Lakshmi Varanasi is a reporter at Business Insider. She explores how AI is transforming industries from consulting to clean energy and reshaping the future of work. 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 at lvaranasi.70 on Signal.
Recent Stories
At Tesla Takedown protests in Michigan hundreds of people gathered to voice their concerns about the new administration.
Politics
2025-03-28T19:31:00Z
Kristi Noem took the $50K 'exotic sports car' of Rolex watches on her trip to a Salvadoran prison
Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem visited a notorious Salvadorian prison wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, which retails at around $50,000.
AI
2025-03-27T19:42:09Z
PwC launches a new platform to help AI agents work together
PwC unveils "agent OS" to integrate agents across platforms.
Healthcare
2025-03-24T19:51:53Z
Meet Anne Wojcicki, the 23andMe founder who wants to bid on the company after stepping down as CEO
Anne Wojcicki has resigned as 23andMe's CEO. She is the sister of late YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and the ex-wife of Sergey Brin.
AI
2025-03-23T22:57:55Z
The hidden cost of brainstorming with ChatGPT
New research from MIT Media Lab and OpenAI poses a question: If we rely too much on ChatGPT will we lose our sense of self?
AI
2025-03-23T18:16:29Z
OpenAI says ChatGPT might be making its most frequent users more lonely
Researchers at OpenAI and MIT found that feelings of loneliness and social isolation were pronounced among a set of ChatGPT "power users."
Tech
2025-03-23T09:15:01Z
I just returned from my second voyage to space on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. The 10-minute trip changed my perspective on life.
Lane Bess, a tech investor and CEO, has now gone to space twice on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Each time he said it reminded him what really matters.
Careers
2025-03-23T07:04:01Z
The list of major companies laying off staff this year, including Morgan Stanley, Wayfair, Block, and Meta
Layoffs have hit companies from HPE to Meta and Boeing already in 2025 amid a backdrop of cost-cutting and technological change.
AI
2025-03-22T18:42:06Z
ChatGPT is confident and Gemini avoids conflict. Here's what a workplace personality test reveals about leading AI models.
ChatGPT is assertive and results-driven, according to its DISC assessment. Gemini is a good listener.
Tech
2025-03-20T19:06:45Z
Meet Pavel Durov, the tech billionaire who founded Telegram, which now rivals WhatsApp
Pavel Durov said Telegram has hit 1 billion users, rivaling WhatsApp.
AI
2025-03-20T09:07:01Z
AI agents are all the rage. But no one can agree on what they do.
AI researchers disagree on what exactly an AI agent is or does.
Tech
2025-03-19T23:20:59Z
Deloitte exec says consultants have to 'take an engineering first mindset' amid AI disruption in the industry
Deloitte principal Jillian Wanner said AI is disrupting the consulting industry and employees need to act as "technologists and engineers first."
Transportation
2025-03-16T23:11:37Z
Virgin Atlantic and Joby are bringing flying taxis to the UK
Flying "taxis" are finally real and coming to the UK, New York and Los Angeles soon.
AI
2025-03-16T20:13:34Z
China puts America's AI industry on notice again with Ernie X1, Baidu's new model
Chinese tech giant Baidu has released AI models Ernie X1 and Ernie 4.5, intensifying competition with US AI companies.
AI
2025-03-16T01:51:15Z
5 takeaways from HumanX: Here's how key speakers managed to look past the industry's hype
I attended HumanX this week. Here are my top takeaways from the conference.
AI
2025-03-15T19:33:31Z
Elon Musk and Sam Altman have finally agreed on something
Elon Musk and Sam Altman's OpenAI have agreed to expedite a trial to hear their dispute over the company's for-profit transition.
AI
2025-03-11T18:02:39Z
CEOs are showing signs of insecurity about their AI strategies
Enterprise AI company Dataiku released a survey of 500 CEOs and found that they're worried about losing their jobs — and soon.
Careers
2025-03-09T10:45:01Z
13 successful founders who launched their careers at consulting firms
From DoorDash to Warby Parker, plenty of successful founders got their start at consulting firms like Bain and McKinsey.
AI
2025-03-08T10:42:02Z
Here's the pitch deck Deepnight used to raise $5.5 million in funding to make military night vision goggles cheaper with AI
Y Combinator startup Deepnight is looking to disrupt the field of military night vision with AI.
AI
2025-03-03T10:17:01Z
AI conferences are the new black
AI conferences are being held all over the world as the tech captures the imagination, and the funding. HumanX in Las Vegas is expecting thousands.