A great smart light can be a good way to get started in the world of smart homes and accessories. The same can be said for a smart speaker, so when you get the chance to get one of each in a discounted bundle, you’d be wise to sit up and take notice. Today, Amazon will give you a free TP-Link smart bulb when you buy an Echo Smart speaker with prices starting from just $23.
There are a number of different Echo devices on offer here including the rather excellent Echo Show 5. It comes with a 5-inch display and a color bulb included for just $90 right now. Looking to spend as little as possible? The Echo Pop in a variety of colors, again with the same color smart bulb included, is yours for just $23. Who said that smart homes were expensive? There are plenty of options and colorways available but these are limited-time deals, so we know that they won’t last for long. That’s something to consider if any of these smart speaker deals take your fancy.
Try not to be too downhearted if you do miss out, though. Our collection of the very best smart home deals is sure to have something for everyone and every budget.
The Milwaukee Bucks could have an uphill battle ahead of them in the first round of the playoffs.
Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly doubtful for Game 1 of the series against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday as he nurses a calf injury, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday.
Antetokounmpo suffered the calf strain in a game against the Boston Celtics on April 9, after he struggled to run upcourt late in the third quarter.
The next day, the team announced that Antetokounmpo would miss the remaining three games of the regular season as he attempts to recover from the injury in time for the playoffs.
“No timeline or anything like that, but we’ve got the best team working with him,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said on Wednesday. “There’s no one who’s going to work harder than him. You know that. He’ll be back when he should be back. We’ll find out when that is.”
Last year, Antetokounmpo bruised his lower back after getting fouled and landing hard in Game 1 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo sat out the rest of that game and also missed Milwaukee’s next two games before returning in Game 4 of a series the Bucks lost 4-1.
The two-time MVP has been great this season, averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists, helping steer the Bucks to the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee will kick off its post-season run against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
With the Galaxy S24 models out, Samsung regains its spot as the top smartphone vendor. According to IDC Tracker, the South Korean company has the highest smartphone shipments worldwide in the first quarter of 2024. With that, Apple slides to second place.
IDC’s preliminary data shows two trends: Apple is shipping fewer iPhones in the first quarter of 2024, while Samsung’s strategy of releasing Galaxy S24 a little earlier paid off. In addition, the company is already betting on several new Galaxy A models with some AI features.
That said, besides the competition between Samsung and Apple, which have the top smartphone sales, the smartphone market continues to improve. Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, says: “As expected, smartphone recovery continues to move forward with market optimism slowly building among the top brands. While Apple managed to capture the top spot at the end of 2023, Samsung successfully reasserted itself as the leading smartphone provider in the first quarter.”
He continues: “While IDC expects these two companies to maintain their hold on the high end of the market, the resurgence of Huawei in China, as well as notable gains from Xiaomi, Transsion, OPPO/OnePlus, and vivo, will likely have both OEMs looking for areas to expand and diversify. As the recovery progresses, we’re likely to see the top companies gain share as the smaller brands struggle for positioning.”
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In the first quarter of 2024, Samsung shipped 60.1 million smartphones, while Apple shipped 50.1 million. While both companies had a YoY negative change, Xiaomi and Transsion saw their business expressively grow, with 40.8M and 28.5M units shipped, respectively.
“The smartphone market is emerging from the turbulence of the last two years both stronger and changed,” said Nabila Popal, IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team research director. “Firstly, we continue to see growth in value and average selling prices (ASPs) as consumers opt for more expensive devices knowing they will hold onto their devices longer. Secondly, there is a shift in power among the Top 5 companies, which will likely continue as market players adjust their strategies in a post-recovery world. Xiaomi is coming back strong from the large declines experienced over the past two years and Transsion is becoming a stable presence in the Top 5 with aggressive growth in international markets.
While IDC doesn’t talk about top smartphone sales, we can have a good idea that these phones are selling well thanks to their shipments. Unfortunately, manufacturers don’t disclose their numbers.
What we know is that Apple has shipped fewer iPhones than it did last year at this time, which means iPhone 15 sales are probably lower, while Samsung is taking advantage of the Galaxy S24 launch to sell more smartphones.
BGR will keep following the top smartphone sales and what it means for the companies as we learn more about that.
The Red Sox celebrate Patriots’ Day by hosting the Cleveland Guardians for the start of a four-game series. You can watch the game at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+ or follow along with our live MLB tracker.
In a TikTok video that has been watched more than 6 million times, Kati Morton, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Santa Monica, Calif., lists signs that she says can be indicative of “eldest daughter syndrome.”
Among them: an intense feeling of familial responsibility, people-pleasing tendencies and resentment toward your siblings and parents.
On X, a viral post asks: “are u happy or are u the oldest sibling and also a girl”?
Firstborn daughters are having a moment in the spotlight, at least online, with memes and think pieces offering a sense of gratification to responsible, put-upon big sisters everywhere. But even mental health professionals like Ms. Morton — herself the youngest in her family — caution against putting too much stock in the psychology of sibling birth order, and the idea that it shapes personality or long term outcomes.
“People will say, ‘It means everything!’ Other people will say, ‘There’s no proof,’” she said, noting that eldest daughter syndrome (which isn’t an actual mental health diagnosis) may have as much to do with gender norms as it does with birth order. “Everybody’s seeking to understand themselves, and to feel understood. And this is just another page in that book.”
What the research says about birth order
The stereotypes are familiar to many of us: Firstborn children are reliable and high-achieving; middle children are sociable and rebellious (and overlooked); and youngest children are charming and manipulative.
Studies have indeed found ties between a person’s role in the family lineup and various outcomes, including educational attainment and I.Q. (though those scores are not necessarily reliable measures of intelligence), financial risk tolerance and even participation in dangerous sports. But many studies have focused on a single point in time, cautioned Rodica Damian, a social-personality psychologist at the University of Houston. That means older siblings may have appeared more responsible or even more intelligent simply because they were more mature than their siblings, she said, adding that the sample sizes in most birth order studies have also been relatively small.
In larger analyses, the link between birth order and personality traits appears much weaker. A 2015 study looking at more than 20,000 people in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States found no link between birth order and personality characteristics — though the researchers did find evidence that older children have a slight advantage in I.Q. (So, eldest daughters, take your bragging rights where you can get them.)
Dr. Damian worked on a different large-scale study, also published in 2015, that included more than 370,000 high schoolers in the United States. It found slight differences in personality and intelligence, but the differences were so small, she said, that they were essentially meaningless. Dr. Damian did allow that cultural practices such as property or business inheritance (which may go to the first born) might affect how birth order influences family dynamics and sibling roles.
Still, there is no convincing some siblings who insist their birth order has predestined their role in the family.
After her study published, Dr. Damian appeared on a call-in radio show. The lines flooded with listeners who were delighted to tell her how skewed her findings were.
“Somebody would say: ‘You’re wrong! I’m a firstborn and I’m more conscientious than my siblings!’ And then someone else would call in and say, ‘You’re wrong, I’m a later-born and I’m more conscientious than my siblings!” she said.
What personal experience says
Sara Stanizai, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Long Beach, Calif., runs a virtual group with weekly meet-ups, where participants reflect on how they believe their birth order has affected them and how it may be continuing to shape their romantic lives, friendships and careers.
The program was inspired by Ms. Stanizai’s experience as an eldest daughter in an Afghan-American family, where she felt “parentified” and “overly responsible” for her siblings — in part because she was older, and in part because she was a girl.
While Ms. Stanizai acknowledged that the research around birth order is mixed, she finds it useful for many of her clients to reflect on their birth order and how they believe it shaped their family life — particularly if they felt hemmed in or saddled by certain expectations.
Her therapy groups spend time reflecting on questions like: How does my family see me? How do I see myself? Can we talk about any discrepancies in our viewpoints, and how they shape family dynamics? For instance, an older sibling might point out that he or she is often the one to plan family vacations. A younger sibling might point out that he or she often feels pressured into going along with whatever the rest of the group wants.
Whether or not there is evidence that birth order determines personality traits is almost beside the point, experts acknowledged.
“I think people are just looking for meaning and self-understanding,” Ms. Stanizai said. “Horoscopes, birth order, attachment styles” are just a few examples, she said. “People are just looking for a set of code words and ways of describing their experiences.”
We still have a long wait ahead of us before Google’s Pixel 9 launch, but leaks keep spoiling its new features. The newest report details two big upgrades for the Pixel 9 series. First, the Pixel 9 phones will get a new modem, which will hopefully fix some of the connectivity issues that plagued previous Pixel devices. Second, satellite communications are coming to the Pixel 9, including support for emergencies.
If the latter sounds familiar, that’s because Apple brought satellite support for emergencies to iOS via the iPhone 14 series in 2022. The feature has already saved lives, with iPhone users using satellite connectivity to connect to first responders in areas that lacked cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
I’ve never used Emergency SOS via satellite, and I hope that will never be the case. But after seeing all those reports explaining how the feature saved lives, I’ll say that it definitely helps with peace of mind. I’ve been in situations without connectivity, and the satellite icon promptly showed up on the iPhone’s screen, telling me I would be able to use this connectivity option for emergencies.
According to Android Authority’s Kamila Wojciechowska, the Pixel 9 phones will offer a similar type of functionality this fall.
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It’s all thanks to the new Samsung Modem 5400, which will be found on the Tensor G4 chip powering the Pixel 9 models. The modem will support 3GPP Rel. 17 and 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) or satellite communications.
Google will apparently go one step further than Apple, supporting satellite communication via text. Google will work with T-Mobile, which partners with SpaceX to support satellite communication. It’s unclear how much satellite texting will cost.
iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature. Image source: Apple
Last August, we saw reports saying Google Messages would eventually support satellite texting. However, these seemed to indicate that the feature concerned SOS services rather than actual chat apps.
Fast-forward to mid-April, and the new report says support for satellite connectivity will also let Google offer an Emergency SOS feature that will work just like the iPhones.
The blog says the Pixel 9 will feature a helpful animation so users can ensure the iPhone is within reach of a satellite. When using the Emergency SOS feature, you’ll be asked predefined questions to make the process quicker. This would allow you to provide simple answers to first responders about your situation. Here are some examples:
What happened?
[Are you/Are they/Is everyone] breathing?
In total, how many people are [missing/trapped]?
What best describes your situation?
What is on fire?
Are there weapons involved?
What type of vehicle or vessel?
Do any of these apply?
Unlike texting over satellite, the Emergency SOS feature might be available for free to users, just like on iPhone. Apple initially announced two years of free support, then extended the offer by one year (for some users). I’m just speculating, however.
Finally, there’s the hopefully immediate benefit of the Samsung Modem 5400 coming to the Pixel 9. Google might fix connectivity issues for good by upgrading the modem in the Tensor chip. Or that’s the idea, at least.
The report also says that the Pixel Fold 2 and a 5G Pixel tablet might also get the same modem. Therefore, these devices should support the same satellite connectivity features.
A disappointing and transformative Toronto Raptors season officially came to an end on Sunday.
The season will be remembered for its slow march to the finish and two trades that will have ripple effects for years to come. But it also featured some success stories, including the first all-star selection for Scottie Barnes and the gradual development of rookie Gradey Dick.
Now that the final buzzer has sounded, Raptors players will hold a final availability with the media before breaking away for the summer.
You can watch the press conferences live on sportsnet.ca beginning at 10:15 a.m. ET/ 7:15 a.m. PT.
More information has arisen from the Arizona Coyotes relocation to Salt Lake City, and Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman lay it all out for you in this edition of the podcast. Elliotte provides behind the scenes details on what happened leading up to last week and explains how NHL hockey might return to the desert. The guys also talk about Auston Matthews being one goal away from 70, the Eastern Conference playoff race, and Elliotte takes a hard stance on Vegas’s use of LTIR.
Recipes aren’t as interesting or unique as some other meal-kit companies
Not as many healthy recipes as others
$10 charge for shipping
HelloFresh is the most popularmeal kit service in America, with more weekly subscribers than Blue Apron, Home Chef and Sunbasket combined. But does that mean it’s also the best meal kit service? HelloFresh offers a massive menu of weekly recipes, often as many as 60 to choose from, and competitive prices with plans that start at around $8 per serving — EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the only cheaper meal kit services — but all those stats don’t mean much if the food isn’t tasty.
HelloFresh offers as many as 60 recipes per week. I tried six to see how this family-friendly meal service holds up in 2023.
HelloFresh
If you’re overwhelmed with all the choices of meal kits these days, that’s natural. We’ve been on a mission to test — and restest — all of them to suss out the very best cheap meal kits, best meal delivery for families, best plant-based meal kits, meals for health nuts and more. Meal kit cooking means shortcuts with ingredients sent alongside recipes ready to be spun into dinner, often in less than 30 minutes. Next on the block is HelloFresh, so I ordered up and cooked my way through two weeks of recipes from America’s favorite meal kit subscription.
HelloFresh was one of the original meal kit companies, launching in Germany a year before Blue Apron. Let’s see how the 12-year-old service holds up in 2023.
David Watsky/CNET
Here’s everything you need to know about HelloFresh and my honest review of the service from top to bottom. If you do decide to give HelloFresh a shot, this service has one of thebest meal kit deals, amounting to 16 free meals across your first four deliveries.
How HelloFresh works
Before we dive in, here’s how the service works. As HelloFresh is a meal-kit delivery service, you’ll be doing a good amount of the work here, but all the fresh ingredients you need to execute dinner will arrive in one box, preportioned and ready to cook. You won’t have to do any shopping or measuring when you tackle a HelloFresh meal kit, but know you will have to do some light prep, chopping, mixing and cooking.
Here’s what your meal kit will look like after you unbag it. All the ingredients for my Halal street cart-inspired turkey bowls.
David Watsky/CNET
HelloFresh has a range of meal plans that vary depending on the type of food you’re looking to cook, the number of people you’re cooking for and how often you want meal kits delivered. Once you make those decisions you’ll choose one of six HelloFresh meal plans:
A look at HelloFresh’s meal categories.
HelloFresh/Screenshot by David Watsky/CNET
Meat & Veggies: The most basic plan featuring a variety of recipes and meals.
Family Friendly: Easy-to-prepare and kid-approved recipes.
Quick and Easy: Meals that take 30 minutes or less.
Veggie: Plant-based meals that are vegetarian but not always vegan.
Fit & Wholesome: Meal kits that are around 650 calories or less per serving.
Pescatarian: Meal kits and recipes featuring seafood and no meat.
There is some crossover in meal kits each week from the various meal plans, but choosing one of these umbrella categories helps HelloFresh filter out the best recipes for you and your dinner goals. The more narrow the meal plan — such as pescatarian or veggie — the fewer options you’ll have each week. The plans are also priced the same no matter which meals you select, save for a few gourmet options that incur an upcharge.
HelloFresh has some of the most recipes of any meal kit service. Up to 60 per week making it one of the best services for homes with picky eaters.
HelloFresh/Screenshot by David Watsky/CNET
After you select your meal plan, choose the number of servings (two or four) that you’d like for each meal, and how many weekly meal kits you want to receive (two, three, four, five or six). These options are also easily modified, so don’t feel too much pressure and know you can adjust as you go.
As with many similar services, you can pick your own meals or let the meal-kit gods surprise you when you open your box. HelloFresh meals arrive once a week on a day of your choosing (besides Sunday). When mine showed up, the food was packaged neatly in cooler boxes, with meats and fish separated from other ingredients so as not to cross-contaminate. The meat was thawed but still cold and there was no sign of spoilage among any of the ingredients.
Changing or canceling a HelloFresh order
You can add, change or cancel meals easily through the app or through the website, although using the latter feels more limited. Changes or cancellations to any order must be made before midnight PT at least five days before your scheduled delivery day. That date is made apparent when you open your dashboard.
HelloFresh plans and pricing
HelloFresh pricing at a glance.
Screenshot by David Watsky/CNET
With HelloFresh, you pay by the serving, which is customizable from week to week, but it generally breaks down to about $9 per serving for two people or $9 if you’re ordering for four, plus $10 for shipping per box. For a family of four to receive three nights’ worth of meals would be $124.87 per week.
With most plans clocking in at $9 per serving, HelloFresh lands in the middle of the pack along with Home Chef and Blue Apron, but skews toward the budget-friendly end of things. Only EveryPlate and Dinnerly are significantly less expensive, but you can certainly find pricier ones such as Green Chef and Sunbasket with gourmet offerings and organic ingredients for a higher cost per week.
HelloFresh pricing
undefined
Recipes per week
Cost per serving (2-person plan)
Cost per serving (4-person plan)
2
$12.49
$9.79
3
$9.99
$9.49
4
$9.79
$9.29
5
$9.70
$9.29
6
$9.79
$9
What are HelloFresh meals like?
Of all the meal kits companies competing for your attention, HelloFresh bills itself as one of the easiest and most approachable. While there are some “gourmet” options in each week’s menu, most of HelloFresh recipes are simple to execute, with most taking 30 minutes or less from start to finish.
Some HelloFresh meals you’ll find are fun twists on a classic, such as meatballs with a spicy, creamy “firecracker” sauce or turkey street cart-style bowls. But most are familiar dishes like spaghetti bolognese, creamy mushroom cavatappi, chicken tacos and meatloaf. HelloFresh has the most meal choices of any service — as many as 60 to choose from each week — and that includes plant-based options like vegan bulgogi bowls as well as premium seafood selections such as chimichurri barramundi and roasted trout.
All the fixings for a pork chop dinner.
David Watsky/CNET
There isn’t as much modification to recipes in the way that others like Home Chef permit. That said, some meals without protein allow you to add chicken, beef or shrimp. You can also upgrade most meats such as ground beef and chicken to an organic version for an added cost.
You can add meat to certain meals or upgrade to organic beef or chicken for an added cost.
David Watsky/CNET
How easy are these meal kits to prepare?
HelloFresh meal kits are mostly simple to make and that’s by design. With lots of tossed pasta dishes, tacos and pan-seared meats with easy-to-prepare sides, the most technical skill you’ll need on a regular basis is some basic chopping, working a frying pan over the stovetop or boiling water. The most involved meal I made was meatloaf, which required a bit of chopping and mixing prep, but was effortless overall.
While the printed directions that accompanied each recipe were neat, organized and clear, there were times when the directions could have gone an extra step to explain certain things in better detail. Specifying which sort of frying pan to use would be helpful, for instance, or how to tell if the pan is actually hot enough to drop the fish or pork loin in. Novice cooks would likely benefit from a bit more explanation, and I’d suggest reading through the instructions once before turning on the stove.
HelloFresh recipe cards are well-organized and easy to follow.
HelloFresh
The HelloFresh app is useful, clear and intuitive. You can use it to place or change your weekly orders, look up nutritional information and locate any recipe. This is especially helpful if you tend to misplace important documents as I do.
How I liked my HelloFresh meal kits
Spicy bean and beef soup: This simple version of a classic chili couldn’t have been easier to put together and had a nice smoky flavor. I added organic ground beef and the stew provided me with a filling lunch for three or four days.
The spicy beef soup (aka chili) was super fast, simple and satisfying.
David Watsky/CNET
Mushroom, parmesan and tomato risotto: This is one of the more time-consuming meal kits I made (about 45 minutes) but it came out great. If I were to do it again, I might add a protein into the mix since the recipe, as it stands, has almost none.
Street cart-style turkey bowls: If you live in New York, you know about halal cart meals with white sauce so addictive it should be illegal. This version of the street food staple was easy to make and just as satisfying as the real thing.
If you’ve ever eaten from one of New York’s famous halal street carts, this tasty meal will look and taste familiar.
David Watsky/CNET
Meatloaf a la Mom: I liked this meal kit, but in all honesty, I prefer my own meatloaf recipe. It was a solid result that could have used a dash of Worcestershire sauce or some dried spice to amp up the flavor. The roasted potatoes and carrots were also fairly basic but proved themselves a worthy companion to the meatloaf.
Barramundi with poblano corn and potatoes: A delicious meal that I really loved. The barramundi fish was fresh and the meal was healthy, full of flavor and easy to prepare. I think I caught myself shamelessly spooning the homemade salsa fresca straight into my mouth at one point.
The spiced pork chop was very tender and juicy, y’all.
David Watsky/CNET
Pork chops with honey butter, sweet potatoes and lemony green beans: As someone who doesn’t cook a ton of pork, I was excited to try this one, and it came out great. It was super simple to execute and the honey butter drizzled over the pork was addictive. As I’ve mentioned earlier, some small tips would have been useful. Though not specified, the step-by-step image shows a nonstick pan, but for something like pork chops, I think stainless steel or cast iron works better to get a good sear.
Who HelloFresh meal kits are good for
HelloFresh is one of the best meal-kit options for families with one of the largest selections of recipes, which could impress even the hardest-to-please eaters. HelloFresh is a solid option for someone looking to cut time and hassle from their weekly meal planning routine since most of HelloFresh’s meals take around 30 minutes or less.
While there are some meal-kit companies that are focused on plant-based and vegetarian meal kits, HelloFresh has around five vegetarian options per week, so it’s a pretty good meal-kit service if you’re looking to learn to cook plant-based meals or add some more vegetarian and vegan recipes into your routine.
Because there are limits on modifications, I would say HelloFresh is not ideal for anyone with strict dietary or allergy requirements. There are also meal-kit companies with more gourmet and technical recipes, so if your goal is to really stretch yourself as a chef, this may not be the service to do it.
Another winning recipe that took under 30 minutes to prepare.
David Watsky/CNET
What’s The Hello Fresh Menu This Week? – April 15, 2024
Meat and Veggies Menu Recipes:
Mozzarella & Herb Chicken
Southwest Beef Cavatappi
Taqueria Pork Bowls
One-Pan Banh-Mi-Style Beef Tacos
Chicken Sausage Rigatoni
Old-School BBQ Pork Sloppy Joes
Honey-Butter BBQ Pork Chops
Pasta Primavera
Zucchini & Tomato Flatbreads
Sweet Potato Fajitas
Vegetarian Menu Recipes:
Pasta Primavera
Zucchini & Tomato Flatbreads
Sweet Potato Fajitas
Greek Goddess Bulgur Bowls
One-Pot Italian Vegetable Soup
Vegan Spicy Lemon Tofu
Family Friendly Menu Recipes:
Mozzarella & Herb Chicken
Southwest Beef Cavatappi
Taqueria Pork Bowls
Alpine Mushroom & Swiss Panini
Figgy Balsamic Pork
Homestyle Turkey & Biscuit Pot Pie
Taqueria Beef Bowls
Figgy Balsamic Chicken
Calorie Smart Menu Prices:
Mozzarella & Herb Chicken
Honey-Butter BBQ Pork Chops
One-Pot Italian Vegetable Soup
Figgy Balsamic Pork
Ricotta & Tomato Ravioli in Garlic Cream
Bacon, Apple & Cheddar Spinach Salad
Honey-Butter BBQ Pork Chops
Figgy Balsamic Chicken
Bacon, Apple & Cheddar Spinach Salad
Quick & Easy Menu Prices:
Taqueria Pork Bowls
Chicken Sausage Rigatoni
Ricotta & Tomato Ravioli in Garlic Cream
Bacon, Apple & Cheddar Spinach Salad
Old-School Deli Burgers
Speedy Refried bean & Egg Burritos
Taqueria Beef Bowls
Bacon, Apple & Cheddar Spinach Salad
Hello Fresh packaging and environmental friendliness
HelloFresh does a solid job with the packaging compared with some other companies I tested. The meals arrive packed in paper bags and all the ingredients were also thoughtfully packaged without excessive waste. Though there’s always some single-serve plastic involved with meal kits, I found it to be one of the more environmentally friendly companies, complete with recyclable ice packs and cooler bags. Here’s a little more about recycling your HelloFresh packaging.
HelloFresh
Final verdict: Is HelloFresh Worth the Money?
As someone who has a hard time making decisions but loves having options, HelloFresh was a double-edged sword. Even if the recipes were sometimes low on imagination, there were so many to choose from and everything I cooked was solid — no duds in the bunch.
Of all the meal kits I’ve tested, HelloFresh meals probably have the widest selection of “crowd-pleasing” recipes, making them an excellent choice for families or picky eaters. You won’t find a lot of big heat, spice or unusual ingredients with HelloFresh meals, and with as many as 60 meals per week to choose from, it’s hard to imagine not finding three or four that appeal to you.
If you’re looking to lighten your load and cook for a crew that shies away from lots of spice or bold flavors, this just might be the best meal kit option out there. Recipes won’t require a ton of time or technical skill, either. For as little as $8 per serving, you can take the guesswork out of a few meals per week without going broke.
Tesla plans to lay off more than 10 percent of its work force in an effort to cut costs, Elon Musk, the automaker’s chief executive, told employees on Monday. The job cuts, amounting to about 14,000 people, come as the company faces increasing competition and declining sales.
“As we prepare the company for the next phase of growth, it is extremely important to look at every aspect of the company for cost reductions and increasing productivity,” Mr. Musk told employees in an email, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times.
“There is nothing I hate more, but it must be done,” he wrote.
The email was earlier reported by Electrek, an online news site, and Handelsblatt, a German business newspaper.
The move is the latest sign that Tesla may not be as unstoppable as it once seemed. The company’s sales are no longer growing at a rapid pace, and it has been slow to introduce new models. Automakers in Asia and Europe have been flooding the market with electric cars.
Mr. Musk’s many other ventures, and his penchant for making polarizing political statements, have raised questions about how focused he remains on managing Tesla. Wall Street is increasingly concerned about the company: Tesla’s share price has lost about one-third of its value this year.
This month, Tesla reported a decline in sales that caught investors off guard. The company said it delivered 387,000 cars worldwide in the first quarter, down 8.5 percent from the year before. It was the first time Tesla’s quarterly sales have fallen on a year over year basis since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
The company slashed prices significantly over the course of 2023 to increase demand, which has reduced the profit Tesla makes on each car. But that strategy appears to be losing its effectiveness.
Rivals like BYD of China, BMW of Germany, and Kia and Hyundai of South Korea reported increases in electric vehicle sales for the same period, suggesting that slower overall demand for battery-powered models was not the only explanation for Tesla’s problems.
Many of Tesla’s workers are based at four large car factories in Fremont, Calif., Austin, Texas, Shanghai or near Berlin.
