2020 has been a huge year for e-commerce. The coronavirus pandemic has fostered soaring online sales, as customers avoid stores. A spate of e-commerce brands have posted recent initial public offerings, including shopping app Wish and food delivery company Doordash.

E-commerce platform Shopify estimated that retail e-commerce saw a decade's worth of growth in 90 days "at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But 2021 could be even bigger for the online retail space, as e-commerce brands turn to IPOs to build up — or salvage — their business. 

Global X research analyst Pedro Palandrani previously told Business Insider that "e-commerce is just getting started," and will likely continue to soar even after COVID-19 vaccines become available. 

SEE ALSO: A Wall Street analyst breaks down why e-commerce stocks are 'just getting started' and will continue to see massive growth even after vaccine distribution — and says these 4 are best-positioned for gains during the holiday shopping season

Warby Parker

From the lens of customer acquisition, online glasses retailer Warby Parker is clearly in a position of strength, according to Harbor Retail vice president of retail strategy and insights DeAnn Campbell. She said "customer acquisition for direct to consumer is like rent for brick and mortar"— it's one of the major barriers to attaining profitability.

According to Campbell, Warby Parker "figured that out a long time ago," thanks to its well-established customer base.

"Everyone is asking, 'When will they go IPO?' and 'Will they go IPO?" she said.

Launched in 2010, Warby Parker is a brand name operating out of a company called JAND Inc. The company raised $75 million in its Series E funding in 2018, and has raised $300 million since its launch, CNBC reported. According to TechCrunch, the company was most recently valued at $3 billion.

Netalico Commerce e-commerce solutions architect Mark Lewis said that the glasses brand has "big potential" and could accrue "some liquidity" for investors by launching an IPO in the coming months.

Campbell said that she personally doesn't believe Warby Parker needs to go public. However, if the Securities Exchange Commission ultimately loosens the rules to allow companies to go public through a direct listing, Campbell said Warby Parker may be one of the companies to take advantage by skipping the expense of an IPO in favor of a direct listing.

OfferUp

Founded in 2011, OfferUp is a consumer-to-consumer online marketplace. Mark Lewis of Netalico Commerce characterized it as a "Craigslist-meets-Facebook" type of user experience that allows consumers to sell items on a local scale.

"I sold a treadmill that I had the other day on OfferUp," he said. "I just listed it and people could message me in the app."

In March, Crunchbase reported that the company acquired its rival Letgo and raised $120 million in new funding.

Lewis said that the convenience offered by the platform — which he said "works really well"— is a major selling point. As a result, he said that there's been speculation that they might launch an IPO in the near future. 

"I know that they've like raised a lot of funding and I think know they're doing pretty well," he said.

Instacart

Instacart has seen a tremendous 2020, engaging in a massive hiring spree and building out an advertising business to compete with Walmart and Amazon. In November, Reuters reported that Instacart had taken on Goldman Sachs to lead its IPO. The company was seeking a $30 billion valuation.

"I think Instacart can use this to really fuel their continued growth," Watson said

CNBC reported that the delivery app's public offering could launch early in 2021.

Rent the Runway

The coronavirus pandemic dished out a major stumble for fashion rental company Rent the Runway, as many consumers opted for less fancy wardrobe options to work from home. 

Still, Campbell said that there's still room for hope for the brand, which was founded in 2009.

"The bulk of their customers did not cancel their memberships," she said. "They just put them on hold."

That being said, Campbell said that Rent the Runway likely is "going to need to do something" to stay viable. An acquisition seems unlikely because "there's really nobody out there who can that business model very well." An IPO would provide a much-needed "cash infusion."

"I think an IPO would benefit them greatly because the circular economy for apparel is one of the biggest growth areas in retail going forward," she said.

Stripe

Founded in 2010, financial software company Stripe recently raised $600 million in an extended Series G round of fundraising. Earlier in 2020, the company was valued at $36 billion.

According to RMW Commerce Consulting CEO and founder Rick Watson, Stripe "powers a huge amount of payments around the world, including all of Shopify payments."

Still, Lewis said that Stripe is a "controversial" pick in terms of companies that may IPO soon because founding brothers Patrick and John Collison have been adamant that they are "happy" remaining private. 

"Just with everything that's going on, I think that like they could do well in an IPO," Lewis said. "There's a lot of hype around e-commerce right now."

Lewis said that, if Stripe were to go public, they might be valued more than Shopify because "they just run so many of the payments on the internet now."

Glossier

Founded in 2014, Glossier is a $1.2 billion beauty brand with strong e-commerce fundamentals. That's not surprising, given its founder Emily Weiss got started by selling makeup directly to consumers via Instagram.

Campbell said that Glossier is a brand that could potentially benefit from an IPO — or some other influx of cash — next year. She said that the company could also opt for a merger or an acquisition, to better afford a brick-and-mortar presence. 

"They pulled back on their store strategy, but they do need stores," she said.

Flipkart

Flipkart is an e-commerce giant operating out of India. Walmart bought a controlling stake in the company for $16 billion in 2018. But e-commerce experts predict that the Flipkart is becoming so big that, if Walmart doesn't acquire it soon, it could break away from the Arkansas-based retail giant in the coming months. 

Lewis said that it's "very possible that Walmart might like try to acquire" Flipkart, given its success in fostering e-commerce penetration in the Indian market.

Watson said that by filing an IPO in the United States, Flipkart could open itself up to more "institutional money" and "financial backers."

"I think it'd be kind of a coming-out party for Indian e-commerce overall and the potential in that market," Watson said.

Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy previously told Business Insider that his company believes e-commerce will be a $100 billion industry in India by 2024.

Everlane

Everlane is an online apparel retailer that has branched out into stores.

Established in 2010, Everlane's two founders were Michael Preysman and Jesse Farmer. Preysman stuck around as the brand's CEO, while Farmer left in 2012.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Everlane underwent major layoffs. The brand was also criticized by Sen. Bernie Sanders for firing employees in the process of unionizing. 

Campbell said that IPOs can provide "an exit strategy for founders." She speculated that Everlane may look to go public because its remaining co-founder Preysman could wish to "build something new."

Rothys

Direct-to-consumer apparel brand Rothy's was valued at $700 million in 2019, according to Forbes.

But Campbell said that the brand likely "needs the money" that an IPO filing could bring, thanks to its expansion into brick and mortar stores. 

"There is a lot of pressure," she said. 

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a personalized email marketing company that is currently weighing an IPO filing, according to the Boston Business Journal.

Lewis likened the Klaviyo to a hyper-specialized MailChimp. He said that 90% of his e-commerce clients use the company for its email services. In 2019, the company raised $150 million in funding. 

"Their differentiating factor is that they have fostered e-commerce from the ground up," he said.

Klaviyo focuses on tasks like reminding customers of their abandoned carts, sending targeted emails based on shopping habits. 

"It's more intelligent — not just like blasting out a newsletter for everyone," Lewis said. While he says Klaviyo doesn't need to IPO, "e-commerce is just so hot right now, it's very possible that they would just do it in the next 12 months."

goPuff

Campbell said that goPuff is a more "under the radar" company that serves as an online-only convenience store. 

Founded in 2013, the company runs 200 warehouses as of 2020, and received a valuation of $3.9 billion, TechCrunch reported.

"It started up on university campuses and they've now expanded nationally," Campbell said. "It's not huge yet, but it's extremely popular."

Campbell said that the company could truly "use the money" thanks to their expensive push to go national.

"You order something from their convenience store, and it shows up on your doorstep in 30 minutes or less," she said. "That's hard to do. It takes money to do that, especially because last-mile delivery is so overwhelmed right now."

Wordpress

Automattic is the company that owns WordPress and Tumblr. Founded in 2005, the business also has cultivated a major e-commerce angle over the years.

Lewis said that WordPress's WooCommerce has been a gamechanger in the e-commerce world. The e-commerce plug-in was first launched in 2011, and just recently initiated a stable release in September 2020.

He said that there's "definitely some talk" about Automattic "getting to that level of maturity" of becoming public or being acquired.

thredUP

Online thrift store thredUP filed paperwork for its IPO back in October. The company announced that it confidentially filed an S-1.

Reuters reported that thredUP accrued $175 million in funding in 2019. The e-commerce outfit was founded in 2009 and has attracted investors like Goldman Sachs and Highland Capital Partners.

Contentful

Contentful is a "headless CMS" company that allows brands to sever their "backend" e-commerce services from their "frontend" shops.

"If it's done well from the technology perspective, it's a really great user experience," Lewis said. "It's basically making the web experience a lot more like an app. You'll be on a website and it's going to feel like way faster."

Lewis gave the example of a user clicking a product on a webpage. On a traditional website, the screen would refresh and jump to a new product page. With a headless CMS service, the new product would simply load, without causing the page to jump or refresh.

In June, the company raised $80 million in Series E funding, according to TechCrunch.

Mytheresa

In November, Reuters reported that German e-commerce platform Mytheresa had confidentially filed for an IPO in the United States. Previously, Neiman Marcus had acquired the brand in 2014, Forbes reported.

Campbell said that Mytheresa "needs to raise the funds." Founded in 2006, the company specializes in high-end brands like Gucci and Prada.

Bloomberg reported that the company seeks a valuation of at least $1 billion.

Fabletics

Campbell said that the question of an IPO for Fabletics has long been a matter of "will they or won't they?" 

She added that actress Kate Hudson's online subscription sportswear company has a "major growth opportunity" because the apparel industry is currently "in the athleisure sweet spot."

"They're being smart and they're trying to expand," she said. "They just recently expanded into footwear."

Vox reported that Hudson herself has wanted to IPO since 2016. That year, the company became a subsidiary of TechStyle Fashion Group.

"Going IPO would really be the next logical step because they built themselves up to a pretty good space and they have a big and broad clientele," Campbell said. "And they do have a chance to do some pretty significant things if they have cash." 

TechStyle Fashion Group

Lewis said he could see TechStyle Fashion Group, the owner of Fableticsm, "going public in the next 12 months." 

"Not many people have heard of the name of this company, but they are a big conglomerate," he said.

The online members-only fashion retailer also owns JustFab, Savage X Fenty, and ShoeDazzle. According to Crunchbase, the company has earned $336 million in funding over the years, having been founded in 2010.

TechStyle announced that it had accrued five million VIP subscribers in 2019.

"I know that they've taken a lot of funding and I think they're doing pretty well," Lewis said. 

Poshmark

Online sales platform Poshmark's pumped the breaks on its IPO process in 2019, in the interest of patching up some issues before going public.

But sources with insider knowledge have told Business Insider that Poshmark will take another shot at an IPO in December of 2020. But if it gets delayed any further, the company may just could easily end up filing in January 2021.  

Bolt

Bolt is a San Francisco-based payment provider that was founded in 2014. According to Lewis, the company does more than simply provide backend support for e-commerce companies. "It basically replaced the whole checkout experience and provides the payments" along with services like fraud protection and product guarantees. 

"A couple of our clients use them for their checkout because they like the fraud protection and they don't have to go through a separate company for that," Lewis said.

Earlier in 2020, Bolt raised $50 million in Series C funding, according to Crunchbase.

Klarna

Swedish bank Klarna is a major financial technology player, offering payment services for e-commerce stores. In August, the company's CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski told the Financial Times that the bank would likely IPO in a year or two. The bank was founded in 2005.

"Payments has been a really hot space in the past year and there has been a lot of innovation," Watson said. 

He noted that the fact that Klarna is "even considering going public just shows the growth in e-commerce payments overall." 

CommerceHub

Drop-shipping company CommerceHub may be looking to go public for the second time in their history. 

The Albany-based software company was previously a subsidiary of Liberty Interactive, Forbes reported. The Albany Business Journal reported that the company is valued at $1.9 billion. Its clients include Costco, Kohl's, Walgreens, and Meijer.

"They've been public before and they were taken private by private equity," he said.

According to Lewis, the company helps "retailers connect to more brands and suppliers so that they could offer more online easily." 

President Donald Trump's time in office has been personified by broken traditions, from declining to release his tax returns in the beginning of his tenure, to high turnover rate of his officials even in the final days of his presidency.

Many of these controversies have also been portrayed by White House photographers tasked with capturing the behind-the-scenes moments that define a presidency: the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Pete Souza, President Barack Obama's photographer, for example, managed to get up-close and personal with the former leader.

Many Americans have viewed the Trump administration through the lens of uncredited pictures posted on his Twitter account, staged White House photo-shoots, and the award-winning pictures from journalists who have followed him over the past four years. 

Insider poured through these galleries and rounded up some of the most wildly memorable and candid images of President Trump: 

His taped tie

Telling photos of the President-elect Donald Trump trickled in even before he was sworn in. In this scene, Trump made headlines for his taped tie.

The dismissal of James Comey

"He's become more famous than me," Trump joked when embracing former FBI director James Comey, during his first days as president. Their relationship soured after Comey led the investigation into whether Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.

Trump abruptly announced he was firing Comey with a tweet in May 2017.

The original White House staff

Before he was commander-in-chief, Trump gained stardom for his "you're fired" catchphrase on his TV show, "The Apprentice." That pattern of firings continued under his presidency, when he purged officials he deemed disloyal, or let go of close advisers who later pleaded guilty in federal court.

The glowing orb

This viral moment from 2017 showed Middle East leaders touching a glowing globe as part of a commencement ceremony for a new anti-extremism center in Saudi Arabia.

Meeting with Pope Francis

During his trip to the Vatican, Trump gifted Pope Francis a collection of books written by Martin Luther King Jr. 

Relationship with Russia's Vladimir Putin

Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been under scrutiny throughout his presidency. "It's an honor to be with you," Trump said during their first-ever meeting at the G20 summit in Germany.

"Made in America"

Trump, echoing his campaign promises, held several events at the White House celebrating America's innovations in production.

Looking at the sky during a solar eclipse

Trump briefly glanced up at the sky during a solar eclipse, which can cause eye damage without eye protection, even after an adviser warned him not to look.

The kid who mowed the White House lawn

"It would be my honor to mow the White House lawn some weekend for you," 11-year-old Frank wrote to Trump. 

Paper towels for hurricane victims

Trump defended throwing paper towels to Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria, calling the criticism "a made-up thing." 

Slashing the red tape — literally

After Trump announced that he was slashing government regulations, he stood in front of a huge stack of papers and literally cut the red tape. 

The wall

Trump campaigned on building a controversial border wall along the US-Mexico border. But the prospects of the grand scheme fizzled out over the years, and much of its construction has yet to materialize.

"America First"

Trump strained US relations with many international allies when he committed to an "America First" approach to foreign policy.

Trump's meet-and-greets

Two years after their meeting at the White House, rapper Kanye West withdrew his support for Trump and announced his own bid for the presidency in July 2020.

"Fake News" fiasco

Trump has endlessly launched attacks against the media and journalists over the past four years. 

Holiday celebrations

During a Christmas Eve call to children, Trump asked a seven-year-old girl if she still believed in Santa. "Are you still a believer in Santa Claus," Trump asked. "[Because] at seven, it's marginal, right?"

Fast-food at the White House

Trump started his owntradition of serving fast food at the White House to college championship teams. 

State of the Union showdowns

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's clap during his State of the Union speech exploded the internet with memes.

The Trump-Kim talks

Trump became the first sitting president to ever set foot in North Korea during a hastily-scheduled meeting with leader Kim Jong Un in 2019.

Trump v. Pelosi

Trump tweeted a striking photo accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of having an "unhinged meltdown," though Democrats quickly came to her defense and praised her for standing up to the president.

Sharpie-gate

Trump incorrectly stated that Hurricane Dorian would impact Alabama during a press conference. Although the National Weather Service also shut down his claim, Trump repeated the mistake by displaying an altered map at a press conference.

The US raid that killed ISIS' leader

Trump was criticized for appearing to stage a photo while watching a military operation that resulted in the successful killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 

Impeachment

"I want nothing," Trump's notes from his impeachment inquiry said. "I want no quid pro quo."

"Vindication"

Following Trump's impeachment in December, the Senate voted to acquit him of the two charges: obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. 

Black supporters

Trump has repeatedly declared that he has "done more for the Black community than any other president," excluding President Abraham Lincoln, a claim his critics have criticized and described as outrageous and far-fetched.

Dr. Fauci's facepalm

The US's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, broke his composure when Trump went off-script to speak about the "Deep State Department" during a COVID-19 briefing in the early days of the pandemic.

Campaign rallies during the pandemic

Trump traveled to multiple states a day as he hosted campaign rallies during the pandemic in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. 

"Law and order"

Trump held a Bible in front of a church near the White House, after federal officers cleared the streets of mostly peaceful protesters with tear gas and batons. The alleged photo-op shown live by some TV channels was widely denounced by religious leaders, given the racial tensions at the time.

Trump's former defense secretary, Jim Mattis, broke his silence to condemn the clearing of protesters by force and the president's rhetoric against protests generally as making "a mockery of our Constitution."

Embrace of Evangelicals

Trump frequently touted his support and appreciation of Evangelical Christians, who are predominantly white, despite the claims from former associates who suggest otherwise.

The media interviews

Axios correspondent Jonathan Swan's mixed expressions to Trump's comments during a wide-ranging interview became an online sensation.

Trump and COVID-19

Trump temporarily left the hospital where he was receiving treatment for the coronavirus to wave at supporters in a presidential motorcade. He was condemnedfor risking the health of his Secret Service agents.

Michigan-based electric-vehicle startup Bollinger Motors has been busy in 2020, unveiling both a sleek delivery van concept and a highly customizable truck platform.

Now, the company has released updated "near-production" designs of its flagship offroaders — the B1 SUV and B2 pickup. 

Bollinger officially debuted the rugged, high-end EVs in fall 2019, shortly before Tesla unveiled a likely competitor with its Cybertruck. With production of the $125,000 vehicles set to begin in late 2021, Bollinger has nearly finalized their designs. 

Read more:REVEALED: How much Rivian pays its employees, from engineers to financial analysts

The latest renderings show the same boxy Hummer-meets-Land-Rover aesthetic as before, but with some key tweaks to body shape. A far cry from the sleek, futuristic styling of upcoming electric trucks like the GMC Hummer EV, Rivian R1T, or Lordstown Endurance, the Bollinger B1 and B2 are set to look like nothing else on the road when they hit streets.

Check out Bollinger's "production-intent" designs:.

SEE ALSO: Amazon is counting on Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe to electrify its delivery vans. Here's what you need to know about the 37-year-old billionaire who could be the next Jeff Bezos.

At first glance, Bollinger's latest designs don't look very different from the prototypes and concepts the company has showed off in the past. But there are some key changes.

Bollinger raised the truck's beltline — where the windows meet the doors — to create more space under the frunk and to add more head clearance for passengers.

Bollinger also improved the cooling system, which allowed for some major changes to the vehicle's front end.

A new radiator setup let's it do away with the air vents that previously surrounded each headlight ...

... and significantly widen the frunk.

Bollinger also shifted the B-pillar forward — making the rear door wider and the front door skinnier — which should make it easier for rear passengers to get in and out of the vehicle.

But that change meant Bollinger had to do away with its simple sliding-glass windows in favor of equally utilitarian manual-crank windows.

The windshield, side windows, and rear window are all now taller to increase headroom and make the vehicle look more proportional.

Finally, the pickup's bed is now separate from the rest of the body, which Bollinger said will make it easier to repair or replace. It also means Bollinger can sell trucks without the bed for commercial applications.

By acquiring Slack for $27.7 billion, Salesforce is hurtling towards the culmination of one of CEO Marc Benioff's decades-long goals: To make Salesforce into a hub for productivity and collaboration for business people. 

Taylor was key to bringing the Slack deal to fruition, thanks to his years long relationship with Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield. Both are entrepreneurs in the collaboration space. Butterfield will stay CEO of Slack, which will become an independent operating unit of Salesforce after the acquisition closes next year.

While executives haven't shared specific details about how products from Slack and Salesforce will be integrated or sold together because the deal is not officially closed, it's clear that it will transform Salesforce's overall collaboration strategy. 

Salesforce chief operating officer Bret Taylor — who coordinated the deal with Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield and actually joined the company through an acquisition himself— said during the firm's investor day that the partnership represents "the next generation of the way companies work together" that is "being demanded by customers more than ever before in this all-digital world."

He added that Salesforce expects Slack to be "an incredible accelerator of multi-cloud deals," convincing customers to buy the "entire vision" Salesforce has around giving companies a 360 degree view of their customers across all departments.  

In addition to Taylor and Butterfield, several executives from both Salesforce and Slack will be key to driving Salesforce's collaboration strategy forward and continuing to build Slack.

Business Insider dug through company leadership pages and tapped industry experts to find the 16 executives from Salesforce and Slack who will help drive the organization's overall collaboration strategy:

Bret Taylor, Salesforce chief operating officer

Chief operating officer Bret Taylor played a key role bringing the Slack deal to fruition. He has known Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield for years and both have a background in collaboration software.

Taylor joined the company in 2016, when it acquired his word processor startup Quip. Right away, he reported directly to CEO Marc Benioff, which is rare for startup CEOs after their company is acquired. Soon after, in 2017, Taylor made the leap to the C-suite as the president and chief product officer, before his latest promotion to COO in December 2019. He now oversees global product vision, engineering, security, marketing, and communications. 

Taylor is spearheading Salesforce future product strategy and is also is behind Salesforce's new Work.com tools for helping companies reopen their offices safely. Alongside Butterfield, he will play a key role in shaping Salesforce's future collaboration strategy.

Prior to Quip, Taylor was Facebook's chief technology officer and helped lead the company through its IPO in 2012 — and gets the credit for creating its "Like" button. Before that, he was at he helped create Google Maps.

Sarah Franklin, Salesforce executive VP & general manager of platform, Trailhead and developers

Sarah Franklin leads Salesforce's developer relations and its online learning platform, Trailhead, which she founded in 2014 to help people hone the skills needed to get a job using Salesforce software.

She came up with the idea for Trailhead after a discussion with Benioff on how to help Salesforce users build more skills. From there, it's grown into a platform with over 2 million users that now teaches technology skills from the likes of Amazon and Google as well. 

"Companies are looking to go digital faster than ever right now and they need people with those skills,"Franklin told Business Insider earlier this year.

Trailhead has seen a boost in usage during the pandemic, as more people look to reskill and find new jobs, Franklin said at the time. 

As Salesforce integrates further with Slack, creating new capabilities, Franklin's role in conversing with developers and managing Trailhead will be vital. 

Srinivas Tallapragada, Salesforce chief engineering officer

Srinivas Tallapragada leads the global technology team responsible for building and operating Salesforce's products. As such, he will be tapped to make sure that Slack's integration with Salesforce happens smoothly and effectively. 

He took over as chief engineering office in December 2019, after spending over seven years on Salesforce's engineering team, and originally joined the company in 2012. Before that, he had decades of experience building enterprise software at Oracle and SAP.

Gavin Patterson, Salesforce chief revenue officer

Gavin Patterson took on the chief revenue officer role in August, after seven months as the head of Salesforce's international business. He went from leading go-to-market responsibilities internationally to leading the entire global sales organization. 

In his role, Patterson will be responsible for telling customers about how Salesforce and Slack's products can be used together and for increasing Slack's usage within enterprise organizations. 

"So look, our army is enterprise sellers. And we've got 10,000 of them. Their strengths lie in viral marketing and upsell into enterprise," Patterson said at a UBS conference this earlier week. "These are complementary sales strategies. I think we'll be able to help really drive Slack's penetration into the enterprise space." 

Patterson first joined Salesforce last year as its chairman for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, before being promoted to lead the entire international business in February. He was formerly the CEO at European telecommunications company BT from 2013 to 2019, which Benioff has said is invaluable experience as Salesforce looks to expand into new markets.

Ryan Aytay, Salesforce chief business officer and co-CEO of Quip

Ryan Aytay wears multiple hats at Salesforce. Earlier this year he got promoted to the C-suite as Salesforce's chief business officer, managing "strategic projects" for CEO Benioff.

That's in addition to his role as co-CEO of Quip, where he leads sales, strategy, marketing, and customer success. He also leads Global Business Development and Strategy, handling a lot of the company's strategic partnerships with companies like Google, Amazon, IBM, Cisco, and Facebook. 

As Salesforce looks to integrate Slack and pursue its long term collaboration objectives, Aytay's experience leading Quip and partnerships will be vital.

Aytay's recent promotion came after he helped organize Salesforce's effort to acquire and donate over $25 million-worth of personal protective equipment to hospitals and agencies in need due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He originally joined Salesforce in 2007 and has worked in various roles focusing on corporate development and partnerships over his career there. He worked in Marketing Cloud, led M&A, and helped to start the Salesforce Ventures investment arm. 

Kevin Gibbs, general manager of Salesforce mobile and co-CEO of Quip

Kevin Gibbs is the cofounder and co-CEO of Quip, which he started with Bret Taylor in 2012. Quip was acquired by Salesforce in 2016. While Taylor has gone on to become Salesforce's chief operating officer, Gibbs is still running Quip alongside a new co-CEO, Ryan Aytay. 

He is also the general manager of Salesforce mobile and responsible for managing the teams creating mobile applications for Salesforce's products. Earlier this year he helped launch a new mobile app that added chat and collaboration right into Salesforce's platform.

Once the Slack acquisition closes, Salesforce may create closer integrations between Slack and Quip, which Gibbs will be key too. 

Before creating Quip, Gibbs spent eight years Google, most prominently as the creator of Google App Engine, one of its earliest cloud computing products. He also created the earliest versions of Google's famed auto-complete search function.

Stewart Butterfield, Slack CEO and cofounder

After the deal closes next year, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield will continue to run Slack, which will become an independent operating unit of Salesforce. With Butterfield, Salesforce is gaining a product visionary in the software industry and one of Microsoft's fiercest critics. 

Butterfield will likely be instrumental as Salesforce tries to build out its broader collaboration strategy: CEO Benioff has said that he has long dreamed of turning Salesforce into a hub for productivity and collaboration for business people.

With experience in consumer software as well as enterprise, Butterfield knows how to make products workers want to use. 

Given Salesforce's track record with promoting leaders at companies that it acquires — with Bret Taylor being the best example — it's possible that Butterfield could eventually lead Salesforce's entire collaboration business, William Blair analyst Arjun Bhatia told Business Insider. 

Cal Henderson, Slack CTO and cofounder

Cal Henderson is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Slack. He oversees the entire engineering team and leads the company's technical vision. 

As the two companies integrate, he will likely work closely with Salesforce CTO Tallapragada.

Before Slack, Henderson led engineering teams at Flickr and saw it through its acquisition by Yahoo, which is how he first met Stewart Butterfield. He has decades of experience in software development and was a pioneer in the use of web APIs.

Tamar Yehoshua, Slack chief product officer

As chief product officer, Tamar Yehoshua leads product strategy and development, design, and research at Slack. Recently her team spearheaded the launch of Slack Connect, the company's new feature that allows people to use Slack to connect with people outside their organization.

Salesforce execs have highlighted the Slack Connect feature as transformative for communicating with customers and partners, and Yehoshua's vision will likely continue to influence the product's direction within Salesforce. 

Yehoshua was previously a product and engineering leader at Google, working on products like search and privacy, Before Google, she was a VP of advertising technologies at Amazon's A9 lab.

Allan Leinwand, Slack senior VP of engineering

As a senior vice president of engineering, Allan Leinwand leads engineering and operations at Slack, and will likely be key to keeping the product humming as it integrates with Salesforce. 

He's been at the company for two years and, prior to Slack, was chief technology officer at ServiceNow, managing the organization's technical strategy.

Robert Frati, Slack senior VP of sales and customer success

Robert Frati is responsible for the teams selling Slack to potential customers and making sure those customers know how to start using it. He's been at Slack since 2016, starting as a vice president of sales before moving into a higher position in 2018. 

With a huge base of Salesforce users as potential customers, he has a lot of work ahead of him. 

Before Slack, he actually spent 10 years at Salesforce, working in various sales positions. His most recent role was as a senior VP of commercial sales, where he was responsible for expanding Salesforce's footprint in the Asia Pacific region. Before that he was at Oracle. 

Ali Rayl, Slack VP of customer experience

Ali Rayl helps make sure Slack customers are getting value out of Slack's products. In her role as VP of customer experience, she manages the teams focused on user education initiatives, answering questions on Twitter, and helping customers manage their Slack usage. 

Managing customer experiences will be key once the acquisition officially closes and Slack and Salesforce begin to integrate their products more deeply. 

Christina Kosmowski, Slack VP, global head of customer success and services

Christina Kosmowski oversees customer success and customer service for Slack. Similar to Rayl, her role is focused on making sure that customers are using Slack to its fullest extent and solving any issues for them. 

Her role will continue to be critical under Salesforce. 

Prior to Slack, Kosmowski actually spent 15 years at Salesforce, most recently as a senior VP of revenue life-cycle management and customer success, though she held other customer-facing roles in renewals, consulting, support, and customer success management as well. 

Brad Armstrong, Slack VP business development and corporate development

Brad Armstrong leads business and corporate development at Slack. He manages Slacks partnerships and alliances, Slack's investment arm, and M&A for the company. He's been at Slack for five years, and helped the company build a robust ecosystem of partnerships.

His work is key to Slack's partnerships with other software companies as it works to become the hub for connecting all the apps a company uses, and that mission becomes even more important post-acquisition. 

Before Slack, Armstrong was a VP at Salesforce, managing strategic business development. He helped form Salesforce's AppExchange partner program in addition to a range of other leadership roles. Salesforce's AppExchange is the one of the largest ecosystems for software applications, and a model that many companies, including Slack have used as an example to build their own.

Bear Douglas, Slack director of developer relations

Bear Douglas is Slack's director of developer relations. She is responsible for conversing with developers who are building apps for Slack's platform, both from other software companies or independent developers. 

Slack has 885,000 active developers building apps for its platform. The company also recently launched a certification program for developers who want to learn how to build on Slack. 

Once Slack is under the Salesforce umbrella, the opportunity for app integrations will only grow. 

Steve Wood, Slack VP of product, developer platform

Steve Wood joined Slack earlier this year to oversee strategy and performance of Slack's developer platform from a product and business perspective. Slack's platform has 2,450 apps ready to install and use. Apps connect other software tools that people use at work, like those made by Box, Google, Salesforce, Workday and Zoom, and new apps built by individual developers just for Slack.

One of Slack's advantages is how well it connects to other apps and serves as a place to integrate all of someone's work, which is one of the things Salesforce thinks it will benefit from by acquiring the company. 

Wood used to work at Salesforce from 2009 to 2013, working on product management for Salesforce's workflow automation tools and building a go-to-market strategy for Salesforce's platform. 

The past few years have seen a flurry of mergers and acquisitions in the world of autonomous vehicles as the industry has realized how difficult it is to build self-driving cars without the financial resources of a Fortune 500 company and a horde of ambitious engineers who tend to flock to startups.

Aurora Innovation made a big splash this month by announcing its acquisition of Uber's autonomy unit, Uber ATG, in exchange for a 26% equity stake and a seat on its board of directors. Six months ago, Amazon bought the robotaxi startup Zoox.

As many of the biggest names in autonomous vehicles get snatched up, Business Insider asked three experts who follow the industry to predict which companies are most likely to be acquired next.

Here's what they said.

SEE ALSO: Uber is adding thousands of new cities for its package-delivery service just in time for the holiday-shipping rush

AutoX

The Chinese startup AutoX recently became the first company to test autonomous vehicles in China without a backup driver in the front seat. The startup has attracted just enough attention from those following the autonomous-vehicle industry to be a compelling acquisition target, said Gartner analyst Michael Ramsey, but it doesn't have a valuation so large that it would be prohibitively expensive to buy. And, Ramsey said, autonomous-vehicle companies hoping to operate in China might put themselves in a better position if they partner with a local firm.

TuSimple

TuSimple, which is developing an automated-driving system for semi-trucks, has established partnerships with some of the biggest names in logistics, like UPS, Navistar, and Penske. Ramsey said he wouldn't be surprised to see a trucking firm pin its automated-driving strategy on a TuSimple acquisition.

May Mobility

May Mobility, which operates autonomous shuttles that run on fixed routes, has given over 250,000 rides, more than any other autonomous-vehicle company, Reilly Brennan, a partner at the venture-capital firm Trucks — which is a May Mobility investor — told Business Insider in an email. The startup also has a partnership with Toyota, which invested $50 million in it in 2019.

Gatik

Gatik is developing autonomous vehicles designed for short-haul, business-to-business deliveries and has partnerships with Walmart and Loblaw. Brennan called Gatik the leader in middle-mile automated trucking (his firm is a Gatik investor), and suggested major retailers like Walmart and Costco might follow Amazon's lead in acquiring an autonomous-vehicle company in the coming years.

Nuro

Nuro makes autonomous delivery vehicles. Though the startup's $4 billion valuation would make it expensive, Nuro has a promising business model and has demonstrated strong technology, said Pitchbook analyst Asad Hussain.

AEye

Special-purpose acquisition companies have shown significant interest in lidar startups this year, merging with leading firms like Velodyne, Luminar, and Innoviz. Going forward, lidar companies could be attractive acquisition candidates for autonomous-vehicle companies, automakers, and automotive suppliers, Hussain said.

AEye has interesting technology that helps vehicles focus on the most important objects nearby and can be integrated into multiple types of vehicles, Hussain said.

Insight Lidar

Hussain thinks the lidar industry will move away from the models with spinning parts often found on self-driving test vehicles in favor of more "novel" designs.

Insight Lidar's system has a compact design that reduces production complexity and costs, Hussain said.

Do you work in the autonomous-vehicle industry? Do you have a news tip or opinion you'd like to share? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com, on the encrypted messaging app Signal at 646-768-4712, or via his encrypted email address mmatousek@protonmail.com.

• Read more:
• Amazon-backed Aurora is acquiring Uber's self-driving unit despite its terrible reputation. Its CEO explains why he's giving up 26% of his company for a team Uber doesn't want.
• Waymo salaries revealed: From $117,000 to $188,000, here's how much Alphabet's self-driving-car unit pays some of its employees
• Elon Musk is open to talking about merging Tesla with another car company. These are the 4 most likely candidates, experts say.
• Aeva's CEO says a piece of hardware Apple is using in its new iPhones will revolutionize the tech industry like color cameras did in the 20th century

This year has marked both ups and downs for Google's hardware division. Some big names have departed, while the company has tried to launch brand new smartphones in a challenging market.

But next year could be even more significant: On the company's Q3 2020 earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai promised we will see some of the Google's "deeper investments" in hardware play out next year. 

Hardware is hard, but Google knows it needs to play in this space if it wants to keep directing people back to its core moneymaking products such as search. CEO Sundar Pichai has also said Google has a vision for ambient computing, which will rely on devices such as smart speakers.

Here are 12 power players driving Google's consumer hardware ambitions right now, from smartphones to smart locks. Think we've missed someone important? Contact this reporter at hlangley@businessinsider.com and let them know.

SEE ALSO: Google held a meeting to calm rising employee tensions over the ousting of AI ethicist Timnit Gebru. Insiders say it only raised more concerns.

Rick Osterloh – SVP, devices and services

Rick Osterloh is chief of all things hardware at Google. He's also a member of Google Leads, CEO Sundar Pichai's inner circle of direct reports.

After Google acquired Motorola Mobility in 2012, Osterloh led the division and remained president at Motorola when Google sold it off to Lenovo in 2014.

But the separation didn't last long – Google hired Osterloh back in 2016 to spearhead a more aggressive push into hardware.

Under his watch, Google has launched its own Pixel line of smartphones and branched out into smart home devices and headphones. In 2018, four years after Google purchased smart home company Nest, the division was rolled into the Google hardware team.

Osterloh is also overseeing a push into new spaces: Google acquired Canadian smart glasses maker North this year. Could Osterloh resurrect the much-maligned Google Glass in a more socially acceptable form? Watch this space.

Rishi Chandra – VP/GM, Google Nest

Rishi Chandra joined Google in 2006 as a product manager on Google Apps, before moving up to oversee Google TV. Now he leads Nest – Google's array of smart home products such as speakers, thermostats, locks, and cameras.

Nest Labs, cofounded by Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, was acquired by Google for $3.2 billion in 2014. When Google restructured into Alphabet in 2015, the division was spun out into its own entity, but a year later, Fadell stepped down. In 2018, Nest was merged back into Google's home devices unit, giving Chandra oversight of the business.

In short, it's been a rocky ride for the smart home division. But Google has only doubled down on the Nest brand under Chandra's watch. Last year, it announced that the group was being renamed Google Nest, and that Google's smart speakers would be rebranded with the Nest name.

Chandra has facilitated a closer integration between Nest devices and Google Assistant, the concierge that powers the company's lineup of smart speakers.

Before joining Google, Chandra was a consultant at strategy consulting firm Bain & Company.

Ivy Ross – VP of hardware design

Google's design guru joined the company's experimental X lab in 2014, where she oversaw development of Google Glass.

But when production on the smartglasses was paused in 2016, Ross moved over to lead Google's product design team, where she currently serves as VP. 

Ross, who began her career as a jewelry designer, has brought an identity to Google's products – the soft materials and colors that adorn many of its consumer products have become unmistakenly Google.

Ross's team is working on approximately 25 different products at one time, she said in a WeWork interview last year. "Some are for next year, some are for the year after."

Also, check out the neat design lab Ross created for her team, complete with a material library with over 1,000 different materials to touch.

Phil Harrison – VP and general manager

Phil Harrison is a gaming industry veteran with stints running Sony's worldwide game studios and leading Microsoft's Xbox businesses.

All of which made him a perfect choice for Google to poach for its own gaming ambitions. Though he joined the company in 2018, it wasn't until the following year that Harrison was announced as product manager for Google Stadia, the company's game streaming service.

Stadia is Google's big bet that the future of gaming won't be in the box under your TV, but living in the cloud. One of Harrison's key responsibilities has been to spark up deals to get major game publishers running their games on the Stadia platform, in an effort to take on the established titans of industry. No easy task, but Harrison's appointment proves that Google is taking gaming seriously.

Ana Corrales – COO, consumer hardware

Corrales is responsible with bringing all of Google's consumer hardware products to market. 

She joined the company via Nest, where she served as chief financial and operating officer, back when it was its own business under Alphabet. She later jumped over to Google as a VP of the Google Store, global operations, and supply chain.

She's also currently an executive sponsor for Google's Latino Employee Resource Group, HOLA.

Growing up in Costa Rica, Corrales got her first taste for the business world at age 15 when she joined the National Young Entrepreneurs Program and helped build a hair scrunchie business, which she says was later sold to a grocery store chain.

Clay Bavor – VP, virtual and augmented reality

Google's ventures into virtual reality have been largely unsuccessful so far. Its most famous product in this space is Cardboard, a budget way (it's literally a piece of cardboard!) to turn any smartphone into a VR device.

At the time of its arrival, it was also seen as a light ribbing of rivals like Facebook that were pouring billions of dollars into their own virtual reality efforts.

But while none of these projects have stuck, Google still has a vision for the future that includes VR and AR, and Clay Bavor is the man trying to make it happen. Right now, a lot of the action is happening in augmented reality maps and other neat AR tools that work with Google's smartphone cameras.

Before moving to other realities, Bavor worked on Google's consumer and enterprise apps, such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Docs. He also worked on Search and ads products before that.

Brian Rakowski – VP, product management

Brian Rakowski is a key leader on Google's Pixel team, and a company veteran who has climbed through the ranks working on some of Google's most important products. 

Before taking on Pixel, Rakowski was a VP on Android and a product manager on Google Chrome, working closely with now-CEO Sundar Pichai.

Rakowski was also the first graduate of the associate product manager program, the in-house talent incubator created by former Google executive Marissa Mayer. As such, we named him a Google rising star back in 2013.

Mark Spates – Product lead, smart speakers

You might consider Mark Spates the face of Google's push into the smart home – he can often be spotted speaking at industry events, laying out his vision for a more connected future.

Spates is currently product lead on Google's smart speakers, where much of his job is about making these devices disappear into the background of our lives, rather than the forefront.

Spates has spent many years working with the "internet of things," and in a past life was the head of Logitech's connected home platform.

Sabrina Ellis – VP, product management

If you've watched any of Google's keynotes, you might have seen Sabrina Ellis talking up some flashy new features of one of its latest Pixel smartphones. 

According to her LinkedIn page, Ellis joined Google in 2011. Before that, she did a near-decade stint at Yahoo where she started out as a senior product manager on the Yahoo address book and calendar – and ended a VP on Yahoo Messenger.

Matt Vokoun – senior director of product management

A senior director, Matt Vokoun oversees Google's Pixelbook laptops and (before Google killed them) used to also work on the company's tablet products.

In a talk on The Playbook podcast, Vokoun explained how a lot of his job on the PixelBook involves influencing applications, operating systems and other elements that will make the hardware a success.

"When I look at my week, I probably spend 75% of my time not working with the team that reports to me but going working across the company and with our external partners to land an integrated product vision."

Vokoun joined Google in 2009, starting out in business operations and then spending a few years on the company's Motorola Mobility business (before it was sold off again to Lenovo).

Jason Rosenthal – VP, subscription services

From 2013 to 2018, Jason Rosenthal served as CEO of Lytro, the company behind the pocket camera that could refocus an image post-capture.

When Google acquired a large number of Lytro's employees and assets in 2018 (although it didn't buy the company outright) Rosenthal made the jump over.

He now oversees all of the subscription programs across Google's consumer devices, reporting directly into Rick Osterloh.

Shakil Barkat – VP, hardware engineering

Shakil Barkat is another of Osterloh's direct reports, and is helping drive the company's wearables business. Barkat joined Google in 2019 from Motorola, where he was corporate VP of wearables and product development.

In between stints at Motorola, Barkat did a year at Apple working on the Mac.

Barkat's role could be about to become more interesting, with Google trying to close its purchase of wearables maker Fitbit. The acquisition would give Google a decent shot at become a success in the wearables space, and should give Apple reason enough to worry.

A common denominator among many Wall Street investors is their insatiable appetite for reading. 

Warren Buffett once famously said: "I just sit in my office and read all day." His long-time partner Charlie Munger is also known as a voracious reader who devours biographies and history books. 

Buffett and Munger are only two of the hundreds of successful investors and business leaders who have sung praises for reading. 

In 2020, reading has taken on a new meaning as the coronavirus-induced lockdown renders most outdoor activities out of reach. For many investment and finance professionals, the contrast is especially distinct as they switch from frequent travels and in-person meetings to Zoom conferences and phone calls. 

However, the silver lining to spending more time at home is that more time can be allocated to uninterrupted reading.

Business Insider asked 10 Wall Street investors, strategists, and executives to share the best books they read in 2020 and their biggest takeaways. 

From business management books and investing classics to historical recounts, these books range across genre, style, time period, and geography. 

In no specific order, their titles, authors, descriptions, and corresponding commentaries, are listed below. 

SEE ALSO: 5 Wall Street firms — including the world's largest money manager — share their 2021 outlooks for the stock market and where they are recommending that clients invest in the year ahead

1. 'The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success'

Author: William N. Thorndike 

Description: "In this refreshing, counterintuitive book, author Will Thorndike brings to bear the analytical wisdom of a successful career in investing, closely evaluating the performance of companies and their leaders. You will meet eight individualistic CEOs whose firms' average returns outperformed the S&P 500 by a factor of twenty — in other words, an investment of $10,000 with each of these CEOs, on average, would have been worth over $1.5 million twenty-five years later.

"You may not know all their names, but you will recognize their companies: General Cinema, Ralston Purina, The Washington Post Company, Berkshire Hathaway, General Dynamics, Capital Cities Broadcasting, TCI, and Teledyne.

"In The Outsiders, you'll learn the traits and methods — striking for their consistency and relentless rationality — that helped these unique leaders achieve such exceptional performance."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Kent Insley, chief investment officer of Tiedemann Advisors.

Commentary: "I make everyone who joins my team read it when they join. And it gets to the reason why management and quality of management is such an important component of overall quality investing," Insley said. "I find that one to be a good one for any time."

2. 'Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers'

Author: John Kay and Mervyn King

Description: "Some uncertainties are resolvable. The insurance industry's actuarial tables and the gambler's roulette wheel both yield to the tools of probability theory. Most situations in life, however, involve a deeper kind of uncertainty, a radical uncertainty for which historical data provide no useful guidance to future outcomes. Radical ncertainty concerns events whose determinants are insufficiently understood for probabilities to be known or forecasting possible."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Di Zhou, portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management

Commentary: "It basically talks about risks and uncertainties," Zhou said. "Some of the risks are quantifiable, but some risks are radical uncertainties that cannot be captured by using models or making up assumptions and whatnot. I highly recommend it."

3. 'Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings'

Author: Philip A. Fisher

Description: "Widely respected and admired, Philip Fisher is among the most influential investors of all time. His investment philosophies, introduced almost forty years ago, are not only studied and applied by today's financiers and investors, but are also regarded by many as gospel. This book is invaluable reading and has been since it was first published in 1958."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Alex Ely, chief investment officer of US growth equity at Macquarie Investment Management

Commentary: "I read some investment books. But as time has gone on, I really spend most of my time really focused on just what we do, and not listening to too many other people. But there is a book by Philip Arthur Fisher that's called 'Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits' that was written in the 50s, about growth investing in general," said Ely.

He continued: "And that analyzes a lot of the things we talk about when it comes to growth investing. Growth investing didn't even really exist until the 50s and 60s, so we're still new as a form of investment, but lots of ways to benefit over time."

4. 'Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents'

Author: Isabel Wilkerson

Description: "Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people's lives and behavior and the nation's fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Peter Kraus, Chairman and CEO of Aperture Investors 

Commentary: "I read a lot of history because I think history has interesting lessons in it. History never repeats itself but there are behavioral trends in history," said Kraus. "I think this book has a very interesting view and she is a really good writer."

5. 'Option Volatility and Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques'

Author: Sheldon Natenberg

Description: "Covering a wide range of topics as diverse and exciting as the market itself, this text enables both new and experienced traders to delve in detail into the many aspects of option markets, including: The foundations of option theory; Dynamic hedging; Volatility and directional trading strategies; Risk analysis; Position management; Stock index futures and options; Volatility contracts."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Scott Nations, president and chief investment officer of Nations Indexes

Commentary: "I hate to pick one because there are several good ones and people are going to end up being left out unfairly," Nations said. "But there's a book by Sheldon Natenberg called 'Option Volatility and Pricing'. That is just a fantastic book." 

6. 'Don Quixote'

Author: Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra 

Description: "Don Quixote has become so entranced reading tales of chivalry that he decides to turn knight errant himself. In the company of his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, these exploits blossom in all sorts of wonderful ways. While Quixote's fancy often leads him astray —he tilts at windmills, imagining them to be giants — Sancho acquires cunning and a certain sagacity. Sane madman and wise fool, they roam the world together — and together they have haunted readers' imaginations for nearly four hundred years."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Rafael Resendes, co-founder of Applied Finance Capital Management

Commentary: "While entertaining as a child cartoon due to Cervantes' great caricatures, 'Don Quixote' provides a vivid reminder of the importance of balancing idealism and realism in life and markets," Resendes said. 

7. 'The Wealth of Humans: Work, Power, and Status in the Twenty-first Century'

Author: Ryan Avent 

Description: "Digital technology is transforming every corner of the economy, fundamentally altering the way things are done, who does them, and what they earn for their efforts. In The Wealth of Humans, Economist editor Ryan Avent brings up-to-the-minute research and reporting to bear on the major economic question of our time: can the modern world manage technological changes every bit as disruptive as those that shook the socioeconomic landscape of the 19th century?"(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by David Lebovitz, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management 

Commentary: "I think that it is an important book for every investor to read in order to really understand the technological revolution and digital transformation that the economy is set to go through over the course of the coming years," Lebovitz said. 

8. 'Market Mover: Lessons from a Decade of Change at Nasdaq'

Author: Robert Greifeld

Description: "The former CEO and Chairman of Nasdaq shares insights and lessons learned from one of the world's largest stock exchanges, detailing the company's transformation from a fledgling U.S. equities market to a global financial technology company." (Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Arianne Criqui, head of derivatives and global client services at Cboe Global Markets

Commentary: "This year I read a lot of non-markets books, but one in particular that I spent time reading was Robert Greifeld's book "Market Mover: Lessons from a Decade of Change at Nasdaq," said Criqui.

"I found it was very valuable to understand how the process evolved at Nasdaq and how they're thinking," she added, "or what their forward-thinking strategy has looked like and how it continues to evolve when you're thinking about multiple different areas where an exchange can grow above and beyond the transactional side. That book was super interesting."

9. 'James Monroe: A Life'

Author: Tim McGrath

Description: "This magnificent new biography vividly recreates the epic sweep of Monroe's life: his near-death wounding at Trenton and a brutal winter at Valley Forge; his pivotal negotiations with France over the Louisiana Purchase; his deep, complex friendships with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; his valiant leadership when the British ransacked the nation's capital and burned down the Executive Mansion; and Monroe's lifelong struggle to reckon with his own complicity in slavery.

"Elected the fifth president of the United States in 1816, this fiercest of partisans sought to bridge divisions and sow unity, calming turbulent political seas and inheriting Washington's mantle of placing country above party. Over his two terms, Monroe transformed the nation, strengthening American power both at home and abroad."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Nancy Tengler, chief investment officer of Laffer Tengler Investments

Commentary: "As a long-term professional investor I have learned investing is not just numbers but a study in human behavior. Consequently I read history," said Tengler.

"I was struck by the similarities in events during Monroe's life and today. Published early this year (before COVID heated up) I was struck by the following passage re: the yellow fever outbreak of 1793: 'Partisanship had grown so fierce even treatments for the disease became politicized.' Historical and market cycles repeat. That should give us hope."

10. 'Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour'

Author: Lynne Olson

Description: "The acclaimed author of Troublesome Young Men reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how the United States forged its wartime alliance with Britain, told from the perspective of three key American players in London: Edward R. Murrow, the handsome, chain-smoking head of CBS News in Europe; Averell Harriman, the hard-driving millionaire who ran FDR's Lend-Lease program in London; and John Gilbert Winant, the shy, idealistic U.S. ambassador to Britain."(Source: Amazon)

Recommend by Matthew Breidert, senior portfolio manager at Ecofin

Commentary: "Edward Murrow shows the importance of shining the light on truth and shining the light on issues that matter. I think there's a lot of metaphor for what we do or what we're trying to do that investors have a role to play here," said Breidert.

"They're ensuring that truth is out there and that we're investing in things that are going to have some kind of a positive impact," he added. "In a lot of ways, I think that that book captures the importance of storytelling, the importance of messaging, and the importance of integrity. It's a great read."

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Washington, DC, on Saturday in support of President Donald Trump's failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. 

Hundreds of members of the far-right Proud Boys were part of the crowd, according to WTOP journalist Alejandro Alvarez, who tweeted a video of a mass of men chanting "fuck antifa" as they walked past a bus advertising the march. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Proud Boys as a hate group with ties to white nationalism. 

The crowd was largely made up of people who refuse to accept that President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated next month. January 20 will mark the start of Biden's presidency. 

Biden won the presidential election with 306 electoral votes, thanks to key battleground states such as Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona. Trump secured just 232 electoral votes. All states have now certified their vote counts, finalizing the election results. 

Since Biden's victory weeks ago, Trump has refused to explicitly acknowledge his loss. In the hours after the race was called for Biden, Trump said the "election is far from over." 

He's since doubled down and sought to overturn the results in state and federal courts across the country. The Trump campaign and the president's allies have so far filed, and lost, dozens of lawsuits in multiple battleground states contesting the results.

And allegations of voter fraud have been struck down and disproven numerous times since Trump and his lawyers presented their arguments. The Trump-appointed Attorney General Bill Barr, who's repeatedly positioned himself as one of the president's strongest defenders, conceded earlier this month that neither the Justice Department nor the FBI found widespread evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

The Supreme Court dealt the latest blow on Friday, when it struck down a lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to overturn election results in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia.

In the justices' order throwing out the lawsuit, they cited a lack of "standing," meaning that Paxton had not sufficiently proved that the state of Texas was harmed in any particular way that could be addressed by the court.

Still, Trump continues to claim otherwise, posting frequently on his personal Twitter account about widespread voter fraud and a "rigged" election. Saturday's rally is proof that his baseless rhetoric is continuing to resonate with his constituents, despite all the evidence that says voter fraud did not occur.

Photographer Andrew Lichtenstein asked some of the attendees about what had brought them to the rally. Here's what they had to say.

"If this election stands, we just do not have a country anymore. It's as if we are saying, 'Here, China, take it.'"

"I support the president. I know he won the election," Seth Rosenblit told Business Insider. "They stole our vote, and I will not accept it. That's why I'm here," he continued. "It's just unacceptable."

"We the people are not going to stop, and I'm speaking for the majority of Americans."

"I'm here to fight for our freedoms and to fight for my president against the fraud of this election," Tina Fortey said.

"We must take our country back. Trump won," she said, adding that she was "speaking for the majority of Americans," though Biden won the election with 81 million votes, compared to Trump's 74 million.

"Time will tell, but President Trump is always 10 steps ahead of everything."

"I'm here today because I believe in election integrity," Dylan Quattrucci said, before repeating several false allegations about voting machines and election misconduct, which have previously been disproven.

"Dominion machines are responsible for miscounting thousands of votes, and suitcases were found with thousands of votes in the key swing states," Quattrucci said, likely referring to a viral video showing Georgia election workers taking out large bins of ballots from underneath tables. 

Georgia officials have investigated the videos and determined all the workers were following normal vote-counting procedures, and the bins were full of legal votes that had simply been stored under tables due to the room's lack of space.

Trump supporters have also accused Dominion Voting Systems of enabling vast voter fraud in the country. In late November, the company tore into one of Trump's lawsuits claiming "massive election fraud" and called the allegations "baseless,""senseless," and "physically impossible." The company is not a defendant, but it's mentioned in multiple instances throughout the 104-page Georgia lawsuit.

"I want a full audit of the vote so that we can have faith in free and fair elections in the future," Quattrucci added, though most states are already required by law to conduct post-election audits, which so far have not found any instances of widespread voter fraud.

"People need to awaken."

"I'm here for liberty, justice, freedom, and the American dream. Biden is going to take all of those rights away," Scott Schultheis said, incorrectly adding that "Trump won in a landslide."

Schultheis described how he noticed Trump appeared to be ahead of Biden by 200,000 votes when he took a nap as election results were coming in on November 4. When Schultheis woke up, "he was losing."

He continued: "Come on. The fraud is so obvious, it's disgusting."

In fact, Schultheis was describing a common misconception about how counties count ballots and report their election results. "Fraud" did not make Trump lose his lead — rather, Trump was never technically leading. Though he appeared to be ahead of Biden in several states on November 3, not enough votes had been counted at the time to accurately project a winner.

Trump's apparent lead diminished as counties began to report more results, which consisted of legally cast votes that went largely for Biden.

In Pennsylvania, for instance, some counties barred election workers from counting legally cast mail-in ballots on Election Day, requiring them to wait until the next morning to begin counting.

Since the batches of legally cast mail-in votes in many states leaned disproportionately Democratic, Biden's victory only became clear after those batches were counted and reported.

"There is going to be a bloodbath to pay for it."

"People spoke up when they voted, and that vote was robbed," Donna Warb told Business Insider. "Everyone knows it and no one is doing anything about it."

"So we are here in DC to just do the little bit that we can," Warb continued. "If we do not win, if we do not get this corrected, we are going to be a communist country under a communist leader, and there is going to be a bloodbath to pay for it."

"I'm a mom and a proud American, and I'm really scared about what is happening in this country."

"We must speak up. For me, it's not about an election. It' about the truth, and good versus evil. I just never realized how much of this country was surrounded by evil," Lisa Morin said.

"Trump is speaking on our behalf, he is our voice, and watching that voice try to be silenced, it's just so sad," she added.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a surge of investment in education startups, as millions of students young and old around the world are forced to learn from home under lockdown. 

Even before the virus forced much of the world to shift to remote learning, global investment in the sector hit a staggering $18 billion. Now even more cash is being thrown at "edtech" startups, as demonstrated by SoftBank's $200 million bet on Scandinavian firm Kahoot. 

Business Insider asked some of the best known venture capitalists from across Europe to each name two outstanding edtech firms – one in their portfolio and one outside – on the continent. 

Check out their responses below: 

CoachHub

Cited by: Mathias Ockenfels, partner at Speedinvest

In the Speedinvest portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $20 million

What it does:"CoachHub offers employees personalized coaching sessions to support them in their professional development, and to help them thrive in their current organization. In addition, CoachHub also offers an app that allows employees to engage in additional learning and development at their own pace."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Prior to COVID-19, CoachHub was already a great offering, but now employees are finding CoachHub to be an especially great tool to navigate their development amid the current situation."

Skiller Whale

Cited by: Mathias Ockenfels, partner at Speedinvest

In the Speedinvest portfolio? No

Total raised: $1 million

What it does: "Skiller Whale provides a live learning platform for tech teams that offers targeted lessons directly to employees, and we've been really excited by their work from afar.

"Their learning plans are personalized for individual team members, based on detailed skill assessments of their learning needs, and the lessons themselves make use of experts in the relevant languages and topics alongside challenging exercises."

Why it's hot in 2020:"We think this engaging and meaningful model of digital training is just what teams need, especially in our current world of remote work."

Blackbullion

Cited by: Lord Stanley Fink, angel investor and ex-CEO of hedge fund Man Group

In Lord Fink's portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $1.5 million

What it does: Blackbullion is an online financial education platform, working to provide prospective and current university students with the knowledge they need to make better-informed choices with their money.

Why it's hot in 2020:"Edtech adoption has accelerated at full tilt since COVID-19 and I've been blown away with how founder Vivi Friedgut and her team have created products that add essential capacity, support and simply make life less stressful for students, getting them that step closer to financial wellbeing. I'd back her every time."

Perlego

Cited by: Lord Stanley Fink, angel investor and ex-CEO of hedge fund Man Group

In Lord Fink's portfolio? No

Total raised: $15 million

What it does: Perlego is a digital online library – dubbed the "Spotify of textbooks"– focused on academic, professional and non-fiction ebooks.

Why it's hot in 2020:"Outside my portfolio, Perlego is a standout one for me. Again, on a mission to democratize not just expensive academic books but education. They are a really impressive young team with a great track record of securing investment ... I've also been impressed by their approach to strategic partnerships and their ability to solve real pain points for students and publishers."

99math

Cited by: Tom Williams, Partner at Talis Capital 

In the Talis Capital portfolio? No

Total raised: $500,000

What it does: "Estonia's 99math is playing in the 'edutainment' space, aiming to create the biggest esports league in the world through primary school students answering math questions. With 100k users gained already, 99math has demonstrated that gamifying school subjects is effective in encouraging students to learn, so we're excited to see what they do next."

Why it's hot in 2020: "As the traditional school system to date relies on offline teaching methods, we want to see companies that are capitalizing on the switch to mobile ... 99math is one we'll be watching outside of our portfolio tapping into this trend."

Learning People

Cited by: Tom Williams, partner at Talis Capital

In the Talis Capital portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $2.5 million

What it does:"Learning People is a global online learning platform that provides online technology courses to students: Both from those just entering the labour force and upskilling workers who have already started their careers."

Why it's hot in 2020:"There's a huge unsatisfied demand for tech roles due to the growing digital skills gap. Governments around the world are increasingly looking to address this gap, so we anticipate even more demand for their services in the coming months and years."

BibliU

Cited by: Nic Brisbourne, managing partner at Forward Partners

In the Forward Partners portfolio? No

Total raised: $16 million

What it does:"By digitizing textbooks, BibliU gives students a lower cost and more interactive experience, whilst universities can help students have access to the content they need and understand which resources students use. Finally, publishers get distribution and can avoid the issue of second hand textbooks undercutting sales."

Why it's hot in 2020:"BibliU is a good example of an edtech company that is solving problems for multiple stakeholders ... The business has good traction with universities such as Coventry, Cardiff, and Bath and publishers including Elsevier, Pearson and Springer making it one to watch in the future."

Scoodle

Cited by: Mohsin Patel, partner at IFG.VC

In the IFG.VC portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $2 million

What it does:"Scoodle is fascinating company marrying education and influencer culture. It makes sense really, giving educators a brand that students can latch on to and influence their decision on who they choose as a tutor."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Traditional methods of choosing tutors don't really focus on the up-front value-add that teachers can bring, such as helping out ad-hoc with helping to explain certain topics. We love the founding team and think they'll go really far." 

Makers

Cited by: Nic Brisbourne, managing partner at Forward Partners

In the Forward Partners portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $500,000

What it does: "Makers trains the next generation of engineers: whether that's people entering the workforce, people looking to change and/or future proof their career. They offer a coding bootcamp and then do everything they can to find roles for their graduates at one of their 300-plus partner companies, including HSBC, Google, Deloitte, and Monzo."

Why it's hot in 2020:"The dramatic changes to our lives that we've seen this year will accelerate this trend that Makers sits on top of. The market for software development, just in the UK, sits at £33 billion and growing at a compound annual growth rate in excess of 5%."

Labworks

Cited by: Reece Chowdhry, founder and CEO of RLC Ventures

In the RLC Ventures portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $1 million

What it does: "Labworks are an exciting voice games company operating in the edtech space. Since RLC led their pre-seed in 2019, they have launched the world's first suite of voice-first games, Voice Arcade — think board games on your Alexa or Google devices."

Why it's hot in 2020: "We are extremely optimistic about the future of voice technology and see it being a crucial part of inclusive learning for people of all ages, abilities and geographical locations."

Aula

Cited by: Reece Chowdhry, founder and CEO of RLC Ventures, and Daria Danilina, an investor at Oxx

In the RLC Ventures or Oxx portfolios? No

Total raised: $8 million 

What it does: Aula is a learning experience platform for higher education that works to boost student engagement. Aula brings students, staff, and faculty together in a digital environment that encourages interaction and collaboration.

Why it's hot in 2020:"Even prior to a Covid-disrupted world, universities consistently underserved their students in delivering digital teaching experiences," said Chowdhry. "Their solution is exciting and elegant, and we share their vision of a globalized and hybrid learning ecosystem"

Kahoot

Cited by: Isabelle O'Keeffe, principal at Sure Valley Ventures

In the Sure Valley Ventures portfolio? No

Total raised: $364 million

What it does: Kahoot describes itself as a "game-based learning platform that makes it easy to create, share, and play fun learning games and trivia quizzes."

Why it's hot in 2020: "I believe the reason for Kahoot's effectiveness and growth is its focus on improving learning outcomes by boosting participation and motivation through competitive, game-based learning experiences."

Immersive VR Education

Cited by: Isabelle O'Keeffe, principal at Sure Valley Ventures

In the Sure Valley Ventures portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $5 million

What it does: "Immersive VR Education uses virtual reality to transform the way educational content is consumed and delivered."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Their education and training platform has been in strong demand since the start of the pandemic and has been chosen by leading universities such as Stanford and Oxford due to its ability to create immersive, virtual classrooms. The VR experiences it has developed, based on Apollo 11 or the Titanic, immerse students in their curriculum and make learning more engaging."

Tiney

Cited by: Kirsty Macdonald, investment manager at JamJar Investments

In the JamJar portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $7.8 million

What it does: "Tiney uses technology to recruit and train a new generation of childminders, to deliver a scalable curriculum to help children learn, and to support their childminders in running successful nurseries from home."

Why it's hot in 2020:"The early-years education space has been incredibly neglected for many years and we believe Tiney has the tech and talent to redress this."

Knoma

Cited by: Kirsty Macdonald, investment manager at JamJar Investments

In the JamJar portfolio? No

Total raised: $27.5 million

What it does: "Knoma enables adults to easily access and spread the costs of training and education courses."

Why it's hot in 2020:"With the pressure on for people to retrain for the post-pandemic economy, I believe this type of edtech platform will gain an increasingly important role in the market."

Pango

Cited by: Alex Brunicki, Partner at Backed VC

In the Backed VC portfolio? No

Total raised: Undisclosed

What it does:"Pango is a digital platform that lets teachers plan curricula, collaborate with other educators, and design and distribute lessons.

"The firm really understands the market, which comes through in the platform design, in particular the intelligence layer which makes the discovery process more intuitive, and the in-app tools for creating high-quality lesson plans."

Why it's hot in 2020:"The global pandemic has accelerated the demand for online education, catalyzing innovation in the sector, and Pango will be one of the winners."

Tech Will Save Us

Cited by: Alex Brunicki, Partner at Backed VC

In the BACKED VC portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $10 million

What it does: "Tech Will Save Us create educational STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) toys for 4-to 12-year-olds."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Their recent successful crowdfunding campaign — and their collaborations with everyone from Google to the BBC and Disney — show their products could be the equivalent of LEGO for Generation Alpha."

Lingumi

Cited by: Suzanne Ashman Blair, partner at LocalGlobe

In the LocalGlobe portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $8 million

What it does: "Lingumi is a pre-school teaching platform with a mission is to bring the world's best teaching experience to pre-school children around the world. The supply of exceptional teachers is extremely limited, expensive, and unscalable, so the default option for parents is to wait until the child enters national education, and begins a life of playing catch up."

Why it's hot in 2020:"We believe their teaching model, like Peloton's coaching model, will change the way parents perceive the nature of, and need for, synchrony in a teacher-student relationship."

Immersive Labs

Cited by: Suzanne Ashman Blair, partner at LocalGlobe

In the LocalGlobe portfolio? No

Total raised: $48 million

What it does: "Immersive Labs offers cyber security training to enterprise employees. But instead of traditional clickthrough quizzes, Immersive use 'cyber war games' for IT and security teams to learn from, which allows them to understand the latest attack techniques and hacker psychology, but more importantly to learn in a fun and effective way. "

Why it's hot in 2020:"The way in which educational content is delivered has hardly changed for the past few decades despite challenges to its efficacy, so it's exciting to see new models like Immersive that are attempting to redesign the student experience."

iUKOS

Cited by: Jon Steinberg, CEO and cofounder of Mountside Ventures

In the Mountside portfolio? Yes

Total raised: Undisclosed

What it does: Based in London, iUKOS connects British tutors with students in Asia, offering a range of subjects and insights to UK the UK education system.

Why it's hot in 2020:"We saw the massive demand from families in Asia to access Western tutors, with a 158% annual growth rate. They are seen by many as the number one source of British and European Tutors in Asia, and offer a one-stop-shop for online tutoring for ages 6-to-18, providing access to verified and vetted professional tutors."

Hardskills

Cited by: Jon Steinberg, CEO and cofounder of Mountside Ventures

In the Mountside portfolio? No

Total raised: $1.2 million

What it does: Hardskills offers a B2B online learning platform focused on behavioral skills training at scale.

Why it's hot in 2020:"We find Hardskills particularly interesting because with their high-quality content they're delivering an average increase of 62% in skills gained, have a course completion rate that is five times the industry average — and on average users rate them at 9.2 out of 10."

CPOMS

Cited by: Rory Nath, investment manager at ECI Partners

In the ECI portfolio? Yes

Total raised: Undisclosed

What it does:"CPOMS is a market-leading software solution for monitoring safeguarding, wellbeing and all pastoral issues in schools and other child-friendly environments. By recording issues on a centralised system, teachers can easily spot when a child could be at risk."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Safeguarding was particularly important during the first COVID-19 lockdown when institutions were closed, forcing schools to transition all schooling and processes to an online environment.

"For those that had online safeguarding processes in place, that could be a smooth transition to ensuring correct safeguarding processes could continue even in the new all-virtual school environment."

Century

Cited by: Rory Nath, investment manager at ECI Partners

In the ECI portfolio? No

Total raised: $9.5 million

What it does: "Century is a tried and tested intelligent intervention tool that combines learning science, AI, and neuroscience to help teachers tailor their programmes for each student's needs."

Why it's hot in 2020:"What makes it stand out is the fact that it brings together both psychology and technology to help enhance the learning experience, and provide teachers with the knowledge they need to ensure that they cater to each students individual needs."

Collective Minds

Cited by: Dr. Fiona Pathiraja, founder of Crista Galli Ventures

In the Crista Galli Ventures portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $1.2 million

What it does: "Collective Minds puts medical education in the hands of the doctors in a secure manner using real patient cases, allowing doctors to continuously learn from and be connected to a global network of peers."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Radiology educators across Wales are using the Collective Minds platform to host courses and training for doctors in training to gain core skills in the run up to taking their board certification examinations."

Kortext

Cited by: Dr. Fiona Pathiraja, founder of Crista Galli Ventures

In the Crista Galli Ventures portfolio? No

Total raised: Undisclosed

What it does: "Kortext is the #1 digital textbook platform provider to the HE [higher education] sector in UK, with some 100 institutions using their platform, including 19 of the 24 Russell Group universities, both Oxford and Cambridge, and all leading London colleges."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Kortext returns detailed content usage analytics dashboards to the university, demonstrating the level of digital engagement by students.

"These data allow a university to understand digital engagement of each student, which is especially important at the moment as more students study remotely and Covid-19 continues to impact their ability to study on campus."

Codility

Cited by: Daria Danilina, investor at Oxx

In the Oxx portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $22 million 

What it does:"Codility's software was built by computer scientists who believed that there was a better way to assess skills than by looking at CVs. Codility offers an automated assessment that measures a technical candidate's aptitude and skill level, allowing hiring companies to assess a lot more people than they otherwise would be able to assess."

Why it's hot in 2020:"Recently, companies started to use Codility software for learning and development of their existing workforce, helping engineers achieve a new level of proficiency and progress in their career."

Avid

Cited by: Youri Doeleman, partner at early-stage VC Antler

In the Antler portfolio? Yes

Total raised: $150,000

What it does:"Using Avid, users can either listen to educational podcasts, or create them. Avid's platform makes it easy for educators and professionals to share their knowledge, and earn money through the podcasts or courses that they create."

Why it's hot in 2020:"The market is huge. Nearly 75% of people identify themselves as lifelong learners, but struggle to allocate time for learning. Meanwhile, people spend 7 hours a week listening to podcasts, and only half of that time is considered educational. Created by self-taught developer Charlotte Zhao, the company is on a mission to bring direct and accessible education to the masses, from the masses."

Teacherly.io

Cited by: Youri Doeleman, partner at early-stage VC Antler

In the Antler portfolio? No

Total raised: $1.8 million

What it does:"Teacher is turning teachers into teams with collaborative lesson planning & peer to peer coaching with a focus on flexible teaching and interactive curriculum."

Why it's hot in 2020:"I am very excited about how this platform solves the massive inefficiency in the traditional teacher-driven teaching environment. The Teacherly platform enables better learning outcomes and more importantly a better teacher experience. I can see the platform helps solve the supply issue that impacts many countries across Europe today. It clearly opens up more interest in teaching as a profession."

In the US, 4.5% of the population is estimated to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) and 8% of millennials now openly identify as LGBT+ compared to 5.8% in 2012, according to Gallup.

This means consumer spending by LGBT+ consumers could represent as much as $5.6 trillion, Credit Suisse equity analyst, Eugene Klerk said in a December 1 report.

"If LGBT+ were an economy, it would be the 3rd largest in the world," Klerk said.

However, when LGBT+ consumers spend, they scrutinize purchases more. They are twice as likely to buy from companies that they trust. And more than three quarters of LGBT+ consumers would boycott brands that take an anti-LGBT+ political, or social stance, according to research highlighted in the Credit Suisse report.

When it comes to investing, Klerk said this type of scrutiny can be more complex. Investors need to vet not only diversity policies and news articles to understand a company's LGBT inclusivity criteria, but many other factors including its financials, competitive advantage and management team to understand whether it is a solid investment opportunity.

Credit Suisse is aiming to make this easier with the introduction of a market-cap weighted basket of 350 LGBT+ inclusive companies called the LGBT-350.

Over years, Credit Suisse have analyzed the topic of workplace diversity and corporate performance. In 2019, the firm found increased gender diversity at senior management and board level coincided with superior share performance. Now the investment bank is seeking to broaden the analysis of diversity and corporate performance by exploring sexuality and gender identity.

"The need for companies to take a pro-active LGBT+ approach is obvious in our view," Klerk said.

How does the index work?

The companies that make up the basket were selected either because they have openly LGBT+ senior management, or have been voted top LGBT+ inclusive employers in the following benchmark surveys: Stonewall's Top 100 Employers, HRC's Corporate Equality Index and DiversityInc' Top Companies for LGBT+ Employees.

Right now, a large component of the analysis is dependent on corporate reporting of diversity statistics. This means the list is heavily weighted toward the US and large-cap firms, while Asia makes up only 2% of index. Klerk expects this to change as reporting policies evolve.

By market capitalization, the largest five companies in the index are Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook. The three biggest sectors in the index are financial services, information technology and consumer discretionary.

What is the performance like?

With some big players in the basket, the LGBT-350 has outperformed the MSCI AC World index since 2010 by 378 basis points. Credit Suisse analysts removed the LGBT-350 constituents from the MSCI AC World index in order to properly assess alpha for this analysis, Klerk said.

This isn't the only area of outperformance. The LGBT-350 has crushed the broader equity market in 7 out of the last 11 years and has been "substantially more" profitable, Klerk said. However, this year, the LGBT-350 did underperform broader equities by 3%. 

The companies also appear to have stronger revenue growth, historical and forward looking, as well as strong cash flows compared to the rest of the MSCI AC World index, Klerk said, and rank highly for the 'Social' component of ESG, according to Refinitiv.

Despite this the LGBT-350 index is trading at a discount.

"We also find that the LGBT+ constituents score substantially better on HOLT®'s Quality score," Klerk said. "Despite the superior share price returns and financial metrics we note that the LGBT-350 universe trades at a c10% 12mF P/E discount."

So how can investors capitalize on this? Credit Suisse outlined the top stocks to buy from the basket. The selection of stocks are ones that have been rated outperform and that have a HOLT quality score higher than 50 as well as an ESG score greater than 50.

Credit Suisse's HOLT is an objective framework that is used for comparing and valuing companies. It focuses on the company's historical cash-flow return on investment (CFROI) and management's capital allocation skills. The firms that have high CFROI and reinvest in their business are awarded higher scores relative to peers. Scores range from 0 to 100, while the ESG score is set by Refinitiv on a scale of 0 to 100 and is based on a number of factors.

1. Moody's

Ticker: MCO

Sector: Financial services

Region: USA

2021 PE: 26.3

2021 EBITDA growth: 1%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 96, 86, 35

ESG score: 69

ESG momentum: 13%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

2. Activision Blizzard, Inc

Ticker:ATVI

Sector: Communication services

Region: USA

2021 PE: 21.5

2021 EBITDA growth: 2%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 89, 92, 62

ESG score: 62

ESG momentum: 27%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

3. Automatic Data Processing Inc

Ticker:ADP

Sector: Industrials 

Region: USA

2021 PE: 28.7

2021 EBITDA growth: 2% 

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 89, 80, 35

ESG score: 75 

ESG momentum: 18%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

4. Applied Materials Inc

Ticker:AMAT

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 16.0

2021 EBITDA growth: 13%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 85, 88, 68

ESG score: 76

ESG momentum: 2%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

5. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co

Ticker:AJG

Sector: Financial services

Region: USA

2021 PE: 24.7

2021 EBITDA growth: 3%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 87, 80, 64

ESG score: 58

ESG momentum: 7%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

6. BlackRock

Ticker:BLK

Sector: Financial services

Region: USA

2021 PE: 19.6

2021 EBITDA growth: 13%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 90, 91, 58

ESG score: 72

ESG momentum: 15%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

7. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding

Ticker:BAH

Sector: Industrials

Region: USA

2021 PE: 21.6

2021 EBITDA growth: 8%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 90, 75, 55

ESG score: 56

ESG momentum: 12%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

8. CDW Corp

Ticker:CDW

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 19.6

2021 EBITDA growth: -1%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 96, 76, 52

ESG score: 51

ESG momentum: 2%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

9. Danaher Corporation

Ticker:DHR

Sector: Healthcare

Region: USA

2021 PE: 30.9

2021 EBITDA growth: 21%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 80, 95, 33

ESG score: 71

ESG momentum: 18%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

10. Facebook Inc

Ticker:FB

Sector: Communication services

Region: USA

2021 PE: 25.8

2021 EBITDA growth: 19%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 87, 75, 63

ESG score: 53

ESG momentum: 18%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

11. Intuit Inc

Ticker:INTU

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 38.0

2021 EBITDA growth: 11%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 82, 84, 37

ESG score: 70

ESG momentum: -6%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

12. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

Ticker:LH

Sector: Healthcare

Region: USA

2021 PE: 10.4

2021 EBITDA growth: -4%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 75, 88, 68

ESG score: 75

ESG momentum: 64%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

13. Lam Research Corp

Ticker:LRCX

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 18.9

2021 EBITDA growth: 21%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 88, 91, 58

ESG score: 67

ESG momentum: 5%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

14. Leidos

Ticker:LDOS

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 15.9

2021 EBITDA growth: 10%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 97, 76, 45

ESG score: 81

ESG momentum: 3%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

15. Microsoft

Ticker:MSFT

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 29.5

2021 EBITDA growth: 12%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 81, 85, 56

ESG score: 93

ESG momentum: 2%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

16. Nasdaq

Ticker:NDAQ

Sector: Financial services

Region: USA

2021 PE: 20.8

2021 EBITDA growth: 1%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 98, 83, 40

ESG score: 59

ESG momentum: 8%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

17. NVIDIA Corporation

Ticker:NVDA

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 54.0

2021 EBITDA growth: 88%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 85, 94, 29

ESG score: 78

ESG momentum: 4%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

18. T. Rowe Price Group

Ticker:TROW

Sector: Financial services

Region: USA

2021 PE: 14.0

2021 EBITDA growth: 8%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 85, 88, 77

ESG score: 70

ESG momentum: 29%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

19. Texas Instruments

Ticker:TXN

Sector: Technology

Region: USA

2021 PE: 27.1

2021 EBITDA growth: 14%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 96, 89, 44

ESG score: 87

ESG momentum: 1%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

20. Aviva

Ticker:AV.L

Sector: Financial services

Region: Europe

2021 PE: 5.9

2021 EBITDA growth: N/A

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 71, 57, 83

ESG score: 74

ESG momentum: -4%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

21. Capgemini

Ticker:CAP.PA

Sector: Technology

Region: Europe

2021 PE: 15.7

2021 EBITDA growth: 10%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 63, 38, 37

ESG score: 72

ESG momentum: 15%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

22. BAE Systems

Ticker: BAESY

Sector: Industrials

Region: Europe

2021 PE: 10.7

2021 EBITDA growth: 11%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 69, 37, 55

ESG score: 73

ESG momentum: 6%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

23. Schneider Electric

Ticker:SU.PA

Sector: Industrials

Region: Europe

2021 PE: 23.7

2021 EBITDA growth: 15%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 62, 66, 46

ESG score: 67

ESG momentum: -1%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

24. Siemens

Ticker:SIE.DE

Sector: Industrials

Region: Europe

2021 PE: 18.0

2021 EBITDA growth: 10%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 54, 26, 71

ESG score: 85

ESG momentum: 1%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

25, Siemens Healthineers

Ticker:SMMNY

Sector: Healthcare

Region: Europe

2021 PE: 22.3

2021 EBITDA growth: 32%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 67, 17, 49

ESG score: 75

ESG momentum: n/a

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

26. Unilever

Ticker:UL

Sector: Consumer defensives

Region: Europe

2021 PE: 18.9

2021 EBITDA growth: 3%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 83, 33, 40

ESG score: 93

ESG momentum: 5%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

27. Astellas Pharma

Ticker:ALPMY

Sector: Healthcare

Region: Asia

2021 PE: 13.3

2021 EBITDA growth: 14% 

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 37, 27, 74

ESG score: 86

ESG momentum: 1%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

28. Samsung Electronics

Ticker:005930.KS

Sector: Technology

Region: Asia

2021 PE: 12.6

2021 EBITDA growth: 14%

Credit Suisse HOLT quality, momentum & valuation metric: 44, 67, 84

ESG score: 91

ESG momentum: 4%

Source: Credit Suisse Research, Credit Suisse HOLT, Thomson Reuters DataStream, Refinitiv

JPMorgan is decidedly bullish on stocks in 2021, to the point that it's telling investors they can haul in big returns with two diametrically opposed approaches.

Chief US Equity Strategist Dubravko Lakos-Bujas says the benchmark S&P 500 should rally another 9% to 4,000 early next year. And by the end of the year, the benchmark index could climb to 4,500 for a gain of about 23% from today's levels — or 101% from its lowest closing price in March.

For most of that recovery, high-growth stocks have outperformed — a pattern that's faded just in the last few weeks as investors felt a vaccine and a return to a post-virus normal was approaching. Lakos-Bujas and others say that investors should maintain exposure to growth, but combine it with bets on the right value stocks. 

"Investors should consider balancing out their portfolios to make sure they are not over-exposed to high Momentum/Growth stocks, which have outperformed during the pandemic," he said. The backdrop of globally synchronized expansion, legislative gridlock and positive vaccine news should be a strong catalyst for Value stocks."

There are a lot of ways to combine those two approaches, and JPMorgan's analysts are offering investors a lot of options to put them into practice.

"This report identifies what our analysts view as the most compelling investment ideas in their coverage group across a variety of strategies, including growth, value, near-term, and short strategies," said Head of North America Equity Research Nicholas Rosato Jr. 

That includes their top value and growth stock ideas in dozens of industry groups. Most are either growth or value picks, but two fall into a different category because the analysts are optimistic about their immediate prospects. Those are Coca-Cola and financial services company Fiserv.

"We think KO offers a high quality way to invest in the re-opening (about half of global volumes are on-premise) and that the company will emerge stronger (fewer SKUs) and leaner after the recent reorganization," wrote analyst Andrea Teixeira.

Of Fiserv, analyst Tien-tsin Huang wrote that while the stock has slumped, the company changed CEOs in July, and investors are worrying about its technology, it's usually traded at a premium to peers and could regain that status.

Those stocks and JPMorgan's top 48 growth and value picks are organized in ascending order of how much upside they offer based on the analysts' end-of-2021 price targets. Percentages were calculated as of Thursday's close. All of the stocks have "Overweight" ratings from JPMorgan analysts.

SEE ALSO: 2 investment chiefs at John Hancock's $692 billion investing arm say the post-COVID recovery might disappoint in 2021 — but investors can profit with these 3 strategies

50. Discover Financial

Ticker: DFS

Sector: Financials

Strategy: Value

Case: "We believe the primary catalyst for shares in 2021 will be increased visibility to long-term capital returns."— Richard Shane

Price target: $72

Upside to target: -14.4%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

49. Cimarex

Ticker: XEC

Sector: Energy

Strategy: Value

Case: "XEC is one of our top picks as we expect all three commodities to be working for the company in a positive direction."— Arjun Jayaram

Price target: $35

Upside to target: -11.1%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

48. TG Therapeutics

Ticker: TGTX

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Growth

Case: "We view the coming year as value defining for TGTX's heme-oncology franchise along with, assuming phase 3 ULTIMATE's success, compelling optionality held by ublituximab in an expanding anti-CD20 RMS market, and see shares continuing to outperform both our broader coverage universe, and the sector as whole."— Eric Joseph

Price target: $38

Upside to target: -8.9%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

47. Spirit AeroSystems

Ticker: SPR

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Value

Case: "We see the ramp on 737 profits giving Spirit appealing exposure to a multi-year Aero recovery. We view Boeing's future as very much dependent on ramping MAX production in the coming years, and this gives Boeing a strong incentive to sell the key platform that drives Spirit's profitability."— Seth Seifman

Price target: $36

Upside to target: -7.0%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

46. Wynn Resorts

Ticker: WYNN

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Likely sequential improvements in Macau (and, honestly, not much has to happen for this to occur) will continue to drive WYNN higher."— Joseph Greff

Price target: $106

Upside to target: -6.1%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

45. Honeywell

Ticker: HON

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Growth

Case: "We view HON as a best-in-class diversified growth story, positioned well on several fronts such as warehouse automation (e-commerce) and building efficiency (IAQ/ESG thematic)."— C. Stephen Tusa

Price target: $200

Upside to target: -5.6%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

44. Bank of America

Ticker: BAC

Sector: Financials

Strategy: Value

Case: "Bank of America is one of our more rate sensitive names and should benefit from rise in long term rates. Bank of America has strong capital levels and should also benefit from further capital return. Finally, BofA has a more conservative credit risk profile, which should better position it if economic recovery is weaker than expected."— Vivek Juneja

Price target: $27.50

Upside to target: -5.5%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

43. Arista Networks

Ticker: ANET

Sector: Growth

Strategy: Information technology

Case: "We expect Arista to return to double-digit revenue growth in FY21 ... helped by rebound in US cloud provider spending (forecast >20% capex growth vs. 8% in FY20) and recovery in Enterprise spending"— Samik Chatterjee

Price target: $275

Upside to target: -0.5%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

42. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Ticker: WH

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Value

Case: "We remain confident that WH can generate above peer operating results in the near/medium term given its focus on franchising, leisure and drive to business with mostly non-urban economy/mid-scale select service hotels, and thus can continue to close the valuation gap to peers"— Joseph Greff

Price target: $59

Upside to target: 0.3%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

41. Ascendis Pharma

Ticker: ASND

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Following a string of positive catalysts, each of which were de-risking for the pipeline ... we see ASND delivering on the promise of its platform."— Jessica Fye

Price target: $177

Upside to target: 0.4%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

40. KLA

Ticker: KLAC

Sector: Information technology

Strategy: Value

Case: "KLAC is our top pick in semi-caps on diversified growth, strong product cycles, positive leverage to EUV, and growing shareholder returns."— Harlan Sur

Price target: $260

Upside to target: 1.6%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

39. Broadcom

Ticker: AVGO

Sector: Information technology

Strategy: Value

Case: "Even in a tougher environment, we continue to expect an increase to annual dividends in December (from $13.00 today) and 8-12% annual dividend growth beyond this year."— Harlan Sur

Price target: $420

Upside to target: 2.4%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

38. Phillips 66

Ticker: PSX

Sector: Energy

Strategy: Value

Case: "While PSX has been less defensive than we hoped in 2020, owing to weaker-than-expected performance in the Refining segment, we still think that earnings should hold up better than for most companies in Energy, aided by its portfolio diversity."— Phil Gresh

Price target: $73

Upside to target: 3.0%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

37. Disney

Ticker: DIS

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Disney will benefit from greater reopening of Parks and resumption of theatrical releases while driving further growth at its streaming services. We believe investors should continue to appreciate the exceptional growth in digital subs and Disney's superior content as the sub growth story continues in F21"— Alexia Quadrani

Price target: $160

Upside to target: 3.4%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

36. Caterpillar

Ticker: CAT

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Value

Case: "We believe CAT's earning power and FCF conversion over this upcoming cycle, supported by a new US construction cycle, continue to merit our Overweight rating. ... we view CAT as the biggest winner of a potential federal infrastructure bill."— Ann Duignan

Price target: $185

Upside to target: 3.4%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

35. Coca-Cola

Ticker: KO

Sector: Consumer staples

Strategy: Near term

Case: "We believe KO still offers investors a unique combination of top-line growth and gross margin expansion."— Andrea Teixeira

Price target: $55

Upside to target: 3.7%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

34. Globe Life

Ticker: GL

Sector: Financials

Strategy: Growth

Case: "GL is the strongest franchise in the life sector, in the long run, and one of the best positioned firms in the current environment due to its superior ROE, strong free cash flow, and below-average EPS sensitivity to interest rates or the equity market."— Jimmy Bhullar

Price target: $99

Upside to target: 4.3%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

33. Fiserv

Ticker: FISV

Sector: Information technology

Strategy: Near term

Case: "While the tech is relatively dated, we believe management will develop a plan to modernize without disrupting its large scale and distribution footprint that have allowed the company to grow at a premium to direct peers in the most recent quarter."— Tien-tsin Huang

Price target: $120

Upside to target: 4.5%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

32. Microsoft

Ticker: MSFT

Sector: Information technology

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Accelerated demand in some parts of its business stemming from work, learn and play-from home trends has only reinforced the narrative that Microsoft thrives at the intersection of digital transformation, cloud computing, and productivity."— Mark Murphy

Price target: $220

Upside to target: 4.5%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

31. Alphabet

Ticker: GOOGL

Sector: Communication services

Strategy: Value

Case: "Google Cloud profit disclosure will not only show the pace & magnitude of investments in Google Cloud, a key focus area, but also show how profitable the rest of Google Segment is, making SOTP more viable."— Harlan Sur

Price target: $1,870

Upside to target: 5.8%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

30. Robert Half International

Ticker: RHI

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Growth

Case: "RHI is both a dominant and an innovative leader in professional staffing with expertise in accounting and finance (F&A). In past economic cycles, RHI has seen double-digit growth in its perm and temp help business in the first few years coming out of the recession, and we believe this cycle should be no different."— Andrew Steinerman

Price target: $68

Upside to target: 6.0%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

29. Thermo Fisher Scientific

Ticker: TMO

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Growth

Case: "We see both durability and further upside in COVID tailwinds ... Longer term, TMO's growing biopharma exposure and leading product innovation should fuel persistent above-market growth."— Tycho Peterson

Price target: $500

Upside to target: 6.7%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

28. Norfolk Southern

Ticker: NSC

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Norfolk represents the best in class opportunity to improve the worst in class operating ratio after lagging peers in volume growth."— Brian Ossenbeck

Price target: $253

Upside to target: 7.0%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

27. Bloomin' Brands

Ticker: BLMN

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Value

Case: "Bloomin' Brands' shored-up balance sheet, largely mid-scale exposed US business, recovering Brazil and company-specific margin improvement efforts screen attractive among casual diners."— John Ivankoe

Price target: $20

Upside to target: 9.7%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

26. Aon

Ticker: AON

Sector: Financials

Strategy: Growth

Case: "We view brokerage as the most attractive business segment within P&C insurance from a long-term structural standpoint. Additionally, we believe that brokers are defensively positioned in the current economic backdrop. Among large brokers, AON is our favorite stock."— Jimmy Bhullar

Price target: $228

Upside to target: 10.6%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

25. AbbVie

Ticker: ABBV

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Value

Case: "ABBV remains one of our favorite names in the group as we see ongoing upside from Skyrizi and Rinvoq (where we highlight a number of line extension catalysts over the next 12 months) as well as an improving mid/late-stage pipeline."— Chris Schott

Price target: $120

Upside to target: 11.6%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

24. First Republic Bank

Ticker: FRC

Sector: Financials

Strategy: Growth

Case: First Republic's pre-tax pre-provision profit "income growth potential is likely to widen further above peers.'"—Alex Lau

Price target: $148

Upside to target: 13.6%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

23. Humana

Ticker: HUM

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Humana is largely a pure play story for the Medicare Advantage (MA) market. MA is the fastest-growing line of health insurance ... HUM already provided the most robust 2021 outlook in the sector, which is attractive in a year characterized by increased margin uncertainty for health insurers."— Gary Taylor 

Price target: $452

Upside to target: 13.7%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

22. Targa Resources

Ticker: TRGP

Sector: Energy

Strategy: Growth

Case: "TRGP possesses full value chain integration and best in class Permian leverage. Importantly, having right sized the dividend and largely completed its project backlog, Targa possesses visibility to deleveraging and share repurchases."— Jeremy Tonet

Price target: $32

Upside to target: 14.0%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

21. General Motors

Ticker: GM

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Value

Case: "Greater than presumed resiliency, combined with accelerating investments in electric vehicles to rival much more highly valued peers, we think could engender multiple expansion in 2021 even as earnings surge back as volume rebounds." — Ryan Brinkman

Price target: $49

Upside to target: 14.3%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

20. Altice USA

Ticker: ATUS

Sector: Communication services

Strategy: Value

Case: "We continue to like Altice based on solid fundamentals, strong capital returns, and 11.5% fully-taxed 2022 FCF yield."— Philip Cusick

Price target: $40

Upside to target: 15.1%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

19. Mondelez International

Ticker: MDLZ

Sector: Consumer staples

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Many food-at-home companies will post deeply negative organic/same-store sales growth in 2021. To avoid stocks with these unfortunate optics, we lean toward companies that can still grow during 2021, such as Mondelēz."— Ken Goldman

Price target: $66

Upside to target: 15.4%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

18. Sarepta Therapeutics

Ticker: SRPT

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Growth

Case: "All told, recent volatility in SRPT shares amidst negative sentiment has shifted the reward / risk profile into the event to be more balanced / favorable."— Anupam Rama

Price target: $185

Upside to target: 15.6%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

17. Delta Air Lines

Ticker: DAL

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Value

Case: "We continue to view Delta as the industry benchmark and a company that will likely benefit from the further rationalization of the global airline industry."— Jamie Baker

Price target: $50

Upside to target: 17.3%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

16. Dell Technologies

Ticker: DELL

Sector: Information technology

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Dell has executed well as work from home trends have benefited the consumer PC business ... Strong FCF in FY21 has enabled the firm to de-lever consistently throughout FY21."— Paul Coster

Price target: $85

Upside to target: 17.8%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

15. Baxter International

Ticker: BAX

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Value

Case: "We see significant long-term value in Baxter and view it as one of the top names in our large-cap coverage."— Robbie Marcus

Price target: $94

Upside to target: 18.7%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

14. Dominion Energy

Ticker: D

Sector: Utilities

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Dominion now represents a best-in-class, pure play regulated utility with attractive ESG growth plans."— Jeremy Tonet

Price target: $90

Upside to target: 21.1%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

13. Varonis Systems

Ticker: VRNS

Sector: Information technology

Strategy: Growth

Case: "Subscription transitions have been a consistent generator of outperformance in software over the last decade and VRNS appears to be following suit."— Sterling Auty

Price target: $160

Upside to target: 21.2%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

12. Ulta Beauty

Ticker: ULTA

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Growth

Case: "We view ULTA as one of the best COVID-recovery stocks in retail as makeup consumption has lagged the broader market recovery ... we expect social-gathering starved consumers to engage highly in the make-up category as investors continue to look to 2022 earnings."— Christopher Horvers

Price target: $330

Upside to target: 21.3%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

11. Summit Materials

Ticker: SUM

Sector: Materials

Strategy: Value

Case: "SUM changed its CEO recently (a person coming from a different industry), and we expect to see a new phase for the company much more focused on integrating recent acquisitions."— Adrian Huerta

Price target: $24

Upside to target: 23.5%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

10. AmerisourceBergen

Ticker: ABC

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Value

Case: "The longer-term fundamental outlook for the pharmaceutical distribution industry is positive, driven by an aging population and increased utilization of prescription drugs. As ABC is essentially a pure-play in pharmaceutical distribution."— Lisa Gill

Price target: $123

Upside to target: 23.8%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

9. Brookfield Asset Management

Ticker: BAM

Sector: Financials

Strategy: Value

Case: "Brookfield Asset Management is a $578bn alternative asset manager with higher exposure to infrastructure/renewable than peers. BAM is entering an acceleration of its fundraising that will drive fee-earning AUM, revenue, and margins higher."— Kenneth Worthington

Price target: $53

Upside to target: 24.9%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

8. Americold Realty Trust

Ticker: COLD

Sector: Real estate

Strategy: Growth

Case: "We see COLD as an interesting way to play both defense and offense. COLD's business held up quite well during the Spring lockdowns due to the defensive nature of its business, and core growth potential continues to be above average."— Anthony Paolone

Price target: $43

Upside to target: 27.9%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

7. International Flavors & Fragrances

Ticker: IFF

Sector: Materials

Strategy: Value

Case: "We think that IFF shares may be pressured near term. ... Our December 2021 price target is $145 based on a 16.8x 2021 EV/EBITDA multiple (post the DNB transaction). Separately, IFF's business fundamentals are improving in North America."— Jeffrey Zekauskas

Price target: $145

Upside to target: 28.8%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

6. L Brands

Ticker: LB

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Value

Case: "LB is on the path to establish Bath & Body Works as a standalone entity, with the concept offering high-single-digit same-store sales, sustainable low-20%+ operating margins, and low- to mid-single-digit annual square footage growth translating into a double-digit compounding bottom-line profile."— Matthew Ross

Price target: $53

Upside to target: 29.2%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

5. AerCap Holdings

Ticker: AER

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Value

Case: "AerCap is our top pick for the Aircraft Leasing sector in 2021, as we believe the company affords investors compelling growth prospects through a healthy delivery backlog (only ~9% of fleet has leases expiring through 2022) and a well-diversified portfolio of aircraft."— Jamie Baker

Price target: $57

Upside to target: 31.1%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

4. Sunrun

Ticker: RUN

Sector: Industrials

Strategy: Growth

Case: "We look for RUN's profitability to accelerate in 2021 ... With Vivint Solar's largest holder completely finished selling its position in RUN, we believe an overhang on the stock is now removed, and we expect RUN to outperform the mean of our coverage"— Paul Coster

Price target: $79

Upside to target: 37.2%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

3. TechnipFMC

Ticker: FTI

Sector: Energy

Strategy: Value

Case: "FTI shares have been in a state of purgatory since the company put the brakes on a planned spin of Technip Energies in the spring. The stock is pricing in "worst-case" scenarios in our view, leaving lots of inexpensive optionality in both "old" and "new" energy channels."— Sean Meakim

Price target: $16

Upside to target: 59.5%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

2. PulteGroup

Ticker: PHM

Sector: Consumer discretionary

Strategy: Value

Case: "We continue to view the company's relative valuation as highly attractive when compared to its relative fundamental profile. Specifically, we estimate PHM will generate the highest gross margins across the larger-cap builders in 2021 and 2022."— Michael Rehault

Price target: $68

Upside to target: 61.3%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

1. BioMarin Pharmaceuticals

Ticker: BMRN

Sector: Healthcare

Strategy: Growth

Case: "BioMarin remains our highest conviction idea heading into 2021 ... shares trade around the value of the base business. However, we suspect this could change with two potential value-inflecting clinical catalysts expected in January."— Cory Kasimov

Price target: $131

Upside to target: 68.5%

Source: JPMorgan Chase

Concerts are on hold indefinitely, but a Taylor Swift fan could become her neighbor in Rhode Island for $11.95 million.

The home at 12 Bluff Avenue in Westerly is listed with Donna Simmons at Sotheby's. The property is in the "quiet and idyllic" Watch Hill village in Southwestern Rhode Island that has "the breezy, laid back summers one would only find decades ago in American seaside communities," Simmons told Business Insider in an email.

Read more: Target employees claim the chain will wait to arrest shoplifters until thieves steal enough to get felony charges. Experts say it's part of a larger trend to mitigate theft across retail.

The mansion next door famously belongs to Taylor Swift, the subject of her song "The Last Great American Dynasty" on this summer's "Folklore". Hill House, formerly Holiday House, was built in 1930; Swift reportedly paid for the most expensive private home in Rhode Island by wiring $17.75 million in cash in 2013.

SEE ALSO: Fast food franchisees collected more than $1 billion in federal PPP aid earmarked for small businesses, analysis finds

The beachfront mansion has 8,381 square feet.

Hill House was built in 1905 in the New England cottage style.

Cottage style homes are historically popular here, and residents typically refer even to mansions as "cottages," Simmons said.

Large porches are another iconic part of the style, where residents can take in ocean views.

Inside, the house is spacious and decorated in classic, minimal style.

The interior is primarily white, with touches of color.

Though it's mainly a beach house, it has four fireplaces for a cozy feel.

Large windows and an open sitting room look out into neighboring houses.

A blue, nautical theme is also appropriate for the beachfront property.

Classic details like a chandelier in the formal dining room nod to the home's history.

The kitchen is the most colorful room in the house.

It has seven full bathroom and two half bathrooms.

There are nine bedrooms...

...along with an attic and...

...and an in-law suite.

Back outside, the large porch wraps around the back of the house.

On about half an acre, the lawn slopes down to the beach.

The bluff the property sits on was part of Watch Hill.

Residents can walk down to the beach directly from the house.

It's also within walking distance to shops and restaurants in town.

Ford unveiled a new off-road-ready addition to its 2021 F-150 lineup this week: The F-150 Tremor. And while the truck is no Raptor, it brings many rugged features to the latest version of America's most popular pickup. 

The Tremor trim was already available on the Blue Oval's Ranger and Super Duty trucks, and now it'll serve as a mid-point between the F-150's FX4 off-road package and the full-blown desert racer that is the F-150 Raptor, the 2021 version of which Ford hasn't announced yet. 

But the 2021 F-150 Tremor doesn't hit dealerships until next summer. Until then, you can learn more about the truck below:

SEE ALSO: How Magna's new CEO plans to make the $18 billion, little-known company a go-to provider for the auto industry's high-tech future

The 2021 F-150 Tremor is based on the SuperCrew model with a 5.5-foot bed.

It's powered by Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 paired with a 10-speed automatic gearbox, and can tow up to 10,900 pounds.

Ford outfitted the Tremor with tons of upgrades aimed at making it perform better on unpaved terrain.

The truck also has an upgraded suspension setup — consisting of retuned springs and Tremor-specific shocks — that offers up extra travel in both front and rear.

It rides on beefy, all-terrain tires — 33-inch General Grabbers, to be exact — that provide more ground clearance and a wider stance than the standard model.

There's also a Raptor-style bash guard and running boards to protect the F-150's undercarriage from rocks and ruts.

Those add-ons give the F-150 Tremor better approach, breakover, and departure angles.

It also comes equipped with locking differentials in the front and rear as standard, and a handful of optional off-road-oriented tech features.

Buyers can opt for a 360-degree camera package or a feature that allows drivers to use just one pedal to accelerate and brake.

Optional Trail Turn Assist applies the brakes to the inside rear wheel, enabling tighter turns in off-road situations.

And an optional Trail Control feature — like cruise control but for off-road use — sets the truck to drive at a selected speed so the driver can focus on steering.

The F-150 Tremor also comes with a Rock Crawl mode that locks the rear differential, turns off stability and traction control, reduces throttle response, and brings the 360-degree camera view up on the center screen.

To differentiate the Tremor from other F-150 models, Ford added a redesigned hood along with orange accents on the grille, recovery hooks, and badging.

Orange trim also makes its way into the interior, where you'll find Tremor logos stitched into the seats.

Inside, there's also a series of auxiliary switches so buyers can add on a winch, lighting, air compressors, or other equipment.

Ford hasn't announced pricing for the 2021 F-150 Tremor yet, but the package costs roughly $4,000 on Super Duty models.

Microsoft's board and executive suite experienced notable shifts in 2020, from cofounder Bill Gates' decision to step down as a director, to the departure of chief dealmaker Peggy Johnson.

While Gates hasn't worked for Microsoft since 2008, he still provided crucial guidance to Microsoft. Gates, for example, is said to have advised Microsoft against buying Slack, paving the way for its successful Teams chat app, and helped set the stage for the acquisition of LinkedIn — and those are just the things we know about. 

Meanwhile, Johnson, who helped Microsoft close some of its biggest deals, left the company to become CEO of startup Magic Leap this summer.Her departure came just before Microsoft bid for (and ultimately lost) a deal to acquire the US operations of video app TikTok.

The company also added executives who will help shape the future of the company, including Johnson's replacement, former McAfee CEO Christopher Young.

Departure: Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board of directors

Bill Gates in March announced plans to step down from Microsoft's board of directors to focus on his philanthropic work.

The cofounder and former CEO hadn't worked full-time for Microsoft since 2008, and stepped down as board chairman in 2014, but he's still had a crucial influence on the direction of the company in recent years.

Gates is said to have advised Microsoft against buying Slack, paving the way for the rise of its successful Teams chat app, and helped set the stage for the acquisition of LinkedIn — and those are just the things we know about. 

Gates in March said he'll continue to "be engaged with" Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Nadella emphasized Gates will continue to advise Microsoft on products and services.

Departure: Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development, left to become Magic Leap CEO.

Peggy Johnson, Microsoft's top dealmaker, in July announced plans to leave Microsoft to become CEO of the struggling augmented reality startup Magic Leap.

Johnson was Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's first hire and a key part of transforming Microsoft into a more collaborative company by repairing relationships with the Silicon Valley tech scene, including several competitors. Before Microsoft, Johnson had a 25-year career at chipmaker Qualcomm. 

"Her ability to connect people, drive consensus, and forge relationships has taught me a lot," Nadella said in a statement after Johnson announced her plans.

Departure: Harry Shum, executive vice president of artificial intelligence and research, stepped down.

Harry Shum, the Microsoft executive charged with overseeing the artificial intelligence strategy for the entire company, left the company in February after 23 years. 

Shum was key to Microsoft's efforts to take the research it was doing through research subsidiary Microsoft Research and translate it to actual products Microsoft can sell. 

Shum's LinkedIn has listed the title of "visiting researcher" at Microsoft Research since March, implying that he's kept some relationship with the company even after stepping down from his role.

Departure: Daniel McCulloch, general manager of Xbox Live, took a job at EA.

Daniel McCulloch, a 15-year Microsoft veteran who was most recently general manager of Microsoft's multiplayer online gaming service Xbox Live, left the company in July to become a studio general manager at Electronic Arts.

Gaming is an increasingly important part of Microsoft's business. The company in September announced plans to buy ZeniMax Media – the company behind hit video game franchises like "Fallout" and "The Elder Scrolls"– for $7.5 billion.

That's as much as it paid to buy developer platform GitHub, making it tied for its third-biggest deal ever, behind only Skype and LinkedIn.

Departure: Marc Brown, former corporate vice president of corporate development, left for an investment firm.

Marc Brown spent more than 20 years at Microsoft, most recently as the global head of M&A and strategic investments.

Brown left Microsoft in October and joined investment firm EQT as partner and head of EQT Growth. Brown, according to EQT, led more than 185 acquisitions at Microsoft, including LinkedIn, GitHub, and "Minecraft" maker Mojang. He was also involved in 80 investments in companies like Flipkart and Databricks while at Microsoft.

At Microsoft, Brown worked under business development chief Peggy Johnson, and departed the company just months after his now-former boss left to take the CEO job at startup Magic Leap.

Hire: Christopher Young, former McAfee CEO, became executive vice president of business development.

Microsoft in November hired Christopher Young to take over for Peggy Johnson. Young was CEO of cybersecurity company McAfee until February, and and in his new role reports directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Young takes over business development at Microsoft at a time when the company is looking to make big deals. Microsoft tried to acquire the US operations of video app TikTok, though the bid ultimately failed, and recently announced plans to pay $7.5 billion for video game publisher ZeniMax Media.

Hire: Hernan Asorey, former Salesforce chief data officer, joined Microsoft's worldwide commercial business.

Microsoft in November hired Salesforce former chief data officer Hernan Asorey to take on the same role within its commercial business unit.

Asorey joined Microsoft directly from Salesforce as competition intensifies between the two companies when it comes to the customer relationship management software that helps employees track their interactions with customers.

Hire: Tom McGuinness, former GE Healthcare president and CEO, joined to lead Microsoft's healthcare business.

Former GE Healthcare president and CEO Tom McGuinness joined Microsoft in April as corporate vice president of global healthcare.

He's the primary strategist for Microsoft's business in the healthcare industry. Under McGuinness' watch, Microsoft in May introduced its first industry-specific cloud, Microsoft for Healthcare, which largely consists of specifically-tailored versions of existing products.

Hire: Rubén Caballero, a former Apple executive, joined Microsoft as corporate vice president of engineering for devices and technology.

Rubén Caballero joined Microsoft in March as part of the mixed reality and artificial intelligence division, according to his LinkedIn profile. That will likely bring him in close contact with Microsoft products like HoloLens, its pioneering augmented reality goggles.

He was most recently Apple's vice president of engineering.

Hire: Python creator Guido van Rossum joins Microsoft as a distinguished engineer.

Guido van Rossum created Python, which is one of the most popular and fastest-growing programming languages, as Business Insider's Rosalie Chan writes, and came out of retirement to join Microsoft as a distinguished engineer in its crucial Developer Division.

Although a life-long flyer, I've always enjoyed the occasional train trip. 

Traveling by rail long has been overlooked by the public, including myself, as airlines have been able to provide faster, and often cheaper service. But Amtrak's new health and safety protocols should have travelers giving it a second chance for regional travel, at least during the pandemic. 

Face masks are required onboard all trains and Amtrak has kept its loads consistently capped at 50% by blocking all adjacent seats even while some airlines have buckled on their commitments to block middle seats. Travelers can even see how full their trains are by checking Amtrak's website so they know exactly what to expect when stepping aboard. 

Read more: Airline workers have lower rates of COVID-19 than the general population — and airline CEOs say it's proof that flying is safe

And that's even while keeping its fares pretty low on its most popular routes. The 3-hour hop from New York to Washington still starts at $29 on the Northeast Regional while the slightly longer journey from Boston to New York is often the same price, with all the nostalgia of inter-city train travel included. 

On a weekday recent trip to Boston, I took Amtrak to and from New York's Pennsylvania Station. I started on the Northeast Regional and returned on the high-speed Acela to get adequately acquainted with the service. 

Here's what it's like riding on Amtrak during the pandemic.

DON'T MISS: Biden promised a 'railroad revolution' that could see faster trains and a return to Amtrak's nostalgic past — here's what Americans might see

SEE ALSO: Americans can now travel to 64 nations for vacation and tourism — here's the list of every open country and how to get there

My journey started in the heart of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor at New York's Pennsylvania Station underneath Madison Square Garden.

It's definitely not as grand as Washington, DC's Union Station, Los Angeles' Union Station, or even Chicago's Union Station, but is still more convenient than heading to anyone of my local airports.

Surprisingly, it was quite empty on the Wednesday morning of my visit, which echoed on my train.

One of the perks of traveling by train is being able to arrive mere minutes before your train's departure and still having time to spare. My Northeast Regional train was scheduled to depart at 9:35 a.m. and I arrived just 10 minutes prior to departure thanks to a delay on my inbound commuter train.

I quickly got my ticket from one of the self-serve kiosks. Amtrak also has a mobile app from where the conductor can scan a ticket, similar to a mobile boarding pass when flying, if travelers prefer not to use the machines.

Ticket in hand, I stopped by the Amtrak waiting area available only to Amtrak and NJ Transit riders.

Social distancing placards lead the way into the area compounded by signage reminding visitors to social distance and of Amtrak's face-covering policy.

Seats weren't blocked, as I've seen in airport waiting areas, but the space wasn't nearly crowded enough for concern.

The station is open to the public but this waiting area is only open to Amtrak and NJ Transit passengers, making it the ideal place to wait before the journey away from the general population.

Soon enough, it was time to board the 9:35 a.m. Northeast Regional to Newark Liberty International Airport where I'd catch a flight to Boston. It sounds counterintuitive but I had an important flight to catch.

Read More: I flew on Spirit Airlines' first 'shuttle' flight from Newark to Boston for $25 and still overpaid – here's why it's a great budget option

Just like with the waiting area, social distancing placards created a path to the platform.

A quick ticket check and I was on my way to the train with no invasive security checks or unnecessary waiting. Train travel was already beating airplane travel.

I was riding in coach for the 24-minute journey to Newark, having paid $24 for the trip. It's more expensive than taking NJ Transit but the seat-blocking guarantee appealed more than riding on another commuter train.

The train was less than half full and finding a seat in the car was quite easy. Amtrak's website showed this train was 20% full when I checked the night before the journey.

I sat in the first pair I found, with these large gray leather seats becoming my home for the next 24 minutes.

The seats were comfortable, the legroom was more than adequate, and with every adjacent seat blocked for social distancing, I didn't have to worry about getting a neighbor.

Each pair also comes equipped with two 120v AC power outlets, ideal for working on a laptop during the longer rides or charging a phone.

As soon as we got out of the tunnel into New Jersey, the nostalgia of train travel was all around. I suddenly wished I was taking the train all the way to Boston instead of just to the airport.

The car was clean and quiet, offering a truly relaxing and stress-free environment.

These placards were spread throughout the train, furthering the social distancing messaging, and masks were required at all times.

Moving between the cars, I noticed that the doors already had foot releases so that passengers didn't have to touch the button with their hands. That nifty functionality certainly comes in handy during the pandemic.

In the cafe car, the dining area was closed for all riders as part of pandemic-related safety precautions.

But the cafe was open, though outfitted with some new safety measures including a plexiglass partition and social distancing placards on the floor.

And even the lavatory was clean, a surprise for any mode of public transportation.

After saying goodbye to the Northeast Regional, I then flew to Boston to meet up with the Acela.

In Boston, trains depart from Amtrak's terminus at South Station, a truly grand station in the heart of the city.

This time, I'd be riding on Acela, Amtrak's high-speed rail that only serves the Northeast Corridor.

Amtrak's ticket counters had been upgraded with new plexiglass partitions...

But I once again visited the self-serve kiosks for my ticket.

We boarded at 4 p.m. for the 4:15 p.m. Acela to New York. The high-speed service made only four stops with a scheduled travel time of three hours and 45 minutes.

It was my first time on the Acela and although the service is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, the trains still seemed new to me, but only to me.

These trains will eventually be upgraded to newer, faster trains in 2021.

Read More: The history of Amtrak's new Acela trains, which will likely be delayed beyond their 2021 estimated date

Unlike the Northeast Regional, all seats are now assigned on the Acela as a result of the pandemic so I didn't have to worry about finding the right seat.

The train was noticeably older and tired-looking. But thankfully, it was a lot emptier than the Northeast Regional train I took earlier with Amtrak also showing this service as 20% full the night before the journey.

Seats on the Acela trains are split between pairs and tables.

I chose a window seat for the journey. It was clean and ready for me to enjoy for the next four hours.

The seat had a similar size to the Regional and the legroom was similarly generous.

Seats also come with a tray table, the functionality of which was quite interesting but the surface was clean, nonetheless.

Above the seats were personal reading lights, much like on a plane, but no air vent.

And on the floor, there are two 120v AC power outlets.

As this was going to be a long ride, I quickly reclined and got comfortable.

I was lucky as there was nobody around me for rows in each direction on this Wednesday evening run from Boston to New York.

I must've been one of less than five people in the car.

I recommend the quiet car as it was the most empty and made for a tranquil environment in which to relax.

Other cars were more full up and seats can be changed via the Amtrak mobile app or website up until departure for the most accurate depiction of each car.

As we settled in for the longer stretches of the journey, Acela staff turned down the lights so we could get some rest.

Almost as if they read my mind, it was exactly what I needed to get comfortable and eventually drift off between Providence, Rhode Island and New Haven, Connecticut.

When I woke, I went to tour the rest of the train, starting with the lavatory. Just like on the regional, the lavatory was clean but this one, however, was more spacious.

Acela has these personal water cup dispensers, which was a nice touch as I was very thirsty after stepping onboard.

Eventually, I stumped upon the "Cafe Acela."

A hand sanitizer dispenser and social distancing placards guided me into the empty cafe car.

Just like on the Regional, the seating area in this car was closed and riders weren't allowed to linger here.

The slightly more stylish space didn't seem ideal to hang out in, however, as the bar stools didn't seem as comfortable as the Regional's cushioned cafe car bench seats.

But the cafe was open with a full menu.

Food items were reasonably priced for a premium train service and Amtrak could probably charge more considering the normal high-end clientele. A cheese and cracker tray was $5.75, a cheeseburger was $7.50, and coke products were $2.75.

I returned to my seat for the last hour of the journey for a Zoom meeting, in which Amtrak's free WiFi performed most excellently.

We ended up arriving in New York around 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

This would be the last stop for the train as it wouldn't, in fact, continue on to Washington.

And just a few minutes later, I was in the heart of New York City once more.

Both of my train trips were highly enjoyable, to say the least, and showed how Amtrak is a hidden gem for regional travel during the pandemic. I didn't once have to worry about social distancing or the cleanliness of the cars while onboard. 

The key advantage Amtrak has over the airlines, even on a short trip to Boston, is that traveling by train is often a more stress-free experience than flying when everything is going right. Case in point, I didn't have to arrive two hours before my train, go through a security checkpoint, or line up in a jetway to board.

On the Northeast Regional, I arrived just a few minutes before my train was to depart and didn't have to wait in line at all. On the Acela, reserving a seat ahead of time also allowed me to sit as far away from others as I could without having to worry about finding the perfect seat upon stepping aboard. 

Train travel, unfortunately, isn't fast or luxurious but that might change come January. Amtrak will soon have an ally in the White House to help fund much-needed improvements and infrastructure projects that will make the railroad company more competitive with the airlines.

Despite the system's greater shortcomings, however, Amtrak is a great option for regional travel thanks to its new health and safety protocols. And I'll certainly be looking forward to my next train trip. 

When Kilian Saekel's wife Anika was diagnosed with breast cancer, he realized how important physical activity was to a healthy lifestyle. After she recovered, Saekel worked to create a product that made exercise more enjoyable for anyone. 

Saekel teamed up with cofounder Wayne Lin to launch A-Champs, a line of connected devices paired with training programs to gamify fitness for customers. A-Champs's ROX Pro device uses light, sound, and vibration to create randomized training scenarios while the app tracks progress through data and analytics. 

The Barcelona- and Shanghai-based business was accepted into the Techstars's sportstech program this spring. Through the program, the 17-person startup netted $124,000 in funding, bringing its total funding to $400,000, Saekel said. 

Saekel shared the pitch deck A-Champs used in its application to Techstars and explained how he organized the presentation. He also offered advice for creating a strong pitch deck. Sensitive information has been redacted.

SEE ALSO: Read the pitch deck Alexis Ohanian-backed elder care startup Papa used to raise $18 million for an app that provides 'grandkids on demand'

DON'T MISS: Investors like Alexa von Tobel want to see your startup's 10-year plan. Here's how to organize it in a pitch deck, including the business terms you must use.

The first two slides set up the problem and how A-Champs plans to solve it

Saekel started A-Champs's pitch deck by presenting the problem the company aimed to solve: "How to get families moving." Saekel used this deck almost one year ago and, in hindsight, said he would've made the issue more specific so it was clear he was talking about exercise. 

"People need to immediately understand why we actually exist," he said, noting that readers are eager to learn what pain points the startup will alleviate. "And why should investors or Techstars be interested in reading further?" 

The second slide gives a brief description of A-Champs's solution. The company bundles technology, sports science, and gamification to mask fitness as a play. Saekel's motivation was to show readers that A-Champs's answer was unique and multi-faceted.

Next, show how the product works

Saekel's third slide shows A-Champs's current product, the ROX Pro, and its companion app. The brief description tells readers the connected device is designed to be a smart assistant for sports and health professionals. This reiterates A-Champs's goal of increasing physical activity among users. 

The fourth slide hyperlinks to a 15-second video of individuals using the product in different scenarios. The idea was to show the versatility of A-Champs, Saekel said. 

"Since our product is all about movement, moving pictures are best to convey what the product can do," Saekel added. "It can be hard for people to get the whole idea if they don't see a video."

Present your progress to date

The sixth slide highlights multiple facets of the company's growth, starting with revenue. A-Champs booked $10,000 in December of 2018 and $600,000 in 2019, according to documents viewed by Business Insider.

Saekel also included the names of prominent soccer teams that are using A-Champs's technology — those logos have been redacted — along with publications that have written about the company. He also added a quote from Paul Coll, a professional squash player, who endorsed the product. 

"It's very important to show that we have traction," Saekel said. "We are trying to impress with revenue numbers and wanted to make it personal with the quote from one of the best sports players in the world."

Show your potential customers

Saekel's next slide highlights A-Champs' target customers and the pain points these groups face. For instance, how can sports coaches improve an athlete's performance and how can families create more active lifestyles routines? 

"It shows the versatility because it's not just one small target group," Saekel said. "I wanted to show the magnitude and the big opportunity in terms of target groups." 

What's more, the potential customers are divided into two phases of A-Champs' development. The first phase focuses on fitness professionals while the second specifically targets families. Listing both the potential customers and the two phases of product development shows readers how the startup plans to dominate the fitness market in several years.

Highlight the future

The seventh and eighth slides show how A-Champs plans on scaling business operations. The slides indicate the types of programs the company hopes to offer families in the future, touts patented intellectual property, and third-party content and hardware. 

This is an especially important slide for investors who want to see entrepreneurs are already thinking about the future of their startup. Without this slide, investors don't know how you plan to grow the business. 

Explain the business model

The next two slides outline how A-Champs makes money and where it fits into the fitness space. This is a vital slide to any pitch deck as readers will want to know how the startup is structured and plans to book revenue. 

In this case, A-Champs will use product sales, licensing fees from business-to-business clients, and subscriptions from the business-to-consumers arm to grow the business. The goal was to entice investors with multiple revenue streams, Saekel said. 

In the next slide, he shows how A-Champs views itself as a differentiator in the exercise market. The diagram shows how the company emcompasses various sectors of the space, such as fitness apps and activity trackers, to create its own field. 

Since the fitness industry is flooded with gadgets and training professionals, this was an especially important slide to make the case that A-Champs is unlike anything currently on the market.

Brag about your team

Successful pitch decks always include a slide about the founding team and employees. Saekel also included how many years each person worked in a relevant industry, such as manufacturing, coaching, and robotics, to tout their expertise. His goal was to show that A-Champs's early employees understood the fitness and connected device markets. 

"We have old-school experience," Saekel said. "And people with credibility from one of the best soccer clubs in the world."

A personal touch

Saekel's pitch deck ends in an unusual way. He concludes with a detailed explanation on his motivations for starting A-Champs. He relays his wife's battle with cancer, how it ignited his interest in family health and fitness, and the problem facing individuals today.

"Instead of condemning technology – the alleged main driver of today's sedentary lifestyles – we make it part of the solution," according to the pitch deck.

While Saekel feels the slide emphasizes why he created the company, he notes that some people may not take the time to read the text. He keeps it in the deck in the hopes that it ignites enthusiasm from investors. 

"I feel it's important that we have people on board who have a passion for what we're doing, so I found it important to add it," Saekel said.

Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport is a retail-lovers paradise.

Home to United Airlines, its walls are filled with shops and eateries that puts other area airports to shame, with the only possible exception of the newly-constructed Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport. Complete with self-serve checkout stations that let users pay with United MileagePlus points and food-ordering tablets at nearly every table at nearly every gate, it's also arguably the most technologically advanced, as well. 

Among the newest additions to the terminal's lineup are two Cibo Express Gourmet Markets. While most flyers will recognize the name, they might not recognize these new stores as unlike other Cibo Express locations, these utilize Amazon's "Just Walk Out" technology. 

The same technology used in Amazon Go stores, OTG began rolling out Just Walk Out to its stores in March, just as the pandemic hit. And eight months later, it's proving to be the perfect solution for the airport retail experience as flyers return to the skies. 

With a quick scan of a credit card, customers can duck in, grab what they need, and get out within minutes, if not seconds. No more cashiers, no more lines, and no more waiting. 

I toured one of the newest stores during a visit to Newark, take a look inside.

SEE ALSO: Southwest Airlines just announced 10 new routes and has a new shortest that's only 73 miles long – here's the full list

DON'T MISS: I flew on a newly upgraded JetBlue plane and despite less legroom and slimmer seats, the refresh is exactly what the airline needed

OTG opened the first location in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport in March.

Plans for the stores were actually announced on March 11, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic and hours before the air travel industry was disrupted by the US closing its borders with Europe.

But despite a reduction in passengers, both stores were opened, and at the perfect time since the pandemic created a need for more touchless retail options.

Some called OTG CEO Rick Blatstein a psychic for predicting the need for this tech in his stores but he told Business Insider that this was in the works long before the public was aware of COVID-19.

Before we could enter, we had to establish some form of payment since there'd be no cashiers to take cash. These turnstiles are the barriers through which all customers must pass to enter the store.

A credit card is required to enter, even if just browsing, and the card readers are contactless-capable for an expedited entry with just the tap of a card.

Blatstein acknowledged in an interview with Business Insider that not every traveler has a credit card and his firm is creating ways to welcome those customers, as well. But for now, the solution is as simple as directing them to other OTG stores that accept cash, of which there are many in the terminal.

Once inside, an array of cameras and sensors will track the items with which a customer leaves and charge their credit card. No cashier required.

Face masks are also required in the store, as well as everywhere in the airport per Port Authority rules.

Snacks, food, and beverages are the main focus of the store, as the name "Cibo," which is Italian for "food," would suggest.

But there are a few non-food items that include gifts likes notebooks and cocktail kits...

Essentials such as deodorant and face cream...

Apothecary items like shaving cream and makeup wipes...

Electronics such as headphones and phone chargers...

And of course, neck pillows.

But food, snacks, and drinks are the main focus, after all.

There's no shortage of classic snacks that flyers enjoy like chips, peanuts, pretzels, and more.

And there are also fan favorites like gummy bears and Walkers Shortbread.

Fresh food is also sold here. It's kept in a refrigerated section that includes salads, sandwiches, wraps, and other pre-made food.

The ease of use the store offers is cutting down dwell times for customers while also driving up sales.

Blatstein told Business Insider that customers also tend to buy more in these stores than they do in other OTG stores.

Ease of use also doesn't come cheap. A 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola, for example, is $3.59...

And a 3-ounce bag of Cheez-Its is the same price. A reminder that you are still in an airport and airport pricing applies.

First-time visitors also need to register at one of these tablets so the store knows where to send the receipt.

And if a condiment or utensil is needed, it can be found just before the exit.

Then, as the technology's name suggests, customers can just walk out, and they'll receive a receipt within 24 hours.

Blatstein believes that these stores are the way of the future, describing them multiple times as "magical," and he firmly expects more retailers to adopt this technology. An early believer in the tech, Blatstein sought it out for his stores after personally visiting Amazon Go stores – where the technology was pioneered.

Elated with how the Just Walk Out technology successfully identified his items, especially after unsuccessful attempts to confuse the system, Blatstein knew this tech could do wonders for the OTG customer experience.  

The moral question of whether or not this tech would kill jobs was a moot point for Blatstein who said that the company is focused on increasing the volume of sales, which ultimately means hiring more staff. Terminal C, for example, is an OTG stronghold with iPads at nearly every seat ready to take a customer's order instead of a waiter, which Blatstein pointed to as a success because the company still increased staffing at the airport by 50% despite the new tech.

And the stores aren't entirely automated as two hosts greet passengers as they walk in. Just Walk Out tech is still new so some customers might need a quick explainer, or just a to-go bag, which hosts are ready to provide. 

Plans to expand the technology across more OTG stores are in the works, though the implementation has been delayed by the pandemic.  Just across New York Harbor, the new Delta Air Lines terminals at LaGuardia Airport will also see some of these stores once they're completed. 

Finding a new gig in 2021 will look a lot different than it did in early 2020.

The job-seeker's market has been replaced by a global recession, in which millions of people in the US alone are out of work.

Hiring tends to pick upin January, when companies have brand-new budgets. But when you apply for a role, there's a good chance you'll be competing against hundreds — or thousands — of other applicants.

What this means for you, dear job candidate, is that you'll have to try even harder to stand out. Business Insider asked 12 recruiters, in industries including media, technology, and finance, for their best advice on wowing a hiring manager who's up to their eyeballs in résumés. These recruiters have placed candidates at companies including Goldman Sachs, Burberry, Lionsgate, Discovery, and the investment firm Redpoint Ventures.

The full list of strategies is below, but we'll give you some spoilers: Flaunt your willingness to try new things. Don't let your professional relationships atrophy. Build your self-awareness.

Above all, avoid throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, applying to dozens of jobs a day with the same cover letter in the hopes that someone will get back to you.

"Treat each interview as if it is your last opportunity to secure a role," said Oliver Rolfe, the founder and CEO of Spartan International Executive Search. "It is far better to receive two, three, four offers to choose from than nothing at all."

Check out the recruiters' advice to kickstart your career reboot. The advice is in their own words and has been lightly edited, listed in alphabetical order by last name.

SEE ALSO: MOLDING GREATNESS: Meet 23 career coaches who helped shape leaders into stars at the likes of Goldman Sachs and Google

Rosemary Belden, director of talent acquisition at venture-capital firm M13, says it helps to network with recruiters so you'll be top of mind when a role opens up.

If you've been at a larger organization and you want to join a startup, make sure that your résumé and LinkedIn highlight work that you've done around growth and innovation. Consider résumé formatting that is less traditional but still highlights your achievements.

Startups often focus on executing until they need a position. Networking with recruiters or business leaders will help you be top of mind when a position does open up in your area of expertise.

When you interview with the recruiter, try to avoid using lots of jargon. Focus on examples that talk about building (ideally from scratch), working in ambiguity, and having limited resources. If you don't have these types of examples, consider raising your hand for these projects or consulting or advising with startups on the side.

Startups love gaining industry knowledge from people at larger organizations, so find a startup that aligns with your experiences and start to build a relationship by sharing insights.

Katie Bukstein Halimi, director of the talent network at Sapphire Ventures, emphasizes the importance of a narrative through line in your career.

Hiring managers always like seeing candidates who are self-aware enough to articulate what worked or what may have not worked about a job, experience or career move. It's important to learn how these experiences factored into the candidate proactively shaping their subsequent career choices. My advice for candidates is to have clear takeaways from your experiences about what you've learned and how those learnings have propelled you on your current career path.

Get creative and resourceful about how companies learn about you. Always go beyond the typical recruiting process of applying for a job. Instead, try and connect with a company's partners, investors, customers, etc. Social networks can be a great tool, but also trying to uncover email addresses [of prospective colleagues] and tapping your network go a long way.

Find ways to forge deep and valuable relationships with employees at the companies you're interested in, and show them what you're capable of before day one. This is especially effective at smaller and earlier stages when companies are operating with lean resources and where employees will have to execute in an environment with lots of ambiguity.

Jennifer DeCastro, partner at global recruitment firm True Search, sees this moment as an opportunity to think broadly about your career.

This is one of the most exciting and unusually challenging times to be building and leading a career. We are in the throes of the biggest global pandemic of most of our lifetimes, yet companies remain focused on the future of their leadership.

More possibilities for executives to explore opportunities in physical areas they may not have considered before have opened up. It's a great time to build relationships and think about your career in a much broader way now, given most companies are very open to people living anywhere.

To that point, I've found it critically important for people to highlight their experience and success leading teams, collaborating and working across different regions, offices etc, given we are functioning in a very virtual world. The need to keep connected and engaged within companies is more important than ever as we consider the challenges of the pandemic, and a post-pandemic world.

Brickson Diamond, CEO of advisory firm Big Answers LLC, urges all professionals to stay on top of industry news.

Be sure to share fresh content on LinkedIn regularly. It's perfectly acceptable to simply repost articles and links from others. I think of myself as a bit of a curator. If you can establish a voice and an eye for interesting content you are giving a nod to just how interesting a candidate you will be when your future dream employer reaches out.

But be careful not to be too self-promotional. This is a platform for idea exchange, not a place to run a publicity campaign.

To post great content on LinkedIn you will need to follow the news that impacts your industry. If you are in entertainment, the "trades" [trade publications] are easier to access than ever before. Choose one good local paper that is either in your city or that is in a city obsessed with the field you are pursuing and subscribe to it. It will be worth the investment.

Tiffany Dyba, a career coach and consultant and a former recruiter, wants job-seekers to get ahead of the game.

I believe that staying competitive in 2021 means starting NOW. Getting ahead of the game by making sure your résumé is updated. Your Linkedin is current and fresh. Making sure that your internal network is aware of your search. Reaching out and having coffee Zooms and Skypes or informational conversations.

The more this is happening now, the better position you will have in 2021 when everyone is kickstarting their search. Being proactive is imperative to staying competitive.

Erica Keswin, a workplace strategist and a former headhunter, says it helps to identify rituals in the job-search process.

A good place to start is by setting an intention. Ask yourself: Does your calendar reflect those intentions? If not, you have work to do. The only way to get a job — ever, but especially now — is to be diligent and devoted to putting in the time.

In 2021, make the job search process a ritual. Here are specific rituals you can develop.

Invest in your professional and personal development. Take an online class; attend conferences. Given the pandemic, many conferences that people once had to pay for are now free for attendees.

Join groups like MeetUp and other industry organizations to stay connected with people with similar interests. If you can't find one, start one. In your own organization, make time to get more involved in ERG/groups that connect you to a wider group of people within your own organization. You never know what kind of opportunities could pop up in a totally different group within your own company.

Reach out to people in your network on a regular basis just to check in and see how you can be helpful to them. It makes it much easier to reach you when you really need something if you've been nurturing that relationship.

Corinne Ripoche, CEO of Adecco Americas and Pontoon Global, pushes professionals to keep an open mind when looking at new roles.

In the new era of work, job seekers must be bold and create their own opportunities through professional development. Employers are hiring for skills rather than conventional factors, like years of experience or a college degree.

Job seekers must realize their own potential and make it their mission to pursue development opportunities with a sense of self-belief that they can open new doors in their career. Today, there are many more avenues for upskilling and reskilling as employers adopt more training curricula, new credentialing programs surface, and online courses become more accessible.

Job seekers must open their minds to new types of work arrangements. Accelerated by COVID-19, employers are reliant on hybrid working models. Not only did we see a swift move to remote work early on in the pandemic, but the labor market continues to trend towards transient employment.

As companies and individuals ebb and flow through an unpredictable economic environment, we will see all worker types normalize: freelance, gig, temp, permanent, etc. This helps with business continuity as organizations rebound and reinvent, but also enables individuals to find work arrangements that better match their lifestyle and sense of purpose.

Oliver Rolfe, founder and CEO of Spartan International Executive Search, recommends preparing thoroughly for interviews.

Before starting your job search, take time to think what you really want from your life and from your career, for the long term and not only for today. Being committed and passionate about the job you do will only serve to benefit you, your career and your happiness levels.

Spend time preparing for interviews. Learn about the company, CEO and founder, recent financial results, and the background of your interviewer. Treat each interview as if it is your last opportunity to secure a role, even if you are not 100% convinced it is. It is far better to receive two, three, four offers to choose from than nothing at all.

Kathleen Saxton, executive vice president and managing director of EMEA at MediaLink, tells job-seekers to stay positive.

Not hearing a response from companies you approach can be disheartening and even offensive, especially given there is a lot of "live tissue"— as in extraordinarily talented people on the market who are used to being recognized and cherished.

Keep your energy up. Remember the market is coming back — and as it returns, businesses need individuals who are willing to embrace the new ecosystem, seek positive shoots from the pandemic, and drive change and new possibilities in the recovery. Bring your success stories, happy outlooks, ideas, optimism, opportunistic tendencies, and speak to the future.

Remember what got you here may not get you there — so in the time out, learn additional skills, broaden your network, seek to understand the new and remain curious. If we are learning, we are growing.

Be kind. Everyone has a story, and this is not a competition. Help where you can, connect others when you can, and share opportunities if they are not for you. We must nurture and feed each other until we are able to see the stabilization that will surely come.

William Simon, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry, encourages job seekers to get comfortable with new hiring practices.

Job seekers must be willing and able to adapt to the changing marketplace, different kinds of jobs, work environments, expectations, etc. And job seekers must take responsibility for being proactive and thorough with follow-up.

Both companies and individuals must now adapt to new interviewing and hiring practices. It is now not uncommon to have all interviews done via Zoom with no in-person meetings. And it is now trending that companies are willing to make an offer, and individuals are accepting, new positions without any in-person meetings. There are examples of people relocating to a new city without ever having visited the city or company.

Organizational structures are also morphing where executives are being asked to take on even broader responsibilities and in essence "play multiple positions."

In the media and entertainment industry there are multiple new positions being created in recent years focusing on: direct to consumer (DTC) and digital marketing; cybersecurity; big data; and multi-platform advertising sales. How to reach, measure and maximize involvement (viewing, purchasing, etc) between a brand and an individual consumer are top priority.

Joanna Sucherman, owner of media-consulting agency JLS Media, knows it helps to show the hiring manager how you can add value.

Whenever a company hires someone, they are hiring that person to fix a problem. You want to be the solution to their problem. Figure out what their biggest challenges are and how you can best help the company.

This is especially helpful to remember when going in for a job interview. Remember, the interview is not about you, it is about how you can help the company.

Atli Thorkelsson, director of executive talent at Redpoint Ventures, advises job candidates to embrace their humanity.

While remote work has the potential to be professionally distancing, it's also giving coworkers glimpses into each other's personal lives that they may not have gotten before virtual became the norm. Understanding the line between professionalism and oversharing is critical, but being "human" is more acceptable than ever.

Embrace it. If your kid or your dog interrupts your interview, introduce them! Ditch the virtual background and take the call from your backyard. Demonstrating that you're comfortable operating in this new environment will help your interviewer put you in context, and help you form a genuine connection with your potential team.

Ashley Rodriguez and Melia Russell contributed reporting.

Netflix's popularity rankings saw new entries this week as opposed to "The Queen's Gambit" and "The Crown," which have dominated recently. "Selena: The Series" and the fourth season of "Big Mouth" both debuted.

Netflix introduced daily top 10 lists of its most viewed movies and TV shows in February (it counts a view if an account watches at least two minutes of a title).

Every week, the streaming search engine Reelgood compiles for Business Insider a list of which TV shows have been most prominent on Netflix's daily lists that week.

Every series in the top nine this week is a Netflix original. 

SEE ALSO: WarnerMedia's CEO predicts that blockbuster movies will have $1 billion budgets in the future as streaming surges

9. "Mr. Iglesias" (Netflix original, 2019-present)

Description: "Hilarious high school teacher Gabriel Iglesias tries to make a difference in the lives of some smart but underperforming students at his alma mater."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A

What critics said: "N/A

8. "The Great British Baking Show: Holidays" (Netflix original, 2018-present)

Description: "Deck the halls with sugar, butter and chocolate as competitors from past seasons bake sweet Yuletide treats for judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A

What critics said: N/A

7. "Alien Worlds" (Netflix original, 2020)

Description: "Applying the laws of life on Earth to the rest of the galaxy, this series blends science fact and fiction to imagine alien life on other planets."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A

What critics said: "Our recommendation of Alien Worlds basically hinges on its earthbound segments and how well-done they are. Its exoplanet segments are a mixed bag."— Decider

6. "The Crown" (Netflix original, 2016-present)

Description: "This drama follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%

What critics said: "This new set of episodes continues to give us both the long run and the short, the epic and the specific, as it goes from strength to strength."— Boston Globe (season four)

5. "Cocomelon" (Netflix original, 2020-present)

Description: "Learn letters, numbers, animal sounds and more with J.J. in this musical series that brings fun times with nursery rhymes for the whole family!"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A

What critics said: N/A

4. "The Queen's Gambit" (Netflix original, 2020)

Description: "In a 1950s orphanage, a young girl reveals an astonishing talent for chess and begins an unlikely journey to stardom while grappling with addiction."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 99%

What critics said: "Anchored by a magnetic lead performance and bolstered by world-class acting, marvelous visual language, a teleplay that's never less than gripping, and an admirable willingness to embrace contradiction and ambiguity, it's one of the year's best series."— RogerEbert.com

3. "Virgin River" (Netflix original, 2019-present)

Description: "Searching for a fresh start, a nurse practitioner moves from LA to a remote northern California town and is surprised by what — and who — she finds." 

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A

What critics said: N/A

2. "Big Mouth" (Netflix original, 2017-present)

Description:"Teenage friends find their lives upended by the wonders and horrors of puberty in this edgy comedy from real-life pals Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 99%

What critics said: "Despite all of these additions to the stew, Big Mouth is so confident in how it works and vibes by now, the episodes still all taste like comfort food of the highest order to fans of the show."— Collider (season four)

1. "Selena: The Series" (Netflix original, 2020-present)

Description:"Iconic Mexican-American performer Selena rises to fame as she and her family make sacrifices in order to achieve their lifelong dreams."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 30%

What critics said: "Even with some great tunes, Selena: The Series just stays far too often on the surface of what is truly a fascinating American story — and that just hits all the wrong notes."— Deadline (season one)

In 2019, there were nearly 1.5 million software engineering jobs in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS projects an extremely positive job outlook at 22% job growth from 2019 to 2029 — much faster than the growth rate for all occupations of 4%.

But with so many jobs out there, parsing through job postings and companies with opportunities can be challenging.

While Silicon Valley is widely known as tech's homestead, New York City is also a great spot for software engineers, with more than 6,000 annual openings according to data from the Projections Managing Partnership, a technical data resource funded by the BLS and the US Department of Labor's Employment & Training Administration.

We used data from the US Office of Foreign Labor Certification to help get a sense of who is currently hiring software engineers in New York City and how much they're paying. 

When a firm wants to hire an employee from another country, they have to apply for a foreign worker visa. For professional work, the most common visa is called the H-1B visa. The visa applications are publicly available, and include salary data that provides insight into the current pay for software engineers in NYC. It's worth noting that the H-1B data only provides salary information, and does not include other types of compensation and benefits that employees may receive in their roles, like bonuses, performance awards, or benefits. 

Let's dig into what Facebook, eBay, Etsy, Peloton, Google, and more paid software engineers in New York City. Job listing numbers reflect results as of Friday, December 11. 

Google has 57 job postings for software engineers right now. In the past, they've paid salaries of anywhere from around $90,000 to $250,000.

A quick search on Google's internal job board for "software engineer" in New York City resulted in more than 50 postings. At the tech giant, you can work on well-known Google products like Waze and Google Cloud. 

Since 2018, the firm has applied for hundreds of H-1B visas for software engineers, ranging from general positions to specialties like site reliability and infrastructure. Here's what the firm recorded for salaries:  

Software Engineer: $91,364 to $250,000

Software Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer: $117,000 to $176,000

Software Engineer, Tools and Infrastructure $118,000 to $164,000

Senior Software Engineer: $158,000

Software Engineering Manager: $228,000

Facebook applied to hire more than 200 software engineers in the New York City metro area.

Facebook currently has over 50 jobs for software engineers in New York City. Candidates interested in working in AR/VR, traffic infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and more can apply through Facebook's career website. Most of the positions listed have flexibility in the office location: Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Seattle, DC, Boston, San Francisco, and New York. Some positions also included the option to work remotely.

The firm has applied for visas to hire more than 200 software engineers in the New York City metro area, with a range of salaries for the roles. 

Software Engineer: $100,000 to $264,873

Rotational Software Engineer: $155,000

Software Engineer, Machine Learning: $165,000

Fitness brand Peloton applied to hire more than 30 foreign workers at salaries ranging from around $100,000 to nearly $200,000.

Fitness brand Peloton offers high-end exercise bikes, equipped with screens where users can access hundreds of workout classes — both for on the bike and off. Since 2018, Peloton has applied for more than 30 visas to hire software engineers in the New York City metropolitan area. Salaries ranged from around $100,000 to $200,000. Currently, the firm has quite a few openings for software engineers listed on their job board. 

Candidates can apply to specialize in areas like frontend, infrastructure, API, iOS, or working on Peloton's Leaderboard and other products. Below, we list the salaries that Peloton included in visa applications. 

Senior Software Engineer: $193,686

Software Engineer: $110,000 to $170,000

Software Engineer-Backend: $135,000

Etsy has 15 jobs posted for software engineers, including internships. The jobs focus on marketing technology, business data, seller performance, and more.

According to H-1B data, Etsy has applied to hire software engineers at salaries between around $90,000 and $185,000. The H-1B data for Etsy covers positions from staff software engineers to specialized senior software engineers.

Currently, the firm has 17 jobs posted for software engineers, with specialities in areas like performance, data, backend, and marketing, and even has an internship posted. Recent earnings reports for the firm have also noted increased hiring for the future to "catch up with growth." All jobs listed are located at the firm's Brooklyn office. Here's what the firm has paid in the past, according to visa applications:

Staff Software Engineer: $180,500

Software Engineer: $91,562 to $145,000

Software Engineer - Internal Platforms: $128,500

Software Engineer, Analytics Engineering: $110,000

Software Engineer, Internal Platforms: $115,000 to $150,000

Software Engineer, Product Engineering: $110,000 to $150,000

Full Stack Software Engineer: $140,000 to $185,000

Full Stack Software Engineer, Seller Experience: $130,000 to $137,000

Senior Software Engineer: $150,000

Senior Software Engineer, Seller Experience: $140,000 to $185,000

Sr. Software Engineer, Search & Personalization Experience: $140,000 to $185,000

Comcast is one of the few firms we reviewed with internships posted for software engineers.

While Comcast has applied for quite a few visas since 2018, it only has six jobs currently posted for software engineers in the New York City metro area, and four are for internships. The firm also has a few additional positions posted on LinkedIn that are not on the firm's career website.  

According to H-1B data, Comcast pays software engineers between $70,221 and $130,000, and senior software engineers anywhere between $93,442 and $160,000. Lead engineers made between $135,283 to $185,000.

Comcast hired foreign employees to specialize in various aspects of Comcast's operations, from mobile software to Blockgraph, its blockchain platform. Here are the salaries listed in the visa applications:

Software Engineer: $70,221 to $134,528

Software Engineer, Blockgraph: $76,190 to $130,000

Software Engineer, Mobile & Hmtl5: $92,768 to $115,000

Software Engineer, Mobile & Html5: $92,768 to $110,900

Software Engineer, Testing: $92,768 to $100,000

Software Engineer 2: $92,768 to $105,000

Software Engineer 2, Mobile & Html5: $71,510 to $115,000

Software Engineer 3: $76,190 to $130,000

Senior Software Engineer: $93,442 to $160,000

Senior Software Engineer Golan: $135,283 to $145,000

Lead Infrastructure Software Engineer: $135,283 to $155,000

Lead Software Engineer: $135,283 to $185,000

Bloomberg has applied to hire hundreds of software engineers since 2018, with salaries from around $96,000 to $300,000.

From 2018 to the latest H-1B data, Bloomberg applied for more than 400 software engineer visas, Business Insider's analysis showed. The salaries in visa applications are below: 

Software Engineer: $96,595 to $267,021

Senior Software Engineer: $96,595 to $300,000

Bloomberg currently has more than 70 jobs listed on its careers website with "software engineer" in the title, ranging from focus on market data services to its application services team. 

eBay has four job openings for software engineers in New York City. The firm pays more than $200,000 for some software engineering positions.

Each of eBay's four job openings for software engineers are flexible on location — the postings provide a list of cities from which the candidate can choose to work. All four include New York City, and most include San Jose, Austin, Los Angeles, Bellevue (WA) and San Francisco.

eBay's four open positions include one for recent graduates and an internship, so the firm may be a good place for early career engineers to apply. 

Here's what the e-commerce firm paid software engineers according to H-1B data.

Software Engineer, Quality: $105,000

MTS 1, Software Engineer: $163,000

MTS 2, Software Engineer: $219,300

Software Engineer 2: $113,000

Software Engineer 2, Quality: $110,000

Software Engineer 3: $123,820

Software Engineer 3, Quality: $140,000

Monitoring and data analytics firm Datadog is hiring 50 software engineers. They've paid between $100,000 and $185,000 for this position in the past.

Datadog is a data monitoring and analytics firm that has been around since 2010. The firm is headquartered in New York City and currently employs 1,200 people, and has more than 30 openings for software engineers. The titles of the positions indicate the focus — some postings are for .NET/C#, Python, Ruby or C++. 

Since 2018, the firm has applied for visas for several types of software engineers, from ones with a general focus to positions with specialties:  

Software Engineer: $100,000 to $200,000

Software Engineer, Cloud Metrics: $130,000 to $155,000

Software Engineer, Container Integrations: $130,000 to $185,000

Lead Software Engineer: $135,000

Senior Software Engineer: $140,000 to $180,000

Capital One hired for many different levels of software engineer — from associate to lead to senior to lead. Their highest salary recorded in the H-1B database was $272,800.

Capital One currently has 13 jobs listed in New York City for software engineers, mostly for higher level engineers like senior software engineers and director positions.

Since 2018, the firm has applied for visas for various positions, from individual contributors to senior directors of software engineering. Here is the firm's recorded pay:

Associate Software Engineer: $74,300 to $117,900

Software Engineer: $91,700 to $138,300

Senior Software Engineer: $92,768 to $159,300

Master Software Engineer: $96,595 to $186,700

Lead Software Engineer: $96,595 to $224,100

Senior Manager, Software Engineering: $117,021 to $224,100

Director, Software Engineering: $137,426 to $272,800

Senior Director, Software Engineering: $204,500 to $272,600