• Paul Kotas, SVP of Amazon Advertising, now reports directly to CEO Jeff Bezos, Business Insider has learned.
• The change follows the one-year leave of SVP Jeff Blackburn, who ran a vast portfolio of businesses, including advertising and video streaming. 
• Mike Hopkins, the newly hired SVP of Amazon Video and Studios, and Paul Krawiec, who runs corporate development teams, were also added to Bezos's inner circle last month.
• The promotion is the latest sign of Amazon putting more emphasis on its advertising business.
• Here's a list of the 12 executives who report directly to Bezos.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The head of Amazon's advertising unit, Paul Kotas, is now one of the 12 direct reports under CEO Jeff Bezos, signifying the growing importance of the ad business within the company.

Kotas, SVP of Amazon Advertising, was promoted last month, following the one-year leave of SVP Jeff Blackburn, who previously managed a vast group of teams including the advertising unit, Business Insider has learned. Mike Hopkins, the former chairman of Sony Pictures, was also added to Bezos's team, as previously reported, as well as Peter Krawiec, who runs Amazon's corporate development team.

This is the first major expansion in Bezos's direct reports in at least three years. Amazon's representative declined to comment.

Kotas's promotion follows the meteoric rise of Amazon's advertising business in recent years. As more sellers and brands buy ads on Amazon's marketplace to promote their products, Amazon saw its ad sales balloon to $14 billion last year, up roughly 40%. eMarketer predicts that Amazon will account for 10% of US digital ad spending by 2021, behind only Google and Facebook, which control a combined 60% of the market.

It's unclear if the organizational change is permanent, as Blackburn is expected to return next year. But it's a different arrangement from past cases. For example, when Diego Piacentini, Amazon's former SVP of international business, who previously reported to Bezos, took a leave in 2016, his successor Russ Grandinetti didn't get promoted to the CEO's inner circle, despite taking over most of his responsibilities. 

Other people who previously reported to Blackburn, like the executives running Amazon Music and the IMDb units, are now under Kotas, showing Bezos's interest in staying directly engaged with the advertising business.

There are other signs of Amazon putting more emphasis on its advertising business. Colleen Aubrey, VP of performance advertising, recently joined Bezos's "S-team," a broader group of more than 20 of Amazon's most senior executives who advise the CEO on major business decisions. The advertising team also hosted its first conference called AdCon 2019 last year.

Kotas first joined Amazon in 1999, making him one of the company's longest-tenured executives. He was one of the first employees to leave D.E. Shaw — Bezos's former employer — to join Amazon, but he had pushed back his move a couple of years, costing him a fortune in stock compensation, according to Brad Stone's book, "The Everything Store."

Here's a closer look at the 12 most powerful people at Amazon who report directly to Bezos:

Jeff Wilke, CEO of worldwide consumer

Wilke is one of the three CEOs at Amazon, alongside Bezos and Andy Jassy, who runs the AWS cloud division. Wilke, who first joined Amazon in 1999, is in charge of everything on the retail side, including the marketplace, Prime memberships, and Whole Foods. 

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services

Jassy, who started at Amazon in 1997, is the face of the AWS cloud division. As CEO of AWS, Jassy runs all aspects of the $35 billion business, and is considered one of Bezos's most trusted lieutenants.

Jeff Blackburn, SVP, Business and Corporate Development

Blackburn runs newer parts of Amazon, such as Prime Video and its advertising business. He also oversees the company's M&A and investment arms. Blackburn, who joined Amazon in 1998, is also considered one of the closest advisers to Bezos. He's currently taking a one-year sabbatical.

Dave Limp, SVP, Amazon Devices, Digital Management

Limp is Amazon's hardware boss. He runs the secretive Lab126 team and other parts of Amazon's hardware business, such as the Alexa voice-assistant. He joined Amazon in 2010.

Jay Carney, SVP, Global Corporate Affairs

Carney runs all press and policy teams at Amazon. His role has grown in importance lately as Amazon has faced a more hostile regulatory environment. Carney previously served as the White House press secretary for President Barack Obama.

Brian Olsavsky, SVP and CFO

Olsavsky is in charge of Amazon's finances. He's best known for taking the company's earnings call every quarter. After joining Amazon in 2002, he was promoted to CFO in 2015.

David Zapolsky, SVP & General Counsel, Legal

Zapolsky is Amazon's top lawyer. He oversees Amazon's legal and compliance issues. He became the general counsel in 2014, nearly 15 years after joining Amazon.

Beth Galetti, SVP, Human Resources

Galetti is in charge of Amazon's human resources division. Her responsibilities include hiring and employee benefits, as well as performance reviews. She was named the HR chief in 2016, just three years after joining Amazon.

John Connors, Executive Assistant

Connors has been Bezos's executive assistant for the past two decades. That loyalty has earned Bezos's respect, as he thanked Connors in an Instagram post last year for his continued service. "You're a big reason I'm able to be so busy and not go nuts — in fact, you somehow even make it calm!" Bezos wrote.

Paul Kotas, SVP of Amazon Advertising

Kotas joined Amazon in 1999, after a brief stint at D.E. Shaw, Bezos's former employer. He's in charge of Amazon's advertising business, which has been one of the fastest growing and most profitable parts of the company in recent years.

Mike Hopkins, SVP of Amazon Video and Studios

Hopkins, the former chairman of Sony Pictures, joined Amazon last month, as the new leader of Amazon's video streaming and content business. Previously, he was also the CEO of Hulu and the president of distribution for Fox Networks Group.

Peter Krawiec, VP of worldwide corporate development

Krawiec leads Amazon's corporate development group, overseeing the company's acquisitions, investments, and partnerships. He joined Amazon in 2004. His role has become more important as Amazon has become a more active buyer and investor in recent years.

SEE ALSO: A leaked recording of an Amazon retail executive sheds light on its vision for physical stores and the future of retail

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• When this week's Super Tuesday results came in, many Bernie Sanders supporters were surprised and disappointed by his lackluster performance. 
• His supporters took to social media to express their outrage, blaming fellow candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren for not dropping out of the race and splitting critical progressive votes.
• Supporters online viciously attacked Warren, calling her a "snake" and a "traitor"— some even began organizing online so that she would lose her US Senate seat for Massachusetts. 
• When asked about the attacks by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Bernie Sanders condemned the "ugly, personal attacks" against Warren. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Bernie Sanders' most fervent supporters have built a grassroots progressive political movement since his 2016 presidential bid, showing up in throngs to his rallies.

But some are also notorious for viciously mobbing his opponents online — something the Vermont senator and 2020 presidential candidate has repeatedly denounced.

And after Sander's lackluster Super Tuesday performance, some of his most dogged backers directed their outrage at his fellow progressive candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, sending a barrage of hateful messages and urging her to drop out of the race and endorse him.

In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday — before Warren dropped out of the race— Sanders was once again forced to address the more insidious side of his fan base. Sanders condemned them.

"We don't need ugly, personal attacks against Sen. Warren, or anyone else for that measure," Sanders said.

Sanders noted that he hoped to encourage fans to have "vigorous debates" about issues online, instead of lambasting his opponents. 

Maddow asked Sanders about the "big distance" between his "congeniality" with Warren and the vitriol directed at his opponent online. 

She pointed to Sanders supporters who sent her snake emojis and called her a traitor. Some believed that Warren split up the progressive vote, contributing to his disappointing performance. Some Sanders fans went as far as organizing online so that she would lose her US Senate seat in Massachusetts, Maddow said. 

The presidential candidate responded that he was "absolutely aghast" and "disgusted" with their aggression online and condemned their behavior. 

Sanders acknowledged that he had a "cordial" conversation with Warren as she reassessed her candidacy, but did not discuss the details of their discussion.

Sanders faced similar problems in the 2016 election

This isn't the first time that Sanders had to address the aggression of some of his base. In 2016, Sanders addressed a sect of over-zealous supporters known as the "Bernie Bros" who gained notoriety for making sexist, derogatory remarks about Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton.

Throughout his 2020 bid, Sanders once again has had to reckon with the vitriol his supporters have spewed in his name — many believe that their aggression has ironically hurt Sanders' campaign overall. 

Later in the interview, Maddow raised questions about whether the hostility from his base had ruined the prospects of Warren and Sanders working together in the future — specifically in a possible Sanders administration.

The Vermont Senator refuted the idea, that at the end of the day, they both support the same policies, including Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage and canceling student debt despite having "major nuances" on the issues.

"Essentially she has run her campaign in the way that we have: taking on powerful corporate interests and representing working families in this country — something that is long overdue," Sanders told Maddow.  

Now that Warren has dropped out of the presidential race, many are speculating who she will decide to throw her support behind for the remainder of the primary — and if she could become a vice presidential pick for either candidate. 

When asked if he would consider Warren, however, Sanders kept his response vague and claiming that it was too early to have the conversation.

"I have a lot of respect for Senator warren and would love to talk to her about what kind of role she can have in our administration," he replied. 

Watch his interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow here>>>>

• Read More:

• Joe Biden dominated Super Tuesday, and Mike Bloomberg dropped out — see the full results with live vote counts and breaking news

• Elizabeth Warren drops out of the 2020 presidential race

• A group photo of all the 2020 female Democratic presidential candidates is going viral now that Elizabeth Warren has dropped out

• Bernie Sanders addresses 'Bernie bro' phenomenon: 'We don't want that crap'

Join the conversation about this story »

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• The Senate voted Thursday to approve a roughly $8 billion emergency funding deal to address the coronavirus.
• It was the latest step in a race to contain an outbreak that has killed nearly a dozen in the US.
• The quick turnaround of the legislation underscored a sense of urgency in Washington as policymakers scrambled to respond to the respiratory illness COVID-19.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Senate voted to approve a roughly $8 billion emergency funding deal to address the coronavirus on Thursday, the latest step in a race to contain an outbreak that has killed nearly a dozen in the US. 

The House approved the sweeping bill 415-2 just a day before, underscoring a sense of urgency in Washington as policymakers scrambled to respond to the respiratory illness COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control warned last week the outbreak would almost certainly spread throughout communities in the US.

"This is a public health challenge that is upon us," Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor. "We need to support the federal, state and local public health officials and healthcare professionals who are working overtime to blunt, delay and mitigate the spread of the virus."

President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law by the end of the week. The overwhelming passage in the upper chamber came after several days of negotiations and partisan spats over vaccine pricing, access to virtual healthcare and other issues. 

"As we confront this widening crisis, it is important to remember that we are not Republicans or Democrats seeking to score political points in addressing this threat. We are Americans," said Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

The bill includes more than $3 billion for the research and development of vaccines and diagnostics, roughly $2.2 billion to fund public health programs, and $1 billion for medical supplies and other preparedness measures. The legislation also offers low-interest Small Business Administration loans for companies that have struggled in the face of the virus. 

Read more:2 Wall Street firms lay out scenarios for a coronavirus-fueled recession — including how far stocks will ultimately plunge

The State Department is separately set to receive $1.25 billion toward efforts to contain the outbreak abroad, despite a longshot amendment from Senator Rand Paul to cut certain international expenditures. 

"I support our government's efforts to fight the coronavirus," the Kentucky Republican, a longtime deficit hawk who has pushed for similar appropriations amendments before, said in a statement. "We also owe it to the American people to do it in a way that avoids piling billions more in debt on their backs."

The so-called supplemental is more than triple the size of the one requested by the White House last week, which sparked opposition on both sides of the aisle. Trump quickly changed course and signaled he would accept far more than the $2.5 billion package his administration requested, which would have diverted about $1.25 billion from other federal programs.

Contact this reporter at gheeb@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: Another global authority slashes its growth forecast to near-standstill levels, as experts brace for the worst economy since the financial crisis

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• You can add your location on a Facebook post using Facebook's check-in feature.
• If you have a Facebook business page, you can also use this feature to help get the word out about your business.
• To share your location in a Facebook post, all you have to do is click or tap the "Check In" button.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Facebook introduced the check in feature way back in 2010, but the location sharing feature has remained popular since then.

In fact, it's become a great tool for businesses to advertise organically. Businesses can add a location to their Facebook business page, and then customers can check in and share the business' location with their friends and family on Facebook. 

If you aren't familiar with the feature, here's how to use it:

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How to add your location on Facebook post using a computer

1. Open Facebook on your Mac or PC and log into your account.

2. Click the white box under "Create Post" to create a new Facebook post. 

3. Once you've finished writing your post, click the "Check In" button below the text box.

4. Type your location into the pop-up text box, and then choose the location from the dropdown menu that best matches the location.

5. Click the blue "Post" button to publish your post.

How to add your location on Facebook using a mobile device

1. Open the Facebook app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Make sure you're logged into your Facebook account.

2. Click on "What's on your mind?" in the white box at the top of your home page.

3. Write or add photos to your post, and when you're finished tap the "Check In" button.

4. Search for a location by typing it into the search bar, or tap the blue paper airplane icon in the top-right corner to automatically search for your current location. If you don't see the icon, you might have to enable your location in your Facebook app settings. 

5. Once you see the location you're looking for in the results list, tap it. 

6. You'll now see your post draft with your location added. Tap the blue "Post" button in the top-right corner to publish your post.

How to turn on the Facebook check-in feature for your business

If you run a business with a Facebook page and want to allow people to check-in to your business, here's how to set it up.

1. Open your business page on Facebook on your Mac or PC. Make sure you're logged in.

2. Click "About" on the left hand side.

3. Click on "Edit Page Info."

4. Click the checkbox next to "Has a street address" and then enter your business address.

5. Under the map, click the checkbox next to "Customers visit my business at my address."

6. Click "Save Changes."

If this doesn't work for you, then you may have to change your page's category settings first.

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• How to clear your Facebook app's cache on an iPhone to help the app run more efficiently

• How to find your post drafts in the Facebook app on an Android, so you can delete or post them

• How to find your saved videos on Facebook using a computer or mobile device

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• Yoga mats are inherently portable but those built specifically for travel are extra pliable and lightweight in order to avoid taking up much space in your suitcase.
• Since yoga is able to be done almost anywhere, it's reasonable to want to bring a mat along with you whether you commute across the city for work or travel often.
• Our top pick, Manduka's eKO Superlite Travel Yoga Mat, is made of durable materials, weighs only 2.2 pounds, and is highly flexible without sacrificing quality. 

Yoga is the ideal form of exercise for travel. You can do it anywhere (even in hotel rooms or airport waiting rooms) and with almost no equipment. The one thing you do need for yoga, however, is a mat.

While yoga mats are inherently somewhat portable, designed to be rolled or folded so you can toss them in your car or backpack, some mats are certainly better for travel than others.

Travel yoga mats are usually thinner and more compact. Often the materials are more pliable and they sometimes come with additional straps or pouches for added portability. The best ones are foldable, so you can pack them in a suitcase without taking up too much space.

Sometimes travel yoga mats have less padding than regular mats, which can be an issue for people who have sensitive knees or wrists. That said, there are plenty of them that rival the quality of typical mats while remaining travel-friendly.

For standard yoga mats, check out our guide on the best yoga mats you can buy.

The best travel yoga mats you can buy:

• Best overall: Manduka eKO Superlite Travel Yoga Mat
• Best budget travel yoga mat: Gaiam Foldable Yoga Mat
• Best multi-size travel yoga mat: Jade Yoga Travel Yoga Mat
• Best reversible travel yoga mat: The Reversible (Un)Mat
• Best machine-washable travel yoga mat: Clever Yoga Travel Mat

Updated 3/5/2020 by Rick Stella: Updated the introduction and added more context for travel yoga mat uses, checked each pick for availability, changed the prices where necessary, and updated the links and formatting.

SEE ALSO: The best yoga mats you can buy

The best overall

The Manduka eKO Superlite Yoga Travel Mat weighs only 2.2 pounds and is highly flexible for travel, without sacrificing the quality of the materials.

In my research, one mat popped up repeatedly as the best choice: the Manduka eKO Superlite Yoga Travel Mat. At 2.2 pounds and 1.5-mm thick, it's extremely lightweight and flexible, making it easy to fold up tightly and toss in a suitcase.

Despite being so thin, the mat's material is built to last. It's made of sustainable, natural tree rubber that's resistant to tearing and still retains its shape even with frequent use. The surface texture creates a strong grip for sweaty hands, too. All Manduka mats are made without PVC or potentially toxic plasticizers.

Pros: Folds down very small, lightweight, tear-resistant, natural rubber, sticky surface

Cons: Expensive, not a lot of padding

The best budget mat

The Gaiam Foldable Travel Yoga Mat is a compact and grippy option with an under-$20 price tag.

I get it: No one likes the idea of spending $40 or more on a mat you only use a couple of times a year. Infrequent travelers, then, will love the Gaiam Foldable Travel Yoga Mat.

This one-pound mat is even more lightweight than Manduka's eKO Superlite but it's slightly thicker at 2mm thick. The whole mat folds down to a 10-inch-wide and 12-inch-long rectangle for easy transportation in a carry-on or overnight duffel bag. It's one of the most affordable options available, too. 

I have a full-sized Gaiam yoga mat that's lasted me for years with regular use, so I can attest to the quality of the brand's goods.

Pros: Affordable, very lightweight, meant to be folded

Cons: PVC material

The best multi-size mat

The Jade Yoga Travel Mat comes in two sizes to accommodate people of different heights.

People come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so why shouldn't their yoga mats? The Jade Yoga Travel Mat is available in 68-inch and 74-inch lengths, allowing you to choose the right one based on your height.

Jade Yoga puts special attention on sustainability, in the construction of the mats and through a partnership with the organization, Trees for the Future. The mats are made of natural rubber sourced from trees with no PVC or other synthetic materials added. For each one purchased, the brand ensures a new tree will be planted.

A no-slip, open-cell (more absorbent) surface gives you a solid grip, and it features a much plusher cushioning compared to other travel mats. At approximately 3 pounds, it's a bit heavier than others on this list, though. If you find yourself frequently winching during kneeling poses, you'll appreciate the additional support.

One downside is that, unlike most travel yoga mats, Jade's rolls instead of folds, so it may be harder to fit in your luggage. On the other hand, the quality makes it a great multi-use pick for home practice as well as travel.

Pros: Natural materials, purchase benefits Trees for the Future, more cushioning

Cons: Heavier than many other travel mats

The best reversible mat

The cleverly named Reversible (Un)Mat from Lululemon is like having two lightweight yoga mats for the price of one.

One of the downsides of taking your yoga practice on the road is decreased access to the props and extras that make classes and at-home vinyasa sessions more enjoyable. The Reversible (Un)Mat from Lululemon helps solve that problem with a moisture-absorbing polyurethane-coated layer on one side.

If you get super sweaty during a vigorous practice, use this grippier side to keep yourself from slip-sliding off the mat. For more chill sessions, you can use the rubberized side. This mat is a bit thinner than our other picks at 1.5 mm, so if you like mats with ample cushion, you may need to look elsewhere. Antimicrobial rubber means you can toss it in a suitcase without stressing about mold buildup.

Pros: Reversible with a grippier side for when you sweat, very thin and light, antimicrobial

Cons: Not very cushioned

The best machine-washable mat

The Clever Yoga Travel Mat is odor-resistant and simple to clean, which is great news for practitioners of hot yoga.

Is it just me or is cleaning your yoga mat the worst chore? Most of the time they need to be wiped-down, which is time-consuming and not necessarily foolproof if you've got a sticky, grippy mat.

Thankfully, the Clever Yoga Travel Mat is machine-washable, making it a great choice for travelers who may have to pack quickly after practice. This pick is highly recommended for hot-yoga fans because of the "microfiber moisture-activated grip top layer" and nonslip rubber base.

The mat is 1-mm thick and weighs about 2.5 pounds. It's odor-resistant, thanks to a waterproof film that prevents moisture and sweat from absorbing into the materials. Like most travel mats, it folds easily to fit in a carry-on, backpack, or suitcase.

Pros: Machine washable, odor-resistant, non-slip, affordable

Cons: Very little cushioning

• Technology skills remain in high demand on Wall Street as banks look to adopt more digital tools — but another talent gap is emerging.
• As coding abilities become more commonplace among traders and other finance positions, Wall Street banks like State Street are seeing a demand for individuals with stronger soft skills like critical thinking and creative problem solving.
• It's one reason why music majors and other nontraditional backgrounds are of high interest, according to global head of algorithmic trading Nickolas Delikaris.  
• Individuals with those degrees have "a very unique way of approaching a problem," added Jay Biancamano, who heads State Street's global digital product development and innovation team.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS— Large US banks are spending heavily on their digital overhauls. But while a lack of tech talent remains a problem, there is another skills shortage that also threatens to blunt those innovation efforts.

Increasingly, finance backgrounds are no longer the only required skill for traders and other positions. Now, they must be experts — or at least proficient — in programming languages like python. It's a key focus of the multibillion dollar reskilling efforts underway across corporate America— and a major area of recruitment for human resources departments. 

Companies like JPMorgan Chase and Citibank, for example, are putting more employees through coding boot camps.

And State Street — which manages assets for corporations, mutual funds, and other non-individual investors — is interviewing more people from Amazon and Facebook than Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley, according to global head of algorithmic trading Nickolas Delikaris.

But as those skills become commonplace, one key differentiator is emerging that is more difficult to train: the ability to problem solve and collaborate in more diverse cohorts.

"Old traders all had the same skill set, and you were basically fighting with one another to go up the food chain," Delikaris told Business Insider. Now, "you're building teams with complementary skill sets."

State Street has a strong need for those new skills as it pivots to automation. The company has laid off thousands of workers— including 15% of its senior staff — as it adopts new digital capabilities across its operations.

Delikaris and Jay Biancamano, who heads the firm's global digital product development and innovation team, are the ones responsible for much of that drive. The two work closely together to figure out which projects to pursue and whether the initiatives are showing any early successes.  

Music majors replacing finance degrees 

For both teams, the digital push is creating a demand for more atypical backgrounds in the highly competitive finance industry, like music majors.

Those who graduate with such a degree have "a very unique way of approaching a problem" that helps the bank overcome a shortage in skilled labor in other areas, according to Biancamano. 

"No company has all the talent that it needs to facilitate" a digital transformation, he said. "Even if they had the talent, they either don't have enough of it, or they don't have the right matching." He added that the only way to be nimble is to have a network that can adapt. 

Those who take music theory courses, for example, learn how to pair basic notes together to create more complicated and compelling pieces. Such an education helps teach graduates the nontechnical skills State Street and other banks now expect, according to Delikaris.

"That's everything you think about in business," he said. "You've got a component that you have to understand at a broader level that gets you something very, very creative. But it's putting it all together, and then it's hammering home the implementation side of things."

The soft-skills gap 

But it's not just music degrees that come out of college armed with those critical soft skills. Delikaris says one of the most successful members of his team is a history major — a background that a decade ago would have been very uncommon at a financial institution.

"The soft skills have become more important than the hard skills," he said. "Do I need somebody that knows finance and could break down a mortgage? No. I need somebody that could think and actually guess what we want to do" before being told. 

And that mindset goes beyond just the financial sector. Among the soft skills lacking the most among applicants in the US are problem solving and critical thinking, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. 

Companies and universities are taking unique approaches to teach their workers those abilities. Fayez Mohamood, the CEO of software firm Bluecore, makes his employees take improv classes. And Northeastern University requires its computer scientists to enroll in theater courses.

State Street runs a program called "the enumerators," where each year roughly 35 people are chosen to take courses on both technical subjects like coding, as well as soft-skill development.

The inspiration to start it came three years ago after the company sent all of its traders to coding academy.

"If you're a go-getter and want to start something and you get a little bit of a tipping point, the firm actually goes out of its way to try to reward that," Delikaris said. "It gives people a good feeling. They know if they put in some effort, they're going to get a reward — or at least the leash to try it."

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• A $400 million skyscraper being built in Dubai will give the impression that it "breathes," as CNN reported.
• Wasl Tower's facade will have ceramic fins illuminated by pulsating lighting to make the building appear to "breathe" with the cadence of the city, according to the architecture firm.
• The 990-foot skyscraper will house a Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel, private apartments, and public spaces including multiple infinity pools.
• Construction started in 2016, and it's expected to be completed by August 2021.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A supertall skyscraper under construction in Dubai will be designed to give the impression that it "breathes," CNN reported.

Wasl Tower, which sits right across the street from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, will cost an estimated $400 million to build, according to CNN.

The skyscraper's twisting facade will include ceramic fins illuminated by pulsating lighting to give the impression that the building "breathes" with the cadence of the city, according to the architecture firm behind the building, UNStudio.

The tower will include a Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel, private apartments, offices, and public spaces.

Wasl Tower is expected to be finished in August 2021. Here's what it will look like.

SEE ALSO: The 17 tallest buildings in the world right now, ranked

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When it's completed in August 2021, Dubai's Wasl Tower will soar more than 990 feet in the air.

It will sit on Sheikh Zayed Road, right across the street from the 2,716-foot Burj Khalifa, which has reigned as the world's tallest building since 2010.

A pedestrian bridge will link the two buildings, running from Wasl Tower to the Burj Khalifa metro station.

The slender, supertall skyscraper will have a twisting design that was meant to allow it to face in almost every direction, according to the architecture firm, UNStudio.

Wasl Tower is expected to be one of the world's tallest buildings with a ceramic facade.

The ceramic fins on the side of the tower will be illuminated by rhythmic lighting to give the impression that the building "breathes" with the cadence of the city, according to UNStudio.

"The rhythmic pulsating of the LED facade lighting system will draw attention to the tower in an ephemeral manner without casting additional ambient light pollution into the already active skyline," a spokesperson for UNStudio told Business Insider.

Construction on the Wasl Tower started in 2016. If it's finished on schedule, it will take about five years to build.

Dubai's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, took about six years to build.

Wasl Tower will house a Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel, offices, private residences, and rooftop pools.

The hotel will comprise 250 five-star guest rooms.

Renderings of the tower show a "vertical boulevard" that runs the full height of the tower.

This "vertical boulevard" will be made by stacking outdoor balconies, which will create a "green vein" and give a glimpse into the interior of the building, according to UNStudio.

It will be topped by infinity pools on the roof of the tower.

Inside, the higher levels of the building will be occupied by residential apartments, which will have their own separate elevator banks.

At the base of the tower will be a low-rise car park building, which will also house a ballroom. Yet another outdoor pool will sit on the roof of the car park.

• Mark Goldberg, a partner at Index Ventures, took a title cut for his current job in venture capital. 
• It felt like a step backward, he told podcaster Harry Stebbings on an episode of The Twenty Minute VC.
• The title cut put him on a path to becoming a partner at the firm, where he focuses on investments in financial services, insurance, real estate, and enterprise software.
• His advice to people who want to break into the venture capital industry is to take a position because of its responsibilities, not its title.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Four years ago, Mark Goldberg was working as a business strategy and operations lead at Dropbox when he interviewed for an entry-level position at Index Ventures in San Francisco.

It was only a little soul-crushing, he told podcaster and venture capitalist Harry Stebbings on a recent episode of The Twenty Minute VC.

"I was 30 years old and I was offered a position as an associate. I'd been an associate 8 years earlier in my career at a private equity fund, so it felt like, from a title perspective, I was taking this massive step backward," said Goldberg, who is now a partner at the firm.

An associate is the rough equivalent of a line cook in a restaurant kitchen. They don't usually have the ability to write checks, which puts their station below a partner or a principal. At most private equity shops, associates are responsible for sourcing deals and researching companies as part of the diligence process before their firm makes an investment. 

Even though Goldberg had worked as a senior associate at a small investment firm before joining a startup, he took the title cut at Index Ventures.

"The reason I did it was because what Index promised me was a flat hierarchy, a ton of autonomy, and the ability to start doing investments," Goldberg told Stebbings on the podcast. "That is really I think what has given me the chance to learn and improve in this job very quickly."

As an associate, he surfaced deals including Built, Nova Credit, and CoverWallet, and worked closely with fast-growing software startups in the portfolio, like Pilot and Intercom. He carved a niche in investing in technologies related to financial services, insurance, real estate, and enterprise software, and in 2018, he was promoted to partner.

His takeaway was that a job's responsibilities are more important than the title.

"I guess my advice to investors a little earlier in their career would be to find a platform that is willing to give you autonomy and to let you learn and open the aperture of risk," Goldberg said, "because you need to get comfortable with that and that's how you're going to become a great investor."

You can listen to the full episode of The Twenty Minute VC here.

SEE ALSO: Ashton Kutcher says that he identifies new startups to invest in by asking to see the smartphone home screen of everybody he meets

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• At GM's EV day in Detroit, the carmaker also provided details on updates to Cadillac's Super Cruise system, which enables fully handsfree highway driving.
• Super Cruise has been limited to a single Cadillac model, the CT6 sedan, but it's coming to new Cadillac vehicles in 2020, including the Escalade SUV.
• A crossover SUV version of the all-electric Chevy Bolt will be the first non-Caddy to get the Super Cruise tech.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

General Motors held an electric-vehicle day event at the company's Technical Center near Detroit this week to showcase a range of forthcoming electric cars and a new battery technology. 

But GM also spent some time talking about Super Cruise, its fully handsfree self-driving system, which has only been available on one Cadillac model, the CT6 sedan.

Here's the staggering statistic: 85% of owners who drive Super Cruise-equipped cars told Cadillac that they'd never considering buying a vehicle that doesn't have the tech. That's 85% of a relatively small number of people. But still, it's 85%.

I tested Super Cruise a few years ago when it first hit the market, and I was extremely impressed with the early iteration of the system. It's the best semi-self-driving technology on the market.

It can't perform in as many different environments as a major competitor such as Tesla's Autopilot. But in its carefully-defined operational context — mapped highways — it's more or less faultless. Since its introduction in 2017, Cadillac hasn't had a single issue with the system. (Super Cruise combines on-board cameras and radars with sophisticated GPS and detailed laser-radar maps to enable a vehicle to know exactly where it is at a given point in time.)

Many of the upgrades to Super Cruise, coming in 2020, are minor and related to consumer feedback about how to engage that tech.

But one new feature stands out. 

With the current version, if a driver wants to move from one highway to another, he or she needs to take back control while their vehicle negotiates an interchange. In the future, Super Cruise would be able to handle that maneuver while Super Cruise is engaged. 

Super Cruise will also tweak how it monitors whether a driver is paying attention while in the handsfree mode, which while operating displays a large green light bar on the steering wheel. The improvements are designed to prevent the system from over-intervening.

The technology is now a $2,500 option for CT6 buyers.

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• Pipette's Baby Balm ($13) is the most effective and nonirritating lotion alternative I've found that diminishes my daughter's eczema.
• Launched in September 2019, Pipette makes bath and moisturizing products for mom and baby.
• Their formulas are hypoallergenic and Environmental Working Group (EWG) Verified.
• I've found that this balm is an excellent option for those who are sensitive to perfumed baby lotions or need a quality baby moisturizer suitable for fall and winter.

I've been on the hunt for an effective environmentally friendly, unscented baby moisturizer since I was pregnant. 

That was four years ago.

Yeah, it's been a journey. So you'll understand why a seemingly simple tub of Pipette Baby Balm has me as hyped up as a kid at "Baby Shark Live." 

Two weeks and 22 uses since purchase, I think I may finally be able to toss out the graveyard of half-used lotions and balms taking up space in my bathroom cabinet.

I tried Pipette on a lark thanks to a 20% off coupon. The brand, which launched in September 2019, makes moisturizers and bath products for babies and moms.

Although my daughter is a toddler now, I still gravitate toward baby products because they tend to have fewer ingredients and lighter scents. It's also a consideration for my work as a postpartum doula. New families are always in need of reliable, baby-safe products that aren't a waste of money.

What makes Pipette stand out from other baby care products?

While cruelty-free, vegan, and unscented were the initial draw for me, I will admit that I am a sucker for minimalist packaging, and Pipette's sedate, slightly retro, mint-and-navy blue combo definitely caught my eye.

The design is as clean and simple as its ingredients. The packaging is recyclable, and according to the brand's website, renewable plastics are used "whenever possible." Although that iffy language is underwhelming, the company does not test on animals and features only plant-derived ingredients.

On top of that, all of their products carry the Environmental Working Group's EWG Verified guarantee that they do not contain potentially harmful ingredients.

What are the ingredients in the Baby Balm?

When it comes to babies, less is definitely more. A main selling point of this brand is that it does not contain fillers or synthetics.

Pipette relies on sugarcane-derived "squalane," which is intended to mimic our body's own squalene (with an "e"), a skin-moisturizing lipid we naturally produce. To that, it adds plant-derived fatty acids, berry wax, a few fruit/plant-based binders and moisturizers, and vitamin E. 

What it does not contain may be more newsworthy: no petrolatum, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, oxybenzone, talc, polyethylene glycol, formaldehyde, or retinyl palmitate. Although these ingredients are commonly found in beauty and bath products, they are arguably irritants, potential carcinogens, allergens, and/or hormone disruptors.

Putting the Baby Balm to the test against toddler eczema

Once fall hits, dryness is a given. And as the chilly New England temperatures drop further, my household is up against something even worse: eczema. It manifests as small red and raised patches that drive my daughter crazy with itching. Unrefined extra-virgin coconut oil has been my fallback since she was an infant, but it is messy and takes time to absorb.

Other nonsynthetic products didn't work for us, for various combinations of lackluster moisture, allergenic ingredients, or not-quite-right scents. Everyone for Everybody is a terrific synthetic-free brand, but it's extremely lightweight. I even plunked down $35 to try a jar of Pommade Divine Nature's Remedy Balm, but its medicinal scent and greasy after-life doomed it to the back of the drawer almost instantly.

That brings us to Pipette. I decided to test the balm by finger-painting a thin coat on my daughter's face post-bath, as well as the crooks of her elbows and several other targeted spots. Once our mornings hit below freezing, I repeated a quick swipe on her cheeks before heading out to daycare. In three days, her cheeks went from a patchwork of bright red blotches to a few faint rosy marks. Nothing else has done that as fast or as effectively.

The bottom line

So, should you buy it? Yes. Particularly if you are interested in vegan products without synthetic ingredients, are sensitive to perfumed baby lotions, or need a quality baby moisturizer suitable for fall and winter.

There are literally thousands of options there. I am recommending this as a replacement for baby's daily lotion and as a spot fix for patches of extra-dry skin. Depending on your needs, other products may be better for your baby. If cradle cap is a concern, I recommend unrefined extra virgin coconut oil. If diaper rash is cropping up, there is nothing better than Boudreaux's Butt Paste in my experience.

If you love fragrant "baby-smelling" things, this probably won't hit the mark for you. Though it's marketed as "unscented," the balm smells a bit like linseed oil. Or, if you ask my toddler, it "smells like unicorn syrup!!!"

I've read some reviews that say the balm felt greasy or didn't absorb. That was not my experience. In fact, I felt it was the opposite. At $13 for 2 ounces, Pipette is pricier than many store-bought options. However, it's less expensive than upscale balms and lotions targeting consumers who want products free of synthetics and potentially harmful ingredients.

You can purchase Pipette Baby Balm on its own or as part of a bundled gift pack. I purchased the Moisturizing Bath Set ($30). (The Baby Lotion is great so far, but its scent is more medicinal than the Balm).

Pros: Plant-derived ingredients; no perfumes or synthetic fragrance; moisturizing, absorbent, and non-greasy

Cons: More expensive than mainstream store-bought alternatives

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• Recent congressional inquiries into Envestnet's Yodlee and Avast's Jumpshot highlight the risks aggregators of alternative data and their hedge-fund clients have as they rely on datasets that could disappear overnight.
• Business Insider spoke with about a dozen alternative-data providers and consumers to get a sense of how to sell and use a product, respectively, that is not guaranteed to always be there. 
• "It's a problem, and it's a largely unhedgeable risk," Tammer Kamel, the cofounder and CEO of Quandl, said.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tammer Kamel built — and sold — a business around finding unique datasets financial-services clients can't get anywhere else.

His company, Quandl, which was bought by Nasdaq at the end of 2018, relies on third-party data streams of unique information, such as satellite images and credit-card transactions, to create products hedge funds and asset managers can use to either generate or reinforce their investment strategies. 

But collecting rare datasets is only half the battle. Data aggregators like Quandl run the risk of having the originators they pull from shut off with little-to-no heads-up. That was the case in 2018 when a data stream Quandl was using essentially went dark overnight after it was acquired by a company that no longer wanted to license data. 

The issue sits at the core of every data aggregator in the alternative-data space, Kamel told Business Insider.

"With uniqueness comes this risk that if the source evaporates, there is no substitute for it. That is why it was valuable in the first place," Kamel said. "It is a problem, and it is largely an unhedgeable risk."

While frustrating, Kamel acknowledged the data product being wound down wasn't the end of the world. Quandl's customers, which includes quant funds and corporate organizations and counts over 400,000 users on its platform, understood the situation and were willing to continue to work with the company.

But clients aren't always so understanding, especially if the reason a data source is shut down stems from regulatory issues. 

"That's the nightmare scenario," Kamel said. "The dataset disappearing, that's annoying. If the dataset proves to be ill-gotten, that's the disaster."

The risk is becoming ever more real as Avast's Jumpshot has been permanently shut down due to privacy issues while Envestnet's Yodlee is currently dealing with congressional inquiries. Yodlee, which has data on credit-card transactions, and Jumpshot, which provided metrics on clickstream data, are far from the only ones affected though.

Hedge funds and data aggregators build investment models and research projects off the raw data provided by companies like Yodlee and Jumpshot. There has already been collateral damage. Connexity, a Los Angeles-based online-retailer conglomerate, shut down its website-traffic-analytics arm Hitwise within a week of Jumpshot closing because it was extremely reliant on the now shuttered data stream. 

"Any model, any strategy we build, cannot be dependent on one or two data providers," Yin Lou, the head of Wolfe Research's quant division, said.

How hedge funds protect themselves

Lou said the firm uses more than 100 outside data providers and that 80% of the providers have a clear backup in case the primary option goes dark. For example, the firm uses RavenPack data for social-media tracking and backs it up with Refinitiv's social-media data if needed.

While there's not a risk to the entire business of the largest hedge funds, losing a data feed as widely used as Yodlee could disproportionately affect some teams, Lou said. 

"I do know many consumer PMs were using Yodlee data extensively," he added.

Smaller hedge funds might also run into problems of overreliance on a single dataset, not because they are not careful, but because they can't afford to pay so many different data providers, Steve Iannini, who runs the alt-data company P Street Advisors, said.

Organizations that can afford both the data streams and the personnel to turn that information into investment ideas make up the top of the hedge-fund industry — quant funds like Two Sigma and Renaissance Technologies and multistrategy funds like Point72, Citadel, and ExodusPoint. 

"There's a relative few number of hedge funds that are really in the data game," Iannini said. 

Campbell & Co., a Baltimore hedge fund that runs billions in its systematic strategies, has built an expectation for errors in data feeds, Kevin Cole, the firm's chief investment officer, said.

Cole said the firm has had practice dealing with data streams going dark during government shutdowns, which temporarily halts data like economic output and unemployment figures.

When a data feed is cut off, Campbell has to decide how long a model can run without certain data. If it goes on long enough, the manager will allocate away from the model or even shut it down for a period until it feels like it can either replace the data or the feed comes back. 

"It should be assumed it will happen, not that it is an exception to the fact," he said. 

Some investors are choosing to buy less alternative data altogether, instead taking the matter into their own hands. That's the tactic for Mike Chen, the director of portfolio management at PanAgora Asset Management, a $43 billion firm.

About half the alternative data the firm ingests is collected by PanAgora itself, Chen told Business Insider. With the explosion of the space in recent years, Chen said it was harder to find datasets that aren't pitched across Wall Street, which causes them to lose their value. 

Chen also said PanAgora's investing strategy of finding data to reinforce ideas, as opposed to finding ideas in data, lends itself to sourcing its own data as opposed to going to vendors. 

"We are becoming ever more cynical," Chen said. "Compared to three to five years ago, PanAgora now has a much higher onboard threshold for alternative datasets. As a result, our adoption rate of external alternative datasets have been lower."

An industry in need of rules

While the Yodlee scrutiny from Congress has been interpreted as a challenge for the entire alternative-data industry, many providers are hoping it gives more clarity to an industry that many say is still in its Wild West days. 

Emmett Kilduff, the founder and CEO of the data aggregator Eagle Alpha, told Business Insider the industry would welcome some help from rulemakers. 

Kilduff, whose firm has over 1,200 datasets on its platform, said vendors, intermediaries, and even buyers would be happy to adapt their practices to meet standards that might be set. 

"It's not helpful, frankly, that there is not enough regulation or guidance from regulators or governments," he said. "It's a gap that needs to be corrected."

Iannini considers himself pretty lucky on the regulation front: His company, which is focused on satellite imagery, is one of the few alt-data providers that have a clear legal and regulatory framework to work with.

The government has already laid out the rules for how high the resolution of a picture from a satellite can be, and the biggest buyer of satellite images is the US government, Iannini said, so surprises like the ones that ensnared Yodlee are unlikely.

Others feel the regulatory spotlight would be better-suited on another industry: advertisers. Quandl's Kamel said while it's easy to pitch Wall Street as the boogeyman who is making money off of people's personal information, that's far from the truth.

Investors are happy to have anonymized data, as they are looking for overall market trends. Ad companies are the ones in search of specific data about people to better understand how to sell them products.

"Hedge funds or the finance industry doesn't give a damn about your personal information," Kamel said. "The stuff that adtech is doing with your data is far creepier and far more pernicious and far more threatening than anything Wall Street is ever going to do with consumer data because it doesn't matter. The aggregate is all that matters to Wall Street."

However, some feel the outlook for data aggregators is much more grim. Marta Lopata, the chief growth officer at Thinknum, told Business Insider firms could consider themselves truly protected only if they sourced their own data. 

Before she launched Thinknum, which sells companies data that it scrapes from the web, Lopata said a lot of thought was put into where the startup would be best-suited to source data. Something like the internet, which is a constant source of never-ending data, seemed like a better bet than places that might have been out of their control, she added.

"I think the way you can really protect yourself in a space is choosing to bet on data sources that you originate. I think that's really the future of the alt-data space," Lopata said. "If you cannot be the originator of the data source, you are going to be at risk because you can't control whether the data originators will cut you off or the regulations will change, and you're not completely in control. It's a very volatile space."

SEE ALSO: The alt-data industry is having growing pains after its sudden glow up — and insiders are looking at new pricing models and unlikely customers

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• Amazon's Echo speakers are some of the most popular Alexa devices on the market, but there are plenty of great Alexa-enabled speakers out there from other manufacturers.
• Alexa speakers are not all created equal, however, so we did the research to find the best Alexa speakers you can buy that aren't made by Amazon.
• We think the Sonos One offers the best cross-section of Alexa intelligence and excellent sound quality.
• For additional smart speaker recommendations, be sure to read our roundup of the best speaker deals.

The original Amazon Echo was a ground-breaking speaker. It was the first to introduce the world to the concept of a smart speaker, and although many were a little confused about the point of a smart speaker when the Echo first came out, the idea quickly caught on and created a whole new category.

Although the current Amazon Echo is a very smart speaker, it's not always the best choice for those who want a smart speaker with excellent sound quality — even though it has improved markedly in the past few years. 

Luckily, Amazon has partnered with dozens of other companies to put Alexa in third-party speakers. These days, there is a ton of choice when it comes to buying speakers with Amazon's digital assistant built right in.

There are, of course, a number of things to keep in mind when buying a new smart speaker. For starters, you'll want to consider the form-factor that you're looking for. There are plenty of standard-sized smart speakers designed for desktop use, but there are also other speaker form-factors with Alexa, like soundbars, for example. You'll also want to think about whether or not you want a speaker that can be portable, and if you do, you'll need to look into battery life.

We've done the research for you to find the best Alexa speakers you can buy from a variety of top brands. We'll continue to add more as Alexa makes her way onto other excellent speakers.

Here are the best third-party Alexa speakers you can buy:

• Best Alexa speaker overall: Sonos One
• Best portable Alexa speaker: UE Megablast
• Best Alexa sound bar: Sonos Beam
• Best cheap Alexa speaker: Eufy Genie with smart bulbs
• Best Alexa speaker with an alarm clock: iHome iAVS16
• Best stylish Alexa speaker: Cavalier Maverick

Prices and links are current as of 03/05/2020. Added links to relevant buying guides and speaker deals. Replaced Eufy Genie with Eufy Genie and smart bulb bundle. We're currently in the process of testing new Alexa speakers for consideration in our guide. Updated by Steven Cohen. 

The best Alexa speaker overall

The Sonos One is well-designed, super-smart, and sounds awesome — easily making it the best Alexa-enabled speaker that isn't an Amazon Echo.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: The Sonos One is one of the best smart speakers out there today. The device works with Alexa, to be sure, but it also has Google Assistant support and it works with Apple's AirPlay 2 for users of iOS devices. In other words, while you may buy the speaker for its Alexa support, you'll be getting a ton of other smart features, too.

You can ask Alexa questions, have her play music, set reminders, buy items on Amazon, check your shipments, control your compatible smart home gadgets, and more on the Sonos One. On top of that, you can access third-party services like Spotify.

Smart features aside, the Sonos One is also an excellent-sounding speaker. It boasts plenty of volume without distorting, plus you'll get plenty of bass response for a speaker this size and price, so if bass is important to you, this is the speaker to get. That doesn't mean it does away with the high-end response, either. There's plenty of clarity in the high end, helping things like cymbals shimmer, and vocals cut through a mix.

If you can afford to buy two, you can get an even more balanced and sweet sound with stereo pairing.

The reviews of the Sonos One are pretty great, too. Engadget scored it a 90 out of 100, while TechRadar gave it an editor's choice award.

That doesn't mean it's perfect, though. Disadvantages of the speaker include the fact that there's no Bluetooth or auxiliary port, so it's a closed system that locks you into the Sonos ecosystem. Some users have reported that the Sonos app can be a little buggy, although we've had no major issues. The speaker is also a little more expensive than some of the other speakers on this list.

Pros: Great sound quality, well-designed, Google Assistant support in addition to Alexa, AirPlay 2

Cons: A little expensive, reports of buggy app

The best portable Alexa speaker

The UE Megablast sounds good and has a nice design, plus it's one of the only portable speakers with Alexa.

If you're looking for something a little more portable, then the UE Megablast speaker is the way to go. The speaker has consistently rated among the best portable speakers out there, and the fact that it boasts Alexa support is really the icing on the cake.

You can ask Alexa questions, have her play music, set reminders, buy items on Amazon, check your shipments, control your compatible smart home gadgets, and more on the UE Megablast.

There are a few things that make this such a great speaker. For starters, it's got a nice design and comes in a range of different colors. On top of that, however, the speaker also sounds great, offering plenty of bass response and a nice, cutting sound to seriously deliver the music no matter where you are.

There's also the fact that the speaker is well-built for portable use. For example, it offers a hefty 12 hours of battery life, plus it's nice and water-resistant with a rating of IP67. That makes it great for taking to the beach without having to worry about it getting too wet.

There are, of course, a few downsides to the speaker. For starters, while the Alexa integration is pretty good, it doesn't work when you're not connected to Wi-Fi, and its Wi-Fi connection isn't always the best. Still, despite the downsides, it's gotten some pretty sweet reviews. Pocket-Lint and PCMag both scored it 4 out of 5.

Pros: Good battery life, nice sound quality, relatively durable

Cons: Some Wi-Fi issues, Alexa needs Wi-Fi to properly function

The best Alexa sound bar

The Sonos Beam boasts that awesome Sonos sound, an excellent design, and Alexa support.

If you want Alexa in the living room, you don't necessarily have to be limited to an Echo-sized device. Instead, you could go for a soundbar, like the Sonos Beam, which offers Alexa support, excellent speakers, and more.

There are plenty of things that make the Sonos Beam a great buy. For starters, like the Sonos One, it supports Amazon's Alexa, Apple's AirPlay 2, and Google Assistant. On top of that, it boasts that awesome Sonos sound quality. There's plenty of low-end and tons of clarity in the high-end, making for a nice, crisp sound.

Of course, nothing's perfect. For starters, the Sonos Beam is pretty pricey, and if you want to add rear speakers or a subwoofer, you'll have to pay even more. Despite that, however, the device has been getting excellent reviews. Our reviewer said "it's worth every penny."

Pros: Excellent sound quality, compact for a soundbar, Google Assistant support, AirPlay 2 capabilities

Cons: Expensive

The best budget Alexa speaker

The Eufy Genie may not offer the best sound quality, but it still has all the smart features you'd expect from Alexa at a very affordable price.

Perhaps you're simply looking to get the smarts of Alexa in your home but don't care all that much about great sound quality because you have other speakers you listen to music on. If that's the case, then the speaker to go for is the Eufy Genie.

In fact, even if you are an audiophile the Eufy Genie might be the way to go. That's because of the fact that it has an aux port built right into it, so you can connect it your favorite great-sounding speakers to get a smart setup that also sounds amazing. Apart from that, you'll enjoy all the benefits Alexa has to offer, including smart home control, music playing, and so on.

So what are the downsides to the device? Well, if you do use it as a standalone device, don't expect it to sound great. On top of that, while it seems as though Eufy's customer service seems to be pretty good, there may be some quality control issues.

Despite the issues, considering the fact that the Eufy Genie is so inexpensive, it's well worth the cost for those who want the intelligence Alexa has to offer.

As of press time, however, the Eufy Genie is only currently in stock as a bundle with two Eufy smart bulbs. Though this does raise the price a bit, the Eufy Genie bundle is still cheaper than any other Alexa-enabled speaker option on our list, and the bulbs could make a great fit for your smart home needs. 

Pros: Very inexpensive, all the perks Alexa has to offer, aux port for better speakers

Cons: Sound quality isn't great, possible quality control issues, currently only available as a bundle with smart bulbs

The best Alexa speaker for your bedroom

The iHome iAVS16 may not sound as great as more expensive options, but it offers plenty of features for charging your device and showing the time at night.

While most of these speakers could work perfectly fine in your bedroom, if you want something to truly be helpful in the early morning and late evening, then the iHome iAVS16 is the device to buy. Not only does the speaker offer Alexa support, but it also has a digital clock, weather information, and more.

There are plenty of things that make this speaker worth buying. For example, it's a pretty well-designed and stylish speaker, and it has a USB port on the back for charging your phone or another device at night. There's also a series of buttons on the top of the speaker, including one that can activate Alexa.

Apart from the Alexa support, the speaker doesn't sound bad, just don't expect it to really compare to Sonos speakers. On top of that, some buyers have encountered a few bugs and glitches

Pros: Versatile, USB port for charging, inexpensive

Cons: A little buggy, sound-quality doesn't compare to more expensive options

The best stylish Alexa speaker

The Cavalier Maverick is a portable speaker with Alexa, a super stylish exterior, its own charging base, and a carrying case.

Whether you're looking for an Alexa-enabled speaker to use at home or one that can travel, the Cavalier Maverick delivers on both fronts — and unlike most speakers, this is one that you'll want to show off, thanks to its visually appealing design.

Its hipster vibe is just present enough that you may be convinced to do away with your record player to save a little space, but subtle enough to go with any room's style if hipster isn't your thing. It comes in two different color schemes: black and silver, and indigo and tan, which allows it to mesh well with any space.

I was able to test the Maverick for myself and immediately appreciated the craftsmanship. Genuine wood, distressed leather, metal, and custom knit fabric come together to form a speaker that lives up to the promise of "looking as good as it sounds." 

Once I downloaded the Cavalier app, I had the Maverick set up and connected to our Wi-Fi in less than 10 minutes. If you want to take advantage of the Alexa-enabled voice control feature, you'll also need to download the Amazon Alexa app. Both apps are nicely laid out and easy to use.

The Maverick can easily be controlled via the Cavalier app, voice commands issued to Alexa, or with the smart button located on top of the speaker.

My favorite way to control the speaker was with Alexa, and as an Amazon Prime user, I could play songs right from my library. It's also compatible with Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart Radio, in case you don't use Prime Music. Thanks to the Spotify Connect integration, you can also control your music directly through the Spotify app if you so choose.

The Alexa-enabled voice control also came in handy when I wanted to know what the weather was, wanted to set a reminder, or wanted the latest news updates. This speaker is a great alternative to the Amazon Echo if you're looking for something a little more stylish and that can travel with you throughout your home.

I was equally as impressed with the sound quality as I was with the design aesthetics. The sound is crisp and clear and easily filled our large living room. If you're a fan of bass-heavy music, you may find the bass a little lacking, but I personally had no issues with the sound. If you're looking for an even more robust or whole-home sound experience, multiple Maverick speakers can be linked together, but the single speaker served our needs just fine.

As a Bluetooth speaker, the Maverick is also built to travel and comes with a sturdy carrying case for protection when you're on the go. The battery life is decent, with up to nine hours of playing time. 

The Maverick is definitely on the expensive side, but in my opinion, extras like the charging base, the carrying case, and the Alexa integration make this a worthwhile investment if you're looking for a speaker that's both extremely functional and pleasing to look at.  — Kylie Joyner

Pros: Aesthetically pleasing design, crafted with high-quality materials, clear and crisp sound quality, portable, features Alexa integration with voice control, comes with charging base and carrying case

Cons: Expensive, bass is lacking a bit

Check out our other speaker buying guides

The best speakers

There are many different kinds of speakers to choose from, and certain types will be better for specific performance needs. For instance, home theater buyers will be better off with floorstanding speakers or a soundbar, while those looking for a more affordable and portable music playback solution will want to find a Bluetooth speaker. Through research and testing, we've picked the best speakers you can buy across a range of categories:

• Best speakers overall: Klipsch RP-8000F
• Best Bluetooth speaker: Sonos Move
• Best smart speaker: Amazon Echo (Third Generation)
• Best bookshelf speakers: Q Acoustics 3020
• Best computer speakers: Audioengine A2+

The best smart speakers

Smart speakers have become a central fixture in many modern smart homes. This type of speaker includes integrated support for a digital assistant, enabling you to control other smart devices, ask questions, and more through voice commands. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are the two most common platforms used on smart speakers. With different budget and performance needs in mind, we've selected the best smart speakers you can buy:

• Best overall: Amazon Echo (Third Generation) 
• Best for sound quality: Sonos One 
• Best for Google fans: Google Home 
• Best cheap smart speaker: Amazon Echo Dot 
• Best small Google speaker:  Google Nest Mini 
• Best Alexa with a screen: Amazon Echo Show 
• Best Google speaker with a screen: Google Nest Hub
• Best for big sound: Google Home Max
• Best smart soundbar: Sonos Beam

The best Bluetooth speakers

Bluetooth speakers feature wireless connectivity, allowing you to listen to music without any pesky cables getting in the way. Rechargeable batteries are also included in many models, adding support for portable listening wherever you go. There are a lot of different Bluetooth speakers on the market for many different performance and budget needs. Here are the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy:

• Best Bluetooth speaker overall: Sonos Move
• Best portable Bluetooth speaker: Bose SoundLink Revolve+
• Best waterproof Bluetooth speaker: UE Boom 3
• Best cheap Bluetooth speaker: Anker Soundcore Flare Mini
• Best small Bluetooth speaker: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay P2
• Best Alexa smart speaker with Bluetooth: Amazon Echo (3rd Gen)
• Best smart Bluetooth speaker with Google Assistant: JBL Link 20
• Best affordable Bluetooth speaker: JBL Flip 4

• Authorities have confirmed two cases of coronavirus in San Francisco, mayor London Breed announced Thursday afternoon.
• The two patients are unrelated and did not have any history of travel to countries with known coronavirus outbreaks.
• Both patients are being cared for in San Francisco hospitals. One is in "fair" condition and one is in "serious" condition. 
• "We do not know at this point how they were exposed to the virus, which suggests it is spreading in the community. We expected that to happen," said San Francisco public health director Grant Colfax.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

San Francisco authorities have confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus in the city, Mayor London Breed announced in a news conference Thursday.

"Today we are announcing the first two cases of coronavirus in our city," Breed said. "These individuals are contained ... and I want to be clear that we have been planning this for weeks and we are prepared as a city."

Breed declared a city-wide state of emergency last week.

The two patients tested positive for coronavirus and results were communicated to the city Thursday morning, according to San Francisco public health director Grant Colfax. They are being treated in isolation at two San Francisco hospitals.

Neither patient had a history of travel to a location with confirmed COVID-19 cases and neither have had contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 case, according to Colfax. It appears that they contracted the virus through community transmission in San Francisco, Colfax added.

"We do not know at this point how they were exposed to the virus, which suggests it is spreading in the community. We expected that to happen," Colfax said.

One patient is a man in his 90s who is hospitalized and in "serious condition," according to Colfax. The other is a woman in her 40s, who is hospitalized and in "fair condition." The city will not identify the hospitals in which patients are being treated.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Most maps of Louisiana aren't entirely right. Here's what the state really looks like.

• The number of major candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to take on President Donald Trump in 2020 is narrowed down to just two: Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
• Tom Steyer, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar all dropped out after poor showings in the February 29 South Carolina primary, with the latter two endorsing Biden.
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Mike Bloomberg also both quit the race after being thoroughly boxed out by Biden and Sanders on Super Tuesday, with neither winning a single state. 
• Here's a list of the major party 2020 presidential candidates. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Soon after assuming the office of the presidency in January 2017, President Donald Trumpfiled preliminary paperwork that laid the groundwork for re-election in 2020.

While the Democratic primary field had over 20 candidates at one point, making it the largest and most diverse in modern history, the pack has narrowed down to just two major candidates in the aftermath of Super Tuesday. 

The most recent Democratic candidates to drop out were Tom Steyer, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who all quit the race after disappointing finishes in the South Carolina primary. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Mike Bloomberg also both quit the race after being thoroughly boxed out by Biden and Sanders on Super Tuesday, with neither winning a single state. Bloomberg is now throwing his weight and considerable financial resources behind Biden. 

Now, just Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are the three left standing going into the next round of primary elections on March 10. 

Here are all the major party candidates running for president in 2020: 

SEE ALSO: Here are all the states where you have to register as a Democrat to vote in the presidential primary

Former Vice President and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware

After months of teasing a presidential run, Biden officially entered the race with a video announcement on April 25, the 20th Democratic candidate to join the Democratic field.

"...if we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen,"Biden said in his announcement. 

Biden, 77, enters the race as a frontrunner with unparalleled name recognition among Democratic primary voters, leading nearly every single pre-primary poll conducted before he officially declared his candidacy.

Biden, who served as President Barack Obama's Vice President for eight years and a US Senator for 36, is drawing on his blue-collar roots and close ties to organized labor to directly challenge Trump in Rust Belt states he carried in 2016.

After his big wins in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday, where he won 10 states, Biden is rapidly consolidating the moderate wing of the party behind him going into the rest of the primary. 

Read more about Joe Biden's campaign.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont

Bernie Sanders will be competing for the Democratic nomination for the second time, he announced on February 19.

The 77 year-old Vermont senator, who is officially an independent but caucuses with Democrats in Congress, and former Burlington mayor has been a progressive stalwart for decades and built up a strong base of support for his platform in 2016 despite falling short to Hillary Clinton in the primary.

"Our campaign is about more than beating Donald Trump," he said in his announcement video. "It's about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice."

While Sanders is was the leader in national pledged delegates due to his wins in New Hampshire and Nevada and second-place finishes in Iowa and South Carolina, he was thoroughly knocked back on his heels on Super Tuesday when Biden thoroughly trounced him nationwide, including in states like Maine, Massachusetts, and Minnesota that Sanders was previously projected to win. 

Read more about Bernie Sanders' campaign.

Former Governor Bill Weld of Massachusetts

Weld, who served as Massachusetts' governor in the 1990s and was more recently on the Libertarian Party ticket in 2016 as presidential candidate Gary Johnson's running mate, announced his campaign on April 15.

"It is time for patriotic men and women across our great nation to stand and plant a flag. It is time to return to the principles of Lincoln — equality, dignity, and opportunity for all," he said in his announcement statement. 

"There is no greater cause on earth than to preserve what truly makes America great. I am ready to lead that fight."

Read more about Bill Weld's campaign. 

Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii

Gabbard announced her candidacy on January 11 in an interview with CNN's Van Jones.

The Hawaii representative has been in Congress since 2012, and has been at times a rising star for progressives but also sometimes challenging to the rest of her party. Her positions on foreign policy, in particular, have at times put her at odds with many on the left over the past year or two.

Read more about Tulsi Gabbard's campaign.

President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump is seeking reelection in 2020. He announced his intentions to do so just days into his first term, on January 20, 2017. 

Dropped out: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

On a video posted to her website on December 31, 2018, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warrenannounced that she was launching an exploratory committee for a presidential run in 2020. In the video, Warren — who had long been expected to run – described her vision of defending the middle class, which she said was "under attack."

After running an impressive campaign operation, having breakout moments, and even being labeled as a frontrunner at points, Warren officially ended her campaign on March 5 after a disappointing finish on Super Tuesday, including coming in third place in her home state of Massachusetts. 

Read more about Elizabeth Warren's campaign.

Dropped out: Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg

On November 7, The New York Times reported that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was making a late entrance in the 2020 Democratic primary and has filed to run in the Democratic primary presidential primaries in Alabama and Arkansas.

Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $55 billion, has the luxury of being able to self-fund his campaign and has spent over half a billion dollars on ads already, leading to him soaring up the polls going into Super Tuesday. 

But on Super Tuesday itself, Bloomberg's hundreds of millions in spending didn't translate to very much success at the polls. Bloomberg only won American Samoa's caucus outright, and earned just 46 of the 1,357 delegates up for grabs on Super Tuesday. 

He dropped out the morning after Super Tuesday and publicly endorsed Biden.

Read more about Michael Bloomberg's campaign.

Dropped out: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

On February 10, three-term US Senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar became the 12th Democratic candidate and 6th woman to jump into the 2020 field. 

In true Minnesota fashion, Klobuchar announced her candidacy at an outdoor event during a blizzard, giving her speech without a hat, gloves, or a teleprompter. 

Klobuchar is counting on her reputation as a measured, pragmatic moderate with a "Minnesota nice" demeanor to dominate among Midwestern voters — and pose a stark contrast to President Donald Trump. 

After coming in third place in New Hampshire but failing to gain any traction in Nevada or South Carolina, Klobuchar is dropping out of the race and endorsing Biden on March 2. 

Read more about Amy Klobuchar's campaign.

Dropped out: Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana

Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on January 23, 2019 via a video and email sent to his supporters. 

The mayor just turned 37, making him the youngest entrant (so far) in the battle for the Democratic nomination. Buttigieg is also the only openly gay candidate to date in the running.

Along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Buttigieg is one of three military combat veterans running for the Democratic nod, having served with the US Naval Reserve in Afghanistan in 2013.

In the video, Buttigieg, who is making the jump from city to national politics, said he belongs to "a generation that is stepping forward right now." 

"We're the generation that lived through school shootings, that served in the wars after 9/11, and we're the generation that stands to be the first to make less than our parents unless we do something different," he said in his announcement video.

After coming in first and Iowa and second in New Hampshire, Buttigieg dropped out of the race on March 1, 2020, after disappointing finishes in the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primary. 

Read more about Pete Buttigieg's campaign.

Dropped out: Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado

Bennet, the 21st Democrat and seventh US senator to announce a 2020 presidential campaign, is currently serving his second elected term as Colorado's senior senator.

"I think this country faces two enormous challenges,"Bennet said about his decision to run on "CBS This Morning".

"One is a lack of economic opportunity and mobility for most Americans and the need to restore integrity to our government."

As a senator, Bennet has mainly been known for his quiet intellect, bipartisan legislative achievements, and affable demeanor. 

But this January the usually demure Bennet went viral for an uncharacteristically fiery and passionate speech on the Senate floor slamming Sen. Ted Cruz for shedding "crocodile tears" over the then-ongoing government shutdown.

Bennet dropped out of the race on February 11, 2020, the night of the New Hampshire primary.

Read more about Michael Bennet's campaign.

Dropped out: Entrepreneur Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang, an American entrepreneur and founder of Venture for America, announced his presidential candidacy on November 6, 2017.

Yang's campaign prominently featured giving all Americans a basic $1,000 monthly income, and became a major national campaign, outlasting several Senators and Governors, partly thanks to the loyal online following and grassroots base Yang cultivated.

Yang dropped out of the race on February 11, the night of the New Hampshire primary. 

Read more about Andrew Yang's campaign.

Dropped out: Billionaire financier and liberal activist Tom Steyer

Steyer, who is 62 and based in San Francisco, made his fortune as an investor and hedge fund manager — but has since focused his efforts on advancing progressive causes with two organizations: Need To Impeach, and NextGen America, the latter of which is focused on combating climate change. 

In January 2019, Steyer said he did not plan to run for president and would be "dedicating 100% of my time and effort in 2019 towards Mr. Trump's impeachment and removal from office."

But Steyer since changed his mind, making a late entrance into the 2020 field with a video announcement on July 9 and planning to spend at least $100 million of his own money on his campaign. 

Steyer dropped out of the race on February 29, 2020, the night of the South Carolina primary. 

Read more about Tom Steyer's campaign.

Dropped out: Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick

Patrick also made a late entry into the race, officially announcing his campaign on November 14. 

While Patrick hasn't been very active on the political scene for the past few years, he's led a long career in business and politics. He served as the governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015, and was most recently a managing director at Bain Capital, the private equity firm founded by Sen. Mitt Romney. 

"I admire and respect the candidates in the Democratic field," Patrick said in his announcement video. "But if the character of the candidates is an issue in every election, this time is about the character of the country." 

Patrick will have a tough uphill battle in his presidential bid. He's already missed the filing deadline for two Super Tuesday state primaries in Alabama and Arkansas, and unlike Bloomberg, doesn't have billions of dollars in personal wealth to draw from. 

Patrick dropped out of the race the day after the New Hampshire primary. 

Read more about Deval Patrick's campaign.

Dropped out: Former Tea Party congressman and conservative radio show host Joe Walsh.

Walsh, who served one term in Congress from 2011 to 2013, announced he would launch a primary challenge against Trump on August 25.

Speaking to ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Walsh said, "We've got a guy in the White House who is unfit, completely unfit to be president and it stuns me that nobody stepped up, nobody in the Republican party stepped up."

While Walsh initially voted for and supported Trump, he has since become one of Trump's most vocal critics, calling Trump's behavior "narcissistic" and "childish." 

Joe Walsh ended his primary challenge on February 7, 2020. 

Read more about Joe Walsh's campaign.

Dropped out: Former Representative John Delaney of Maryland

Former Maryland Representative John Delaney was the first major Democrat to declare a presidential bid.

Delaney, who was a US representative from 2013 to 2019, announced his decision to run on July 28, 2017.

In a Washington Post op-ed announcing his candidacy, Delaney said "The current administration is making us less prosperous and less secure. I'm running because I have an original approach to governing and an economic policy that can put us on a different course."

After failing to raise much money or get any traction whatsoever in the polls, Delaney quit the race on January 31, 2020. 

Read more about John Delaney's campaign.

Dropped out: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey

Cory Booker, the 11th Democrat to jump into the race, officially announced his candidacy for President on February 1. 

Booker has served in the US Senate since 2013, and is known for his liberal voting record and emphasis on social and criminal justice issues. He played a key role in passing a large bipartisan criminal justice bill, the First Step Act, in December. 

Before being elected to the Senate, booker served two terms as Mayor of Newark, New Jersey  where he still resides. He holds a degree from Stanford University, where he played on the football team, and a law degree from Yale University. 

While Booker preached a progressive message of love, unity, and looking out for the most forgotten in American society, he struggled to mobilize a base or make any substantial dent in the polls. 

After failing to qualify for the past several debates, Booker ended his campaign on January 13, citing fundraising struggles.

Read more about Cory Booker's campaign.

Dropped out: Motivational speaker, author, and friend of Oprah Winfrey Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson, a motivational speaker, New York Times best-selling author, and one-time congressional candidate with a substantial following announced her candidacy for president in January 2019.

Williamson, the 10th Democratic candidate to jump into the race, began speaking and writing self-help books rooted in New Age spirituality in Los Angeles in the 1980s. She's also been heavily involved in AIDS awareness and advocacy efforts. 

A 1992 appearance on Oprah Winfrey's show helped launch her into Hollywood's elite class as the preferred spiritual guide for many in the entertainment world. 

Her first foray in politics was an independent run for Congress in California's 33rd congressional district in 2014. She ended up losing to current Rep. Ted Lieu, but is now launching a bid for the highest office in the land.

After failing to crack 1% in the polls for months and laying off all her campaign staff, Williamson finally dropped out of the race on January 10, 2020. 

Read more about Marianne Williamson's campaign.

Dropped out: former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro

Julian Castro declared his candidacy on January 12 in a widely publicized announcement event in San Antonio, Texas, his hometown and where he served as mayor for five years. 

Castro's official announcement came weeks after his brother had revealed the news during an interview with Stephen Colbert in December.

Under Castro's tenure, HUD expanded lead safety protections in federally assisted housing, worked to reconstruct communities affected by natural disasters under a $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition, and fulfilled the Fair Housing Act.

After failing to gain traction in the race, failing to qualify for any debates, and running out of money, Castro dropped out of the presidential race on January 2, 2020. 

Read more about Julian Castro's campaign.

Dropped out: Senator Kamala Harris of California

Harris made her announcement on Martin Luther King Day, or January 21, via Twitter and her campaign website.

The Democratic senator for California is currently serving her first term in the Senate, similar to former President Barack Obama, who was initially criticized for his inexperience after he announced his 2008 presidential campaign as a first-term senator.

Prior to her role in the Senate, Harris was California's attorney general and served as the district attorney of San Francisco.

While her campaign got off to a promising start, Harris was overshadowed by the other top candidates and dropped out of the race on December 3, 2019 amid reports of financial struggles and infighting among her campaign team. 

Read more about Kamala Harris' campaign.

Dropped out: Former Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania

Sestak, a former two-term congressman from Pennsylvania and Navy admiral, became the 25th candidate to join the 2020 field on June 22, missing the deadline to qualify for the first Democratic debates. 

After retiring from the House in 2010, Sestak unsuccessfully ran for US Senate in Pennsylvania both in 2010 and 2016, famously walking over 400 miles across Pennsylvania during his second Senate run. 

In his announcement video, Sestak emphasized his 31 years of military service as an important qualification to serve as president, saying, "when faced with the decision on whether to use our military, our commander in chief will know how it will end before deciding if it is wise to begin."

Read more about Joe Sestak's campaign.

Dropped out: Governor Steve Bullock of Montana

Bullock, the Democratic governor of Montana, announced he's running for a president on May 14th, the 22nd Democratic contender and the third governor to join the field.

In an announcement video posted online Tuesday morning, Bullock highlighted his work passing bipartisan legislation to ban corporate money in Montana's elections as governor.

Bullock argues he brings unique strength to the table as a Democratic governor who was re-elected the same year Trump won his state by 20 points — and has since achieved progressive victories including expanding Medicaid and freezing university tuition in the spring 2019 Montana legislative session.

Read more about Steve Bullock's campaign.

Dropped out: former South Carolina governor and Rep. Mark Sanford

Sanford announced on September 8, 2019 that he would launch a primary challenge to Trump, which marked the third challenge from within the president's party. 

The former congressman lost a primary in 2018 after emerging as a vocal critic of Trump, who in turn encouraged voters to vote against him. 

In a "Fox News Sunday" interview announcing the challenge, Sanford said he thinks "we need to have a conversation on what it means to be a Republican."

"I think that as a Republican Party we have lost our way," he added. After Stanford's long-shot bid failed to gain any traction, he dropped out of the race on November 12.

Read more about Mark Sanford's campaign.

Dropped out: Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas

Beto O'Rourke formally announced his candidacy for president on March 14, ending months of speculation over his presidential plans.

"The only way for us to live up to the promise of America is to give it our all and to give it for all of us,"he said in a video announcing his candidacy alongside his wife Amy. 

"The interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy, and our climate have never been greater," O'Rourke added. "And they will either consume us, or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America."

The three-term congressman from El Paso broke fundraising records and became a national sensation in the fall of 2018 when he came within three points of defeating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas, a traditionally red state. 

O'Rourke announced he was ending his campaign on November 1, after failing to break through the crowded field. In a Medium post, he cited that the campaign did "not have the means to move forward successfully."

Read more about Beto O'Rourke's campaign.

Dropped out: Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio

Ryan, who represents Ohio's 13th congressional district in eastern Ohio, announced he's running for president during an April 4 appearance on "The View."

A moderate Democrat who has served in the House since 2003, Ryan is best known for his passionate advocacy on behalf of Midwesterners who have suffered from the decline in manufacturing jobs in the region.

On his campaign website, Ryan says that "failed leadership and broken promises have destroyed the middle-class, forcing our economy into crisis and pushing the American Dream out of reach."

Ryan was also one of the key leaders of an unsuccessful effort spearheaded by moderate Democrats to block Nancy Pelosi from becoming Speaker of the House after Democrats took back control of the chamber in 2018. 

After failing to gain any traction in the polls or qualify for the DNC fall Democratic debates, Ryan finally quit the race on October 24. 

Read more about Tim Ryan's campaign.

Dropped out: Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City

De Blasio announced his presidential run on "Good Morning America" and with a video posted to social media. 

De Blasio is best known for his ambitious progressive policy proposals aimed at reducing income inequality and increasing the amount of affordable housing in New York by taxing the city's wealthiest residents.

His gruff and often blustery approach, however, has made him highly unpopular both among New Yorkers and the Democratic primary electorate. 

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in April found he has an underwater approval rating within his own city, and a Monmouth University poll released in March found that of 12 declared and potential Democratic presidential candidates, De Blasio was the only one to receive a negative favorability rating.

De Blasio dropped out of the race on September 20 after failing to qualify for the fall debates or gain any momentum in the polls. 

Read more about Bill de Blasio's campaign.

Dropped out: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York

Gillibrand began her political career as a moderate, blue-dog Democrat representing a conservative district in upstate New York.

She has made a name for herself as a strong progressive voice in the US Senate, in which she has served since 2009. Gillibrand has advocated for stronger policies around addressing sexual assault in the military, lowering healthcare costs, and decreasing economic and gender inequality.

Gillibrand ran a campaign centered around women's empowerment with a focus on issues like paid family leave and reproductive rights, but failed to break out in the field or crack more than 1% to 2% in the polls.

She announced she would leave the race on August 28 after failing to qualify for the September primary debate. 

Read more about Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign.

Dropped out: Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts

Moulton, who has represented Massachusetts' 6th congressional district since 2015, became the 19th Democrat to join the 2020 presidential field on April 22. 

"I am running because I am a patriot, because I believe in this country and because I have never wanted to sit on the sidelines when it comes to serving it,"Moulton told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. 

Before running for Congress, Moulton served in the Marine Corps and completed four tours of duty in Iraq. A relatively moderate Democrat, he focused his presidential campaign on issues of foreign policy and national security. 

Moulton dropped out of the race on August 23 to run for re-election in the House after he failed to qualify for any Democratic primary debates.

Read more about Seth Moulton's campaign.

Dropped out: Washington Governor Jay Inslee

Inslee, who has served as governor of Washington since 2012, has held some form of public office for most of the past 30 years. The long-time lawmaker is billing himself as the "climate candidate."

"I'm Jay Inslee and I'm running for president because I am the only candidate who will make defeating climate change our nation's number one priority," Inslee said in a video released March 1.

While governor, Inslee has made reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy a top priority.

The video also shows Inslee in the aftermath of wildfires as he says in a voiceover: "We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change. And we're the last that can do something about it."

After participating in the first two debates and putting climate change on the agenda as a crucial campaign issue, Inslee announced he would drop out of the race on August 21. 

Read more about Jay Inslee's campaign.

Dropped out: former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper

Hickenlooper launched his 2020 presidential campaign on March 4, making the former Colorado governor the 14th Democratic candidate to enter the field.

Hickenlooper, 66, was highly popular as governor for two terms before being succeeded by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. Before that, he served as mayor of Denver (a nonpartisan position) and was a successful businessman who founded Colorado's first brewery pub, helping bring jobs and economic development to Denver.

Hickenlooper struggled to stand out as a viable centrist candidate in the shadow of Biden, however and dropped out of the presidential race on August 15, 2019.

A week later on August 22, Hickenlooper jumped into Colorado's US Senate race to challenge vulnerable GOP. Sen Cory Gardner in 2020. 

Read more about John Hickenlooper's campaign.

Dropped out: former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel

Gravel, now 89, officially filed to run for president on April 2. His leftist, anti-war presidential campaign was originally a protest campaign with the goal of simply raising enough money for Gravel to qualify for the first Democratic debates, but he's now running to win.

The Gravel campaign is running on a platform of anti-imperialist and leftist principles, and is being managed by three teenagers from New York, who are innovative-ly using Twitter to get out the former senator's message.

After failing to make any of the debates, Gravel dropped out of the race and endorsed Sanders on August 6, 2019.

Read more about Mike Gravel's campaign. 

Dropped out: California Congressman Eric Swalwell

Swalwell, who has represented California's 15th Congressional district since 2013, announced the launch of his presidential campaign on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on April 8. 

The 18th Democrat to jump into the race, Swalwell ran a campaign largely focused on reducing gun violence in America and directly taking on the National Rifle Association, an organization he sees as directly contributing to gun violence. 

Swalwell currently serves on the high-profile House Select Committee on Intelligence and the Judiciary Committee and has been actively involved in those committees' investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. 

On July 8, Swalwell dropped out of the 2020 presidential race to run for re-election in the House after failing to break through 1% in the polls and disappointing second-quarter fundraising performance. 

Read more about Eric Swalwell's campaign. 

Dropped out: West Virginia State Senator Richard Ojeda

Richard Ojeda, a member of the West Virginia Senate, announced he was running for the presidency on November 11, 2018. He ran for Congress in West Virginia's third congressional district in 2018, losing to Republican Carol Miller. 

However, on January 25, 2019, Ojeda dropped out of the presidential race after resigning from the State Senate. 

Mariana Alfaro contributed to a previous version of this report. 

Read more: 

Trump has implemented much of his conservative agenda through executive power — and it could be easily undone if a Democrat wins in 2020

• It's easy to send a PDF to your Kindle using a personalized Kindle email address.
• To do so, you'll first have to locate your Kindle email address one of two ways and then draft an email to that address.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In addition to downloading books on your Kindle, you may want to download PDFs to read on-the-go — and thankfully it's easy to do so.

Whether it's a magazine article you saved, a friend's project you want to read, or a scanned copy of a resume you need to review, you can send a copy of a PDF to your Kindle.

Amazon assigns a unique email address to every Kindle device, including each app (desktop and mobile). 

To send a PDF via email to your Kindle, you'll first have to find your unique Kindle email address online or by accessing it in the "Device Options" section on your Kindle. 

On the desktop app, you can also easily import PDFs by clicking "File" in the top toolbar, and then "Important PDF…" This will give you the option to select a PDF from anywhere on your desktop. 

However, on your physical Kindle device, you'll have to follow the steps below.

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How to find your Kindle email address

1. Log into your Amazon account on your Mac or PC. Click on the "Account & Lists" tab at the top of the screen. 

2. Click "Manage content and devices."

3. Click the "Preferences" tab at the top.

4. Scroll down to "Personal Document Settings." Here you'll see the email address associated with your Kindle device. It's important to note that if you have multiple Kindle devices, each device will have a different email, even though they are all registered to the same account.

5. Along with your Kindle email address, you'll see an "Approved Personal Document E-Mail List" section. This is for email addresses that you want to approve to send emails to your Kindle device. Click "Add a new approved e-mail address."

• Enter the email address that you'd like to use to send a PDF to your Kindle device in the pop-up and click the yellow "Add Address" button when you're ready.

6. It's worth noting that the email you used to set up your Amazon account should already be listed — if this is the primary address you use to send emails, there's no need to add another.

7. On the Kindle mobile app, tap the "More" tab at the bottom, and then click "Settings" next to the gear icon. There you'll find your "Send-to-Kindle Email Address" listed towards the top.

You can also locate your Kindle email address on your Kindle device. 

8. To access your email address on your Kindle Paperwhite, you'll have to tap the menu button to open your Settings, followed by "Device Options." Select "Personalize Your Kindle" to view your Send-to-Kindle email at the bottom of the screen.

How to send a PDF to your Kindle device

1. Draft an email to your Kindle address using the email you added to your approved emails list, with your PDF attached. Kindle notes that it's not necessary to include a title or any other information.

2. You'll receive an email from Amazon Kindle Support letting you know that your Kindle received a request to send a document. You'll have to click to verify the request within 48 hours.

3. Once you click the link to confirm in the email, your document should immediately begin downloading on the Kindle device you sent it to.

4. Tap to open and read the PDF as you would any other Kindle e-book.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to read Kindle books on a PC in 2 different ways

• How to buy books on Kindle through your computer or mobile device

• How to reset your Kindle Paperwhite to its factory settings in 5 simple steps

• How to change the font size on your Kindle device in 2 ways

• How to buy and read Kindle e-books on a Mac computer

SEE ALSO: The best Kindles and ereaders

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: People are still debating the pink or grey sneaker, 2 years after it went viral. Here's the real color explained.

• Sonos is getting rid of its controversial "Recycle Mode" amid a backlash, as first reported by The Verge on Thursday and confirmed to Business Insider.
• The speaker company had pushed a trade-up program that gave customers a discount for upgrading — but only if they put their old speaker into Recycle Mode, making it permanently unusable.
• Critics said that making working speakers unusable was environmentally unfriendly, while Sonos said it was meant to keep customers from buying subpar used devices.
• The program will continue, but the Recycle Mode requirement has been dropped, allowing customers to choose what to do with their old speaker, a spokesperson told Business Insider.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sonos has stopped making customers "brick" their old speakers in order to become eligible for discounts on new products, as first reported by The Verge on Thursday and confirmed to Business Insider.

The controversial trade-up program encouraged Sonos customers to claim a 30% discount when upgrading to new products, but only by first placing their old speaker into "Recycle Mode," thus making it permanently unusable.

Critics slammed the program, which Sonos initially touted as a way to "responsibly recycle older products," as environmentally unfriendly for turning still functional speakers into e-waste.

A Sonos spokesperson told Business Insider that the trade-up program will continue, but without the requirement that customers put old devices into Recycle Mode.

"[Customers] can now choose what to do with their old device: continue to use it, give it to a friend, donate it to charity, responsibly recycle it at their local e-waste facility or send it back to Sonos via a prepaid shipping label," the spokesperson said.

Sonos defended the program's original intent, saying it was meant to help customers transition away from older devices that may not support "modern Sonos experiences," it told Business Insider.

However, Sonos ultimately decided to abandon the Recycle Mode condition, saying "we also respect the customer's right to decide for themselves when a product has reached the end of its useful life."

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NOW WATCH: Apple just revealed its AirPods Pro for $249, which feature noise cancellation. Here's everything that was wrong with the $159 pair of the wireless headphones.

• It's easy to make a Slack channel private for those who have permission to do so.
• You have to be a workspace owner or administrator and you have to be a channel member in order to make a Slack channel private.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Making a Slack channel private can help keep information confidential. Slack also makes it very easy to make a channel private though only workspace owners and administrators who are members of that specific channel will have the ability to make it private.

Keep in mind, however, that any files shared within that channel will not be privatized even after the channel is made private. 

You may, however, be able to create a private Slack channel if you are just a regular member — provided your workspace owner or administrator has not restricted that ability.

Here's how to make a Slack channel private on your Mac or PC. 

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How to make a Slack channel private if it's public

1. Select the channel you want to make private from the left sidebar.

2. Click the gear icon next to the name of the channel, located at the top of the screen.

3. Select "Additional options."

4. Click "Change to a private channel"— if that isn't listed, you'd need to contact an administrator or owner for assistance, otherwise continue to the next step.

5. Click "Change to Private" to confirm your decision.

How to make a private Slack channel

1. Click the plus sign next to "Channels" in the left sidebar.

2. Add your channel name and toggle on the "Make private" option.

3. Click "Create."

You'd be able to add members to the channel by tagging them in the pop-up which appears immediately after creation, or by selecting "Add people" on the channel page at any time.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to sign out of Slack completely on all of your devices in 5 simple steps

• How to join a Slack channel on desktop or mobile, whether it's public or private

• How to use GIPHY in Slack to send GIFs to your friends and coworkers

• How to leave a Slack channel that you're in, using either the desktop or mobile app

• How to delete Slack messages that you've sent, and what to do if you can't delete them

SEE ALSO: The best Apple MacBook laptops

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NOW WATCH: Apple just revealed its AirPods Pro for $249, which feature noise cancellation. Here's everything that was wrong with the $159 pair of the wireless headphones.

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• Costco CFO Richard Galanti told analysts that members have been visiting locations to scoop up crucial supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.
• Those products include "dry grocery items, cleaning supplies, Clorox and bleach, water, paper goods, hand sanitizers," Galanti said. 
• As a result, the members-only warehouse chain saw an uptick in consumer demand in February.
• "The last week and a half has been quite good with the sales, but we'll see what tomorrow brings," Galanti said.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Coronavirus may be wreaking havoc on the global economy, but it's provided a nice sales boost to at least one prominent global retailer. Costco saw a spike in consumer demand in February, which the chain attributed "to concerns over the Coronavirus."

In its latest earnings results, the company said the uptick in demand had a 3% "positive impact on total and comparable sales."

Costco CFO Richard Galanti told analysts in the earnings call that the company was "keeping a close eye on the developments of the coronavirus," specifically the safety of its members and employees, its operations, and its supply chain.

"Members are turning to us for a variety of items associated with preparing for and dealing with a virus such as shelf stables, dry grocery items, cleaning supplies, Clorox and bleach, water, paper goods, hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes, disinfectants, health and beauty aids," Galanti told analysts on Thursday.

He said that warehouses are having trouble keeping up with members, adding that the surge in demand has been "a little crazy." And that's despite the fact that warehouses are receiving deliveries of crucial supplies daily.

Galanti said that the chain will be placing quantity limits on certain products based on the region. The company will also adopt certain precautions within locations, including wiping down shopping cart handles with sanitizing wipes and setting up sanitizing wipe stations throughout the warehouses.

On the operations side, a handful of Costco warehouses in Korea closed for a few days, and the location in Shanghai is limiting the number of members allowed inside at once. Galanti also addressed supply chain issues, including the fact that many manufacturing facilities in China remained closed beyond the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday due to the outbreak.

One aspect of Costco's business that has suffered, despite the bounce in sales, is its in-house travel business. Galanti cited reduced demand and a sharp climb in cancellations on cruises and international travel.

"I don't think there's any surprise with that," he said.

The CFO thanked the company's "awesome" warehouse employees for keeping everything running smoothly, despite the fact that locations have been "beyond busy."

"The last week and a half has been quite good with the sales, but we'll see what tomorrow brings," Galanti said.

SEE ALSO: Walmart just took the first step toward getting rid of its dedicated grocery app

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• With two septuagenarians battling for the nomination and a fervent ideological battle boiling within the Democratic Party, the eventual nominee's vice-presidential pick could have an impact on the general election, according to political scientists and operatives.
• Given the diversity of the Democratic Party and its coalition, women and people of color should make up the bulk of both Biden's and Sanders' shortlists, political scientists and operatives told Insider.
• The candidate's ideology, regional appeal, and experience will also come into play. 
• Some pundits and strategists have begun speculating about who the two frontrunners will consider for the job.
• One Biden-aligned operative said he'd be "surprised" if Biden's pick wasn't Sen. Kamala Harris. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

With Super Tuesday setting the inescapable delegate math into motion, the Democrats will almost certainly have a septuagenarian white man leading the ticket in November to take on President Donald Trump. 

But the other half of that ticket is pretty wide open.  

Political scientists and Democratic operatives told Insider that both former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont would be smart to look for a younger running mate, preferably a woman or a person of color — or both.  

Both candidates have already suggested their future running mates would be women and younger than they are. In December, Biden told a New Hampshire voter he could think of "seven women off the top of my head" who could be his running mate. 

Beyond the candidate's identity, their ideology and regional strength will also come into play, and the nominee's goal will be a running mate who offers both balance and broad appeal. 

Biden has also said he would pick a running mate who could shoulder significant responsibility and act as almost like an equal partner in the White House. 

"Look, the only thing I know a lot about is the vice presidency," Biden said in response to a question about who he would pick for a running mate during a December town hall in Peterborough, New Hampshire. "The responsibility of the president is so immense that no one woman or man can handle the job by themselves. They have to be able to delegate, delegate significant responsibilities — not a joke. And the president did that with me."

Biden said he had enough influence as Obama's vice president that "I could hire and fire. I could pick people throughout the cabinet. I could do exactly as if I were the president, for real."

That codependency, he said, should trump concerns about the running mate complementing the nominee tactically for the general election.

Youth, energy, and diversity 

Given the diversity of the Democratic Party and its coalition, women and people of color should make up the bulk of both Biden's and Sanders' shortlists, the professors and operatives said.

Ian Russell, a former deputy director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the vice-presidential pick should help energize black and Latino voters as well as college-educated suburban women who came out in force for Democratic House candidates in 2018. And they should be a model for the party going forward. 

"It's got to be somebody that the Democratic Party can see its future in," he said.

Russell pointed to Florida Rep. Val Demings, a former Orlando police chief who endorsed Biden on Thursday, as a strong candidate for the former vice president. Another Democratic strategist said either Demings or New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would make good running mates for Biden. And Axios reported last year that Biden was considering former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams as his pick. 

A Democratic operative working to elect Biden predicted the candidate would choose Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who dropped out of the 2020 race in December, as his running mate. Harris, a former prosecutor and attorney general of her home state, ran on a more progressive platform than Biden but shied away from some of the progressive left's boldest proposals. Harris is considering endorsing Biden, according to The New York Times. 

"I'd be surprised if it wasn't Kamala Harris," he told Insider. "I actually think [she] is pretty pragmatic. I think Kamala Harris is closer to Joe Biden's form of politics than she ever was to the stuff she was trying to do on the campaign."

Though Harris was critical of Biden's record on race during the primary, the former vice president praised her when she dropped out of the race. 

"Sen. Harris has the capacity to be anything she wants to be," Biden said in December. "I talked to her yesterday. She's solid. She can be the president one day herself. She can be the vice president. She can go on to be a Supreme Court justice."

The operative said Sanders may have a harder time finding a running mate who will have broad appeal and be willing to be branded a democratic socialist. Some have suggested former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, a national cochair of Sanders' campaign, or Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, a progressive with a strong track record of wins in a swing state. 

"He doesn't want to seem as if he's selling out his people. There is an appearance piece of this, so it's gotta be someone who's going to pass the smell test with his supporters," he said. 

Basil Smikle, the former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, largely agreed. 

"For Biden, I imagine black voters who were critical to his resurgence will be looking for an African American running mate," Smikle told Insider. "For Sanders, I think someone that fits his policy profile but may assuage concerns among 'establishment' Dems is possible, though few may fit the model."

But the two Democratic frontrunners find their strongest support in very different segments of the Democratic electorate. While Sanders has a significant lead over Biden among young voters and Latino voters, the former vice president is much more popular than his competitor among older and suburban voters. 

Both candidates will also likely look for a running mate who appeals to the groups they're weak with. 

"Vice President Biden needs someone who can help him connect with the youth that Sen. Sanders has energized throughout this campaign," Josh Klemons, a Wisconsin Democratic strategist, told Insider. "Sen. Sanders needs someone who can either help him continue making inroads with communities of color or assuage moderates and conservative democrats that he isn't an ideologue looking to change everything they know about the country."

Historically, the vice-presidential pick doesn't make or break the general election, but there is a danger of picking a running mate who hurts the nominee's chances. 

"The percentage of people who said they wouldn't support John McCain in 2008 increased markedly in the immediate aftermath of Sarah Palin's first televised interview," Dan Hopkins, a political-science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told Insider of the former GOP nominee's choice. 

"If they haven't already, I hope that the Biden campaign will start vetting because the most important thing is to do no harm," Russell said.

SEE ALSO: Mike Bloomberg drops out of the 2020 presidential race and endorses Joe Biden

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