Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, 41, has joined forces with former rival Kevin Rose, 48, to revive Digg, a social and link-sharing website Rose founded in 2004 — it was divided up and sold for parts to Betaworks, LinkedIn, and The Washington Post in 2012. The two intend to infuse the new Digg with AI content moderators, a move not yet implemented by Reddit.

The Digg of 2004 allowed users to share links that others could “digg” and upvote or “bury” and downvote, creating a place for trending news. Users could comment on links too, with the most popular content ending up on the homepage.

In its heyday, Digg attracted 40 million monthly unique users, but after a 2010 update removed the “bury” button, users revolted and left the site in droves, leading to its demise.

Ohanian and Rose announced on Wednesday that they are relaunching Digg as a mobile-first platform, with invites to the new Digg rolling out to users in the coming weeks. The webpage for Digg’s reboot shows that over 175,000 people have signed up to get early access to it at the time of writing.

Related: You’ll Never Achieve Work-Life Balance — and You Shouldn’t, Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Says

According to Bloomberg, Justin Mezzell, a product designer who previously worked at Code School and RevenueCat, will be Digg’s new CEO. Ohanian and Rose will serve on the board of directors.

The team bought Digg’s domain and assets from Money Group for an undisclosed sum, and have received investments from Ohanian-founded venture capital (VC) firm Seven Seven Six, as well as True Ventures, a VC firm where Rose is a partner. They declined to disclose how much they had raised, per Bloomberg.

^{Alexis Ohanian. Photo by Patrick Smith/Athlos/Getty Images for Athlos}

Plans to revive Digg started when Rose reached out to Ohanian last year with the idea of a new Digg that could use AI to help fight spam and moderate content. According to The New York Times, Rose determined where AI could help Digg by spending thousands of dollars on targeted ads on Reddit, a comparable platform, to ask moderators about their biggest challenges.

“These moderators are pouring their lives into this,” he told The Times. “We think we can do it better.”

Rose told The Verge that he envisions Digg using AI for “everything from an AI agent that converts your entire sub-community into Klingon,” a fictional language in the Star Trek universe, “to another one where you don’t allow a certain type of profanity and that’s automatically auto-moderated.”

Related: Here’s Why Reddit Turned Down an Acquisition Offer From Google in Its Early Days, According to Cofounder Alexis Ohanian

Ohanian, who served on Reddit’s board until 2020, stated in a press release that AI will take on the background “grunt work” of fighting spam and filtering through content on Digg while human moderators focus on “building real connections.”

“I’m all in on this chapter,” Ohanian stated.

Digg is a direct competitor to Reddit, a $30 billion company with 101.7 million daily active unique users as of its February earnings report. Reddit has made AI a priority, signing a $60 million deal with Google in February 2024 that allowed the tech giant to train its AI on Reddit content and following up with a similar deal with OpenAI in May 2024.

Reddit has a built-in moderation system called AutoModerator that automatically goes through posts to check to see if they violate community policies. Though the platform introduced an AI-powered safety feature in March 2024 to detect online harassment, it does not yet have AI agents working as moderators and has not stated if it is working on implementing them, per Business Insider.

Related: ‘Faster, Smarter, and More Relevant’: Reddit Tests AI That Combs the Site For You

As of 2023, one in three Americans had a side hustle. From picking up an extra job in the gig economy to igniting an exciting entrepreneurial venture, millions of people started side hustles, and Black women were part of that wave. One cause of the side hustle boom was the rising cost of living and the need to counter the effects of inflation. Nearly one in four Americans depended on their side hustle earnings for their everyday expenses.

While side hustles have helped many people get by with their everyday needs, they’ve also helped build Black wealth, especially amongst Black women, who have been one of the fastest-growing groups of entrepreneurs in recent years. Nearly one in three Black women have taken up part-time work or a side hustle alongside their full-time job — and this is (in part) a result of the pay disparity. While pursuing a side hustle, many people of color have suffered from a lack of work-life balance, or work-life blend, as I often say in my diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultancy. Ultimately, are side hustles helping or hurting Black women in their pursuit of entrepreneurship and fair pay? I’d say it’s a mixed bag.

Related: Why Paying Women An Equal Wage Helps — Not Hurts — Your Business

Black women aren’t expected to achieve equal pay until the year 2227

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Black women earn only $0.61 for every dollar earned by a man, and it’s estimated Black women won’t reach pay equity until the year 2227. You read that right — over 200 years from now. Their research is linked to the low job quality options that Black women are afforded. But they’re not the only group still struggling for equal pay. Asian-American women earn $0.85 for every dollar a man earns, Native-American women earn just $0.58, and Latinas earn only $0.53. The numbers are shocking. But what’s not surprising is the need for women to supplement their income with side hustles.

Barriers to equal pay for Black women

One of the biggest hurdles for pay equity is related to pay discrimination. Many Black women face pay discrimination in the workplace because of unconscious bias and their employers’ perceptions of their capabilities based on race and gender. Consequently, Black women are often paid less for the same work done by a white and/or male counterpart. Another barrier is the secretive nature of salary transparency, which prevents workers from discussing their earnings and comparing and contrasting pay differences.

There’s also a devaluation of what’s been called “women’s work,” or occupations dominated by female workers, such as child care. In general, “women’s work” has been devalued across the economy for centuries, with women consistently earning less than their male counterparts in more traditionally male-dominated professions.

Occupational segregation plays a huge role as well. Black women carry an additional burden of living at the intersection of gender and race. As a result, they’re highly underrepresented in male-dominated fields like construction and manufacturing and in high-earning professions like chief executive, physician or finance. Currently, only 1.4% of Black women occupy C-suite positions in industries like these.

Related: After Her Unexpected Layoff, This Founder’s Love of Fragrances and Self-Care Helped Her Cope. Now She’s Disrupting the Fragrance Industry.

Black women are turning to side hustles to pay themselves a fairer wage

There are numerous examples of minority business owners who have not only started side hustles to earn a few extra dollars every month but have effectively scaled their side hustles to full-time roles. For example, Cassiy Johnson started a print-on-demand business through Etsy and scaled it to $800,000 in annual revenue in 2020.

What’s even more powerful is the impact that minority-owned businesses have on the overall economy. Black business owners in the United States reportedly own 3.5 million businesses and employ more than 1.2 million people. Therefore, Black-owned businesses have helped employ more people than previously thought. Its ripple effects have helped individuals who may have faced various types of systemic racism in the workforce to focus on building wealth for their own families instead of building wealth for a large company. For many people, starting a side hustle that turned into a sustainable business has elevated their family’s wealth trajectory in meaningful ways.

Related: How to Build Wealth Through a Side Hustle

Unequal pay has harmed the mental wellbeing of Black women

Like with all new businesses, working around the clock can cause many people to experience higher stress, increased risk of burnout and potential mental health challenges. Black women entrepreneurs are just as affected by mental health challenges as anyone else. Unfortunately, one report has shown that people of color, in general, experienced worsening mental health because of the pandemic and disproportionate barriers to mental health resources. In addition, the fear of failure and imposter syndrome can also hold entrepreneurs back from achieving their business goals and create roadblocks for their mental wellbeing. On top of wearing multiple hats in their businesses, Black entrepreneurs, in particular, were denied loans nearly twice as often as white business owners. All that said, starting a side hustle while working a full-time job — and trying to scale with loans and other capital — can be a mental and emotional challenge for entrepreneurs, especially Black women.

Final thoughts

While side hustles have had a powerful positive impact on Black women, they’ve also had their drawbacks. The median net worth of Black households increased by 60% between 2019 and 2022, and other promising trends were found in Latino, Asian and immigrant communities partially because of side hustles. Building wealth has become even more accessible for Black women than in previous decades. Side hustles have helped in that regard. But with the toll taken on mental health and the stress of not acquiring the capital necessary to scale, not everyone has been able to thrive in their side hustle. The rise of Black woman-owned businesses is only increasing. However, the more we can pay Black women a fair wage in their pursuits, the better our economy and communities will be.

Every CEO is familiar with the saying, “Time is money,” and the philosophy that wasted time impacts the bottom line. With this in mind, business owners often strive for maximum efficiency, evaluating every wasted minute, every redundant task and every distraction that hinders growth.

The problem is that most strategies that aim to increase efficiency neglect one critical aspect: that people are humans, not robots.

The best productivity approach doesn’t simply optimize time and speed — it works with human nature. That is, our natural tendencies to get distracted, be forgetful and feel unmotivated.

Time blocking and automation tools help, but they aren’t the full solution. Here are some human-focused processes to increase your productivity that actually work.

Related: 4 Simple, Research-Backed Ways to Increase Your Productivity

1. Set your goalposts

Tasks can feel demotivating if they aren’t tied to a tangible, meaningful outcome. Setting goalposts for what you’re looking to accomplish, in what timeframe and for what reason will help you stay motivated to achieve the end result.

Think about it: Your New Year’s resolution to work out more likely wasn’t driven by a desire to clock in at the gym but to achieve your goal weight, feel healthier, reduce pain, etc. Similarly, the work tasks on your to-do list likely emerged with the thought of achieving specific goals in your business.

To improve productivity, tie each of your activities to a desired outcome, whether that’s generating new business, reducing overhead costs, saving time, improving product quality, etc. Then, any task that isn’t tied to a tangible outcome may be a viable candidate to be cut from your list of priorities.

2. Create a distraction-free zone

There are many reputable studies that analyze the correlation between work environment and productivity. For instance, a study conducted by researcher Miikka Palvalin found that changes in work environment can negatively affect one’s ability to focus and be productive.

On the flip side, a distraction-free workspace helps facilitate focus, productivity and better time management.

Now, whether you work from home, at remote locations or at an office, there are likely a few ways that you create a distraction-free zone. Even small adjustments — like minimizing clutter, controlling noise or setting boundaries with coworkers and/or family — can have a substantial impact on your ability to perform at your best.

It can be helpful to create a designated work area (especially if working from home) to signal to your brain that it’s time to focus. Opting for an ergonomically sound setup can help mitigate physical discomfort, which can also be distracting. Also, some studies suggest that plants and natural lighting can improve mood and focus!

Related: 6 Ways to Make Your Business More Efficient

3. Get honest about repetitive time wasters

A significant source of stress for entrepreneurs is not using time efficiently and then running out of time to complete the tasks that matter. We’re all vulnerable to getting caught up in “busy work” — repetitive, time-wasting tasks that add little value and distract us from our bigger goals.

The key to overcoming this challenge is recognizing where your time is being wasted and taking deliberate steps to eliminate, delegate or automate those tasks.

First, do an “audit” of your time, tracking your daily activities and how long they take to complete. I like using a tool like Toggl to log my time throughout the day. You’ll be surprised how much time is spent on miscellaneous tasks, unnecessary meetings and checking emails.

Next, take stock of which tasks are consuming the most time, whether these tasks move you closer to your goals (or not) and whether they are better off being delegated or automated.

This ties into the Pareto Principle, wherein you identify the 20% of tasks that drive 80% of your results — and then cut out the rest. If a task doesn’t require your direct involvement or input, it may be delegated to someone else on your team, batched and automated or eliminated completely.

4. Don’t overcomplicate, automate

Today’s business owners have more tools than we know what to do with when it comes to streamlining business processes, automating tasks and freeing up time. While it may require some ramp-up time to put the system in place, doing so will save you loads of time in the future.

If you’re not a process person, I highly recommend tasking someone on your team (or hiring a consultant) to build the system for you. It’s well worth the investment.

You first need to determine what can (and should be) automated. Map out your current workflows, identifying the tasks required, the tools or team members required and any inefficiencies in the process. It can be helpful to create a visual flowchart of each process in your organization.

For example, say you want to streamline the lead intake process, which previously relied on the manual effort of your sales team (to call, record and follow up with leads). A new, automated process might look like:

• A visitor lands on your website and fills out a contact form

• This triggers an automatic lead capture in your CRM

• The system assigns a lead score and segments the prospect

• This sends a personalized follow-up email

• Your sales team is notified if the lead meets high-value criteria

In this way, you all but eliminate the need for manual effort by you or your team, all lead information is effectively captured, and no opportunities slip through the cracks.

There are many ways to reduce stress and increase efficiency in your business, just so long as you identify the gaps, set realistic goals and depend on the strength of your team. This gives you more time to focus on the work that matters and strike that enviable work-life balance.

Related: How Inefficient Processes Are Hurting Your Company

Michael Bloomberg, 83, topped the list of Americans who donated the most money to nonprofits last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy 50 list for 2024. It was the second year in a row that Bloomberg led the list.

Bloomberg gave $3.7 billion to charitable causes in 2024 in support of the arts, education, public health groups, and city government improvement programs. He made his contributions directly and through his charitable organization Bloomberg Philanthropies.

One sizable donation Bloomberg made was a $1 billion grant to Johns Hopkins University in July 2024 to cover the cost of medical school for students.

Related: MacKenzie Scott’s Nearly $20 Billion in Donations Has Had a ‘Transformative Effect,’ According to a New Study. Here’s How.

“I’ve never understood people who wait until they die to give away their wealth,” Bloomberg told the Chronicle in an email. “Why deny yourself the satisfaction? I’ve been very lucky, and I’m determined to do what I can to open doors for others and to leave a better world for my children and grandchildren.”

^{Michael Bloomberg. Photographer: Lionel Ng/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Five other individual donors or couples joined Bloomberg in giving away $1 billion or more last year. They were: Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and his wife Patty Quillin (second on the list), Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell (third), Warren Buffett (fourth), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan (fifth), and retired pediatrics professor Ruth Gottesman (sixth).

The bulk of the donations went to funds that supported causes like scientific research and education. Gottesman made a move similar to Bloomberg’s by donating $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York in February to make the medical school tuition-free as of August 2024.

Related: Former Pediatrics Professor Donates $1 Billion, Makes Albert Einstein College of Medicine Tuition-Free

The top 50 donors on the list gave a collective $16.2 billion for philanthropic causes in 2024. The median amount they gave was $100 million.

Paychex founder Thomas Golisano was the eighth most generous donor on the list, giving away $500 million in 2024. Most of his donations, or about $400 million, were no-strings-attached contributions to over 100 nonprofits in New York and Florida. One of his areas of focus is organizations that support people with disabilities.

Former investment banker K. Lisa Yang (wife of Broadcom CEO Hock E. Tan) was the 34th donor on the list. She gave away $74.5 million this year, mostly to MIT and Cornell University. In February, Yang gave $35 million to Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Center to support wildlife conservation.

Venture capital investor Michele Kang (No. 28) donated $84 million in 2024, giving $4 million to the USA Women’s Rugby team.

The Philanthropy 50 ranking has been running for 25 years. In that span of time, Buffett has been the biggest donor, giving away $49.4 billion.

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates were second overall, giving $34 billion together, while Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk were third, fourth, and fifth respectively in overall charitable contributions.

Bezos committed $10 billion in 2021 to the Bezos Earth Fund to protect nature and fight climate change while Musk has donated around $7 billion since 2020 to his organization, The Musk Foundation, which supports renewable energy research and science and engineering education.

Related: ‘Unexpected Funding’: Paychex’s Founder Donates $85 Million to 41 Nonprofits. Here’s Where the Money Is Going.

President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada went into effect on Tuesday, along with a doubling of tariffs on some Chinese imports to 20%.

In response, Canada imposed 25% tariffs on nearly $100 billion of imported U.S. goods on Tuesday, including machinery, auto parts, and alcohol, and Ontario is enacting a 25% tariff on its energy export — the province powers 1.5 million homes in Minnesota, New York, and Michigan, per Bloomberg.

China also enacted tariffs on Tuesday — 10% to 15% on U.S. agricultural products and filed a lawsuit against the new tariffs with the World Trade Organization.

Mexico will announce its countermeasures on Sunday.

Canada and Mexico have had essentially tariff-free trading agreements with the U.S. for three decades, per USA Today. However, China and the U.S. have engaged in tit-for-tat tariffs since 2018.

Related: Worried About the Market? Here’s How Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio, and Harvard University Protect Their Portfolios

So far, the news has rattled stocks.

Here’s what we know about the tariffs and how they could affect consumers and businesses in the U.S.

Why is Trump implementing tariffs?

In an executive order signed on Monday, Trump stated the tariffs are meant to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and fight the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

Trump has stated that he is implementing tariffs to pressure Canada, Mexico, and China into stopping drugs like fentanyl from entering the U.S., per Fox Business. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, nearly 70% of the 107,000 deaths from drug overdoses in 2023 involved opioids such as fentanyl.

Trump wrote in the executive order that China’s “failure” to “blunt the sustained influx of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl” presented “an unusual and extraordinary threat” and that he would increase tariffs in response.

The Trump administration says it is also using tariffs as a way to secure the border and stop the flow of undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Canada.

In a post on Truth Social in November, Trump said that the tariffs on goods would “remain in effect” until “Drugs, in particular, Fentanyl” and “all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”

Related: 3 Reasons Trump May Be Softening His Protectionist Stance and How This Helps Startups

What are tariffs and what will they mean for consumers?

Tariffs are taxes placed on goods imported from other countries. For example, a 20% tariff on Chinese goods means a $10 product would have a $2 tax added to the price. The importer would have to pay the tax to U.S. Customs and Border Protection when the product crosses the border.

Companies can absorb the additional charge or pass it on to customers in the form of increased prices.

The CEOs of Target and Best Buy have already indicated the companies will raise prices for consumers in response to the tariffs.

Target CEO Brian Cornell told CNBC Tuesday that produce prices would increase over the next few days as tariffs take effect. Cornell noted that Target depends on produce from Mexico in the winter, so shoppers could see prices rise for fruits and vegetables like strawberries and avocados.

Also on Tuesday, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said on the company’s earnings call that American consumers were “highly likely” to see price increases in response to the tariffs. Best Buy sources about 55% of its products from China and 20% from Mexico, Barry stated.

However, Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright told NBC on Sunday that the company intends to absorb the costs of tariffs and only raise prices if elevated costs turn out to be significant.

How is the stock market reacting to the tariff news?

U.S. stocks fell in response to the tariffs news, with the Dow industrials, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite all falling over 1% on Tuesday, per The Wall Street Journal.

In midmorning trading on Tuesday, the Dow lost 1.8% or more than 770 points, while the S&P and the Nasdaq each dropped more than 1.5%, per NPR.

The VIX volatility index, Wall Street’s fear gauge, hit its highest level yet this year on Tuesday, climbing to 24.35 at the time of writing after closing at 22.78 on Monday. The VIX average closing value this year was 16.86.

What are the benefits of tariffs?

The U.S. imported $1.2 trillion more goods and services in 2024 than it exported. Over 40% of imports overall came from China, Canada, and Mexico.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, tariffs benefit domestic producers by raising the U.S. prices of foreign goods relative to comparable goods produced domestically. Domestic companies also do not have to pay tariffs on the goods they produce and sell within the country.

Trump underscored this point on Truth Social on Tuesday: “If companies move to the United States, there are no tariffs!!!”

Tariffs can also increase government revenue. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization, estimated that 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico would increase government revenue by $110 billion across the rest of the year. If the tariffs are made permanent, they would raise $1.3 trillion in revenue in the next ten years.

Still, experts at the Peterson Insitute for Internal Economics, an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan research organization say that tariffs won’t shrink the trade deficit.

Related: Here’s How Donald Trump’s Victory Will Impact Small Businesses

The Gulf of Mexico was renamed the Gulf of America. Denali was re-re-named Mount McKinley. And now name changers have turned their attention to food.

The New York Times reports that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is working with the State Senate on a resolution to officially rename the New York Strip cut of meat to the “Texas Strip.”

?????: Factoid: Texas has about 12.2 million head of cattle, the most in America. I met with the Texas Cattle Feeders and Cattle Raisers this week.

Out of curiosity, I asked each of them their favorite cut of meat. A few said New York Strip. I asked why we didn’t call it a…

— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) February 28, 2025

Citing stats that Texas has over 12 million head of cattle and New York has “mostly dairy cows,” Patrick tweeted, “The Texas Senate will file a concurrent resolution to officially change the name of the New York Strip to the ‘Texas Strip’ in the Lone Star State.”

He continued his reasoning for the rebrand, stating, “Liberal New York shouldn’t get the credit for our hard-working ranchers,” concluding that after the summer session of Congress ends, “I might take a short cruise across the Gulf of America and have a juicy medium-rare Texas Strip.”

Related: Olive Garden Parent Acquires Ruth’s Chris for $715 Million

As many steak lovers know, the New York Strip is cut from a boneless strip loin known for its marbled and tender consistency. Per The Times, it is believed that it got its Big Apple moniker at Delmonico’s, a legendary New York City steakhouse founded in 1827 that says it is “the first fine dining restaurant in America.”

It’s hard to think of states that boast more fiercely proud residents than New York and Texas, so this butcher battle could get bloody. But in this reporter’s opinion, the name of the steak doesn’t matter — just don’t overcook it. If it is cooked anything other than medium rare, you might as well feed it to your dog.

Side hustles remain a popular way for Americans to earn extra income and work toward financial freedom outside of their 9-5 jobs.

More than one-third third of U.S. adults — nearly half of Gen Z and millennials — have a supplemental gig, according to Bankrate’s research.

Whether someone is looking to pay off bills or debt, save for a vacation or retirement, or just have some more spending money, starting a side hustle can be a flexible, low-commitment way to do that — especially if it’s one that doesn’t require extensive experience.

Related: ‘I Was Called Crazy’: This 27-Year-Old’s Side Hustle Hit $30,000 a Month in Under a Year — Now It’s Worth Millions

What do those high-paying, ready-to-start side hustles look like in 2025?

Financial services company NetCredit dug into thousands of publicly available job ads to find the hourly gigs that pay the most and “that require little-to-no experience” for success.

The best-paying side hustle that meets that criteria, according to the research? That would be participating in focus groups, which pays $28 an hour, on average.

Related: 13 Side Hustles That Take Less Than An Hour Per Day

Working as a virtual assistant, website tester, dog walker and nanny round out the top five lucrative side hustles, per the data, with rates averaging $21-$26 an hour.

“Some of the best among these are gigs where the buyer just needs a ‘regular person,’ and lack of experience is actually an advantage,” the report said, noting that “no experience” side hustles often capitalize on backgrounds or skills that “you may not have considered for their value.”

Related: How to Start a Side Hustle With Facebook, From 4 People Who Did It and Are Earning More Than $1 Million a Year

Read on for NetCredit’s full list of the 10 highest-paying, “little experience”-necessary side hustles in the U.S.:

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of NetCredit}

Bloomberg is reporting that the SEC is offering some employees $50,000 to resign or retire — within a month.

According to an email sent to staff on Friday by the agency’s COO, Ken Johnson (and reviewed by Bloomberg), the incentive is part of a voluntary separation or early retirement program.

Related: Verizon Tries to Steal ‘Top Talent’ From Rival AT&T With Email Promoting Its Hybrid and Remote Roles

Eligible employees have until March 21 to apply and need to leave by April 4.

In order to qualify, employees must have been on payroll before Jan. 24 and voluntarily resign, immediately retire, or transfer to another agency. The email notes that the $50,000 must be paid back in full if an employee accepts the buyout but then returns to the SEC within five years.

The SEC mandated that all staff return to the office five days a week starting April 14.

The Education Department also offered some of its staff a buyout of $25,000 to resign or retire last week. That email, also sent on Friday, reportedly had a deadline of Monday at 11:59 p.m. to accept the offer, with a final work day of March 31.

Related: I’m an Employment Lawyer. Here Are 4 Steps You Can Take When Your Company Announces RTO.

American businesses are hiring at their lowest rates since April 2020, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The market is competitive enough that even graduates from top business schools are having trouble finding work.

A Monday Bloomberg report analyzed job placement outcomes at the top seven MBA programs in the country (Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, the MIT Sloan School of Management, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business) and found that job placement outcomes for all seven schools decreased in 2024 compared to 2021.

At Harvard Business School, for example, the percentage of MBA students without a job offer three months after graduation nearly quadrupled from 4% of the graduating class in 2021 to 15% in 2024. The MIT Sloan School of Management reported nearly identical numbers, growing from 4.1% in 2021 to 15% in 2024.

Related: Graduates From This Midwestern School Are More Likely to Start a Billion Dollar Company Than Founders Who Went To Stanford, Harvard, or MIT: Study

Kristen Fitzpatrick, head of career development and alumni relationships at Harvard Business School, told The Wall Street Journal last month that MBAs were “not immune to the difficulties of the job market.”

“Going to Harvard is not going to be a differentiator,” Fitzpatrick said. “You have to have the skills.”

The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, meanwhile, saw its percentage of grads without a job offer increase nearly sixfold, from 2.3% in 2021 to 13.2% in 2024, while Columbia’s percentage nearly doubled from 6% in 2021 to 11% in 2024.

Stanford’s percentage tripled from 4% in 2021 to 12% in 2024, while Northwestern’s grew more than threefold from 2.9% to 10.2%.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business had the best job placement rates overall, with only 1% of its students unable to find a job three months after graduating in 2021. However, even Wharton saw that percentage increase to 6.9% in 2024.

^{Harvard Business School. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

A full-time residential MBA at a top-seven school like Wharton or Harvard can cost over a quarter of a million dollars, per MBA site Poets and Quants. Still, the degree usually touts a strong return on investment: A survey from the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) found that the median starting salary for MBA graduates at U.S. companies was $120,000 in 2024.

So why are job placement rates going down? Poets and Quants noted that over 70% of the class of 2022 at Harvard, Wharton, and Columbia Business Schools ended up in the finance, consulting, or tech industries. According to the WSJ, key players in these industries have cut back on MBA hiring.

For example, consulting firm McKinsey decreased the number of MBAs it hires from the University of Chicago’s Booth school from 71 students in 2023 to 33 in 2024, per The Journal. According to the same report, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have also reduced their MBA hiring targets.

Across the tech sector, economists also told Business Insider that companies were hiring fewer MBA graduates as they invested more in artificial intelligence. Recent layoffs at Meta, Microsoft, and Google earlier this year show that big tech companies are making cost cuts while also committing billions of dollars to AI investments.

Related: The Top 50 Graduate Programs for Entrepreneurs in 2025

Marketing today isn’t just about reaching your audience — it’s about resonating with them. And what better way to do that than through influencers? These individuals are trusted voices in their communities with audiences that look to them not just for recommendations, but for inspiration. However, like all great power, influencer collaborations come with great responsibility.

One of the biggest mistakes brands make is thinking any influencer will do. Spoiler alert: They won’t. Choosing the wrong individual to represent your brand can damage your credibility, alienate your audience and even dissolve trust you’ve worked years to build. That’s why finding the right influencer — one whose values align with your brand and who genuinely connects with your target audience — is so crucial. Let’s talk about why this matters and how you can get it right.

Positive connections build stronger brands

When it comes to influencer collaborations, it’s not just about who they are — it’s about what they stand for. Consumers today are savvier than ever, and authenticity is king. Partnering with positive influencers whose values echo your brand is non-negotiable if you want to build meaningful, lasting connections with your audience.

At Tonia in Vegas, for instance, we’ve built a meticulous process to ensure we collaborate with individuals who reflect positivity, creativity and authenticity. We recognize that the influencers who represent us also represent our values. This diligence ensures we’re not just partnering for reach but for impact.

Even I, with an Instagram community of 3.7 million engaged followers, am incredibly selective about the brands I work with. For me, it’s not just about a sponsorship deal — it’s about whether that brand aligns with who I am and what I stand for. Audiences can sense disingenuous connections and I’d never jeopardize the trust my followers have in me for a quick deal.

Related: Beyond Likes and Shares — How to Leverage Influencer Partnerships in the New Era of Social Media

The cost of misaligned collaborations

Collaborating with the wrong influencer is more than just a missed opportunity — it can completely ruin your reputation. Picture this: You’ve spent years building a sustainable brand and suddenly, you partner with an influencer who’s called out for bad behavior. Overnight, your brand’s authenticity is questioned, and customers start walking away.

This isn’t just hypothetical — it happens. Brands who rush into collaborations without proper research often pay the price. Your chosen influencer’s values, past behavior and audience engagement should be much more significant to you than their follower count or initial reach.

How to find the right fit

1. Define your brand’s values and goals

Before even scouting for influencers, be hyper-clear about what your brand stands for. Identify your values, messaging and audience expectations to guide your collaboration strategy. Are you aiming for sustainability? Fun, bold or adventurous energy? Knowing your “why” makes it infinitely easier to find influencers whose image and content align with your mission.

2. Quality over quantity

Micro-influencers are gaining traction for a reason. While you might be tempted to partner with someone who has millions of followers, like me, smaller-scale influencers often boast higher engagement rates and deeply loyal communities. Think trust over visibility.

3. Do your homework

A pretty Instagram grid means nothing without substance. Dig deep. Analyze an influencer’s content, engagement and audience. Are their followers aligned with your target market? Is their content genuine? Do they hold a consistent tone that resonates with your brand’s voice?

4. Look for long-term relationships

Campaigns tied to single posts may drive some spike in traffic, but longer-term partnerships are where true audience trust is built. Think of your influencers as brand ambassadors, not just someone who’s posting your ad onto their Instagram story.

5. Prioritize positivity and professionalism

Finally, evaluate their professional reputation. Have they been involved in any controversies? Do they handle public criticism gracefully? Positive influencers — those who inspire their communities rather than inflame them — are your best bet for creating lasting relationships with your audience.

6. Don’t rely solely on influencer stats

While follower counts and engagement rates are useful metrics, they shouldn’t be the sole deciding factors when choosing an influencer. High numbers on paper don’t always translate to meaningful connections or ROI. Instead, focus on the quality of their content and the authenticity of their interactions with their audience. A highly engaged, loyal following can often deliver the best results. Trust and alignment matter more than raw data, and many of the Instagram statistics websites sell is incorrect or out of date.

Related: 5 Things You Should Know Before Collaborating With An Influencer

Conclusion

Choosing the right influencers for your brand is about more than just numbers; it’s about aligning values, fostering genuine connections and building trust with your audience. By carefully vetting potential partners and focusing on authenticity, professionalism and positivity, you can create collaborations that feel natural and impactful. When executed thoughtfully, influencer marketing doesn’t just expand your reach — it builds a community around your brand that lasts far beyond a single campaign. My favorite type of marketing is influencer marketing. With the right partnership, the possibilities are endless.