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• I test a lot of skincare products, and Maelove is one of the brands I'm most excited about in 2019.
• Each product is under $30, and that includes their cult-favorite $28 vitamin C Serum, the Glow Maker, and their brand-new everyday moisturizer, The One Cream.
• The One Cream ($27.95) is a standout everyday moisturizer for all skin types: gentle, fast-absorbing without any residue, and intensely hydrating without clogging pores. 

Finding a face cream that adequately moisturizes — especially in the winter — without clogging your pores is a tall order. At least, it always has been for me, and I'm lucky enough to spend a good part of my year researching and testing skin care products as a career.

One of the perks of that very specific job is stumbling upon seemingly nondescript gems like Maelove —and, by extension, my favorite everyday moisturizer: The One Cream ($28). 

In the last year, I've become a big fan of Maelove. The company was founded by MIT grads (skincare obsessives, brain and cancer researchers, and chemical engineers) and its formulas are based firmly in research. In an effort to democratize quality skin care, each product is priced under $30. That includes their claim-to-fame vitamin C serum, the Glow Maker ($28), which eagle-eyed customers have been quick to note is quite similar to the $166 C E Ferulic Serum by Skin Ceuticals. You can find a personal review on the Glow Maker here, but, in short, it's a really good value.

Recently, the company sent over a couple of their latest products, and I've been testing them: The Day Eraser ($19) makeup remover, the Eye Enhancer ($28), and The One Cream ($28). 

The One Cream is billed as a moisturizer that nourishes skin without clogging pores or causing sensitivity. It's gentle, and it's supposed to work on all skin types. It bills itself as velvety soft, lightweight, and quick to absorb. In my experience, it's all of those things. It deeply nourishes without clogging pores, absorbs almost instantly, and its price of $28 pretty much solidifies it as a triple threat. My other comparable go-to is $68, for comparison. 

The characteristically "obsessively formulated" moisturizer has a blend of squalane, coconut extracts, and glycerin to form a nourishing barrier over your skin, sealing in the active ingredients in any serums you use and maintaining hydration. It's also infused with prebiotics to support the community of good bacteria on your skin — a big part of maintaining clear skin. 

I use The One Cream twice a day, once after washing my face in the morning and again before bed at night. Despite — or perhaps thanks to — the fact that I began using it after a combination of Differin gel and the Caribbean sun of my holiday break made my skin a flaky, dry disaster, I was impressed by it. I was stuck between thicker options that gave me semi-greasy hydration all-day long and clogged my pores, or lightweight formulas that helped immediately but withered within a few hours. Maelove's The One Cream is a great in-between and it left my skin feeling hydrated and bouncy for the entire day. In other words, it's a great everyday moisturizer for all skin types, especially sensitive complexions like mine. Wear it alone or under makeup, just make sure to rub it in — it doesn't seem to absorb without it.

Maelove's product list is a short one — six products total — befitting of a mission to make skincare accessible. Instead of a plethora of variants you have to wade through, Maelove makes one great version of the essential you need that works for all skin types. But, after trying two-thirds of what they make, I'm happy to conclude that they aren't a one-hit wonder, but are, in fact, a really solid line— and an exciting one at that.

The One Cream, available at Maelove, $27.95

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• The huge world of fast fashion means a lot of clothing purchased might not be great quality.
• To ensure you are buying quality clothing, you can check for "finished" hems and sturdy materials. 
• You can also try pulling at the seams to see if the garment is tightly sewn. 

There's nothing worse than spending money on a garment that falls apart after just a few wears. Good quality clothing should see you through more than a single season, and there are a few simple ways to tell if your wardrobe items are well-made or flimsy.

Here are some signs that your clothes are durable and built to last.

You can't see through the material.

Lightweight materials can be a blessing on a hot day, but sheerness is usually a sign thata piece of clothing will have a short lifespan. This is simply because sheer material is more prone to tearing and contains fewer fibers. And expensive materials such as silk aren't exempt from this rule — good quality silk shouldn't allow undergarments to show through. If you can hold a garment up to the light and can't see the outline of your hand through the material, it suggests that the garment will be more durable over time.

Your new jeans feel heavy and stiff.

If sliding into a new pair of jeans is actually mildly uncomfortable, that actually a good sign.

According to GQ,high quality denim is usually heavier and a bit stiff at first because of the material's higher thread count. In contrast, cheaper denim often feels soft right off the rack because they contain fewer fibers and are sometimes pre-washed with chemicals to achieve that softness, which can actually decrease their durability.  

You can't see any gaps when you pull at the seams.

Tighter, more frequent stitches usually make for a stronger seam. On the other hand, loose stitches placed far apartcan make a seam weaker and more prone to splitting. If you pull on a seam and can see through to the other side, that's a sign that the garment might be poorly constructed. More durable clothing should usually have hardier stitches with no discernible gaps.

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Blockchain is seemingly being explored by innovation teams in every corner of every industry. This includes the logistics industry, which, despite continuing on an impressive upward trajectory — the market is expected to reach $15.5 trillion by 2023, up from $8.1 trillion in 2015 — is filled with inefficiencies that the distributed ledger technology (DLT) is potentially well suited to fix.

As a result, the DLT has become one of the most attractive investment opportunities for companies in the logistics space; in fact, the market for blockchain technology in supply chain management is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49% from $41 million in 2017 to $667 million in 2024, according to Zion Market Research.

This is leading some of the largest firms in the logistics industry to explore blockchain and its potential use cases. For example, in 2017, a group of technology, transportation, and supply chain executives formed the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) to create a forum for the development of blockchain standards and education for the freight industry. BiTA now has over 450 members, including global heavyweights UPS, FedEx, SAP, Google, Cisco, and Daimler.

 However, there are still major hurdles to overcome before the technology can become commonplace. Many companies, especially small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), are still unaware of what blockchain is, how it works, or what the benefits of the technology are. 

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence explores how blockchain can provide value to the global logistics industry. We break down some of the inefficiencies in the logistics industry that are leading firms to explore blockchain and explain how the technology can be used to solve these issues. Additionally, we examine some specific use cases along the supply chain and identify some of the hurdles to adoption. And finally, we take a look at what needs to occur in the logistics industry for blockchain to be deployed widely. 

The companies mentioned in this report are: BiTA, FedEx, IBM, Maersk, Modum, SAP, Volt Technology, and Walmart.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

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• Dan Evans, the 190th-ranked tennis player in the world, hit an incredible shot in an Australian Open qualifier.
• Evans over-played a shot and his opponent hit the ball behind him.
• Evans spun around, hitting a twirling, back-handed return that cleared the net for the point.

Dan Evans, the 190th-ranked tennis player in the world, hit one of the wildest shots of the year on Thursday in a qualifier to make the Australian Open.

In the first set, leading No. 208 Jurij Rodionov 4-2, Rodionov ran to the net to hit a return. Evans, playing deep on the court, ran to his right, trying to guess the direction. Rodionov instead hit it closer down the middle.

Evans, having over-played it, spun backwards, taking his right hand all the way behind him as he hit a twirling backhand for a winner. Rodionov didn't even move.

Check out the shot below:

Evans won the match in three sets. He needs one more win to make the Australian Open, which starts next Monday.

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NOW WATCH: Japanese lifestyle guru Marie Kondo explains how to organize your home once and never again

• Frito-Lay announced Flamin' Hot Doritos this week. 
• They combine classic Doritos with the flavor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. 
• It's not their first spicy snack. 

Not even two weeks into the new year and things are already getting spicy. Frito-Lay announced Thursday that it was releasing Doritos Flamin' Hot Nacho.

It's exactly what it sounds like — Frito-Lay combined the classic Doritos Nacho Cheese with the taste of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

“Our new product brings together the classic Flamin' Hot flavor we know and love with original nacho cheese, resulting in a myriad of new sensations for your tastes buds to enjoy in each bite,” Leslie Vesper, the senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay North America, told INSIDER.

According to a press release sent to INSIDER, Doritos Flamin' Hot Nacho is considered to be the first time flamin' hot flavors have been on a tortilla chip nationwide. But, this isn't the first time Doritos has made its way into the world of spicy foods.

In the past, Doritos has released several spicy chips including Doritos Flamas, flavored as chile and lime, Doritos Jacked, flavored as ranch dipped hot wings, and Doritos Tapatío, flavored as the beloved hot sauce of the same name, among many others.

Vesper told INSIDER the creation of the Doritos Flamin' Hot Nacho was a result of consumer demand. “Spicy food is a rapidly growing segment in the food industry, especially among our younger fans. There's incredible demand for our spicier Doritos flavors, so we wanted to offer another variety in Flamin' Hot Nacho that we think will be a huge hit."

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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NOW WATCH: Japanese lifestyle guru Marie Kondo explains how to organize your home once and never again

• The mayor of McAllen, Texas, where President Donald Trump visited on Thursday as part of his push for a border wall, does not agree with the president when it comes to border security. 
• "A wall is really not the effective way to protect our border," Mayor Jim Darling said. 
• McAllen, a city of roughly 142,000 people that's located along the Rio Grande, has a strong economic relationship with the Mexican border city of Reynosa right across the river.
• Darling said a wall would make life difficult for his city's residents and the cost would outweigh the benefits.

The mayor of McAllen, Texas, the border city President Donald Trump visited on Thursday as part of his push for a border wall, is not on the same page as the president when it comes to immigration and border security.  

Mayor Jim Darling is not completely opposed to physical barriers along the US-Mexico border, but he doesn't see a wall as a realistic solution to the variety of issues the US faces in terms of immigration. 

Darling has been getting a lot of media attention in relation to Trump's big visit and the ongoing debate on immigration in Washington, and he's repeatedly made it clear he doesn't believe the president's border-wall plan is the way forward. 

"We know where our border is, and we have one,"Darling told Texas Standard. "A wall is really not the effective way to protect our border."

Read more:Why a GOP congressman who represents more of the border than anyone in Congress opposes Trump's wall

In a separate interview with NPR, on January 6, Darling expanded on his views.

"In certain locations, a wall or a fence or some deterrent makes sense but certainly not one across the great swath of the border in places where, ecologically, the damage would be much greater than a security benefit," he said. "So it's really a political football, I think. And just saying we're going to build this great wall across the whole border makes no sense at all."

Darling thinks lawmakers on both sides of the aisle need to come together to work toward immigration reform while agreeing on a budget that provides for more than fencing, but not a wall. He also thinks the US needs to help Mexico focus on reducing the amount of money and influence the drug cartels have, and that Border Patrol needs more support and social workers to help with the influx of asylum seekers.

McAllen, a city of roughly 142,000 people that's located along the Rio Grande, has a strong economic relationship with the Mexican border city of Reynosa right across the river. Darling told Reuters a wall would make daily life difficult in this regard. 

"We have tens of thousands of people go back and forth every day," Darling said. "You can't just shut this place down."

Darling hopes that Trump's visit to McAllen will help him see that a wall is not a viable option.

"We think it's an honor to have the President visit," Darling told Fox 26 News. "We know he’s here for business and everything, but we're excited as a community to welcome the President."

The McAllen mayor added, "We want him to see what the wall looks like and the river and the challenges of building a wall to provide protection."

Darling is not the only elected official in Texas who questions the logic surrounding Trump's push for a wall. Republican Rep. Will Hurd, who represents more of the southern border than any of his colleagues in the House of Representatives, is also opposed to building a wall.

Read more: 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

Hurd, a former undercover CIA agent, believes a technological approach to border security would be more feasible and appropriate. The Texas congressman has proposed a plan that would involve the use of drones and other surveillance technology to boost security. 

But, in spite of concerns from Texas politicians who represent people along the border, Trump appears unwilling to budge on the issue of the wall.

"They say a wall is medieval,"Trump said, during his visit to McAllen on Thursday. "Well, so is a wheel. There are some things that work, you know what? A wheel works, and a wall works."

His obsession with building the wall, which dates back to his 2016 presidential campaign, has pushed the government into a partial shutdown that has lasted for more than two weeks. 

SEE ALSO: Marco Rubio warns against Trump declaring a national emergency over border security, arguing that one day a Democrat could declare one over climate change

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

• Alphabet's board of directors are being sued over allegations of covering up company executives accused of sexual harassment or discrimination. 
• The lawsuit, on behalf of an Alphabet shareholder, cites Android creator Andy Rubin's alleged $90 million exit package following an internal investigation into his behavior.
• “Rubin was allowed to quietly resign by defendants Larry Page and Sergey Brin after an internal investigation found the allegations of sexual harassment by Rubin to be credible,” according to the California court filing. 

The board members of Google-parent company Alphabet are being sued over allegations that the company routinely covered up claims of sexual harassment by executives, including Android creator Andy Rubin who received a $90 million exit package and a "hero's farewell" following an internal investigation about his behavior.

The lawsuit, filed in California state court on Thursday by an Alphabet shareholder, alleges that the board of directors and top executives, including co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, failed in their responsibility to investors by letting the harassment carry on. 

In October, The New York Times published details about the allegation that led to Rubin's dismissal — including his pressuring a woman with whom he had an extramarital relationship into performing oral sex. The Times report also exposed that Rubin was given a $90 million exit package by the company even after an internal investigation found the woman's complaint to be credible. 

Read more: Andy Rubin, the creator of Android, reportedly had bondage sex videos on his work computer, paid women for 'ownership relationships,' and allegedly pressured an employee into oral sex

News of how Alphabet handled the allegations led to thousands of employees staging a walkout in protest last November. 

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as remedies such as eliminating the dual class stock structure that gives Alphabet founders Page and Brin control of the company.  The suit is the first brought against Alphabet's board, according to Bloomberg, which first reported news of the lawsuit. 

Louise Renne, a former San Francisco City Attorney who is representing the plaintiff, did not answer questions about the lawsuit. Alphabet was did not immediately return a request for comment. 

SEE ALSO: Here are the Facebook execs who insiders think might leave next

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

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

• With all of the expectations around it, Valentine's Day gifting can be hard.
• You don't need a grand romantic gesture to show someone you care about them this February 14th.
• We rounded up 27 sweet gifts, all on Amazon, that are a great way to show someone you love them this Valentine's Day. 

Finding the right Valentine's Day gift is hard. Striking the balance between sweet and sentimental, but not too sweet and sentimental, can be difficult. Ultimately, many of us end up in the drugstore aisle, searching for a cute card and box of chocolates at the last minute.

If you're in a bind, don't worry — you don't need to resort to a Hallmark card or a sweeping romantic gesture. We found some products that make sweet Valentine's Day gifts, whether you're looking for something for your boyfriend, spouse, best friend, sister, or classmate. From nice kitchen gadgets to little gifts that show them you're thinking of them, we covered it all. Plus, everything's on Amazon, so you can get most of these products just in time for the big day.

Keep reading for 27 sweet Valentine's Day gifts, all from Amazon:

An Airbnb gift card

Airbnb Gift Card, E-mail Delivery, from $25

You know they've been wanting to travel more, so bring them one step closer with an Airbnb gift card that they can put towards accommodations or activities on your next trip together.

A monthly coffee subscription

Amazon Bean Box, $26/month

Coffee connoisseurs will love the chance to try a new bag of fresh beans from Portland and Seattle's top roasters each month. A subscription will get them a 12-ounce bag, along with tasting notes and brewing tips. You can choose from espresso, light, dark, decaf, and medium varieties to ensure they get something they'll love. 

A classic floral bouquet

Benchmark Bouquets Dozen Rainbow Roses, $35.62

Yes, roses may seem overdone on Valentine's day, but it's for good reason. They look beautiful, smell amazing, and add a necessary burst of color to the dark, cold winter months. 

• Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said it's time for President Donald Trump to use emergency powers to build a barrier on the US-Mexico border.
• Hours before making the statement, Graham appeared to be unsure about whether an emergency declaration was a prudent decision.
• The statement followed a meeting at his office on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, in which several of his Republican colleagues and White House officials mounted a last-ditch effort to broker a deal with Democrats.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he thinks it's time for President Donald Trump to use emergency powers to build a barrier on the US-Mexico border, a decision he indicated he was unsure about just hours before apparently changing his opinion on the issue.

"Time for President [Donald Trump] to use emergency powers to build Wall/Barrier," Graham said on Twitter. "I hope it works."

Graham said he based his decision on what he described as the Democratic leadership's "refusal to negotiate" on acquiring funds for the wall and reopening the government after a 20-day partial government shutdown. Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have agreed to a budget bill that would allot funds for border security. They rejected the notion of providing $5.7 billion to fund Trump's wall.

Hours before making his statement, Graham appeared unsure about whether Trump making a national-emergency declaration would be a prudent move.

"President [Donald Trump] strongly believes he has power to declare a national emergency to build a wall," Graham tweeted. "Will that approach work? I don’t know."

The statement followed a meeting at his office on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, in which several of his Republican colleagues and White House officials mounted a last-ditch effort to broker a deal with Democrats.

A national-emergency declaration, which previous presidential administrations have made, would allow him to use funds to build his border wall without approval from Congress.

"If this doesn't work out, probably I will do it, I would almost say definitely," Trump said before a trip to McAllen, Texas, to inspect the border. "This is a national emergency."

Graham, who has slowly become one of Trump's most ardent supporters in Congress, is expected to soon relinquish his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He recently became the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SEE ALSO: 'Bye-bye': Trump reportedly issued terse farewell as he abruptly left his meeting with Democrats

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

• Red Dead Online, the multiplayer online mode in "Red Dead Redemption 2," is currently in a beta phase.
• A new update will add a "Fortnite"-style battle royale mode called Gun Rush to Red Dead Online, along with some quality of life improvements.
• Creator Rockstar Games expects the beta to continue for a few more months, and is developing separate story missions for Red Dead Online.

Red Dead Online, the online multiplayer mode in "Red Dead Redemption 2," is getting some major updates to mark the start of 2019 — including Gun Rush, a new game mode that's similar to "Fortnite: Battle Royale."

Gun Rush was added an update landing on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One today, and lets up to 32 players play at once. Like "Fortnite," Gun Rush tosses players into a shrinking battle zone and forces them to search for weapons to survive. Players can ride solo or join up with a team, and the last squad standing wins the game.

Rockstar is planning more quality of life improvements for Red Dead Online, too, like daily challenges, a revised bounty system for aggressive players, and other changes that will help organize player interactions on the online frontier. Future updates will include new story missions, dynamic events, collectible items, and different competitive modes like races.

Though Red Dead Online is included with every purchase of "Red Dead Redemption 2," Rockstar says the online mode is still in a beta phase and will remain so for a few more months.. Prior to the launch of Red Dead Online, Rockstar said it planned to work alongside the community to build an ideal online experience.

"We look forward to working with our amazing and dedicated community to share ideas, help us fix teething problems and work with us to develop 'Red Dead Online' into something really fun and innovative," the company said in a statement.

In the past, Rockstar developers have said they consider Red Dead Online and "Red Dead Redemption 2" to be two different games. Rockstar still provides regular updates to Grand Theft Auto Online, even though "Grand Theft Auto V" launched more than five years ago in 2013. Rockstar's ongoing support has helped that game sell more than 100 copies worldwide.

"Red Dead Redemption 2" was one of the most celebrated games of 2018, and with ongoing support for Red Dead Online, the game won't soon be forgotten.

SEE ALSO: This guy followed 'Red Dead Redemption 2' characters for a full day and discovered just how detailed the game really is

SEE ALSO: The 20 best video games of 2018, from 'Red Dead Redemption 2' to 'God of War'

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NOW WATCH: We put the 7 best smartphones of 2018 head-to-head and there was a clear winner for the best value

The healthcare industry is facing disruption due to accelerating technological innovation and growing demand for improved delivery of healthcare and lower costs. Tech startups are leading the way by seizing opportunities in the areas of the industry that are most vulnerable to disruption, including genomics, pharmaceuticals, administration, clinical operations, and insurance.

Venture funds and businesses are taking notice of these startups' potential. In the US, digital health funding reached $1.6 billion in Q1 2018, according to Rock Health — the largest first quarter on record, surpassing the $1.4 billion in venture funding seen in Q1 2016. These high-potential startups provide a glimpse into the future of the healthcare space and demonstrate how we’ll get there.

In this report, a compilation of various notes, Business Insider Intelligence will look at the top startups disrupting US healthcare in four key areas: artificial intelligence (AI), digital therapeutics, health insurance, and genomics. Startups in this report were selected based on the funding they've received over the past year, notable investors, the products they offer, and leadership in their functional area.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Tech startups are entering the market by applying the “Silicon Valley” approach. They're targeting shortcomings and legacy systems that are no longer efficient.
• AI is being applied across five areas of healthcare to improve clinical operation workflows, cut costs, and foster preventative medicine. These areas include administration, big data analysis, clinical decision support, remote patient monitoring, and care provision.
  
• Health tech startups, insurers, and drug makers are rapidly exploring new ways to apply digital therapeutics to the broader healthcare market that replace or complement the existing treatment of a disease.
• Health insurance startups are taking advantage of the consumerization of healthcare to threaten the status quo of legacy players. 
• Genomics is becoming an increasingly common tool within the healthcare system as health organizations better understand how to extract the value from patients’ genetic data. 

 In full, the report:

• Details the areas of the US health industry that show the greatest potential for disruption.
• Forecasts the industry adoption of bleeding edge technology and how it will transform how healthcare organizations operate.
• Unveils the top five startups in AI, digital therapeutics, health insurance, and genomics, and how they're positioned to solve big issues that key players in healthcare face. 
• Explores what's next for the leading startups, providing a glimpse into the future of the healthcare space and demonstrating how we’ll get there.

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	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
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• The sixth-busiest airport in the world is taking on an unusual vibe.
• As TSA agents go unpaid, Travis Scott and Kanye West songs are blasting through JFK's loudspeakers, some passengers reported on Twitter.
• "We're living in a simulation," one passenger tweeted.

The US dealing with the second-longest government shutdown ever.

Most of the effects have been unsavory. Some 800,000 federal workers are furloughed, meaning they are not working and receiving no pay, or working without pay (though those workers are due back pay when the government reopens) until the shutdown ends. The Food and Drug Administration has ceased food inspections. And the 40 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits won't receive food assistance after February, if the shutdown continues.

Lines at airports nationwide have also become incredibly long as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees call in sick at work and go unpaid. Air-traffic controllers have also gone unpaid since December 22.

SEE ALSO: TSA employees working unpaid because of the government shutdown are quitting — and this could create a 'massive security risk' for travelers

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

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Smart speakers comprise one of the fastest-growing device segments in the consumer technology market today. Ownership levels have nearly doubled from early 2017 to summer 2018. 

With this rapid growth, there are a few pivotal questions that both companies looking to develop and sell smart speakers as well as those looking to sell products, deliver media, and offer access to services like banking over these devices need answers to in order to craft successful strategies. In particular, they need to know who is and isn’t buying smart speakers, and what consumers who own smart speakers are actually doing with them. 

To offer these stakeholders insight, Business Insider Intelligence asked more than 500 US consumers about their knowledge of smart speakers, the devices they do or don’t own and what led them to their purchase decisions, as well as the tasks they’re using their smart speakers for.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence will look at the state of the smart speaker market and outline how each of the major device providers approaches the space. We will then focus on the key factors that affect whether or not someone owns one of these devices. Next, we will use our survey data to outline the reasons why people don’t own devices in order to offer guidance for who to target and how. Finally, we will discuss what consumers are actually doing with their smart speakers — specifically looking at how the devices are used and perceived in e-commerce, digital media, and banking — which can help companies determine how well they’re publicizing their smart speaker services and capabilities.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Facebook, Sonos, LG, Anker, Spotify, Pandora, Grubhub, Netflix, Hulu, Instagram, Snap.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Despite their growing popularity, nearly half of respondents still don't own a device — which presents a long runway for adoption. Our survey data reveals a number of key factors that impact whether or not someone owns one of these devices, including income, gender, and age.
• Smart speakers are establishing themselves as a key platform for e-commerce, media, and the smart home.
• The introduction of a screen to some smart speakers will expand the possibilities for companies developing for the device — but developers will need to resist the compulsion to use speakers to accomplish too much.

In full, the report:

• Provides an overview of the key players and products in the smart speaker market.
• Highlights critical adoption rates broken out by key factors that define the segment.
• Identifies how consumers are using devices in important areas where companies in various industries are trying foster greater use of the voice interface.

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Digital has transformed retail possibilities.

And with e-commerce sales growing at nearly five times the rate of brick-and-mortar sales, retailers need to find cheaper and more efficient ways to deliver e-commerce orders.

But different age groups have different preferences for which delivery and fulfilment options are most important to them.

Find out which delivery features are most important to consumers as well as what fulfillment options retailers should be using to meet consumer demands in this new FREE slide deck from Business Insider Intelligence’s three-part Future of Retail 2018 series.

In this first installment of the series, Business Insider Intelligence explores delivery and fulfillment, including consumers’ delivery preferences, the challenges those demands pose to retailers, and the strategies retailers can use to meet consumers’ expectations of fulfillment without tanking their profitability.

As an added bonus, you will also gain immediate access to our exclusive Business Insider Intelligence Daily newsletter.

To get your copy of the first part of this FREE slide deck, simply click here.

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• IT budgets are still growing, according to a Morgan Stanley survey of chief information officers in the US and Europe.
• CIOs in the US expect their budgets to grow 5.5% in 2019. That's up from 5.3% in 2018.
• The big winner will be software, according to the report, where spending is expected to grow the most.

Forget market volatility — companies continue to grow their IT budget and their allocations for buying new software, according to Morgan Stanley.

Morgan Stanley talked to 100 chief information officers in the US and Europe for its quarterly survey and found that CIOs expect their IT budgets to grow 4.7% in 2019. That growth is slightly down from 2018, when CIOs expected their budgets to grow 4.9%. The 2019 decline stems primarily from European CIOs, according to the report.  

CIOs in the US actually expect to see 2019 budgets grow by 5.5%, which is up from 5.3% in 2018.

The big winner, according to the survey, is software, which CIOs said will grow 5.2% in 2019. Amazon and Microsoft are the biggest gainers of "IT wallet share," according to the survey, since so many companies will spend money on public cloud services, the market where those two companies lead.

Salesforce is also well-positioned to benefit from public cloud adoption, according to the report.

CIOs expect to increase their spending on IT services by 4% in 2019, up from 3.7% in 2018. In addition, 28% of the CIOs surveyed expect to over-spend their budgets when it comes to IT services.

Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss wrote that companies like HCL, CTSH, Deloitte, and CAP are well-positioned to win from this spending. ACN was one of the top five companies most likely to benefit from spending on cloud migration, according to the report.

Spending in hardware, however, is not seeing the same growth. CIOs expect their hardware budgets to grow by just 2.2% in 2019. When these CIOs were surveyed last quarter in October 2018, they predicted 2.5% growth. US respondents in particular expect their hardware spending to grow by just 2%, according to the survey.

"The downtick is a signal that US-based tax reform and cash repatriation were meaningful positive catalysts last year with growth slowing on the more difficult comps," wrote Morgan Stanley's Keith Weiss.

SEE ALSO: With China in sharp focus, Morgan Stanley forecasts a rough 2019 for the companies that make the chips in the world's smartphones and servers

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• CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta fired back at Trump Organization executive Donald Trump Jr. after he described a video Acosta posted as "one of the best self-own videos ever."
• Acosta, who was covering President Donald Trump's inspection of the US-Mexico border in Texas, challenged Trump's description of a "crisis" at the border in his video.
• Acosta and Trump Jr. went back and forth on Twitter on Thursday.

CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta fired back at Trump Organization executive and President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., after he described a video Acosta posted as "one of the best self-own videos ever."

While covering President Donald Trump's inspection of the US-Mexico border at McAllen, Texas, on Thursday, Acosta scrutinized the characterization of the border as a "crisis." Trump and White House officials have described the border as a "crisis" to justify a border barrier.

"I found some steel slats down on the border," Acosta said in a tweet with in his video, which had over 2 million views at the time of writing. "But I don't see anything resembling a national emergency situation.. at least not in the McAllen TX area of the border where Trump will be today."

"Of course you don't Jim,"Trump Jr. replied hours later. "That's because walls work. Thanks for your help proving [Donald Trump's] point and simultaneously creating one of the best self-own videos ever!!!"

Acosta responded by referring to the 20-day partial government shutdown and calling the situation "a little strange."

SEE ALSO: 'You're such a smart-a--': Kellyanne Conway unloads on CNN's Jim Acosta in fiery exchange after he asks if Trump 'will tell the truth'

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• Digital trust is the confidence people have in a platform to protect their information and provide a safe environment for them to create and engage with content.
• Business Insider Intelligence surveyed over 1,300 global consumers to evaluate their perception of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Consumers’ Digital Trust rankings differ across security, legitimacy, community, user experience, shareability, and relevance for the six major social networks.

If you feel like “fake news” and spammy social media feeds dominate your Internet experience, you’re not alone. Digital trust, the confidence people have in platforms to protect their information and provide a safe environment to create and engage with content, is in jeopardy.

In fact, in a new Business Insider Intelligence survey of more than 1,300 global consumers, over half (54%) said that fake news and scams were "extremely impactful” or “very impactful” on their decision to engage with ads and sponsored content.

For businesses, this distrust has financial ramifications. It’s no longer enough to craft a strong message; brands, marketers, and social platforms need to focus their energy on getting it to consumers in an environment where they are most receptive. When brands reach consumers on platforms that they trust, they enhance their credibility and increase the likelihood of receiving positive audience engagement.

The Digital Trust Report 2018, the latest Enterprise Edge Report from Business Insider Intelligence, compiles this exclusive survey data to analyze consumer perceptions of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

The survey breaks down consumers’ perceptions of social media across six pillars of trust: security, legitimacy, community, user experience, shareability, and relevance. The results? LinkedIn ran away with it.

As the most trusted platform for the second year in a row – and an outlier in the overall survey results – LinkedIn took the top spot for nearly every pillar of trust — and there are a few reasons why:

• LinkedIn continues to benefit from the professional nature of its community — users on the platform tend to be well behaved and have less personal information at risk, which makes for a more trusting environment.
• LinkedIn users are likely more selective and mindful about engagement when interacting within their professional network, which may increase trust in its content.
• Content on LinkedIn is typically published by career-minded individuals and organizations seeking to promote professional interests, and is therefore seen as higher quality than other platforms’. This bodes well for advertisers and publishers to be viewed as forthright, honest, persuasive, and trustworthy.

Want to Learn More?

Enterprise Edge Reports are the very best research Business Insider Intelligence has to offer in terms of actionable recommendations and proprietary data, and they are only available to Enterprise clients.

The Digital Trust Report 2018 illustrates how social platforms have been on a roller coaster ride of data, user privacy, and brand safety scandals since our first installment of the report in 2017.

In full, the report analyzes key changes in rankings from 2017, identifies trends in millennials' behavior on social media, and highlights where these platforms (as well as advertisers) have opportunities to capture their attention.

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• N26, a German fintech startup backed by venture capitalist Peter Thiel, raised $300 million in a series D funding round.
• The latest financing values the company at $2.7 billion. 
• The financing comes just 10 months after N26's last funding round and will be used to facilitate the company's expansion into the US market.

N26, a German digital banking company backed by venture capitalist Peter Thiel, is now the most valuable fintech in Europe. 

The company on Thursday said it had raised $300 million in a series D funding round that values it $2.7 billion. That's more than red hot $1.7 billion UK-based fintech Revolut.

Venture firm Insight Venture Partner is leading the latest funding round alongside Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC. 

The financing comes just 10 months after N26's last funding round, in which the company raised $160 million from Tencent and Allianz.

Nicolas Kopp, the US chief executive officer of N26, said the fundraising is to facilitate the company's global expansion, including into the US.

Read more: A Peter Thiel-backed fintech that aims to be 'a mixture of Venmo, Zelle, Mint and Chase' is launching next year in the US

Business Insider previously reported that N26  is building a banking product for US customers in the first half of 2019 and is partnering with an unnamed American bank for its offering. The company is aiming to launch a banking app that offers an aggregation of services provided by popular financial apps, like Venmo, Zelle, Mint, and a bank account. 

N26 is also looking to launch in other markets after the US, Kopp said. The company has a long-term goal of becoming a global bank and aims to serve 100 million users over the coming years, he said.

Launched in January 2015, N26 currently operates in 24 European markets and has tripled its active users to 2.3 million over last year. The company has over 700 employees and has opened a New York office that houses 25 to 30 employees, Kopp said.

N26 is just the latest fintech to raise funding at a hefty valuation. Fintech Plaid just raised funding at a $2.65 valuation. 

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• MongoDB stock closed 13% down after Amazon Web Services announced its own rival DocumentDB.
• Analysts say this needs to be taken seriously because of Amazon's scale and reach — but it's too early to tell if it will affect MongoDB in the long term.
• MongoDB has two key advantages more capabilities and a loyal developer following — so loyal that when Microsoft offered a competing database called CosmosDB, it had little impact on MongoDB.

MongoDB's stock was down 13% at the close of the first day of trading after Amazon Web Services launched DocumentDB, a direct competitor to its own database business. The company, which went public in 2017, is now valued at just over $4 billion.

On Wednesday, Eliot Horowitz, CTO and co-founder of MongoDB, told Business Insider that he's not worried about Amazon DocumentDB — rather, he said, it was a sign of "how desperate Amazon was" to do what MongoDB does. Wall Street, however, does not seem to agree, evidenced by the dropping share price. 

Read more: The CTO of $4.4 billion MongoDB explains why he's 'not terribly worried' that Amazon's cloud is encroaching on its turf with a new database

"Amazon released a product that is not only competitive and directly targeted at MongoDB," Edward Parker, director and data and cloud infrastructure analyst at analyst firm BTIG, told Business Insider. "Given Amazon's cloud size and technical confidence, we have to take this very seriously. It has competitive implications for MongoDB."

Notably, DocumentDB is compatible with certain older versions of MongoDB, potentially making it easier for customers to move from one to the other. For its part, DocumentDB is tightly integrated with the rest of the Amazon Web Services empire, and customers pay only for what they use. 

Not all hope is lost for MongoDB, though, says Parker. What makes MongoDB stand out is its enthusiastic developer following. That enthusiasm might mean that AWS has trouble swiping these customers away from MongoDB, no matter how easy Amazon makes it. Besides, MongoDB has been around longer, and is more fully-featured.

"MongoDB has a very capable document database with a very passionate and large developer base," Parker said. "Amazon has advantages over MongoDB in terms of scale and overall resource preponderance. The question is the extent to which Amazon can attract MongoDB developers."

In an interview with TechCrunch, MongoDB CEO and president Dev Ittycheria was more confident, saying that "imitation was the sincerest form of flattery" and that "developers are technically savvy enough to distinguish between the real thing and a poor imitation."

"MongoDB will continue to outperform any impersonations in the market," Ittycheria told TechCrunch.

MongoDB has a secret weapon

In a note to clients, BTIG analysts pointed out that MongoDB has weathered similar storms before — a competing database from Microsoft Azure, called CosmosDB, failed to make a significant dent on MongoDB's momentum.

"CosmosDB is a document database from Microsoft which is the de facto number 2 hyperscale cloud provider," Parker said. "In theory, you would have expected that to be viable competition, but it hasn't really been able to slow down MongoDB. Microsoft has likely not been able to capture the same kind of developer mindshare that MongoDB has."

Instead, MongoDB says, it's common for customers to install MongoDB itself on their Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. MongoDB's Horowitz expects that there will be a similar dynamic at play with Amazon DocumentDB.

"We have had zero problems with MongoDB adoption on Azure," Horowitz told Business Insider. "I don't think [Amazon DocumentDB] going to have a terribly large effect on our business. It will bring MongoDB to the forefront to people's minds. It shows people who haven't used MongoDB before just how powerful the MongoDB API is."

Ultimately, BTIG believes that while the introduction of Amazon DocumentDB may not hurt MongoDB in the short run, it remains to be seen if it'll have long-term effects on the business. At the same time, MongoDB's killer advantage is really that developer enthusiasm, giving Amazon a high bar to clear, say the analysts. 

"Time will tell the extent to which [Amazon] is able to successfully emulate [MongoDB]’s virtues while overcoming some of its shortcomings, but it’s hard to conclude that this development doesn’t have negative competitive implications," BTIG analysts wrote.

Also of note is that MongoDB was one of the companies that went on the defensive against cloud providers, like Amazon or Baidu, that take open source software like its own and package it up as a service for profit. To do so, MongoDB changed its software licensing agreements — a a controversial move with ripple effects still playing out.

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• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' impending divorce from his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, carries at least two big risks for the company's shareholders, legal experts say.
• Bezos could become distracted by the divorce proceedings, affecting his ability to run Amazon.
• The divorce could also potentially lead to a mass sell-off of stock by either Bezos or his wife.
• Legal experts think Bezos and his wife will work to minimize those risks, since it's in their interests to do so.
• But divorces don't always go smoothly, and things could end up worse than they expect.

For the last 25 years, Jeff Bezos has been the steady hand on the tiller for Amazon, guiding the company through both rough patches and calm seas to ever-richer ports of call.

Now his personal life threatens to rock the company's boat.

Bezos announced Wednesday that he and his wife, MacKenzie, are getting a divorce. Investors will likely be watching closely to see how the dissolution of his marriage affects Bezos' running of the company and his stock holdings in it, said Mark Harrison, an advisor with consultancy Marcum, who has served as an expert witness in numerous financial disputes.

"Investors care mostly about uncertainty," he said. He continued: "The market will look for signs of emotional upheaval between the two of them."

For now, investors seem to be taking the news of the divorce in stride. Amazon's shares closed Thursday down well less than 1%, and the company retained its title as the world's most valuable corporation. But things could change if the proceedings become protracted or start to get ugly, Harrison said.

That may already be starting. In a statement on Twitter announcing their plans to divorce, Bezos and his wife portrayed it as a friendly parting. But subsequent reports in the National Enquirer and the New York Post that Bezos was carrying on an affair before he and his wife officially separated threatened to sully that narrative.

The Bezoses' divorce has two big risks for shareholders

The risk of the Bezoses' breakup to Amazon and its shareholders is two-fold.

As the company's founder and sole CEO since its launch, Bezos is widely seen as the driving force behind the tech giant, which dominates the e-commerce market, has become the leading player in the cloud-computing industry, and has become the number-3 player in digital advertising behind Google and Facebook. Many investors likely consider him to be critical to the company's continued success, and may rightly worry that Amazon's business could suffer if Bezos is distracted by the divorce.

Discussing the potential danger, Harrison paraphrased hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones' feelings on the topic.

A person going through a divorce is "worthless to him, because they're completely unfocused," Harrison said.

But the other danger comes from Bezos' vast holdings of Amazon stock. He owns about 79 million shares, or about 16% of the company. That stake, worth about $131 billion, represents about 95% of his total wealth.

Washington state, where Amazon is headquartered and the Bezoses have long made their primary residence, will likely be where they end up filing for divorce. The state's community property laws don't mandate that MacKenzie will get a 50% cut of his Amazon stake in the divorce, but they likely will result in her getting ownership of a sizable portion of it, potentially up to half, legal experts said.

Read more: Jeff Bezos' divorce could soon make MacKenzie Bezos one of Amazon's biggest shareholders

The concern for investors is what kind of control she will have over the shares she gets, how they get transferred to her, and what she does with them.

"Investors are going to be spooked if any member of the family starts selling significant amounts of stock," Harrison said.

The divorce won't cause a change of control at Amazon

Amazon representatives did not respond to emails seeking comment about the Bezoses' divorce. Representatives for Vanguard and BlackRock, the two largest Amazon shareholders after Bezos, declined to comment on the divorce proceedings or their impact on shareholders.

One thing that's not a concern in the Bezos divorce is how it will affect control of the company. Other tech CEOs, including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet's Larry Page, hold shares that give them or a small cohort of insiders control over their companies because they come with super-sized voting rights.

But Bezos holds the same kind of shares as everyday Amazon investors. Although he's Amazon's largest shareholder, its CEO, and its chairman, he doesn't have unchecked sway over it. So, no matter how many shares MacKenzie ends up with, or how her holdings are structured, it won't affect the balance of power at the company. 

"I am very happy that Amazon has a one share, one vote structure," said Rosemary Lally, an editor at the Council of Institutional Investors, which advocates for stronger corporate governance and shareholder rights, in an email. "If McKenzie [sic] Bezos does become a major shareholder and tries to do something that other Amazon shareholders oppose, they can [hold] her accountable."

Legal experts expect them to keep shareholders in mind

To be sure, Harrison, who has worked on divorce cases among other affluent couples, and other legal experts expect the Bezoses to be very aware of investors' potential worries and to do whatever they can to alleviate them. Because so much of their wealth is tied up in Amazon's stock, it's in the best interests of both of them to do so.

"I think you're going to find that both parties here want to get the investor world comfortable that nothing's going on," Harrison said.

Indeed, he and some other legal experts expect the divorce process to go relatively smoothly, not just because it's in both sides' interest, but because the amount of wealth they have is so immense. In some divorces, even among wealthy individuals, one side or the other stands to be materially hurt by the division of their assets, particularly if most of their wealth is in their homes, said Ira Garr, a family-law attorney in New York who represented Rupert Murdoch and Ivana Trump in their respective divorce cases. Such cases can be particularly rancorous, just because of that.

But that's just not applicable with the Bezoses.

"When you're talking about numbers this vast, no matter what you get, you're set for the rest of your life," Garr said. In that respect, he continued, "cases like that are easier to settle."

The two will likely structure their divorce settlement so that they don't have to sell shares all at once and depress the market, legal experts said. Instead, they're likely to put provisions in place that limit MacKenzie's ability to sell stock — and perhaps even allow Jeff Bezos to retain control over the voting rights of her shares, Harrison said.

Indeed, Brian Weiser, a financial analyst who covers Amazon for Pivotal Research Group, doesn't think investors have anything to worry about when it concerns Bezos' divorce.

"I'm not aware of any reason why anyone should assume there's any meaningful risk of any meaningful problem," he said.

But emotions can sometimes get in the way

Much of this assumes that the Bezoses will act rationally and will be able to set their emotions aside. But many divorces don't work out that way. And if Bezos or MacKenzie starts acting out of emotion rather than rationality, all bets may be off in terms of the ease of the divorce, his state of mind in running Amazon, and what happens to his shares.

"When [a divorce] gets salacious and a little crazy ... all kinds of bad things can happen," Harrison said.

• Read more about the Bezoses divorce:
• MacKenzie Bezos deserves half of Jeff Bezos' fortune because there would be no Amazon without her
• The last time a billionaire CEO got divorced without a prenup he hand wrote a check for $974,790,317.77
• If MacKenzie Bezos gets half of Jeff Bezos' fortune, she'd become the fourth-richest person in the world — and he'd fall from the No. 1 spot
• There are 2 types of contracts married couples can sign to protect their money — here's what it means if divorcing billionaires Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos never signed one

SEE ALSO: Amazon Web Services could be worth $600 billion by itself. Here's why Wall Street analysts think a spinoff won't happen any time soon.

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