Day: December 1, 2025

Three children ages 8, 9 and 14 were killed. A 21-year-old also was killed and 11 others were wounded in the shooting that erupted Saturday evening at a banquet hall.

• Bart Dziedzic left JPMorgan for MrBeast, trading pay and prestige for the entrepreneurial route.
• He’s had a number of roles, including helping build a pop-up theme park in Saudi Arabia.
• Dziedzic, 27, now values experience over money and advises others to take calculated risks.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bart Dziedzic, a 27-year-old who left investment banking to work for YouTube’s top creator, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in Darien, an upscale town in Connecticut, but I didn’t belong to the world of finance bros. My parents were Polish immigrants, and we lived paycheck to paycheck. I was enamored by the big guys: Steve Jobs, Elon Musk.

I went to Fordham and landed at JPMorgan Chase, where I worked my way up into investment banking. It was prestigious, and the money was good.

But the investment banking lifestyle started to get repetitive. I was working 80- to 100-hour weeks, and if you break it down to the hourly rate, it’s not a ton of money. And the noise of the city was starting to wear on me.

One day, I was talking to a partner at a VC firm who was doing some recruiting for MrBeast. They were looking for smart, obsessive, athletic people.

I always wanted to be either a soccer player or an entrepreneur. Growing up, I did construction with my dad in the summer. In elementary school, I sold duct-tape wallets until the principal shut it down because you weren’t allowed to sell stuff at school.

I didn’t grow up with media or social media, but I realized that everyone from my cousins in Poland to people in Asia and Africa knew who MrBeast was.

Going to MrBeast had pros and cons

There were a lot of reasons not to go there. I didn’t really understand the role completely — working in development for the chief of staff. I wondered about the key-man risk. I’d be taking a 50% pay cut and going to Greenville, North Carolina, and leaving all my family and friends behind. My parents thought I should stay at JPMorgan.

But I figured, I don’t have a family or mortgage, and everyone knows the MrBeast name. I saw the opportunity to learn, add value, be part of a brand that is growing very rapidly, and have autonomy. That’s the one thing I didn’t like about JPMorgan — like any corporate job, it’s too structured.

In the worst-case scenario, I can come back. If nothing else, it’d be an experience in itself. So I left JPMorgan in January 2024 and started at MrBeast in February.

My first week on the job, I got to watch a video being produced where people aged 1 to 100 were competing for a prize. These are multimillion-dollar shoots. It was exciting. This is a totally new landscape, the creator economy. How do you take this massive megaphone of followers and then turn it into something sustainable?

I had to adjust to small-town life

The transition to Greenville was tough at first. I lived out of suitcases in a hotel for two weeks because they didn’t have housing ready for me; they were hiring so rapidly. There wasn’t a lot to do. I ended up getting a dog and a truck. I went on Hinge, where I met my girlfriend. I played a lot of pickleball.

I’ve had a lot of different roles in my time here. Although we have titles, the roles are very ambiguous. You just break down problems and figure things out. One of the projects we had was doing this pop-up theme park in Riyadh that was supposed to be something between a Six Flags and a carnival pop-up, and gamified — MrBeast-style.

I was part of the negotiations and planning, so I kind of took the lead and worked with our partners over there to design and build it. Seeing it come to fruition was similar to doing a construction project with my dad. It was beautiful.

A high point was launching MrBeast’s theme park

Operationally, there were a lot of things to figure out. Jimmy [Donaldson] was there on opening day, so that’s a world of its own from an operational perspective. We had 7,000 people on opening day. A few days before, MrBeast said he wanted a prize wall. We had to figure out a points system to award prizes, what the prizes would be, and how we’d get them here in three days. We brought some stuff from the states, like an authenticated piece of a set or Jimmy’s hat from a set.

Jimmy also wanted to take pictures with a bunch of people. We had to design it so as many people as possible could take pictures with him while making it a good experience for them. We handed out 250 golden tickets and built barriers to control the crowd. Then people started coming in with one ticket and three families. So we limited it to five people.

I enjoy getting my hands dirty and doing things. I think a lot of people operate in fear of decision-making. You always have to think about, “What’s the opportunity cost of this decision? Is it a big decision where I could literally ruin this park? Or is it a micro decision where I can live with the consequences?”

I was pretty proud of the team and myself. We were supposed to open in December, but we ended up opening it earlier. We’re in a foreign country, dealing with a lot of inputs. There was a lot of just figuring it out. And it was cool to see it all come together in a project of this size.

Now I’m manager of strategy and operations on the holdco team. There wasn’t really a reason for them to be in Greenville, so the team moved to New York, and I moved back in the summer.

After a break from New York, I’m glad to be back. I appreciated the nice weather and greenery, but there wasn’t as much to do in Greenville. I’ve also slowed down as I’ve gotten a little older. I enjoy going on walks instead of going to a bar until three in the morning.

I learned to prioritize experience over pay

I’ve learned you shouldn’t optimize for salary in your 20s. You should build skills and experiences so you can make more money when you’re older or start your own thing. I would tell people out of college, take as much ownership as you can in something. Do something that’s exciting, risky, with a good leadership team behind you, where you can learn something. Because the further you get along in your career, the harder it will be to pivot.

I think a lot of people want certainty in their careers, and that’s why a lot of people stay at roles like JPMorgan even though they’re miserable. But it’s an ever-changing world. Google didn’t even exist when I was born. Also, everyone’s going to give you advice based off of their own experience when those experiences don’t necessarily apply to you. In the same way you would do benchmarking comps for a business or analyze anything in life, you should take 10, 15 inputs and then decide what the risks and rewards are based on that.

• Lee Givens, Jr. worked at Microsoft, Meta, and Apple over a 15-year span.
• After leaving Microsoft and Meta, he lost his contract job at Apple and struggled to find work.
• He said learning about AI and exploring opportunities outside Big Tech helped him land a new role.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lee Givens, Jr., a 57-year-old product manager in Seattle who works at Woven by Toyota, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. Business Insider has verified his employment with documentation. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I’d worked at Big Tech companies for more than a decade, but a year ago, I found myself in the middle of a humbling job search.

I started working for Microsoft in 2011 as a product manager, but in 2014, I was among thousands of employees who were laid off. I never actually left Microsoft — I was given 60 days to find a new role internally and successfully moved into a program manager position in a different department.

By 2020, my job at Microsoft had become somewhat boring, in part because there was a lot of legal and compliance work. I also thought I needed a new challenge and more money.

I left Microsoft for a new opportunity, but looking back, I maybe shouldn’t have been so quick to leave. I’m now working at Toyota and am happy with my role, but I had to endure some ups and downs to get here.

Moving on from Microsoft and Meta

When I started looking for something new in 2020, Meta was actively recruiting. I decided to leave Microsoft for a product marketing manager role there, where I worked on an augmented reality glasses product. Some of the product plans went awry, and it felt like the team was in disarray.

In December 2021, after a little more than a year at Meta, I transitioned to a global product lead role at the software development company Unity.

Things didn’t ultimately work out there either. As I searched for work in recent years — and faced a challenging job market — I sometimes found myself thinking that I shouldn’t have left Microsoft.

Diving into AI after a layoff

Things at Unity seemed promising at first, but as the tech industry shifted toward AI, our researchers began to be poached left and right. We didn’t have the budget to keep them happy.

I still believed in Unity and really thought it had potential. However, in May 2023, a few days after getting married and honeymooning in Italy, I learned I’d been laid off.

This was the third layoff of my career, but it was the first time I had nothing in the pipeline to help me transition to my next role.

I decided to take some time to learn as much as I could about AI — and the basics of how AI frameworks like PyTorch and Modular’s MAX worked. My goal was to understand AI so I could better communicate with the engineers working on the technology.

I also actively applied for jobs and reached out to recruiters. Apple was one of my top targets, and I applied to every AI-related role I could find at the company.

Leaving Apple and learning how to find a job

After a few months of job searching, a recruiter contacted me about a contract opportunity at Apple for an engineering program manager role, which I started in September 2023.

My contract was extended every three months, and my manager told me that the company was attempting to transition me to a full-time role. It was my understanding that contractors in my group couldn’t stay beyond a year, so I figured I’d either be converted or out of a job.

As the one-year mark approached, I was told that a senior leader wanted everyone on my team to be based in Cupertino, California, where Apple is headquartered. My understanding was that my chances of landing a full-time role would increase dramatically if I moved to Cupertino.

But my wife and I didn’t want to leave Seattle. We had recently bought a home in the area, and she had a job there. By the time my contract with Apple ended in September 2024, I had started my next job search.

I found the job market to be extremely challenging

For six months, I had numerous conversations and interviews, and then a lot of “Nope, you didn’t get the job” messages.

I’d never had that problem before. Throughout my career, I had almost never actively sought a job. Most of the jobs I’d had came through friends or recruiters who actively pursued me. It was a humbling experience of putting out hundreds of résumés and not hearing back.

Fortunately, I found some part-time consulting gigs as I looked for work. I’d been good at investing — doing well enough that I could almost retire — so I wasn’t too worried about cash. My wife also had a fairly high-paying job.

Still, we had college expenses for two kids, and my wife was thinking about starting her own business. If we were to make this work financially, I felt I’d have to step up. This motivated me to find a job.

For months, I focused on getting back into Apple

I eventually decided to become more open to other opportunities. I started entertaining LinkedIn messages from recruiters I would’ve previously ignored.

One of those messages came from Toyota. The original job was based in Palo Alto, but the company was flexible and agreed to move the role to Seattle.

In April, after about two-and-a-half months of interviews, I joined the company as a staff product manager in the company’s Woven by Toyota subsidiary. I have a six-figure salary, and my total compensation is much higher than what I was earning at Meta and Apple.

I definitely think taking the time to learn more about AI helped me land the job, and that knowledge is driving the main work I’m doing now.

Reflections on my career journey

One of the biggest takeaways from my career journey is that when there’s a major technological shift — such as the rise of the internet or AI — you have to reinvent yourself. You need to dive deep into the technology to really understand it.

Another lesson: Don’t get pigeonholed. I had my heart set on staying at Apple, and I nearly missed out on a great opportunity. Be open to new industries — it could actually work out.

Additionally, don’t rush to switch jobs. Before I left Microsoft in 2020, I really clicked there and felt comfortable — and I think I maybe should’ve stuck around, even if part of me wanted to try something new. At the same time, leaving Microsoft set me on a path to learning more about AI, which I believe will serve me well in my career.

I’m happy with my current role. Toyota’s culture, legacy, and focus align closely with my approach to work. The subsidiary I work for is much smaller than Microsoft, Meta, and Apple, which has made it easier for me to make an impact and gain visibility with company leaders.

As tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela continue to intensify, some U.S. lawmakers are concerned at least one of President Trump’s boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea may have been a war crime.

Legal tech has had a breakout year for VC funding, which reached $3.2 billion in 2025. As the sector attracts investment, questions remain about a bubble and real revenue gains. Meanwhile, law firms are exploring ways to utilize AI to deliver better and faster service.

For many lawyers, 2025 was the year when using AI became mandatory.

Law firm leaders and general counsels moved the tech from pilots to production, standardizing research and drafting copilots while expanding innovation teams and training junior lawyers.

That demand fueled investment in a new crop of startups across contract review, corporate due diligence, predictive analytics, and more. Buzzy legaltech startups like Harvey and Legora pulled in bigger checks, as incumbents from LexisNexis to Clio made aggressive moves to keep pace.

Funding for legal companies hit $3.2 billion this year, according to Business Insider’s analysis of Crunchbase data and recent financings. Valuations on some names have prompted bubble talk, but buyer demand would suggest there’s at least real revenue beneath the hype.

This year, Business Insider had the inside track on legal tech companies raising money. Read on for our coverage of some of 2025’s most notable deals.

Legora raised $80 million — without even trying

Legora CEO Max Junestrand said the company wasn’t actively seeking funding last spring, but still, the offers flooded in. “I don’t think it’s a secret that things have been really working,” Junestrand said.

By now, the company has amassed over 400 clients across 40 markets, including big-league law firms like Cleary Gottlieb, Goodwin, Bird & Bird, and Mannheimer Swartling, Sweden’s largest law firm.

In October, Legora closed another blockbuster round, raising $150 million in Series C funding, led by Bessemer Venture Partners.

Eudia’s $75 million shopping spree

Eudia emerged from stealth in February with $105 million in Series A funding from General Catalyst. The investment had just one major condition: Eudia would get $30 million up front and the other $75 million as it found other companies to buy. Its first acquisition was Irish-founded alternative legal services provider Johnson Hana. In October, Eudia also acquired the legal service provider Out-House.

Bench IQ raised a round to predict judges’ rulings

Jimoh Ovbiagele, Bench IQ’s cofounder and chief executive, said Bench IQ has built a proprietary dataset and layered in large language models to forecast how judges tend to think and rule.

Battery Ventures and Inovia Capital led the company’s $5 million seed round. Before Bench IQ, Ovbiagele was a founder of Ross Intelligence, the legal research company that shut down after a costly lawsuit brought by Thomson Reuters.

An ex-Microsoft scientist takes on work visas

Priyanka Kulkarni spent nine years on a visa while working as an AI scientist for Microsoft. Now, her startup, Casium, which raised $5 million in seed funding, sells employers a portal to run visa cases end-to-end, replacing the Excel spreadsheets and, in many instances, the outside law firms that they usually rely on. The product is designed to respond to the rapidly changing employment immigration landscape as policy has swung in recent months.

The software-first approach to legal advice

WeWork’s former top lawyer raised $4 million to build an AI-native law firm. Covenant, cofounded by Jen Berrent, reviews fund docs for private market investors. Its tools use large language models to root through hundreds of pages of legal documents, raise red flags, and suggest stronger terms that are tailored to the investor’s own playbook.

A lawyer-backed startup for due diligence

Marveri wants to cut manual review from months to minutes. Their software sucks up all of a corporation’s documents, then automatically renames, organizes, and analyzes them. The company emerged from stealth with $3.5 million in funding. High-profile litigator Alex Spiro — best known for helping Elon Musk defeat a defamation lawsuit and getting Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter case dismissed — is advising the Marveri team.

Attorney’s crystal ball into settlement rulings

Theo Ai is building a “predictive engine” tool, aimed at law firms and large corporations, that it says takes the guesswork out of pricing a lawsuit. Earlier this month, the company told Business Insider it raised $3 million in new funding from Run Ventures, bringing total backing to more than $10 million. Trained on a firm’s own data, when a new case lands, the model finds look-alikes in that history and returns a settlement likelihood and range.