I thought I could juggle motherhood and a promotion at Amazon. A turning point made me reevaluate everything.

Tech Insider : Business
Becca Selah
Becca Selah

Courtesy photo

I left Google to pursue an MBA. I think higher education is still worth the investment in the age of AI.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Style
Tennessee Watt at Wharton
Tennessee Watt says her MBA program is helping her to build a portfolio business.

Tennessee Watt

I was laid off from eBay. Now I run a business with 27 AI agents — these are the human parts I still handle myself.

Tech Insider : Business
A smiling woman with long brown hair poses against a teal background.
Linara Bozieva created a 27 AI agent workflow to run her company.

Courtesy of Linara Bozieva

Inside Amazon: 12 employees describe life under layoffs, AI pressure, and 5-day RTO

Tech Insider : Business, Technology, Travel
Amazon employees

Courtesy of Sarthak Gupta, Joanelle Cobos, Iren Azra Zou, Nicholas Jenkins

I quit Google at 55 after 18 years. I felt pressure to adopt AI too quickly — it was like I aged out of the company.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Matt Lowrie is standing outdoors wearing a gray jacket.
Lowrie didn't like the idea of using AI for coding tasks.

Courtesy of Matt Lowrie

I've advised ultrawealthy families for decades. The ones who stay rich do these 4 things.

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Environment
Rob Mallernee
Rob Mallernee is the CEO of Eton Solutions.

Courtesy of Rob Mallernee

I lost my flight attendant job when Spirit shut down. I've had to manage my emotions and am hopeful I'll find new work soon.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Julian Richardson in front of Spirit Airlines plane
Julian Richardson says he always knew that Spirit's closure was a possibility.

Julian Richardson

I got laid off from Google, then found out I was pregnant. Going from DINK to self-employed has felt like the wild west.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business, Economy
head shot of a woman outdoors
Shanon Morris.

Stacy Foster

I wanted an adventure after college, so I traveled abroad. Now I feel pressure to match my family's success.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
Georgia Witchel
After leaving high school early and later interning at Tesla, Georgia Witchel founded her own startup.

Georgia Witchel

A day in the life of Molly Sims, including what she eats, drinks, and focuses on to stay healthy and fit

Tech Insider : Business, Sports, Style
Molly Sims
Molly Sims.

Marissa Leshnov for BI

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Molly Sims, a model, actor, founder of YSE Beauty, and host of the podcast "Lipstick on the Rim." Sims lives in Los Angeles. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in Murray, Kentucky — very western-middle America. I started modeling when I was 21.

Subscribe to contributor-2026