Our predictions for big themes in 2023, from China tensions to the abundance agenda and tech discipline

Hi, I'm Matt Turner, the editor in chief of business at Insider. Welcome back to Insider Weekly, a roundup of some of our top stories. I hope you had a chance to see in the New Year in style.

On the agenda today:

• How one worker cheated on a key exam to boost their tech career.
• This Goldman Sachs alum became the go-to dealmaker for the Yankees and Ben Affleck.
• Your complete guide to navigating the stock market in 2023.
• These are eight of the coolest electric vehicles hitting the streets this year.

But first: Now that it's 2023, I want to share some of the things I'm personally fascinated with that I think will be big themes for the year ahead.

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3 big themes for 2023

China tensions: The fate of the world economy may depend on what happens to a company in Taiwan most Americans have never heard of. Without radical changes, TikTok could vanish from the US. The renewed "Made in America" trend is going to make things like clothing and electronics more expensive. These are all huge storylines for 2023 driven by increasing tensions between China and the US.

Abundance agenda: While many one-off purchases have gotten less expensive over time (think a new car, TV, or computer), recurring costs like college tuition, healthcare, housing costs, childcare, energy, and food, have increased in the US.

The abundance agenda posits that the US (and much of the Western world) has the ability to change course if it makes it easier to invest in these long-term goals: to train more doctors, build more houses, and develop renewables. I'm fascinated to see whether this argument gains momentum in 2023.

Tech discipline: The cushy perks of tech work are disappearing. Big tech companies are making their performance reviews tougher. Tech founders are applauding Elon Musk's brutal crackdown at Twitter and may look to follow suit.

Silicon Valley's newfound financial discipline will continue into 2023, likely leading to more moon shots getting killed, startups going under, and more consolidation and take-private deals.

I'd love to hear from you. What do you think are the big themes that will shape 2023? You can reach me at mturner@insider.com.

Now for this week's stories…

Inside 'exam dumps'

Companies from Salesforce to Amazon Web Services use technical certifications to prove that workers are competent with certain software tools. But with a quick Google search, tech workers can access "exam dumps," or answer keys to the exams.

We spoke with a tech worker who used "exam dumps" early in their career to pass the technical certifications. They said that while they probably wouldn't have passed without cheating, they now see the practice as harmful.

Here's what the tech worker told us.

Read more:

• If you want to land a job or get a raise in the tech industry, you have to pass a test — and pretty much everyone is cheating on the exams
• The rise of the 'bait-and-switch' job interview

Dealmaker for the Yankees and Ben Affleck

In 2009, Goldman Sachs' then-CEO Lloyd Blankfein made dealmaker Gerry Cardinale turn down the chance to buy a majority stake in the Liverpool soccer club. So Cardinale started thinking about leaving the bank to hang his own shingle.

In 2014, he launched RedBird Capital. Now he's a go-to dealmaker in sports and entertainment with $7.5 billion in assets. He bought the soccer club AC Milan in August and graced the stage of The New York Times DealBook conference alongside his business partner Ben Affleck.

Here's how he got to this point.

Read more:

• 7 of the world's biggest sports clubs are for sale, worth a collective $22 billion. See how they rank in price.

How to navigate the stock market this year

Most investors are betting that the US will enter a recession at some point in 2023. To help make it through the downturn, Insider created a guide to what top analysts and firms are expecting for 2023, complete with stories that address investors' biggest questions.

From how to improve your investing strategy this year to where to invest and which stocks to buy, we've got everything you need to know for the year ahead.

Check out our comprehensive guide.

Read more:

• Here are the boldest predictions for 2023: Crashing stocks, another Great Depression, and a meatless nation
• 19 books to read in 2023 to think like a Wall Street investor

The coolest electric cars hitting streets next year

Tons of new electric models have exploded onto the scene in recent years — and with several automakers planning to unleash new EVs in the coming year, 2023 will be no different.

From the outrageously large GMC Hummer EV SUV (which costs $106,000) to the futuristic Polestar 3, there will be no shortage of sleek new electric vehicles in the new year.

See all the EVs you'll have to choose from.

Read more:

• 2022 was the year automakers figured out how to make electric cars really work
• Meet 30 leaders driving the electric-vehicle revolution at white-hot companies like Rivian, GM, and Lucid

This week's quote:

"I do limb-lengthening reconstruction, not that bullshit cosmetic limb-lengthening."

• Dr. S. Robert Rozbruch, a surgeon who performs 350 to 400 limb-lengthening surgeries and deformity corrections a year. Read his story here.

More of this week's top reads:

• Americans are still moving to Florida. They might regret it.
• Insider outlined the most transformative CEOs of 2022. Meet them here.
• An Airbnb multimillionaire explains why he's optimistic about the platform in 2023.
• ChatGPT wrote their cover letters — and here's how hiring managers responded.
• "Southwest canceled my flight. It became a 41-hour nightmare."
• Tenants' battle with their $31 billion landlord could foreshadow what's to come across America.
• In 2022, overconfident, self-aggrandizing leaders came falling back to earth.
• Wanted: Two lighthouse keepers for a tiny island in the San Francisco Bay.

Curated by Matt Turner. Edited by Jordan Parker Erb and Lisa Ryan. Sign up for more Insider newsletters here.