From marathons to HIIT classes, the best way to get ahead is getting a sweat in

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Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has a big bet about the future of autonomy that you won't want to miss.

On the agenda today:

• Logging off is the newest form of luxury. IRL-hangout apps are cashing in.
• Female founders say sexual harassment is still common while seeking VC funding.
• Amazon laid off 14,000 employees. Here's what to do if it happens to you.
• From swanky offices to political neutrality, here's what it's like to work and live in Dubai.

But first: Going for a PR.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

The hot (and sweaty) new way to network

It's Marathon Sunday!

Tens of thousands of runners are preparing to take over New York City today, with thousands more expected to cheer from the sidelines.

As a five-time NYC marathon runner myself, I can attest that this race is truly one of the best days of the year.

"The energy of marathon day never gets old," Rob Simmelkjaer — the CEO of New York Road Runners, the company behind the marathon — told BI. "It's just a giant block party."

The sheer scale of the event — to the tune of $700 million in economic impact for the city — is a reminder of how running is experiencing a golden age.

Brooks Running CEO Dan Sheridan came to the BI office on Thursday and said we're currently in "a running boom," one that's part of the wider health and wellness fixation infiltrating nearly all aspects of society — including the workplace.

Running and other forms of exercise are no longer just workouts; they can also serve as social gatherings or even networking events.

Companies, for one, are increasingly implementing group runs or fitness classes as a way to promote team building. This is creating a different kind of bonding experience for work colleagues, as opposed to the connections typically made at more traditional happy hours or dinners.

My colleague Ana Altchek spoke to several fitness studios that said they've seen a sharp uptick in corporate demand.

HIIT studio chain Barry's has experienced a surge in companies booking private classes for employees. Firms are also reserving spots for workers in public classes, or paying to bring instructors to conferences or other events.

As for today's marathon, Sheridan of Brooks Running offered some advice.

"Keep your head up even when it's hard," he said.

Running the marathon is an achievement of one's personal journey: "Just soak that up," he says.

Get outside

In a phone-first world, getting offline is the new social currency. So it's no surprise that social connection apps are having a moment.

From concerts to book clubs to dinners with strangers, the apps are about finding friendship as well as love. For many, they're a way to find the ever-shrinking third space, not to replace their online presence altogether.

Touching grass hands.

The hidden cost of fundraising

When venture capitalist Leslie Feinzaig surveyed female startup founders, she didn't ask about sexual harassment on the job. Respondents told her anyway.

Of the survey's 180 female founders, eight detailed what they described as harassment, being hit on, or being demeaned by investors while seeking funding.

A dark reality.

What to do after a layoff

Amazon's massive job cuts this week has the white-collar workforce on edge that they could be next.

You can't always control the challenges life throws at you, but you can control how you respond. If you get laid off, you'll likely be in shock, so it's important to take a breath and process. Experts told BI the steps you should take if it happens to you.

Three things to keep in mind.

Read more:

• Corporate America's go-to layoff strategy: smaller cuts, more often
• The era of mega AI layoffs is here

On the ground in Dubai

The United Arab Emirates city is a burgeoning financial hub, with the Dubai International Financial Center boasting a 9% increase in its working population since 2024.

BI recently visited the expat-filled city for a pair of investment conferences to understand what life is like in the Gulf and meet those who have made the move.

Forever home?

This week's quote:

"He's got to do a lot of pyrotechnics to get this company to where he earns that comp."

— Dorothy Lund, a Columbia law professor, on Tesla's upcoming pitch to shareholders for Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package.

Satellites show America's global military footprint

BI mapped it out using satellite imagery and archival footage, exploring what it can tell us aboutconflicts involving China, Russia, and Iran.

More of this week's top reads:

• Exclusive: Read the memo Paramount Skydance sent to staffers after laying off 1,000 employees in its first phase of cuts.
• Watch out, ChatGPT! Google's Gemini is catching up.
• A millennial's guide to Gen Z's career apocalypse.
• Chipotle says it's lost steam with Gen Z and millennial customers due to unemployment, student loans, and stagnant wages.
• Baby boomers' property tax revolt.
• Welcome to the "Great Freeze": Why companies aren't firing, workers can't grow, and the unemployed can't get jobs.
• JPMorgan's analytics boss lifts the lid on how America's biggest bank is schooling 300,000 workers on AI.
• Is Stone Street still the epicenter of Wall Street social life? We found out.

The BI Today team: Steve Russolillo, chief news editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York.Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

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