What it’s like to work over the age of 80
In this week’s Sunday edition of Business Insider’s newsletter, the focus shifts to an intriguing and often overlooked segment of the workforce: Americans over the age of 80 who are still actively employed. This demographic is the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. labor market, with participation rates doubling since the early 1990s. Business Insider’s Noah Sheidlower has spent the past year interviewing nearly 200 individuals over 80 across nine states, revealing a complex tapestry of motivations behind their continued work. Some, like 93-year-old Patricia Willson, express anxiety about their financial security, stating, “I’m worried every night when I go to bed that what I have isn’t going to last until I die.” Others, like 82-year-old Bill Miller, find purpose and fulfillment in their jobs, asserting, “As long as I’m physically able to get up, get dressed, and go to work, I’m going to continue that.” This exploration not only highlights the challenges faced by older workers but also sheds light on their resilience and dedication in the face of economic uncertainty.
The newsletter also touches on other engaging topics, such as the peculiar spectacle of Bryan Johnson, a self-proclaimed longevity influencer, who recently livestreamed a five-and-a-half-hour experience on magic mushrooms. This event attracted significant attention as viewers watched Johnson, alongside notable figures like his father and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, discuss the implications of longevity science while navigating the surreal effects of psychedelics. Additionally, the newsletter humorously addresses a generational issue where millennials are increasingly relying on their parents’ homes as storage units for their belongings, reflecting a broader trend of accumulating items without the time or energy to declutter. In the realm of corporate news, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff is contemplating a potential rebranding of the company to emphasize its commitment to artificial intelligence, indicating a significant shift in focus for the tech giant. Lastly, the ongoing saga of Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is highlighted, emphasizing the complexities surrounding regulatory approval that could impact the future of this landmark deal.
Overall, this edition of the newsletter encapsulates a blend of poignant human stories, quirky cultural observations, and significant corporate developments, making it a compelling read for those interested in the evolving dynamics of work, technology, and society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6aZuwH3xfE
Timothy Wolfer
This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
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Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom.
There are many ways to acknowledge your company’s standout workers, but what about giving them a Porsche? How about an all-expenses paid trip? Check out how this company rewards
its top employees every year
.
On the agenda today:
BI’s Zak Jason watched longevity influencer Bryan Johnson
trip on mushrooms for five hours
.
Millennials have a favorite storage unit:
Mom and Dad’s house
.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is
mulling a new name
for his company.
The Netflix-Warner Bros. deal has a
long way to go before it’s approved
.
But first:
What it’s like to work over 80.
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This week’s dispatch
Jason Henry, Laura Thompson, Lanna Apisukh, Matt Martian Williams, Brittany Greeson, Cassidy Araiza, Alyssa Schukar, Bridget Bennett, Tim Gruber, Michael J. Fiedler for BI
The older Americans still in the workforce
I’m fascinated by Americans over 80 who are still working — either because they want to, have to, or both.
Older workers long past retirement age are the fastest-growing sector of the US labor market. They’re twice as likely to be in the workforce now as they were in the early 1990s.
For the past year, Business Insider has explored why this cohort is growing. What’s driving it? And what are the repercussions?
My colleague Noah Sheidlower traveled to nine states and spoke to nearly 200 people over 80 years old for this project. He interviewed a range of folks: bookkeepers and lawyers, forklift drivers and Home Depot employees, Uber drivers and substitute teachers, among many others.
Some pieces are
heartbreaking
: “I’m worried every night when I go to bed that what I have isn’t going to last until I die,” Patricia Willson, a 93-year-old job seeker with a fractured back, told Noah. “For God’s sake, I should have saved every penny I could save.”
Others are
inspiring
: “As long as I’m physically able to get up, get dressed, and go to work, I’m going to continue that,” says Bill Miller, 82, who works as a real-estate broker and part-time as a forklift driver in North Carolina.
The commonality in all of them is the thought, care, and attention to detail that
Noah brings to the subject
. “As a 24-year-old journalist wanting to cover these older workers, I heard, ‘You won’t understand’ or ‘You’re too young,'” Noah writes. “The more I wrote, the more people I found who would speak candidly — because someone was finally listening.”
We’ve published more than 20 stories and
a documentary
on what it really means to keep working past 80 in this economy.
Drop me an email and let me know what you think of the coverage at
srussolillo@businessinsider.com
.
Bryan Johnson’s long, strange mushroom trip
Bryan Johnson.
Magdalena Wosinska
Thousands of people across X, YouTube, and Instagram spent last Sunday watching the longevity influencer and centimillionaire take magic mushrooms on a livestream “for science.” BI’s Zak Jason tuned in to the five-and-a-half-hour production “for journalism.”
Zak watched as Johnson shared how he felt like a newborn baby while peeing, extolled the virtues of longevity science, and was joined by his father, his son, Grimes, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, and other business leaders, all while fearing his grip on reality may now be lost.
“We like you even more on shrooms.”
Millennials have a serious stuff problem
Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI
Yes, there is the baby boomer stuff avalanche, but they’re not the only generation accumulating useless items they can’t get rid of. Gen X, millennials, and Gen Zers are leaving their parents drowning in yearbooks, prom dresses, and Little League trophies.
Many of these storage freeloaders have their own lives and don’t have the time or energy to whittle down their items. Plus, when something lives at your dad’s house, it’s easy to pretend it’s not your problem — even though it very much is.
It’s not just boomers
.
Also read:
Inside the tax that incentivizes boomers to die in their homes, rather than selling — because it’s better for their kids
Salesforce
Agentforce
Salesforce CEO and cofounder Marc Benioff
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
How committed is Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to AI? He might change his company’s entire name to acknowledge the focus on tech.
The tech giant has rebranded several of its products under the Agentforce name, a nod to its huge bet on AI agents. When BI’s Ashley Stewart asked Benioff if he’d consider changing the entire company’s name, he didn’t shy away from the idea.
“That would not shock me,” Benioff told Ashley.
New name for a new game
.
Also read:
Marc Benioff is writing Salesforce’s annual strategy document. He shared the key details early with Business Insider.
Netflix’s not-so-sure thing
Donald Trump could be Larry and David Ellison’s hope to stop the Netflix-WBD deal.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Netflix rocked the entertainment world when it emerged as the winner in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. The $72 billion offer would give the king of streaming control of HBO and the iconic Warner Bros. movie and TV studio.
Or will it?
BI’s Peter Kafka unpacks how the deal needs regulatory approval, which is no guarantee. And it’s especially more complicated considering the people behind one of the competing bids, Larry and David Ellison, have close ties to President Donald Trump.
Netflix and chill (until you get regulatory approval)
.
Also read:
Read the memo Warner Bros. Discovery sent employees after Netflix won the bidding war for its key assets
Exclusive: Here’s what Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said about the Netflix deal at a company town hall
This week’s quote:
“I used to be naive and filled with excitement to work for a tech company, but since the layoff, I just see it as a resource to fund my life.”
— Brittney Ball, a 36-year-old who is struggling to find work after getting
laid off from Meta as a “low-performer.”
Timothy Wolfer
The Americans over 80 still working to pay the bills
Four older Americans share
why they’re still working
. Their stories reveal what it really means to keep going past 80 in an economy with little safety net.
More of this week’s top reads:
Citi dropped its 2025 managing director class —
we have the full list of 276 new MDs
.
Harvey’s $8 billion question
: How much money does it actually save lawyers?
Exclusive:
Millennium suffered big losses in
one of the $81 billion hedge fund’s favorite strategies
last month.
Economists run a secret prediction game each year. When ChatGPT took part,
here’s what happened
.
The wannabe real estate moguls
going bust
.
A Hall of Fame quarterback-turned-CEO explains why he interviews everyone he works with —
and the red flag he looks for
.
A Ferrari and over 480 takeout orders
: FBI details spending spree of Netflix director in $11 million fraud case.
The number of billionaires is on the rise — and they are richer than ever
thanks to AI
.
A 30-year-old lawyer quit Big Law. Days later, she had a term sheet
to raise $2.5 million for an AI law firm.
The BI Today team:
Steve Russolillo
, chief news editor, in New York.
Dan DeFrancesco
, deputy editor and anchor, in New York.
Akin Oyedele
, deputy editor, in New York.
Grace Lett
, editor, in New York.
Amanda Yen
, associate editor, in New York.
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