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<ul><li>OpenAI expands ChatGPT Search to all free users.</li><li> The AI startup has also brought in some important new features and enhancements with a new update.</li><li> Information from Netflix and travel booking platforms gains prominence now.</li></ul> OpenAI has expanded access to ChatGPT Search, making it available to all free users. Originally introduced in October 2024 for paid subscribers, the feature was first offered as an invitation-only preview under the name SearchGPT. This update marks a broader rollout, improving the overall user experience. ChatGPT Search features ChatGPT Search provides users with quick, up-to-date answers and links to relevant web sources, a task typically managed by search engines. Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, announced the update in a YouTube video, highlighting the advantage of integrating real-time web information into the <keyword id="19925753" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-chatbot" source="keywords">AI chatbot</keyword>. In this enhanced version, prominent links—such as those from Netflix or travel booking platforms—are displayed at the top of search results, followed by ChatGPT’s text-based responses. <keyword id="21453184" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voice-search" source="keywords">Voice Search</keyword> A significant update is the addition of voice search for users with Advanced Voice Mode enabled. This feature can be accessed by tapping the audio waveform button in the compose bar. With voice search, users can request <keyword id="20186447" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-time-information" source="keywords">real-time information</keyword> on topics like travel destinations, weather updates, or activity recommendations. ChatGPT’s Voice Assistant will reply using one of ten available voice styles. Search engine enhancements OpenAI has enhanced browsing speed and efficiency for users who choose ChatGPT as their default search engine. To streamline this process, the company has also launched a Chrome extension, enabling users to set ChatGPT as their default search engine for instant answers from reliable websites. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/vivo-x200-and-x200-pro-launched-in-india-starting-at-65999/articleshow/116248162.cms">Vivo X200 and X200 Pro launched in India starting at ₹65,999</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-13-with-snapdragon-8-elite-to-be-launched-globally-in-january/articleshow/115920790.cms">OnePlus 13 with Snapdragon 8 Elite to be launched globally in January</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/nothing-will-reportedly-launch-three-phones-in-2025-including-the-phone-3/articleshow/115891768.cms">Nothing will reportedly launch three phones in 2025, including the Phone (3)</a>

OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Search to all free users with voice and map features

Smartphones have changed how we connect, work, and entertain ourselves, but they might also be silently reshaping our closest relationships. A recent study titled ‘Impact of Smartphones on Parent-Child Relationships’ sheds light on a growing concern: the excessive use of smartphones is creating barriers between parents and children in India. The sixth edition of the vivo Switch Off survey, conducted in collaboration with CyberMedia Research (CMR), highlights how technology, while indispensable, has become a source of conflict in family dynamics. The findings are a stark reminder of the need for balance in a world increasingly dominated by screens. <h2>Children are more aware of smartphone impact </h2> One surprising revelation from the study is that children appear more aware of the negative impact of <keyword id="24400365" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="excessive-smartphone-use" source="keywords">excessive smartphone use</keyword> than their parents. About 69% of children acknowledged that smartphone overuse has led to conflicts with their parents, and an overwhelming 94% suggested that their ideal phone for parents should focus on basic features like calling, messaging, and a camera—stripping away apps for entertainment, gaming, or social media. Children also demonstrated a desire for collective change: 66% said they would give up social media if their peers did the same, while over 90% wished that some popular social media platforms had never been created. <h2>Parents spend more time on their phones than children </h2> While 75% of parents worry about their children’s ability to build meaningful relationships, the irony is evident. Many parents overlook how their own smartphone habits are affecting their bond with their kids. On average, parents spend more than five hours daily on their phones, compared to four hours for children. A striking 73% of parents admit that their device use has caused friction at home. Even during significant moments like family vacations or celebrations, both groups confess to using their phones, underscoring how deeply ingrained this habit has become. <h2>Yearning for stronger bonds </h2> Despite the challenges, there’s a shared longing for deeper connections. About 76% of children and 84% of parents expressed a wish to strengthen their relationships through meaningful family time, free from digital distractions. Both groups are exploring solutions such as creating “phone-free” zones at home and setting mutual screen-time limits. One-third of children believe the world would be better off without certain apps, reflecting their frustration with the digital environment they’ve grown up in. Yet, they also see hope in collective action—if their families and friends embrace healthier smartphone habits, they’re ready to follow suit. <h2>Expert opinion </h2> Highlighting the issue, Riddhi Doshi Patel, a child psychologist and parenting counsellor, noted, “Excessive smartphone use is silently eroding emotional bonds between parents and children. Campaigns promoting mindful tech use aren’t just helpful; they’re transformative. They can foster genuine connection and create homes where relationships flourish beyond screens.” To address these challenges, vivo has collaborated with experts like Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up with Your Phone, and Riddhi Doshi Patel to offer practical advice. Their guidance includes actionable steps like setting screen-time boundaries, creating phone-free zones, and prioritising face-to-face interactions. What are your thoughts on this growing issue? Can families bridge the digital divide, or is it a price we’ll continue to pay for staying connected?

Parents spend more time on their smartphones than children and this might be straining relationships, new study suggests

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The New York Times' tech workers went on strike, risking disrupting the Times during the election.</li><li>The Tech Guild is seeking remote work protections, pay equity, and limits on subcontracting.</li></ul>The New York Times' tech workers went on strike Monday morning, threatening to disrupt the publication's operation during the presidential election and its aftermath.The Tech Guild, which represents workers like software developers and data analysts, said members would be picketing outside the Times' New York City headquarters. It asked the public to honor its digital picket line by not using the NYT Cooking app or playing popular Times games like Wordle and Connections.The stoppage could split the vaunted news organization between the Tech Guild and other newsroom members, who worry about how the strike could impact the outlet's ability to handle a surge in election-related traffic — especially as the Times increasingly depends on its digital operation. Digital-only subscriptions became the Times' biggest revenue stream in 2020."Sometimes you have to put the public service mission ahead of your self interest, and this is one of those times," said one newsroom employee, speaking anonymously to discuss the strike freely.The Times Guild, which represents non-tech workers, called <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/nytimesguild/status/1848727940969742519?s=46&amp;t=rey_6ejrzAuWHuW1na5T7g">on Times management</a> to complete a deal by Election Day."Can you imagine if our election needle didn't work, the app didn't open or the homepage went down?" the Times Guild said.The Tech Guild said it was bargaining over issues including remote work protections, pay equity, limits on subcontracting, and just cause.Times management has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/threat-of-new-york-times-tech-worker-strike-on-election-day-grows-174b1912">countered</a> that it made a strong offer promising tech workers generous pay and benefits, including total compensation (salary, bonus, and restricted stock options) of $190,000, or $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild."We look forward to continuing to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority," a Times spokesperson said in a statement. "We're in one of the most consequential periods of coverage for our readers and have robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers."The Tech Guild, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/business/media/new-york-times-tech-workers-form-a-union.html">formed in 2021,</a> has been negotiating with management since 2022. It's made up of 600 members including designers, software engineers, data analysts, and project managers. It's represented by the NewsGuild of New York, which also represents more than 1,400 newsroom and business employees via The New York Times Guild. The NewsGuild also represents Business Insider employees.The Times signaled it's preparing for a long fight: Times Co. chairman AG Sulzberger wrote in a note that he expects the strike to continue at least through the election.This is a developing story and will be updated.

New York Times tech workers are going on strike at the worst possible time

Google is testing a potentially game-changing feature for its Android Search widget, aiming to make <keyword id="20848926" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="search-results" source="keywords">search results</keyword> more accessible than ever. According to a report by Android Authority, the tech giant is experimenting with showing results directly within the search bar itself. If implemented, this feature could cut down the time it takes for users to find answers, as they won’t need to leave the widget or open the browser to access certain details. <h2>What’s new?</h2> Currently, tapping the Google Search bar on Android opens a full search interface, leading users to results displayed in the Google app or Chrome browser. The new feature, however, is expected to streamline this process by displaying quick snippets of information—like answers to simple queries—right inside the widget. This feature appears to cater to quick searches, such as asking about the weather, basic facts, or quick calculations, offering a faster, more seamless user experience. The idea is to save users the step of navigating to a full results page, especially for straightforward questions. <h2>Potential benefits for users</h2> The convenience factor is undeniable. By showing <keyword id="24183217" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-time-results" source="keywords">real-time results</keyword> within the widget, Google aims to boost engagement and usability for Android users who rely on the Search widget for day-to-day queries. Imagine typing “today’s weather” or “how many centimetres in an inch” and getting the result without ever leaving your home screen. However, for more complex queries requiring extensive results, users would still need to click through to the full search results. While this feature is still in the testing phase, its potential rollout could significantly enhance how Android users interact with Google Search. For now, though, there’s no official word on when—or if—this feature will be available to all users. Android enthusiasts might want to keep an eye on upcoming updates to see if Google decides to make this time-saving enhancement a reality.

Google’s search widget for Android might get a whole lot smarter

Is it time to change the Supreme Court, and can it happen?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New York Times tech workers are ending their strike after a weeklong stoppage.</li><li>The strike aimed to disrupt election coverage but had limited impact on the Times' operations.</li></ul>New York Times tech workers are ending their strike and returning to work Tuesday after a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-tech-strike-disrupt-site-election-coverage-2024-11">weeklong work stoppage</a>, a Times spokesperson told Business Insider.The Tech Guild chose a crucial day to go on strike, the day before the November 5 US presidential election, a move that threatened to disrupt the paper's all-important election coverage.But the Times' site and its famous election needle that shows how a race is tilting operated just fine on election night, which could have deprived the guild of some of its leverage.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-tech-workers-cross-picket-line-election-strike-2024-11">Dozens of tech workers crossed the picket line</a>, showing splinters within the unit. The strike also exposed division between the guild and some Times journalists (who are represented by a different unit of the same News Guild of New York), who previously expressed to BI a lack of sympathy for the tech workers, given their relatively high salaries and potential for the strike to impact the outlet's core journalism mission.Formed in 2021, the Tech Guild represents upward of 600 engineers. It has been bargaining since 2022 and has been at odds with management over issues including remote-work protections, pay equity, limits on subcontracting, and just cause. Both sides are expected to resume bargaining at some point."We look forward to continuing to work with Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority," the Times spokesperson said.Union reps didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.This story is developing…

New York Times tech workers are ending their strike

Mumbai: The rupee slipped 1 paisa to an all-time low of 84.40 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, as persistent <keyword id="20520117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="foreign-fund-outflows" source="keywords">foreign fund outflows</keyword> and a muted trend in domestic equities weighed on the local unit. Forex traders said the USDINR pair has shown significant volatility in recent sessions, with the rupee inching closer to its all-time low of 84.40. This downward pressure is largely driven by global factors, particularly the Dollar Index's strengthening. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 84.40 against the greenback, registering a fall of 1 paisa over its previous close. On Tuesday, the rupee fell 1 paisa to a new lifetime low of 84.39 against the US dollar. "It appears that the rupee has established support around the current levels, with depreciation limited near 84.50," CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said. Pabari further added that the RBI stands tall as the depreciation in the rupee seems to be limited as the <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reserve Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reserve Bank of India">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (RBI) continues to sell the dollars to protect the sharp depreciation. "For the 5th consecutive week, India's forex reserves declined, possibly due to RBI selling the dollars. Currently, the forex reserves of India stand at USD 682 billion down from the recent all-time high of USD 704 billion," he said. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading lower by 0.04 per cent at 105.98. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.25 per cent to USD 72.07 per barrel in futures trade. On the domestic equity market front, Sensex was trading 210.66 points, or 0.27 per cent lower, to 78,464.52 points. The Nifty fell 100.45 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 23,783.00 points. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Tuesday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 3,024.31 crore, according to exchange data. On the macroeconomic front, retail inflation breached the Reserve Bank's upper tolerance level, soaring to a 14-month high of 6.21 per cent in October mainly on account of rising food prices. Inflation based on the consumer price index (CPI) was 5.49 per cent in September and 4.87 per cent in the year-ago month. India's industrial production expanded by 3.1 per cent in September after recording a contraction in the preceding month, as all three major segments -- mining, manufacturing, and power generation -- showed improvement. However, the growth in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) during the month was lower than 6.4 per cent registered in September 2023.

Rupee falls 1 paisa to all-time low of 84.40 against US dollar in early trade

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Yes, you've heard this before: What if <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple">Apple</a> built its own TV set?</li><li>It's an idea that never goes away completely but has never actually happened.</li></ul>Is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-mac-products-great-classic-boring-2023-11">Apple</a> going to build a TV?First: Probably not. Second: It would be a terrible idea if Apple did.But for the record, Apple is "evaluating" the idea of an Apple-branded set, reports Mark Gurman, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-11-17/how-will-president-donald-trump-s-new-tariffs-affect-apple-products-and-prices-m3lnfx64">Bloomberg's</a> very well-sourced Apple expert.Gurman himself doesn't seem to think there's a meaningful chance that this happens. He made a short, throwaway reference to the idea in his latest column, which focuses primarily on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook">Apple CEO Tim Cook's</a> relationship with Donald Trump. (TLDR: Cook became an expert Trump-manager during Trump 1.0 by letting the president-elect do what he wanted in public — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/20/20974999/trump-is-lying-about-the-new-apple-factory">like take credit for things he didn't do</a> — while prevailing on him privately to do things Cook wanted Trump to do — namely, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/apple-watch-tariffs.html">exempting Apple products from tariffs</a>.)What Gurman thinks Apple is going to do is roll out an "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-12/apple-home-hub-detailed-apple-intelligence-homeos-square-ipad-like-design?srnd=undefined">AI wall tablet</a>" that people would use in their homes to control smart devices and talk to people in other rooms, etc. — basically, a souped-up intercom/doorbell system using a series of iPad-like devices. But in theory, if that goes well, then maybe Apple will be more interested in chasing an Actual TV Set. (I've asked Apple PR for comment.)The thing is, we've been hearing about Apple and its ambitions to build an actual TV set for a long, long time. And they didn't really make sense at the time, and they definitely don't now. <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2024/11/18/an-apple-television-seems-even-less-likely-now-than-it-did-in-2011/">Ben Lovejoy spells it out here</a>, but the short version is that TV sets are cheap, low-margin commodities.That's why the companies who actually make and sell TVs today are trying to find other ways to make money — namely, by selling ads and apps via the devices, like <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=7f929ec3750e23288aee7ea13888b595ac0f3b547ace99bb832a312c76f501c1&amp;postID=673b8135c711dce4fc82cafa&amp;postSlug=apple-tv-set-report-services-2024-11&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.roku.com%2Fproducts%2Froku-tv%3Fsrsltid%3DAfmBOooQlvDlvOmZy9M6IM9jMbVe6GLTIko1EWepcW_fK1_S2pWDCCT7">Roku</a> does. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pluto-tv-telly-giveaway-500000-free-tvs-how-to-enter-2023-5">There's even a startup giving away TVs for free</a> in exchange for access to your eyeballs.As Steve Jobs himself reportedly said, per biographer Yukari Iwatani Kane: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-no-television-2014-3">TV sets are "a terrible business. They don't turn over, and the margins suck."</a>But, then again, there are many reports that Apple, under Jobs, was indeed interested in building a set. One of them comes from my old colleague <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/2016/8/31/12732174/apple-tv-steve-jobs-walt-mossberg">Walt Mossberg, who said that in August 2011, after announcing he was stepping down from Apple's CEO, Jobs called him and told him he was going to work on "big strategic things."</a> And a big one was going to be a TV set.Jobs died weeks later. And since then, Apple's TV efforts have been almost entirely focused on programming, not hardware. At one point, the company was trying to build its own version of a pay TV service — similar to what <a target="_blank" href="https://tv.youtube.com/">YouTube TV</a> and others sell today — but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/2015/12/9/11621326/why-apple-walked-away-from-tv-for-now">by 2015, it had walked away from that</a>.Apple still sells a dedicated <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=f9750481797a0909547d43fc45704ee02782b2693be93a92232361102c92209a&amp;postID=673b8135c711dce4fc82cafa&amp;postSlug=apple-tv-set-report-services-2024-11&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fapple-tv-4k%2F">Apple TV box</a> today, which you can plug into any TV and transform it into an "Apple TV" (you can do the same thing with hardware from many rivals, including Roku, Google, and Amazon). But its real TV push for the past several years is its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tv-plus-shows">Apple TV+</a> subscription service, which works on any screen, regardless of who makes it.You can debate whether Apple TV+ is actually successful — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tv-plus-streaming-cutbacks-eddy-cue-2024-7">its movie strategy seems … challenged</a> — but it at least makes sense strategically: Apple TV+ is supposed to generate recurring monthly revenue, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-earnings-service-growth-iphone-drop-antitrust-google-app-store-2024-5">Apple is all about recurring monthly revenue as part of its "services" push</a>.A TV set — even the most awesome TV set — would be a one-and-done proposition for Apple. I'm always happy to be wrong, but I just don't see this one happening.

The Apple TV Set is an idea whose time will never come

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Workers can struggle with packed schedules. Full calendars can hurt productivity and well-being.</li><li>Busy calendars can be seen as a status symbol yet can lead to burnout, an executive coach told BI.</li></ul>It's not uncommon for Brandon Dock to hear from execs that they're <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-on-one-weekly-meeting-with-boss-mistakes-2024-1">too busy to meet</a>.Dock is the managing director at the recruitment firm TGC Search. Sometimes, he told Business Insider, hiring managers will play that "busy" card when he wants to discuss what they'd want to see in an ideal job candidate.It's understandable, Dock said, that managers with roles to fill would be short on time — because they're short on staff, something he could help with."So you could either be busy every day for the next five weeks, as you claim, or you could take a half hour," Dock said. "Let's prioritize this."Dock and his clients are hardly alone in squaring off against calendars with more back-to-back colors than TV test patterns. Yet being that booked can be a problem for people's productivity and well-being, workplace experts told BI.The good news is that there are ways to reduce the crunch and for leaders to push back on a culture that implies congested calendars are virtuous.<h2 id="91552944-8197-49a7-98d8-d2b8ccd7036e">Busyness as a sign of worth</h2>Joep Leussink, head of growth at AddEvent, which develops software for managing events and calendars, told BI that at some organizations, a full schedule is interpreted to mean that a worker is valuable — even if the time isn't spent in the best way."If you have a very busy calendar, some workers use this as a status symbol," Leussink said. "It has become kind of like a humblebrag."There are other indicators (like being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-skip-lunch-break-meetings-too-much-work-2023-11">too busy to take lunch</a>) that some people might use to signal the significance of their to-do list.Kate Walker, a human resources consultant and executive coach in San Francisco, told BI that some workers might feel pressure to keep their calendars booked up so their bosses won't wonder what they're doing all day."Full calendars can kind of look sexy," Walker said. Yet, she said, that approach risks making workers' presence in meetings more valued than the work they accomplish.Walker said that she's worked with execs who have suffered mental, emotional, and physical strain from being overbooked."I have a couple of clients that are really going through some pretty heavy burnout right now, based on their calendars," Walker said.She said an unforgiving meeting schedule can also leave little time for brainstorming, creativity, reflection, and innovation.<h2 id="07316860-3906-47bd-903e-845f724f46f5">Meetings can stand in the way of goals</h2>Ethan Kross, a psychologist and neuroscientist who's director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan, told BI that if workers' focus is consumed by "responding to emails and balancing calendars," that's attention that might otherwise be put toward achieving more important goals.Taking control of our schedule — and not giving ourselves over to our inboxes while we're at it — can help make us more efficient and "allow us to more joyfully pursue our jobs," said Kross, who's also the author of the forthcoming book "Shift" about managing emotions."Most people didn't sign up for jobs to, you know, work on calendar and email for three to four hours a day," Kross said.Kross said some organizations manage to prioritize "deep work" in service of getting the important things done by identifying ways to help workers restore themselves so they return to work fresh.Kross said that as a leader himself, he'd rather someone on his team work "eight amazing hours" than 12 with their attention fragmented.Workers should be thinking regularly about how to be most efficient with their limited attention and time, he said.Part of doing so, he said, is considering how they might construct systems to allow for this. For some, that might mean automating calendars as much as possible.<h2 id="0fe2e41e-cd44-4b36-a81c-8222d608c3a5">Do I need to be here?</h2>Some meeting fatigue might be a legacy of the pandemic. During lockdowns, many bosses, both well-meaning and suspicious, shoehorned more meetings onto calendars to "check in."While some surveys indicate the amount of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/workers-spending-less-time-in-meetings-productivity-2024-4">time in meetings</a> has started to retreat, there are still more than many workers might like, Walker, the executive coach, said.She recommends that workers consider asking whether their attendance in a meeting is necessary, even if the meeting organizer hadn't listed their attendance as optional. However, doing that might be more difficult for junior employees, Walker said, who could worry that it would look bad.Beyond asking whether attendance is necessary, it's often OK to ask for notes from a meeting, she said. That signals people still have an interest in what's discussed.For those running meetings, having a well-defined agenda can keep something that should have been 30 minutes from expanding, Walker said. It's also worth asking the age-old question of whether a meeting could instead be an email, she said.Of course, one way of fighting fire with fire is for workers to block time on their calendars for focusing and taking breaks. Walker often recommends this to her clients.She also suggests that workers and, if necessary, their bosses periodically <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cutting-work-meetings-can-make-you-happier-and-more-productive-2024-7">review their meetings</a> to determine what might not be necessary. Other approaches include <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/founder-two-days-week-without-meetings-boosts-productivity-2024-9">limiting meetings to certain days</a>.Kross, the psychologist and neuroscientist, said that some of the most successful people he knows are "extremely judicious" in apportioning time on their calendars. Some block time for everything from focused work to exercise, he said."They're putting guardrails on there," Kross said.

It's time to stop humblebragging about how busy we are

The top 10 most influential gadgets of all time

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Michael Johnston was making six figures in a remote job he enjoyed when his second child was born.</li><li>He fell in love with <keyword id="23944982" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="full-time-parenting" source="keywords">full-time parenting</keyword> and his wife, a successful editor, was keen to keep working.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Johnston, 41, a <keyword id="23944981" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="stay-at-home-dad" source="keywords">stay-at-home dad</keyword> who lives in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Johnston's financial claims have been verified with documents. It has been edited for length and clarity. I graduated from Boston University in 2006 with a degree in mechanical engineering. I then got a job in the semiconductor industry. The role allowed me unlimited creative freedom and had crazy big budgets. Life was good. A few years into this amazing job, things shifted. The 2008 recession hit, and though I survived layoffs, everything changed. Money dried up for creative projects, and suddenly, I was doing paperwork all day. After my wife Maddie finished school, we wanted a fresh start. We moved coasts onto a ranch in California. I found a new role at KLA Corporation, in manufacturing, with much less paperwork. When my wife told me she was pregnant, I had a steady job with a manageable workload, but I traveled frequently to China, Taiwan, and South Korea. I was grateful for the income when our son Lincoln was born. <div type="image" title="Dad with baby in a carrier." height="4032" width="2268" msid="114981391" hostid="261"></div><h2>The impossible task of pandemic parenting</h2>Like many parents, March 2020 was a very difficult period for my family of three. Lincoln was around three years old, and suddenly my world narrowed to just four walls during lockdown. Instead of traveling and working in the office, my role was being permanently on the phone. I had meetings the entire day and would try to get my actual work done in the evening. Calls from around the world pushed late into the night. At some points, I worked almost 24 hours a day. Maddie, Lincoln, and I tried to maintain daily family life while we kept up with our careers. Now we were both fully remote, so we bought a beach house in Maine in 2020 and left California in 2021. But that wasn't the only reason we were moving back closer to home: our second baby was on the way. <div type="image" title="Michael Johnston and his kids." height="3357" width="1888" msid="114981168" hostid="261"></div><h2>Crunching numbers on <keyword id="21017792" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="paternity-leave" source="keywords">paternity leave</keyword></h2>I fully intended to go back to work after paternity leave. I was making six figures doing work that I loved — prior to the pandemic shift — and my team was great. But over 12 weeks of leave, I fell in love with being a full-time dad. If I was up at 3 a.m. I was comforting a sleepless kid, not fielding international calls. It was some of the best times we'd had as a family. My wife has a successful career in editorial work, and we began examining whether we could afford to be a one-salary family. We'd spent our early career days digging out of student and credit card debt from moving around. Right before kids, we'd finally paid off our debt, which was tough even with two incomes. Moving back to Maine was a major savings opportunity. We streamlined our spending on our mortgage, rental property, two cars, and everything else it takes to run a family in California. We no longer had to pay for flights back, preschool or daycare. We dug into what life would look like on one income, and my financial projections showed it was doable in Maine. We walk the kids to school and don't have a pricey commute. We no longer pay for any day care — a drastic change from the insanely California options at around $2,000 for one child. Maine also has free breakfast and lunch at school. <h2>Deciding to stay home</h2>It came down to how we viewed our work. After maternity leave, my wife was excited to see her coworkers and jump back into her job. I saw work as a means to an end. My future wasn't ever really tied up in my workplace. I'd missed so much of my first child's youngest years that I was determined not to repeat that with my second. On the work front, I'd used my degree for 17 years and accomplished what I wanted to. A week or two before the end of my leave, I set my team up for success and gave my boss my two weeks' notice. <div type="image" title="Michael Johnston and his family." height="1690" width="2253" msid="114981165" hostid="261"></div><h2>Settling into full-time dad life</h2>The first few months were awesome. We knew we'd made the right choice. I walked the kids to school every day and got to experience small moments I'd previously been too busy to enjoy. I did have misconceptions about stay-at-home parenting life. I thought I'd renovate our 1954 Airstream during naps. Instead, I get up at 5:30 a.m., make lunches, have a cup of coffee for 15 minutes in peace, and then get everyone ready for school. Once my oldest is at school, my new mission is potty training. I'm lucky to grab a shower during naptime. I clean and reset the house for the evening, getting dishes under control and dinner started. My wife and I always split the cores, her taking the mental labor of organizing school and social life comms and I did more physical chores. This is now just more official – I manage school runs and all the household tasks. When others find out I'm a stay-at-home dad, they always ask: "When are you going back to work?" Maybe I will, maybe I won't. If I do, I'll have different boundaries. I spent too long wrapped up in my job. We are trained to graduate, get a good job, work that job forever, then retire at 65. I plowed along for long enough. Now I know a corporate job isn't a mandatory trajectory. It was a choice. I'm happy doing something different. Correction: November 8, 2024 — A previous version of this story misstated that the Johnston family didn’t have a car. They do have a car in Maine.

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