Lakshmi Varanasi is a reporter at Business Insider covering technology and its impact on how we work and interact. Before Business Insider, she worked at outlets including Slate, POLITICO Magazine, and Reveal News, covering everything from the publishing industry to consumer data breaches at Amazon. She holds a bachelor's in history from Yale and a master's from Stanford.
Recent Stories
Bill Gates has three children with ex-wife Melinda French Gates. His eldest is expecting a second child; his youngest is working on a fashion startup.
Finance
2024-09-14T16:23:52Z
The US is considering a sovereign wealth fund. Alaska already has one, and it's funding a universal basic income.
Alaska's Permanent Fund, once funded by oil extraction, is now funded through investment returns, allowing it to disperse checks to Alaska residents.
AI
2024-09-12T20:01:02Z
OpenAI takes another step closer to getting AI to think like humans with new 'o1' model
OpenAI unveiled o1, an AI model designed to reason more like humans.
Careers
2024-09-12T15:19:29Z
Hybrid work boosts satisfaction and productivity and is here to stay, PwC says
The Big Four accounting firm spent 13 months surveying 20,000 workers for insights into transforming the workforce.
Careers
2024-09-12T14:27:28Z
The full list of major US companies slashing staff this year, from Verizon and PwC to Tesla and Goldman Sachs
Companies have continued to cut jobs in 2024 after a wave of layoffs last year. Goldman Sachs, IBM, Google, and Tesla are among those shedding staff.
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Politics
2024-09-08T20:36:16Z
Trump and Biden agree: The US should finally start a sovereign wealth fund
Momentum on both sides of the aisle is picking up to establish an American sovereign wealth fund that optimists say could pay for just about anything.
AI
2024-09-07T20:27:46Z
The first thing OpenAI CTO Mira Murati's mother asked ChatGPT is hilarious
Mira Murati's mother used ChatGPT to investigate the OpenAI executive's personal life.
Tech
2024-09-07T14:46:37Z
Meet Pavel Durov, the tech billionaire who founded Telegram
Pavel Durov spoke for the first time since his arrest, calling it a "misguided approach" to combat the spread of illicit content on Telegram.
Enterprise
2024-09-06T13:10:33Z
Larry Ellison will control Paramount. His career spans software, Hollywood, and yacht racing.
Meet Larry Ellison, Oracle's CTO and cofounder who's amassed a multibillion-dollar fortune and whose son will be the new chief at Paramount.
AI
2024-09-01T18:43:57Z
AI companies that say AGI is close are using dubious definitions to make that claim, AI pioneer says
The AI industry is pouring billions into developing artificial general intelligence, and AI companies have wildly different ideas on how close it is.
AI
2024-08-30T15:37:13Z
Signal president says generative AI is 'definitely a bubble' and Nvidia's market is going to 'die for a second'
Signal's president Meredith Whittaker said AI is a bubble and that it urgently needs to be regulated.
Tech
2024-08-29T19:19:41Z
Elon Musk's X flags NPR story on Trump's Arlington Cemetery visit as "spammy or unsafe"
Elon Musk's X has flagged an article about the legality of Trump's campaign video filmed at Arlington National Cemetery as "spammy or unsafe."
Tech
2024-08-29T15:06:37Z
Signal president says she spent 2 sleepless days dealing with the fallout of Elon Musk's criticism
Signal president Meredith Whittaker called an Elon Musk tweet "baseless," and that it caused her multiple sleepless nights.
AI
2024-08-28T21:30:23Z
Sam Altman's tricky year hasn't stopped OpenAI rocketing into the $100 billion club
OpenAI may be about to hit a shiny new threshold: $100 billion. Investors are betting on the company despite a string of mishaps and lack of profit.
AI
2024-08-26T09:31:02Z
What OpenAI must do to stay on top
Investors are getting antsy as OpenAI spends billions with little promise of a return on investment and top talent heads elsewhere.
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Military & Defense
2024-08-25T21:21:36Z
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says the US military is falling behind in AI warfare and needs a 'systemic overhaul'
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt started a defense company called White Stork to produce AI drones. He says the US military needs to shift priorities.
Tech
2024-08-25T18:05:48Z
Big Crypto is now spending more on US elections than any other industry
Crypto companies have already funneled some $119 million into federal elections, according to data from Public Citizen.
AI
2024-08-24T20:21:59Z
Anthropic says it is closer to backing California's AI bill after lawmakers made some fixes. Here's what changed.
Anthropic says the benefits of California's AI bill now "outweigh its costs." But it still has some concerns.
AI
2024-08-24T12:13:11Z
Former OpenAI employees call out Sam Altman for not backing even 'light-touch' safety efforts
Former OpenAI staffers criticized CEO Sam Altman and his company for not supporting a bill that would regulate the development of AI in California..
Tech
2024-08-23T15:41:09Z
Who is Palmer Luckey? The founder of Oculus and Anduril
Palmer Luckey founded Oculus, sold it to Facebook for $2 billion, and was fired two years later. Now he's building military technology with Anduril.