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I manage 3 Airbnbs in Puerto Vallarta, making up at least half my income. I’ve already received a few cancellations, but I’m hopeful.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lora Pope, 36, a content creator and blogger, originally from Canada, who hosts three Airbnbs in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Pope was away during the violence in Jalisco, but was still in contact with her guests. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Puerto Vallarta is my home base.

I went there for the first time in 2021 while I was a full-time digital nomad. In 2023, I bought an apartment in Puerto Vallarta and obtained residency, but I still travel for about 6 months of the year.

I own a one-bedroom condo that I rent out when I’m traveling, but I also have some long-term properties that I rent and then sublease on Airbnb — it’s called Airbnb arbitrage. You rent them, then sublease them with the owner’s permission.

I manage the Airbnb accounts and handle all guest messaging; everything falls under my purview. I just pay rent to the landlord every month. I started that in May 2025.


A condo living room in Mexico.

Pope’s condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Courtesy of Lora Pope.



I was actually in Mexico City during the recent violence, so I wasn’t there during the event. Still, all my places are booked out right now.

I tried my best to give my guests all the information I had

When I woke up Sunday morning, I had a ton of messages from my friends in Puerto Vallarta showing videos of the explosions. I wasn’t too sure what was happening because there was a lot of information coming quite rapidly.

I waited a few hours to gather more information about what was happening. I was already receiving some messages from guests.

One of them was obviously alarmed. I reached out to the other two just to make sure that they were OK.

At that point, there were a lot of rumors running around, and people were saying, “Don’t go outside. They’re threatening civilians.” I don’t even think that was an official thing, but just to be safe, I told my guests, “Please stay inside.”

A lot of people were asking me, “What is your opinion? What do you think? What should we do?”

I think the thing people were most concerned about was food, because, obviously, people are on vacation, and they hadn’t stocked up the kitchen, knowing that was going to happen.


A kitchen in an Airbnb in Mexico.

One of Pope’s Airbnb properties in the Cinco de Diciembre neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Courtesy of Lora Pope.



I have filtered water in all of my apartments, so I knew they had water, but I was mainly concerned about whether they had to stay inside for days, and if they could get by.

Luckily, all of them had enough food for that day. And by Monday, things had already calmed down a lot, and the grocery stores opened up, so they were able to get food.

I’ve thought more about natural disasters because we have had earthquakes or bad hurricanes in the past, but I’ve never thought about something like this because Puerto Vallarta has historically been one of the safest places in Mexico.

I was sharing any official information I had from the municipality, trying to help my guests stay as calm as possible, and just letting them know I was there. And if they needed anything, I would do my best to get it. It was a pretty stressful situation.

Whenever I travel, I always have someone in Puerto Vallarta as my backup — like an emergency contact. And she offered to do what she could to help.

I’ve already had a few cancellations, but I’m hoping this doesn’t crush the long-term tourism economy

My properties are very much in affected areas. As far as I know, I haven’t had any reports of damage to my properties. Everything has been good. I’ve been in constant contact with my neighbors. I don’t think the intention was to harm civilians.

The guests that I currently have have not talked about leaving early. The first day, I think there were a lot of flights being canceled, so it was quite difficult to leave early.

Now, it seems like flights are resuming. My guest in Cinco actually reached out Monday, saying they were worried about their flight being canceled and asking if the apartment was available to stay longer if needed.

I have had a few cancellations for future bookings, though.

I had one guest, who was supposed to check in on Wednesday at the Zona Romántica apartment, reach out on Monday to ask me for my opinion on the situation and whether it was safe to travel there.


A hallway in an Airbnb property in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Another Airbnb property hosted by Pope.

Courtesy of Lora Pope.



At the time, there was still a lot of uncertainty about whether it would get better. She ended up canceling on Tuesday. Airbnb has, because it’s considered a major disruptive event, waived the cancellation policy. So even if my cancellation policy says you must cancel within five days, Airbnb will waive the cancellation for them, given the circumstances.

So far, I’ve had three future cancellations — I would assume that those are due to the event.

I really hope this doesn’t affect business down the line. I do think it’s definitely going to have an immediate effect. I just know people can get really spooked, and there’s already a lot of fearmongering that happens about Mexico. So I do think this is going to impact people’s perceptions and maybe make them feel less safe coming here, which is really unfortunate.

From what I’ve heard, Puerto Vallarta is already returning to normal — not that I’m minimizing what happened on Monday. As I said, Puerto Vallarta has always been one of the safest places in Mexico to live or visit. But I am definitely concerned about the immediate impact on the rest of the high season.


A woman watching the sunset on the beach in Mexico.

Pope in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Courtesy of Lora Pope.



These properties are pretty important — they make up at least half my income. I am trying not to panic too much about the situation right now because it’s so recent.

I don’t think it’ll get to the point where I can’t cover my rent, but it’s definitely a scary thought, how much this is going to impact tourism.

For next year, I hope that, over the course of the year, as people see things are fine and visitors to Puerto Vallarta are having a good time, it’ll fade from their memories, and we’ll come back stronger.

It’s always been a really popular tourist destination, so I think in the long term it’ll be OK.

An Airbnb spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement, “We are monitoring this situation carefully and are focused on supporting guests and hosts in impacted areas. We have implemented our Major Disruptive Events Policy in the entirety of Jalisco, as well as other impacted regions, providing cancellation and refund support. We encourage any members of our community who need assistance to reach out to our 24/7 support team.”




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I grew my tech income to over $250,000 in 8 years. 1 move has helped me negotiate a higher salary.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brian Jenney, 42, who lives in California. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I got into tech in my early 30s, I had no clue how crazy lucrative the industry was.

I started as a web application developer in 2015, earning roughly $60,000 a year.

Over the years, I became savvier at negotiating my salary, and by 2023, I was making over $250,000.

I’ve earned more than I could have ever imagined, without working in Big Tech, where people often assume the big money is made.

Here’s what I’ve learned along the way.

1. It was dumb not to negotiate a starting salary because it already sounded impressive

I used to have addiction issues, so I didn’t really work from the ages of 25 to 30 and lost knowledge that people gain from white collar jobs at this stage of life.

I was naive about the salary potential of my industry, and when people in tech said they were on $150,000, it blew my mind, and I began to feel underpaid.

In 2017, after two years in the web developer role, I landed a job at a startup. I was so impressed when I was offered $120,000 that I didn’t negotiate my salary, which was dumb in retrospect.

The environment was extremely fast-paced and high-caliber. I struggled with imposter syndrome as one of the team’s more junior members. I felt like one of the worst developers there and that I was already being paid more than I deserved. It discouraged me from asking for a raise.

In 2019, I joined the media intelligence company Zignal Labs. I was so happy about the job offer that I didn’t negotiate the salary, so my pay initially stayed roughly the same as in my previous job. It felt like I had plateaued, even though I had more money than I needed. An unfortunate symptom of working in tech is that you get drawn to wanting more.

Choosing this role turned out to be the right move, though. I had more room to grow and was in a better learning environment at a larger company.

During the tech hiring spree of 2020, my peers said they were getting crazy offers, and I didn’t want to miss out. That August, I joined The Clorox Company, a manufacturing firm, as a software engineer. By 2023, I was making over $250,000: the peak of my earnings in tech.

In 2024, I was laid off, and I’ve continued to work in various software engineering roles. I bought a business in 2023, and my focus has shifted to seeking out flexibility and time to build it, instead of maximizing corporate compensation.

2. I prepare for the pressure of job interviews by practicing with strangers

Interviews are like a carnival game where you can win big money by performing well, and you can’t get to the negotiation stage without passing them. They’re structured, learnable, and winnable with the right preparation.

When I have job interviews lined up, I do technical practice and use a platform called Pramp, which pairs you with strangers for practice interviews. I’ve found this helps simulate the nerves and pressure of real interviews better than practicing with friends.

I’ll try to do at least two mock interviews before an interview I really care about.


Brian Jenney is standing on a stage giving a talk.

Jenney uses a platform called Pramp to practice job interviews.

Courtesy of Brian Jenney



3. I learned to ‘play the game’ of salary negotiation. Now I ask for at least 10% more.

Over the years, I’ve benefited a lot from people in tech being open about their salaries and career paths, which helped me understand what was possible and gave me confidence to negotiate and aim higher.

I’ve learned that salary negotiation is a game you have to play, and if you don’t, you lose money.

I began consistently negotiating pay in the late 2010s. I usually tell the employer that I’m really excited to start the job, but that I was hoping to come in at a higher salary range, usually 10 to 20% more.

I’ve found this to be very effective, and it has never gone badly for me. If an employer sounds firm on their offer, I usually try to explore whether a sign-on bonus is possible instead, but I don’t push aggressively beyond that.

I have more money than I need, even though I never worked in Big Tech


Brian Jenney is pointing at a wall with computer code written on it.

Jenney said a salary of $150,000 is more than enough for him.

Courtesy of Brian Jenney



I’ve interviewed with but never been hired by the Big Tech companies. Besides, I like working at smaller startups and non-tech companies where I think you can have a greater impact.

Big Tech employees are going to “beat me” on pay because their stock compensation will outpace my earnings. But I see my current lifestyle as comparable to theirs. I believe there’s a reason software engineers aren’t driving around Mountain View in Ferraris: they can’t cash out all their stock money yet.

There’s always more you can earn, but when my salary hit the $150,000 mark, I knew it was more than I needed. I’d rather prioritize jobs where I’m happy, I’m learning, and I can cover my needs while still saving. That’s all I really need.

Do you have a story to share about growing your salary in tech? Contact this reporter at ccheong@businessinsider.com




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Polly Thompson

Dell is rolling out a new sales pay structure. Some employees worry it’ll slash their income.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Dell has kicked off its new financial year with a shakeup to how sales staff get paid.

Under the new structure, Dell is increasing rewards for high performers but scaling back earnings for sellers who fall short of their full quota, according to an internal presentation viewed by Business Insider. The tech giant is also tightening the periods over which it measures sales progress to a quarterly basis, rather than twice a year.

The presentation was shared with sales employees in a town hall meeting on February 3, led by Kyle Leciejewski, Dell’s senior vice president of North America sales.

The changes affect sales staff across both of Dell’s key divisions: the Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), which sells data center hardware and other AI-related solutions, and the Client Solutions Group (CSG), which sells PC hardware.

The change at Dell mirrors a shift happening across much of Big Tech, where companies have been leaning into a hardcore culture that elevates high performers, penalizes those who miss the mark, and disregards long-held views of workplace loyalty.

The move is “designed to reward you for driving profitable growth, expanding our footprint, and winning market share for Dell,” the company told staff in the presentation.

“We are always assessing our business to remain competitive and ensure we are set up to deliver the best innovation, value, and service to our customers and partners,” Dell told Business Insider.

No commission under 60% of sales targets

Dell sales employees are paid through a mix of guaranteed base salary and a commission-based payment, known as their “target incentive.” The presentation used an example of an employee paid on a 60/40 mix, meaning 60% of their compensation was the salary, and the rest was the target incentive.

Under the previous salary structure, sellers who achieved between 0 and 100% of their sales target received the corresponding portion of their target incentive, according to the presentation. If they hit 80% of their goal, they got 80% of the payout; if they hit 50% of the goal, they got 50% of the payout.

The target incentive doubled for those who hit 100% to 200% of their targets.

Under the new changes, sellers who come in below 60% of their target get no commission.

For those who achieve between 60% and 100% of target, here’s the new pay structure:

  • At 70% of goal, employee gets 25% of target incentive
  • At 80% of goal, employee gets 50% of target incentive
  • At 90% of goal, employee gets 75% of target incentive
  • At 100% of goal, employee gets 100% target incentive

For top performers, the incentives just got better.

Sales workers who hit between 100% and 150% of their targets will now receive commissions worth three times the agreed target incentive portion of their salary, the presentation shows. That marks a 50% increase on what they’d previously received.

Quarterly targets

Dell is also moving sales teams to quarterly targets, according to the presentation.

Small and medium business teams already worked to quarterly targets, but now enterprise, large enterprise, DTS, AI Select, and Dell’s telecom business will move from a twice-yearly compensation plan to quarterly quotas.

According to the presentation, the decision to move to quarterly targets is linked to the company’s upcoming modernization push. As Business Insider first reported, Dell is overhauling its internal systems on May 3 to help streamline internal operations for the AI future — an initiative it is calling One Dell Way.

Dell could adjust the quota cadence in the second half of the financial year, the presentation said: “We will revisit the quota cadence and take the learnings from Q1 and Q2 to inform the decision about 2H.”

Some employees fear pay cuts

Five Dell sales employees who spoke to Business Insider about the pay structure changes said the adjustments were causing frustration and fear among some employees that their take-home pay could drop.

A data center sales rep told Business Insider that for the last three years, they had consistently hit 70% to 80% of their quota, so they were looking at a 20% reduction in their take-home pay unless they could sell more.

All five employees said that hitting 100% of a target would become harder in the new quarterly timeframe. Their reasons included that quotas had risen over the last two years, industry supply chain shortages were slowing sales cycles, and, in certain divisions, such as federal accounts, lead times were long.

Low morale

Employee dissatisfaction at Dell has been growing companywide in recent years amid layoffs and RTO mandates. The company’s employee satisfaction score — known as the employee net promoter score, or eNPS, has declined by almost 50% in two years.

In 2024, Dell’s sales teams received a 5-day RTO mandate months before the rest of the company, and last December, Business Insider reported that leaders were cracking down on attendance.

Sales staff are also dealing with tougher selling conditions amid an industry-wide shortage of memory chips. Along with most competitors, Dell raised prices on many of its products in December.

“Global memory and storage supply are tightening fast,” Dell warned its go-to-market team members in an email viewed by Business Insider. The company told its sellers to “move decisively” ahead of the price increases to “protect value for our customers and for Dell.”

On the back of the AI boom, ISG sales have been strong — revenue was up 29% in Dell’s last full financial year — but annual revenue has fallen for three consecutive years in the CSG division. In July 2025, Dell’s COO and vice chair Jeff Clarke stepped in to handle day-to-day leadership of CSG.

In a memo about One Dell Way last month, Clarke told Dell staffers to get ready for big changes.

“This is the biggest transformation in company history,” Clarke said. “I know there will be challenges, and that’s OK—we’re here to support you and work through this together.”

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@businessinsider.com or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.




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