For decades, stories of billion-dollar company sales have generally followed the same pattern. Founders become rich, investors celebrate massive returns, and employees often get nothing more than praise for their hard work. Recently, Graham Walker has attracted attention after reportedly sharing $240 million with 540 employees following the sale of Fiberbond Corp. to Eaton in a $1.7 billion deal. Before the sale was finalized, Walker insisted that 15% of the proceeds go directly to the employees, even if they did not own shares in the company. The average worker reportedly received approximately $443,000, creating life-changing financial opportunities for many families in the small town of Minden, Louisiana. Similarly, according to a 2025 report from CNBC, Dave’s Hot Chicken, a fast-growing restaurant chain, reportedly turned 19 employees into millionaires after a massive investment deal that valued the company at nearly $1 billion. CEO Bill Phelps says this decision was deliberate from the beginning. At a time when many employees feel disconnected from corporate success, the move has sparked conversations about loyalty, leadership and how companies reward the people who help build them.

Dave’s Hot Chicken The deal that reportedly made managers millionaires

The major turning point came when private equity firm Roark Capital acquired a majority stake in Dave’s Hot Chicken in a deal reportedly worth about $1 billion. Such large investment deals are common in the restaurant industry, but what happened next surprised many.According to Bill Phelps, 19 employees became millionaires through the transaction, NRN reports. The company reportedly rewarded corporate employees, store managers and assistant managers with bonuses that were almost equal to their annual salaries. For many workers, this was potentially a life-changing moment.“I had some investors who said, ‘You’re paying too much money, it’s not right,'” he says. “As investors they were absolutely right to stand up to other investors. They have a fiduciary duty, but I have a duty to the people who built this business, and I was true to the care of all those stakeholders in this deal.”Phelps later explained that some investors were uncomfortable with how much money was being distributed to employees. From a financial perspective, investors often prioritize earning maximum profits and protecting returns for shareholders.

How Dave’s Hot Chicken turned a $900 startup into a nationwide restaurant giant

Dave’s Hot Chicken didn’t start out as a giant corporate brand. The company reportedly started in 2017 when three childhood friends raised just $900 to open a small chicken stand in a Los Angeles parking lot. At the time, few people could have predicted how rapidly the business would grow. Customers were attracted to the restaurant’s spicy chicken, simple menu and strong social media buzz. Within a few years, the brand expanded rapidly throughout the United States and became one of the most talked-about fast-food chains in the industry.The company’s growth accelerated after Bill Phelps joined in 2019. Phelps already had extensive experience in the restaurant business after co-founding Wetzel’s Pretzels and working with several other food brands. With an investor group, he acquired a stake in Dave’s Hot Chicken and helped franchise the business across the country.

Bill Phelps reportedly called his employees ‘partners’

“One of my investors told me I had no idea what management compensation should be,” Phelps says with a laugh. “And he’s right, because I don’t see them as management. I see them as my partners in this journey, and I compensate them as partners in this journey.” According to Phelps, rewarding employees appropriately was part of staying loyal to those who had contributed to Dave’s Hot Chicken from the beginning.Phelps has also said that he does not believe in micromanaging employees because he trusts people to do their jobs well.

In January 2026, content creator Badal Thakur made headlines by selling Maggi for a day in the hills and earned a total of Rs 21,000. In the same league, a Delhi-based content creator is now trending for earning Rs 24,000 by selling Maggi at a beautiful mountain location. Scroll down to read details.

maggi, mountain and money

Maggi and mountains have a unique relationship which is loved by people of all ages. It’s the perfect combination for travelers seeking comfort food in cold weather. Recently a content creator from Delhi used this combination to earn a good amount of money. Devansh Tyagi, who is known for posting challenge-based videos on Instagram, documented his attempt to set up a temporary Maggi stall at a beautiful hilly location and earned Rs 24,000. According to the video, they looked for a beautiful location, arranged packets of instant noodles on display, laid out plastic tables and chairs for customers, and set up a small cooking station overlooking the hills. Soon after the stall opened, pedestrians and tourists began stopping by for food. He can also be seen cooking fresh portions of Maggi for customers and interacting with them. He revealed that regular Maggi was priced at Rs 100 per plate, while butter Maggi was priced at Rs 120. At the end of the experiment, Tyagi claimed that he had earned Rs 24,000 in a single day by selling Maggi.The video quickly went viral, garnering 92.1 million views and sparking widespread discussion online about Maggi’s popularity at hill stations and tourist destinations.This idea is not very new. In January, another manufacturer conducted a similar experiment and they sold normal Maggi at Rs 70 and Paneer Maggi at Rs 100. At the end of the day he sold around 300 plates and earned around Rs 21,000.

Why does Maggi taste so good in the mountains?

Weather change: One reason it works so well is the weather. The drop in temperature makes you crave for heavy and filling food and Maggi made from refined flour, with the goodness of vegetables serves the purpose and becomes highly satiating. Sadness: Food is often associated with nostalgia and memories. Maggi in the mountains is associated with memories of holidays, road trips, rain-soaked evenings, bonfires and friendship, which is why people are often eager to revisit those good times. Filling and Resting: We have been eating Maggi for years. When you are in the mountains, steep treks often make you hungry and that’s when Maggi, rich in carbs and fat, comes as a savior, as it is mostly made from flour. Plus, the use of butter in making this iconic dish makes it even more delicious and comforting. Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available reports. The Times of India has not independently verified all the claims mentioned in the article.Images Courtesy: iStock and Instagram

The number of lizards in Australia is not large for no reason. In many areas, they almost silently dominate the landscape, moving through bushes, rocks and dry grass in large numbers that become apparent only after spending time there. The continent has an unusually high concentration of reptile species, especially skinks, compared to most of the world. Scientists have been trying for years to understand how one landmass produced such extraordinary diversity while other animal groups remained relatively limited.This explanation appears to be linked to Australia’s long environmental history. Over millions of years the continent gradually changed, becoming drier, hotter and more fragmented. Habitats repeatedly expanded and disappeared. Those changes created opportunities for reptile populations to diverge, adapt to local conditions, and eventually evolve into completely different species. Everything that exists today is the result of accumulation over vast expanses of time rather than a sudden evolutionary event.

How ancient climate change boosted lizard diversity in Australia

Australia was once much wetter than it is now. Parts of the continent had large forest areas before long-term climate drying caused changes in vegetation patterns and converted much of the interior into open woodland, shrubland and desert.According to research published in ScienceDirect, titled ” Phylogeny and divergence times of the Australian sphenomorphous group are reduced.“, the major diversification among Australian skinks appears to be closely linked to these ancient climate changes. The study reconstructed evolutionary relationships in the group Sphenomorphini and found that several lineages expanded during a period when arid environments spread across the continent.Reptiles are not necessarily harmed by dry conditions. Lizards can survive on relatively limited resources and adjust their activity around extreme temperatures. In landscapes where rainfall became unpredictable and food supplies fluctuated, those traits helped them survive while conditions became increasingly difficult for many other animals. Environmental change occurred gradually rather than suddenly. It matters. Populations had time to adapt to local habitats as the ecosystem changed around them over millions of years.

Why did geographic isolation increase the diversity of lizards in Australia?

Australia’s long geographic isolation also shaped what happened next. After separation from Antarctica, the continent remained fairly isolated for the evolution of animal lineages and subsequently experienced relatively little external competition. According to the study, examining Australian desert lizard diversity, many species evolved to occupy highly specialized ecological niches. Some prefer loose dunes while others stick to rocky cliffs, woodland edges, or dense spinifex grasslands. Even closely related species often avoid direct competition by being active at different times of the day or by hunting different prey. That level of ecological isolation allows unusually large numbers of lizards to exist in the same general landscape. Areas that appear similar to humans may actually contain dozens of different micro-habitats based on shade, soil texture, shelter, and temperature variations.Frequent climate instability has probably accelerated this process. The habitat expanded during wet periods and contracted during dry periods, allowing populations to remain isolated for long periods of time and gradually became genetically distinct.

Why skinks became one of Australia’s most successful lizard groups

The Skinks became particularly successful throughout Australia. Although many appear superficially similar, they occupy a remarkable range of environments and lifestyles. Some people remain buried under sand for most of their lives. Others climb vegetation or hide under leaf litter and fallen wood.The recent evolutionary study was published in ScienceDirect, titled “ Sphenomorphini revealed: a phylogenomic framework and generic reappraisal for Australia’s most species-rich vertebrate radiation”, This suggests that the Sphenomorphini radiation continued to spread as new environments emerged across the continent. Some groups adapted well to dry inland habitats, while others remained associated with wetter coastal forests and tropical regions.That flexibility helped create diversity over time. When environmental conditions changed, some populations expanded into new areas, while individual groups adapted to local pressures. Ultimately, those populations became separate species. There are now over a thousand lizard species in Australia, with skinks being one of the largest components of that diversity.

Desert conditions encourage lizard diversity in Australia

Deserts are often imagined to be biologically sparse, yet Australian deserts support unusually rich reptile communities. In some areas, scientists have recorded very high concentrations of lizard species living in relatively small spaces.According to the report of physics.orgAustralian desert reptiles suggest that environmental unpredictability may actually encourage coexistence rather than diminish it. Precipitation falls irregularly, temperatures change rapidly between day and night, and food availability is constantly changing. In those circumstances, species survive by exploiting slightly different resources or activity periods. Small differences become important. One species may forage shortly after sunrise while the other is active later in the day. Some prefer open ground exposed to sunlight, while others stay close to shady vegetation or rocky shelter. Over evolutionary time, those distinctions reduced direct competition enough for many species to coexist. Therefore, Australia’s reptile diversity reflects long-term interactions between climate, geography and adaptation rather than any single defining cause.

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed a massive 7,500-page chargesheet against 10 persons linked to the Red Fort car bomb blast. The high-intensity blast that occurred on November 10, 2025, involved a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), killing 11 people, injuring several others and causing massive property damage.The document filed before the NIA special court at Patiala House names 10 accused linked to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGUH), the branch of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The chargesheet, supported by 588 oral testimonies, 395 documents and over 200 material exhibits, details how the group procured specialized laboratory equipment such as MMO anodes and electronic circuits from both online and offline sources. The accusers also include the alleged mastermind, Dr Umar Un Nabi, a former assistant professor of medicine at Al-Falah University in Faridabad. While Nabi is now dead – his identity has been confirmed through DNA fingerprinting – the charges against him are proposed to be dropped, while proceedings against Aamir Rashid Mir, Jasir Bilal Wani, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Mufti Irfan Ahmed Wage, Soyeb, Dr Bilal Naseer Malla and Yasir Ahmed Dar continue.The NIA’s detailed investigation, spanning Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi NCR, paints a chilling picture of a conspiracy involving radical medical professionals. According to the agency, after a failed attempt to migrate to Afghanistan via Turkey, the accused met secretly in Srinagar to form “AGUH Interim” in 2022. Under this banner, he launched “Operation Heavenly Hind”, aimed at overthrowing the Indian government to impose Sharia rule. The investigation revealed that the group manufactured triacetone triperoxide (TATP) explosives using commercially available chemicals and conducted experiments to perfect the mixture. Evidence suggests the module was also experimenting with advanced weaponry, including rockets and drone-mounted IEDs, aimed at targeting security installations across India.Apart from the explosives, the NIA found that the accused had illegally stored banned weapons, including AK-47 and Krynkov rifles. Searches conducted at Al-Falah University and various locations in Jammu and Kashmir provided forensic and voice analysis data that strengthened the case. While 11 people have been arrested in connection with case RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI, the NIA confirmed that efforts to track the remaining fugitives are still on. The accused face multiple charges under the UA(P) Act, Indian Justice Code, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Dr. Neelam Singh, aka The Skin Doctor, and Sanjay Kapoor (left)

New Delhi: Social media influencer and dermatologist Dr Neelam Singh, known online as “The Skin Doctor”, has been granted bail after being arrested. Delhi Police Over alleged social media posts targeting the Kapoor family after the death of businessman Sanjay Kapoor.According to police sources, a complaint was filed at the Vasant Kunj police station on behalf of the Kapoor family, accusing the influencer of posting objectionable content related to Sanjay Kapoor’s death.Acting on the complaint, Delhi Police arrested Dr Neelam Singh late on Wednesday night, who later got bail.Dr Neelam Singh, a dermatologist who has a huge following on social media, runs an account with the name “The Skin Doctor”.His Instagram bio describes him as “a socio-politically conscious dermatologist.” Apart from skin and health related content, she is also known for commenting on political and social issues.The arrest comes amid an escalating legal battle within the Kapoor family over Sanjay Kapoor’s estate and will.On Tuesday, Sanjay Kapoor’s mother approached the Supreme Court with a fresh petition, seeking to restrain Priya Sachdev Kapoor and some others from interfering in the functioning of the “RK Family Trust” till the completion of the mediation proceedings initiated by the apex court on May 7.They also sought a stay on the board meeting to be held on May 18 by Raghuvanshi Investments Pvt Ltd, which reportedly controls a large portion of the disputed family assets.The dispute, which involves assets worth around Rs 30,000 crore, is said to be ongoing before the High Court, with interim orders currently protecting the assets pending the final decision.Sanjay Kapoor, chairman of Sona Comstar and former husband of Karisma Kapoor, died while playing polo in London on June 12. Medical findings later confirmed that his death was natural and linked to cardiac complications.

Rain threatens PBKS’s IPL 2026 playoff prospects (Image: IPL/BCCI)

face punjab kings Mumbai Indians It is important to win this match to strengthen their playoff hopes, but the threat of rain in Dharamshala during the match may affect the chances of Punjab Kings.Dharamshala weather forecast indicates a 55% to 60% chance of rain and storm for tonight’s match, making it possible for rain to interrupt or completely wash out the match. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a ‘Yellow Alert’ for the Kangra Valley as the pre-match practice session at the HPCA Stadium has already been disrupted due to heavy rain and overcast skies. Punjab Kings are currently placed fourth with 13 points from 11 matches and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.428. they are closely followed Chennai Super Kings (+0.185 NRR) and Rajasthan Royals (+0.082 NRR), both have 12 points.If the IPL 2026 match in Dharamsala is abandoned due to rain, both teams will get one point each, resulting in a “no result”. However, with Mumbai Indians already mathematically out of the playoff race, points shared would have had very different results for both sides.