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Kevin O’Leary once had a photography lab in his basement.

As a teenager, he did all he could to follow his dreams of becoming a photographer. There was one issue — his father didn’t approve.

“He said you’re not good enough and you’ll starve to death,” O’Leary said in a video posted to X. “He said you should go to college and get a degree and I went on to do an MBA which ended up being a very important tool for me later.”

Related: Kevin O’Leary Says This Is the One Skill He Looks For in a Leader — But It’s ‘Almost Impossible to Find’

O’Leary has previously explained why he thinks an MBA, which can cost $231,420 on average for a top 10 program in the U.S., was worth it.

In a 2021 Facebook post, he wrote that the degree gave him “a head start” and taught him “discipline,” turning him from a 20-something with poor study habits to someone who knew how to make money, defend his ideas, and focus on his strengths.

O’Leary graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1980, which now costs $83,250 per year for domestic students.

Photography still played a key role in his life: After graduating, the first company he started, Special Event Television, was a production company focused on sports entertainment.

Related: Kevin O’Leary Is Launching a New Agency With the Founder of Shazam

“It was my attempt to get back to the thing I loved, which was photography and production, and make money doing it,” O’Leary said in the X video. “There was that science and that art coming together in my life.”

When I first wanted to be a photographer, My dad told me I wasn’t good enough—I’d starve. So, I got an MBA and ended up building and selling a company for $4.2 billion. It all came together—business, creativity, and the drive to win. I wouldn’t change a thing. pic.twitter.com/Xv8ttJFk2V

— Kevin O’Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) September 17, 2024

O’Leary sold the company and then used the proceeds to start SoftKey, which sold education and entertainment software, in 1986. He and his two business partners sold SoftKey to Mattel in 1999 for $4.2 billion.

Looking back, he has no regrets.

“All of that stuff made me what I am today, the good, the bad, and the ugly,” O’Leary said in the video. “And I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Related: Kevin O’Leary Says ‘Right to Disconnect’ Laws Are ‘Crazy’

In August, Google entered a $2.7 billion agreement with AI chatbot startup Character.AI. The official reason? Getting a license to use Character’s technology.

The unofficial reason? According to a Wednesday Wall Street Journal report, the consensus within Google is that the tech giant primarily wanted to rehire a former employee who quit in 2021 after creating an AI chatbot that Google refused to take public.

The engineer, 48-year-old Noam Shazeer, was one of the first hundred employees at Google. He quickly established himself as an AI expert and wrote a paper in 2017 with seven other Google employees called “Attention is All You Need” which introduced a new deep learning architecture. That paper has been cited by other researchers more than 100,000 times and established him as one of the inventors of modern AI.

Related: Google Introduces Its New Project Astra AI Assistant at I/O Event — Here’s What Else You Missed

Shazeer claims credit for his contributions: His LinkedIn “About” section at the time of writing reads, “I have invented much of the current revolution in large language models.”

^{Noam Shazeer. Credit: Winni Wintermeyer for The Washington Post via Getty Images}

In 2021, before the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Shazeer was working on AI at Google. He and his colleagues created an AI chatbot that could interact with users conversationally, and they advocated for Google to demo it to the public. Google refused multiple times and Shazeer quit to start Character, building up the startup from 2021 to the present with over $150 million in funding at a valuation of $1 billion as of March.

Google’s August agreement with Character brought Shazeer back into the company as part of the DeepMind research team, which works on AI.

Shazeer made hundreds of millions of dollars as part of the deal, according to the WSJ.

Related: Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin Is Back at the Company ‘Pretty Much Every Day.’ Here’s What He’s Working On.

Other big tech companies have made similar agreements recently. In late August, Amazon signed a deal to non-exclusively license AI models developed by AI robotics startup Covariant and bring over Covariant’s co-founders and some employees.

Although 83% of U.S. adults said parents are the most responsible for teaching their children about money, 31% of American parents never speak to their kids about the topic, according to a survey from CNBC and Acorns.

Last week, the subject came up on Northwestern Mutual’s A Better Way to Money podcast, which featured social media star and owner of Stur Drinks Kat Stickler and Northwestern Mutual vice president and chief portfolio manager Matt Stucky.

“I love and respect my parents, but we didn’t really talk about money ever — I never saw them talk about money,” Stickler told Stucky during the conversation. “It was taboo. It wasn’t brought up once.”

Related: Members of Every Generation Have Side Hustles — But They Don’t Spend Their Earnings the Same Way. Here’s the Breakdown.

According to Stucky, parents can instill strong money management skills like any other good habit.

“It just takes a lot of repetition — things like saving, investing,” Stucky said. “I’m not going to teach my 4-year-old about investing, but just the idea of if I save a dollar, that means I can spend it down the road on something that I really want. That takes a while to sink in.”

Money might not have been a regular topic of discussion while Stickler was growing up, but the entrepreneur says her mother did show her the value of a dollar in other ways: repurposing old jeans into shorts or empty butter tubs into containers for school lunch.

In addition to talking to their kids about money, parents can lead by example when it comes to smart financial decisions.

“There are new risks that are now in the equation of being a parent,” Stucky said. “Things like, What if something happens to me; what if I can’t work anymore? How does that impact my child’s financial life?“

Navigating those uncertainties means planning for big-ticket items, according to Stucky. Stickler, who has a young daughter, said she’s already taken some key steps to secure her future: setting up a will complete with a month-by-month timeline and establishing funds for healthcare and school — and even one for clothes and toys.

Related: What Your Parents Never Taught You About Money

According to Stucky, parents should leverage today’s circumstances for tomorrow’s success.

Stucky recommends setting up a 529, to which you can contribute funds for education, and a Roth IRA for your child.

“[With a Roth IRA], you are able to contribute on their behalf up to the child’s earned income amount or the current contribution limits of $7,000, and the dollars come out tax-free after age 59 ½ or if they need to use it for a qualifying life event,” Stucky explains. “It’s a way to set up your children for their retirement, as well as support generational wealth.”

Parents might also consider a Uniform Transfer to Minors Account (UTMA), which has no limit on the amount that goes in and allows them to retain control until their kids reach 18-21, depending on where they live, Stucky says.

Related: Shark Tank’s ‘Mr. Wonderful’ on Teaching Kids About Money: ‘Put Their Noses In It, Like You’re Training a Puppy’

Finally, Stucky recommends the “often overlooked option” of permanent life insurance for your child.

“The policy will pay a death benefit someday so long as the required premiums are paid,” he explains. “In addition, policies accumulate cash value, which your child could access during their lifetime.”

Three Mile Island, the three-mile nuclear station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been closed since 2019. Now the island is set to reopen by 2028 to power Microsoft’s data centers, which are foundational to the tech giant’s AI and cloud computing businesses.

Constellation Energy, the owner of the power unit, announced the 20-year deal on Friday, which involves Microsoft buying energy from the restored plant. Restarting the plant means a $1.6 billion investment to revive it, ensure everything is up to date, and obtain the necessary permits and licenses. The payoff is significant though — the plant could create 3,400 new jobs directly and indirectly, and add $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP.

Microsoft’s decision to turn to nuclear power is a sign of the high amounts of power required for the AI boom. According to Bloomberg, AI has increased demand for carbon-free electricity — and Microsoft’s move to purchase nuclear energy for 20 years, the first agreement the tech giant has signed of its kind, is the latest move to meet that need.

^{Three Mile Island. Credit: Getty Images}

Since the agreement was announced, opinions have been mixed about how to proceed. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro supports the deal and wants it “fast-tracked.” Residents of Perry County, Pennsylvania, however, are writing letters to the newspaper noting that the problem of nuclear waste or by-products should be addressed before the plant opens.

Related: How Much Does It Cost to Develop and Train AI? Too Much.

Dr. Michael Goff, acting assistant secretary of the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, stated that the restart was “an important milestone.”

“Always-on, carbon-free nuclear energy plays an important role in the fight against climate change and meeting the country’s growing energy demands,” Goff said.

Three Mile Island was once known as the site of the most serious accident in U.S. commercial operating history. In March 1979, part of the power plant melted down and released small amounts of radioactivity. The incident inspired greater regulations and led to less public confidence in nuclear power in the following decades, though there were no injuries, deaths, or long-term health effects observed from the accident.

For entrepreneurs and small-business owners, managing expenses and maximizing value are key to staying competitive. A Sam’s Club membership can help streamline that process with access to a wide range of products and services designed to save you both time and money.

Whether you’re stocking up on office supplies, groceries, or other business essentials, Sam’s Club offers deals that make it easier to stretch your budget without compromising on quality. You can get a year-long Sam’s Club membership on sale for just $15 until September 27.

One of the major benefits of a Sam’s Club membership is access to bulk purchasing options, allowing you to buy in larger quantities at lower prices — ideal for businesses that need to keep their shelves stocked or regularly buy supplies in volume. On top of that, Sam’s Club offers value on everything from electronics to furniture, helping you furnish your workspace or upgrade tech without breaking the bank.

For those looking to get even more out of their membership, Sam’s Club provides value-added services like tire and battery care, optical and pharmacy services, and discounts on travel and entertainment. These perks go beyond shopping, offering practical solutions that support both your personal and professional life.

A Sam’s Club membership also provides convenience, with options for online shopping and curbside pickup, making it easier to get what you need without spending time navigating the aisles.

For business owners looking to increase their purchasing power and access a range of benefits, a Sam’s Club membership is a smart investment that delivers value year-round, and it’s available as an auto-renew plan for just $15 through September 27.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

The average company spends 3.28% of its revenue on technology, and that doesn’t include software or hardware renewals, according to a study conducted by Deloitte. Although your company’s tech equipment budget may be costly, you don’t have to spend hundreds on new devices each year to boost productivity.

Instead, you could make those you already have more efficient. First up is your PC. If it isn’t already running on Windows 10 Pro, you’re missing out on the latest productivity tools and innovative security measures. Through September 29, this operating system is on sale for $19.97 (reg. $199) for life.

Increased productivity for your PC

If you’ve noticed slower performance on your device, this operating system (OS) upgrade is designed to enhance your PC’s performance and efficiency. Thanks to its 64-bit computing architecture, business owners and their employees can multitask while crunching numbers on Excel, designing company graphics, and leading stakeholder meetings.

Windows 10 Pro is also designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft 365 (not included with your purchase). Companies using Microsoft 365 for access to Microsoft productivity apps will be able to edit Word documents, collaborate with colleagues on Teams, and more at any time.

Designed specifically for working professionals

As a solopreneur or working professional, you’ll benefit from the Pro side of Windows 10 (vs. Home, the free version).

Secure your PC’s hard drive with BitLocker device encryption, test software with Windows Sandbox, manage virtual machines with Hyper-V, and deploy specific policies for different devices, users, and groups with Group Policy management. This OS is designed to keep your data and devices protected from tampering and malware.

Entrepreneurs and their employees can also control their PC from any remote device with the Remote Desktop feature, allowing for access to their work files and colleagues wherever they are.

Boost your productivity and streamline your workflow with Windows 10 Pro, now on sale for $19.97 (reg. $199) through September 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

In December 2020, the Federal Trade Commission ordered the biggest social media and streaming companies in the world, including Twitch owner Amazon, Facebook (now Meta), YouTube, Reddit, WhatsApp, Twitter (now X), Snap, Discord and TikTok’s ByteDance, to share how they used their users’ personal information.

On Thursday, FTC staff released a 129-page report, which found that these companies all “harvest an enormous amount of Americans’ personal data and monetize it to the tune of billions of dollars a year,” stated FTC chair Lina M. Khan.

“While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people’s privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identify theft to stalking,” Khan said.

Related: The FTC Is Banning Businesses From Writing, Buying Their Own Reviews and Bot Followers

The report called out major social media companies for collecting vast swaths of personal data and using it in ways their users may not expect. The FTC found, for example, that “many” of these companies buy data from third-party brokers about where a user is located, how much they make per year, and what their interests are, to understand more about a user’s activity on the Internet outside of the social media platform.

This personal information becomes the basis of targeted ads, which most social media sites rely on for revenue. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other products and platforms, reported that 98% of its $39.07 billion revenue in its second quarter came from ads on Facebook and Instagram.

Related: Federal Judge Blocks FTC’s Noncompete Ban 2 Weeks Before It Would Have Taken Effect — Here’s Why

According to the FTC report, it’s difficult for users to understand how social media platforms collect their information and how much is used to tailor ads. Many may not even be aware of what’s happening behind the scenes.

Plus, even if users are tuned in and know that social media platforms are using their data, they still don’t have “any meaningful control over how personal information [is] used,” the FTC report shows.

Companies use personal information to fuel algorithms, data analytics, and AI that, in turn, shape content recommendations, search, advertising, and other crucial aspects of their business. The FTC recommended that companies be transparent about the data they collect, do more to protect privacy, and put users in charge of data.

The FTC further found that if a user wants to delete their data, some sites will de-identify the data they have on hand, but keep it on file instead of wiping it all. The platforms that did delete personal data upon request would select which parts to delete and fail to remove all of it, according to the report.

Related: The FTC Is Suing to Block a Mega-Merger That Would Unite Coach and Michael Kors

“Companies can and should do more to protect consumers’ privacy, and Congress should enact comprehensive federal privacy legislation that limits surveillance and grants consumers data rights,” the report stated.

Craig Newmark, the 71-year-old retired founder of Craigslist, has four focus areas for philanthropy: military families and vets, cybersecurity, journalism, and pigeon rescue.

On Wednesday, he pledged $100 million to support U.S. cybersecurity, bringing his total giving and pledges to $400 million since 2015.

^{Craig Newmark. Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images}

According to the Wall Street Journal, Newmark has already committed over 20% of the $100 million pledge to organizations and projects around cybersecurity. Common Sense Media, for example, received $2 million to support efforts like a cybersecurity awareness campaign for parents and teachers.

Related: Melinda French Gates Reveals Her Next Move After Leaving Gates Foundation: ‘Set Your Own Agenda or Someone Else Will Set It For You’

Newmark was worth $1.3 billion in 2020 and pledged to give away almost all his wealth to charitable causes in December 2022. He told the Journal that his giving was inspired by the Judaic concept of tikkun olam, Hebrew for “repairing the world.“

Newmark’s approach is to find the right people, give them the resources they need, “and then get outta their way,” according to his philanthropy’s website. He doesn’t give organizations who receive grants requirements to hit certain targets.

Newmark has yet to commit $88 million of his latest $100 million pledge. Applications are open through his foundation’s website where he personally vets the proposals.

Related: Warren Buffett Just Changed Up His Will and Locked Out the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Days after proposing to settle a data breach lawsuit for $30 million, 18-year-old genetic testing company 23andMe now faces another public hurdle: Seven independent directors of its board resigned on Tuesday through a pointed letter addressed to CEO Anne Wojcicki, who is now the only remaining member of the board.

The resigning directors, among whom were YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and Sequoia VC Roelof Botha, called out Wojcicki for not submitting a “fully financed, fully diligenced, actionable proposal” to take the company private over the past five months. They wrote that their strategic direction for 23andMe was different from Wojcicki’s.

“Because of that difference and because of your concentrated voting power, we believe that it is in the best interests of the Company’s shareholders that we resign from the Board rather than have a protracted and distracting difference of view with you as to the direction of the Company,” they stated.

Related: 23andMe DNA Technology Helps Family Find Kidnapped Daughter After 51 Years

Wojcicki, who co-founded the company in 2006, controls 49% of 23andMe votes. In July, she submitted a proposal to buy all the shares she didn’t already own at $0.40 per share and take the company private. A special committee created by the company rejected her proposal, stating that it wasn’t in the best interests of shareholders.

^{Anne Wojcicki. Credit: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Wojcicki told employees in a memo on Tuesday that she was “surprised and disappointed” by the resignations and would immediately begin finding replacement directors. She stated that “taking 23andMe private will be the best opportunity for long-term success.”

23andMe, which was valued at $6 billion in 2021 shortly after going public, is now a penny stock worth 34 cents per share at the time of writing. The company has until November 4 to bring its stock price up to at least $1 per share or risk being delisted.

23andMe has faced a number of public setbacks, including a data breach in October that impacted nearly 7 million accounts and appeared to target people with Chinese or Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Customers filed a class action lawsuit in January and 23andMe proposed a $30 million settlement earlier this month.

23andMe’s core product is a $99 ancestry kit that requires a customer to submit their spit in exchange for genetic insights. A $199 kit advertises health predisposition reports. The company is also developing drugs in-house and testing them.

Related: 23andMe Hackers Selling Stolen User Data, Including DNA Profiles of ‘Celebrities,’ on Dark Web

As the co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with a portfolio including franchises like KFC and Pizza Hut, David Novak drove tangible results.

In the 17 years he was CEO, from 1999 to 2016, Novak helped scale the company to eight times its original size, from a market capitalization of $4 billion to $32 billion. However, Novak credits the numbers to a more qualitative than quantitative aspect of leadership — creating the right work culture.

In a conversation with Masters of Scale host Jeff Berman that aired earlier this month, Novak explained how he steered Yum! Brands from the beginning.

“I made my number one priority to really create a powerful culture where everyone counts,” Novak said. “That became job number one for me as a CEO, because if I can create that right work environment, people will innovate and people will go further.”

Novak explained that early on, he tried to learn from companies that were winning or consistently delivered good results. He went out and visited companies including Walmart, Home Depot, and General Electric.

“We met with them,” Novak said. “Then we came back and we codified what’s really driving the success of these companies that allow them to get to great results year after year.”

Related: The Side Hustle She Started in a High School Locker Room Hit Multimillion-Dollar Revenue — and Taylor Swift Is a Fan: ‘Invest in Yourself’

Novak, who oversaw 1.5 million employees globally, began emphasizing recognition and encoding it into Yum!’s culture. In previous interviews, he talked about how he would use recognition to motivate employees. In one case, at KFC, Novak gave away rubber chickens and $100 as an award for a job well done.

Today, Yum!’s culture remains one of recognition and collaboration, per its public-facing culture page.