The best stories in business from 2024

This is a condensed version of Business Insider Today, a newsletter that gives you a look at the week’s top stories. Sign up here to get the full Business Insider Today in your inbox every day for the top stories in markets, tech, and business.

Hello there! Thinking of getting into real estate in the new year? Seven investors told BI the strategies they’ll try in 2025, from buying tiny homes to getting into BRRRR.

As for today’s newsletter, we’re continuing our year-end recap of some of our best coverage — with a spotlight on our top reads in business.

Disney has a big problem. It's running out of kids.

Disney has long dominated the realm of kids' content but has started to lose its monopoly to new entrants like YouTube and Netflix. As part of her sharp reporting on how streaming and tech are remaking Hollywood, Lucia Moses dug into the nature of Disney’s kid problem and what’s driving the changes in viewing patterns. 

- Nathan McAlone, deputy media editor

Why constant job cuts could be the new normal for Big Tech 

Big Tech companies continued to tighten their belts — or just double down on running lean operations — in 2024, something chief correspondent Peter Kafka presciently flagged at the beginning of the year. They’re answering the call from Wall Street to protect profit margins even as they invest in an AI revolution. 

- Brad Davis, director of business news

Gucci's sales and reputation are dwindling. Its fall was inevitable.

Gucci’s iconic double-G logo feels like it’s been omnipresent in the last decade. As it transpires, that’s not a good thing. Madeline Berg delved into what happens when luxury brands become too widespread — and what happens when fashions inevitably change. 

- Clementine Fletcher, senior trending editor

Some Tesla factory workers realized they were laid off when security scanned their badges and sent them back on shuttles, sources say

Elon Musk famously moves quickly and charges into workforce reductions when he feels it’s necessary. That strategy left some Tesla workers playing catch-up in April, when they told Grace Kay they only realized they had lost their jobs when their ID badges were scanned and security sent them home. 

- Steven Tweedie, deputy trending editor

Consulting has a Gen Z problem

A career in consulting isn’t the dream job it once was, at least not for some Gen Z workers. Kelsey Vlamis, Lakshmi Varanasi, and Tim Paradis report on how a lack of purpose and work-life balance are driving young employees to use their consulting gigs as stepping stones to pursue better opportunities outside the industry. 

- Cadie Thompson, executive editor, trending

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