glassdoor has seen a change in how people talk about management over the past five years since the pandemic, he said: “Reviews that discuss management increasingly emphasize terms related to emotional intelligence, like ‘respecting boundaries,’ ‘being empathetic,’ ‘promoting employee well-being,’ and ‘addressing burnout.’” Zhao noted it shows that workers’ expectations have increased: “The bar on what constitutes a good manager has been raised.”

It doesn’t mean millennials are inherently gifted at emotional intelligence, Zhao said, just that it’s an expectation of their reports, be they fellow millennials, Gen Z, or perhaps even Gen X or boomers. Zhao referenced research that the phrase “emotional intelligence” really started picking up in the 21st century. How ironic, then, that the population that mainstreamed emotional intelligence when they entered the workforce is now responsible for managing it.

Although millennials generally seek to build trust and provide recognition, generational divides persist: A notable minority of employees, especially Gen Z, remain neutral or uncertain about the recognition they receive. According to a comprehensive Deloitte survey, millennials themselves want more feedback, mentorship, and growth opportunities, both for their teams and for their own careers.

This may be why millennials are getting saddled with a dreaded moniker: the so-called cool boss. Recent reporting and viral social-media content have fueled criticism of millennial managers for blurring the line between manager and friend—sometimes to detrimental effect. Sketches and first-person accounts highlight a stereotype of the millennial manager who is eager to be seen as hip, adopting a laid-back attitude, casual communication, and a friendly rapport with direct reports. Critics argue this style can be toxic in creating a “false sense of warmth” that masks underlying power dynamics. In terms of achieving results, the cool boss act leads to inconsistent or unclear expectations, fueling anxiety among staff. And when negative feedback is necessary, the cool boss dropping the mask can come as a shock to their subordinates.

Many millennial managers report difficulties in setting clear boundaries with their teams as they struggle to code-switch from friendly to authoritative as situations demand. Setting boundaries is further complicated by generational shifts: Younger employees, particularly Gen Z, also favor fluid boundaries and a flat hierarchy, sometimes intensifying the ambiguity around roles and expectations.

While Zhao did not comment directly on the so-called cool boss meme, he said millennial managers are walking an “extremely tough line right now.” Millennials are supposed to be at the peak of their career, but many are also taking care of kids, parents, even elder family members. “On the care aspect,” Zhao said, “there’s been a lot of discussion, especially since the pandemic, on the gaps … in the American economy today.”

Are you a millennial who’s a manager, or do you have a millennial for a manager? Fortune would love to hear from you: get in touch at [email protected].

For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing. 

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

On Thursday night, I toggled endlessly between a TikTok Live stream and a shopping app in anticipation of 9:30PM. For 30 minutes, I hunted for an available listing; many expletives were uttered. I exhibited bot behavior and got iced out of the app multiple times. I tapped so many times my thumbs got sore. This is Labubu drop night.

Something that's lost in the Labubu mania is that actually buying one from the source is, in one word, maddening. There are, of course, countless fake options ("Lafufus") that some collectors have come to embrace. But if you want a guaranteed real one, you have to go to the source. Pop Mart, the Chinese toy compa …

Read the full story at The Verge.

• Some American towns and cities offer major incentives to lure people to move there.
• The perks, often aimed at qualifying remote workers, range from cash to free land to gift cards.
• Business Insider rounded up 26 places that compensate people in some way to move there.

Remote work and a search for affordable housing have reshaped where people live.

Cities across the US that might have previously flown under the radar are offering new residents big incentives, from cash to free land.

Lillian Griffith moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, from Alpharetta, Georgia, in August 2022 to take advantage of the Tulsa Remote program, which granted her $10,000 simply for relocating to the city.

"The Tulsa Remote program is not some elitist program that only accepts people who work in high-paying positions," Griffith, a data engineer, told Business Insider in 2023. "It's more about pulling people who can bring a good culture to the city."

New residents can boost the communities offering incentives, too.

Perry County, Indiana, located an hour west of Louisville, Kentucky, offers qualifying new residents $7,000 split into two payments: $3,500 when they arrive and $3,500 after 12 months.

It's an investment in the region's future, said Shiraz Mukarram, manager at the Perry County Development Corporation.

"We do not want Perry County to be one of those statistics of a declining population. We want to make it grow," Mukarram told BI.

Business Insider rounded up 26 places across the US that are dishing out perks to anyone who moves there, presented in alphabetical order.

Do you know of another city that pays people to move there? Did you get paid to move somewhere? We'd love to hear about it. Email reporter Jordan Pandy at [email protected] or Alcynna Lloyd at [email protected].

A lottery program in Baltimore wants to reduce the upfront costs required for prospective residents to buy a home.

Buying Into Baltimore is a program that awards $5,000 in down-payment and closing-cost assistance to a few lucky prospective homebuyers who enter a lottery after attending a special Trolley Tour that is held three times a year. (The next one will be in the fall.)

The prize is not limited to first-time homebuyers, but following the event, applicants have 10 business days to make an offer on a home, have the offer accepted, and obtain a contract of sale to be eligible to even enter the lottery.

A special note for remote workers considering making a move: The property must also be used as a primary residence.

This small Kansas town will pay you to build a home there.

Building a house can be expensive, but what if someone helped foot the bill?

Belleville, a small town in north-central Kansas' Republic County, is offering up to $35,000 in grants to attract new residents willing to build homes there.

The incentive includes a $25,000 base grant for anyone constructing a single-family home. An additional $10,000 bonus is available to those whose homes are among the first five built within city limits.

To qualify, you have to apply through Republic County's economic development office or partner with a local bank prior to starting construction. After approval, construction must begin within 30 days.

Belleville, through MakeMyMove, also offers eligible remote workers perks beyond homebuying: up to $1,500 annually for five years toward student loans and up to $3,000 for movers who are employed by Republic County.

A city on a lake in Minnesota wants to reimburse you for your relocation costs.

Bemidji, a 15,000-person city in northern Minnesota, has a program offering remote workers interested in moving to the area six months of free internet service, a one-year membership to a coworking space, a one-year membership to the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce, and free access to community programs and events.

To qualify, movers must work primarily from home and be relocating from at least 60 miles away.

A city in Iowa will give $5,000 to remote workers who relocate to the area.

Nicknamed the "City of Five Seasons," Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is located in eastern Iowa along the banks of the Cedar River. While it's the second-largest city in the state, its closest big town is Des Moines, which is about a two-hour drive northeast.

Cedar Rapids is located in one of the most prominent manufacturing regions in the US and is recognized as the largest corn-processing city in the world, according to its official website. Beyond agriculture, the city also has a strong job market, with several Fortune 500 companies, including Collins Aerospace and Nordstrom calling it home.

In partnership with MakeMyMove, the city is offering $5,000 to non-Iowa residents to relocate there. To qualify, applicants must be willing to move within six months of approval, work remotely, and earn an annual income of at least $55,000.

Columbus, Georgia, will pay remote workers $5,000 to move there.

Columbus, a 200,000-person city on the Georgia-Alabama border, is offering $5,000 to remote workers who move there.

Through MakeMyMove, Columbus also offers relocators other perks, including six months of time at a coworking space, coffee with the mayor, and a two-night hotel stay for a visit before your move.

The total package is worth $8,700, according to MakeMyMove.

In order to qualify for the program, you need to be employed full-time, earn at least $75,000, and live at least 75 miles outside Columbus at the time of the application.

Fort Wayne, Indiana, will help you pay your down payment.

Both first-time and repeat homebuyers moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, can get help buying a home thanks to Hoosier Homes Plus, a down payment assistance program sponsored by the Fort Wayne Housing Authority.

The program offers buyers up to 5% of the home's purchase price to assist with down payment and closing costs.

To qualify, applicants must work with an approved lender, have a minimum credit score of 640, and have a household income at or below the county-specific limit of $126,000.

Additionally, first-time homebuyers are required to complete a homebuyer education course.

Hamilton, Ohio, assists recent graduates with their student-loan payments.

Hamilton, Ohio — a city of 63,000 about 20 miles north of Cincinnati — is encouraging recent college graduates to apply for its Talent Attraction Program Scholarship.

Scholarship recipients can get up to $15,000 a year toward student loan payments. 

In order to qualify for the scholarship, you must have graduated from a STEAM (science, tech, engineering, the arts, or math) program within the last seven years. You must not already live in the city of Hamilton but have plans to move or live in what the city defines as one of its urban neighborhoods.

Applicants must demonstrate employment within Butler County or a full-time remote position. Preference is given to people "with a desire to give back to the community and become engaged in activities."

This city in Kansas is helping renters become homeowners.

Hutchinson — a city of about 40,000 people in south central Kansas — is helping its movers achieve the American dream of homeownership.

The city is offering renters who move into one of its qualifying neighborhoods —College Grove, Creekside, Founders, Grace Arbor, Houston Whiteside Historic District, Midtown — up to $2,500 in matching funds to purchase their first home.

Jackson, Michigan, is offering up to $25,000 to help people buy homes in the city.

Jackson, Michigan, a city of about 31,000 people in south-central Michigan, is attracting residents with newly built homes and down payment assistance.

As part of its 100 Home Program, the city plans to construct 100 one-and two-bedroom homes on vacant residential lots across Jackson, each priced at $175,000.

To help buyers better afford these homes, the city is offering up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for eligible applicants earning up to 120% of the area's median income.

In addition, buyers are encouraged to apply for an extra $10,000 in assistance through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

A Kentucky nonprofit is trying to reverse population loss by offering $7,500 to people who move to one of 34 counties in the state.

The nonprofit Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) was founded to reverse population loss in the rural, mountainous regions of Kentucky.

It offers relocation grants to remote workers, which include $5,000 for the worker who moves, plus an additional $2,500 bonus if their partner secures a job in education or healthcare.

Interested remote workers can move to any of 34 eligible counties in the eastern part of Kentucky; the swath includes a scenic network of canyons called the Red River Gorge and the Country Music Highway Museum, dedicated to artists from the region like Billy Ray Cyrus and The Judds.

Applicants must make $70,000 and currently reside outside Kentucky.

Ketchikan, Alaska, pays up to $2,000 a year to live there and provides free internet.

Ketchikan, a scenic coastal city near the southernmost tip of Alaska that is a 90-minute flight from Seattle, launched the Choose Ketchikan program in November 2021.

Applicants over 18 must be "fully employed." To be eligible, an individual or family must currently live outside Alaska while working remotely for a company that is also outside Alaska.

After relocation, all Alaska residents get an annual payment from Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend, which can be as much as $3,000 a year or more.

Ketchikan, which touts its clean air and drinking water, is also offering new residents three months of free high-speed internet.

This Georgia town will pay you $2,500 and give you a gym membership if you move there.

Macon-Bibb, Georgia, is one of the newest cities to launch a relocation program through MakeMyMove.

The central Georgia city is offering qualifying out-of-state remote workers $2,500 to make it their home. Additionally, new residents will receive a three-month coworking membership at The Office, a local workspace, and a three-month family trial membership at One Life Fitness, a local gym.

The state of Maine offers student-loan repayment assistance to eligible college graduates.

Maine has said it can reimburse residents who graduated after 2007 through its student loan repayment tax credit program.

If you live in Maine during the tax year, you are likely eligible for a tax credit that could total up to $2,500 annually, up to $25,000 lifetime, toward student-loan payments.

Additional perks are available for graduates with STEM degrees, including the possibility of refunding the entirety of their state tax payments.

Manilla, Iowa, is offering free plots of land to people who will build homes on them.

Manilla — a small city in western Iowa — is offering free lots of land to anyone looking to build a single-family home.

Manilla is also eliminating taxes on the homes built on the "no cost lots" for the first five years.

A program in West Virginia is offering potential new residents $12,000 in cash.

West Virginia launched a program named Ascend WV to attract out-of-state remote workers to Morgantown, a vibrant college town home to West Virginia University.

To be eligible, potential residents must be 18 years or older, able to verify remote employment, and willing to move to the city of 30,000 for two years.

Those accepted to the program are expected to relocate to Morgantown within six months and receive $12,000 in cash in monthly installments. If people choose to purchase a home in West Virginia, they can get the remaining cash payments in a lump sum.

Other perks of the program include a coworking-space membership and free outdoor-gear rentals.

In addition to Morgantown, Ascend WV also incentivizes moves to other parts of West Virginia: the Greenbrier Valley, the Eastern Panhandle, the New River Gorge area, and Greater Elkins community.

Newton, Iowa, is offering homebuyers more than $10,000 to buy a house priced at $240,000 or more.

Newton, Iowa, about 30 miles east of Des Moines, wants to give relocators who purchase a home there cash upon closing.

The city is offering $10,000 in cash to buyers of homes valued at more than $240,000 and a five-year tax abatement for homes below that value. Eligible homes include single-family new builds that started construction in 2020 or 2021.

There's also a "Get to Know Newton Welcome Package" that includes gifts from local businesses and opportunities to attend local events, including at the Iowa Speedway.

A town outside Indianapolis is offering a $5,000 grant and other perks to new residents.

Located just 30 minutes from downtown Indianapolis, Noblesville is home to the Ruoff Music Center, the region's most significant outdoor concert venue.

The town is offering new residents a package that includes a $5,000 relocation grant, a $500 health and wellness stipend, and a one-year membership to a local coworking space, among other incentives.

Remote workers interested in the program must make at least $80,000 annually and be able to relocate within six months of applying.

A small Illinois town is offering $5,000 to movers looking for work.

Quincy, Illinois, a town of 40,000 on the Missouri border, has also launched a program to incentivize Americans to relocate there.

The Quincy Workforce Relocation Assistance Program, also called Quincy's Calling, offers movers who can get a job within the county a property-tax rebate of up to $5,000 after one year of living and working in the area.

If you would prefer to rent, you can get a rental rebate of up to $3,500 after six months of residency and employment.

Remote workers aren't eligible for the program. New residents must work in Adams County, where Quincy is.

A small county in Indiana is paying qualified remote workers $7,000.

Since 2023, Perry County has offered a cash incentive of $7,000 to qualifying remote workers and their families who move to the rural community. Located between Evansville, Illinois, and Louisville, Kentucky, along the Ohio River, Perry County has fewer than 20,000 residents, according to the most recent census data.

The $7,000 payment is split into two installments — one when families first move and another after 12 months. Families also receive a welcome basket that includes freebies from local fudge to discounted WiFi.

Eligible applicants must make $50,000 at a job they can retain when they move and be able to relocate within 6 months.

Shiraz Mukarram, manager at the Perry County Development Corporation, told BI that families have moved to the county from states including Florida, Georgia, California, and Massachusetts with great success.

Remote workers could earn $5,000 if they move to Switzerland County, Indiana.

Switzerland County, Indiana, about an hour southeast of Cincinnati, is home to the towns of Patriot and Vevay.

The latter was once home to the first successful wine vineyard in the US, though wine production has since ceased.

Still, each year, people from across the country gather to celebrate the county's wine heritage and sample wines at its annual Swiss Wine Festival.

To encourage relocation to the area, the city has partnered with MakeMyMove to offer $5,000 to eligible out-of-state remote workers who relocate there.

A handful of cities in Alabama are offering remote workers who move to the area $10,000 cash, paid out over a year.

The Shoals in Alabama — a cluster of municipalities including Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia that straddles the banks of the Tennessee River — is offering remote workers $10,000 to move to the area.

Near the border with Tennessee and Mississippi, the four cities are just a few hours from hubs including Memphis, Nashville, and Birmingham. 

The program offers $2,500 upfront for relocation costs, an additional $2,500 six months after moving there, and $5,000 at the end of the first year of residency.

Eligible applicants must be over 18 and able to move to the region within six months. They must also be employed outside the area and have a minimum annual income of $52,000.

Texarkana, which straddles Texas and Arkansas, offers a $5,000 relocation bonus to new residents.

Texarkana is a pair of neighboring twin cities with the same name in both states it straddles: Texas and Arkansas.

The cities have separate municipal governments but often operate as one metropolitan region. It has a joint offer for remote workers moving to either city.

Texarkana is offering a $5,000 relocation bonus along with other incentives, including free tickets to the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and a 25% tuition discount at Texas A&M at Texarkana, the local four-year public university.

Eligible applicants must make at least $75,000 a year. They must reside outside the state of Arkansas or, if a Texas resident, at least 75 miles from Texarkana.

Topeka, Kansas, is offering potential new residents up to $15,000 to move there.

Kansas' state capital has teamed up with employers to offer cash to those willing to move there.

Participants of the program, called Choose Topeka, can receive up to $15,000 if they purchase a home in Topeka and secure a job in the area. Remote workers with employment outside the area can earn up to $5,000 toward rental costs or $10,000 toward a home purchase.

As an added bonus, Jimmy John's, the sandwich franchise, throws in an extra $1,000 for anyone who moves within delivery range of one of its shops.

Tucson, Arizona, is offering remote workers perks and services worth about $7,500.

A local economic-development organization launched Remote Tucson during the COVID-19 pandemic to lure remote workers to the area.

The program offers relocators $1,500 toward moving costs, one year of free internet, free trials at local coworking spaces, membership to a local cultural institution, networking opportunities, and more.

Eligible applicants must be over 18 years old, have full-time remote employment outside the area, and be able to move to Tucson within six months.

Tulsa Remote, one of the country's most well-known incentive programs, offers remote workers $10,000 grants.

Tulsa Remote, a program that started in 2018, is designed to draw new residents to Oklahoma. Since 2018, the program has helped more than 1,400 people relocate to Tulsa.

The program offers $10,000, which people can put toward purchasing or renting a home in Tulsa. It also offers $500 travel reimbursements and a $150 Airbnb credit for applicants to familiarize themselves with the area.

BI previously interviewed four people who hailed from major cities on both US coasts and made the move to Tulsa — most said it was a fantastic decision.

To qualify for the program, applicants must be over 18 and live outside Oklahoma. They must also prove a consistent stream of income and the ability to work remotely. Applicants must also promise to commit to moving to and living in Tulsa for at least one year.

This Arkansas town will pay you to move and even treat you to dinner with the mayor.

Sitting just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, is West Memphis, Arkansas, which is working to attract more residents.

The city is offering housing incentives for movers. Homebuyers can receive up to $10,000 in cash, while renters may qualify for up to $5,000.

Through MakeMyMove, new residents also receive a two-night stay at West Memphis' Southland Casino Hotel and an opportunity to have dinner with the mayor.

Taylor Borden, Libertina Brandt, and Leanna Garfield contributed to previous versions of this story.

The long-running video game series Assassin's Creed will get a live-action TV series adaptation. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter report that Netflix has greenlit the series after years of development hell; the intention to produce the series was announced in 2020.

The series had been through multiple creative teams even before it was greenlit, but Netflix settled on two co-showrunners. Roberto Patino, a writer on FX's Sons of Anarchy and HBO's Westworld, will join David Wiener, who led Paramount+'s Halo TV series as well as Fear the Walking Dead.

The two released a joint statement with the news that the show is moving forward:

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South Korea's top court has upheld an appeals court ruling to dismiss all charges in a long-running fraud case against Samsung chairman Jay Y. Lee. The accounting fraud and stock manipulation charges stemmed from a merger of two Samsung subsidiaries in 2015. Prosecutors had accused Lee of manipulating share prices to help clear the way for the merger in an attempt to consolidate his power.

In 2024, a court ruled that the prosecutors failed to prove their claims. The case has worked through the appeals process since then. In a statement to Reuters, Samsung's lawyers said the latest ruling confirmed that the merger had been completed legally and added they were "sincerely grateful" to the Supreme Court.

Back in 2017, Lee was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of bribing public officials with regards to the merger. However, the Supreme Court overturned the decision and ordered a re-trial. As a result of that, Lee was handed a 30-month prison sentence and served 18 months before being paroled. Then-South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol (who was removed from office this year and recently rearrested over a failed martial law attempt in 2024) later pardoned Lee.

While the Supreme Court's ruling had been widely expected, it clears "a layer of legal uncertainty" related to Samsung, one analyst said. It will allow Lee to focus more of his attention on Samsung, which earlier this month projected a 56 percent drop in operating profit for the April-June quarter compared with the same period in 2024. That is due, in large part, to sluggish sales of its AI chips.

• You've probably seen the Coldplay "kiss cam" moment that has ricocheted around the internet.
• A tech CEO and his head of HR appear to embrace, then look mortified after seeing themselves on cam.
• I wish I didn't know anything about any of this — I wish none of us did.

I don't want to know what you did at a Coldplay concert. I don't want to know who you were there with, what the track list was. I don't even want to know you went!

And if it turns out that you were caught on camera in a passionate embrace with a coworker? I mean, sure, I'm curious. I love gossip! But I'm not sure I should know about that. And that goes double if I don't know you in real life.

On Thursday, as I'm sure you know by now, a "kiss cam" video went viral from a Coldplay concert outside Boston on Wednesday night. In the clip, two audience members stand against a railing, the man with his arms around the woman. They look to be in their late 40s or early 50s, fit and attractive, enjoying the musical stylings of arguably Britain's greatest rock act of the 21st century.

As soon as they realize they're on the Jumbotron, the woman turns to hide her face, and the man ducks. You overhear front-man Chris Martin say into the microphone, "Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy."

Yikes!

The clip appeared to show Astronomer CEO Andy Byron embracing the company's head of HR, Kristin Cabot. Neither has commented on the clip.

I'm not sure how people online figured out who these people were. Was it by using a controversial facial-recognition tool like PimEyes? Or was it from someone who knows them in real life who identified them?

The thing is, I don't know these people. (Neither, probably, do you.) I don't know their lives. I have no idea what was really going on. Astronomer execs, board members, and founders haven't returned BI's requests for comment, as my colleagues Madeline Berg and Tim Paradis report.

I can say that the online attention they've received is certainly distressing to them — on top of a situation that may also already be very distressing in other ways.

The issue might have some legs from an HR standpoint: If a company CEO is embracing his head of personnel at a concert, could that raise some issues? Sure! That's for the company and its execs to figure out. But otherwise, who cares? I don't.

I just spent almost every day of the last six weeks watching some of the most depraved people on Earth frolic around in swimwear and occasionally hump under thick duvets on "Love Island." I'm not going to suddenly go morality police to say that two Coldplay-loving consenting adults is the biggest scandal I can imagine.

And, to me, there's a potentially unsettling element of potential surveillance. As 404 Media wrote:

The same technologies used to dox and research this CEO are routinely deployed against the partners of random people who have had messy breakups, attractive security guards, people who look "suspicious" and are caught on Ring cameras by people on Nextdoor, people who dance funny in public, and so on. There has been endless debate about the ethics of doxing cops and ICE agents and Nazis, and there are many times where it makes sense to research people doing harm on behalf of the state or who are doing violent, scary things in to innocent people.

It is another to deploy these technologies against random people you saw on an airplane or who had a messy breakup with an influencer.

Again, we're not sure what happened here or how these people were apparently identified. But I don't think it's any of our business — barring something illegal — what happens at a concert. Could it violate a company's rules? Yes, but then the company can deal with it.

By the way: Why the heck does Coldplay have a kiss cam, anyway?

• The Hugo Spritz has emerged as the trendy cocktail of the moment and successor to the Aperol Spritz.
• The recipe calls for prosecco, club soda, and elderflower liqueur, resulting in a sweet, low-ABV drink.
• A foodservice trend analyst said the French-made liqueur lends the Hugo Spritz an escapist appeal.

Last month, while mulling the menu at a trendy restaurant, a suggestion from a friend made me feel woefully out of touch.

"Why don't you get a Hugo Spritz?" the friend asked when I said I was craving a light, summery, and refreshing cocktail.

I asked what that was and was promptly met with a table full of shocked faces. Somehow, I had missed the introduction and gradual takeover of the the hottest new cocktail.

While the thirst for Hugo Spritz certainly isn't new — the recipe has been gaining momentum online for a few years, achieving fleeting virality in 2023 and capturing the attention of wealthy bar patrons in 2024 — recent data indicates that the Hugo's mainstream crossover moment has officially arrived.

In its 2024 trend report, Yelp found a 1,121% increase in searches for "Hugo Spritz" compared to the previous year. Google search volume for "Hugo Spritz" rose 122% from 2023 to 2024, and analytics show interest is even higher this summer than at this time last year. The use of the hashtag #HugoSpritz has steadily increased on TikTok over the last year, reaching peak popularity in late June and early July. Creators have been sharing their favorite takes on the recipe, gleefully adding sprigs of mint or splashes of lime juice. The trend has even inspired at least one original piano ballad, which features the standout lyric, "Cuckoo for Hugo, baby."

The Hugo Spritz has emerged as the clear successor to its Italian cousin, the Aperol Spritz. The latter enjoyed its own renaissance a few years back, arguably reaching peak popularity in the summer of 2023 — auspiciously fueled by HBO's "The White Lotus," whose celebrated second season was filmed in Sicily and aired in late 2022.

Despite its rise to ubiquity, however, Aperol — an apéritif liqueur with strong notes of orange peel and herbs — remains a polarizing ingredient. While some love its bittersweet flavor, others say it tastes thick and medicinal, akin to cough syrup.

By comparison, the Hugo Spritz is positively dessert-like. As with most spritzes, it's typically made with two parts prosecco and two parts soda water. The defining addition is elderflower liqueur — a sweet, floral spirit with such broad appeal and versatility that it earned the nickname "bartender's ketchup" in the late aughts.

St-Germain has long been considered the leader in the elderflower liqueur market, credited for inspiring a slew of copycats after its launch in 2007. The brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2013, further cementing its dominance.

Emma Fox, Bacardi's Global VP, told me via email that St-Germain has seen a 20% increase in retail sales value in the US since last year and an 11% increase over the last five years. Globally, she said the brand's market share has nearly tripled since 2019.

"We know that demand for St-Germain continues to grow, particularly this summer, as people are looking for more choice and creativity in their spritzes and discovering our lighter, brighter taste," Fox said.

St-Germain is made with hand-picked flowers from elderflower trees that grow in the French Alps. Last year, the brand took advantage of that scenery's aesthetic touchstones in a summer ad campaign featuring "Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner, which highlighted the Hugo Spritz for its French flair and easy elegance. (The brand reunited with Turner for another campaign launched in May of this year.)

Much like how Aperol benefited from its Italian roots and eye-catching cameos in the hands of glamorous onscreen Sicilians, the Hugo Spritz has an aspirational appeal in addition to its tasty flavor profile. In the right context, enjoying an effervescent, European-sourced cocktail can feel like micro-dosing a much-needed getaway.

Paige Leyden, Associate Director of foodservice, flavors, and ingredients reports at Mintel, a market intelligence agency, said she noticed the Hugo Spritz trend gain traction in the US in the wake of the 2024 campaign. She attributed the effect to a combination of celebrity influence and our positive associations with a luxurious French lifestyle.

"Travel is expensive, but there is that level of escapism when you can just go to a nice bar and sit outside and have this drink," Leyden said. "You might not be on the picturesque Mediterranean coast, but you're still kind of emulating that."

Of course, in the age of Instagram and TikTok, the power of a compelling visual cannot be overstated. It's not just that a Hugo Spritz can evoke a picturesque setting, but that the drink itself is picturesque, perfectly engineered for virality.

Leyden said her team's research has found that 54% of consumers like to order drinks they see on social media, whether because they were influenced themselves or because they see the potential to influence others — to communicate their knowledge of trends and prove their own sophistication.

On TikTok, food and drink influencers are already doing their part. "It's the perfect drink: refreshing, lemony, floral gorgeousness," creator Lex Nicoleta recently declared to her hundreds of thousands of followers while sipping a homemade Hugo Spritz. "I just think there's not a chicer drink in the world."

San Diego Comic-Con is coming up next week, and Disney is getting ready for its big presentation by releasing a new trailer for TRON: Ares, directed by Joachim Rønning.

(Spoilers for TRON: Legacy below.)

As previously reported, TRON: Legacy ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) from the original film, preventing the digital world from bleeding into the real world, as planned by the Grid's malevolent ruling program, Clu. He brought with him Quorra (Olivia Wilde), a naturally occurring isomorphic algorithm targeted for extinction by Clu.

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Karl Urban takes a break from The Boys to play a washed-up Johnny Cage in the trailer for Mortal Kombat II, a sequel to 2021's Mortal Kombat reboot and the fourth live-action film in the franchise based on the 1990s video game series. It comes one day after Warner Bros. released a (very entertaining) fake trailer for a new in-universe, faux 1990s Johnny Cage movie, Uncaged Fury. (Cage's prior fake film credits apparently include Cool Hand Cage, Hard to Cage, and Rebel Without a Cage.)

The first live-action Mortal Kombat film turns 30 this year. It was a box office success but a critical failure, although it has since evolved into a campy cult classic—and Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa is still considered by many to be the definitive portrayal of sorcerer Shang Tsung.  A 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, however, bombed both critically and financially. And Midway, the game publisher, filed for bankruptcy soon after.

However, Warner Bros. bought the rights and eventually tapped Simon McQuoid to direct a reboot more than 20 years after the original's release, focusing on MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan). The 2021 film earned mixed reviews, but performed sufficiently well at the box office for Warner Bros. to green-light a sequel, also directed by McQuoid. The 2021 film ended with Cole heading to Los Angeles to look for martial arts movie star Johnny Cage, who is the main protagonist of Mortal Kombat II.

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The premiere of Alien: Earth is just weeks away, and FX/Hulu dropped one last trailer to pique our interest, along with a much more detailed synopsis. It's meditative and existential in tone, with a haunting tune playing over footage of mysterious alien craft, dead bodies, blood-spattered humans fleeing through futuristic corridors, and, of course, a spooky silhouette of a xenomorph in the distance.

As previously reported, the eight-episode series is set in 2120, two years before the events of the first film, Alien (1979), in a world where corporate interests are competing to unlock the key to human longevity—maybe even immortality. Showrunner Noah Hawley has said that the style and mythology will be closer to that film than Prometheus (2012) or Alien: Covenant, both of which were also prequels.

Per the official premise:

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It's widely accepted conventional wisdom that when it comes to creative works—TV shows, films, music, books—consumers crave an optimal balance between novelty and familiarity. What we choose to consume and share with others, in turn, drives cultural evolution.

But what if that conventional wisdom is wrong? An analysis based on data from a massive online fan fiction (fanfic) archive contradicts this so-called "balance theory," according to a paper published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. The fanfic community seems to overwhelmingly prefer more of the same, consistently choosing familiarity over novelty; however, they reported greater overall enjoyment when they took a chance and read something more novel. In short: "Sameness entices, but novelty enchants."

Strictly speaking, authors have always copied characters and plots from other works (cf. many of William Shakespeare's plays), although the advent of copyright law complicated matters. Modern fan fiction as we currently think of it arguably emerged with the 1967 publication of the first Star Trek fanzine (Spockanalia), which included spinoff fiction based on the series. Star Trek also spawned the subgenre of slash fiction, when writers began creating stories featuring Kirk and Spock (Kirk/Spock, or K/S) in a romantic (often sexual) relationship.

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