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Applying for a new job? You might be interviewed by artificial intelligence. Recruiters, overwhelmed by AI-generated job applications, are using chatbots, mainly for initial screenings. This trend is growing as technology advances. Many find AI interviews unsettling, but they're becoming common. If you're faced with an AI job interview, experts advise preparation and practicing answers out loud. AI interviews often focus on behavioral questions, requiring specific examples and metrics. Candidates should avoid using AI to craft responses, as it can be easily detected.

A new exhibit called "Hidden Treasures" shines a light on the 250 year cultural dialogue between France and the U.S. through the lens of French luxury goods. The Comité Colbert, which represents top French luxury brands, opened the exhibit on May 26. It features artifacts from 65 French luxury houses. Each item is displayed as a cabinet of curiosities inside a shipping container to represent the trans-Atlantic trade between the two countries. Several CEOs arrived in New York for a week of events and to visit the exhibit on display from May 26 through May 31 at The Shed in New York. The French luxury sector continues to invest in its U.S. market with new store openings ahead.

The Flywheel Investment Conference recently brought entrepreneurs and investors from across Washington to Wenatchee while spotlighting local startups and young innovators from North Central Wa…

Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, often hears people express sympathy for her role, assuming bookstores are disappearing. However, independent bookstores are actually thriving. Membership in the association grew by 540 over the past year, reaching 3,417 stores. This is nearly double from a decade ago. The growth includes various types of stores, from traditional to mobile and pop-up shops. Hill notes that people are seeking realignment with their values, driving this resurgence. Despite challenges like high costs and budget cuts, the independent bookstore scene remains vibrant, though Hill describes it as "precarious."

PayPal, a pioneer in online payments, is facing significant challenges nearly three decades after its inception. The company is struggling to maintain its dominance amid fierce competition from Apple, Shopify, and buy now, pay later services like Affirm and Klarna. PayPal's stock has plummeted nearly 40% in the past 12 months and about 80% over five years. Recently, the company replaced its CEO and reorganized into three business units. Analysts express concern that PayPal missed opportunities to leverage its brand, allowing competitors to gain market share. The company plans to update investors on its turnaround strategy soon.

When we were children, it was common to be afraid of the boogeyman. As we age, the boogeyman gets replaced with a new fear: running out of money in retirement. This concern is understandable given so many Americans are now responsible for not only building their retirement savings but also deciding how much they should pay themselves annually in retirement. It's a problem many don't feel adequately prepared to solve, especially when failure means a funding shortfall at the end of life. To engage with more complex ways of determining their retirement income, many retirees may need the motivation of personal goals. When you're working, goals help motivate you to save. In retirement, your goals can help motivate you to spend.

Lucy Gomez was one of the Wenatchee Valley Business World’s “30 Under 35,” which honors young community leaders from around the region. The Class of 2025 was announced in the October WVBW.

Valley Laser and Skin hosted a five-year ribbon-cutting celebration Thursday for its full-service medical aesthetics and wellness practice serving Wenatchee residents and surrounding communities.

The Valley Gal Boutique, a women’s clothing shop based in Quincy, expanded into Wenatchee this spring.

Recent outbreaks of hantavirus and norovirus on cruise ships are making headlines, but they're unlikely to dim vacationers' growing love of cruises. CruiseCompete.com, an online cruise marketplace, said it booked 31.7% more cabins in the first two weeks of May than it did during the same period last year. And Viking said earlier this week that demand softened slightly in the first quarter after the Iran war began before picking up steam again. Rob Kwortnik, an associate professor at Cornell University's Nolan School of Hotel Administration, said current news cycles rarely impact cruise demand because cruises are generally booked at least 6 months — and often as much as a year – in advance.

As the Pacific Northwest cherry season approaches, Wenatchee-based CMI Orchards is giving one of its signature brands a fresh look.

Jell-O is getting a line of products made without synthetic colors or artificial sweeteners to meet increasing consumer demand for natural ingredients. Kraft Heinz on Tuesday unveiled Jell-O Simply, a line of pre-made gelatin it says is made with fruit and vegetable juice and has 25% less sugar than its regular Jell-O. The range comes in three flavors — orange, raspberry lemonade and blueberry. Kraft Heinz plans to expand Jell-O Simply in August to include vanilla and chocolate instant pudding and banana and strawberry gelatin mixes. The company pledged last year to remove artificial dyes from its U.S. products by 2027.

A global supply crunch has U.S. refineries producing jet fuel at a record pace while skewing output away from gasoline, setting up a potential transport fuels production clash during the peak …

Recent presidents have stayed away from trading stocks in companies whose fortunes they could lift or scuttle with the stroke of a pen. But Donald Trump smashed that precedent in the first quarter of this year with more than 3,500 buy and sell orders, many of them involving companies whose profits have been directly impacted by his decisions as head of the government, according to a recent disclosure. Among the companies Trump traded in were Nvidia, Apple and some big defense contractors. The Trump Organization said the portfolio is managed by third parties and the president has no say in what stocks to buy and sell.

Argentina's beef consumption has fallen to its lowest level in two decades as soaring prices and weakening purchasing power push many families to replace beef with cheaper proteins like chicken and pork. Analysts say the decline has been driven by economic austerity measures under President Javier Milei, lower cattle supply and the opening of Argentina's beef market to international trade, which pushed domestic prices closer to global levels. Beef exports rose sharply this year, helped by increased demand from the United States amid American cattle shortages. At butcher shops in Buenos Aires, sellers and consumers say beef — once affordable across much of Argentine society — is increasingly becoming a luxury.

The artificial intelligence boom is leading to fights in some states over growing utility profits. Governors, attorneys general and others are protesting rising electricity bills and say cash-strapped residents are stuck in a broken system. Officials in over a half-dozen states are going to new lengths to try to block rate increases proposed by utilities. Some are pressing utilities to completely change their model for financing major system upgrades. The push comes during a midterm election year in which "affordability" is the leading theme in Democrats' attempts to loosen Republicans' control of Washington.