Day: August 30, 2025

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
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Welcome back! Are you desperate to add more protein to your diet? Well, one reporter tried 11 different kinds of high-protein yogurt. It turns out her favorite has as much of the good stuff as a can of tuna.

On the agenda:

• Gym bros are already taking knock-offs of the unreleased “King Kong” of weight loss drugs.
• Taylor Swift’s engagement is a fairytale for fans — and a business windfall for Travis Kelce.
• A new study suggests a healthy diet can play a significant role in reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s how to start.
• People are opting to live in co-living spaces to combat high rent. Could it solve the housing crisis?

But first: You don’t need a racket. Just c’mon!

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This week’s dispatch

Your US Open checklist

It is my favorite time of year when thousands of people descend upon Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, for the US Open.

And while the main action is on the courts, to watch stars like Frances Tiafoe and Coco Gauff, there’s so much more to love about attending the US Open than the actual tennis.

So Business Insider made a checklist of must-do activities and status symbols to grab if you’re headed to the courts.

• Head to Cocodaq, a Korean-inspired fried chicken restaurant, that has caviar-topped chicken nuggets on its menu. It’s the must-have food item at this year’s Open. Beware though: Six nuggets will set you back $100.
• The James Beard Award-winning chef behind one of NYC’s hottest restos, Tatiana’s, is bringing his flavor to the stadium. You have to make a reservation at Aces, which has specialty offerings by Chef Kwame Onwuachi on the menu.
• The merch is one of the best parts of attending the US Open, and this year, a golf-green dad hat is topping the list of must-grabs.
• After you’ve had your fill of Grey Goose’s Honey Deuce cocktail, head over to Moët & Chandon’s bar, where they’re serving bubbles in limited-edition gold goblets. It’ll make you feel like you’re in an episode of “Love Is Blind.”

If you’ve ticked off all these boxes, you’re a winner.

The GLP craze hits gym bros

Eli Lilly is gearing up to release the most powerful weight loss drug the world has ever seen: the GLP-1 retatrutide. Gym bros are already taking knock-off versions of it to shred fat and tone their physiques, buying it from unregulated research labs and injecting it at home.

They believe the injectable they’re taking, labeled “retatrutide,” works differently from other weight-loss drugs, allowing them to lose fat without sacrificing muscle, appealing to the gains-minded set. Doctors say they’re warning patients that they have no idea what they’re getting. Products may also be contaminated or dosed inconsistently.

A new era of weight-loss drugs.

Bejeweled and back in business

In Taylor Swift’s song “Lover,” the singer promises her beloved, “At every table, I’ll save you a seat.” When it comes to the business table and her new fiancé Travis Kelce, that’s proving to be true.

Their engagement has the potential to catapult Kelce to new heights (no pun intended), propelled by Swift’s sheer star power, writes BI’s Callie Ahlgrim.

Just in time for football season.

Also read:

• Taylor Swift’s $27,000 Cartier watch shone alongside her engagement ring
• The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engagement hit so hard, one company gave its employees the afternoon off

Reducing your Alzheimer’s risk

A new long-term study from nutrition and genetics researchers at Harvard Medical School suggests that sticking to a healthy diet, specifically a Mediterranean one, can cut your risk of Alzheimer’s, particularly if you have the APOE4/4 gene.

While it’s too early to design a science-based anti-Alzheimer’s diet tailored to the gene, small tweaks can make a difference, assistant nutrition professor Puja Agarwal said. She shared how to make those adjustments.

Plus, everyone could benefit from eating more leafy greens.

The rise of the co-living space

Amid sky-high rent prices, some people are opting for co-living spaces, an arrangement where strangers have private rooms but share common areas. It’s not much different than having roommates, except co-living often comes with more amenities and a built-in community.

This setup often costs less than the median rent price in many major cities. It’s also a promising solution to the housing crisis.

More than just an adult dorm.

What we’re watching this weekend

• “Thursday Murder Club”: This new Netflix original movie adapts the popular whodunit novel with Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, and Pierce Brosnan playing amateur detectives living in a retirement home.
• “Stans”: This Paramount+ documentary examines the complicated relationship between hip-hop legend Eminem and his legion of fans.
• “The Golden Girls”: On Crave, all 7 seasons of this iconic series are available. Sit back and enjoy binge-watching the antics of Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty.

What to shop

• Labor Day savings: The sales are live, and our team handpicked the top deals across home, fashion, beauty, and tech — from couch upgrades and gadgets to trend-forward clothes.
• Sustainable kicks, retro flair: Allbirds’ Couriers bring a vintage sneaker vibe with sustainable comfort — perfect for long walks and everyday wear. Think old-school style meets foam cushioning and recycled materials for a super-comfy upgrade that we love.
• Therapeutic mattress? Might be covered: If your doctor prescribes a specialized mattress to treat a diagnosed condition (like chronic back pain), you might be able to use FSA or HSA funds to buy it. Here’s what you need to know to avoid taxes or penalties.

More of this week’s top reads:

• Naomi Osaka’s big Labubu bling is making the US Open’s fashion extra fun.
• I bought my college son a townhome instead of wasting $12,000 a year on his student housing. I might even make a profit.
• We left New York City to buy a home in a Maryland beach town. After a few months, we realized we’d made a mistake.
• Four men, four polos: an ode to Wall Street’s summer status symbol.
• Everything a doctor who studies gut health and colon cancer ate in 2 weeks.
• Why this couple ditched their home and regular jobs to live full time in an RV — and how it’s working 5 years later.
• American Eagle turns to Travis Kelce for its next big A-list collab following its controversial Sydney Sweeney ad.
• I ate KFC for the first time in years, and I see why a turnaround effort is needed.
• ChatGPT made my Hinge profile cringe-worthy —but it cut down on bad dates.

The BI Today team: Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

• I stopped buying newly made clothes two years ago and built an entirely secondhand closet.
• I gained back confidence and creative freedom because I no longer pay attention to ads.
• I made like-minded friends from all walks of life who inspire me to stay curious and imaginative.

I haven’t bought any newly made clothes in two years, and instead of feeling restricted, I’ve never felt happier.

This did not start with some noble ideal of reducing textile waste or helping the environment, and I’m by no means a minimalist.

Two years ago, I was fresh out of grad school with no disposable income to speak of, and I simply could not keep up with the rising cost of everything, from jeans that could barely survive one wash to dresses made entirely of polyester that cost hundreds.

On my quest to find an alternative to paying more for clothes that are declining in quality, I discovered a thrift store a couple of blocks from where I live. I told my partner, who looked at me in disbelief, that this was how I could opt out of some key components of our consumerist lives and save some money. We started a bet between us over whether I could find most of my essentials there, especially clothing.

Two years later, it is safe to say that I won that bet.

Aside from saving money and helping keep clothes out of the landfill, I have been freed from the influence of advertisements that formerly consumed my attention, and found a community that loves to create and share.

Advertisements no longer work on me

Knowing that I won’t be buying anything newly made, I stopped giving attention to ads and endless videos of people’s latest hauls, which used to clog my Explore Page on Instagram.

Without an influence constantly telling me what the trend is, I not only have free rein to channel my creative energy toward curating a collection I would still happily wear a decade from now, but I’m also freed from comparison.

I logically know that clothes don’t look the same on normal people as they do in ads, but I usually can’t get their image out of my head. As a result, my shopping experience is often spoiled by self-judgment and disappointment when I gravitate toward things that look great on someone else, but not on myself.

When shopping secondhand, there are no ads, no one to tell you what a shirt is meant to be paired with, and there is a wide array of styles to browse, spanning decades. I got the chance to discover what brings me joy to wear, like my $25 Yugoslavia sweater with tiny knitted 3D tulips on it, and learned to disregard trends like the “sneakerina” and the clean girl aesthetic that even British Vogue says “simply won’t die.”

Also, if you have ever cringed at what you wore as a teenager, you know that fashion is often about trial and error. There is no lower stake in trying out a new style than an $8 skirt that you can donate back if it turns out to be a mistake.

I found a creative community

As an adult, no longer in school, I used to find it hard to make new friends, but that changed when my consumption habits changed.

From the neighbourhood barista I bonded with over old film cameras and a stained glass lamp, to the private chef I befriended while playing dress up with thrift store shoes together, I got to encounter people from different walks of life who share the same curious and imaginative energy.

We now find each other thrifted birthday gifts, and have group chats to discuss our latest finds and to share the outfits we are proud to have put together for under $30.

The community built upon passing on pre-owned items makes for an educational and welcoming shopping experience. They care deeply about the stories and lives behind what they have, and there is often no pressure to buy.

I frequently browse through vintage markets without any expectation that I would take anything home. A vendor recently explained to me how she made an amazing denim patchwork jacket I instantly fell in love with. Instead of pushing me to make a purchase, she encouraged me to pick up sewing.

Another brought her collection of Art Deco-era jewelry to the market just to showcase it. I got to marvel at a necklace with a beetle at the center, adorned with Czech beads and vaseline glass that glows in the dark.

And as for what I won out of the bet with my partner? He needs to come shopping with me and help carry my finds. It only took two weeks before he started thrifting for himself without me.

• Maya Rogers is the CEO of Tetris, the company her father founded.
• The financial success of Tetris allowed her parents to move from Japan to Hawaii.
• Having a multicultural family helped grow the global brand, she says.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maya Rogers, CEO of Tetris. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When people learn that I’m the CEO of Tetris, they often say something like, “Oh, I used to play that game.” It’s true that Tetris has been around for 42 years, but it’s still relevant — not only for my family, but for the world.

My dad, Henk Rogers, secured the rights for Tetris back in the 1980s. We were living in Japan at the time, on the second floor of my maternal grandparents’ house. After my dad invented one of Japan’s first role-playing video games, we were able to move to an apartment down the road. My parents were often in the office — I remember coming home from second grade and babysitting my infant brother so my mom could go to work.

After my parents brought Tetris to the world, they had more money, which allowed our family to move to Hawaii when I was 11. My parents had met in Hawaii during college and always dreamed of their three kids receiving an American education there.

My parents never emphasized wealth

Despite the global prevalence of Tetris, we were never superrich. My parents still struggled a lot. I was never brought up to equate success with wealth. My parents taught me that wealth is within — it’s about how you live your life. I try to instill that in my own kids, who are 4 and 6.

Even today, the company isn’t about money for me. It’s about the way that Tetris can bring people together around the world. It’s a game that’s easy to play, but hard to master. That has universal appeal.

My dad’s health scare led me to take over

Growing up, I never had concrete plans to join the family business. With a stereotypical Asian mother, I felt pressure to work for high-profile companies, and worked for Honda and Sony.

Then, about 15 years ago, my dad had a heart attack and nearly died. I was in my mid-30s and living in Los Angeles, but I realized I wanted to learn from my dad before it was too late. I asked him if I could move back home to Hawaii and join the business.

Working with my father was unique. I stopped calling him Dad when we worked together, because he was just Henk in the business setting. Today, he’s been retired for 14 years, but I still don’t call him Dad.

Henk and I never had a big conversation about me taking over the business. We’ve always been good at communicating without too many words. One day, I said to him, “I think I can do this.” That was the extent of the conversation. A year later, he retired.

Being a third-culture kid helped me as a CEO

My family is very multicultural. Henk is Dutch-Indonesian and my mom is Japanese. In elementary school, I was the only child who was mixed race, and the only one without a Japanese name.

Henk’s background helped him run the business and work closely with Alexey Pajitnov, the Russian developer who invented the game. Pajitnov developed Tetris in the Soviet Union, and the government initially held the rights to the game. Henk travelled to the Soviet Union to obtain the rights to distribute the game, and later, in 1996, he and Alexey started The Tetris Company, which I now run.

My global roots are still an asset to me as a CEO. Traveling and talking to people is one of my favorite parts of the job. The more I talk to people, the more I realize that we’re all the same, despite different cultural backgrounds. Having a diverse family and running a global company has shown me that we’re all human.

My company and family have very strong ties to Hawaii

Tetris is still based in Hawaii. That’s not convenient — all of our partner companies are outside the state. Yet it’s where we want to be. I’m a perfect example of the Hawaiian concept of kamaʻāina: a sense of being tied to the land. I left my island, and then I came home.

I want other young Hawaiian entrepreneurs to have that same opportunity. In 2012, I founded Blue Startups, a partnership between Tetris, the state, and other investors. The incubator supports entrepreneurs on the islands. My hope is that it will impact Hawaiian children and our state’s future.

My own children see me as a strong female leader. My daughter tells everyone her mom runs Tetris, and she has aspirations of being a professional Tetris player (as well as a rockstar). I was lucky to see my parents build something great. Watching that impacted what I did with my life. I hope to expose my kids to as much as possible, so they can be who they truly are.