. >> for social scientist and author of single at heart, bella depaulo, it's a welcome trend. >> fore who like being single. it's a cause for celebration that they get to live the life that is most authentic. >> the growing number of single people has been driving a steady decline in the u.s. marriage rate since 1990, falling from 67% to 53%, a 15 point drop, according to pew research. depaulo says studies are dispelling the myth that single people are less happy than their married counterparts. >> they love their solitude. so for them, when they have time to themselves, that's something to cherish. it doesn't scare them that they're going to be lonely. >> and she says being single does not necessarily mean a life devoid of physical intimacy. >> you know, people have friends with benefits. people work out situations that work for them. so it's not really all or nothing. >> depaulo adds, raising a child is not something single people have to forgo either. >> of course, it can be harder, especially financially. but what i want to push back on is the idea that it's tragic, that it can't

jackie: i'm jackie depaulo's in san francisco. caroline: a quick check on these markets.e up 1.3% on the nasdaq. a big points contribution coming from nvidia, but also palantir. that had its numbers after the bell yesterday. we are at a new record high. it currently jumps 26%. the valuation is extraordinary on the software stop, as we hear from key da davidson analyst saying, this is a unique story in software and they continue to outperform. we have government contracts, we have commercial contracts. it is all about the u.s., we are looking at plenty more. jackie: elon musk's government takeover has been swift and chaotic kurt wagner writes in today's tech newsletter that in two weeks musk has become a bit of a human wrecking ball in washington. he joins us now for more. you write that this is not a movie that we haven't seen before. could you walk us through the difference between how elon musk is running doge right now versus his previous takeover of twitter? kurt: the number of similarities is going to be a lot longer than the number of differences. anybody familiar w