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Uber's unraveling: The stunning, 2 week string of blows that has upended the world's most valuable startup

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Uber New York Protest

Uber was already off to a bad start in 2017, but the year is getting worse by the day, if not the hour, for the $69 billion ride-hailing company. 

In January, Uber lost more than 200,000 customers in a single weekend after the #DeleteUber movement led to a fury of account deletions by customers upset about its ties to President Donald Trump. 

But that was just the beginning of Uber's no-good, very-bad month. Since then the company has been pummeled by a seemingly never-ending barrage of bad news, with a new crisis almost every day.

If business schools need a new case study for a company in a PR disaster, Uber's past two weeks are as perfect an example as can be found. And it's still not clear how Uber will get past this test.

Here's everything that's happened to Uber over the last 14 days:

 

SEE ALSO: Travis Kalanick is Uber's biggest asset, and now its biggest liability

Sunday February 19: The beginning

Susan Fowler starts it all with her reflections on "one very, very strange year at Uber." Fowler, a former engineer at the company, alleged in a blog post that she was sexually harassed at Uber and experienced gender bias during her time at the company. She claimed that one manager propositioned her and asked for sex, but her complaints to HR were dismissed because the manager was a high performer. She said Uber continued to ignore her complaints to HR, and then her manager threatened to fire her for reporting things to HR.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick immediately pledges to look into Fowler's investigations, and hires former US Attorney General Eric Holder to lead the investigation. Kalanick responded within hours of publication to say Fowler's account was "abhorrent & against everything we believe in." Uber hires Eric Holder, former US attorney general, to lead an independent investigation into it.



Wednesday February 22: Cocaine and groping

The New York Times publishes a bombshell report that suggests Fowler's claims were not isolated. Employees did cocaine during a company retreat and a manager had to be fired after groping multiple women, according to the report. Former employees said they'd notified Uber's leadership, including Kalanick and CTO Thuan Pham, of the workplace harassment.



Thursday February 23: Investor betrayal and accusations of stolen technology

Uber investors, Freada and Mitch Kapor, blasted the company for failing to change. In an open letter to Uber's investors and board, the Kapors said Uber has ignored the behind-the-scenes work that some of its investors have tried to do for years to change the company culture. "We are speaking up now because we are disappointed and frustrated; we feel we have hit a dead end in trying to influence the company quietly from the inside," the Kapors wrote.

Google, another Uber investor, sued the company for intellectual property theft. In an explosive lawsuit, the Google self-driving-car group, now known as Waymo, accused Uber of using stolen technology to advance its own autonomous-car development. The suit, filed in the US District Court in San Francisco, claimed that a team of ex-Google engineers stole the company's design for the lidar laser sensor that allows self-driving cars to map the environment around them.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How to use Pinterest's cool new feature as a visual search engine for the world around you

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Pinterest Lens

In February, Pinterest announced it was rolling out an exciting new feature: Lens

The new addition to the app lets you use your camera to identify decor, clothing, and food you see in the real world. By pointing your camera at a pair of shoes, for instance, you'll be able to see similar styles on Pinterest and get ideas for how to wear them.

Lens is still in beta, but I got invited to test it out, probably because I'm an avid Pinterest user (I open the app at least once every day and probably spend more than 30 minutes a day using it). 

It's important to note that because Lens is still in beta, the technology isn't perfect yet, but here's how it works so far.  

SEE ALSO: The best new apps and updates you may have missed in February

First, open up the Pinterest app and look for the spyglass button at the bottom of the screen. This has always been there, but Lens is now hidden inside.



The search page should look the same, except for the addition of a red camera button at the upper right-hand side. This is Lens.



When you click the camera button, you'll be taken to this screen. Lens will politely introduce itself.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here are the 10 best cars of 2017

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Mazda MX 5

This week, Consumer Reports released its latest list of the top cars on sale in the US. The venerable consumer publication picked out 10 cars — all representing different segments of the auto market — for its Top Picks list. 

In order to become a Consumer Reports Top Pick, a vehicle must prove to be outstanding all-around performers — living up to the publication's stringent road testing, exhibit solid reliability, safety, and consumer satisfaction. 

In other words, these cars, "have won our admiration, and we recommend them with confidence," Consumer Reports wrote.

This year, Toyota led the way with three entrants on the list, followed by Chevrolet with two winners.

Here's a closer look at Consumer Reports' 2017 Top Picks:

SEE ALSO: 24 hot cars we can't wait to see at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show

Subcompact: Toyota Yaris iA

Price as tested: $17,570

Why it's here: Developed by Mazda, the Toyota Yaris iA sedan has won over Consumer Reports' staff who describe the car as a refined alternative in a segment filled with insubstantial models. The publication praised the iA for its smooth and gutsy four-cylinder engine as well its compliant ride and refined automatic transmission. 



Compact: Chevrolet Cruze

Price as tested:$23,145

Why it's here: By beating out the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, the Chevy Cruze climbed one heck of a mountain to take the top spot in this segment. The CR staff praised the Cruze for its quiet cabin, smooth ride, generous feature content, and a powerful yet frugal turbocharged engine. 



Compact hybrid: Toyota Prius

Price as tested: $27,323

Why it's here: The Toyota Prius has long been a stand out for its stellar fuel economy, but the frugal hybrid proves to be more than just a money-saving device. The publication was impressed by the new generation Prius' improved ride, quieter cabin, better driving dynamics, and a comprehensive suite of standard safety features. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Your internet speeds will be insanely fast when 5G arrives

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When the 5G wireless standard hits the mainstream, our home internet speeds have the potential to be so fast that we'll be downloading 4K movies, games, software, and any other large form of content at a fraction of the time we're used to.

5g

SEE ALSO: I tried Google Wifi, Eero, and Orbi — here's which one you should buy

5G is the upcoming evolution of wireless 4G LTE, which is mostly used today for wireless mobile networks. It'll offer incredibly fast wireless communication that can be used for a number of applications outside of mobile networks, one of which is home internet.



At Mobile World Congress this year, Samsung showcased its 5G Home Routers, which achieved speeds of up to 4 gigabits-per-second (Gbps), according to PCMag. That's 500 megabytes-per-second, which could let you download a 50GB game in under two minutes, or a 100GB 4K movie in under four minutes.

samsung 5g home router

To give you an idea of how fast that is, the average internet speed in the US as of 2016 is 55 megabits-per-second, which translates to a woeful 6.5 megabytes-per-second.

As PCMag's Sascha Segan points out, however, Samsung's router was right next to the transmitting 5G cell at the time of the demonstration. That means those speeds are probably only possible in a perfect scenario, where the 5G router is extremely close to the 5G radio cell without any interference, obstacles, or network congestion.



Still, even with 50% of that performance, we could be experiencing 2Gbps speeds at home. And even 1Gbps — 25% of the perfect scenario — would be great compared the US internet speed average.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 surprising facts about Tesla cars you probably didn't know (TSLA)

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Elon Musk with Tesla

Tesla is gearing up to release its long-awaited Model 3.

Tesla said it's on track to begin Model 3 production in July with deliveries slated to begin late this year.

But while we wait for the Model 3, it's worth remembering some other hidden features that make current Tesla vehicles so great.

Scroll down for a closer look:

 

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk has brilliant plan to change your roof

Musk wants Tesla's car line to be the definition of sexy — literally. The Model S, Model X, and upcoming Model 3 are all part of a quest for the car line to spell SEXY or S3XY upon the release of Tesla's eventual Model Y SUV.

Tesla initially wanted the Model 3 to be dubbed the Model E, but that dream was dashed when Ford filed for the Model E trademark, leading to one of Musk's more excellent quotes:

"Like, why did you go steal Tesla's E? Like you're some sort of fascist army marching across the alphabet, some sort of 'Sesame Street' robber?"



In addition to the Model Y, Tesla wants to produce a mini bus and semitruck in the future.

Musk announced in his "Master Plan, Part Deux" that Tesla would build an all-electric semitruck and a driverless electric bus. But we'll have to wait for further details on that front.

The truck, like Tesla's cars currently in production, will be equipped with self-driving hardware, Musk said in an interview with CNBC, according to Electrek. Musk added that a driver would still be necessary for a few years, though.



Musk is a huge fan of placing Easter eggs in Tesla cars, like the one that lets you "drive" down Rainbow Road — like in Mario Kart!

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Clicking Autopilot four times in rapid succession will turn the road shown on Tesla's infotainment console into a rainbow. Musk referred to it as a "psychedelic cowbell road."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

17 stunning photos that show how Dubai has become the 'Manhattan of the Middle East'

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Dubai

Just 16 years ago, Dubai was a sparse desert outpost. Today, it's home to the 2,716-foot Burj Khalifa — the tallest building in the world— as well as the 1,358-foot Princess Tower and more than 150 other towering skyscrapers. Multimillion-dollar apartments and a bustling tourist scene have put Dubai on the radar of the ultra-wealthy.

Some are even calling Dubai "the Manhattan of the Middle East," but its year-round sunshine and warm weather is an advantage that even New York City can't beat. Trendy restaurants and bars, water sports, and other attractions keep both the locals and foreigners happy, and its skyline is a new level of urban beauty.

Ahead, see 17 photos of what life is like in the United Arab Emirates' biggest city.

SEE ALSO: 14 photos of the most beautiful and remote places on earth

The skyscrapers of the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts have been described as having "Manhattan-style" architecture and amenities.



Always advancing, the city is aiming for 25% of its cars to be driverless by 2030.

Source: Business Insider



Apartment complexes in the Marina generally have luxurious accommodations with skyline pools and concierge services.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's what we know about Bobby Murphy, Snapchat's mysterious billionaire cofounder (SNAP)

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Bobby Murphy Snap IPO

CEO Evan Spiegel is the public face of Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., but Bobby Murphy also wields considerable power as its cofounder and chief technology officer.

Together, Murphy and Spiegel own the vast majority of Snap's voting stock, giving them complete control over the company's future. Now that Snap has gone public, Murphy has an estimated net worth of around $5.4 billion.

Unlike Spiegel, Murphy has maintained a decidedly low profile since the beginning of the company. He's only given a handful of interviews, and little is known about his personal life.

People who've worked with Murphy describe the 28-year-old as smart, friendly, and quiet.

"I'd describe him almost like a monk," Snapchat's first hire, David Kravitz, told Forbes in 2014. "I don't think I've ever seen him upset."

We've pulled the highlights of Murphy's life and career from interviews he's given over the years and Business Insider's own reporting:

SEE ALSO: The fabulous life and career of Snap CEO Evan Spiegel

Murphy, whose full name is Robert Cornelius Murphy, was born in Berkeley, California in 1988. His mother immigrated from the Philippines to the US, and both of his parents had government jobs.



He spent his elementary years at the School of the Madeleine, a private Catholic school in Berkeley. He then went on to attend Saint Mary's College High School, another private Catholic school in the area.



Murphy met Spiegel while studying at Stanford, where the two lived across the hall from each other and were both members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Murphy studied mathematical and computational science, while Spiegel studied product design.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Why critics are calling 'Logan' the 'best superhero movie ever'

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Logan Fox

"Logan" is finally out in theaters this weekend, and the R-rated film is already getting high praise from critics and audiences alike. Critics are impressed with the script: It's gritty, violent, and balances the intense action sequences expected from a superhero movie with the quiet drama expected from a completely different one.

The risks director and cowriter James Mangold took with Hugh Jackman's final performance as Wolverine is a completely satisfying end to his 17-year portrayal of the character. It also stands out amid the X-Men franchise and superhero movies in general, and is likely to change them for the better. 

See why critics are calling "Logan" one of the best superhero movies ever — even the best — below:

SEE ALSO: The 22 most exciting new shows of 2017 you have to see

It’s dark and risky.

"It is uncompromising in its brutality and fearless in its reverence of these iconic characters. It's a testament to the power of storytelling, and what creative freedom can produce. Goodbye bub. You've changed superhero movies forever." —Hindustan Times 

"The film celebrates the medium by taking itself seriously, with an added hint of apology for the genre's earlier sins. Best of all, there's an element of risk." —San Francisco Chronicle



It’s so good, you might forget it’s a comic-book movie.

“The only problem with calling it the boldest and most affecting superhero flick in many years is that it's barely a superhero movie at all.” —NPR

“The best superhero movie ever is more about the curse of super powers than super powers. Maybe that's why it's the best superhero movie ever.” —Tri-City Herald



Hugh Jackman’s final performance as Wolverine is incredibly satisfying.

“Jackman's performance is Clint Eastwood-esque, and the lines in Jackman's face tell the story of his worn character; he plays Wolverine as a man at the end of his line, adding at least a decade to his 48 years.” —Detroit News 

“'Logan' is as understated a masterpiece as there's ever been, delivering the Wolverine film we've all been waiting for, and if this truly is Hugh Jackman's final time playing him, he has definitely left the series on a high note.” —Starburst

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 truths about money on Post-its that will make you laugh before you cringe

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Money is tricky.

Chaz Hutton, a 32-year-old Australian, knows this all too well.

Hutton illustrates the surprises, disappointments, and hard truths of adulthood — including the difficulties of earning, spending, and saving money — in stick-figure form through Post-it notes he then Instagrams.

His insights have been so popular that he's stopped working as an architect to pursue the project full-time. "It's been amazing," he told Business Insider via email. "The comments are probably the one thing about it, and largely the reason I've bothered keeping it up! Although it's becoming harder to explain to people what exactly it is I do for a living."

Scroll down to check out Hutton's take on the finances of everyday life, and see more of his work on Instagram at @instachaaz. The US version of his book of illustrations, "Ideas of Note: One Man's Philosophy of Life on Post-Its," will be published in April.

SEE ALSO: 15 hard truths about adulthood, from a 29-year-old illustrator who tells it like it is

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Tesla will launch its Model 3 later this year — but I'm still crazy about the company's first car (tsla)

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Tesla Roadster Drive 2016

You never forget your first Tesla.

In 2010, right after the company had survived a near-death experience, I was offered the chance to sample what was then the carmaker's only vehicle: the original Roadster.

It's hard to overestimate the importance of this car, which sold for over $100,000, turned in blistering acceleration, and could top 200 miles on a single charge.

The Roadster changed our minds forever about what an electric car could be and launched Tesla on a road to its current $30 billion market cap and a portfolio of, by 2017, three vehicles: the Model S sedan, the Model X SUV, and the $35,000 Model 3 car for the masses.

About two years ago, I reminisced about my first time with a Tesla to one of the company's staffers. This led to a question: Do we even have a Roadster around to check out anymore?

They found one, and I was reunited with my old friend in Los Angeles, on the eve of the Model 3 unveiling in late March of 2016.

Something poetic and romantic about that, I think. Read on to see what it was like.

We were so much younger then ... That's me in early 2010, after a spin in the Roadster Sport version 2.0.



I made a video about the fun.



Since then, I've driven every other Tesla, starting with the base Model S sedan.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The rise of Snapchat from a sexting app by Stanford frat bros to a $31 billion public company (SNAP)

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Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy

Snapchat's beginning sounds a lot like Facebook's from "The Social Network."

In Snapchat's case, it wasn't two ousted cofounders (the Winklevoss twins) against Mark Zuckerberg. But still, it featured the backdrop of an elite university — Stanford versus Harvard — and ended up in litigation, with Snapchat cofounders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy against Reggie Brown.

At stake was the founding story of a social network to make photos disappear. Snapchat's founders ended up paying $157.5 million to settle the case.

Snapchat survived its rocky starts to make its debut on Wall Street, where it closed on Friday with a $31 billion market cap.

Here's how Snapchat went from a million-dollar idea about disappearing photos to the giant social media company called Snap today:

SEE ALSO: 33 photos of Facebook's rise from a Harvard dorm room to world domination

Like many other startups, ground zero for Snapchat's story is Stanford University, where a young Evan Spiegel from Los Angeles befriended Reginald (Reggie) Brown. The pair decided to join Kappa Sigma fraternity — where they would meet Snapchat cofounder Bobby Murphy — although it would be a few years before they turned the idea of disappearing photos into a business.



Snapchat wasn't Spiegel's first startup. Murphy had recruited Spiegel, a Kappa Sig brother one year younger than him, to help with an idea he had about a social network. In 2010, they then launched FutureFreshman, a site meant to make applying to college easier. It never really took off, but Spiegel had caught the entrepreneurial bug.



It wasn't until Spiegel's junior year that the idea for Snapchat was born. "I wish these photos I am sending this girl would disappear," Brown told Spiegel in April 2011. His friend immediately got excited about the concept of disappearing photos and told Brown that this was a million-dollar idea. Five years later, that idea would now be worth billions.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

10 countries that desperately want people to have more sex

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singapore family

There are few things more important than fertility in determining a nation's future viability.

Demographers suggest that a country needs a fertility rate of just over two children per woman to hit "replacement fertility"— the rate at which new births fill the spaces left behind by deaths.

But because of certain cultural and economic forces, only about half of the world's 224 countries currently hit replacement fertility.

For those that don't, encouraging people to have sex can involve strategies that range from highly explicit to downright bizarre.

Is that Boyz II Men I hear?

SEE ALSO: Japan's sex problem is setting up a 'demographic time bomb,' and it could be spreading

Denmark

If you aren't going to have a kid for your own family, Danes are told, at least do it for Denmark.

No, literally, do it for Denmark.

The small Nordic country has such a low fertility rate — about 1.73 children per woman — that Spies Rejser, a Danish travel company, has come up with ingenious incentives to persuade women to get pregnant.

First, it offered to provide three years' worth of baby supplies to couples who conceived on a vacation booked through the company.

Now it has come up with a sexy campaign video titled "Do it for Mom," which guilt trips couples into having kids to give their precious mothers a grandchild.



Russia

Vladimir Putin once brought Boyz II Men to Moscow to rile men up right before Valentine's Day.

Can anyone blame him? As Tech Insider recently reported, the country is experiencing a perfect demographic storm. Men are dying young. HIV/AIDS and alcoholism are crippling the country. And women aren't having babies.

The problem got so bad that in 2007 Russia declared September 12 the official Day of Conception.

On the Day of Conception, people get the day off to focus on having kids. Women who give birth exactly nine months later, on June 12, win a refrigerator.



Japan

Japan's fertility rate has been below replacement since 1975. 

To offset that decades-long trend, in 2010 a group of students from the University of Tsukuba introduced Yotaro, a robot baby that gives couples a preview of parenthood.

If men and women begin thinking of themselves as potential fathers and mothers, the students theorized, they'll feel emotionally ready to take a stab at the real thing.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The US is considering a direct strike against North Korea — here’s how it would go down

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Pukguksong-2 north korea missile

Just after North Korea carried out a missile test and a high-profile assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother in Malyasia, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US was considering direct military action against the Kim regime. 

US President Donald Trump has apparently honed in on North Korea as his most serious external challenge, and has reportedly declared them the single greatest threat to the United States. In January, Trump tweeted that North Korean missile hitting the US, as they've often threatened, "won't happen!"

But in reality, taking out North Korea's nuclear capabilities, or decapitating the Kim regime, would pose serious risks to even the US military's best platforms.

Business Insider spoke with Stratfor's Sim Tack, a senior analyst and an expert on North Korea, to determine exactly how the US could potentially carry out a crippling strike against the Hermit Kingdom. 

SEE ALSO: Here's how the US military is sticking it to Beijing in the South China Sea

First, a decision would need to be made.

Military action against North Korea wouldn't be pretty. Some number of civilians in South Korea, possibly Japan, and US forces stationed in the Pacific would be likely to die in the undertaking no matter how smoothly things went.

In short, it's not a decision any US commander-in-chief would make lightly. 

But the US would have to choose between a full-scale destruction of North Korea's nuclear facilities and ground forces or a quicker attack on only the most important nuclear facilities. The second option would focus more on crippling North Korea's nuclear program and destroying key threats to the US and its allies. 

Since a full-scale attack could lead to "mission creep that could pull the US into a longterm conflict in East Asia," according to Tack, we'll focus on a quick, surgical strike that would wipe out the bulk of North Korea's nuclear forces.



Then, the opening salvo — a stealth air blitz and cruise missiles rock North Korea's nuclear facilities.

The best tools the US could use against North Korea would be stealth aircraft like the F-22 and B-2 bomber, according to Tack.

The US would slowly but surely position submarines, Navy ships, and stealth aircraft at bases near North Korea in ways that avoid provoking the Hermit Kingdom's suspicions.

Then, when the time was right, bombers would rip across the sky and ships would let loose with an awesome volley of firepower. The US already has considerable combat capability amassed in the region.

"Suddenly you'd read on the news that the US has conducted these airstrikes," said Tack.

While the F-22 and F-35 would certainly do work over North Korea missile production sites, it really a job for the B-2.

As a long-range stealth bomber with a huge ordnance capacity, the B-2 could drop massive, 30,000 pound bombs on deep underground bunkers in North Korea — and they could do it from as far away as Guam or the continental United States.

 



The first targets...

The initial targets would include nuclear reactors, missile production facilities, and launching pads for ICBMs, according to Tack.

Cruise missiles would pour in from the sea, F-22s would beat down North Korea's rudimentary air defenses, and B-2s would pound every known missile site into dust.

Planes like the F-35 and F-22 would frantically hunt down mobile missile launchers, which can hide all over North Korea's mountainous terrain. In the event that North Korea does get off a missile, the US and South Korea have layered missile defenses that would attempt to shoot it out of the sky. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here are the 13 US housing markets that would be most affected by rising interest rates

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San Diego

US homebuyers are most concerned about rising interest rates, but they still plan to go ahead with their initial buying plans, according to survey results released by Zillow Group Mortgages.

"Most people (83 percent) planning to buy within the next three years will continue with their homebuying plans even if rates increase their monthly mortgage payment by $100," Zillow said in a press release.

Higher rates would, however, limit buyer choices. According to Zillow, "a quarter of home shoppers claim they would reconsider the type of home they are searching for, such as looking for a smaller home or less expensive community, should their monthly payment increase by up to $100 (25%)."

When it comes to the impact of a rate hike on monthly mortgage payments, "for the typical homebuyer shopping for the median US home, valued at $195,300," the company estimated, "an increase in mortgage rates from 4% to 4.25% would increase their monthly mortgage payment by approximately $23."

Among the states, California is likely to be most affected if the series of rate hikes predicted for 2017 do indeed occur, as the state is home to cities with the greatest rise in monthly mortgage payments (San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego).

Here are the 13 US cities that, according to Zillow, would see the highest increase in monthly mortgage payments if mortgage rates were to rise to 5% from 4%.

13. Austin, Texas

Zillow Home Value Index: $263,400

Monthly mortgage payment at 4%: $1,006

Monthly mortgage payment at 5%: $1,131

Difference in monthly mortgage payment: $125

Source: Zillow



12. Riverside, California

Zillow Home Value Index: $321,200

Monthly mortgage payment at 4%: $1,227

Monthly mortgage payment at 5%: $1,380

Difference in monthly mortgage payment: $153

Source: Zillow



11. Sacramento, California

Zillow Home Value Index: $355,000

Monthly mortgage payment at 4%: $1,356

Monthly mortgage payment at 5%: $1,525

Difference in monthly mortgage payment: $169

Source: Zillow



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Right now we're just celebrating': Inside Snap's crazy $33 billion IPO (SNAP)

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SNAP IPO 15

NEW YORK — Cheers erupted from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday as cofounders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy rang the opening bell to announce Snap's hotly anticipated IPO.

The Snapchat maker's debut is the first tech IPO of the year and the largest tech deal since Alibaba went public in 2014.

Snap had priced its IPO at $17 per share, but demand pushed the opening price to $24 at a $33 billion valuation.

Snap's share price closed at $24.48 on its first day of trading, a 44% increase from its original IPO price.

Back at the company's Los Angeles headquarters, employees celebrated the IPO with doughnuts and champagne.

On the floor of the exchange, Snap executives and early employees clapped, took selfies, and hugged each other.

"Right now we're just celebrating," Snap's chief financial officer, Drew Vollero, told Business Insider after the stock began trading on Thursday.

Here's what it was like inside Snap's blockbuster IPO.

SEE ALSO: Meet the power players who help Evan Spiegel run Snap Inc.

A giant Snap Inc. banner adorned the the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, signaling the company's hotly anticipated IPO.



Snap signage was everywhere inside the exchange floor.



Company execs and early employees were given a roped-off area up front to watch cofounders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy ring the opening bell.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

5 hours, 20 phone calls, and 10 stores later: How I finally found and bought a Nintendo Switch console without pre-ordering it

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Nintendo Switch console

Nintendo Switch, the new hot gaming console, was released on March 3. And it's out of stock at most major retailers.

If you were smart, you pre-ordered it and picked it up at a local store without a problem.

If you were like me, you did not think ahead. And now you have the hard task of hunting for one in a sea of sold-out stores.

I woke up Saturday morning, determined to get my hands on the Switch. It's been years since the last Zelda game came out, and I'm dying to play the new one.

At 10:45, I threw on a sweatshirt and hopped in my car. I traveled to Best Buys, Targets, GameStops and Toys R Us. After 5 hours, a half tank of gas, 20 phone calls, and 10 stores visits, I now have the Switch! 

In the spirit of its IPO this week, I documented my hours-long adventure on Snapchat.

Here's what it took to find a Nintendo Switch without pre-ordering the console.

My morning began in Jersey City, at a Target. Online, it said the store had some Nintendo Switch consoles in stock. Alas, this store did not. So my hunt continued.

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There was a Best Buy right around the corner from the Target. So I drove over and popped in. No Switches available there either.



The next stop was to a GameStop in a nearby mall. No luck there either.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 13 places with the fastest growing property prices in the world

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GstaadPanoramaVillage

Londoners and New Yorkers regularly moan about the soaring cost of living, which includes high property prices in some of the most sought after areas in cities.

However, according to Knight Frank's "Wealth Report," the price of prime properties — those that are bought by the world's wealthiest people — are actually falling across the globe.  

The Prime International Residential Index (PIRI), which tracks the value of luxury homes in 100 key locations worldwide, found that on average, values rose by 1.4% in 2016, compared with 1.8% in 2015.

But there are a number of cities and towns in some of the most important regions in the world that are seeing home prices rocket due to local economic growth, a boom in jobs, and attractiveness to do business or to make a home.

So, Business Insider took a look at the top 13 places across the globe where property prices are growing the most:

 

13. Berlin, Germany — 8.70%. "Cities that offer the potential for attractive margins, where prices are rising from a low base and where any risk is tempered by a level of transparency and good governance [like Berlin] look likely to perform well," said the report.



12. Melbourne, Australia — 8.80%. The population is forecasted to surpass Sydney’s by 2036 and demand for housing is rising because of this. The city has "undergone significant transformation over the last decade," making it an even more attractive place to live.



11. Sydney, Australia — 9.30%. The city is considered by the report as a "destination for the footloose wealthy," where demand for prime properties continues to rise, sending prices higher.



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The 20 least affordable cities to live in the UK

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Bath

LONDON — Lloyds Bank has ranked the least affordable cities in the UK as part of its annual Affordable Cities Review.

The research revealed that home affordability is "at its worst since 2008," with the average city price of a house outpacing earnings growth over the past five years.

Lloyds Bank worked out house prices as a multiple
of average annual earnings. So the average city house price in the UK is £224,926 this year, a 6.9 multiple of average earnings of £32,796.

"City living is becoming increasingly expensive with average house prices at least ten times average annual earnings in five of the UK’s cities," said Andy Mason, Lloyds Bank Mortgage Products Director.

"Affordability levels have worsened for four consecutive years as average city house prices continue to rise more steeply than average wage growth."

Here are the 20 least affordable cities to live in the UK.

20. Gloucester

House prices here are 7.2 times higher than the average salary. 



19. Leicester

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 7.6



18. York

House prices as a multiple of earnings:7.6



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5 easy ways to make money without leaving your house

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home office

If you're looking for some extra pocket money but are too time-poor to take on another job, there are a number of creative, easy ways you can make some extra cash — without even leaving the comfort of your home.

Even better, if you don't have an extra bedroom or don't like the idea of having strangers sleeping under your roof, it doesn't need to involve Airbnb.

Make the most of your extra space, appliances, facilities, and talents by getting people to pay for the things you're already doing in your day-to-day life.

From cooking in your own kitchen to sharing your WiFi, here are five creative, easy ways to make some extra cash from home.  

Get paid to cook for people.

If you have a kitchen and love to cook, VizEat will pay you to cook for other people in your own home. All you need to do is create a profile on the site showcasing what you can provide — perhaps you're gifted with pasta, and want to host an Italian evening — and set the cost. Users can then dine with you at the time of your choosing.



Provide the location for a film or photoshoot.

If your home is nicely decorated, you could make some extra cash by registering it as a location for a potential film or photoshoot. Sign up on a UK site like the Shoot Factory and get ready to see your space on the big screen — or the pages of your favourite glossy magazine.



Share your home office space.

If you have a good-sized office space at home — and a strong WiFi connection — share it for a fee. Collaborative working spaces have become the latest trend, and sites like Spacehop mean you can rent your home office space out to people looking for a local, quiet spot to work.



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You may be surprised how quickly these 5 elite athletes earn £1 million

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High-earning sports stars

For the average nurse it would take 31 years to earn £1 million. A legal professional? Almost 17 years.

The average chief executive or senior official may only take 8 years to reach that £1 million mark but for elite athletes the time-frame is cut to days. Yes, days.

Data crunched by business-to-business marketplace Expert Market looked at the earnings of sports stars of the 2016 Forbes rich list to work out how many days it takes them to hit the million pound milestone.

The figures include the athletes' sponsorship and marketing work, which significantly bolsters their pay.

Take Maria Sharapova, for instance. The Russian tennis star was banned last year for failing a drug test, but that did not prevent her from earning £1 million every 167.41 days through endorsements.

The fastest sportswoman to make a million in 2016 was mixed martial arts trailblazer Ronda Rousey, who takes — on average — just 31.84 days to pocket the seven-figure sum.

The top five fastest athletes to eclipse that million pound marker are all male but they compete in three different sports.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid footballer.

Three-time Champions League winner Ronaldo earns £1 million in just 5.68 days. His day rate is effectively £180,000.



Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona footballer.

Barcelona's all-time top goalscorer Messi earns £1 million in 5.96 days, which means his day-rate is £171,000.



Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens NFL star.

A 2012 Super Bowl champion, Joe Flacco earned £1 million every 7.23 days in 2016. His day-rate is £141,000.



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