Major airlines are making it free to change your flights ahead of a dangerous winter storm.
Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue are waiving rebooking fees for flights to and from affected regions this weekend.
If your travel plans this weekend include major cities such as Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston, you may want to contact your airline to avoid prolonged delays or cancellations at the airport. The National Weather Service is warning that more than 230 million Americans will be affected, from the Southwest to New England.
Even if you won’t change your plans, your flight may still get canceled. Delta Air Lines said Thursday it is canceling flights at airports in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee, citing safety concerns caused by heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain. The airline will also be bringing in cold-weather specialists.
As of Thursday evening, based on the Misery Map, which tracks real-time flight disruptions, there hasn’t been a spike in delays or cancellations.
Based on recent storms, such as the one that hit over Thanksgiving and coincided with the end of the government shutdown, mass cancellations may be inevitable. So it’s good to know your passenger rights and your options when things don’t go according to plan.
Know your rights as a passenger
Opt in to automatic flight updates via text or email so you don’t miss a flight delay or cancellation notification.
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images
If your flight is canceled and you choose not to rebook, the airline is legally required to provide you with a cash refund — not a voucher or credit.
However, things are different for delays. The Trump Administration recently killed a proposal that would have required airlines to compensate passengers for long delays, so flyers largely have to rely on airline goodwill or their credit cards to get anything for the inconvenience.
Some airlines have committed to providing accommodations, transportation, and food during a controllable overnight delay or cancellation, as outlined in the Airline Customer Service Dashboard.
Controllable disruptions include issues such as maintenance or crew staffing. Frontier Airlines is the only carrier that does not offer accommodations in the event of a controllable overnight delay or cancellation, but it will provide a meal voucher.
It still doesn’t hurt to ask for a meal or hotel voucher when a non-controllable issue arises, such as the weather. The worst they can say is no.
Use your airline’s mobile app to change or cancel your flight
Most airlines also offer a chat function if you prefer to text.
United Airlines
During disruptions, airlines often allow you to make changes via their mobile app or website, rather than waiting on clogged phone lines or in long customer service lines.
If this isn’t an option, try an online chat. Carriers like Delta Air Lines allow you to text a representative for help.
You can put yourself in the virtual queue and wait in line at the airport, potentially upping your chances of speaking with an agent sooner.
Here are the phone numbers for each airline:
Alaska: 1-800-252-7522 or text 82008
Allegiant: 1-702-505-8888
American: 1-800-433-7300
Avelo: 1-346-616-9500
Breeze: No phone number to call, but you can text the airline at 501-273-3931.
Delta: 1-800-221-1212
Frontier: No phone number. The best way to contact Frontier is via online chat or email.
JetBlue: 1-800-538-2583
Southwest: 1-800-435-9792
Spirit: 1-855-728-3555
Sun Country: 1-651-905-2737
United: 1-800-864-8331
Check if you have travel insurance through your credit card
Some travelers rely on their travel credit card to recoup costs during non-airline-controlled flight delays.
Evgenia Parajanian/Shutterstock
Travel credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum, offer built-in insurance that reimburses travelers for hotel, meal, and transportation expenses incurred due to certain flight disruptions.
The weather is typically covered. For this to work, the traveler would have needed to book their flight with that travel card.
If your credit card doesn’t offer travel insurance, it may be worthwhile to purchase a separate trip insurance policy before traveling. This type of insurance can help reimburse costs you might lose due to flight problems, such as prepaid hotel stays or cruise bookings.
However, you must purchase this insurance before any travel disruptions occur — once you know a flight might be affected, it’s likely too late.
Do you remember what you were doing on this day 20 years ago? If you were an avid Disney Channel viewer, chances are, the answer is living and breathing “High School Musical.”
In January 2006, a direct-to-TV movie musical starring a cast of largely unknown teenagers set a single-night audience record on the Disney Channel. It was such a hit that the house of mouse promptly doubled down with repeat screenings, sing-along versions, piles of merchandise, and a live concert tour that packed arenas across the country. By the time the year was out, the soundtrack had become the top-selling album of 2006.
No one could have known that a Disney Channel Original Movie would eventually become a hit trilogy and multibillion-dollar franchise, but director Kenny Ortega was never in the business of half-heartedness. He’d already made a name for himself as a choreographer (“Dirty Dancing,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Madonna’s “Material Girl”) and a director (“Newsies,” “Hocus Pocus”). He’d signed on to choreograph and direct “High School Musical” because he recognized his younger self in the story — but also because he saw potential for an ambitious production, complete with original songs and colorful dance sequences.
Ortega successfully won support from Disney Channel executives to turn the original script into a “full-on musical,” which, at the time, was not a popular format for the network.
“The musical was dead, according to the industry,” Ortega told Business Insider. “The budget came in, and I was like, how the heck am I going to be able to do this?”
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With only about a month to shoot and a few million dollars to spend, it was crucial to ensure that each piece to the puzzle fit perfectly.
“We made every dollar stretch and every minute mean something,” Ortega said. “We didn’t waste any time. Nothing ended up on the cutting room floor.”
Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron, and Monique Coleman on the set of “The Today Show” on March 30, 2006.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
Ortega and his team eventually landed on Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens to play Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, a basketball star and a whiz kid who discover an unlikely love for theater. The high schoolers resolve to follow their dreams and, of course, fall in love in the process. Offscreen, Efron and Hudgens followed suit, dating for several years.
As “High School Musical” celebrates its 20th anniversary this week, Business Insider spoke with Ortega about the movie’s key casting decisions, the actors’ real-life relationships, and the potential for another sequel.
The sibling dynamic between Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel led Ortega to make their characters siblings
Lucas Grabeel and Ashley Tisdale as Ryan and Sharpay in “High School Musical.”
Disney
Is it true that you wanted to run the auditions for “High School Musical” like Broadway auditions?
I did. And I got in a little trouble for that in the beginning.
I remember Judy Taylor, who I adore, who was head of casting at Disney Channel for many, many years, came to me during our big final testing. We had about 25 and 30 kids for the finals. And then we narrowed it down to about 18. And I had them in the room for about six hours — they were playing basketball, they were dancing, they were singing, they were improvising. I was flipping them around and switching them around and looking at the chemistry that was in the room and looking at the promise that was in front of me.
The next day, Judy came back and said, “The agents are flipping out. They want to know what the heck’s going on over here. These kids have other auditions, other people to meet, and you’re holding them ransom.”
But then the next day, Judy came back to me and said that Zac Efron’s agent called her and said, “Zac said it’s the best audition he’s ever been to.” And that even if he didn’t get the part, it was worth being a part of the auditioning.
It was such fun. The kids in that room with me were having an absolute ball. I don’t think they’d ever been put through any kind of an audition like that, being West Coast actors and not East Coast theater actors. I put them through the mill.
Were any of the main cast members almost passed over because there were concerns about their stamina, or their singing and dancing abilities?
There were questions. I mean, I think everybody saw the chemistry between Zac and Vanessa from the very, very beginning and knew that it was palpable and that that was going to be hard to top, but there were also concerns about whether they could handle the responsibility. They were young. Vanessa was 15, Zac was 16, and we were putting them in a full-on musical that they had to carry.
Fortunately, we also had the support of Ashley Tisdale and all the other brilliant [actors], Corbin Bleu and Lucas Grabeel and Monique Coleman. And beyond that, with people like Alyson Reed and Bart Johnson. And so we had them surrounded with a lot of great energy and intelligence, and we did it.
But no, I don’t think anyone really was averse to any of the choices that we made. It was hard for me to get Ashley because she was already a big star for Disney Channel, and I think they were priming her for her own movie. And I was like, “Please!” I was crazy in love with what I knew she could do with this role, and she was delicious to work with.
Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay in “High School Musical.”
Disney
I can’t imagine anyone else playing Sharpay.
Honestly, every day she brought something to the party, to the game. There were days where she would come in and she would say to me, “Don’t say anything! Don’t say anything! Can I show you something?” She was just really an improvisational genius, and she really had her arms wrapped around Sharpay, and we had the most fun developing that role together and working with [screenwriter] Peter Barsocchini, of course.
You know, in the beginning, Ryan and Sharpay weren’t brother and sister. They weren’t twins. They were just two characters in the high school that were both in the theater department. But the chemistry that they had together in the auditions, I said, “I think we should make them twins.” I said, “They’ve got something here that I think we could have a heck of a lot of fun with.” And everybody agreed, and we moved forward with that idea.
This is an interesting point, because Ryan and Sharpay are auditioning to play a couple in the musical, are they not?
Yes. [Laughs.] We didn’t change that. I don’t think we thought it through. I think we were a little busy.
Did any of the actors butt heads behind the scenes?
No. I mean, there was some really fun rapport between Lucas and Ashley that they incorporated into their work.
There was this wonderful kind of tug of war between the two of them. And then when the lights came on, and the cameras were rolling, it was just like they were onstage. They put it on.
We felt that. We saw that. We saw them bickering or challenging one another, and we just found it to be really great. And I didn’t have to ask them to be anything. All I had to do was just turn on the camera and get out of the way.
I was there to guide and direct and suggest and mold, but these kids brought a lot. They really did that. They studied, they cared. Day one, Zac said, “Don’t worry about time. Don’t worry about working us, Kenny. We all committed to do this. Let’s make it worth something. Let’s make this worth us all being here.”
Zac was initially really helpful in me sort of raising the bar on what I could expect from these young people. Because before that, other than “Newsies,” I hadn’t been really experienced in working with kids that young.
Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens lobbied for their characters to kiss in the first movie
“High School Musical” won outstanding children’s program at the 2006 Emmys.
Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic for Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Was there any concern about Zac and Vanessa potentially breaking up during the trilogy?
Well, I think you quietly have concern because you know that that could impact a kind of energy and comfort. And especially with younger kids, you want to make sure that it doesn’t change the sort of climate and ease that we walk into every day. But it didn’t weigh heavily on me. They were all friendly. They all got along. They all enjoyed each other’s company. There was no one that was over here and everybody over here. They really all enjoyed each other’s company. They were a tight-knit group of kids all through it. They were serving of one another, helpful to one another. And I don’t remember that weighing on me.
Certainly, no one said, “Hey, be careful.” No one really brought it up. And I wasn’t aware that they even had a kind of romance, a kind of care for one another in that capacity, until almost the end of the first movie. And I thought it was so silly that I didn’t pick up on it, but I was a little busy.
Was there a version of the movie in which Troy and Gabriella do kiss at the end?
I don’t think at the end of one, no. I don’t think we wanted that. And not because we knew that there would be a two. I just think that we felt that that was something that we could all hope and wish for, but that it wasn’t time for it.
I think Zac and Vanessa wanted it, if I’m not mistaken. I think both of them were like, “We could do a little kiss. I think that it would end the movie in a really lovely place.” And we said, “You already have. You’ve already ended the movie in a really, really lovely place. There’s all kinds of promise about where these two kids are going.”
Troy Bolton’s voice was originally a mix of Zac Efron’s and Drew Seeley’s, but Efron did all his own singing for the sequels
Zac Efron as Troy in “High School Musical.”
Disney
Zac has gone on to do other musicals like “Hairspray” and “The Greatest Showman,” which is maybe a surprise, given that he didn’t do all his vocals in the first movie.
He did part of it. A lot of people don’t know that. A lot of people think that he was lip-syncing the whole movie. He wasn’t.
Drew [Seeley] did an incredible job. Drew’s an amazing composer and lyricist and performer and actor and singer, and he helped us. But because the music for one was written before we had Zac, the music wasn’t written for Zac. And so there was some of the music there that was just out of his range. But he did a lot of it. And then Drew filled in some of the higher-register parts. But “High School Musical 2” and three is all Zac.
Whose decision was that? Was it Zac coming to you, saying, “I want to do the singing now,” or was it your call?
We all wanted him to do it because we all wanted everybody to be doing their own work. And it was hard for him. It was a challenge, but God bless him, he accepted the role, and he went along with us, and he sang all through all those scenes where you see him, he’s singing along with the track.
When we knew that we were going to make a second, it was on everybody’s plate. We’re going to write the songs now, knowing Zac’s voice, knowing Zac’s range and register, so he can deliver all the music for the next movie.
Ortega would sign on to do a fourth ‘High School Musical’ if the cast and crew were all in this together
The cast of “High School Musical” performs “We’re All in This Together.”
Disney
In your mind, would Troy and Gabriella have made it as a couple? Twenty years later, are they still together?
Well, that would be unfair of me. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of Peter Barsocchini being able to write a fourth movie, if that’s the plan. So I wouldn’t want to throw anything out there, because as a director, I would want to be open to either way, whether they stayed together or whether they didn’t stay together, that if I was fortunate enough to be invited to come back and do it again and everyone wanted to, that I would be open to looking at whatever Peter wanted to put in front of us as what he would think the future brought for those characters.
I think all of us hope that they would be together, but maybe not necessarily as a couple, maybe just connected in some kind of wonderful, soulful, spiritual way. Friends, even. Who knows? We’ll see. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but it’s been talked about.
So you’re not connected to a fourth movie right now?
No, no, I’m not. No one has reached out to me and said, “We’re doing it.” But I know that the fans have been asking, could we do some kind of coming back together, some kind of a reunion show? And hey, I’d just be happy with a nice dinner with everybody present and with no rush to get out after dessert.
But for the fans, I hope we could do something. I think that would be lovely. They’re deserving. They’ve been amazing. They’ve changed all of our lives.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Open source — that might be the clearest signal of how China wants artificial intelligence to reshape its economy.
Hisham Alrayes, the group CEO of Bahrain-based GFH Financial Group, said China is prioritizing open models and broad deployment to spread AI’s gains across the economy, instead of funneling them to a few tech giants.
Speaking at a Davos panel on China’s “AI+ Economy” strategy on Wednesday, Alrayes said the country’s approach reflects a fundamentally different economic philosophy.
“You look at the open structure of the China AI philosophy — then you have the non-open structure,” Alrayes said. “That signals that the benefit they want to see is to trickle down into the economy, into the companies.”
Open source as economic strategy
China’s most prominent AI breakout, DeepSeek, reflects that philosophy.
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It mostly uses open-source models that have drawn global attention, in contrast to many large US language models that remain closed and proprietary, reaping the benefits of tightly controlled commercial ecosystems.
Meta’s former chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, has said that a key reason behind DeepSeek’s success is its open-source model, which, he said, can outperform proprietary models in terms of efficiency and innovation by building on shared research.
Meanwhile, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said that China’s open-source AI models could gain an edge globally because they’re free, making them more attractive than costly proprietary US systems for governments and countries that can’t afford closed models.
Similarly, Alrayes said, China — in pursuing the open model — is aiming for affordability and scale.
“It’s not the benefit of that company, of that product, the return of that individual. It’s not an individual — it’s an economy,” Alrayes said.
That philosophy is reflected in China’s national “AI Plus” action plan, which prioritizes diffusion, said fellow panelist Gong Ke, executive director of the Chinese Institute for New Generation AI Development Strategies at Nankai University.
The policy, he said, focuses on embedding AI across manufacturing, healthcare, finance, education, and other sectors, rather than on breakthroughs such as artificial general intelligence.
He added that the plan sets explicit adoption targets, with AI agents and intelligent terminals expected to reach 70% penetration by 2027 and 90% by 2030.
AI as infrastructure, not a profit engine
Alrayes said China’s open-source tilt ultimately reflects a broader goal: making AI an economic utility rather than a profit center for a small group of companies.
“China is looking to create value throughout the economy, very clear, with very specific objectives across the economy,” he said. “Not just as a benefit to those companies. This is the difference in the philosophy.”
It was nearly six in the morning on a Tuesday in mid-2023, and Jimmy Donaldson, better known to the world as MrBeast, had been up for hours sending a stream of frustrated texts about MrBeast Burger, his nearly three-year-old food venture.
The YouTuber was furious with his business partners over customer complaints of undercooked burgers, and tensions had reached a breaking point.
He was done.
“As long as I have no control, I couldn’t care less about it,” Donaldson, who is known to be exacting and kill projects he doesn’t believe are up to snuff, texted a friend.
These texts — revealed as evidence in a legal battle between MrBeast and his partner Virtual Dining Concepts that could go to trial later this year — represent a stark departure from the grand ambitions Donaldson had described for the brand just six months earlier. They are part of thousands of pages of contracts, messages, and depositions that show how the partnership imploded and reveal a confrontational side of Donaldson far different from his polished, smiley persona on camera.
MrBeast Burger, a largely delivery-only venture that sells burgers and fried chicken sandwiches, was meant to be a cornerstone of a food empire that would “run circles” around Nestlé, Donaldson said in a text exchange with his cousin in December 2022.
“I want to go down the food rabbit hole and become a god in this space,” he wrote. “The king of healthy food innovation.”
By mid-2023, the promising fast-food endeavor had become a colossal headache for Donaldson.
“I was getting destroyed online, and it was impacting how people viewed me, and it made me chronically depressed,” he later said of the experience in a deposition.
The MrBeast Burger saga provides a cautionary tale for independent creators about the potential downsides of handing over control to third parties, and to brands about working with influencers who insist on tight creative oversight.
A promising start or a recipe for disaster?
Plenty of celebrity-brand deals have been fruitful, but for every Kim Kardashian and Skims partnership, there’s a Kanye West and Gap flameout. Each partnership brings its own nuances and complexities, and “virtual dining” businesses like MrBeast Burger come with built-in risks.
MrBeast Burger’s food is made by various “ghost kitchen” partners ranging from 7-Eleven and Red Robin to local mom-and-pops. That meant low overhead and few barriers to entry for the brand, but the potential for uneven food quality.
For social media creators, whose livelihoods depend on their relationships with fans, reputation is paramount.
“The inherent risk is, when you do these licensing deals, the creator’s name is the product,” said Keith Gelman, founder of entertainment marketing agency Talent Partnership Advisors, who has negotiated partnerships with celebrities including Snoop Dogg and Reba McIntyre. “The audience doesn’t distinguish between the operator and the creator.”
MrBeast and VDC came from different business and cultural worlds.
Donaldson was 22 when MrBeast Burger launched in 2020. He’d soared to internet fame through videos involving cash giveaways and stunts like being buried alive. His business was mainly run by family members, a close circle of friends, and his management team at Night Media.
VDC’s founder, Robert Earl, is a British expat restaurateur and TV personality best known for founding Planet Hollywood before moving with his son into the virtual dining business. Often seen sporting colorful shirts, Earl is at home with movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. YouTubers like MrBeast were not in his orbit when his son signed the influencer for a burger partnership.
Robert Earl, front, with celebrity pals.
Denise Truscello/WireImage
MrBeast Burger launched in 2020 with a bang.
Donaldson set up a pop-up version of the restaurant near his hometown of Greenville, North Carolina, where he slid wads of cash into burger bags and handed out free iPads. He posted a video of the event, which crossed 200 million views on YouTube — a marketer’s dream.
“We were beyond slammed and ill-prepared for his incredible following and demand that ensued,” Earl told Business Insider shortly after MrBeast Burger’s launch. “It was beyond any expectation.”
After selling over 1 million sandwiches in just a couple of months, the company expanded to over 1,000 restaurants in 2021.
Donaldson was giddy with excitement about the possibilities. Early on, he began musing about merging MrBeast Burger with his candy brand Feastables and going public.
He imagined a $10 billion IPO — and he wanted an even bigger stake in the business.
“I’ll get my equity, everyone who built the channel will get their equity, and the investors will get sick returns,” he wrote in a text in late 2022.
Fans gather at the first physical MrBeast Burger restaurant opening in 2022.
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for MrBeast Burger
Raw burgers and soggy fries
Despite a hot start, there were early signs of trouble.
Customer complaints about product quality — including undercooked burgers, soggy fries, and incorrect orders — began appearing on social media almost immediately.
The worst part for Donaldson: There was little he could do about it.
Many of the hundreds of restaurants that sold MrBeast Burger’s food operated independently, which meant tracking down any mistakes was like playing a game of whack-a-mole.
The problems MrBeast Burger ran into are common for ghost kitchen brands with many locations, Rich Shank, a senior principal at the food-service consultant and research firm Technomic, told Business Insider.
“There’s just a lot of variances and nuances in the ghost kitchen space that make it challenging,” he said, including standardizing ingredients, cooking processes, and other factors that differ from kitchen to kitchen.
Complaints about MrBeast Burger started appearing soon after its launch.
Beast Investments vs. Virtual Dining Concepts
VDC used a variety of methods to monitor quality issues, including working with the guest feedback platform Tattle to analyze customer satisfaction. It hired a third-party firm, Intellishop, to send “mystery shoppers” to order from various MrBeast Burger locations and see what they delivered. At one time, about 5% of orders were coming back wrong, more than double VDC’s target rate of around 2%, according to an email from VDC CEO Stephanie Sollers.
Sollers said in a deposition that incorrect orders were an unfortunate feature of “most restaurant businesses.” For Donaldson, the complaints were personal.
“People were ridiculing me and saying I didn’t care,” Donaldson said in a deposition.
Donaldson’s lawsuit compared his philosophy to that of Yankee great Joe DiMaggio: “There is always a kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best.”
Donaldson’s solution was the same one he applies to his YouTube content: “obsess over it” until he figures out an answer.
He proposed to VDC that each restaurant could submit a photo of every item to verify its quality before sending it to customers, and he wanted to hire someone to make quality control their obsession.
That kind of micromanaging wouldn’t be “operationally prudent” and would be “a very quick way of having your line cooks want to quit,” Shank said.
Jimmy Donaldson poses with fans at the opening of the first physical MrBeast Burger restaurant in 2022.
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for MrBeast Burger
The beef enters the boardroom
Undercooked food was not the only source of tension in MrBeast Burger land.
Donaldson accused VDC in his lawsuit of having used his name, image, and likeness in social posts and trademarks without his consent. He also told associates he wanted a larger ownership stake to gain control over MrBeast Burger’s destiny and get out of what he called in a text a “fucked deal.”
In November 2022, Donaldson made the first in a series of attempts to acquire nearly all of the company from VDC.
The stakes were high. Tech billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya, an investor in MrBeast’s company, said in a 2023 email that the creator’s media business was a break-even proposition that had “some enterprise value but not much.”
“The real value is using it as a platform to launch CPG and other kinds of companies,” Palihapitiya wrote. “We need to own at least 80% of each company.”
The problem: Donaldson’s company only owned 50% of MrBeast Burger, and the newest deal he’d signed made that agreement indefinite.
The negotiations, which dragged on for months, led to the complete fracturing of MrBeast’s relationship with VDC.
During one meeting with VDC, Donaldson banged a clothes hanger on the table out of frustration. In another, the YouTuber claimed Earl showed him a desk drawer of lawsuits to make the point that he wasn’t afraid of being sued. (Earl denied this.)
“Let’s throw a grenade in the room of VDC,” Donaldson wrote in one text as negotiations continued.
In the background, Donaldson took other steps to try to seize control. His lawyers shot a letter to VDC alleging breach of contract, and his team changed the passwords on the MrBeast Burger social accounts, cutting off VDC’s access.
“Robert is dead to me once the deal closes,” he texted his cousin during the negotiations.
“Fuck those pieces of shit,” he wrote to a friend.
In June 2023, his rage went from texts to tweets when he fired off a string of posts about MrBeast Burger that would become central to VDC’s countersuit.
MrBeast tweeted that if he had the ability to shut down MrBeast Burger, he “would have done so a long time ago sadly.” He added that sometimes when you’re young, “you sign a shit deal.”
After Donaldson’s tweets, one VDC investor pronounced the venture “dead and buried.” VDC’s complaint called it “sabotage.”
Amid the feud, MrBeast Burger’s ghost kitchen revenue fell from around $64 million in 2022 to about $45 million in 2023, court documents said.
Behind the scenes, Donaldson was working on his ‘new giga brain play’
As the negotiations stalled, Donaldson hatched a new plan. The first step was to go to court and request termination of the partnership and a ban on VDC using his name or image.
In a series of text messages, he called it “the new giga brain play.”
The full plan went something like this: Win the VDC lawsuit, make a deal with Burger King or McDonald’s for MrBeast Burger 2.0, do $100 million in sales, and eventually be bought out for $300 or $400 million.
The result, he wrote, would be “a legendary dub” — online speak for “win.”
In July 2023, Donaldson’s company sued VDC, portraying the YouTuber as a victim seeking to escape an unfair contract that had tarnished his reputation as a philanthropic, family-friendly entertainer.
VDC fired back soon after with its own lawsuit, saying Donaldson had walked away from a promising deal and failed to meet various contractual obligations, including appearances and promos.
“But for Donaldson’s opportunism, disparagement, and interference, MrBeast Burger would have continued its explosive growth,” VDC’s suit says.
The MrBeast Burger brand lost customers and market partners after Donaldson went scorched earth, Earl said in a deposition. A deal with Red Robin fell through, and a plan to distribute the burgers in supermarkets, which could bring in $500 million a year, never materialized, he added.
Donaldson’s lawsuit said that VDC had earned millions from the endeavor, while the creator hadn’t earned “a dime.” Earl said in a deposition that Donaldson’s mother and financial manager instructed VDC to reinvest the money in the business.
Donaldson has been doubling down on his Feastables candy line, which launched after MrBeast Burger.
Don Arnold/WireImage
MrBeast enters a new era
Donaldson, meanwhile, moved on. By the time of the lawsuit, his focus had turned to Feastables, the candy line he launched in 2022.
“I’m never giving up control of Feastables so I can always do what’s best for my fans,” he said in a July 2023 tweet contrasting the business with MrBeast Burger. “Harsh lesson to learn.”
So far, it’s been a winning strategy. Feastables generated over $200 million in 2024 and was profitable, according to investor materials from early 2025 viewed by Business Insider.
“I just obsess over the product,” he said during a deposition when asked why Feastables had been successful.
Donaldson has taken more control of his company, Beast Industries. The company, now some 450 employees strong, is mostly centralized in Greenville. Donaldson made Silicon Valley vet Jeff Housenbold his in-house CEO and parted ways with his external management company.
In large part thanks to Feastables, Beast Industries was valued at about $5 billion in a 2024 capital raise.
Donaldson’s plans for Beast Industries will again put control at odds with expansion.
His road map includes launching in new categories like mobile phones and financial services — with help from $200 million in fresh funding from a crypto company — that will require bringing on partners.
In investor pitch materials from early 2025, Beast Industries said its plan for Beast Financial was to partner with a “scaled fintech partner to white label a suite of products,” tailored to MrBeast’s audience and supported by financial literacy content. Partnership is simply a necessity for creators with big business ambitions.
“There’s no way that a lot of these creators could just on their own build and run a hundred million or billion dollar brand,” Eric Bogard, CEO of talent-firm UnderCurrent Management, which operates a product division called Viral Goods, told Business Insider. “You absolutely need a third party.”
As for MrBeast Burger, it marches on amid the winding legal fight, long after Donaldson stopped promoting it. You can still order his Beast Style crinkle-cut fries and smash burgers from hundreds of ghost kitchens around the world — from Singapore to Switzerland — according to its website, which still features photos of a beaming Donaldson.
MrBeast’s zombie brand lives on, even if it’s dead to its creator.
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Elon Musk said Tesla’s FSD subscription could soon cost more than $100.
He said the subscription price, currently $99, will rise as the FSD’s capabilities improve.
He said the price would be worth it, since the driver can sleep or use their phone the whole ride.
Elon Musk said Tesla will raise subscription prices for its Full Self-Driving software as it gets better, and it could cost more than $100.
The Tesla CEO said in an early Friday X post, “I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve.”
“The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD),” he said. Tesla’s FSD is an advanced driver assistance system that aims to enable its cars to be fully self-driving.
Currently, customers can buy the system for $8,000 on a one-time basis, per the vehicle’s listing on Tesla’s website. But this option will no longer be available from February 14.
The executive was responding to a post about Tesla killing its Autopilot service in the US. Autopilot comes with safety features and tools, such as Traffic-Aware Cruise Control.
Representatives for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Goldie Hawn, 80, says there’s one reason her relationship with Kurt Russell has lasted more than four decades without marriage.
“Freedom. And I really feel this way, and I always have. And even if we did get married, it wouldn’t make any difference because it’s 42 years now,” Hawn told host Dan Buettner on Thursday’s episode of “The Dan Buettner Podcast.”
Hawn likened the experience to being a bird in a cage.
“If I’m a bird and you leave the cage door open, I may never fly out. But if you close that door, for my freedom and my independence, I would probably take, like, all my feathers off,” Hawn said. “It’s a freedom of self, it’s a freedom of basically, not melding into somebody else.”
Hawn and her partner, Russell, met for the first time in 1966 and reconnected in 1983 after being cast in the romance drama “Swing Shift.” They started dating shortly after, and welcomed one son, Wyatt Russell, together in 1986.
Their blended family includes Russell’s son, Boston, from his marriage to Season Hubley, and Hawn’s children, Oliver and Kate Hudson, from her previous relationship with Bill Hudson.
Hawn, who has been married twice before, said she’s learned that traditional ideas of partnership don’t work for her.
“But, man, this whole idea of becoming one is not my idea of fun. That’s why it works,” she said.
Hawn said she and Russell share a strong bond, and accept that there will be parts of each other they don’t love. But she doesn’t see those imperfections as a good enough reason to walk away from the relationship.
“Why is that a reason to break up? Why is that a reason to say this isn’t working?” Hawn said.
“You might not like it, but is that a reason to suddenly decide that this isn’t working for me?” she continued.
When Buettner asked why she keeps choosing Russell, Hawn listed several reasons.
“Because I have respect for him. Because I think he’s an amazing person. I’m also very sexually attracted to him, and that’s important,” Hawn said, adding that he’s smart and makes her laugh.
She also praised his talent and appearance.
“He’s such a great actor, and I find him incredibly handsome to this day,” she said.
Hawn added that they’re “an unbelievably happy family most of the time,” despite their own individual flaws.
“Why would I want anybody who is perfect? There is no such thing,” she said.
Hawn has long spoken about what she believes makes her relationship with Russell last. In 2024, she told E! News that “good sex” is a key part of it.
“Because sex is something that connects you and creates more belonging. People who have healthy sexual relationships usually last a lot longer. But it’s not just because of the act, it’s because of the warmth and the intimacy that it creates,” she said.
Russell has also shared his perspective on their decision not to marry.
“At that time, we constantly got asked, ‘When are you going to get married? Why aren’t you married?’ And we were like, ‘Why does anybody care about that?’ We’d asked our kids if they cared about it. They didn’t. We didn’t,” Russell told Variety in a 2023 interview.
Other celebrities have also shared their own tips for making relationships last.
In 2024, Bette Midler told Entertainment Tonight that sleeping in separate bedrooms is the reason her marriage has lasted over 40 years.
“My husband snores,” Midler said.
In 2025, Food Network star Ina Garten said her almost 60-year marriage works because they make decisions together.
“And this is what Jeffrey taught me: Let’s figure out how we can both do what we want to do. It’s not about whether we get to do what you want to do or I want to do,” Garten said, referring to her husband, Jeffrey Garten.
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Amazon plans to lay off thousands of corporate employees in coming days.
This second major round of Amazon layoffs since October would bring the total to about 30,000 jobs.
Amazon is trying to streamline operations and reset its culture.
Amazon is planning to eliminate thousands of corporate employees, with cuts expected to begin as soon as next week, according to people familiar with the matter.
The reductions would mark the company’s second wave of mass layoffs since October, when Amazon cut about 14,000 jobs. Two of the people said the company is expected to eliminate a similar number of roles in the coming round, bringing total job cuts to almost 30,000.
The latest cuts underscore Amazon’s continued efforts to streamline operations and reset its culture.
Amazon first attributed the October job cuts to changes brought on by AI. But CEO Andy Jassy later said the layoffs were instead tied to cultural fit, not cost savings or AI.
Amazon employs more than 1.5 million people globally, though its corporate workforce makes up a relatively small share, at about 350,000.
An Amazon spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
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TikTok’s US workers can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The company announced Thursday that it has closed a deal to spin off parts of its US business in a new joint venture with an investor group.
“The safeguards provided by the Joint Venture will also cover CapCut, and Lemon8, and a portfolio of other apps and websites in the US,” the company said.
Adam Presser is leading the new venture, according to the company’s announcement. Presser has worked at TikTok for nearly four years, most recently leading operations and trust and safety. The venture’s seven-man, majority-American board includes TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew.
The agreement should keep the US government off its back as TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, now owns just under 20% of the new US venture. That ownership stake meets a divestment requirement set by a 2024 US sell-or-ban law targeting TikTok and other apps with owners based in countries like China, which the US has deemed a foreign adversary.
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TikTok’s new US owners include tech company Oracle, private-equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX, each of which owns 15% of the new venture. ByteDance will own around 20% of the entity, and affiliates of existing ByteDance investors will own around 30%, according to a December memo from Chew. Other investors include Michael Dell’s family office and a venture run by the partners of growth investor Dragoneer.
What comes next is less clear.
While Oracle, MGX, and Silver Lake will serve as managing investors in the new US joint venture, their focus will be on areas such as data security. Key commercial activities, including e-commerce, advertising, and marketing, will remain with ByteDance.
The company began splitting up its US staff into different legal entities in January based on whether their work would remain under ByteDance’s purview, Business Insider first reported.
Preparations are underway as over half of all US states brace for what could be a historic winter storm this weekend.
Across the country, Americans are stocking up on essentials and picking store shelves clean as they brace for Winter Storm Fern, which is expected to span from the South and Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast and Midwest, starting Friday morning.
Local authorities have begun salting roads and establishing emergency protocols in anticipation of potential power outages and limited travel.
Experts and authorities are advising people in affected states to stock up on food items that don’t need to be cooked or refrigerated, and to have at least one gallon of water per person or pet per day. They are also recommending that people charge all electronic communication devices in case of power outages. They’re warning to watch out for pipes bursting, snow blocking exhaust vents, and iced-over roads.
The Weather Channel predicted Thursday that wintry conditions, including ice, snow, and dangerous wind chills, could affect up to 230 million people — or two-thirds of the country’s population — across the US.
The Midwest will experience the coldest temperatures as a polar vortex dips south, with lows possibly reaching -50 degrees Fahrenheit in states like North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The Appalachians and the Northeast Corridor could see the most snow accumulation, with the mountains of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia expected to receive at least a foot of snow over the weekend.
From Texas to the Carolinas, the South and Southeast can expect ice accumulation on roads and power lines. Local authorities are warning of potential multi-day power outages in the region.
See how Americans are preparing for what could be a historic storm, from stocking up on necessities to salting roads.
Shelves in a North Carolina Walmart were almost completely empty on Thursday as residents stocked up ahead of the storm.
A Morganton, North Carolina, Walmart had empty bread aisles by Thursday afternoon ahead of winter storm Fern. Jesse Barber for BI
In Marietta, Georgia, residents also cleared a store’s shelves of bottled water.
Experts advise storing at least 1 gallon of water per person or pet per day during the storm. AP Photo/Mike Stewart
In Nashville, locals are following the “bread, milk, eggs” approach in their pre-storm shopping.
Eggs often sell out before winter storms, even though they require refrigeration and power to cook. AP Photo/George Walker IV
Experts recommend stocking up on items that don’t need to be cooked or refrigerated.
Shoppers in Marietta, Georgia, are selling out bread from local supermarkets in preparation. AP Photo/Mike Stewart
This supermarket in Nashville was also low on fresh produce on Wednesday.
Bananas are selling out in Nashville ahead of Winter Storm Fern. AP Photo/George Walker IV
Many are preparing to be stuck at home for days, with forecasts warning of roads icing over.
Travel will likely be limited in places like Nashville during the storm. AP Photo/George Walker IV
A sign outside a Lowe’s in North Carolina listed storm-supply items that had sold out.
A sign outside a Lowe’s in North Carolina announced to shoppers that the store had run out of a variety of storm-prep supplies. Jesse Barber for BI
Other hardware stores advertised available supplies.
Residents of the North Carolina town rushed to buy supplies before the storm hit on Friday. Jesse Barber for BI
Shoppers in Morganton, North Carolina, bought up supplies like ice melt ahead of the storm.
Many North Carolina residents went to stores like Ace Hardware in preparation for heavy snow. Jesse Barber for BI
Lines for gas also formed as residents stocked up.
Residents in Morganton, North Carolina, stocked up on cooking gas ahead of the storm. Jesse Barber for BI
Others bought up wood as the storm threatened power outages across multiple states.
Morganton residents stocked up on lumber and gas as alternative heating methods in case of power outages. Jesse Barber for BI
A “Winter storm special” was even available at one North Carolina store.
In the North Carolina town, some hardware stores ran specials for supplies like fuel. Jesse Barber for BI
In Richardson, Texas, authorities were salting roads on Wednesday in anticipation of the storm.
Texas is expected to see freezing rain and sleet beginning Friday. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Illinois and other Midwestern states could be hit with life-threatening wind chills.
Wind chills in the Midwest are expected to drop to -30°F in some areas, posing a threat of frostbite in exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Nashville was also mobilizing salt trucks as of Thursday.
Nashville could see heavy snow, ice accumulation, and record-low temperatures during the storm. AP Photo/George Walker IV
Salt brine helps prevent roads from icing ahead of snowstorms.
The National Weather Service said that travel during the storm could be “impossible” in Nashville. AP Photo/George Walker IV
Some parts of New York are expected to see heavy snow accumulation in the double digits.
In Lowville, New York, snow has begun to accumulate as of Thursday, before the storm arrives. AP Photo/Cara Anna
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Since the 2016 US presidential election, celebrities have been saying they’d move out of the country.
More stars made similar comments after Donald Trump won the 2024 election.
James Cameron recently confirmed he’s continued to live in New Zealand for political reasons.
The lifestyles of the rich and famous often include mansions in California, penthouses in the big city, and maybe a small pied-à-terre in a foreign country. But as politics becomes an increasingly divisive topic in the United States, some more celebrities are moving out of the country — or saying that they will.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi moved to England from California in response to the 2024 election results. Rosie O’Donnell — thanks to her Irish grandparents — is in the process of becoming an Irish citizen, citing the current US political climate as her reason for moving in a TikTok video. Other celebrities like Laverne Cox and Cher have vowed to leave the States but haven’t yet.
This isn’t exactly a new trend. During the 2016 US presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, many stars vocally opposed Trump and threatened to leave America if he won. Now, with Trump’s second term underway, celebrities are again considering relocating — not that the Trump administration is too upset.
“Good riddance!” White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers told BI when asked for the administration’s response.
Celebrities aren’t the only ones exploring a new place to live. Search interest for “move abroad” shows that peak interest occurred in November 2024. Though interest has since cooled off, it’s still higher than in previous years.
Bureaucracy.es, an immigration services site that helps Americans moving to Spain with the visa application process, told CNN in December 2024 that it’s seen over 300% more clients book consultations since the November election.
Here are 10 celebrities who have moved abroad, or say they will for political reasons.
Olivia Singh contributed to previous versions of this post.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi in June 2023. Dave Benett/Getty Images for RH
In late November 2024, TheWrap reported that comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, left their Montecito home for the Cotswolds, England. The publication said their move to the countryside was triggered by Trump’s election and a source said they’re “never coming back.”
An August 2025 Us cover story notes that DeGeneres told English broadcaster and host Richard Bacon during a July 20 event that she and DeGeneres were in the Cotswolds when the election results came in. “We were like, ‘We’re staying here. We’re not going back,'” DeGeneres told Bacon on their reaction to Trump’s victory.
According to the Us story, DeGeneres and de Rossi have since moved from the original home they purchased in the Cotswolds and now live in a 10,000-square-foot country home called Hiaven. The pair tend to their chickens, sheep, and horses and walk to the local pub for lunch.
Rosie O’Donnell
Rosie O’Donnell in October. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
In a video recently posted on TikTok, Rosie O’Donnell confirmed that she moved from the US to Ireland with her youngest daughter, Dakota. The actor relocated on January 15, days before Trump’s inauguration.
“Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child,” O’Donnell said in the video.
The talk show host, who has Irish grandparents, said her experience so far has been “pretty wonderful” and she’s in the process of getting Irish citizenship.
O’Donnell said that she misses her four other kids and her friends, but will remain in Ireland for the time being.
“I miss many things about life there at home, and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country,” she said. “And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there, in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
Sophie Turner
Sophie Turner in March. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
UK-born actor Sophie Turner moved to America after marrying singer Joe Jonas. The couple first lived together in Los Angeles and later in Miami with their two daughters Willa and Delphine. Turner and Jonas sold their Miami home in August 2023 and news of their plans to divorce broke weeks later.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar published in October 2024, Turner said that she was homesick while living in the US and struggled with the country’s politics. Turner has since moved to West London.
“The gun violence, Roe v Wade being overturned… Everything just kind of piled on,” Turner said.
After the 2022 Uvalde shooting, in which 19 elementary school children and two teachers were killed, Turner said she “knew it was time” to leave.
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand in June. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Genesis Prize Foundation
It was no secret that Barbra Streisand wanted Hillary Clinton to beat Trump in the 2016 election.
“He has no facts,” Streisand told Australian “60 Minutes” host Michael Usher in a 2016 interview prior to the election. “I don’t know, I can’t believe it. I’m either coming to your country, if you’ll let me in, or Canada.”
Streisand didn’t move out of the US, but she did criticize Trump in her 2018 studio album “Walls.”
In a 2023 interview with Stephen Colbert, Streisand said that she liked Joe Biden and thought he did a “good job.” When asked about the possibility of a second Trump administration, Streisand again said she’d move.
“I can’t live in this country if he became president,” she said, adding that she’d probably move to England.
Per an Instagram post shared in early January amid the Los Angeles wildfires, it appears that Streisand still lives in Northern California. Reps for Streisand did not reply to a request for comment.
Cher
Cher in February. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
In November 2016, Page Six reported that Cher threatened to move if Trump was elected.
“I’m gonna have to leave the planet,” she reportedly said at a fundraiser for Clinton.
She had a similar stance before Trump officially ran for reelection.
“I almost got an ulcer the last time,” she told The Guardian in October 2023. “If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave [the country].”
However, as of publication, it doesn’t appear that Cher has relocated. Reps for Cher did not reply to a request for comment.
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox in March. Karwai Tang/WireImage
Days after the 2024 presidential election, “Orange Is the New Black” star Laverne Cox appeared on the podcast “Just for Variety” and spoke about the impact the results would have on the transgender community.
Cox said that she and some friends were considering moving, but no plans have been solidified yet.
“We’re doing research on different cities in Europe and in the Caribbean,” Cox said.
“I don’t want to be in too much fear, but I’m scared,” the actor added. “As a public figure, with all my privilege, I’m scared, and I’m particularly scared because I’m a public figure. I feel like I could be targeted.”
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham in September. John Phillips/Getty Images
At the 2016 Matrix Awards, “Girls” actor Lena Dunham said that she was serious about moving if Trump won the election.
“I know a lot of people have been threatening to do this, but I really will,” Dunham said. “I know a lovely place in Vancouver and I can get my work done from there.”
But after the election results, Dunham changed her mind.
“I can survive staying in this country, MY country, to fight and live and use my embarrassment of blessings to do what’s right,” she wrote in part in a note shared on Instagram.
“It’s easy to joke about moving to Canada,” she added. “It’s harder to see, and to love, the people who fill your mailbox with hate. It’s harder to see what needs to be done and do it. It’s harder to live, fully and painfully aware of the injustice surrounding us, to cherish and fear your country all at once. But I’m willing to try. Will you try with me?”
Dunham did eventually leave her home in New York and moved to London. However, in an interview with the New Yorker published in July 2024, the actor said the move was prompted by work opportunities.
8. Robin Wright
Robin Wright Antony Jones/ Getty Images
Robin Wright, known for her roles in “Forrest Gump” and “House of Cards,” relocated to England for work and decided to make the move permanent.
Wright spends most of her time in the Chiltern Hills, a rural part of England about 44 miles outside London, and enjoys the peace and quiet it offers compared to her former home of Los Angeles.
“They’re living,” Wright told UK publication The Sunday Times in August. “They’re not in the car in traffic, panicked on a phone call, eating a sandwich. That’s most of America. Everything’s rush, competition and speed.”
Wright mentioned during an appearance on The View that the UK’s tax breaks make it advantageous for production, which is why she relocated there in the first place, but she’s enjoyed her break from the US.
“I’m troubled, like many of us are, about this state of our country,” Wright said. “It’s not the reason, I just — I’m so tranquil over there.”
Richard Gere
Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva. JORGE GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images
“Pretty Woman” star Richard Gere and his wife Alejandra Silva sold their house in Connecticut for $10.75 million in November 2024 and moved to Spain.
Gere said the plan was to be closer to Silva’s family in Spain, but on his way out of the country, he had some choice words about the US.
“We’re in a very dark place in America where we have a bully and a thug who’s the president of the United States,” Gere said during a speech at Spain’s Goya Awards in February.
Silva told The Daily Mail that the move was not permanent, and that they plan on going back and forth between Spain and the US.
“We’re always coming back,” she said. We’ll come back here in the summer because we have the kids at camp. We just have to balance our lives there and here.”
James Cameron
James Cameron. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
The billionaire filmmaker has been visiting New Zealand since the 1990s, but he set roots there once the pandemic hit in 2020.
Since then, Cameron has had another reason for staying.
Along with supporting how New Zealanders handled the pandemic, Cameron has also voiced his opposition to Donald Trump. That led to Camera not just living there, but also making all his “Avatar” movies in the country. He became a citizen of New Zealand in 2025.
“I think it’s horrifying,” he told the New Zealand outlet Stuff in 2025 about Trump’s reelection. “I see it as a turn away from everything decent. America doesn’t stand for anything if it doesn’t stand for what it has historically stood for. It becomes a hollow idea, and I think they’re hollowing it out as fast as they can for their own benefit.”
