If Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were a student today, he says he’d focus on the physical sciences.

During a trip to Beijing on Wednesday, Huang was asked by a journalist: “If you are a 22-year-old version of Jensen [who] just graduated today in 2025 but with the same ambition, what would you focus on?”

To that, the Nvidia CEO said: “For the young, 20-year-old Jensen, that’s graduated now, he probably would have chosen … more of the physical sciences than the software sciences,” adding that he actually graduated two years early from college, at age 20.

Physical science, as opposed to life science, is a broad branch that focuses on the study of non-living systems, including physics, chemistry, astronomy and earth sciences.

Huang got his electrical engineering degree from Oregon State University in 1984 before earning his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1992, according to his LinkedIn profile.

About a year later, in April 1993, Huang co-founded Nvidia with fellow engineers Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem over a meal at a Denny’s restaurant in San Jose, California. Under Huang’s leadership as CEO, the chipmaker has now become the world’s most valuable company.

Nvidia also became the world’s first company to hit a $4 trillion market cap last week.

Although Huang didn’t explain why he says he’d study the physical sciences if he were a student again today, the tech founder has been very bullish on “Physical AI” or what he calls the “next wave.”

Over the past decade and a half, the world has moved through multiple phases of artificial intelligence, he explained in April at The Hill & Valley Forum in Washington, D.C.

“Modern AI really came into consciousness about 12 to 14 years ago, when AlexNet came out and computer vision saw its big, giant breakthrough,” Huang said at the forum.

AlexNet was a computer model unveiled during a 2012 competition that demonstrated the ability of machines to recognize images using deep learning, helping spark the modern AI boom.

This first wave is called ‘Perception AI,’ Huang said.

Then, came the second wave called “Generative AI,” “which is where the AI model has learned how to understand the meaning of the information but [also] translate it” into different languages, images, code and more.

“We’re now in this age called ‘Reasoning AI’… where you now have AI that can understand, it can generate, [and] solve problems and recognize conditions that we’ve never seen before,” he said. Artificial intelligence, in its current state, can solve problems using reasoning.

“Reasoning AI allows you to produce a form of digital robots. We call them agentic AI,” said Huang. These AI agents are essentially “digital workforce robots” capable of reasoning, he added. Today, AI agents are a key focus among many tech companies, such as Microsoft and Salesforce.

Looking ahead, the next wave is “Physical AI,” said Huang.

“The next wave requires us to understand things like the laws of physics, friction, inertia, cause and effect,” said Huang in Washington, D.C., in April.

Physical reasoning abilities, such as the concept of object permanence — or the fact that objects continue to exist even if they’re out of sight — will be big in this next phase of artificial intelligence, he said.

Applications of physical reasoning include predicting outcomes, such as where a ball will roll, understanding how much force is needed to grip an object without damaging it and inferring the presence of a pedestrian behind a car.

“And when you take that physical AI and then you put it into a physical object called a robot, you get robotics,” he added. “This is really, really important for us now, because we’re building plants and factories all over the United States.”

“So hopefully, in the next 10 years, as we build out this new generation of plants and factories, they’re highly robotic and they’re helping us deal with the severe labor shortage that we have all over the world,” said Huang.

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This weekend, some 2,000 people will gather in downtown Los Angeles for Create & Cultivate’s festival for women in business. They’ll be treated to a performance from Grammy-winning artist Doechii and hear from keynote speakers including Ciara, Ayesha Curry and Brittany Snow.

The sold-out event, which organizers are calling a “Coachella for career women,” marks the return of Create & Cultivate’s founder, Jaclyn Johnson, to the company after she sold her majority stake to a private equity firm for $22 million in 2021, according to Forbes; she, alongside the company’s new CEO Marina Middleton, bought back majority ownership by the end of 2023. 

“It wasn’t expected,” Johnson, 40, tells CNBC Make It of buying back her company. She and Middleton had already spent a year launching a new business that focused on curating 30- to 50-person events when the opportunity arose to take back ownership of Create & Cultivate.

The platform she founded in 2015, meanwhile, was facing challenges adapting its events to the pandemic era, first to online offerings and then back to in-person gatherings. The company’s revenue dropped from $14 million in 2019 to $4.7 million in 2022 and $5 million in 2023, Johnson told Forbes in 2024.

But taking back the reins, Johnson had a vision: A new approach that would combine her knack for large-scale events and Middleton’s expertise in bespoke moments where attendees can get more tailored business advice.

Johnson may be returning to her roots, but she’s doing things differently this time.

Her goal is “to be able to take a 10-year-old brand and completely reinvent it in a way that keeps the legacy and keeps the value … giving women the tools, tips and tricks they need to succeed — but give it a new breath of fresh air.”

The change isn’t without risks, but Johnson says that within the first six months of launching the festival idea, brands and talent showed interest. “Tickets were selling, and so we knew we had caught on to something special, and so we just went with that momentum,” she says.

It all goes back to the career advice Johnson lives by: “For us, we always go with our gut,” she says.

As a founder, investor, mentor and mentee, Johnson says she’s learned to trust her own experience and expertise. “I’ve done this for a long time now. And so we have this unique perspective that is really hard to find,” she says. “We know this audience, we know what they want, and let’s lean in and go all in on that.”

Johnson says the new festival is different from past Create & Cultivate events in two ways.

First is offering curated programming across four stages: a main stage that will cover entrepreneurship, business and finance topics; a “Creator Compound” to focus on all things content creation and online marketing; a “Center Court” stage for women in sports; and a test kitchen for women in food and beverage.

“We’re creating specificity in the content, and you get to choose your own adventure, like where you want to spend your time at the conference, and who do you want to learn from,” Johnson says.

The second special feature of the festival is intentional networking. Attendees have access to Connect, an AI-powered platform where they can note the type of person they want to meet (a venture capitalist or a lawyer, for example) and the system will pair them for a 15-minute intro session.

“You’re able to make these real connections, so you feel like there’s real ROI that you’re walking away with,” Johnson says, adding that the platform already has 10,000 meetings scheduled for the weekend.

With programming like Doechii’s performance and activations ranging from brow touchups to flash tattoos, Johnson adds that it’s important to incorporate fun into the business conference.

“We like to say you can come here and learn to do your taxes and get your nails done,” Johnson says. “We’re beyond hustle culture. We’ve gotten to a place where people want to enjoy what they’re building.”

“Building a business is not easy,” she adds, “and it’s not for the faint of heart. You need your village around you. So being able to do that in an environment that feels fun and beautiful and reflects what you want your life to look like, I think, is really special.”

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Sometimes, 24 hours just doesn’t feel like enough. Between work, commutes, and a growing to-do list, it’s easy to get through an entire weekday without really connecting with your partner. But staying close doesn’t require extra time — just intention.

As a psychologist who studies couples (and as a husband), I’ve seen firsthand how small daily rituals can help people feel more connected, especially when life is busy. Even better news: Intimacy isn’t something that has to wait until the weekend.

Here’s what people in the happiest relationship do during the weekdays — that most neglect.

Most mornings are rushed and chaotic: alarms, deadlines, and the hurry to get out the door. That means the only real moment spent together is waking up in the same bed, and maybe a distracted kiss before they go their separate ways.

But happy couples find small ways to start the day together, even if it’s just for five or 10 minutes. That might mean setting the alarm a little earlier to cuddle before getting out of bed, making the bed together while chatting about your dreams, or sitting side-by-side for your morning coffee — even in silence.

The point isn’t how you do it, but that you actually do it. The best couples remind each other: “Regardless of how cruddy the day ahead might be, we’ve still got each other.”

You don’t need long, drawn-out conversations during the workday to stay connected. A funny meme, a little anecdote about your daily office drama, or a quick “thinking of you” message can be enough to strengthen emotional intimacy.

The happiest couples check in — not to talk logistics, but to remind each other they’re top of mind. It takes just a few seconds (during a lunch break, coffee run, or even a quick bathroom trip) to check in with their other half.

These small notes may seem insignificant, but they’re powerful mood-boosters — and a simple way to make your partner feel seen. Not only does this nurture your sense of intimacy in the midst of a hectic day, but it’ll also bless you with a little hit of midday motivation: a reminder of the person waiting for you at home. 

Stress from the workday has a sneaky way of bleeding into time with your partner, whether it’s through email-checking or a snappy tone.

That’s why the happiest couples take a few minutes to unwind alone after the workday ends. Whether it’s a solo walk, a quick workout, or just zoning out with a snack and your favorite TV show, this “me time” helps clear the mental clutter so you can show up more present and patient for your partner.

It might sound counterintuitive, but sometimes the best way to reconnect is to recharge separately first.

Evenings can be dominated by separate routines — one partner cleans up while the other scrolls on their phone, or both crash on opposite ends of the couch.

But the happiest couples intentionally carve out one shared moment every day. No distractions, no multitasking. Maybe it’s sitting down to dinner together, playing a quick game, or watching your favorite trivia show while shouting answers at the screen. Even five minutes of undivided attention can go a long way.

What it looks like doesn’t matter. It only needs to be shared, and fiercely protected. No kids, no chores, no notifications allowed.

These nightly “audits” aren’t meant to solve problems, but they do help you stay emotionally aligned and prevent little issues from becoming bigger ones. It’s just a matter of simple questions and even simpler answers: “How are you, really?” or “Are we okay?”

Some nights, it might be statement-based: all the thank yous, sorries, or little thoughts you may not have had the time to share during the day.

Quick, nightly audits ensure that nothing goes unsaid throughout the week, only to spill out on the weekends. Most importantly, they’re the best way to tend to your connection, without exhausting yourselves in the process.

Mark Travers, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. He holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, a telehealth company that provides online psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching. He is also the curator of the popular mental health and wellness website, Therapytips.org.

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In early 2020, Indianapolis-based attorney Derrick Morgan Jr. got a call from his cousin, who was launching an architecture firm and needed help filing a trademark.

“I was like, ‘Alright, sure, I’ll help you. I haven’t done it in a while. This will be pro bono, we’ll figure it out,’” the 34-year-old tells CNBC Make It. But once he started doing the work, “it was like riding a bike — got right back into it.”

The timing was fortuitous. The Covid-19 pandemic soon shut down courts, and Morgan’s work at an Indianapolis-based law firm slowed dramatically. As a junior lawyer on contingency cases, fewer court dates meant fewer opportunities to get paid.

“I needed a way to make more money, and this trademark thing came up,” he says. That gave him the idea to list his services on Fiverr, a freelance platform where he could offer affordable trademark help to small business owners.

Morgan’s first month on Fiverr brought in about $180 — enough to cover his phone bill, he says. But it didn’t take long for demand to build. By his third month, he earned around $5,000. In month four, it jumped to $10,000.

Morgan’s approachable style resonated with small business owners and entrepreneurs, many of whom were navigating trademarks for the first time, he says. His strong reviews helped him eventually earn Fiverr’s Top Rated seller designation — the platform’s highest status.

“A lot of these prospective clients, they’re first-time business owners,” Morgan says. “They’ve never dealt with a big fancy attorney who’s going to be charging them hundreds of dollars to confuse them. I get a lot of clients because I’m approachable and I meet them where they are.”

Still, he was cautious. “Obviously, I still thought it was a fluke,” he says. “I didn’t want to quit my job after just four good months.”

For a while, he juggled both his day job and the growing freelance business. By early 2021, he reduced his hours at the law firm. A few months later, he left the role entirely to focus on his trademark business full time.

Morgan’s trademark business is on track to bring in nearly $500,000 this year — or just over $40,000 a month. He pays himself over $350,000 and works remotely with help from a paralegal and an AI assistant. Most of his clients now come through word of mouth and social media, though he still maintains a presence on Fiverr.

In practice, much of the work is procedural, which allows him to serve more clients efficiently and keep costs down, he says. He typically charges between $600 and $800 per filing, depending on the service.

The flexibility of the work fits Morgan’s lifestyle. A longtime traveler who has visited more than 60 countries, he now splits his time between Dallas and Mexico City, where he rents a furnished apartment in a walkable neighborhood known for its cafes and late-night taco spots.

By choosing to base himself in Mexico City, where his living costs are lower than in most U.S. cities, he’s able to invest 40% of his income — with the goal of reaching financial independence by age 45.

For Morgan, it’s less about building wealth and more about “being able to do what I want, when I want,” he says.

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At 78 years old, my brain is just as sharp and productive as ever.

I’ve written more than 175 books over the course of my career — on a wide range of topics, including marine biology, job interviews, ancient trees, creativity, baseball, dinosaurs, American history, resume writing, tsunamis, and Mother Goose. I also spent over three decades as a professor and worked with more than 100 schools across North America as a consultant.

Even though I’m retired now, I still write books, give presentations, and blog about psychology. My secret to staying sharp is simple: I am constantly curious.

Our brain’s chemistry changes when we become curious. Curiosity is what sharpens our intellectual powers, and keeps us mentally active well into our golden years. Here are my four hard rules for keeping my brain sharp and quick:

There’s a common belief that knowledge is the key to success. But growing research suggests that some of the most successful people embrace their own “innate ignorance.”

They understand that there is much more to learn about the world, but they don’t let that impede their progress. If anything, it galvanizes them to do more. Knowing what we don’t know can be a powerful mindset shift that sparks growth and creativity.

How to do this: Once or twice a week, select a topic you know little about, preferably one unrelated to your job or background. Maybe it’s WWII fighter pilots, prehistoric cave paintings, or square-trunked trees.

Spend five to 10 minutes learning all you can about that topic. Write down three interesting facts. This is a small but powerful way to exercise your brain.

Many of us get trapped in an endless cycle of convergent thinking, or always looking for the “right” answers.

But I’ve spent my entire career as an educator, and I can tell you that most schools trained us to focus on facts (“What is the capital of Pennsylvania?”), rather than creative answers (“Where do you think the capital Pennsylvania should be located?”).

Divergent questions, or open-ended questions that have multiple answers, encourage deeper thinking and help keep your mind flexible.

How to do this: A few times a week, ask yourself “What if…?” questions:

• What if you could relive any day of your life? What would you do?
• What if one historic event could be reversed? Which one would you select?
• What if you could be perfect in one athletic skill or talent? Which would it be? 

Not only are these questions fun, they can also generate a number of responses and paths for exploration.

According to researchers at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, experiencing awe can stimulate wonder and curiosity. 

Some examples can be holding a newborn baby, seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, or watching a kaleidoscope of butterflies dance over an open field. That sense of awe can improve our well-being, contribute to a more positive attitude, and boost curiosity.

How to do this: Once or twice a month, go to a place you’ve never been before. It doesn’t have to be somewhere far — maybe a local park or new restaurant. Find something awesome, spend time observing, and record your thoughts.

Reading outside our field of expertise may be one of the most significant things we can do to develop our natural curiosity. When we expose ourselves to different ways of thinking through literature, we open up new possibilities for learning.

Even after 50 years of teaching, my current reading list includes books not on education, but on marketing strategies, paleontology, growing tomatoes, British narrowboats, island ecology, long distance running, and redwood trees, among many others.

How to do this: Visit your local public library and pick at least three books on topics that interest you, but that you’ve never formally studied or worked in. Read at least one chapter a day. You might be surprised by where your research takes you.

Anthony D. Fredericks, Ed.D., is professor emeritus of education at York College of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Psychology Today’s Creative Insights blog, and has written over 100 nonfiction books including ”From Fizzle to Sizzle: The Hidden Forces Crushing Your Creativity and How You Can Overcome Them, ”Two-Minute Habits: Small Habits, Dynamic Creativity,” and his latest ”In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey among Ancient Trees.″ Follow him on LinkedIn.

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