• The Internet of Things is fueling the data-based economy and bridging the divide between physical and digital worlds.
• Consumers, companies, and governments will install more than 40 billion IoT devices worldwide through 2023.
• The next five years will mark a pivotal transformation in how companies and jurisdictions operate, and how consumers live.

Being successful in the digital age doesn’t just require knowing the latest buzzwords; it means identifying the transformational trends – and where they’re heading – before they ever heat up.

Take the Internet of Things (IoT), for example, which now receives not only daily tech news coverage with each new device launch, but also hefty investments from global organizations ushering in worldwide adoption. By 2023, consumers, companies, and governments will install more than 40 billion IoT devices globally. And it’s not just the ones you hear about all the time, like smart speakers and connected cars.

To successfully navigate this changing landscape, individuals and organizations must understand the full extent and functionality of the “Things” included in this network, the key drivers of each market segment, and how it all relates to the work they do every day.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has forecasted the start of the IoT’s global proliferation in The IoT Forecast Book 2018— and the next five years will be transformational for consumers, enterprises, and governments.

• Consumer IoT: In the US alone, the number of smart home devices is estimated to surpass 1 billion by 2023, with consumers dishing out about $725 per household — a total of over $90 billion in spending on IoT solutions.
• Enterprise IoT: Comprising the most mature segment of the IoT, companies will continue pouring billions of dollars into connected devices and automation. By 2023, the total industrial robotic system installed base will approach 6 million worldwide, while annual spending on manufacturing IoT solutions will reach about $450 billion.
• Government IoT: Governments globally are ushering in IoT devices to spur the development of smart cities, which would be equipped with innovations like connected cameras, smart street lights, and connected meters to provide a real-time view of traffic, utilities usage, crime, and environmental factors. Annual investment in this area is expected to reach nearly $900 billion by 2023.

Want to Learn More?

People, companies, and organizations all over the world are racing to adopt the latest IoT solutions and prevent growing pains amidst a technological transformation. The IoT Forecast Book 2018 from Business Insider Intelligence is a detailed three-part slide deck outlining the most important trends impacting consumer, enterprise, and government IoT — and the key drivers propelling each segment forward.

Representing thousands of hours of exhaustive research, our multipart forecast books are considered must-reads by thousands of highly successful business professionals. These informative slide decks are packed with charts and statistics outlining the most influential trends on the leading edge of your industry. Keep them for reference or drop the most valuable data into your own presentations to share with your teams.

Whether you’re newly interested in a topic or you already consider yourself a subject matter expert, The IoT Forecast Book 2018 can provide you with the actionable insights you need to make better decisions.

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Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Thursday.

1. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie announced they are divorcing. The pair have been married for 25 years, and MacKenzie drove across America with Bezos to start Amazon.
2. The National Enquirer, a longtime ally of President Trump, says it's about to release scandalous photos of Jeff Bezos' alleged affair. Hours after Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos announced their divorce, the National Enquirer reported it tracked romantic involvement between Bezos and a former TV anchor.
3. Facebook's job evaluations are so ruthless that "meeting most" expectations could lead to getting fired, former employees say. Former Facebook staffers told Business Insider that receiving two consecutive reviews of "meets most" expectations — which is equivalent to a "B" grade — would ultimately result in an employee being fired.
4. Amazon is holding invitation-only meetings with small sellers at CES to convince them to pay it another $5,000 a month. In room called One Amazon at the Venetian in Las Vegas, Amazon is holding meetings to convince companies who sell their products on Amazon to join a new coaching program called Amazon Growth.
5. Samsung had a 5G smartphone prototype on display at CES. It was the closest official look we've had to future smartphones from Samsung that come with 5G compatibility.
6. Elon Musk got some time with China's Premier Li Keqiang in a sign that the heat is going out of Trump's trade war. Li said he hoped Tesla could be "a promoter of the stability of Chinese-US relations" in a sign that the two countries' trade war may be thawing.
7. A sex-toy company accused CES of sexism after being stripped of an innovation award. The Osé personal massager, the startup Lora DiCarlo's first product, originally won the CES Innovation Award in the robotics-and-drones category.
8. A new type of scam call causes Apple's logo and phone number to pop up on iPhone lock screens. Because iPhones come with the number for Apple's help line pre-loaded in contacts, that means that Apple's logo and name pops up on the iPhone caller ID when an attacker manages to successfully fake the call's origins.
9. Apple has reportedly hired Sandy Parakilas, a former Facebook employee who has become a prominent critic of the social network. According to the Financial Times, Parakilas will join Apple's privacy team and work to ensure new products protect users' security and privacy.
10. Deliveroo, the $2 billion food delivery startup coveted by Uber, has lost its COO. Roy Blanga stepped down in December, sources told Business Insider.

Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.

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NOW WATCH: Bernie Madoff was arrested 10 years ago — here's what his life is like in prison

• Lilian Rincon, the director of product management for the Google Assistant, runs a global team of about 150 people.
• When she's hiring someone new, Rincon doesn't look for someone who's a "rock star."
• Instead, she looks for people who are humble, care about the people with whom they work, and focus on the user.

The term is popping up in more and more job descriptions, but one Googler is not at all interested in hiring "rock stars."

Lilian Rincon, director of product management for the Google Assistant program, has grown her immediate team from four to nearly 20 people since she started at the company about two years ago. 

Although the term "rock star" has become a bit of a hiring buzzword, Rincon doesn't look to hire those who fit that stereotype.

"To be honest, I'm not a big fan of people when they're very boastful ... or maybe too confident about something, and then I drill into it and I realize that they actually don't have the experience," Rincon told Business Insider. "I much prefer people who are much more humble about their experience and can talk well about experiences that they've had in the space."

She added that at Google, they "hire much more on culture fit rather than necessarily on being a rock star in a very particular, specific area."

Read more:Google's former HR boss shared the company's 4 rules for hiring the best employees

For Rincon, whose team dictates what the Assistant does across various devices, finding someone who will fit into the culture at Google is much more important than what school they went to or the exact type of technology they've worked on.

Rincon said she's "very lucky" to work with people who are not only smart, but also humble and willing to help each other — and that's exactly the type of person she looks for when interviewing candidates.

"To me, I think it's a combination of having this focus on the user and making sure that you care about the people you work with," she said.

Rincon also looks for people who will bring diverse personalities and ways of thinking to the team.

"I like to make sure that you have people who are going to kind of push each other to think a little bit differently, and not necessarily everybody that kind of acts and feels the same," she said.

Google had an infamously grueling interview process in the early days of the company, interviewing candidates up to 16 times and asking them bizarre questions. Former CEO Eric Schmidt said in a recent podcast interview that they later set a limit of four to five interviews for each candidate, Business Insider reported.

Rincon, who was born in Venezuela and has lived in Canada, Indonesia, and the US, said she likes to involve several members of her team in the interview process to ensure diversity across the team.

"I've grown up with a very diverse, global perspective because I was born in Venezuela, and lived in Canada, Indonesia, and the US," she said. "These experiences are a core part of how I hire for our team as I look to hire individuals who focus on how people around the world may use our products."

SEE ALSO: Forget in-person interviews: Companies are turning to phone calls to hire, and sometimes there isn't even a real person on the line

DON'T MISS: Here’s how to use Duplex, Google’s crazy new service that impersonates a human voice to make appointments on your behalf

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NOW WATCH: Meet the 24-year-old who's the youngest female broker in the New York Stock Exchange

• President Donald Trump once urged a class of college graduates to go through or over any "concrete wall" in their way.
• The remarks were from a 2004 commencement address at Wagner College in New York City, and they resurfaced on Wednesday in an episode of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."
• The newly resurfaced video comes amid an ongoing government shutdown over Trump's demands for $5.7 billion to fund a wall along the US-Mexico border.

President Donald Trump once had a very different take on the effectiveness of a concrete wall, urging a class of college graduates 15 years ago to go over, through, or around any walls they encounter.

"Never, ever give up. Don't give up. Don't allow it to happen," he said. "If there's a concrete wall in front of you, go through it. Go over it. Go around it. But get to the other side of that wall."

The remarks came from a commencement address Trump gave to Wagner College in 2004. Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" unearthed the footage and aired it during Wednesday evening's episode.

"If there's one thing we know, it's that nothing will stop immigrants from trying to come to America," the host, Trevor Noah, said. "This is a place that people dream of coming to, because people trying to make a better, safer life for their families will do anything to achieve that dream. And I know Donald Trump understands this — because of this video we found from 15 years ago."

Read more: As the government shutdown over Trump's border wall rages, a journey along the entire 1,933-mile US-Mexico border shows the monumental task of securing it

The resurfaced video comes amid an ongoing partial government shutdown over Trump's border wall, for which he has demanded $5.7 billion from Congress.

Though Trump has recently backed down on his demands that the wall be made of concrete — pivoting instead to "steel slats"— he has refused to back down on the wall.

Trump gave his first prime-time, Oval Office address to the nation on Tuesday, warning that the US-Mexico border was in a state of "crisis," even though border-crossing arrests are at a decades-long low.

"This barrier is absolutely critical to border security," Trump said. "This is just common sense."

• Read more of INSIDER's immigration coverage:
• THE TRUTH ABOUT THE BORDER CRISIS: Experts say there is no security crisis, but there is a simple way to fix immigration — and it's not a wall
• 'How much more American blood must we shed?': Trump addresses the nation amid government shutdown over border-wall funding
• Trump reportedly didn't even want to give his primetime address on border security and thought it was pointless
• The Trump administration keeps getting called out for misleadingly linking migrants at the US-Mexico border with terrorism

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• "Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker told fans who don't like making choices in "Bandersnatch" to "f--- off" in an interview with Huffington Post.
• "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" is an interactive movie with at least five different endings and a trillion different permutations. 
• Brooker also addressed critics who say it's "too simple" to be a game: "Well this isn’t on a gaming platform, it’s on Netflix."

Netflix's new interactive "Black Mirror" movie, "Bandersnatch," allows viewers to make choices throughout the story, and has at least five possible endings. Some fans don't like that, and "Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker has harsh words for them.

In an interview with Huffington Post published on Thursday, Brooker told fans to "f--- off" if they don't like making decisions during "Bandersnatch."

READ MORE: 'Bird Box' gave 'Stranger Things' season 2 a run for its money as Netflix's biggest original in the first week

"It’s been interesting that you get different reactions from different people, partly based on what they’re expecting, or what they want," Brooker said. "So some people go, ‘oh, I’m sh-- at this’, and you sort of go, ‘no no, it’s alright, we’ve built in that you’re going to fail.'"

He added: "We’re trying to make you fail a couple of times so that you have to go around and do things again, and that’s sort of baked into the story. There’s also some people that are like ‘I don’t wanna make decisions’, ‘I don’t want to do any of it’... well f--- off, then. Do something else!"

Brooker also briefly waded into the debate on whether "Bandersnatch" is a game or not, and addressed those who think it's "too simple" for a game.

"Well this isn’t on a gaming platform, it’s on Netflix," he said. "I’m well aware of what a computer game is, thanks."

"Bandersnatch" was released on Netflix last month, and features over a trillion different permutations. It stars Fionn Whitehead as a programmer in 1984 tasked with designing an interactive video game based on a novel called "Bandersnatch." He starts to question reality throughout the process.

"Bandersnatch" has a 73% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 63% audience score, well below previous "Black Mirror" seasons.

Season five of "Black Mirror" was delayed because "Bandersnatch" took so long to make, producer Annabel Jones told The Hollywood Reporter. But season five is still coming in 2019, a Netflix representative confirmed to Business Insider.

SEE ALSO: Hulu gained on Netflix in the US during a year of massive user growth, but there's a big challenge it will have to overcome in 2019 to keep up the pace

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NOW WATCH: Watch the extreme workout regimen of a professional ballerina

• Two of the most practical robots at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) came in the form of luggage made by the startups ForwardX and Rover Speed.
• Each uses cameras (and in Rover Speed's case, radar) which can recognize and follow their owners.
• The Rover Speed costs $480.99, and while the Ovis does not appear to be available for order, a defunct Indiegogo page suggests it will be priced at $800.

This year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) featured many robots that were better suited for brief demonstrations than for regular use by the average person.

Two of the most practical robots came in the form of luggage made by the startups ForwardX and Rover Speed. Each uses cameras (and in Rover Speed's case, radar) which can recognize and follow their owners.

Read more: Samsung had a 5G smartphone prototype on display at CES and almost nobody noticed it

Rover Speed's product, also called Rover Speed, can follow its owners from behind for up to 12 miles and adjust its speed based on how fast its owner is walking. (It has a top speed of 4.5 mph.) It can dodge obstacles and, if it falls more than 6.5 feet behind its owner, the Rover Speed will send a notification to its owner through a mobile app. The Rover Speed can also serve as a charging port for up to eight phones.

ForwardX's Ovis is similar to the Rover Speed, but instead of following directly behind its owner, it follows from the side. The Ovis can also avoid obstacles and will alert its owner via a wristband if they're more than 6.5 feet apart. (You can also purchase a feature that allows you to track its location via GPS.) The Ovis has a range of a little over 12 miles, a maximum speed of 6.2 mph, and a USB charging port. 

Both the Rover Speed and Ovis can be pulled manually, and each has a battery that can be removed at airport security.

The Rover Speed costs $480.99, and while the Ovis does not appear to be available for order, a defunct Indiegogo page suggests it will be priced at $800.

SEE ALSO: The best lifestyle tech we saw at CES 2019

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NOW WATCH: The safest way to walk on ice is to impersonate a penguin — here's why

• Lindsay Lohan's new reality TV show, "Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club" has a vaguely recognizable theme song. 
• The track is called "Bossy," and it was released by Lohan in 2008.
• Considering that Lohan is a boss on her MTV series, the song is fitting. 

The theme song for Lindsay Lohan's new reality TV show is actually a track that she released years ago and you probably didn't even realize it.  

If you saw the commercials for "Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club" or tuned in to the premiere episode on Tuesday, the short theme song might have sounded vaguely familiar to fans who followed Lohan's career as a singer.

The track is called "Bossy," and Lohan dropped it in 2008. The pop song is filled with attitude, with Lohan proclaiming that she likes things done her way. It also peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. 

Read more:Lindsay Lohan reacts to the viral video of her dancing: 'It's so embarrassing to me now'

Considering the message of "Bossy," it's unsurprising that the "Parent Trap" star resurrected it for her reality series, where she manages a group of hosts, servers, and bartenders (collectively called "ambassadors") at a beach club that she established in Mykonos, Greece. On the show, Lohan also describes herself as a "boss b----." 

As a refresher, you can watch the video for "Bossy," which was written by Ne-Yo, below.

Warning: The video is NSFW.

"Bossy" followed the success of Lohan's previously released albums, "Speak" (her debut album that came out in 2004 and included the edgy song "Rumors") and "A Little More Personal (Raw)," which was released in 2005. She also lent her voice to tracks that were featured in popular teen movies, like "Freaky Friday,""Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement."Lohan is also featured in Duran Duran's 2015 song "Danceophobia."

Even though Lohan is focusing her energy on "Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club," she's not opposed to returning to music. 

"My sister [Aliana] is coming out with her record and I want to support her in that," Lohan told Billboard in an interview published this week."We've talked about writing together and maybe doing something together if we have season two, or just in general." 

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.   

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NOW WATCH: Bernie Madoff was arrested 10 years ago — here's what his life is like in prison

• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, have said they will divorce.
• Their separation of assets could affect the Amazon CEO's ranking among the richest people in the world.
• If MacKenzie Bezos acquired half of Jeff Bezos' $137 billion fortune — a possible outcome of a divorce settlement — the two would be tied at No. 4 on the list with $68.5 billion each.
• MacKenzie Bezos would easily become the richest woman in the world.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos could find himself dropping a few spots on the list of world's richest people soon.

And his soon-to-be ex-wife MacKenzie Bezos might rocket up the list.

Jeff Bezos currently sits atop the list of the world's richest people with a fortune of $137 billion. If MacKenzie Bezos acquires exactly half of that in a divorce settlement — a possible outcome, considering Washington's divorce laws and their reported lack of a prenuptial agreement— that would leave both people with $68.5 billion each.

In that scenario, Jeff Bezos would fall to No. 4 on the list of the world's richest people, according to Bloomberg's real-time billionaire index. MacKenzie Bezos, who is currently unranked, would join him there.

Read more:Even if Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos don't split his $137 billion fortune evenly, she still has a chance at becoming the world's richest woman

A net worth of $68.5 billion would land the Bezoses just ahead of Amancio Ortega, a Spanish fashion retailer with a net worth of $62.2 billion, and one spot below France's Bernard Arnault, also a fashion retailer, whose net worth is $72.2 billion.

Bill Gates would regain his title as the world's richest person, a distinction he held for more than two decades from the 1990s until Jeff Bezos overtook him last year. Gates' fortune is currently estimated at $93 billion.

Second on the list would be investor Warren Buffett, with a fortune of $80.8 billion.

Meanwhile, a 50/50 payout for MacKenzie Bezos would easily make her the richest woman in the world, surpassing the $45.7 billion net worth of L'Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, who currently ranks 11th on the overall list.

Forbes releases its annual billionaire's ranking every March. Should their divorce be finalized by then, MacKenzie Bezos could make her debut on the list.

SEE ALSO: MacKenzie Bezos played a big role in the founding of Amazon and drove across the country with Jeff to start it

DON'T MISS: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, announce they are divorcing

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NOW WATCH: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is 35 — here's how he became one of the world's scariest dictators

• Nike reported strong second-quarter earnings in December.
• The sneaker giant released its comprehensive quarterly financial report, 10-Q form, on Tuesday.
• The 10-Q suggests the company has successfully solved its inventory problem and is getting boosts from China and other regions, said Oppenheimer analyst Brian Nagel.
• Watch Nike trade live.

Nike is well positioned to rally as data suggests the company has solved its inventory problem, an analyst says after examining details of the company's second-quarter financial results. 

The sneaker giant released its comprehensive quarterly financial report, 10-Q form, Tuesday. Highlights of the solid results — including a strong Jordan brand and healthy global sales — were first posted on December 20.

"Data in Nike 10-Q supports further an impressive Q2 report," Brian Nagel, an analyst at Oppenheimer said in a note distributed on Wednesday. He believes Nike shares will rally to $90 apiece — 17% above where they were trading Thursday.

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NOW WATCH: The equity chief at $6.3 trillion BlackRock weighs in on the trade war, a possible recession, and offers her best investing advice for a tricky 2019 landscape

• If the government shutdown doesn't end by Saturday, it will become the longest in US history.
• Currently, the longest government shutdown in history took place from 1995 to 1996 under former President Bill Clinton.
• That shutdown came less than a month after another shutdown in November 1995, and was the result of the same set of budgetary issues.
• The record '95-96 shutdown only resulted in 284,000 employees having to miss work, which is less than half of the estimated 800,000 furloughs for the 2018-19 shutdown.
• Though the two parties were disagreeing about different issues, the 1995-96 shutdown was similar to the 2018-19 impasse in several key ways.

The government shutdown that started at midnight on December 22, 2018, is now en route to becoming the longest in US history if Congress doesn't pass funding bills on Friday.

It is unclear when this shutdown will end. President Donald Trump said he won't budge until the Democrats approve $5.7 billion for the wall he wants along the US-Mexico border. On Wednesday, Trump vowed to continue the partial government shutdown after a contentious meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi about funding for the wall.

After the meeting, the president tweeted, "I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!"

Currently, the longest shutdown in US history took place under former President Bill Clinton while Republicans controlled both houses of Congress. It lasted over three weeks, from December 15, 1995 to January 6, 1996.

Here's how it compares to the 2018-2019 shutdown, which on Saturday is likely to become the longest in US history.

What happened that time

That currently record-holding shutdown took place less than a month after a previous shutdown in November 1995 closed the government for five days due to budget battles between Clinton and Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Although temporarily resolved after November, the two side's disagreements on funding for public initiatives spilled over again into another funding impasse soon afterward, leaving the government paralyzed as it rang in the new year.

Like nearly all funding gap problems, the 1995-96 government shutdown was about a difference in priorities. While Gingrich was dead set on reducing government spending at the federal level, Clinton wanted to expand spending on Medicare, education, the environment, and public health.

How the record shutdown compares to today

While federal spending as an idea was not a sticking point in the 2018-2019 shutdown, this stalemate is similar because the two parties have vastly different ideas about how to tackle what is perhaps the most visible issue in the Trump era — immigration.

Democrats vehemently refuse to grant Trump $5.7 billion in border wall money. Though Trump previously said he would be "proud" to take the blame for the shutdown over the wall, Republicans are now pointing the finger at Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that Democrats "refused to meet President Trump halfway and provide even one-fifth of the resources for the border they were willing to provide just a few months ago."

Though the House — which switched hands during the shutdown and is now under Democratic control — voted to re-open the government, McConnell has said the Senate won't pass any funding bills that do not get the president's approval.

The delayed effect of the impasse on work in Washington is similar to what happened during the Clinton-Gingrich shutdown. Because government funding officially ran out at the end of Friday, December 15, 1995, the full effects of the shutdown were not felt until thousands of government employees were furloughed starting Monday, December 18.

While the 1995-96 shutdown has been the longest in history so far, only about 284,000 employees were forced to stay home during the three-week period, compared to the 800,000 who were furloughed during the five-day shutdown in November 1995.

As if to add insult to injury, just as Clinton and the Republicans were reaching a deal on Saturday, January 6, a massive blizzard dumped two feet of snow on Washington, DC, forcing government workers to stay out of the office for yet another five days.

The snowstorm that caused these additional environment-related work leaves was aptly dubbed "the Furlough Storm."

Today, 800,000 federal workers won't receive their first 2019 paycheck if the government doesn't reopen.

Could this shutdown shatter records?

Likely.

Though Pelosi tried to re-open the government with a House-approved spending plan, Trump and McConnell continue to refuse to pass anything through the Senate or the White House.

Republican senators seem to be in no rush to re-open the government. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina praised Trump for his decision to shut down the government, encouraging the president to "dig in."

"When you make a promise to the American people, you should keep it," Graham told Fox News just before the government shut down. "The one thing I like about President Trump ― he's trying his best to keep his promise. He promised to build a wall, and he's going to fight hard to keep that promise. After the caravan, if you don't see the need for more border security, you're blind."

On Tuesday, Trump delivered his first Oval Office address, during which he parroted talking points about the need for border security. On Thursday, he said he "maybe definitely"might declare a national emergency on what he has referred to as a "crisis" at the border — a claim Democrats have criticized, and experts say isn't accurate.

SEE ALSO: WHAT'S OPEN?: Here's how the shutdown is affecting key parts of the federal government

DON'T MISS: This government shutdown is historic for one big reason

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• Melissa McCarthy was recently interviewed for InStyle magazine's February cover story.
• The actress recalled a time when she said an interviewer repeatedly asked, "Are you shocked that you actually work in this business at your tremendous size?"
• She described the interviewer as "somebody who later lost his job for a conversation he had on a bus with someone else," heavily implying that the interviewer was Billy Bush.
• McCarthy also recalled an interviewer who called her "grotesque" and reflected on the sexist habit of asking actresses about their size or appearance.
• "It happens all the time, to the point where it's fascinating because they don't do it to men," she said.

Melissa McCarthy recently reflected on questions about her size and appearance during an interview for InStyle magazine's February cover story.

"I do remember another interview I did for 'Bridesmaids' with somebody who later lost his job for a conversation he had on a bus with someone else," she said, heavily implying that the interviewer in question was Billy Bush. "I won't mention names, but just think about it."

"He kept asking, 'Are you shocked that you actually work in this business at your tremendous size?'"

Bush, a former host of NBC's "Today," was dismissed by the network after the infamous 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape leaked to the public, in which Bush can be heard laughing while Donald Trump says he likes to grab women "by the p----."

Read more: Billy Bush on 'Access Hollywood' tape: 'Yes, Donald Trump, you said that'

"He was like, 'Oh, your tremendous size, you can actually work?' I just remember all the blood drained out of me," McCarthy said. "I thought, 'With my tremendous size, I could tackle you so quickly.'"

"There were two cameras on him, and one was on me, and he went back to that question three or four times, and I just kept talking about the script or how fun Paul Feig was," she continued. "He was looking around like, 'She's crazy.' When we left, their producer was horrified and said, 'We'll never play what he said. I'm so sorry.'"

McCarthy also recalled a press conference for either "The Heat" or "Tammy," when a separate interviewer "from a very big organization" asked her, "Why do you always feel the need to be so grotesque?" 

"It was a huge interview with maybe 100 people in the room, and he was sneering," she continued. "He goes, 'You look sloppy, you're not wearing any makeup, your hair is not done, you're yelling at people.' I was like, 'OK, so have you ever asked this of a guy? I'm playing a character. You need to get out more if you don't think there are real women like that.'"

McCarthy went on to condemn the double standards in Hollywood and the sexist habit of probing actresses about their appearance or size.

Read more: 12 things you don't think are forms of body shaming, but actually are

"It happens all the time, to the point where it's fascinating because they don't do it to men," she said. Not to be a jerk or single him out, but when John Goodman was heavier, did anybody ever talk about his girth?"

"I think there is a weird layer in the world [for women] where it's not just about looks but it's also, 'Are you pleasant? Do you not make trouble?' I don't want to be around someone who's a pain in the ass and confrontational, but I also don't think that you always have to be Stepford Wife-y and can't have opinions."

INSIDER reached out to McCarthy and Bush's representatives but did not immediately hear back. 

Read the full interview on InStyle here.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried the Costco food court and it totally blew us away

TheInsider Picksteam writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place.

1. Save up to 70% on kitchen essentials at Wayfair

Wayfair always has great deals on home goods, but right now, one of its most impressive sales is on kitchen essentials. For a limited time, you can save up to 70% on everything you could possibly need for your culinary creations. The sale includes everything from cookware and cutlery sets, to small electronics like waffle makers, air fryers, and blenders.

Shop the Wayfair kitchen sale now.

2. Save up to 60% on final sale styles at J.Crew

J.Crew is having a huge 48-hour flash sale with savings on brand new and clearance items. Now through January 10, you can save 25% on new arrivals using the promo code "FLASH" at checkout. You can also save an extra 60% on final sale items using the same promo code.

Shop the J.Crew sale now.

3.Save $151 on the Shark Ion Robot 750 Vacuum

Everyone deserves a clean home, even if they don't have time to manually sweep and vacuum on a daily basis. The Shark Ion Robot 750 a convenient device that takes the work out of cleaning. It features dual spinning side brushes that pull in debris and smart sensors for navigating through your space. And with Alexa integration, you can use voice commands to control the vacuum. 

Shark Ion Robot 750 Vacuum, $228.99 (Originally $379.99) [You save $151]

4. Save up to 25% on home goods at Target

Whether you're shopping for contemporary decor furnishings or essential home goods, Target has a great selection of products — and most of them are on sale right now. For a limited time, you can save up to 25% off a huge selection of items. Plus, you can save an extra 10% on bedding, bath, and storage products with the promo code "HOME" at checkout.

Shop the Target sale now.

5. Save up to 85% on thousands of items at Macy's

Macy's is home to a seemingly endless amount of products from top brands — clothes for the entire family, home goods, jewelry, toys, and more — all at discounted priced. Right now, you can save an extra 20% on a huge selection of items by using the promo code "BIG" at checkout. Last Act clearance items are excluded from the code, but you'll still save 50%-85% on them even without it.

Shop the Macy's sale now.

6. Save up to 65% on photo gifts at Snapfish

Instead of keeping all of your photos locked away on an SD card, Snapfish is the best way to bring them to life. Now through January 15, you can save 65% on books, calendars, canvases, and cards with the promo code "65JANBCCC" at checkout. You can also save 50% on everything else sitewide with the promo code "50JAN19" at checkout. Whether you want to create greeting cards, thank-you cards, or 2019 calendars, you can do it here.

Shop all photo gifts at Snapfish now.

7. Save an extra 40% on sale styles at Bonobos

To make way for new spring styles, Bonobos is having a big winter clearance sale. From now until tomorrow, January 11, you can save an extra 40% on sale styles by using the promo code "WINTER40" at checkout. Take this opportunity to stock up on dress shirts for the office, sweaters for the remainder of winter, or pick up a pair of chinos in a unique color.

Shop the Bonobos sale now.

8. Save an extra 25% on winter sale styles at Timberland

If you're looking for a solid pair of boots to wear during the winter, Timberland has got you covered. Right now, the company is having a winter clearance sale with an extra 25% off already reduced styles. In addition to the footwear Timberland is known for, the sale also includes outerwear and apparel. Discounts are automatically taken off at checkout.

Shop the Timberland Winter Sale now.

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• Macy's is closing eight stores in early 2019 as part of planned closures announced over two years ago.
• In August 2016, Macy's said that it would close 100 stores. Since then, it has been shuttering these locations as their leases expire.
• The company said that regular, non-seasonal employees who are laid off and unable to find a job at nearby Macy's stores will be eligible for severance.

Macy's is closing eight stores in early 2019 as part of planned closures that were announced over two years ago.

In August 2016, Macy's said that it would close 100 stores. Since then, it has been shuttering these locations as their leases expire.

A spokesperson for the company told Business Insider that regular, non-seasonal employees who are laid off and unable to find a job at nearby Macy's stores will be eligible for severance.

Read more:Macy's and JCPenney are kicking off 2019 with a string of store closings

Here's a list of the Macy's closures:

• Casper Eastridge, Casper, Wyoming
• Redmond Town Center, Redmond, Washington
• Sunnyvale Town Center, Sunnyvale, California 
• Macy's Furniture Gallery, Westside Pavilion, Los Angeles, California
• Glendale Galleria, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Swansea, Massachusetts
• Tysons Galleria, McLean, Virginia
• Nanuet Mall, Nanuet, New York 

JCPenney is also closing stores. The company has so far announced that three store closings are scheduled for the spring, and more will follow, it said Tuesday.

SEE ALSO: Dollar General is growing at a rate that is 'unthinkable' in retail, and it has a secret weapon that's helping fuel its expansion

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NOW WATCH: How KFC became China's most popular fast-food chain and made nearly $5 billion last year

• Ariana Grande is Billboard's Woman of the Year, and just generally killing it.
• She works with trainer Harley Pasternak for workouts that she can do anywhere.
• I tried out her workout for a week and was surprised by how intense it was.

It seems like there is nothing Ariana Grande can't do. In 2018 alone she's broken Spotify record after Spotify record, with her album "Sweetener" becoming the most streamed most-streamed album ever for a female artist in its opening week and Grande herself became the most streamed most-streamed artist on the site almost overnight. Let's not forget she also broke YouTube's record for the most views in 24 hours with her video "Thank U, Next" in late November and, to top it all off, she was named Billboard's Woman of the Year in December.

In between topping the charts and planning a world tour, the superstar manages to maintain a strict workout regimen — because she can truly do it all

According to the pop star's longtime trainer, Harley Pasternak, Grande has four go-to exercise moves that require no equipment at all and can be done absolutely anywhere, which is vital for a pop star who's always on the move. The singer's four standard moves are reverse lunges, pike planks, the Superman, and glute bridges. Pasternak recommends Grande do five sets of 30 reps each of one particular exercise every day. Sounds easy, right? That's what I thought before I spent a week of my life cursing Pasternak's belief that anyone could do 150 reps without wanting to die.

Before I set off on my week of Grande exercising, I spoke with Ashley Pascual, a certified instructor at Barre3, on how I should best approach the challenge considering my overall lack of fitness. Her advice was simple: Find a rep amount that works for you and don't push yourself too hard and risk burning out or injuring yourself.

"Consistency is key. If you don't feel like you can do 150 planks or 150 different things per day, find an amount that does fit into your schedule," Pascual tells told INSIDER. Of course, she notes that nutrition is just as important as exercising regularly. "If there's ever an option between white rice and brown rice, choose brown rice. You don't have to diet to eat every day, just make smart choices and if you want a chocolate bar then eat a chocolate bar."

With Pascual's advice in mind, I set out to complete one full week following Grande's workout routine. The goal is to complete the 150 reps each day, but listening to my body and making sure I'm not injuring myself or pushing my body to limits it's not used to.

Day 1: Learning the moves

First things first, I'd like to admit I originally misunderstood Grande's workout plan, thinking she did 150 reps of each exercise every day — which I attempted and quickly abandoned. As someone who works out at least two times a week, I'm not a paragon of physical fitness. In fact, I spent a solid 30 minutes trying to figure out how to execute a reverse lunge without falling over or injuring my knee.

The first day of my Grande workout challenge I attempted to perform a total of 450 reps of reverse lunges, pike planks, and Supermen (?). I managed to successfully complete the 150 reverse lunges, but only managed to do 10 pike planks and 30 Supermen. It was at this point I realized I misunderstood Pasternak's workout regimen and decided to readjust the rest of the week. Although I completely failed day 1 of the workout regimen, I looked cute in my workout gear (from Outdoor Voices, for those who care) and that's all that really matters, right?

Day 2: I can't sit down

Not to be dramatic, but I felt like I was slowly dying.  It was only day two and my thighs were burning and sitting down felt like an unconquerable task. Nevertheless, I was determined to complete at least 100 reps of each exercise. After attempting to do 150 pike planks (I stopped at 15, sorry!), I switched tactics, attempting to complete 150 reverse lunges — which I'm quickly found to be the easiest exercise of the bunch to finish. Although I know Pasternak only requires Grande to do 150 of a particular exercise a day, I did 30 glute bridges in honor of Grande's new single "Imagine." I imagined I could do it and somehow I did.

Day 3: Can I quit yet?

Day three was somehow even worse than day two, so I opt for a "rest" day. Grande fulfills a 12,000 step count every day so I decided to tackle a portion of these ambitious steps in the morning, walking in place as I binge-watched "Great British Baking Show." Don't judge me. It makes no sense, but walking in place was more fulfilling while watching amateur bakers attempt to make focaccia bread and ornate caramel lattices. I finished the day taking a post-dinner walk through my local mall, bringing my daily step total to just under 9,000 steps. I ded a few Supermen exercises to close out the night, despite wanting to take a hot shower and fall into bed.

Day 4: I'm halfway there — and feeling the burn

It's day four and I could feel my thighs wishing I'd done nothing but sit on the couch and recover. But, for the sake of journalism, I got off the couch and did 50 reps of reverse lunges, 35 pike planks, and 45 glute bridges over the span of 8 hours. I found doing a few reps of each exercise at a time helped me get closer to my 150-total rep count. The reverse lunges were the only exercise I could do within 15 minutes, taking zero breaks between sets.

Day 5: Making Ariana proud

The next day was beautiful outside, so I took my exercises outdoors with a determination to complete a few sets of pike planks and superman exercises. The pike planks were difficult to complete, with 10 planks leaving my abs on fire that my body crumpled on the yoga mat below. Note to self, I could never be a pop star, the planks aren't worth it. On the bright side, as the week progresses, I'm found I was able to hold my plank steadier and pay more attention to the pattern of my breath.

A bad habit, I often find when I exercise is that I forget to breathe with intention. Thankfully, as I attempted to bring my tush in the air to complete yet another pike plank, I found that my inhales and exhales followed the movements of the rep. I didn't push myself as hard as I could and only did 25 of each exercise, for a total of 100 reps. Regardless, I was proud my body had made it this far. Two days to go.

Day 6: Is this over yet?

I couldn't for the life of me imagine doing a pike plank, glute bridge or reverse lunge today, so I signed up for a local barre class instead. Sure, I could have booked a cycle class a la Grande's "Side to Side" music video, but seeing as I can barely sit down without whimpering, I opted for something a little less sitting focused. Barre class typically combines elements from ballet, yoga, and pilates into an intense hour-long routine that will leave you feeling the burn.

Oddly enough, the class I signed up for had us doing plenty of reverse lunges, planks, and glute bridges (AKA everything I was avoiding). The barre instructor made sure we worked our inner thighs and glutes until each body part felt it would simultaneously fall off and cramp up too, which left me thinking 150 reverse lunges at home would have been a bit easier.

Day 7: I survived

Miraculously, I managed to survive a week performing Grande's rep-intensive resistance exercises. I have a newfound respect for our lampshading queen, who manages to walk 12,000 steps a day while exercising, making new music, and Instagramming her adorable pets. How she finds the time is a mystery, I can only assume it has a lot to do with her balanced nutrition and plenty of coffee for energy.

Adapting Grande's routine into your everyday routine is simple, but as Pascual warned, it's important to listen to your body and know your limits. If you're a novice exerciser like myself, consider building up your workout regimen from 10 to 20 and so forth. There's no need to risk injuring yourself or pushing your body to limits it's not quite ready for. Overall, Grande's routine is rep-intensive but gives you the freedom to exercise anywhere, anytime with no equipment. Read: You can fit in a few reverse lunges before you go to bed without even breaking a sweat.

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NOW WATCH: Bernie Madoff was arrested 10 years ago — here's what his life is like in prison

• Meghan Markle is now a royal patron of Smart Works, an organization that provides long-term unemployed women with resources to rejoin the workforce.
• Markle visited the Smart Works offices on Thursday, and a new video shows the duchess helping with a style consultation.
• The duchess also declared her love for sustainable jewelry brand Kimai when someone complimented her earrings.

On Thursday, Kensington Palace announced that Meghan Markle is now a royal patron of Smart Works, an organization that helps long-term unemployed women regain the tools and skills needed to rejoin the workforce. 

In-depth style consultations are a major part of the services offered by Smart Works to prepare its participants for job interviews, and a video shared by The Royal Family Channel shows the duchess overseeing one of the sessions on Thursday.

In another video shared by Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer, Markle can be seen sorting through some accessories while one of the women compliments Markle's own earrings. Markle responds by saying, "Thank you, I love this brand." 

The duchess was wearing the $403 (£315 GBP) Felicity earrings by Kimai, a brand that is dedicated to ethically sourcing the diamonds used in its jewelry. Markle has previously worn brands like Outland Denim and Rothy's, proving that sustainable fashion is becoming a staple in her royal wardrobe. 

Read more:Meghan Markle ditched her signature heels for a pair of $145 flats made out of recycled water bottles to board a boat in Australia

Smart Works is one of Markle's four new patronages, all of which tap into her past experiences and passions. She's set to visit the animal welfare charity Mayhew on January 16.

Read more:Meghan Markle has taken over 2 royal jobs from the Queen, and they show her love of acting and learning

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NOW WATCH: We tried Meghan Markle's favorite facial that massages the inside of your mouth

• Potential Democratic presidential contender Beto O'Rourke livestreamed himself at the dentist.
• He's known for connecting to voters by streaming mundane moments of his life.
• This time, though, he may have gone too far.

In his latest move to communicate and connect with the American people, Democratic darling Beto O'Rourke livestreamed himself at the dentist.

The former Texas congressman and senate candidate has been tipped as a hot contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, even though he hasn't announced whether he'll run.

He's risen to fame in part because of his unflagging effort to visit all 254 counties in Texas and neverending communication on social media. In particular, he's livestreamed mundane moments of his life on Instagram, like himself cutting steak, eating guacamole while driving, and now going to the dentist.

In videos posted to Instagram stories Thursday, O'Rourke asked his El Paso-based dental hygienist, Diana, about her background (her mother immigrated from Mexico) and her thoughts about her community on the southern border ("it's a wonderful place to live and grow").

For some people, seeing someone bump dental cleaning tools around O'Rourke's mouth was a bit too much.

Most people just joked about the whole thing, though.

In his videos, O'Rourke did not disclose how many cavities he has, if any.

• Read more:
• Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Beto O'Rourke top the list of favored 2020 presidential candidates, Iowa poll shows
• Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential nomination are turning to Instagram Live as a secret weapon
• Ted Cruz has a beard now and the internet is deeply divided over it

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• With a theme of "rewriting the rules," David’s Bridal’s latest advertisement features a same-sex couple, a first in the company’s 60-year history.
• The 30-second ad, which will air on TV and social media, also features interracial couples and one bride holding a child in her arms.
• The announcement was met with enthusiasm on social media.

David’s Bridal is featuring a lesbian couple in its latest marketing campaign, a first for the clothing retailer that specializes in wedding gowns and other special occasion dresses, AdAge reported last week.

The advertisement’s theme of "rewriting the rules" is meant to help the company "communicate its offerings to all types of brides," Liz Crystal, chief marketing officer, said.

"We wanted to make sure this spot represented what we see from brides today," Crystal told AdAge. "We value every type of bride."

The ad, which will air on TV and social media, also features interracial couples and one bride holding a child in her arms, according to The Advocate.

The new campaign featuring “non-traditional” brides comes just two months after David’s Bridal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a deal to reduce its debt by more than $400 million, INSIDER previously reported.

"For more than 60 years, David’s has delivered beautiful, high-quality dresses and accessories for our customers’ most special occasions, and the actions we are taking will enable us to build on that tradition," CEO Scott Key said in a statement at the time.

Following the US Supreme Court’s landmark 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage, same-sex weddings contributed "about $1.6 billion to the national economy and $102 million to state and local tax revenue," according to a 2016 report from the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy.

The announcement was met with enthusiasm on social media.

Watch the 30-second ad here:

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• The Corsair K70 is the best mechanical keyboard on the market with its slick design, solid aluminum body, and genuine Cherry MX keyswitches.

Mechanical keyboards have seen a surge in popularity in recent years. What used to be a niche market has grown into a vast one, as people realize that typing away on a mushy membrane keyboard, frankly, kind of sucks.

Whether you're a gamer, writer, or otherwise use a computer for any reasonable amount of time, a mechanical keyboard can help make typing more pleasant, and in most cases, more stylish.

Coming from a niche, DIY-focused market, though, a good mechanical keyboard can be difficult to find. As a mech connoisseur myself, I've tested some of the premiere options to find the best mechanical keyboard that your money can buy. In the case where I haven't had hands-on time, I relied on expert and buyer reviews on the internet instead.

Unfortunately, it's not as cut and dry as slapping a couple of mechanical switches on a frame and calling it a day. As a high-end product, mechanical keyboards usually come with features specific to a use case.

The Corsair K95, for example, can add a lot of flair to your setup with per-key RGB lighting, while the Kinesis Freestyle Edge is focused more on productivity with an ergonomic layout and rebindable keys. Read on to see which mechanical keyboard is best for your needs.

Here are the best mechanical keyboards you can buy:

• Best mechanical keyboard overall: Corsair K70 Mk.2
• Best mechanical keyboard for Mac: Massdrop CTR
• Best mechanical keyboard for gaming: Corsair K95 Platinum
• Best mechanical keyboard for competitive gaming: Logitech G Pro Wired Keyboard
• Best ergonomic mechanical keyboard: Kinesis Freestyle Edge
• Best budget mechanical keyboard: Logitech K840

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best mechanical keyboard overall

Why you'll love it: The Corsair K70 Mk.2 combines the best features of all other mechanical keyboards with a clean aesthetic, rigid build, and supreme typing experience.

I’m typing this guide on a Corsair K70 right now, which is a pretty big testament, considering I slam hundreds of thousands of keystrokes into my keyboard every week. While I’ve shifted to other keyboards in the past, either for aesthetic or technical purposes, I’ve never been able to find a suitable replacement for my K70.

Upon first glance, the main draw of the keyboard is its impressive per-key RGB lighting, which can be configured and synced through Corsair’s excellent iCue software. While the novelty of making your keyboard look like "The Matrix"is definitely real, the style of this keyboard takes a backseat to the features it offers.

The typing experience is excellent. Corsair only uses genuine Cherry MX switches, which can last for up to 50 million keystrokes, per switch. The K70 MK.2 is offered with Brown, Blue, Red, Silent, and Speed switches, too, so you can tailor the the typing experience to your liking.

Switches are housed on an aircraft-grade anodized aluminum frame, which can handle just about any beating you can throw at it. I’ve tossed my K70 in a backpack on multiple occasions, even going as far as to let TSA handle it — yikes. Outside of a bit of dust, the frame looks the same as when I first took it out of the packaging.

The typing experience and build are the same as the original K70, but the Mk.2 has some features that set it apart. In addition to a slightly redesigned wrist rest and logo, the Mk.2 comes with USB passthrough on the back of the keyboard and 8MB of built-in profile storage that can be tied to macros within the iCue software.

Other notable features include dedicated media controls, a volume wheel, 100% anti-ghosting with full-key rollover, and a dedicated Windows lock key. Despite the gamer-centric marketing, the K70 Mk.2 is one of the most diverse and feature-rich mechanical keyboards on the market.

Pros: Cherry MX switches, rigid body, per-key RGB lighting

Cons: The cable is braided and non-detachable

Buy the Corsair K70 RGB Mk.2 on Amazon for $119.99 (originally $159.99)

The best mechanical keyboard for Mac

Why you'll love it: Clean, simple, and beautiful, the Massdrop CTRL is the perfect mechanical keyboard for Apple fans.

The Massdrop CTRL is seemingly built with Apple users in mind — a quick look at the product page will verify that. While the Magic Keyboard maintains the purely Apple approach to your desktop setup, the laptop-like typing experience leaves a lot to be desired.

There aren't many keyboards that seem at home with a Mac, and that makes the CTRL fairly unique in the mechanical keyboard market.

Massdrop uses a solid aluminum frame and tenkeyless design — no number pad. The included keycap set is black and gray, which is perfect for a Mac setup, and the only connections on the keyboard are the dual USB-C ones on the back. Massdrop includes a USB-C cable, too, that's, thankfully, detachable.

Like the K70, the CTRL has per-key RGB lighting, but shies away from a gamer aesthetic. There's an RGB strip running around the body for accent lighting with a built-in diffuser for even light pour. The switch lighting, as well as macros, can be configured online using Massdrop's Keyboard Configurator thanks to the QMK firmware the keyboard ships with.

The typing experience is really left to what switches you choose to use with it. The CTRL can ship with Halo True, Halo Clear, Kaihua Box White, or Kaihua Speed Silver switches. You can also set the keyboard to ship without key switches or keycaps, which will knock $50 off your order.

And that's what makes the CTRL special. Unlike the Apple ecosystem the CTRL is marketed at, you can fully customize this keyboard. It has a custom PCB that allows you to hotswap switches. There's no need to solder anything on the keyboard. Simply pull the switch using the included tool and drop in the ones you want.

Pros: Beautiful design, hot-swappable switches, dual USB-C connections

Cons: No number pad

Buy the Massdrop CTRL on Massdrop for $199.99

The best mechanical keyboard for gaming

Why you'll love it: The Corsair K95 Mk.2 fully embraces the gamer look that the K70 establishes, while building on the functionality of its cheaper sibling.

The Corsair K95 Mk.2 is mostly the same keyboard as the K70, with the addition of six dedicated macro keys on the left side. While you could program the switches for faster productivity, the macros have a natural home in games. Whether it's to quickly open chat or access the different features of an MMO (massively multiplayer online game), the K95 gives you full control over the game you're playing.

While the K95 is nearly identical to the K70, it isn't the best all-around option. The K70 comes in a variety of switch types, which makes it an attractive option for typists and gamers alike. The K95, on the other hand, only comes in two flavors: Cherry MX Speeds or Cherry MX Browns. Furthermore, you can only get Browns on the black-bodied version of the K95, the gunmetal version only offering Speed switches. Confusing.

Grumbling aside, that's only an issue for non-gamers. Cherry MX Speeds are a great option for gamers, offering the linear feel of Cherry MX Reds with a shortened stem, which effectively makes them "faster."

The K95 also comes with a multi-zone RGB LED strip on the back with a built-diffuser, which is a feature the K70 doesn't share. This strip, along with the per-key backlighting, can be configured in iCue and synced with other Corsair products.

As a flagship product, the K95 is pretty narrow in its scope. However, if you fit within the parameters it sets, it's the best option around. From the impressive lighting stunts you can perform with the per-key backlighting to the solid build and gaming experience, the K95 should be your first choice for gaming.

Pros: Dedicated macro keys, accent lighting strip, Cherry MX Speed switches

Cons: The size isn't ideal

Buy the Corsair K95 Platinum on Amazon for $139.99 (originally $199.99)

• Nick Wapner, 19, was surfing with friends off of Montana de Oro State Park on California's Central Coast when he was bit by a shark on Tuesday.
• He was preparing for an incoming wave when he says the shark swam up from under him and bit his ankle and left thigh. 
• Wapner described the shark to the park ranger supervisor, Robert Colligan, as a 15-foot-long great white with an 18-inch dorsal fin.
• The teen, a student at California Polytechnic State University, had to get 50 stitches in his legs.

A 19-year-old surfer survived a shark attack off of California's Central Coast on Tuesday morning after kicking the 15-foot great white away as it bet his legs.

Nick Wapner, a student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, was surfing with friends off the coast of Montana de Oro State Park when the attack occurred, the Tribune of San Luis Obispo reported.

Robert Colligan, the park ranger supervisor, told The Tribune that Wapner described the shark as a 15-foot-long great white with an 18-inch dorsal fin.

A photo of Wapner's board with a visible bite was shared on Instagram by the local surfing organization Still Frothy.

Wapner said the shark came up from beneath him as he prepared for an incoming wave, and first bit his right ankle before moving up to his left thigh.

"It all happened quickly, but I turned and saw that it had one of my legs in its mouth," Wapner said. "The thing was huge."

Wapner said he kicked his legs until he could free himself from the shark’s grasp, and the shark swam away.

After paddling to shore, his friend drove him the hospital where he got 50 stitches.

Read more:Here are the chances of getting bitten by a shark while you're swimming at the beach

"It could have hit an artery or something but it just kind of like got my ankles and my legs a little bit," Wapner told CBS Santa Maria, Calif. affiliate KCOY-TV.

Wapner, who is now at home recovering, believes the shark was biting out of curiosity.

"Between that and the amount of foam and fiberglass that he probably got in his mouth, that probably wasn't too tasty," Wapner told KCOY. "So I think he figured he'd be better off just letting me go."

Wapner, a trained lifeguard and longtime surfer said he'll return to surfing once his wounds heal.

Colligan saidshark attack warnings have been posted on a 13-mile stretch of beaches from Montana de Oro to Morro Strand State Beach and that people can enter the water at their own risk.

• Read more about sharks:
• There could be thousands of undiscovered creatures in the sea — here are the most terrifying ones we know about
• Scientists discovered a great white shark lair known as the 'White Shark Cafe' in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
• The world's first omnivorous shark has been identified, and it could change the way we think about bloodthirsty sharks
• A shark expert explains how to avoid a shark attack

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NOW WATCH: I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet — and I lost 15 pounds

• A wave of Facebook execs have left the company in the past 12 months
• And with the company under pressure, there are likely to be more ousters, defections and departures.
• These are some of the top execs to keep an eye on, according to company insiders.

Facebook's brutal 2018 was accompanied by a wave of executive departures.

As the Silicon Valley tech giant grappled with the Cambridge Analytica scandal and its role spreading hate speech that fueled genocide in Myanmar, several longtime senior leaders at the company headed for the exits.

Instagram cofounders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, VP of partnerships Dan Rose, WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum, and policy and comms boss Elliot Schrage are just some of the execs that have announced their departures over the last 12 months.

As the new year kicks off, Facebook's turbulence shows no signs of abating, so Business Insider asked current and former employees a question: Who might be next to go?

Flight risk is an important issue at tech companies like Facebook whose fortunes can hinge on the talent of product visionaries and engineers, and the degree to which Facebook can retain its top talent will influence Facebook's ability to navigate its current crisis.

To be clear, this is informed speculation and guesswork: The sources we surveyed don't have inside knowledge of any confirmed but unannounced coming departures. But with Facebook under pressure to get its house in order, and with some executives no doubt scanning the horizon for less turbulent jobs, the names listed provide a guide to some of the Facebook leaders whose movements are being watched attentively by insiders.

After being provided with the list of names, Facebook spokesperson Anthony Harrison provided the following statement: "This story is based on complete speculation. None of the people you mentioned to us are planning to leave Facebook."

SEE ALSO: Facebook endured a staggering number of scandals and controversies in 2018 — here they all are

Justin Osofsky, VP of global operations, program management, integrations.

Justin Osofsky, Facebook's vice president of global operations, was singled out most by the sources we spoke to.

He has been at Facebook for more than a decade, and is a key lieutenant of COO Sheryl Sandberg, who has come under unprecedented scrutiny in recent months.

His operational role places him at the center of many woes, and could potentially make him a scapegoat: "[He's] a really strong leader, but as far as places to shift blame I think he would be next in line," one source said.

Osofsky 's activities made headlines earlier in December, when the British Parliament released a cache of internal Facebook emails and documents it had seized. The leaked correspondence lays bare the company leadership's cutthroat attitudes towards competition and growth — and some of Osofsky's emails are included.

Joel Kaplan, VP of global public policy.

Apart from CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, few Facebook execs have attracted more ire this year than Joel Kaplan, the company's vice president of global public policy.

Kaplan was spotted seated behind Brett Kavanaugh during the judge's acrimonious Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and when it emerged that he was there in support of Kavanaugh, a close friend, many Facebook employees exploded in outrage.

The 48-year-old exec previously served as a staffer in the George W. Bush White House, making him a rare conservative at the famously liberal company. And civil rights groups have also been consistently calling for his firing, citing his role in a smear campaign against Facebook critics.

A current employee suggested he could be next to go, citing his unpopularity with some at the company.

Dan Levy, VP of small business.

Dan Levy, Facebook's vice president of small business, is an attractive target for potential recruiters.

"In terms of the best people at Facebook that's still there, you can't ignore Dan Levy who is the one person that's responsible for Facebook's growth in the past 3 years," one source said.

Levy has been at Facebook since October 2008, working as a director on payments, risk, and finance before taking on the small business role in July 2012.