1.1 million people have been laid off in the US this year — more than any year since the pandemic

Tech Insider
A 'Now Hiring' sign sits in the window of a Denny's restaurant on November 19, 2025 in Miami, Florida.
There were over 70,000 job cuts last month.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

  • 2025 has seen over 1.1 million job cuts in the US so far, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
  • The firm said it was just the sixth time since 1993 that the figure had passed 1.1 million.
  • It's also the most layoffs in a year since 2020, when the COVID pandemic upended the labor market.

This year has seen the most layoffs in the US

Economy, Economy, Business

I stayed in a pod at an airport for $50. It was tiny and a bit awkward, but I slept surprisingly well between my flights.

Tech Insider
The writer on a plane, and an image of Avagard Capsule Hotel.
caption

Ash Jurberg

  • On an overnight layover in Bangkok, I booked a $50 stay at the airport's Avagard Capsule Hotel.
  • I slept surprisingly well in my 7-by-3 pod, although walking to the bathroom felt awkward.
  • I wouldn't sleep there again if I were traveling with others, but I'll book it on future solo trips.

I was flying from Phuket, Thailand, to Bhutan with an awkward, eight-hour, overnight layover in

Travel, Business

The US will now review H-1B applicants' social media — and require them to make profiles public, State Department says

Tech Insider
Donald Trump signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on September 19, 2025.
The US will require H-1B applicants to make their social media public for visa vetting, a State Department spokesperson said.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

  • The US will review H-1B applicants' social media, a State Dept official told Business Insider.
  • Applicants must make all social media profiles public so that consular officers can review them.
  • Trump imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications in
Economy, Business, Travel

UK fines porn company £1 million for weak age checks

Engadget

The UK has fined a porn operator called AVS Group £1 million ($1.33 million) for failing to have strong enough age checks, regulator Ofcom announced. The company which was also hit with an additional £50,000 fine for its failure to respond to information request and now has 72 hours to introduce effective age checks or face a further penalty of £1,000 a day. 

In July, the UK government announced

Why new Christmas movies don’t hit the same (yet)

Mashable
Why new Christmas movies don't hit the same

Why do some Christmas movies become annual traditions while others fade into the streaming void? In this episode of How It Hits, we explore why films like A Christmas Story, Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life — and even the “is it or isn’t it” picks like Die Hard — become emotional touchstones that define the season.

For the extended version of this video, visit us on YouTube.

5 shoe trends that are in this season and 4 that are out, according to stylists

Tech Insider
A person wearing a pair of brown suede mules.
Stylists think mules will be popular this winter.

Moritz Scholz/Getty Images

  • Business Insider spoke with stylists about which shoe trends are in and out this season.
  • The pros said boat shoes, low-profile sneakers, and chunky boots will be popular this winter.
  • However, logo-heavy styles, distressed sneakers, and pointy toes are on their way out.

Shoes might be the last thing you put on before leaving

Style, Business

Prince Harry crashes Stephen Colberts late show to audition for a Hallmark movie

Mashable
Two men stand embracing on stage in front of a festive backdrop.

With the holiday season well and truly here, Stephen Colbert took a moment on the Late Show to go through some of the latest Hallmark movie offerings — until an actual royal suddenly appears behind him in the form of Prince Harry, who is apparently dead set on appearing in a holiday movie himself.

"Stephen, I'll do anything," Prince Harry says. "I'll record a self tape, I'll fly myself to an