Lakshmi Varanasi is a reporter at Business Insider. She writes about innovations in AI, the future of work, and the tech industry’s most powerful players. Before Business Insider, she worked at outlets including Slate, Politico, and Reveal, covering everything from the publishing industry to consumer data breaches at Amazon.
Have a tip or a story? Contact Lakshmi Varanasi via email at lvaranasi@businessinsider.com or lvaranasi.70 on Signal.
Recent Stories
As someone who takes a lot of Ubers, I think this could be one of the company's most helpful safety features.
AI
2025-07-20T22:29:56Z
Here's how to write an effective AI prompt, according to Anthropic
Anthropic released a guide to get the most out of your chatbot prompts. It says you should think of its own chatbot, Claude, as a forgetful employee.
Tech
2025-07-20T02:38:56Z
New Windsurf CEO Jeff Wang recounts a frantic weekend of dealmaking to save the startup: 'I was on the verge of tears'
Windsurf had a wild weekend earlier this month. A deal with OpenAI fell apart. Google then poached its CEO. 48 hours later, they had a whole new deal.
AI
2025-07-19T22:25:29Z
OpenAI just won gold at the world's most prestigious math competition. Here's why that's a big deal.
An experimental LLM from OpenAI solved some of the world's hardest math problems at the 2025 International Math Olympiad, the company said.
AI
2025-07-18T20:40:06Z
This is how OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap defines AI agents
OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap says an AI agent should be able to take on work it hasn't seen before. OpenAI released its latest agent this week.
AI
2025-07-18T08:31:01Z
That free lunch your boss is offering might just be a way to get you back into the office
Sendbird, an AI customer service platform, caters bahn mi sandwiches to its workers every Friday to encourage them to come in. It's working.
AI
2025-07-17T17:48:42Z
An OpenAI employee's farewell letter offers a rare window into what it's like working at the company
Calvin French-Owen spent a little over a year on OpenAI's technical team. In a blog post he offers an insider's take on everyday life at the company.
Careers
2025-07-17T02:40:42Z
The list of major companies laying off staff this year including Intel, Scale AI, Morgan Stanley, and Meta
Layoffs have hit companies from Disney to Meta to Intel this year amid a backdrop of cost-cutting and technological change.
Finance
2025-07-14T09:15:01Z
Meet the leaders of MBB, the consulting giants advising the world's most powerful CEOs
The leaders of McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, known as MBB, are overseeing their respective consulting firms in a time of rapid change.
Tech
2025-07-13T23:19:07Z
$300 billion, 500 million users, and no time to enjoy it: The sharks are circling OpenAI
OpenAI is the world's leading AI startup. For how long will depend on how well it fends off multi-front attacks from competitors like Meta and Google.
AI
2025-07-11T19:00:52Z
Figure AI founder Brett Adcock says there will soon be as many humanoid robots as humans
"It's literally going to feel like a sci-fi movie," Figure AI founder Brett Adcock says.
AI
2025-07-09T17:27:25Z
Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang says he's waiting for Elon Musk's Neuralink before he has kids
Alexandr Wang says Neuralink and other brain-computer interfaces will help kids learn in "crazy ways."
Tech
2025-07-09T17:10:52Z
Nvidia: A complete guide to the hardware company behind the AI boom
Nvidia is one of the world's most valuable companies. Read about its history, leadership, and financials.
Politics
2025-07-07T00:17:06Z
Elon Musk says he's formed the 'America Party.' Trump says he's gone 'off the rails.'
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been a harsh critic of President Donald Trump's spending bill. Trump said Musk had "gone off the rails."
Tech
2025-07-06T16:38:56Z
Palmer Luckey named his latest company Erebor, a reference to 'The Lord of the Rings.' Here are the other tech companies inspired by the fantasy series.
Palantir, Anduril, Mithril Capital, and most recently, Erebor, all draw inspiration from the classic fantasy series, "The Lord of the Rings."
AI
2025-07-04T16:36:42Z
EY exec: 'This idea of up-skilling the entire workforce to use AI, I think it's kind of silly'
Jason Noel, the new chief technology officer of EY's Americas Consulting arm, gets specific on AI in 2025.
AI
2025-06-30T09:50:01Z
AI is learning how animals talk to each other, and could someday help humans talk to animals
Researchers are using large language models to decode the communication patterns of animals.
Tech
2025-06-29T18:12:15Z
The rise and fall of the 30-year friendship between Bill Gates and Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, two of the richest men in the world, have been friends for decades. But that friendship has cooled in recent years.
AI
2025-06-29T09:00:01Z
The CEO building the 'Ikea of factories' wants to democratize semiconductor production
Semiconductor factories are massive, expensive, and take a while to build. Brooklyn-based Nanotronics wants to change that with modular fabs.
Tech
2025-06-28T03:30:06Z
Cofounder of Neuralink rival Precision Neuroscience reveals what people often get wrong about brain implants
Neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Rapoport, cofounder of Precision Neuroscience, debunks what he believes is a misconception about brain-computer interfaces.