Home Depot’s fourth-quarter performance was muted by ongoing caution from American consumers in a weak housing market, but the home improvement retailer topped Wall Street expectations.The Atlanta company earned $2.57 billion, or $2.58 per share, for the three months ended Feb. 1. Stripping out one-time charges or benefits, earnings were $2.72 per share, topping analyst projections for per-share earnings of $2.53, according to FactSet.A year earlier it earned $3 billion, or $3.02 per share.An extra week in fiscal 2024 added approximately 30 cents per share to the year-ago quarter.Home Depot’s stock rose more than 3% before the market opened on Tuesday.Revenue totaled $38.2 billion, down from $39.7 billion a year earlier. The extra week in the prior-year period added about $2.5 billion of sales.Wall Street was looking for revenue of $38.09 billion.Sales at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, edged up 0.4%. In the U.S., comparable store sales climbed 0.3%.Chair and CEO Ted Decker said in a statement that Home Depot’s quarterly results “were largely in-line with our expectations, reflecting the lack of storm activity in the third quarter and ongoing consumer uncertainty and pressure in housing. Adjusting for storms, underlying demand was relatively stable throughout the year.”Customer transactions dropped 1.6% in the quarter. The amount shoppers spent rose to $91.28 per average receipt from $89.11 a year earlier.Home Depot and other retailers have seen customers cut back on their spending amid concerns about inflation and economic uncertainty. A frozen housing market has added to more tepid spending, particularly for Home Depot.The U.S. housing market has been in a slump dating back to 2022, the year mortgage rates began climbing from historic lows that fueled a homebuying frenzy at the start of this decade. And consumer confidence declined sharply in January, hitting the lowest level since 2014 as Americans grow increasingly concerned about their financial prospects.Neil Saunders, the managing director of GlobalData, said there has been a shift in the behavior of homeowners because of the housing market and the economy, with more people taking on smaller projects now.“The broader truth here is that Home Depot does best for big scale improvement tasks and major DIY jobs and is a major destination for consumers undertaking such work,” Saunders wrote Tuesday. “Unfortunately, the market did not play ball over the final quarter with the number of projects undertaken down by 1.5%, mostly driven by a sharp decline in bigger ticket projects, such as full remodels.”That sent more homeowners to local hardware stores, which can easily fulfill orders for smaller projects.For fiscal 2026, Home Depot anticipates adjusted earnings to be approximately flat to up 4% from fiscal 2025’s $14.69 per share. The company foresees total sales growth of about 2.5% to 4.5% and comparable sales growth to be approximately flat to up 2%.
Michelle Chapman, AP Business Writer
Its another bad day for Bitcoin. Over the past 24 hours, the digital token has declined nearly 4.5%, putting it just above $63,000 and within range of its 52-week low.
But this time, Bitcoins fall seems to have nothing to do with the token itselfor the broader cryptocurrency market. Rather, its steep drop seems to be driven by three unrelated factors, to varying degrees.
Here’s what you need to know:
Bitcoin approaches 2026 and 12-month lows
Since Bitcoin hit an all-time high of just over $126,000 per coin in October, the digital token poster child has had a dramatic fall from grace.
The coins momentum, which seemed unstoppable last fall, has sharply reversed course. At its current price of around $63,192, it is now down 50% from its all-time high.
And this isnt even the worst drop that Bitcoin has suffered recently. Earlier this month, Bitcoin fell to $62,353 before rebounding.
Now, Bitcoin is again within touching distance of this Februarys low.
To be fair to Bitcoin, it isnt the only major cryptocurrency seeing steep declines over the past 24 hours. Heres how Bitcoin compares to other major coins as of the time of this writing:
Bitcoin: down 4.5%
Ethereum: down 4.7%
BNB: down 3.2%
XRP: down 4.5%
Crypto de-risking may be a driving factor
Why are all these tokens down so much over the past 24 hours?
Interestingly, the fall seems to have little to do with the cryptocurrencies themselves. Instead, today’s crypto decline seems to be spurred by de-risking activity.
De-risking is when investors take their money out of high-risk, volatile assets, by selling those assets and investing the proceeds of those sales into other assets that are considered lower risk, and thus less volatile.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general are high-risk, volatile assets because their prices can swing widely over a short period of time (hello, todays drops and Bitcoins 50% fall over the last six months).
Besides cryptocurrencies, other high-risk, volatile assets can include various types of stockslike those in the tech sector.
In contrast, safe-haven, low-volatility assets include things like gold and government bonds.
High-risk, volatile assets can see their prices swing wildly in response to external factors unrelated to the assets themselves.
These swings occur because external factors can introduce significant uncertainty into markets. Uncertainty can lead to losses, so investors try to mitigate future losses by selling high-risk assets to lock in any gains or prevent further declines from affecting their portfolio.
And over the past 24 hours, there has been a hat trick of external uncertainties that is likely leading some crypto investors to derisk.
Trumps new tariffs, Iran, and AI are weighing on investors minds
Over the past 24 hours, three events have occurred that risk injecting significant uncertainty into the economy, and they are likely weighing heavily on the minds of crypto investors.
Most significantly of the three is that Trumps new tariffs are now in effect.
Last week, the president suffered a dramatic loss when the Supreme Court struck down his signature tariff policy, and thus, the majority of his Liberation Day tariffs could no longer be collected.
In response, Trump vowed to use other methods to impose tariffs on countries around the world. Those tariffs, of up to 15%, are now in effect.
However, in many cases, the new tariffs’ timeframe may be limited to just 150 days without additional approval from Congress, which the legislative body may or may not give.
All this is causing great uncertainty for businesses and governments, and ultimately risks impacting the economy and marketsagain.
Also, in the past 24 hours, America is closer than ever to invading Iran. Trump administration officials are due to meet Iranian counterparts in Geneva on Thursday, and if those talks fail, many fear that the president will make good on his threat to attack the country.
Many experts say a war with Iran could be a prolonged one, and prolonged wars have habits of negatively impacting the global economy.
Finally, yesterday, an announcement from Anthropic spooked investors in legacy SaaS (software-as-a-service) companies.
As reported by CNBC, Anthropic announced that its Claude AI could now modernize legacy COBOL systems. COBOL is a computer programming language that has been around since the 1950s and is still the backbone of most corporate systems.
After Anthoripics announcement, shares in IBM sank, as IBM generates significant revenue from maintaining these legacy COBOL systems.
Now Anthoripic says its Claude tools can quickly Identify [COBOL] risks that would take human analysts months to surface. As a result, IBM shares dropped 13%.
But Anthropics news also spooked investors with significant holdings in legacy software companies. Tech stocks can already be volatile, and more proof that AI could have a significant impact on legacy tech companies sent shivers down investors spines.
Given the triple uncertainties of tariffs, Iran, and AI, its no wonder why investors seem to be de-risking from volatile assets like Bitcoin in an attempt to protect their gains or prevent further portfolio losses.
Neuroscientists have found birding is actually a brain hack. A new study published in JNeurosci, the Journal of Neuroscience found birdwatching may actually alter the structure and function of your brainwhat is known as neuroplasticityeffectively helping to boost cognitive abilities, especially in more seasoned bird watchers.
Our brains are very malleable, lead researcher Erik Wing, a research associate at York University in Toronto, explained.
Wait, what exactly is neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity is basically the process or way your brain learns, creates memory, and adapts to experiences and trauma, according to Psychology Today.
Research shows that while the brain changes and develops the most in childhood, it continues to do so throughout your life.
Today, neuroscientists see the brain as a dynamic and flexible organ, one that can “reorganize connections” through “wiring” and rewiring.
How bird watching helps your brain
The new study of 58 adults compared the brains of 29 expert birders (ages 24 to 75), and 29 beginners around the same age. It found something interesting: The MRIs of the expert birders’ brains had more density when it came to areas governing perception and attention, than those of the novices.
Again, they didn’t divide the two groups based on a person’s agebut based on their birding knowledge and expertise.
Birding, which involves deep concentration and the ability to identify different birds, alters brain activity and structure in the same way becoming an expert musician or athlete does. That’s because they all require extensive brain training.
So, what did the study conclude? In short, it found the process of becoming an expert birder boosted brain cognition. And while it doesn’t stop brain aging, it does suggest that it could help minimize age-related declines in the future.
One of the many constitutional duties of the president is giving a State of the Union address to Congress. Article II, Section 3 only mandates that this act happen “from time to time,” but it has become an annual event.
Tuesday, February 24, will technically mark President Trumps first State of the Union address of his second termeven though he lectured Congress in 2025. That speech was labeled an address to a joint session of Congress, so Trump could speak on his goals for his second term.
Heres everything you need to know about tonights SOTU address.
What topics could Trump speak about?
Most pundits agree, the economy will be front and center. President Trump even teased this himself last Wednesday, February 18, at the White House. Watch the State of the Union. Were going to be talking about the economy. We inherited a mess, he stated.
This could mean he will spend some time blaming his predecessor President Joe Biden for the country’s ills.
Vice President JD Vance also confirmed that economics will take precedence. Youre going to hear a lot about the importance of bringing jobs back into our country, of reshoring manufacturing, of all these great factories that are being built, he explained in a Fox News interview.
Recent polling shows the need for Trump to tackle this important issue ahead of the midterm elections.
According to a recent Associated Press NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey, only 39% of American adults approve of his economic leadership. He loses a percentage point for immigration.
Add these low numbers predate Fridays Supreme Court ruling, which declared that some of Trumps tariffs exceeded executive powers. Either way, Trump is going into the State of the Union with low poll numbers.
Are Democrats boycotting the SOTU?
The Democratic party is expected to display varying acts of dissent during Trumps State of the Union Address.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries plans to attend, but outlined his expectations for his fellow party members. Either attend with silent defiance or not attend, he instructed. He doesnt want a repeat of last years ejection of Texas Representative Al Green.
Many are taking the second option, including Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut; and representatives Greg Casar of Texas and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.
These lawmakers are instead attending another event, the Peoples State of the Union, organized by MoveOn and MeidasTouch. This will take place on the National Mall.
Another counter-programming event will be held at the National Press Club: It’s is being called the State of the Swamp. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is scheduled to appear.
Additionally, Senator Patty Murray of Washington is planning on meeting with constituents instead.
Who is giving the Democratic response?
After President Trump has his say, the Democrats have their turn to speak.
This year, they have elected Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia to represent their interests. She is a vocal Trump critic and is not expected to hold back. Senator Alex Padilla of California will give the Democratic Spanish-language response.
Who is giving the Progressive response?
Democrat Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania will also speak. She will give the Working Families Partys response.
Since American politics is dominated by a two-party system, this progressive group allows members to be a part of another party while also closely aligning with Democrats.
How to stream the SOTU live
The State of the Union 2026 speech is scheduled to begin tonight (Tuesday, February 24) 9 p.m. ET.
Most major networks such as NBC, CBS, and ABC will cover the speech, as will major cable networks including C-SPAN.
If you have an over-the-air antenna, you can watch it for free on a broadcast network or PBS. Traditional cable subscribers are also covered.
You can also find SOTU 2026 on live-TV streaming services such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and FuboTV.
Last but not least, you can easily live-stream the State of the Union speech for free on the YouTube channel of PBS News. We’ve embedded that video below.
In the past, women’s work bags were designed to assert power. Women marched into the boardroom with hyper-structured “girlboss” totes or aggressively minimalist tech clutches.
But there’s a shift taking place. Many worklife bags today are softer, both visually and physically. They’re lighter. They collapse. They transition seamlessly from the office to the many other things that fill your life: The mid-day grocery run, a coffee meeting that turns into school pickup, dinner with friends straight from the office.
Every year, I test dozens of bags in search of the ones that best capture how were actually living and working right now. It’s clear that work bags are slowly shedding their armor. Rigidity and structure have given way to something more fluid. And perhaps they say something about our identity as working women. We’re not longer looking for a bag that assert power and competence, but rather one that reflects how work is just one part of our lives.
This years standout bags share a clear through line: Theyre soft without being sloppy. Structured enough to carry a laptop securelybut relaxed enough to collapse into something chic and compact once the tech is removed. Theyre built for a hybrid life. After months of testing, here are the five bags that rose to the top.
[Photo: Strathberry]
Barra Tote
Strathberry, $895
At first glance, the Barra Totemade by the fast-growing Scottish startup Strathberrylooks like a classic, polished work bag. It’s made with 100% grain calf leather in a family-owned factory in Spain. The clean lines and signature gold bar detail give it a distinctly elevated feelone that would be perfectly at home in a boardroom.
But once you start carrying it, you realize its more versatile than it appears. The leather has structure but isnt stiff. With my 14-inch laptop inside, the bag feels balanced and intentionalnot boxy or overstuffed. Theres enough organization to keep everything upright and easy to access, but not so much that it feels over-engineered.
What surprised me most is how the bag transforms when you remove the laptop. It relaxes slightly, softening into a sleek everyday tote. Add the crossbody strap and it becomes commuter-friendly, freeing up your hands for coffee, phone, or a childs hand on a busy sidewalk. Its the rare bag that signals professionalism without locking you into it.
[Photo: Cuyana]
Forma Satchel
Cuyana, $698
Cuyana has built its reputation on the idea of fewer, better things, and the Forma Satchel embodies that philosophy. This bag has two distinct silhouettes, an architectural hexagonal satchel that transforms thanks to hidden magnetic side panels into a spacious tote bag. With it’s rounded edges, it feels refined rather than rigid.
The pebbled Italian leatherwhich has been environmentally certified by the Leather Working Groupfeels substantial but not heavy, and the bag holds its shape beautifully when a laptop is inside. Thanks to metal feet at the base, my computer sits upright, making it easy to slide in and out during meetings.
Yet once the laptop is removed, the Forma doesnt collapse awkwardly or gape open. It simply becomes a polished everyday satchelsleek enough for work, understated enough for weekend errands. It pairs just as well with tailored trousers as it does with denim and sneakers. It doesnt demand attention, but it quietly pulls an outfit together. This is the bag for someone who wants versatility without visual clutter.
[Photo: Vestirsi]
Bella 2-in-1 Convertible Backpack Tote
Vestirsi, $679If any bag on this list fully embraces the fluidity of modern life, its this one. The Bella can be worn as a tote or converted into a backpacka feature that genuinely changes how you move through your day. In tote mode, it reads polished and office-ready. In backpack mode, it becomes a practical companion for commuting, travel, or long days on your feet.
The bag is made by the Australian startup Vestirsi, which makes all of its products in Italian factories. The leather, now in a chic woven design, gives the bag visual softness and texture, which helps it avoid the overly technical look of many laptop backpacks.
Even with my computer inside, it doesnt scream tech bag. Instead, it feels artisanal and thoughtfully designed. When worn as a backpack, the weight distribution is noticeably more comfortable, especially during longer walks. And when th laptop comes out, the bag slouches just enough to feel relaxed and lifestyle-oriented. Its a reminder that functionality doesnt have to sacrifice aesthetics.
[Photo: MZ Wallace]
Medium Park Satchel
MZ Wallace, $325
MZ Wallace has long mastered the art of the ultra-lightweight bag, and the Medium Park Satchel is a standout example.
Before you put anything inside, it feels almost featherlight. Even with a laptop, charger, and daily essentials, it never crosses into shoulder-aching territory. The quilted nylon construction makes it durable and practical, but the shape remains feminine and refined. It’s the little details that made it feel refined: The Italian leather trim, the gold hardware, the straps that come down the front, adding visual interest.
The color options this yearespecially the bold apple pinksignal a shift away from the traditional black-and-brown work bag palette. Work bags dont have to be neutral to be professional. When I remove my laptop, the Park Satchel instantly feels like a playful everyday carryall. The crossbody strap makes it easy to navigate crowded sidewalks or public transportation without feeling weighed down. Its the most low-maintenance bag of the groupand thats precisely its appeal.
[Photo: Jorja]
Jorja Puffy Tote
Jorja, $625
The Puffy Tote represents perhaps the clearest aesthetic shift of all: toward softness.
Made by Jorja, a startup that uses the same nylon and factories as luxury brands like Prada, the padded body feels almost cloud-like against the shoulder. Its protective without appearing corporate, and theres something inherently comforting about carrying it. With a laptop inside, the cushioning adds a sense of security. Without one, the bag gently slouches into a fashion-forward tote.
Unlike traditional structured work bags, this one feels casualbut not careless. It works with tailored outfits and athleisure alike, making it especially well-suited for days that move between multiple settings. It doesnt look like a laptop bag. And thats the point.
San Francisco restaurant Mister Jius is kicking off its 10th anniversary celebration next month with a three-part dinner series in its Chinatown kitchen. The restaurant will host 10 celebrated Chinese chefs from around the world, including Dan Hong from Sydney, Australias Mr Wong, and ArChan Chan from Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong. Guests, seated in tables of four or eight, pay $285 each for 16 dishes from four chefs, all inspired by classic banquet-style dining.
The even is nearly sold out, and, according to executive chef and owner Brandon Jew, an exciting creative collaboration that the restaurant couldnt afford to produce on its own.
The extravaganza is sponsored by Resy, the reservations provider used at Mister Jius and one of two reservations platforms owned by American Express. The payments company acquired Resy in 2019 and competing service Tock in 2024 to help its card members access both tables and special events at top restaurants, like the dinner collabs at Mister Jius. (Amex card members were able to secure bookings to the event 48 hours before everyone else.) The series is among hundreds of events that Resy will put on this year to try to coax more diners into restaurantsand more restaurants onto Resy.
That platform is about to get a shot in the arm. This summer, Amex will merge Tocks restaurant inventory with Resys, adding roughly 8,000 bookable venuesincluding 1,200 wineries, a handful of tattoo parlors, and at least one goat farmto Resys app and website. The move boosts Resys venue count to 25,000, but will sunset the Tock brand, formally uniting two onetime startups against reservations market leader OpenTable, the incumbent provider they each hoped to disrupt.
Crucially, it also bolsters Amexs position amid increased competition: Delivery company DoorDash spent $1.2 billion to acquire reservations platform SevenRooms last year and offers diners delivery credit for booking tables, and Chase Sapphire linked up with OpenTable last spring as part of its larger Visa partnership to offer exclusive restaurant bookings. Chase also has a longstanding partnership with DoorDash, offering Sapphire holders credit.
Resy will be the singular app for the best culinary experiences used by the hospitality world’s most ambitious operators, with a membership benefit for card members, says Pablo Rivero, CEO of Resy and Tock and SVP and head of American Express global dining. And all of that will come together under the umbrella of a new era for the Resy ecosystem.
Behind the Resy-Tock merger
The merger follows efforts by American Express to link its cards to reservations services that provide valuable access to restaurants. When the card issuer raised its Platinum card fee by $200 last September, it added a $400 annual credit for diners to use in Resy restaurants. This summer, Tock restaurants will start to become eligible for the credit, with the majority eligible by the end of 2027.
Brandon Jew [Photo: Courtesy of Resy]
It was a powerful move; in the three weeks following the announcement, there was a 36% increase in Resy reservations made by users with a U.S. Platinum card linked to their accountand a five times increase in the daily average number of accounts being linked. People using the Resy credit are spending, on average, 25% more, according to Rivero. Resy wants its restaurants to notice; in January, it sent partner restaurants a Spotify Wrapped-style digest that included the value of Resy credits earned by Amex users at their business. Look out for more of these card members in your seats in 2026, it promised in its note to restaurants.
Amex is already seeing results: In the fourth quarter of 2025, global restaurant spend by American Express card members was up 9% overall, but spending by American Express card members at Resy restaurants was up more than 20%.
Both Resy and Tock launched in 2014 with new approaches to restaurant reservations. Resy challenged OpenTables longtime model of charging restaurants per reservation. Instead, it offered a monthly subscription to its reservations and table management software.
Around the same time, Tock pioneered a new model, prepaid ticketing, with the thesis that diners should book and pay for dinner the same way theyd buy tickets to a Broadway play or a football game. Founder and CEO Nick Kokonas, a former derivatives trader, launched the tech inside Alinea, the Chicago fine dining restaurant that he cofounded.
One platform, two systems
Tocks structure immediately attracted fine dining restaurants drawn to a fresh idea. Kokonas, meanwhile, seemed to relish antagonizing chief competitor OpenTable, which he accused of peddling outdated technology and a stale business model. In one memorable marketing stunt, he planned to distribute 5,000 plastic dinosaurs at an industry trade show, each branded with the URL OpenTableSaurus.com, which then led to Tocks homepage. A cease-and-desist letter from OpenTable thwarted the plan, and Tock eventually gave them the domain. But Kokonas, refusing to accept defeat, pointed a second URL, DinosaurTable.com, at Tocks homepage to underscore his position. (Both URLs still work.)
Kokonas wanted the restaurant industry to embrace the prepaid model that eliminated nearly all of the dreaded and expensive no-shows at its restaurants. Eventually, Tocks competitors added prepaid ticketing to their platforms, and Tock started offering free reservations.
By th time American Express acquired Tock from website-building platform Squarespace for $400 million in 2024 (Squarespace paid the same amount to acquire the business in 2021), its diner-facing productsfree reservations, deposits, ticketshad become standard across providers. But Tock maintained an impressive roster of high-end restaurants, which bought into the platforms adaptable technology and the companys reputation for serving them well, something that Tocks restaurant customers hope wont vanish when the brand does.
Its so clear [Tock] was built by restaurant people that understand service, says Anya Abrams, managing director at Blue Hill in upstate New York.
Blue Hill operates the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns, alongside the more casual Cafeteria, which serves lunch and communal-style dinner. It uses prepaid ticketing on Tock for both. It also uses the platform to facilitate experiences like farm tours and cocktail demonstrations. Abrams says that at her request, Tock has added product features and changes that fit the companys complex needs.
[Photo: Courtey of Resy]
Once bookings at Tock restaurants are moved to Resy, Rivero says that diners will see and be able to book the exact same tables and experiences that they would on Tock, cocktail tastings and farm visits included. Restaurants using Tocks software to manage their venues wont notice any tech changes on their end besides a switch to Resys logo. Restaurants already using Resy won’t see any changesthough if they prefer to switch to Tocks operating system, which many say offers better tech, they can.
Tock has built an incredible product that so many restaurants have come to use and love, and we dont want to mess with that, Rivero says.
Eventually, Rivero says, Amex will combine Resy and Tocks restaurant-facing tech, made up of the best of both, along with new features and integrations. He didnt share a timeline, but restaurants have been told to expect the change in 2027.
A battle for restaurants
Amid this heightened competition between platforms and credit cards, restaurants have gained more negotiating power.
Over the last year or so, reports and rumors have surfaced of restaurants receiving five-, six-, or even seven-figure payments to switch between booking platforms including Resy, Tock, OpenTable, and SevenRooms. The services and their deep-pocketed owners and partners are hoping that the cash infusions, along with promises to fill dining rooms with people eager to spend, will net them the most desirable restaurants.
In San Franciscos Chinatown, Brandon Jew is happy the platforms, including Resy, see the value in restaurants like his, which work to create great experiences for diners.
Restaurants have a very natural way of being able to storytell and provide experiences, entertainment, and food and beverage that contribute to memorable events, he says. I think thats what the reservation systems are interested in providing, especially for their elite users.
It’s such a weird era, he adds. I feel like we’re so used to paying for their products. For now, at least, the tables have turned.
When looking for an apartment in San Francisco today, artificial intelligence can seem inescapable; and thats not just because every rental building seems to have an AI bot answering calls.
In San Francisco, the technologys ascendencyand the subsequent skyrocketing job growth has helped make the apartment market one of the tightest in the nation, with the fastest growing rent in the U.S.
Lisa McCarrel, Managing Partner of Move Bay Area, a relocation and rental housing service, has seen the rental market become frenzied in recent months due in part to the increase in AI and AI-adjacent jobs. With units harder to come by, shes seen some potential tenants offer a years rent in cash upfront.
I just had a meeting with my team because spring time is typically when the rental market here starts to get crazy, says McCarrel. But its already crazy. Ive been running this business for 11 years, and this is the first time Ive had to hold a meeting to prepare staff for what will be a hyper-competitive market.
Between 2024 and 2025, job postings for AI roles in the Bay Area, many extremely high-paying, grew 72%, from roughly 57,000 to 99,000, according to an analysis by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. That influx of new, highly paid workerswho may be renting until a post-IPO windfallhas helped rents in the city of San Francisco jump 13% year-over-year, according to data from Apartment List.
The market currently has a 3.5% vacancy rate, roughly half the national average (nearly even with the citys pre-Covid 2019 vacancy rate of 3.4%). Jackie Tom, founder and broker of the agency Rentals in SF, said the market is now very busy and well past pre-pandemic pricing.
A different kind of tech boom
But not all tech booms are created equal. AIs outsized impact on San Francisco differs today significantly from the impact of the 2010s tech expansion, when it felt like tech hiring had a wider impact on other economic sectors. In part, thats because of both where AI firms are located and their workforce cultures, as well as the overall state of the economy. That same job posting analysis found non-AI jobs in the region declined 1% over the same period.
Ten years ago, you had tech workers flocking to San Francisco, but a lot of them moved to the South Bay or the Peninsula, or lived across the city and took buses to Menlo Park, Mountain View or Cupertino, says Apartment List economist Chris Salviati, referencing the Silicon Valley HQs of Meta, Alphabet, and Apple, respectively. Right now, the neighborhoods where AI companies are based are seeing an influx of apartment demand.
San Francisco neighborhoods such as SoMa, where Anthropic recently took over a 430,000 square-foot office, and Mission Bay, where OpenAI expanded its office footprint to encompass more than 1 million square feet, have seen skyrocketing demand for rental units, says Salviati. RentCafe data shows one-bedroom units in these neighborhoods at $4,700 and $3,800. Anna Squires Levine, president of coworking firm Industrious, said demand for their San Francisco locations has been off the charts due to AI.
AI firms have embraced 9-9-6 culture, a concept pushing workers to grind from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. With that kind of schedule, and offices and startups clustered in a handful of neighborhoods, the new AI workforce wants to live as close as possible, ideally walking distance, to eliminate long commutes. One firm, Cluey, even gives its employees rental subsidies.
Thats a sea change from the 2010s boom that reshaped San Francisco, where many workers either lived in the city, as well as Oakland, and commuted to Silicon Valley offices. In fact, whereas Oakland was seen as a battleground against gentrification during the last tech wave a decade ago, dealing with dramatic rent increases, today, its apartment market has flatlined, as a lack of demand and a surplus of new apartment supply has pushed rents down 20% compared to 2020.
AIs growth, in terms of its office leasing footprint, remains ravenous, says Colin Yasukochi, executive director of the Tech Insights Center at CBRE, a massive international real estate brokerage and services firm. Last year, nearly a third of the 10.5 million square feet of office leases were for AI companies. Yasukochi says that if you add up all the total space requirements for AI firms looking for new offices right now, it would total 3.3 million square feet.
McCarrel of Move Bay Area says shes seeing industry growth move in phases; last year, she was helping AI startup founders find places to live, and now shes working with more of the employees theyre starting to hire.
For AI firms, says Yasukochi, the most important factor is time, as they race each other to deliver the newest model or breakthrough; leases have mostly been for massive blocks of move-in ready space they can immediately occupy and get to work (typically, high-end office tenants would spend lots of time and money refurbishing their trophy offices).
Keeping pressure on a crowded rental market
The influx of thousands of new tech jobs doesnt offset area job losses in other sectors, as well as the tech industry at large, says Abby Raisz, Vice President of Research at the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. But it is concentrating pressure on the high end of the rental market.
The citys long-time shortage of new housing, as well as stubbornly high interest rates pushing more high-income renters into the rental market instead of buying, has made that segment of the market especially crowded in 2026. McCarrel says that its a full-time job for someone seeking a place to have to continuously call leads and monitor what is and isnt available; she doubts even an AI program made by some of these new arrivals would help someone figure out a new living arrangement.
Theres too many barriers, she says. You have to be very careful the way you communicate with brokers and owners; theres a lot of competition.
Most forecasts see AI companies continuing to expand, which will bring more jobs, and increase competition among San Francisco apartment seekers. Enrico Moretti, an economist at UC Berkeley, says as firms start commercializing AI, there will be an explosion in hiring as investment in training leads to more monetization.
But the contours of this boom remain uncertain; if AI tools can make workers more efficient and therefore shrink office space and headcount, the companies most impacted by this effect will be those creating the AI in the first place.
We have to throw out the ideas about the way companies grow right now, says Raisz. AI companies will be the best at using their tech to be efficient, and theyll be really good about being efficient and not overhiring. Is AI a new job creator o destroyer? Its still a question mark.
McCarrel says the market is so tough, shell probably be handing out copies of articles like this one to potential renters she works with; the process of finding an apartment can be like a marathon, so best to set expectations right away.
By now, youve surely noticed it. Jean waistlines, sky-high not so long ago, are going lower. Low enough that you might need to think of underwear as outerwear.
Across the fashion industry, experts agree that in 2026, ultra-low-rise will be a key business driver in the denim sector, with some brands saying that their low-rise styles have replaced the eternally popular high-rise as their best selling cut.
“What we’re going to see in this next decade is [itll be] really dominated by the low-rise,” says Amy Williams, CEO of Citizens of Humanity group, which also owns the premium denim brand Agolde. “Right now, you’re sort of at that early stage where people are just now getting a feel for it.
If you pay attention to the runways or street style, you might have already picked up on this shift, as celebrities, models, and on-trend normies started trading in high-waisted jeans for pairs that sit low on the hips in the past couple of years.
But the real tell is that low-rise jeans finally hit mass market. In 2025, global brands with slowerto-adopt consumers like Gap found their large customer base was finally ready for the navel-gazing silhouette. Weve been kind of waiting for this moment, Noelle Rogers, senior vice president and general manager of Gap Specialty, told me last August. We tested a few times on low-rise and it wasnt until the last 9, 10 months that the customer was ready.
Now denim designers are pushing low-rise further.
Well definitely see more ultra-rises coming through in 2026, says Susie Draffan, senior denim strategist at WGSN who began tracking low-rise in 2019 when macro trends like a resurgent interest in 90s and Y2K aesthetics put the style on her radar. Mass-market brand Lucky launched an ultra-low-rise flare style (thats an itty-bitty, two-button, 7.25-inch rise) with Addison Rae last August, after the company first spotted her wearing the vintage version in the wild.
[Photo: Lucky]
Fashion is going to be pushing those extremes, Tamara Reynolds, vice president of the Denim Center of Excellence at Catalyst, the parent company of Lucky Brand. We are really excited about low-rise still, and we’re even more excited about super low-rise.
This style was bound to happen. High-rise is a silhouette that’s really held people’s attention for almost 15 years, says Citizens of Humanitys Williams. So, as with anything in fashion, that pendulum swings backward, but when it goes back, it evolves into something new. Part of that evolution is todays range of equally acceptable pant silhouettes: wide-leg baggy, straight, bootcut, flare, and, dare I say, increasingly skinny.
Whats most fun about this moment is that while were seeing some strong micro-trends within denimslimmer, straighter, lower-rise cuts are undoubtedly dominating the conversationwere still seeing brands across the market sell nearly every kind of denim shape and style, says Alexandra Avdey, vice president of merchandising at Reformation. In the past, there has almost always been a single must-have style. Right now, theres something for everyone.
So pick your poison. The result is sure to be toxic (1. adj., pejorative, a negative association due to the ultra-low-rises inherent ties to an era that correlated beauty with thinness; or 2., adj., complimentary, origin: Britney Spears song; a nostalgic association with naughties cultural icons that brings new and interesting approaches to dress in the current context.)
Ultra-low-rise is polarizing. But whether or not you want to hang, its going to be here for a while.
Britney Spears onstage at the American Music Awards in 2001 [Photo: Frank Micelotta/ABC/Getty Images]
Slow burn, hot stats
Data from a cross-section of denim brands is indicating that low-rise is a big business driver. At Citizens of Humanity, its low-slung baggy represents 35% of its business. Four of its top 10 styles are low-rise, according to the company. Agolde since introduced a low-rise bootcut for Spring, which the website describes as a true nod to the early 2000s. Though the company doesn’t plan to release any ultra-low-rise styles, this bootcut is now the companys lowest rise (8 inches) and sits low on the hips.
The numbers are even more striking at Reformation. Sales of low-rise denim grew 500% in 2025 compared to 2024. Like Citizens, 4 of Refs top 10 jeans SKUs year to date are low-rise. Its top-selling denim style is its Cary low-rise slouchy wide-leg jean, which overtook its high-rise counterpart. (Hitting about an inch below the navel, Cary feels a bit more like a mid-rise.)
[Photo: Reformation]
And the style isnt just for the youngest consumers. The company says that low-rise is performing across generations, with 38% of low-rise e-comm sales driven by Gen Z and 30% by millennials. If anything, going low has more to do with a willingness to experiment rather than age.
At Lucky, whose customers are predominantly women in their twenties, low-rise sales increased 763% in August 2025 compared to the previous year, and contributed 43% to full price denim sales, compared to 8% the previous year. Gap didnt share specific data, but following a test period that resulted in high sales volumes, the company went all in on low-rise with its long and lean launch with girl group Katseye last August.
We’ve seen a huge uptrend that is more U.S. and North American-based starting in basically like August of this year, Citizens CEO Williams told me in late 2025, noting the upswing is all coming from either low-rise or straight leg shapes.
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Of course, runways are one of the best signals for what brands will launch down the road, and waistlines are jostling for share. Over the last two seasons, designer labels like Diesel (see its nearly-bumster styles) and Alexander McQueen (revival of its actual 90s bumster styles) have shown off ultra-low-rise styles. Low and natural or high-rise styles held equal share of the denim mix at the A/W 25/26 shows, at 17.8%, with low-rise styles increasing 11.8 percentage points year over year, according to WGSN catwalks data provided to Fast Company.
Katseye [Photo: Gap]
Cultural emergence
Last fall I was scrolling through Instagram and a paparazzi photo of actress Zoë Kravitzmy personal style chimerain baggy low-rise jeans crossed my feed. Kravitz, 37, wore them low on the hip, without a waistband or pockets so theyre flat across the pelvis. They also had an adjustable toggle closure at the ankle. The design felt new. After some recon I learned it was the $325 Still Heres Sport jean that fashion acolytes have been ravenously scooping up.
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Head of Brand Eliza Rolfs told me when I visited the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, store that the connection happened organically, after Kravitzs stylist, Danielle Goldberg, reached out and pulled some styles. Kravitz kept three pairs of the Sport, which Rolfs describes as a more classic approach to low-rise. She’s not the only fan: The brands Pear wash sold out in 25 minutes after its first release, which led to 10,000 people joining a waitlist. The original Sport Jean, which launched in July 2025, sold out four times within its first six months on the market.
As with previous trends, many denim designers I spoke with cited street and celebrity style as their early ultra-low-rise indicators, and name-checked Bella and Gigi Hadid as two examples. The members of Katseye are always in hip-bone, thong-strap, or belly-chain-bearing pants. (Thong straps, functionally designed to hide a visible panty line, have now become lucrative new real estate for charms and bedazzling.)
So are other Gen Z pop stars like Tate McCray, Addison Rae, or more recently, fellow millennial Charli XCX, 33, who wore a thong-bearing jean to promo her new movie, The Moment. In the beginning of February, stylist Andrew Mukamal dressed Margo Robbie, 35, in super-low leather pants for a look during her Wuthering Heights press tour.
@voguegermany #margotrobbie is in London for her #wutheringheights press tour. #voguegermany #margotrobbieofficial (Video: Getty Images) original sound –
Thats because many current cultural icons are looking to the irreverence and confidence of early 2000s stars like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, according to Reynolds. Really low-rise denim was a key piece in the outfitting and the entire look. That’s how the Y2K kind of revival came across and it caught like wildfire, she says. Reformation plans to lean even more into Y2K this year, with components like exposed buttons, rivets, seaming details and low-rise boot-cut styles, for instance.
Christina Aguilera at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards [Photo: Ron Galella Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images]
Nostalgia is a big driver, says Draffan. Interest in that period revived a range of low-rise styles, with 90s-inspired baggy and straight legs as well as bootcut styles from the noughties driving the revival, she adds.
But dont just peg ultra-low-rises comeback to a long-simmering cultural fixation on Xtina at the 2001 VMAs. The low-rise revival has a co-dependency with other shifting denim trends like baggy pants. As those baggier fits got lower and lower slung, and they’re belted and theyre hanging off the hips, it gave rise to the midriff, right? asks Reynolds. So that’s where I feel like the rumblings from a design point of view first came.
Can design fixes mend cultural flaws?
Like anything you wear, denim has direct ties to material and tech innovations as well as the broader sociocultural climate. Back in the day when skinny jeans became a thing, it was primarily because stretch products had evolved to a point where there was so much stretch in the product that you could wear a skin tight jean all day long and be really comfortable, says Williams.
Stretch materials remained as waistlines shifted to high-rise in the early to mid-2010s (I was a Citizens of Humanity Rocket devotee), and it made for a skin-tight fit like leggings, which people also couldnt wait to peel off and replace with sweats or actual Lululemon leggings when they got home.
[Photo: Cody Lidtke/Still Here]
When the pandemic hit, so did the wide-legged pants. It’s super comfortable and you can wear it all day long, says Williams. I think that’s what got people out of their sweatpants from COVID and into wide leg jeans. The most common rise was still around 9 inches (considered high-rise), though.
Williams says high-rise jeans have been telling the same fashion story for a long time, and consumers are simply ready for styling that has something fresh to say. You can tell when you lose your attention span and the customer changes gears, she says. I do think there’s just an element that is absolutely cyclical.
Kate Moss circa 2005 [Photo: Antony Jones/U.K. Press/Getty Images]
When I delivered the news to friends that ultra-low-rise is back, the reaction wasnt very different from what itd be like to share that you got back together with a boyfriend they all secretly hated: healthy skepticism. You have to be hot to wear low-rise, an aggravated friend told me at a party (in this context: hot = 2000s model thin).
Cynicism from those of us whove been through the first go-around is fair, because the ultra-low-rise revival calls back to the era we came of age in: dominated by fatphobia and capped by Kate Moss telling WWD one of her mottos is Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.
And while contemporary low-rise is in reality more of a wearable mid-rise (Reformation, for instance, dropped the crotch so the wearer could adjust where it sits by sizing up or down), ultra-low-rise, which sits low on the hip bone and creates a more square rather than hourglass shape, is less universally flattering.
[Phto: Agolde]
While theyre trending right now with Gen Z, there is obviously a huge swath of the market for whom a low-rise will just not appeal, says Draffan, the WGSN strategist. Its a tricky rise to pull off, not to mention that anyone over 30 already did the low-rise at some point in their lives, and isnt keen to go back there, especially Millennials and the mature market. She describes mid and high-rises as more flattering with broader consumer appeal.
The good news for the low-rise-averse is that wearable high and mid rises are still in the mix, so those with an aversion to navel exposure can keep a safe distance in the comfortable rise of their choice.
For low-rise, the cool thing about denim trends is when a silhouette does come back in style is that it lingers a little bit, rather than fast fashion, [which is] a voracious trend cycle, says Rolfs of Still Here Sport. Denim tends to stick for a couple of years and that has ripple effects in the rest of the garments as well.
The leg opening of denim is tapering toward straight, which in turn looks nice with a pair of loafers, which are becoming more popular too, thanks to a prep revival. The customer’s purchasing a lot more than they have, says Williams, who calls straight legs and loafers the new wide leg and Sambas. And itll keep evolving: a stovepipe skinny jean is one of WGSNs key fashion items for 2026.
Anatomy of the new low-rise
Denim designers I spoke with insist the style is more inclusive this time around, and brands like Gap are showing the style on a variety of body types. The fit of Y2K-era low-rise jeans were a painted-on, tightly fitting second skin.
When it comes to today’s aesthetics, it feels much more sophisticated and cool to wear something that sits a little bit away from the body, says Williams. So you’ll see a low-rise iterated, in a way, that has like a bit of ease, maybe bagginess to it so it still looks refined and it has a little bit more of what you would imagine today’s model off duty to have evolved to.
[Photos: Agolde (left), Lucky]
Williams says the new cuts are easier to wear and have more balance proportions, allowing for a different visual anchor. Now you’re anchoring the jean at that low hip, so the top part is the anchor rather than the legs and the booty as the anchor, she says. That solves the whole host of problems that we’ve all witnessed.
[Photos: Agolde (left), Lucky]
Designers make lots of micro adjustments to make a low-rise jean look more flattering and proportional. You’re going from a proportion that’s hourglass-shaped to one that sits low and is a little bit more square, and you’re shrinking down all of the proportions, McDonald says of the difference between a high-rise fit and low. To accommodate for this shift in proportions, ultra-low-rise jeans have different pocket scoops, smaller, shorter back pockets, and adjusted spacing between pockets.
Whereas the waistband of many skin-tight 2000s era ultra-low-rise was a V-shape in two pieces to be ultra form-fitting, todays typically have a slightly curved waistband for a sense of cheeky boyishness, says McDonald. (Luckys ultra-low-rise does have a V waistband.) One of the things that’s most exciting about a low-rise jean is just how appealing your bum looks, she says. It creates the cutest boyish, bum shape. The curved waistband is meant to prevent gapping, but also helps keep the pant up even though it generally sits at the widest part of the hipbone.
[Photo: Still Here]
I see all of the women that are adopting this that were afraid of it at first and we’re like, oh, actually it’s great it looks good on them, says Reynolds. It’s all ages, all body types, and all attitudes, and so I’m really proud and impressed with the outcome and the adoption that’s happening across the board. She adds, It’s one of those things you sort of have to get out of your mind and just put it on, right? For anything new, there can be a resistance and you’re like, Oh wait, I love this.
I tested a several pairs in my usual size. One of the best was the Gap long and lean 90s loose, which had a touch of stretch and contour waistband which didnt, well, gap. Neither did Still Here’s Sport or Reformations 100% cotton low-rise Cary, although it had the most mid-rise fit in my usual size.
Its not foolproof though. Agolde’s low-rise loose epitomized the cool sort of ease you want with low-rise denim: a perfectly stiff, nonchalant straight leg silhouette, balanced with a just-low-enough waistband that had a touch of looseness at the hipthough it did gap to reveal my underwear while seated at the bar. A charm opportunity, if Im brave.
In 2001, Antoni was working at a business that was underperforming and facing layoffs. People didnt know who would be cut or when. You could tell by peoples behavior that anxiety was at an all-time high. Managers were networking in the right corridors, colleagues started to crowd meetings to look indispensable, and teams were slowing down because nobody wanted to make the wrong move.
One leader chose a different tactic. Every day, at the same time, he stood in the same spot where anyone could walk up to him. He shared what he actually knew (not what he guessed), answered questions without theater, and ended with a concrete direction for today. People still didnt like the situation, but the atmosphere changed. Not because he shared more information than everyone else. Because he paired transparency with clarity.
That pairing is the point. Leaders talk about being transparent as if its the whole job, but it isnt. Transparency and clarity are different muscles. Transparency builds trust, while clarity builds focus. When you confuse them, you end up paying twice in lost time and diminished credibility.
The myth: more transparency automatically creates clarity
Transparency in a company setting typically means more dashboards, more all-hands, and more context. It feels responsibleespecially in uncertain momentsbecause it signals you arent hiding anything.
But facts dont organize themselves. People still have to decide what matters, what they need to ignore, and what to do next. When leaders dont provide that structure, they leave teams confused, and teams will fill in the blanks with rumor and gossip. In the end, this leads to more insecurity and more internal politics.
How transparency can coexist with confusion
This is why radical transparency can coexist with mass confusion. You can be open and still leave people directionless.
In some instances, transparency can even backfire. David De Cremer summarizes research showing that complete transparency can trigger predictable side effects: blame cultures (because you see who erred without understanding why), distrust (because being constantly monitored feels like suspicion), and even resistance and reduced creativity in highly exposed environments.
In our decades of experience working with leaders and organizations, this oversharing is one of two extreme communication modes that companies can slip into. Its worth taking a closer look at these two and their costs before we examine how leaders can avoid them. The following are two traps that many leaders often fall into (but should stop doing).
1. Transparent but unclear: the ‘information dump’ organization
This is the leader who shares everything: forecasts, board slides, Slack threads, meeting notes. They hide nothing, but execution continues to drift. Thats because you highlight nothing when you share everything. People dont know which metrics are heads up versus background. They dont know which risks are actionable. The natural response among workers in this scenario is to hedge and wait. Worse yet, when incoming data exceeds what people can process, information overload is the inevitable result. And according to research, this overload can lead to worse decision-making, higher stress, and lower productivity.
Yet productivity isnt the only area that suffers. Ambiguity has measurable psychological and performance costs. Meta-analytic research on role ambiguitya close cousin of organizational unclear-nessfinds it too is associated with worse outcomes, including strain and reduced performance.
Transparent-but-unclear leaders often misread the feedback from their workers. They hear, Were confused, and respond by adding more information. But in doing so, theyre trying to fix traffic jam by pouring more cars onto the road.
2. Clear but opaque: the ‘because-I-said-so’ organization
The second mistake looks better on paper but is just as costly. Leaders succinctly present things, set firm deadlines, and outline whos accountable for what. As a result, everyone knows what to do. But (and this is the critical bit) the why is missing.
This is important. As Nancy Duarte points out in a Harvard Business Review article, when you ask people to change behavior, their first question is rarely how. Its why. If people dont recognize the why, they can become suspicious of a leaders motives.
What leaders should do instead
So how do you know if youre missing transparency or clarity? Start by listening to the reactions you already get. If people say, What are we supposed to do with this?, Why are we doing these tasks? or Whats the point? you are not being clear. If people say, We feel out of the loop, or Decisions come out of nowhere, you are not being transparent.
By paying attention and listening to what they express, you dont even need a survey to detect the gap. Your people are already telling you what your company needs to do.
From there, we recommend a three-step process that weve seen numerous successful leaders intuitively adapt, as a way of ensuring the proper balance of transparency and clarity:
Start with transparency. This is what we know, and what information we still miss.
Add clarity. This is why you need to know.
End with direction. These are the short-term goals we pursue, the reasons for them, and how we follow up.
This is a simple yet impactful framework that brings transparency and clarity together. It eliminates unnecessary confusion and frustration, so that your people can be more productive and generate better results. And thats exactly what Antonis boss in the hallway was doing.
Hiring well is one of a leaders most important jobs. Having talented employees is a strong competitive advantage and allows your organization to produce results and create a productive and positive culture.
Its hard to do well, especially at senior levels where judgment and character become increasingly important, and theres a high cost of recruiting or replacing someone. Substantive questions help assess a candidates skills and readiness for a job, and behavioral questions provide the opportunity to understand how they think and handle themselves. But ultimately, once youve established their competency, its time to decide whether a candidates character is the right fit for your team and company cultural.
I asked several experienced hiring managers from different fields what secret weapon questions help them evaluate key intangible qualities that indicate a trustworthy team member’s character. They all have one thing in common. Though each interviewer approaches their inquiry from a different angle, they all ask questions that invite vulnerability and connection.
1. Whats a time in your life or work when someone helped you?
An executive director of a nonprofit organization that works with inner-city kids swears by this question. His team needs to work together under stressful conditions, so anyone who works there needs to be able to offer and ask for help when necessary.
I go firstI share my own story of a time when I hit my limit caring for two special needs children as a single parent and finally told my friends that I was at a breaking point and needed help. This opens them up to share their own vulnerable stories, and I learn so much about them. Only once did someone tell me that they had never needed help. I didnt hire them.
This persons team has enviable retention in a field with high turnover. He credits hiring team players, rather than heroes.
2. Tell me about a mistake you madewhat happened, how did you react, and what did you do differently after that?
A CFO I spoke to says her team members need to have a high baseline of skills. However, she also knows that no one is perfect. She employs this question to assess a candidates willingness to take accountability, apologize (she usually asks this directly if they dont volunteer it), and change their behavior.
I appreciate working with people who are smart but also humble, who know the value of saying Im sorry in an authentic wayand who know theres always room to grow.
3. When have you changed your mind on a difference of opinion with a colleague?
A CTO I spoke to prides himself on building engineering teams with both a positive culture and a high-quality standard. He likes this question because it gives him insight into how a candidate handles a conflict and whether they can be flexible and get out of the Im-right-youre-wrong mindset to collaborate and solve problems. Having an open mind and being willing to change your view of an issue promotes cooperation and innovation on a team, and is key to building trusting relationships.
Each of these questions gets at the interdependent nature of working on a team and invites the candidate to demonstrate humility versus ego, flexibility versus rigidity, and team orientation versus self-orientation.
Other hiring managers I talked to have used a different approach. One deliberately has pictures of his children, a travel photo, and a guitar displayed behind him, hoping the candidate asks him about himself, his family, or his hobbies. One exec who has interviewed hundreds of candidates scours the often-ignored Interests section of the résumé or picks out a project from their portfolio.
It takes a little preparation, but asking them about their experience as a competitive swimmer or their record collection, or showing interest in a piece of work that they are proud of gives me a chance to see their enthusiasm sparkle, she says.
The importance of going deeper
Whatever approach you take, remember that the best questions lead to a conversation that goes beyond the surface level. As the interviewer, dont just accept an answer and move on to the next question.
Instead, dial up your curiosity to ask follow-up questions. Youll want to probe what they learned from the experience, how it changed their relationships or perspective, and how they balanced trade-offs in a decision.
Questions that ask a candidate to go a layer deeper often reveal more about their values and motives, beyond their specific behavior. Ultimately, this helps you predict how they would respond and fit in your environment.
