• "The Handmaid's Tale" returns for a third season this week. 
• There's a lot you may not know about it. 
• It is not the first adaptation of Margaret Atwood's book.
• The red used for the Handmaids' uniforms is a specific shade.
• This post contains light spoilers for previous seasons of "Handmaid's Tale."
• Visit INSIDER.com for more stories.

The highly anticipated new season of the Hulu Original series "The Handmaid's Tale" returns to the streaming platform with two episodes on Wednesday.

Fans of the show and of author Margaret Atwood's novel have likely been looking forward to it since that shocking season two finale, but even if you're a super fan, you may not know so key details about the series.

As you prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to return to Gilead, here are some things you didn't know about "The Handmaid's Tale."

Offred almost escaped in the season two finale.

In a recent interview with Us Weekly, Bruce Miller revealed that Offred's decision to stay in Gilead divided the writer's room and initially angered him.

"It was an argument we had in the writers' room for four months — just as passionately, probably more so," he said in response to viewer reactions, adding that the decision provided a set up for season three. "She's coming back with an active, positive agenda. She wants to do something. You don't stay back not to do something."

Season three picks up immediately after season two.

In the same interview, Miller revealed that the first episode of season three will begin about "14 seconds" after the season two finale, so viewers won't have to fill in any blanks.

It is not the first adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s book.

The television series hit at the right moment in time to become a massive success, but Atwood's source material has been seen and heard in many formats before.

It was previously adapted into a film in 1990, an opera in 2000, radio dramatizations in 2000 and 2002, a ballet in 2013, and several theater productions around the world. A graphic novel adaptation also hit shelves in March of 2019.

The series is filmed in Canada.

The in-world geography of the show is set in the former United States (specifically Massachusetts), but production took place primarily in Toronto and in other locations around Ontario, Canada.

The original title of the book was "Offred."

Author Margaret Atwood initially wanted to name the book after its main character, but changed it during the writing process. "The Handmaid's Tale" title was inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales."

Margaret Atwood never named the protagonist "June."

In the book, Offred's name prior to the coup and establishment of Gilead is only hinted at but never explicitly given. In an essay for the New York Times, Atwood explained her decision:

"So many people throughout history have had their names changed, or have simply disappeared from view. Some have deduced that Offred's real name is June, since, of all the names whispered among the Handmaids in the gymnasium/dormitory, 'June' is the only one that never appears again. That was not my original thought but it fits, so readers are welcome to it if they wish."

The number on Offred’s ear tag is an Easter Egg.

Just like cattle, each Handmaid is given an ear tag with an ID number. Offred's tag number is 1985 for the year the book was originally published, according to Den of Geek, which cited"The Art of Making of The Handmaid's Tale."

Getting shot had nothing to do with Serena Joy’s inability to reproduce.

During an interview with "Mayday: The Handmaid's Tale Podcast," showrunner Bruce Miller spoke about the occasional disconnect between what fans get from the show and what was intended.

In an episode in season two, there is a flashback that reveals that Serena Joy was shot when a protest erupted at one of her speeches. While fans assumed that the bullet struck her reproductive organs, Miller confirmed that the character was infertile prior to the incident.

Gilead was more racist in the book.

In the show, there are Black Handmaids, but in Atwood's book, all "children of Ham" are segregated and taken to a place in the Midwest called the National Homelands.

The Gilead of the book also raises Jewish Handmaids to a higher social status than non-Jews. The character Moira, played on the show by Samira Wiley, does appear in the book, but she isn't segregated because she is written as a white woman.

The red used for the Handmaids’ uniforms is a specific shade.

The official shade is Pantone 202 CP, but costume designer Ann Crabtree calls it "lifeblood."

The changing color of the Wives’ costumes was a happy accident.

It is revealed in the book "The Art of Making of The Handmaid's Tale" that the teal fabric Ann Crabtree used to make the costumes for the Wives was discontinued at some point during the first season.

Crabtree found a way to use that to the show's advantage, making it so that the different colors signified "who had the power at any given moment, with the most teal fabric going to those in favor and others getting material that's greener or more faded."

Amanda Brugel has a long history with the source material.

As a child, actress Amanda Brugel was familiar with "The Handmaid's Tale" and its adult themes. In an interview with OK! magazine in 2018, she revealed that she read Atwood's book when she was 15 years old and that she wrote short stories about the dystopian world.

She also wrote a thesis in college about Rita, the character she would go on to portray in the hit television show.

Margaret Atwood had a cameo in the first episode.

Atwood serves as a consulting producer on the show and stepped in front of the camera once so far in the past two seasons. The author played the Aunt who slapped Offred in the face for her disobedience.

The Colonies are visually inspired by nuclear disasters, art, and the moon.

Season two production designer Elisabeth Williams said that when she and the production team were developing the aesthetic for The Colonies, they looked to art history and to world history.

"In terms of color in The Colonies, it was also important that we have these golds and amber colors, and light blues," she told Deadline. "It's very reminiscent of Dutch paintings, and yet you have these dying women working the soil and basically killing themselves to better Gilead."

Williams researched different environmental disasters and was inspired by images of the Fukushima disaster where garbage bags of contaminated soil had formed unnatural mountains. "You wonder, really, where it all went, if it was sent out to space or buried underground. But it's quite unnerving to see those images." Domes were also added to give a "lunar feeling" to the landscape.

Elisabeth Moss helps to shape the score for show.

"I had a note on a music cue, and I ended up writing [composer Adam Taylor] this long email that wasn't about music, but just telling him what I felt the scene was about for me, describing what my character was feeling and what I wanted the scene to say," Moss told Variety. Taylor came back with the perfect guitar cue, and their collaboration was born.

"I never tell him what to do in musical terms, because he's the genius and knows that far better than me," Moss explained. "I only speak in the terms that I know, the emotions and thoughts of my character and what's going on in the scene. And then he takes it from there and does something that is better than I ever could have imagined."

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• In the business world, a "unicorn" is a startup with a valuation of at least $1 billion. This year, four popular online retail startups — Casper, Rent the Runway, Glossier, Away— officially became unicorns. 
• Though their journeys to unicorn-dom differ vastly, they share similarities that contributed to their success.
• They've raised and used VC funding carefully and strategically; realized the importance of thoughtful, personalized design; identified opportunities for disruption through a diverse set of sources; and devised engaging ways to keep their customers invested. 
• The year's only half over, but if these four startups are any indication, there's much to look forward to for the future of the retail industry. 

It's the year for unicorn spottings.

In the first half of 2019, four major retail startups — Casper, Rent the Runway, Glossier, and Away— have become "unicorns," a company with a valuation of at least $1 billion. The exclusive unicorn club, according to CB Insights, comprises just over 350 members worldwide, from fintech companies like Stripe and Robinhood to delivery services like DoorDash and Instacart. 

Part of their high valuations includes the venture capital (VC) funding they've raised in order to grow their businesses. Sridhar Tayur, professor of operations management at CMU's Tepper School of Business, underlines the importance of VC: "Beyond capital, they bring experience and networks, which helps in recruiting key executive talent, market messaging, competitive positioning, and strategic partnering with established insiders in an industry." 

There's no universal formula to acquiring or using VC funding successfully, but any aspiring entrepreneur could take some notes from these retail unicorns that can seem to do no wrong. 

This particular wave of funding and valuation success is exciting because the startups represent a variety of industries (home, fashion, beauty, and travel), signaling the broad potential of the future of retail. 

At a glance, here's what they do:

• Casper: Sells sleep-related products, including foam mattresses, bedding, and bed frames 
• Rent the Runway: Rents out designer clothing pieces, which can be rented individually or on an unlimited basis through a monthly membership
• Glossier: Sells beauty and makeup products
• Away: Sells travel-related products, including suitcases, bags, and interior organizers 

These startups manage to make basic products — a mattress, a suitcase — demand greater attention than something far glitzier or more convenient to obtain. Cassie Young, the chief commercial officer at marketing automation company Sailthru, points out that to stand out from under the looming shadow of Amazon is a difficult and impressive feat.

Every year, Sailthru's Retail Personalization Index ranks retail brands based on how well they personalize the customer experience. Companies at the top of the list prioritize what makes their brand unique, what makes their buyer unique, and what they can do that is unique compared to Amazon.

Young says, "If you look at the retail brands that have achieved unicorn status, they are very deep in a particular category, which allows for effective differentiation vis-a-vis the Amazon platform." 

Away's suitcases, for example, are instantly recognizable in a lineup of luggage. Its core collection of colors are stylish, but the company also regularly offers trendy, limited-edition colors and personalization options, which range from luxe leather stickers to hand-painted, engraved, or embroidered monogramming. 

Beyond personalized, aesthetically pleasing designs, Away is appealing to millennial sensibilities by incorporating features like a built-in battery pack to accompany their tech-fueled lives, and making its suitcases part of a larger story about travel.

Its spin-off travel magazine, "Here," has nearly 50,000 Instagram followers and shares picturesque locales around the world and journal-like entries that dive deeper into each destination. Implicit to the enjoyment of these travels is the knowledge that an Away suitcase helped get the traveler there. 

As a result, Away's growth is soaring relative to its category. According to data provided by Rakuten Intelligence, sales are up 96% year over year, and the brand has spread itself more evenly across age demographics than its competitors. 

Also notable: three of the four startups were founded by women.

In 2018, only 2.3% of all capital invested in venture-backed startups in the US went to companies founded solely by women. While efforts by female-founded venture capital firms are contributing to progress, the VC gender gap is still clear and wide. 

Megan Bent, founder and managing partner of Harbinger Ventures, which works exclusively with early-stage female or mixed-gender-founded companies in the consumer sector, says that "Having female representation within CPG company leadership can be a significant advantage. Neither men nor women are necessarily better at innovating, but more diverse teams will inherently identify more diverse opportunities for disruption." 

And the opportunities for disruption are truly ripe.

Bain Capital Ventures has participated IN every single funding round for Rent the Runway, including its seed round and most recent capital raise that brought the company to unicorn status. Partner Scott Friend says the firm began discussing the idea of the "sharing economy" and penchant for renting a decade ago, an interest that coincided nicely with a meeting with Rent the Runway founders Jennifer Hyman and Jenny Fleiss. He believes "this new behavior of having a 'closet in the cloud'" is still in its "early innings" and has massive potential. 

Rent the Runway's consistent raising of capital over the years has been funneled aggressively towards inventory growth. The careful selection, purchase, and processing of fashion-forward designer pieces is integral to serving the company's rapidly increasing member base, who are always looking for new styles to introduce to their closet.

It's also being used to expand into more product categories (it recently launched a kids' line and announced a partnership with West Elm), open a second distribution warehouse, and open a new store in San Francisco. 

The art of customer engagement and community-building isn't lost on these companies. They've all figured out that the fans provide the hype. 

These four startups are talented at managing and maintaining relationships with their customers, who end up being better marketing tools than any internal strategy.

Social media makes it easy for brands to interact directly with customers, who often use the platform to discuss new products they'd like to see and rave about their experiences (or air any grievances). When they feel like they have a stake and influence in the operations of a brand they love, they're more likely to feel valued as a customer and make repeat purchases. 

It's also where they proudly show others how they styled their latest Rent the Runway pieces, incorporated a Glossier product into their daily makeup routine, spent a blissful weekend morning in on their Casper mattress, or packed their Away carry-on in preparation for a tropical vacation.

What is essentially free advertising confirms the quality of the products while feeling more authentic than a paid placement. By encouraging this type of behavior, and continuing to make quality products to prompt it in the first place, the unicorn startups can ensure growth that's not only quick, but also — more importantly —  sustainable. 

So, with such a strong start to 2019, what can we expect in the retail VC landscape for the remainder of the year? 

Bain Capital Ventures partner Scott Friend says that investors are increasingly interested in how products are distributed and experienced before purchase. He says investors are "realizing that the most disruptively interesting opportunities in commerce are less about new brands, per se, and more about new forms of distribution — concepts that are replacing traditional brick-and-mortar retail shopping with a better, faster, higher, ROI value for the consumer." 

"I also expect we'll see more investment in exciting new experiential retail concepts, leveraging virtual and augmented reality to create experiences for consumers that are physical, social, and associated with commerce." 

We're already seeing hints of these practices being implemented. Casper, Away, Rent the Runway, and Glossier all have a limited number of retail shops nationwide where customers can discover and shop in real life.

Compared to that of traditional brick-and-mortars, the design of the shops tends to be less aggressive about selling and more intent on introducing the brand to new potential customers. Aside from its Sleep Shop retail concepts, Casper has even opened a nap room called The Dreamery, which offers a 45-minute moment of respite for weary travelers and office workers. 

These 2019 retail unicorns are showing no sign of stopping as they reinvent online shopping. Learn more about their beginnings and stories, below. 

Rent the Runway

Rent designer clothing from Rent the Runway here

Founded: In November 2009 by Jennifer Hyman and Jenny Fleiss

Valuation: $1 billion (reached March 2019) 

The story: Own a house, own a car, own the clothes in your closet. The long-standing American paradigm prides ownership above all else, but Rent the Runway is flipping the script and proving that renting can be preferable to buying. You may have heard of it as the place where you go to find a nice dress for prom, a wedding, or other formal event. Increasingly, however, it's becoming known for its membership model, which lets you rent out unlimited styles every month and encourages fashion discoveries and risks, without the burden of ownership. 

The best products to buy:

• RTR Unlimited, $79 60-day trial with code "SOSMART" (originally $159/month)
• RTR Updated, $69 30-day trial (originally $89)

Learn more about Rent the Runway: 

• How Rent the Runway is changing the way women get dressed — and why it's been called one of the most disruptive companies in the world, alongside Uber, Airbnb, and SpaceX
• Rent the Runway is the smartest life hack for wedding guests who want to dress nicely without spending the money — here's how to take advantage of its services
• Rent the Runway is launching a new way for designers to partner with the company — and it's great news for subscribers
• Rent the Runway is expanding into home with a new West Elm rental partnership — here's how it will work
  

Away

Shop suitcases at Away here

Founded: In February 2015 by Steph Korey and Jen Rubio

Valuation: $1.4 billion (reached May 2019) 

The story: Of the four startups, Away is the fastest to reach unicorn status. Travel isn't a difficult thing to get excited about — everyone is always looking at their next vacation or planning a new itinerary — but the actual products, like suitcases and packing cubes, tend not to incite the same reaction. Away understands that if the suitcase is thoughtfully designed, made from durable materials, and looks beautiful, you'll be as happy to pack your suitcase as you are to explore a cool destination. 

The best products to buy:

• The Carry-On, available in 10 colors, $225
• The Insider Packing Cubes (Set of 4), available in 9 colors, $45
• Stickers, $15

Learn more about Away: 

Casper

Shop mattresses and bedding at Casper here

Founded: In November 2013 by Constantin Eis, Gabriel Flateman, Jeff Chapin, Neil Parikh, Philip Krim, T. Luke Sherwin

Valuation: $1.1 billion (reached March 2019) 

The story: One of the earliest bed-in-a-box startups, Casper is obsessed with sleep and getting you to stay in bed all morning long. Its original, award-winning mattress is its core business and probably always will be, but its expansion into pillows, bedding, bed frames, and small accessories like a sleep light and night stand shows it really wants to take over your entire bedroom. Famous athletes, musicians, and actors are all investors in this buzzy, universally loved company. 

The best products to buy:

• The Casper Mattress (Queen), $995
• The Pillow, $65
• The Adjustable Frame (Queen), $1,095
• Cool Supima Sheet Set (Queen), available in 5 colors, $140

Learn more about Casper: 

• Casper recently added springs to its all-foam mattress — here's how it's different and what sleeping on it feels like
• I slept on Casper's high-end 'Wave' mattress to see if it's worth buying — and it's truly a marvel of engineering
• Mattress startup Casper's affordable pillow totally exceeded our expectations — here's what we thought
• I slept on Casper's new adjustable bed frame with a built-in massage function — here's what it was like

Glossier

Shop beauty and makeup at Glossier here

Founded: In October 2014 by Emily Weiss 

Valuation: $1.2 billion (reached March 2019) 

The story: From editorial skin-care and beauty site Into the Gloss emerged Glossier, the shop that calls itself a "people-powered beauty ecosystem." It practically invented the obsession with glowy, dewy skin, and many of its products focus on bringing out your best natural features. Such messages of "less is more" are aligning well with the minimalist living trends of today and are surprisingly effective at attracting lines out the door at Glossier's stores and pop-ups. 

The best products to buy:

• Boy Brow, available in 4 shades, $16
• Cloud Paint, available in 6 shades, $18
• Milky Jelly Cleanser, $18
• Haloscope, available in 3 shades, $18

Learn more about Glossier:

• Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman denies that his predecessor, Bob Muglia was removed over his reluctance to take the company public, and that he was hired specifically to rush out an IPO. 
• In fact, Slootman says an IPO is possible within a three-year timeframe, but far less likely in the near term. 
• He said the Snowflake board wanted another executive to lead the company through its next stage of growth telling him: "We want you."
• Snowflake, last valued at $2.5 billion, has raised some $928 million from investors including Sequoia Capital, ICONIQ Capital, and Madrona Venture Group. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman strongly denied Tuesday that his predecessor Bob Muglia's departure from the company had anything to do with his seeming neutrality on the idea of bringing the company public this year.

"I can patently deny that," Slootman told Business Insider. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Slootman also denied that he was hired specifically to take Snowflake public, even as he laid out the odds for Snowflake hitting the public markets any time soon: "An IPO in the next year is extremely unlikely. It's possible in the next two years. It's probably likely in the next 3 years."

Still, there are likely some who are eagerly waiting for that IPO: Snowflake, a data warehousing startup last valued at $2.5 billion, has raised some $928 million from investors including Sequoia Capital, ICONIQ Capital, and Madrona Venture Group. 

'CEO transitions are difficult'

Slootman, who gave a keynote at Snowflake's San Francisco event where the company announced a partnership with Google Cloud, took over in late April after the sudden departure of Muglia, in a management shakeup that stunned the tech world. 

Muglia's exit happened shortly after an interview with The Information in which he said he didn't plan to pursue an IPO for another year or two. But Slootman said any speculation that Muglia left because Snowflake's board of directors was reacting to the interview didn't make sense.

"That is now how boards operate or how they think," he said. "CEO transitions are extremely difficult. They're risky. They're absolutely the last resort. You don't do this because somebody had a bad interview. It's absurd."

He said changing CEOs "happen for profound strategic reasons." Muglia, he said, was respected by the board who thought he had done a good job. Prior to taking over at Snowflake, too, Muglia had a long and distinguished career at Microsoft. 

"He took the company from next to nothing to full-breakout velocity," Slootman said. "But as so often the case what got you there is not what's going to get you to the next milestones. … The board felt that we needed a different operator for this stage of the company's evolution. … Now you need to build organizations that can scale."

Asked if that meant the board felt that Muglia was not the right person for that task but Slootman was, Slootman answered: "I think that's what the board thought."

'We want you'

Asked if Muglia was asked to leave, Slootman said, "Not in those explicit terms. This is not how these conversations happen. You don't sit somebody down and say, 'I want you to leave.'"

He also noted that he was not part of that conversation. "I know what they told me which was: 'We want you.'"

Slootman said he did recruit former colleagues from ServiceNow to join him at Snowflake. Rob Specker is now general counsel at the company, while Shelly Begun is as vice president of HR.

"Those changes are made," he said. "When you take over a fast-growing company like this, there's a lot of moving parts. I wanted to make sure that I had known trusted entities in key roles. I can't sit around and try to find out if somebody is a fit for a role when I have people I can plug in there. When you run companies the way I have, I no longer waste time on this sort of thing. It's all about the elimination of the unknown and uncertainty. That's the game I play."

Slootman is known in the tech industry for leading fast-growing startups, such as Data Domain and ServiceNow, to IPO or acquisition. That also led to speculation that he was brought in to preside over similar processes at Snowflake, whose pioneering cloud data warehousing platform has turned it into one of the hottest startups in tech.

"That's also incorrect," he said. "I'm saying that emphatically."

The Snowflake board is in no hurry to go public, Slootman says, though the three-year timeframe is a long time and things could change.

"There is zero pressure on taking the company public," he said.

Besides, he added, "I've taken two companies public and I'm not itching to do it either."He was referring to the pressures of running a public company which are typically subjected to more public scrutiny.

"More complications," Slootman said.

Got a tip about Snowflake or another tech company? Contact this reporter via email at bpimentel@businessinsider.com, message him on Twitter @benpimentel, or send him a secure message through Signal at 510.731.8429. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

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• Finn Jones, who played Loras Tyrell described his perfect ending back in 2015.
• It pretty much lines up with how "Game of Thrones" ended.
• This post contains spoilers for the finale of "Game of Thrones."
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

For eight seasons, fans examined every clue and theory to figure out how "Game of Thrones" was going to end. But one fan had it right years ago, and he also just happened to also be an actor on the show.

Finn Jones, who played Loras Tyrell on the series, predicted major parts of the 'Game of Thrones' ending back in 2015.

The Vulture interview from four years ago was recently rediscovered by People magazine. Jones said that, as a fan of the show as well as an actor on it, he was always trying to guess what would happen next. "With all the characters, I like to look into the future and try to predict what's happening," he told Vulture.

One of Jones' most accurate ending guesses was what he wanted for the Iron Throne. "My hope for Westeros is that Bran dissolves the Iron Throne," the actor said. "You need to get rid of that Throne. That's what I'd like to see at the end of the series, but that's very utopian. We'll see."

Bran didn't dissolve the Iron Throne, but it was literally dissolved by Daenerys' dragon Drogon when he melted it following Dany's death.

The actor also wanted the people to have the power, rather than a single ruler

"[Bran] gives the power back to the individual realms. Him, his small council, which would be Brienne, Tyrion, and maybe some of the Tyrells, because I'm biased," Jones said in his prediction. "But they try to keep the peace, after this devastating war has struck Westeros and killed a lot of people. They'd renew and regenerate Westeros and give the power back to the people, rather than keep it."

Jones wasn't totally spot on with that one, since Sam Tarly was practically laughed out of the room for suggesting a democratic ruling system. But, with Sansa ruling in the North, at least one individual realm has its own power. Plus, Jones was right that Bran would be leading the peace-keeping charge with Brienne and Tyrion on his small council (amongst others).

Neither Loras, nor any of the Tyrells, survived to see Jones' predicted ending

Jones may have wanted to see the Tyrells on Bran's small council, but that wasn't meant to be, because all of them died out. Loras and his sister Margaery (played by Natalie Dormer) both died in season six when Cersei blew up the sept. The last of the Tyrells (at least that we know of in the TV version) was Olenna Tyrell, and she was murdered by Jaime Lannister in season seven.

At least Jones got his biggest wish of a literally dissolved Iron Throne and a sort of Utopian ending. It was much better than his second prediction to People in 2018. He first reiterated his Utopian wish, but then gave a second more realistic-seeming prediction. "I basically don't think there will be a throne anymore … [or] a centralized seat of power and I think power will be given back to the individual kingdoms, so more like a democratic rule," Jones said. "But I think that is probably a bit too Utopian for 'Game of Thrones,' and I think eventually what will happen is just everyone will die."

A lot of characters did die in the final season, but ultimately Bran rose above to claim the nonexistent throne and a lot of people survived (too many depending on who you ask). 

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You will be selling for Insider Inc.'s two core subscription products; Business Insider Intelligence and Prime. Business Insider Intelligence is Business Insider's cutting-edge research service, delivering real-time insights on emerging trends, technologies, and transformations in the digital arena. BI PRIME is our newest subscription product providing unlimited Business Insider content to its subscribers in addition to other exclusive content.
 
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You will have ownership throughout the entire sales process and will successfully develop, cultivate and manage relationships with high-level executives at Fortune 500 companies and cutting edge organizations across the globe. You will ambitiously create and execute strategies to navigate the executive team and organizational structure to close enterprise-wide deals.

As SAE, you will use a consultative sales approach and be the subject matter expert for our potential clients who are in the forefront of their industries and looking for intelligence that will set them apart.
 
You will successfully:

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• Navigate large F500 companies to get large deals done
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• 5+ years of experience in new sales focused business
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• Apple's latest version of iOS and its new iPadOS still lack a key feature — support for multiple user profiles.
• The company announced on Monday that it's bringing the feature to Apple TV— but not to iPhones and iPads.
• This reporter has for years called on Apple to support the feature in those devices.
• The lack of support doesn't seem to have anything to do with the capabilities of the iPhone and iPad or their underlying software, which makes the absence of the feature all the more bewildering.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I have to say, I felt like Apple was trolling me Monday.

I know that's irrational, but still.

Among the many new products and features company officials announced at the iPhone maker's developer conference in San Jose, one stood out to me: support for multiple profiles in tvOS, the operating system that underlies its Apple TV digital media streamer.

Read this: Here's everything Apple just announced at WWDC, its biggest event of the year

You see, literallyforyears, in numerouspublishedpieces, I have called out Apple for not including this very feature and called on the company to add it. But not to Apple TV. Instead, I've been pleading with the company to add it to the iPhone and iPad.

So you can understand how flummoxed and frustrated I might be when Apple did finally announce the feature, only not for the devices I'd like to see it on.

I'm not unhappy to have multiple profile support on my Apple TV. Netflix's support of the feature has definitely come in handy. Nowadays, when I launch the streaming media app, I'm less likely to see recommendations for the kid shows my daughter watches or the older comedy series my son likes. I can see how having Apple TV itself support the feature would allow Apple to offer a similarly personalized interface or recommendations.

But I haven't been clamoring for multiple user support for my Apple TV, and I don't known many people who have. The device functions well enough without it.

Parents and businesses need the feature

By contrast, support for multiple users on iPhones and iPad would be a godsend to parents everywhere, not to mention small businesses and other organizations that might want to share the devices.

In my household, our computers, tablets, and sometimes even our phones are shared. My daughter often uses my or my wife's phone to take photos. We all use the iPads to watch videos or make FaceTime calls. My kids use the same Mac I often use for my job to do their schoolwork or chat with their friends.

Such sharing is not a problem on our Macs. Each of us has our own user account. When we log in, we can see our own emails and text messages. We each have our own collection of files on our desktops and bookmarks in our web browser. And we each can see our own collections of photos and music.

But that isn't the case on our iPhones and iPads. Each of those devices is linked to one and only one Apple account.

What that means is that if I hand my phone over to my daughter to use as a camera or to check the weather, I have to think about what else on it she might have access to, because she doesn't have her own account on it. It also means I generally don't use our iPads as work devices; the lack of support for multiple accounts means that anyone who unlocks an iPad would have access to my work email and services.

Apple representatives didn't respond to an email seeking comment, so I'm in the dark about the company's thinking.

iPhones and iPads are clearly capable of supporting it

But it's just bewildering why, at this late a date, Apple still doesn't support multiple login profiles in iOS, the operating system that undergirds the iPhone, or the newly announced iPadOS, which it derived from iOS. (I know, it's also irritating that the iPad still doesn't really support mouse or touchpad input, but there is a new workaround for that, and the screen has long served as a substitute, albeit a poor one.)

The lack of multiple user support is particularly baffling, because company representatives have spent the last several years touting the iPad in particular as a productivity tool and a next-generation personal computer. But support for multiple profiles is a pretty basic productivity feature found on all traditional PCs. It's something that Windows computers and Apple's own Macs have had built in since long before the first iPad launched in 2010.

Apple's omission of the feature clearly has nothing to do with the technical capabilities of the iPad or the iPhone or of iOS or iPad OS. Android tablets, which often have processors that are roughly comparable with those in iPads, have supported the feature since at least 2012, and Android phones since 2015. Microsoft's now-defunct Windows Phone software supported a version of the feature, allowing users to set up a "kid's corner" on their devices that didn't have access to the information stored in the main account.

The introduction of multiple accounts in tvOS makes the absence of the feature on iPads and iPhones even more difficult to understand. The operating system is based on iOS, after all. What's more, the next version of tvOS, which will include the feature, will run on Apple TV HD. That device has Apple A8 chip in it, which is now nearly five years old. The latest iPhones and iPads have A12 chips in them, which have several times the processing power of the A8.

Apple has already developed the technology needed for the feature

And Apple already has the technology in place both on the devices and in its cloud servers to support multiple users on the gadgets. The Face ID facial-recognition and Touch ID fingerprint detection systems on its phones and tablets are perfectly capable of recognizing and distinguishing between different faces and fingers. Meanwhile, Apple's devices are already configured in many cases to save or backup their data, setting, and apps to iCloud, the company's cloud computing service. In effect, when users login to their devices with Face ID or Touch ID, they are also logging into their iCloud accounts. 

One would think it wouldn't be that difficult for Apple to use these parts to allow multiple users to share one device, linking their Face ID or Touch ID logins to the apps and data they've stored in iCloud.

And, in fact, Apple already has already developed just this kind of a system. The company offers it to educational institutions, allowing multiple students to share a single iPad. They each log in with their own individual passwords, and they each have their own data stored separately on the devices.

But to date, Apple hasn't seen fit to offer this service or something similar for iPads that are used in homes or offices, rather than in classrooms. For some reason, while the company now thinks the feature is appropriate for Apple TVs, it still doesn't think it is for its phones and tablets.

I know I shouldn't take that fact personally. I know Apple wasn't really trying to goad me.

But it sure feels like it was.

Got a tip about Apple or the tech industry? Contact this reporter via email at twolverton@businessinsider.com, message him on Twitter @troywolv, or send him a secure message through Signal at 415.515.5594. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

• Read more about Apple:
• Apple is taking on Facebook and Google by doubling down on privacy, but the plan could backfire in an epic way
• The new Mac Pro is Apple's attempt to erase a design blunder that took it 6 years to fix
• Apple's surprise defeat in the Supreme Court is bad news for Tim Cook's turnaround plan
• Apple's new services 'aren't hobbies,' a testy Tim Cook told analysts

SEE ALSO: Here are the 3 missing features that keep Apple's new iPad Pro from really replacing a laptop

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried a fermentation-tracking device and highly recommend it to find out which foods are making you bloated

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• A gift that a dad just doesn't have the free time to use can end up being a bigger source of frustration than pleasure, so think carefully when buying Father's Day gifts this year.
• Practical gifts that make a dad's life easier and more efficient are always welcome, especially if they are an upgrade to a product he already uses.
• Father's Day gifts that are consumable are always welcome, as dads need to eat, so they might as well have some treats on hand.

I recently got a GoSun Go Portable Solar Cooker, a camping stove that cooks food using nothing more than sunlight, and at first I was thrilled. What a cool product, right? A totally eco-friendly stove I could use to bake food and boil water there at my campsite — no gas, wood, charcoal, or anything else required. Then I started looking at the calendar trying to figure out the next free weekend where my son and I could go camping. Long story short, we don't have a place to fit in a couple nights out in the woods until late summer. And I'm writing these words in late May.

When you're looking for the perfect Father's Day gift this year, keep in mind that the dad in question may not have time to enjoy most gifts, thoughtful as they might be.

So instead of giving a golf club that's going to collect dust in the garage or a book that's probably going to serve primarily as a paperweight, look for a dad gift the guy can actually enjoy despite having about five minutes of free time in his day, what with the job, kids, yard work, travel, and the rest of it.

Great Father's Day gifts for busy dads are those products that replace something he's already using, like a new pair of pants or a high-quality tumbler, or that are treats he'll enjoy without having to carve out extra time in the day, like some gourmet snacks.

And ... if you're looking for a great Father's Day gift for me, keep it simple: I'll gladly accept a bunch of Hi-Chew candies and/or a bottle of gin. Or some socks. Seriously, I know it sounds boring, but great socks are genuinely a great Father's Day gift.

SEE ALSO: All of Insider Picks' Father's Day gift ideas, in one place

A Harry & David gift box

Gift the Father's Day Gift Box from Harry & David for $74.99 (shipping not included)

Browse other Father's Day gifts from Harry & David here

If you know of a dad whom won't enjoy receiving a box packed with savory sausage, sharp cheddar cheese, fresh pears and apples, crackers, cookies, mixed nuts, and more, then no problem; you just send this Father's Day Gift Box from Harry & David on to me instead.

A snack-filled gift box might not seem like the most personal Father's Day gift ever, but in fact it really is a thoughtful option. Nothing in the gift will end up sitting on a shelf collecting dust, enjoying it doesn't require any extra time or effort, and the selection is varied enough so that at least many, if not all, of the foods included will appeal to the dad in question.

Crazy comfortable and flexible jeans

Gift a pair of DU/ER Performance Denim Jeans from DU/ER for $129-$199 (prices vary by style)

I wear jeans just about every day of my life, and whenever they are clean, my DU/ERs are the go-to pair. DU/ER pants look like regular jeans, but they are as stretchy and flexible as workout pants, and they're amazingly lightweight. I wear them whether sitting at my desk, running errands, or on a long walk with the wife and kids, and I've even kept them on while mowing the lawn or cleaning out gutters.

A pair of pants that's ready for travel, yard work, dinner out, or sitting in the office all day is worth its weight in gold, but fortunately you'll only have to pay about $130 for DU/ER Performance Denim.

A grill he can use indoors that doesn't get messy or smoky

Gift a Bella Smokeless Electric Grill from Amazon for $49.99

I love grilling, but sometimes the extra 10 or 15 minutes it takes to take the cover off the grill, clean the grates, and pre-heat the thing just aren't worth the effort. Thus my love for our plucky little Bella Smokeless Electric Grill. It uses an electric heating element that warms up fast and, as the name suggests, doesn't produce smoke, but does still produce those satisfying grill lines and more than enough heat to cook steaks, sausages, kebabs, and anything else you would throw on the barbecue outside.

When the cooking is over, you can lift off the copper-coated grate for easy cleaning with a bit of soap and water and dump out the drip tray that collected fats, oils, and other stuff you'd rather have separated from your food.

A shirt that can't get stained or wet

Gift the Ably Apparel Lanai Linen Shirt from Amazon or Ably Apparel for $115

The first time I put an Ably Apparel shirt to the test, I was skeptical at best. The company claims that the Filium-activated coating applied to the linen fibers of its shirts make them all but impervious to water and stains, so naturally I opened the sink tap to full blast and stuck my shirt right into the water. As it turns out, they weren't lying.

Water literally bounces off the fabric, flowing away like the stuff was made from slick plastic. Yet it feels just like any other mid-weight garment out there. As Ably makes polos, T-shirts, button downs, and more, you'll definitely find an option the dad on your Father's Day list will love. And he'll love getting through meal times, finger-paint sessions, and other messy undertakings with a shirt that looks pristine.

A multi-tool that can pretty much do it all

Gift a Gerber Center-Drive Multi-Tool from Amazon for $85

Dads are supposed to be able to fix everything, but without the right tools, how can they fix anything? While a 64-piece socket set or a table saw might not be the most practical gifts for dad, a great multi-tool is a must-have whether he's a die-hard DIY guy or a rank amateur still set on tightening that loose table leg. The Gerber Center-Drive Multi-Tool has a blade, pliers, and other tools, the most notable of which is a center-axis screwdriver that allows for ergonomic rotation.

The tool comes with 12 different bits for the screwdriver, so it can help you with all sorts of building and repair projects. While a bit bulky for a pocket, the overall quality of the Center-Drive makes up for its size and makes it worth keeping close at hand.

A jogging stroller that combines parenting with exercise

Gift a Chicco TRE Jogging Stroller from Amazon for $379.99

Before I had kids, I would go for an afternoon run all five days of the workweek and often on weekends, too. Now, I'm lucky if I get in three jogs weekly. My run is always the first thing on the chopping block when time starts getting too tight, what with school pickups and dropoffs, this or that doctor, gym class, or other appointment, and so on.

With our Chicco TRE Jogging stroller, however, I can log a few miles out there with my daughter enjoying the ride and my wife getting at least a few minutes of child-free time. The stroller has huge pneumatic tires that absorb the impact created by uneven surfaces and a bicycle-style hand brake that allows for deceleration, which is handy when I'm approaching an intersection or heading down hill.

Mail-order gourmet meat

Gift all sorts of gourmet meats from Snake River Farms

Yes, giving a dad the Father's Day gift of fancy meat he can grill up is a bit of a cliché, but it's also pretty much a slam dunk, unless said dad is a vegetarian. Snake River Farms offers superlative cuts of beef and pork, including Wagyu steaks, baby-back ribs, bacon, and so much more.

The company's meats are a bit more expensive than those you might get from a competitor like Omaha Steaks, but Snake River Farms meats are consistently excellent. I know because I've ordered foods from them myself several times. And don't worry, you can get a perfectly good gift for under $100.

A digital picture frame that plays videos and music

Gift a Nixplay Seed Wave from Amazon for $249.99

About a decade ago, my brother and I both gave our dad a digital picture frame for Father's Day. I don't mean jointly; I mean we each gave him a frame pre-loaded with a bunch of pictures. Turns out he loved the idea and was perfectly happy to have two, both of which have been on display on a counter ever since. But while the frames we gave him back then use now outdated SD cards, you can give the gift of a frame fit for the modern era: the Nixplay Seed Wave.

This frame features 10 gigs of storage space, it has built-in Bluetooth speakers that play audio during videos, and you can upload videos or pictures right from your phone. It even turns off when it senses there's no one in the room, saving power and being more eco-friendly.

A fitness-tracking watch that helps Dad make the most of his runs

Gift a Runtopia S1 Smart GPS Sport Watch from Amazon for $79.99

If a dad only has a few spare minutes a day for exercise, he better make the most of those minutes. Help a father stay fit with the Runtopia S1 Smart GPS Sport Watch. It features GPS and a compass, so Dad will always know where he is, and it tracks heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, and other metrics that help a guy (or girl, for that matter) optimize his training.

The watch syncs with smartphones and will alert you to calls and alarms, and it can hold a charge for more than three weeks if you leave the GPS switched off. At $80, it's an affordable Father's Day gift, too.

A smart hose timer that lets him control the watering from anywhere

Gift an Orbit B-Hyve Smart Hose Timer from Amazon for $66.95

One of the hardest things about planning a trip out of town is worrying about the home left sitting unoccupied. Whenever we travel as a family, my wife and I have to figure out whether or not to stop the mail, if the cats will have enough food or need to be checked on, and if the yard is going to be ok or needs to be watered by a family member or neighbor. Thankfully, I can now check that last item off the to-do list, because we got an Orbit B-Hyve Smart Hose Timer.

This timer connects to a standard outdoor faucet and can be pre-programmed to turn on the flow when you want. Better yet, it connects to your home Wi-Fi and can be accessed from anywhere. So I can be on vacation a continent away, check the weather at home, and then turn off the flow because of inbound rain. The B-Hyve also tracks how much water flows through it, so I can tell how much water our yard and garden are consuming and adjust as needed.

An oil Dad can use on his face, body, and hair

Gift a bottle of Everyday Oil from Amazon for $45.60

As much as I hate to admit it, age is catching up with me in a few ways, one of them being wrinkles starting to show up on my face. Another being hair that's drier than it used to be. Also there are the occasional backaches and random grunts when I lift something heavy. While the grunting is probably under my control and the backaches a fact of life, at least I can fight back against the wrinkles and dryness with one product: Everyday Oil.

I used to use several different products on my face and hair, but now I just slather a layer of this stuff over my skin and work it right into my hair and scalp. My skin is better moisturized than ever, and my morning ablutions are more efficient, too. Which good, what with the whole no free time thing.

• California officially overturned its warning about a potential link between coffee and cancer risk on Monday.
• The state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment ruled that drinking coffee does "not pose a significant risk of cancer." 
• The chemical that regulators in California were previously warning about, acrylamide, is a known carcinogen. But the dose in a single cup of coffee is tiny.
• Researchers have evidence that coffee can help your health, since there are many chemicals in coffee with anti-cancer effects. Drinking coffee is linked to lower instances of cancers of the breast, uterus, prostate, liver, mouth, and throat. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

California coffee lovers, go ahead: keep on sipping.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) officially ruled on Monday that coffee isn't connected to cancer in any meaningful way, despite what you may have heard. That means California coffee shops won't be required to post a warning about any carcinogenic chemicals. 

"After reviewing more than a thousand studies, we concluded that coffee consumption does not pose a significant cancer risk," Sam Delson, a spokesman for the OEHHA, told Business Insider.

Last year, a California judge ruled that coffee sellers in California had to post cancer warnings wherever they serve the brew, largely due to the presence of a chemical called acrylamide, which forms when food items (like coffee beans) are roasted. 

"We found coffee is a complex mixture of numerous chemicals that includes both known carcinogens but also some anti-carcinogens that protect against cancer, including antioxidants," Delson said. 

That is largely the same conclusion that the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reached in 2016. That agency determined that there's not enough evidence to make any kind of conclusion about a link between coffee and cancer. In fact, the IARC said some data suggests coffee may lower your risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, like uterine and liver cancers. What's more, the agency said coffee is "unlikely" to cause breast, prostate, or pancreas cancers.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a similar stance last year, and said that a cancer warning for coffee drinkers "would be more likely to mislead consumers than to inform them." 

Coffee is a complex drink rich in antioxidants 

The chemical that caused such a stir about a potential link between coffee and cancer — acrylamide — is produced any time ingredients are cooked at high heats (fried, baked, or roasted). That means acrylamide is also  present in small doses in foods like french fries, baguettes, cookies, chips, and char-grilled items like marshmallows or sausages.

Acrylamide by itself is a known carcinogen. But the dose in coffee, which is tiny to the point of insignificance, doesn't appear to be risky for people to drink. Plus, it's paired with myriad other chemicals and nutrients in the brew.

Lots of evidence suggests drinking coffee can help people live long, caffeinated lives. One study followed half a million people in the UK for 10 years, and found that coffee drinkers there both lived longer and lowered their risk of early death by significant margins compared to people who didn't consume coffee. Even coffee fiends who drank eight or more cups a day lowered their risk of death by about 14% compared to non-drinkers.

Similar large-scale studies linking coffee to longer lives have been repeated across the US and Europe. Coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in American diets (even though fruits and vegetables would provide a better cancer-fighting punch). Those antioxidants are known to help protect our bodies against the DNA damage that results in cancer.   

What's more, some past research on coffee drinkers' health outcomes didn't take into account the fact that many coffee drinkers were also smokers. (Smoking is responsible for more than 80% of all lung cancer cases, and lung cancer is the top cancer killer for both men and women.)

The benefits of drinking coffee

More recently, researchers have discovered that coffee drinkers may derive serious health benefits from the habit. These benefits include:

• Lower risk of death from all causes, and particularly from cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
• Lower risk of liver disease (cirrhosis)
• Less dementia and better memory recall in older adults
• Better focus
• Reduced risk of depression and fewer instances of suicide
• Improved heart health
• Better teamwork and more positive feelings about contributions to group discussions
• Fewer arrhythmias for people with irregular heartbeats

However, even some researchers who have found evidence of coffee's benefits for heart health caution that some people who have been diagnosed with cancerous tumors may want to limit their intake. That's because drinking coffee can make blood vessels larger, and thus feed more oxygen to tumors. Additionally, people who drink a lot of coffee — more than six cups a day — can quicken their heartbeats (not to mention having a higher chance of feeling jittery and anxious).

Still, the evidence we have to date overwhelmingly supports the idea that drinking coffee is good for one's health. So if you like drinking a lot, there's no reason to change your ways.

If anything, this week's California reversal can be seen as another reminder that the ways cancer works inside the body are complex and not yet fully understood. 

Delson said there's still a chance that California may reverse course once again and require that businesses warn people about a link between coffee and cancer, since the OEHHA's decisions are never final. But given the data thus far, he considers that is "highly unlikely."

"This is a unique situation because we're dealing with a complex mixture of hundreds of chemicals," he said. "You know, nothing is 100% risk-free, but ... I'm a cancer survivor myself, and happy to drink coffee."

SEE ALSO: There's even more evidence that coffee is good for your heart — and 4 cups a day might be the ideal amount

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What happens to your body when you drink too much coffee

• The House of Representatives passed the Dream and Promise Act, which would significantly expand protections for DACA recipients and other immigrants looking for legal status, including permanent citizenship.
• The bill passed 237-187, with seven Republicans crossing the aisle and joining Democrats.
• The Republican-led Senate is unlikely to take up the legislation.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives passed an overhaul of current immigration laws that would grant legal status and citizenship to nearly 2.5 million illegal immigrants.

The Dream and Promise Act, which is more sweeping than the original DREAM Act that repeatedly failed during the last Congress under Republican control, would create a very different system for individuals benefiting from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and more.

The bill passed 237-187, with seven Republicans crossing the aisle and joining Democrats.

Read more: Trump's national emergency declaration for a border wall survives after House fails to override veto

The Dream and Promise Act aims to implement several key reforms for DACA recipients, immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients from Liberia.

Under the plan, the TPS and DED immigrants could immediately apply for green cards as long as they have been in the United States since 2016. After five years with a green card, they could then apply for US citizenship.

For the DACA recipients, who came to the US illegally while they were minors, the process would include first applying for conditional permanent residency. The requirements for that entail entering the US before the age of 18 and having been stateside for the last four years, no felony criminal record or a combination of three misdemeanors that resulted in more than 90 days of jail time, and have a high school diploma or GED.

DACA recipients would also be afforded a pathway to citizenship through eventually applying for a green card or in other ways, including military service.

Read more: Trump is raging that 'DACA is dead' while ignoring his rejection of bipartisan deals that would have saved it

The bill is unlikely to see a vote in the Senate, which is still controlled by Republicans. But the bill's passage provides a window into how Democrats aim to make significant reforms if they manage to take back the White House and keep their House majority.

The proposals in the bill are much more comprehensive than passed attempts to provide a permanent solution for DACA recipients. Attempts to use DACA reforms as a bargaining chip on other legislation repeatedly failed during the last Congress, now House Democrats are passing standalone packages, which will likely never make it to President Donald Trump's desk.

SEE ALSO: Here's everyone who's qualified for the first 2020 Democratic presidential debates taking place in Miami later this month

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Fox News pundits are using white supremacist language tied to 'The Great Replacement' conspiracy theory

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.

Of the many technologies reshaping the world economy, distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) are among the most hyped. DLTs are most often associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but such coverage sidelines the broader use cases of DLTs, even though they stand to make a far bigger impact on the broader the financial services (FS) industry.

DLT's value lies in its ability to centralize record-keeping, while cutting out the need for authorization by an overseeing party, instead allowing a record to be confirmed by multiple parties with access to the database. This means DLTs have the potential to streamline financial institutions' (FIs) operations, boost data security, improve customer relationships, and drastically cut costs. But many FIs have struggled to implement DLTs and reap the rewards, because of organizational obstacles, but also because of issues rooted in the technology itself. There are a few players working to make the technology more usable for FIs, and progress is now being made.

In a new report, Business Insider Intelligence takes a look at what DLTs are and why they hold so much promise for FS, the sectors in which DLTs are gaining the most traction and why, and the efforts underway to remove the obstacles preventing wider DLT adoption in finance. It also examines the few FIs close to unleashing their DLT projects, and how DLTs might transform the nature of FS if adoption truly takes off. 

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• DLTs are proving attractive to FIs because of their ability to act as a single source of truth, distribute information securely, cut out middlemen, improve transaction times, and cut redundancy and costs.
• DLTs like blockchain and smart contracts stand to save the FS industry up to $50 billion a year through improved operational efficiencies, reduced human error, and better regulatory compliance. 
• The technology is being explored actively across FS, with trade finance, insurance, and capital markets proving especially active. Overall adoption is still low because of organizational and technical hurdles, but these are now being eliminated, promising to boost implementation.
• A few FIs have pulled ahead of the curve and are very close to taking their DLT projects live, if they haven't already. These players can serve as useful case studies for other institutions in getting their DLT solutions live.

In full, the report:

• Looks at what DLTs are, and why the FS industry is working hard to make use of them. 
• Gives an overview of the financial segments which are seeing the most DLT activity, and what they stand to gain.
• Outlines efforts being made to make DLT more approachable and usable for the FS industry.
• Examines use cases in which FIs have managed to take their pilots live, and what they can teach their peers. 

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	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
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• New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, a Facebook investor, has called for an independent investigation into the company's governance structure.
• The demand opens up a new front in the war on Mark Zuckerberg's power after independent shareholders voted overwhelmingly to oust him as chairman last week.
• In a letter to Facebook's independent board member Susan Desmond-Hellmann, Stringer said the company "has failed to adjust to the additional responsibilities that come with the company's vastly expanded size."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An activist Facebook investor has opened up a new front on the war on Mark Zuckerberg, calling for an independent investigation into the company's governance structure.

The demand was made by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who controls about $785 million worth of Facebook stock, and it follows independent shareholders voting overwhelmingly for change at Facebook.

At the social network's annual shareholder meeting last week, 68% of outside investors voted for Zuckerberg to be ousted as chairman, while 83.2% demanded that Facebook's dual-class share structure be abolished.

Despite the strength of feeling, the proposals were swatted away by Zuckerberg and Facebook management because of their overwhelming voting power. Class B shares, which are controlled by insiders, have 10 times the voting power of class A stock.

The outcome, and Facebook's reticence to change, has prompted Stringer to go public with his call for an independent investigation. He wrote to Susan Desmond-Hellmann, Facebook's lead independent board member, on April 15 and set out his demands. Business Insider has seen a copy of the letter.

Within the seven-page missive, he called on Desmond-Hellmann to take "decisive action" and commission an investigation into how "governance arrangements have contributed to the development of Facebook's corporate culture, inadequate responses to significant problems and failure to recognize increased responsibilities to stakeholders."

Read more: Facebook shareholder revolt gets bloody: Powerless investors vote overwhelmingly to oust Mark Zuckerberg as chairman

Stringer said this must be done by someone who is independent of the board amid concerns that even external board members, such as Desmond-Hellmann, "lack the objectivity necessary to assess governance arrangements" because they "owe their seats" to Zuckerberg. His suggestion was an "outside expert," potentially one with links to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Stringer and other outside shareholders have looked on in horror as a string of scandals have swept through Facebook. Stringer listed many in his letter, including election interference, hate speech, and the giant Cambridge Analytica data breach last year.

"Facebook tinkers around the margins ... but has not yet, at least publicly, considered more far-reaching changes," he wrote. "Facebook has failed to adjust to the additional responsibilities that come with the company's vastly expanded size and reach."

In a statement sent to Business Insider, Stringer added:

Mark Zuckerberg's outsized role at Facebook must end. The company is depending entirely on one person, who is accountable to no one, to run the day-to-day and conduct oversight of the company's ever-expanding operation, which demonstrates a lack of basic business sense and keeps the company in a constant state of turmoil. Facebook's insular boardroom must be cracked open because the company has no accountability to its users, its investors, or our democracy.

Business Insider has contacted Facebook for comment.

The company has responded to Stringer's letter, but Business Insider understands that it has said little to suggest that it would acquiesce to his demand. Instead, it is understood the company pointed to governance changes made last year, when it beefed up the power of its audit committee, which is chaired by former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles.

The New York City comptroller hopes that other investors will join his call for an independent investigation. Work is already underway to propose another shareholder vote on an independent chairman. 

SEE ALSO: Facebook investors claim victory after the firm made a quiet change to avoid another data disaster

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Facebook's scandals weren't enough for people to stop using it. Here's how the company has held up through data hacks, lawsuits, and massive security threats.

• Former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada broke with his former congressional colleagues and said it was time to open an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
• "It's not the right thing to do nothing," the former senate majority leader said in an interview with USA Today on Monday. "It's not the right thing to jump into impeachment without doing an inquiry."
• Reid suggested that an inquiry would "give the American people a view of what's going on."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada broke with his former congressional colleagues and said it was time to open an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

"It's not the right thing to do nothing," the former senate majority leader said in an interview with USA Today on Monday. "It's not the right thing to jump into impeachment without doing an inquiry."

Reid suggested that an inquiry would "give the American people a view of what's going on."

Reid's comments come amid a growing wave of congressional Democrats who have called for an inquiry. The majority of House Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have either opposed or remained silent on the matter.

Pelosi justified her reluctance to begin the impeachment process and described it as an "easy way out."

"I think I'm an expert on why he shouldn't be president of the United States," Pelosi said during a private meeting, according to unnamed sources cited in a Washington Post report earlier in May. "I think impeachment is too good for him."

"But one person knows more why he shouldn't be president of the United States, and that is Donald Trump," she added, according to the report. "And he tells us every single day."

The majority of self-described voters in the US agreed with the statement that Trump "committed impeachable offenses," according to an INSIDER poll conducted between May 31 to June 2. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they agreed with the statement, and 31% of that group said they "strongly agree."

Read more: Here are all the major congressional Democrats and 2020 presidential candidates who want to impeach Trump

Opening an impeachment inquiry requires the House to vote on whether the House Judiciary Committee ought to investigate whether Trump's behavior amounted to "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

After the investigation and public hearings, at least one article of impeachment would have to get through a House majority vote. If passed, two-thirds of the Senate would still have to vote to convict the president. At least 20 Senate Republicans would have to cross party lines to vote with Democrats to remove the president.

Democrats have urged for an inquiry in light of a spate of congressional subpoenas that current and former Trump officials have refused to comply with. Some lawmakers theorize that folding the investigations into the impeachment inquiry would likely add to Congress' oversight power and help gather information.

SEE ALSO: Here are all the major congressional Democrats and 2020 presidential candidates who want to impeach Trump

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NOW WATCH: Fox News pundits are using white supremacist language tied to 'The Great Replacement' conspiracy theory

• As Google's new partnerships executive Lori Conkling explained at The Information's WTF Conference on Tuesday, learning the Silicon Valley's internal lingo can be a tedious task. 
• Sometimes, Conkling said, she sat in meetings at Google with no idea what was being discussed. 
• To understand what projects her colleagues are referencing, the partnerships exec said Google has an internal site dedicated to decoding the code names for its employees. 
• That internal site is called "go/what," a current Google employee told Business Insider.
• The source said the site acts as an internal glossary with descriptions of commonly used acronyms like "TGIF"— the company's all-hands meeting — and phrases like "Nooglers"— new employees at Google. 
• However, most project code names are not listed on go/what, the source said, likely due to security reasons. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Starting any new job can be daunting. But at Google, the experience can be especially overwhelming. 

That's because — like Google's Global Head of Partnerships for YouTube and Fiber, Lori Conkling, explained on stage at The Information's WTF Conference on Tuesday— employees at the Silicon Valley tech giant often speak in acronyms and project code names that can take time to learn.

According to Conkling — who joined Google in March of this year after more than six years at NBCUniversal — the company-speak and code names used amongst employees was the biggest culture shock for her when she started. Sometimes, she said, she sat in meetings with no idea what was being discussed. 

Once, a colleague messaged her saying, "yt?" she remembered. Conkling thought it meant "YouTube?" and didn't know how to respond. She eventually realized that "yt?" stood for "you there?"

Beyond the acronyms, understanding project code names can be particularly difficult, Conkling said, because each project takes on an obscure name, like "Falcon" or "Yellow Submarine."To understand what projects her colleagues are referencing, Conkling said she relied on a special internal site at Google that's dedicated to helping employees decode the jumble of code names. 

That internal site is called "go/what," a current Google employee told Business Insider. The source said the site acts as an internal glossary with descriptions of commonly used acronyms like "TGIF"— the company's all-hands meeting, which actually take place on Thursday afternoons — and phrases like "Nooglers"— new employees at Google. 

Read more:19 words only Googlers understand

Most project code names are not listed on go/what, the source said. They hypothesized that for security purposes, only projects that have been declassified, finished, or made public are put on the site for employees to reference. 

Another former employee told Business Insider that decoding current project codes names would be a "goldmine for leaks." 

A Google spokesperson confirmed that an internal glossary of common acronyms and phrases exists, but said the there was not a site solely for decoding project code names. The spokesperson also said that not all Google projects are christened with code names. 

As for what a Googler is supposed to do if they can't figure out what a project code name stands for, and it's not on the internal site, the current employee had some simple advice: "You just have to ask around." 

SEE ALSO: A Google programmer just published a book of hilarious cartoons that shows what it's really like to work at the search giant

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NOW WATCH: Facebook's scandals weren't enough for people to stop using it. Here's how the company has held up through data hacks, lawsuits, and massive security threats.

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.

5G is coming, and wireless networks are poised for transformation thanks to its blazing fast connections, near-instantaneous response times, and massive device support. The networks will support over 1.5 billion 5G phones in use worldwide by 2024.

Companies across the digital space need to know what this generational shift will do to enable new practices, expand revenue streams, and embed their technology even deeper into consumer’s lives and enterprise workflows. And 5G won’t be acting alone: The development of AI technologies will fuel the rise of autonomous cars and trucks and the growth of smart speakers, all of which are acting alongside one another and ushering in a transformed world.

To help navigate this fast-changing landscape, Business Insider Intelligence has forecast the key figures that will define the next five years for telecommunications and technology leaders. The Telecoms & Tech Forecast Book gives you the data you need to make decisions on how to navigate the quickly evolving mobile, communications, and technology space.

Here are some examples of the forecasts included in the deck:

• Global smart speaker installed base
• Global 5G-equipped phone installed base
• Enterprise AR & VR headset shipments
• Annual US cellular infrastructure spending

The companies mentioned in the report are: Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi, Google, Apple, Roku, Snap, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, UPS, Magic Leap

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >>Purchase & Download Now
2. Subscribe to a Premium pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the IoT.

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• Thirty-seven migrant children between the ages of five and 12 stayed in vans for hours — many overnight — last summer, while authorities struggled to reunite them with their parents, NBC News reported Monday.
• The incident occurred at the height of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which separated thousands of children from their parents.
• According to NBC News, it took 39 hours before the last child was removed from a van and reunited with a parent.
• An ICE spokesman told the network that since that incident, "no child has spent more than a few hours waiting to be reunited with their parents."
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

Thirty-seven migrant children between the ages of five and 12 spent between 11 and 39 hours in vans last summer, in a chaotic effort to reunite them with the parents they had been separated from at the border, NBC News reported Monday, citing internal emails from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The incident occurred in the immediate aftermath of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which mandated that migrant parents who crossed the US-Mexico border illegally be prosecuted, thereby separating them from their children.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reunite the thousands of migrant children who had been sent to shelters and foster families across the country, and the reunification process was at times haphazard and disorganized.

On July 15, 37 migrant children were sent on vans to Los Fresnos, Texas, to be reunited with their parents at an adults-only detention center run by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. According to emails published by NBC News, it wasn't until 39 hours later that the last child was removed from the van and reunited with a parent.

Read more: Trump is trying a risky new strategy to force Mexico to stop migrants from reaching the US. Experts say it could backfire spectacularly.

Harried emails sent back and forth between Health and Human Services officials and employees of the BCFS Health and Human Services, the nonprofit responsible for transporting the children to Los Fresnos, showed that the long wait time was caused by the detention facility "still working on paperwork."

"The children were brought back in later in the evening, but returned to the vans because it was too cold in the facility and they were still not ready to be processed in," BCFS regional director Andrew Carter said in one email to the company's CEO, after the children had already been waiting in the parking lot for eight hours. "There has to be a better process. I hope as we move forward there can be adjustments so that we don't put tender age kids in this position."

"Additional vans were called in to allow children room to sleep as were blankets and food collected from the HHS facility in Harlingen where the children had previously stayed," NBC News reported, and the first child was reunited with their parents 11 hours after arriving at 1:30 am local time.

The Department of Homeland Security did not offer comment to INSIDER on the report, and the Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment.

An ICE spokesman told NBC News the incident was "unusual," and added that "DHS took immediate action to resolve the situation and the delays were resolved. These children have all been reunited with their parents and since then, no child has spent more than a few hours waiting to be reunited with their parents."

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NOW WATCH: Nxivm founder Keith Raniere began his trial. Here's what happened inside the alleged sex-slave ring that recruited actresses and two billionaire heiresses.

Digital transformation has arrived.

Not a single industry is safe from the unstoppable wave of digitization that is sweeping through finance, retail, transportation, and more.

And in 2019, there will be even more transformative developments that will  our businesses, careers, and lives.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has put together a list of 40 Big Tech Predictions for 2019 across Apps and Platforms, Digital Media, Payments, The Internet of Things, E-Commerce, Fintech, Transportation & Logistics, and Digital Health.

Some of these major predictions include:

• Amazon will launch an Alexa-powered car product similar to Apple's and Google's.
• Amazon will buy Snapchat as the social app struggles to add users, compete with Instagram, and make money.
• Despite the hype around the Chase-Visa deal, it alone won’t mark an inflection point for contactless payments in the U.S.
• Smart speaker prices will hit $20 for the newest models.
• Social commerce will fail to gain adoption despite social platforms’ efforts.
• US-based trading app Robinhood will go public in 2019 — and it won’t be the only one.
• While drone delivery regulation inched forward in 2018, the rise of 5G will see companies taking their drone delivery tests to the next level. 
• Telemedicine won’t take off. 

Join the conversation about this story »

• Australian Federal Police on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country's national broadcaster. 
• The raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 leaked documents published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and gross misconduct in Afghanistan.
• According to the ABC, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time. 
• News of the ABC raid comes at the heels of a raid of the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens. 

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country's national broadcaster over a series of leaked government documents published in 2017, which allege misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time. 

Video from Sydney Morning Herald Journalist Lucy Cormack shows the moment AFP officers arrived at the ABC headquarters.

ABC reported that the raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 government leaks published by the ABC. The leaked documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and misconduct in Afghanistan, including the killing of unarmed Afghan men in 2012 and the flying of a Nazi flag on an Australian army vehicle.

John Lyons, Executive Editor and Head of Investigative Journalism at the ABC, said on Twitter that AFP handed over a warrant naming two reporters and a news director linked to the publishing of The Afghan Files, including investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark.

Managing Director at the ABC, David Anderson, said in a statement that the raids raised "legitimate concerns over freedom of the press." 

"It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way," Anderson continued. "This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and Defense matters."

He added that the broadcaster "stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest."

The AFP said in a statement that they executed a search warrant on the ABC headquarters in relation to "allegations of publishing classified material," which would constitute a criminal offense.

"All AFP search warrants are authorized by a magistrate or an appropriate member of the judiciary," the statement said. "This is the result of supporting documentation or material being presented to the court which provides sufficient suspicion that a criminal offence has been committed."

The AFP also stated that "no arrests are planned today as a result of this activity," and that the activity is not linked to a search warrant executed in Canberra on Tuesday local time.

The Tuesday warrant was for the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens. 

In a statement, the AFP confirmed to Business Insider Australia that it had executed a search warrant on the home in Canberra in connection "to an investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of national security information." 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the AFP's raid of Smethurst's home, saying that he was not "troubled" by government agencies upholding federal laws.

"Australia believes strongly in the freedom of the press and we have clear rules and protections for the freedom of the press,"he told journalists in London on Tuesday. 

"There are also clear rules protecting Australia's national security and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws passed by our parliament … It never troubles me that our laws are being upheld," Morrison continued.

Business Insider contacted Australia's Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance for comment.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'Blue's Clues' is making a comeback with a new look and new host. Here's what the original host, Steve Burns, did after he quit the show.

• President Donald Trump mocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and denied the Democrat's assertion that his proposed tariffs against Mexican imports are merely a bluff.
• On Tuesday, Schumer suggested the tariffs were just another sign of Trump's penchant for political showmanship.
• Trump, who is conducting a three-day state visit of the UK, published the tweet on Wednesday at 1:30 a.m. local time.
• Lawmakers from both parties warned of the tariff's consequences to the US, which is already in an ongoing trade war with China.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump mocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and denied the Democrat's assertion that his proposed tariffs against Mexican imports are merely a bluff.

"Can you imagine Cryin' Chuck Schumer saying out loud, for all to hear, that I am bluffing with respect to putting Tariffs on Mexico. What a Creep," Trump tweeted.

Trump, who is conducting a three-day state visit of the UK, published the tweet on Wednesday at 1:30 a.m. local time (Tuesday evening for much of the US).

"He would rather have our Country fail with drugs & Immigration than give Republicans a win," he added. "But he gave Mexico bad advice, no bluff!"

Earlier on Tuesday, Schumer suggested the tariffs were just another sign of Trump's penchant for political showmanship.

"Frankly, I don't believe President Trump will actually go through with the tariffs," Schumer said on the Senate floor.

"President Trump has a habit of talking tough and then retreating, because his policies often ... can't be implemented or don't make sense," Schumer added. "So I wouldn't be surprised at all if President Trump doesn't follow through on these tariffs, either."

Read more: Trump deletes tweet after flubbing congressional procedure after disaster relief bill passes in the House

Trump announced the new tariffs on Thursday, in response to what his administration described as a crisis at the US-Mexico border. Trump and his surrogates allege that Mexico has done little to curb the rising rate of migrants crossing the border, and threatened the country with tariffs as high as 25% by October.

"On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP," Trump announced on Twitter. "The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed."

"Mexico must step up and help solve this problem," Trump added in a separate statement. "For years, Mexico has not treated us fairly — but we are now asserting our rights as a sovereign Nation."

Read more: Trump says he'll slap a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods to stop the influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border

Global equities nosedived and the peso sunk following Trump's threat. Some economists theorize that the tariffs will hurt the US economy and American consumers will bear much of the burden in the looming trade measures.

Lawmakers from both parties warned of the tariff's economic consequences to the US, which is already under pressure from the trade war with China. Lawmakers could vote to overturn Trump's emergency declaration — the underlying argument for his tariffs. Trump could veto the disapproval resolution, as he did in March, but Congress could muster the required two-thirds vote to override his potential veto.

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans apparently warned Trump administration officials during a closed-door lunch meeting that "there could be trouble if the GOP-held Senate votes on disapproving the tariffs," the Associated Press reported.

"There is not much support in my conference for tariffs, that's for sure," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said to The New York Times.

"Republicans don't like taxes on American consumers, which is what tariffs are," Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said, according to USA TODAY.

"I think the president and the administration ought to be concerned about another vote of disapproval," he continued.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas likened the policy to a dangerous "game" with potentially disastrous consequences and called the tariffs a tax on Texans.

"If the outcome of this game of chicken is massive new tariffs that destroy jobs in Texas, and across the country, that would be a terrible mistake," Cruz reportedly said.

SEE ALSO: Trump deletes tweet after flubbing congressional procedure after disaster relief bill passes in the House

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NOW WATCH: Fox News pundits are using white supremacist language tied to 'The Great Replacement' conspiracy theory

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can log in and read the report here.

Social platforms are ramping up on emergent video formats to drive new and deeper forms of engagement across their sites and apps, yielding new opportunities for brands.  

As platforms experiment beyond in-feed videos, new formats and user behaviors around social video present meaningful opportunities for brands to reach millions of social users. In 2018, social platforms saw explosive growth around innovative video formats like Stories; a rising push around communal video experiences; the launch of new video-centric hubs on social platforms (e.g. IGTV); and the expansion of more premium or longer-form fare. 

In The Social Video Report, Business Insider Intelligence examines how video is evolving on social platforms, and how each platform's priorities are developing and shifting as social networks seek to scale viewership on this content. Social platforms continue to undergo transitions in a bid to capture user attention, but each represents a significant key to understanding how the social video landscape is expanding and reorganizing around new formats and distribution models. 

The companies mentioned in this report are: ByteDance, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Social video advertising investment is expected to grow significantly in coming years. Social video ad spend is expected to reach $25.6 billion by 2023, up 128% from $11.2 billion in 2018, per Business Insider Intelligence forecasts.
• Social video ad spend flows overwhelmingly to the dominant social platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat. Nearly three-quarters of YouTube ad revenue comes from video content, 60% for Snapchat, and 55% for Twitter, per eMarketer. Video is only 30% of Facebook’s total ad revenue, but the social giant accounts for the largest share of social video ad spend overall. 
• The Stories format has seen explosive growth over the past year. That growth continues to flow overwhelmingly to Instagram: Instagram Stories hit 500 million daily active users (DAU) as of Q4 2018, up from just 150 million DAU in Q1 2017. Instagram is the leading platform for Stories consumption and sharing: 54% of users say they use Instagram Stories the most, compared with other platforms, per Business Insider Intelligence exclusive data.
• Instagram launched IGTV, which it intended to be a YouTube competitor on long-form, user-generated video — albeit mobile-first and vertically oriented. If IGTV can convert Instagram's 1 billion users to consume video there, it could represent a massive, scalable opportunity as soon as the platform starts to monetize the section with advertising.
• Facebook Watch has pivoted to a communal viewing focus as it looks to scale viewership. But even though half of US adults say they've never even heard of Watch, some shows have demonstrated that they can gain loyal followings nevertheless.
• Snapchat continues to traffic heavily in ephemeral video, but the app is ramping up on premium video through Snapchat Originals. That push has helped drive a surge in video engagement on the app: As of fall 2018, the amount of time users spent watching shows each month nearly tripled since January 2018.
• TikTok's rapid growth has suggested that there's space in the landscape for short-form social video. TikTok has been downloaded more than 1 billion times globally, and was the No. 4 non-game app worldwide in 2018 on both iOS and Android devices, per Sensor Tower data. 

In full, the report:

• Examines and forecasts the rapid growth of social video ad revenue through 2023 across each major platform.
• Identifies how video formats are evolving on social platforms as companies seek to drive new types of engagement among users.
• Presents a platform-by-platform portrait of key social platforms' emergent video efforts and how they're each performing on key measures, including audience uptake and monetization. 

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> Purchase & Download Now
2. Subscribe to a Premium pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> Learn More Now

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you've given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of social video.

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UPS and FedEx have dominated the US logistics industry — in particular, the last mile of delivery, where a courier brings a customer their order. FedEx estimates that more than 95% of all e-commerce orders in the US are delivered by itself, UPS, or the US Postal Service (USPS).

But e-commerce sales are on the rise, leading to a surge in package volume — and legacy shippers don't have the capacity or network to quickly deliver parcels. This has opened cracks in the space and presented a significant opportunity for last mile delivery startups to emerge.

From crowdsourcing to drones, here’s how 14 legacy companies and startups are evolving to tackle e-commerce's growing delivery problem.

1. FedEx

FedEx offers door-to-door delivery service for time-sensitive packages through FedEx SameDay. Users can apply for accounts to use exclusively for same-day services 24/7/365 in all 50 US states. The logistics giant also offers SameDay Freight services for shipments greater than 150 lbs.

FedEx Freight has plans to run five pilot programs for last mile delivery service, called “FedEx Freight Direct,” in the first half of 2019, first in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, followed by Atlanta, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Omaha. “Standard” service will include drivers bringing shipments to a residence’s first point of entry, while “premium” service would include the white glove treatment of carrying shipments to the customer’s room of choice, unpacking boxes, and possibly assembling products if necessary,

Learn about FedEx same-day delivery.

2. UPS

During the 2017 holiday season, UPS struggled to bring consumers their parcels on time due to higher than expected volume, which upset its high-volume retail partners like Macy’s and Walmart. And with the shadow of Amazon steadily encroaching, the pressure is on UPS to offer faster service.

In addition to standard ground and 2-day shipping, UPS provides a range of urgent and same-day delivery services with UPS Express Critical. Options include Air, Surface, Charter, Hand Carry, International, Secure, Inside Precision, and Value Added Services depending on the sender’s shipment needs.

It’s worth noting that, despite the 2017 holiday delivery pains, consumers like UPS’ tracking features best and consider it the leader of all logistics companies in customer service,  according to Business Insider Intelligence’s 2018 Delivery Trust Survey.

Learn about UPS same-day delivery.

3. XPO

Greenwich, Connecticut-headquartered XPO Logistics has over 1,500 locations in 32 countries. It had an impressive Q2 2018, largely aided by introducing an online freight marketplace to help its customers find carriers to move their shipments, and its 2015 acquisition of UX Logistics has improved last-mile delivery capabilities by offering a broader network of truck brokerage, expedited transportation, intermodal, technology-enabled contract logistics, and freight forwarding services.

XPO also offers expedited deliveries globally, and same-day courier services completing orders 24 hours a day, 364 days a year in the Tri-State areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. XPOs courier service is comprised of uniformed employees, fleets of vehicles, and flexible options: same-day, next-day or pre-planned (routed and scheduled). For businesses employing their courier services, XPO offers customized engineering solutions, API/EDI connectivity for retail and e-commerce clients, and dedicated account managers.

Learn about XPO.

4. USPS

The post office is lagging in same-day service for consumers, but offers Priority Mail Express, which comes with an Overnight Delivery Guarantee by 3pm (or earlier, if available, and at an additional charge).

The USPS calculates its Priority Mail Express prices based on the weight of the piece (up to 70 lbs), and how far it’s traveling, unless the sender is using USPS-provided Priority Mail Express Flat Rate packaging, which starts at $24.70.

For businesses, USPS does offer more robust same-day service through its The Last Mile Technologies experience. This suite of last mile solutions provides shipping transparency and efficiency “for business mailers and end-consumers alike” with intelligent scanning and documentation, real-time tracking, predictive delivery times, dynamic routing, and delivery performance analytics.

Learn about the USPS and its Last Mile Technologies.

5. Walmart

Walmart has been steadily pushing into grocery delivery — and even tapping into self-driving vehicles for pilot programs in select locations. Same-day grocery comes with a minimum purchase order of $30 and a $9.95 flat rate delivery fee, or customers can choose to pick their groceries up at a Walmart location for free. For in-store pickup, consumers order online, select a time slot, and Walmart employees will do all the in-store shopping and load their cars for them.

Same-day store pickup is available for some non-grocery items as well, and customers can track estimated arrival times and score in-store pickup discounts through the Walmart app.

The same-day delivery options are more robust for Walmart’s subsidiary Jet.com, an e-commerce marketplace geared towards more affluent urban consumers. In the summer of 2018, Jet.com added same-day delivery to New York City for groceries, everyday essentials, and select merchandise.

Finally, autonomous vehicle delivery isn’t the only tech innovation on the horizon for Walmart; the company filed a patent for a blockchain-based system that would allow delivery drones to exchange information — slashing delivery times and driving down costs.

Learn about Walmart’s same-day grocery and in-store pickup and Jet.com.

6. Amazon

Amazon presents the biggest near-term threat to the UPS and FedEx duopoly due to its size, innovation, and high level of consumer trust. Shipping is Amazon’s second highest cost, and it continues climbing every year ($28bn in '18e and $38bn in '19e) as the e-commerce giant steadily builds out its logistics infrastructure and delivery network.

A few of the retail behemoth’s many recent logistics pushes include its “Shipping with Amazon” third-party solution, providing overhead cost incentives for independent contractors to launch logistics companies to make deliveries on Amazon’s behalf, acquiring PillPack for prescription delivery, and developing autonomous drone prototypes and architecture in its Project Wing.

Prime members are already familiar with the company’s 2-day free shipping policy and its on-demand same-day delivery service, Prime Now, which guarantees free one- and two-hour deliveries. Since 2015, the company has been building out its same-day and last mile capabilities with Amazon Flexcrowdsourced delivery, which lets customers order and receive packages through Prime Now.

The app is open to people who have cars (except in select regions allowing commercial bicycles), making the service particularly attractive to rideshare drivers who may want to make extra money without having strangers or potentially disruptive passengers in their cars.

Anyone 21 or older with a smartphone, car, and valid driver’s license can log into the app and schedule their availability to start making deliveries, which originate at an Amazon location, store, or restaurant. Drivers use their smartphone camera and GPS to scan packages and get turn-by-turn directions to their destinations. As long as they deliver the package within the allotted time frame, couriers make $18-25 an hour — all through a cashless transfer to their digital wallet on the app.

Learn more aboutAmazon Flex.

7. Postmates

Postmates is a San Francisco-based urban logistics platform operating in 18 US cities that aims to enable “anyone to have anything delivered on-demand.” The mobile platform is available as an iOS or Android app and connects customers with businesses and nearby couriers to place orders from local stores and restaurants.

The company touts ability to empower communities to shop local without waiting, and empower businesses to better compete with large companies by offering delivery or pickup through their open API. Users can choose to pay delivery fees ad hoc or pay $7.99/month (billed annually) for a year of free delivery with Postmates Unlimited. The service also offers customizable gift cards.

Learn about Postmates.

8. Deliv

Deliv is a general use last mile solution offering same-day service to over 4,000 omnichannel businesses in 35 cities across the country, including Macy’s, Best Buy, Walmart, and IBM. Instead of just fulfilling ad hoc deliveries for consumers, Deliv seeks to be a long-term business partner solving companies’ last mile problem — evidenced by its breakdown into Deliv Small Business, Deliv Enterprise, and Deliv Fresh for groceries.

It offers SLAs, performance metrics, and integrations into business’ online checkout processes. And the company is growing. In February, 2018, it launchedDeliv Rx to extend these same-day services to patients, doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, labs, and clinics.

Learn more aboutDeliv.

9. Hitch

Tampa-based startup Hitch gives consumers, “the choice to be Shippers, Travelers, or both.” The platform touts tapping into people power by pairing up shippers (the people placing the orders) with travelers (the local couriers) who are already heading in the direction that the item needs to go.

Shippers put out requests to have packages delivered, and Travelers can input travel information to see if there are any available deliveries along their route. The app uses GPS to find the quickest route and provide tracking, as well as camera functionality to show proof of delivery.

All payments are exchanged through Hitch’s third-party payment processing partner, Stripe, and users rate each other after each delivery as a part of the community vetting process.

Learn more aboutHitch.

10. Darkstore

Darkstore is San Francisco-based urban fulfillment technology company operating in 40 US markets. Its key value proposition is Hosted Shopping Cart, which allows businesses to offer one hour delivery, same-day delivery, or standard shipping by adding just one line of code to their online checkout process.

Darkstore considers itself delivery agnostic; rather than making the deliveries itself, Darkstore leans on robotic automation, AI, and its own API to intelligently route deliveries to the nearest carrier. Some of its delivery partners include Deliv, UPS, FedEx, Postmates, and the USPS.

Learn about Darkstor

11. ShipHawk

ShipHawk is a Santa Barbara-based SaaS company branding itself as the Smart Transportation Management System™ (TMS). Its transportation management and shipping software, TMS 2.0™, helps businesses save money, automate workflows, provide an on-brand buying experience, and run data-driven supply chains.

The all-in-one shipping intelligence solution offers multi-carrier rating, smart packing and order fulfillment, a carrier network for rate optimization, on-brand tracking, internal documentation, and detailed reporting and analytics to monitor carrier performance.

Learn about ShipHawk.

12. Narvar

San Francisco-based Narvar is focused on improving everything that happens after the Buy button. The platform enhances three aspects of the post-purchase phase of the customer journey: Convert by setting delivery expectations and communication preferences in cart, Engage with customers by giving them branded experiences while they wait, and Care for the relationship by making the returns process seamless and easy.

Narvar uses machine learning to help businesses monitor interactions and understand customer trends. It integrates directly with e-commerce platforms, marketing tools, email service providers, and user-generated content, and leverages a network of more than 300 global carriers for fast, efficient delivery and returns.

Learn about Narvar.

13. Piggybee

Piggybee is a Brussels-based crowdshipping community. The service, which originally focused on European locations but has since expanded more globally, allows users to search for travelers much like they’d search for flights — by browsing departures and arrivals in different cities. Users also have the option to “post their trip” to request a delivery to a specific location.

When a user has found a traveler headed to their desired destination, they can message them to discuss purchase price and tip. In the spirit of travel, the service encourages users to consider trading accommodations, transport, or local advice in lieu of paying couriers a fee. After delivery, travelers are tipped through Piggybee MoneySafe, and rated.

Learn about Piggybee.

14. Entrusters

Entrusters is an Argentina-based crowdshipping platform that touts “shopping without borders” to let consumers buy the best items at the best prices from abroad. It connects users to “Trusted Travelers” who use their extra luggage space to transport deliveries internationally.

Originally tied to Amazon, the platform has expanded to allow people to purchase items from any URL by selecting Buy It Now or requesting a delivery to their desired location. Like Piggybee, Entrusters encourages sharing authentic local experiences but, unlike Piggybee, its couriers can set delivery fees to help offset travel expenses.

Learn about Entrusters.

Last mile, same day & crowdsourced delivery market outlook

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has written an in-depth report examining the rise of the crowdsourcing model in the last-mile delivery space.

The CrowdSourced Delivery Report details the top use cases for crowdsourced deliveries, as well as the benefits and challenges of using this model for delivering online orders. It provides insights into how crowdsourced deliveries can be better optimized for e-commerce, and explains the long-term potential of last mile delivery startups populating the space as automation starts to play a bigger role in the last mile.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >>Purchase & Download Now
2. Subscribe to a Premium pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> Learn More Now

SEE ALSO: How the rise in e-commerce is presenting opportunities for new entrants to challenge UPS and FedEx in last-mile deliveries

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