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Weight WatchersFounded in 1963 by New York City housewife Jean Nidetch, Weight Watchers is a health and wellness company that was once considered the world's leading commercial weight-loss program, with its market cap peaking in 2018 at more than $6B. Weight Watchers rose to popularity in the 1960s via a behavioral psychology-informed approach to weight loss, with the support-group-like environment of its Weight Watchers meetings at the center of its methodology. In 1997, the program began assigning a point value to every food and drink, with members counting points rather than calories. While it is also known for selling Weight Watchers-branded foods in major grocery stores and online, the majority of its revenue has historically come from relatively affordable membership fees. Weight Watchers began to offer access to GLP-1 medications as part of its program in 2023, but the rise of GLP-1 weight loss medications beginning around 2021 is among the factors that have upended the business in recent years. When Weight Watchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025, its market cap had shrunk about 99% from its peak to a mere $23M.Explore Weight Watchers
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The Heinz Company acquired Weight Watchers for $71M in 1978 before selling the company to private equity firm Artal Luxembourg in 1999 for about $735M—more than 10 times the amount Heinz paid for it. Company HistoriesIn 2018, Weight Watchers announced a free program for teens as young as 13—and faced significant backlash from the eating disorder recovery community as a result. CNBCWeight Watchers briefly changed its name to 'WW' in 2018 before quietly changing it back to Weight Watchers a few years later. Marketing DiveTalk show host Oprah Winfrey spent about $43M in 2015 to buy a 10% stake in Weight Watchers and join its board of directors, going on to lose 40lbs using the program. Inside EditionWeight Watchers began offering access to GLP-1 weight-loss medications in 2023 after losing more than 1.5 million members over the previous two years. TODAYWeight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch had a gambling problem, burning through the $7M she made from the company's sale to Heinz after moving to Las Vegas. HerMoneyQueens, New York, housewife Jean Nidetch founded Weight Watchers in 1963 after someone mistook her for being pregnant. Business WarsIn 2025, Weight Watchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after reporting revenue and profit losses for multiple consecutive years, with its stock price losing about 99% of its value between 2018 and 2025. Company ManLincoln Logs, the popular children's toy, was designed by John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who was inspired by his father's foundation of Tokyo's Imperial Hotel. Artnet NewsDeepfake videos impersonating real doctors are spreading false medical adviceMore than 100 videos, found primarily on Instagram and TikTok in August 2025, promoted products related to beauty, wellness and weight loss. While TikTok removed 94% of content violating its policies on AI-generated content, these deepfakes were watched and shared before removal, undermining public trust in medicine. CBS NewsIn recent years, orcas have begun sinking boats and other orcas are following in their footstepsFor just over five years, killer whales have been ramming (and occasionally sinking) expensive yachts, sailboats, and fishing boats in waters near European coasts. Scientists believe these incidents are the result of play rather than aggressive attacks. USA TODAY87% of the startups in Y Combinator’s Fall 2025 batch were AI companiesY Combinator also recently increased its number of cohorts or “batches” per year from two to four. Its leaders cited artificial intelligence’s rise as a reason for the increase. Fast CompanySome of the 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek's best quotes"The secret to happiness, of course, is not getting what you want; it's wanting what you get." USA TODAYHistory's weirdest weight loss fads, fact-checkedNothing catches popular attention more than a claim to have found a quick weight-loss technique. History shows us such claims are often unfounded. Dr. Michael Mosley explores extreme weight-loss tips from history, from tapeworms to vinegar diets. HistoryExtraUnderwater nighttime photos capture the ocean's diversitySelf-taught photographer Steven Kovacs explores Palm Beach's ocean after sunset, capturing tiny sea creatures in deep waters. Over eight years, he's dived into Florida's eastern coast, drifting from 0 to 100 feet, photographing rarely seen larval fish. Lacking formal marine biology training, Kovacs collaborates globally to identify species like cusk eels and the female blanket octopus, known for its revealing membrane. Check out his photos here. Colossal
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