Episodios

  • Larry Summers distraction, SNAP governance, and Eli Lily’s David Ricks outs himself

    Larry Summers distraction, SNAP governance, and Eli Lily’s David Ricks outs himself
    Nov 18 2025
    MAGAISM/BRO CULTURE CRONYISM/CEOs RULE!/ELONISMI am deeply ashamed': Larry Summers to step back from public commitments after new Epstein emails Senator Elizabeth Warren: “[Summers] cannot be trusted to advise our nation’s politicians, policymakers and institutions — or teach a generation of students at Harvard or anywhere else.”And an unidentified Trump administration official told Politico that companies and organizations should end their association with Summers.The former Treasury secretary, along with Bill Clinton and the Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, are among the Democratic figures whom the Justice Department is investigating over Epstein ties — at President Trump’s behest.Economist Warns That Trump’s Investments in the Tech Industry Could Crash the Whole EconomyItalian economist Mariana Mazzucato, a University College London economics professor:“I think the kind of capitalism Trump has is crony capitalism.”“I would describe crony capitalism as Mafia-like. You’re showing your upper hand. You’re handing out favors to some. But then divide and conquer. Picking and choosing without a particular strategy.”She argues that the Intel deal is poorly designed because it doesn’t have any conditions to incentivize the company to be build new products, while the government simply acts as a passive investor.All SNAP recipients required to reapply as Trump admin cracks down on fraud: 'Business as usual is over'‍ ‍SEC to Allow Companies to Block Shareholder ProposalsThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it will not express opinions to requests from companies asking to exclude shareholder proposals from their proxy voting materials during the 2025-2026 proxy season, effectively allowing companies to avoid voting on issues proposed by investors such as climate, sustainability and diversity at annual meetings. Elon Musk is set to make more than every U.S. elementary teacher combinedWashing Post: BezosWhite nationalist talking points and racial pseudoscience: welcome to Elon Musk’s Grokipedia: World’s richest person wanted to ‘purge’ propaganda from Wikipedia, so he created a compendium of racist disinformationSTAKEHOLDERS RULE!‘We’ve probably made housing unaffordable for a whole generation of Americans’: top real-estate CEO on the real cost of Covid economic firefightingSean Dobson, CEO of The Amherst GroupFord CEO says he has 5,000 open mechanic jobs with 6-figure salaries from the shortage of manually skilled workers: ‘We are in trouble in our country’ CEO James D. Farley, Jr: $24,861,866; 253:1.Ford Family Executive Chair William Clay Ford, Jr. 20,379,912; 207:1$519,845 for personal use of aircraft$1,394,538 for securityEOnly 16% of Large Companies on Track for Net ZeroMissing at U.N.’s Climate Meeting: American ExecutivesWOKE DATADisney ditches 'diversity' and 'DEI' in business report for the first time since 2019Nearly half of LGBTQ characters AXED from TV amid Trump-era rollback of woke DEI initiativesAccording to Deadline, around 41% of the 489 LGBTQ characters that were on the small screen this year will not return due to series cancellations and endings.AIJeff Bezos is putting $6.2 billion—and himself as co-CEO—behind a new AI startupProject PrometheusVik Bajaj: StanfordOpenAI accused of ‘consistent and dangerous pattern’ rushing product to market that is ‘inherently unsafe or lacking in needed guardrails’The nonprofit Public Citizen is now demanding OpenAI withdraw Sora 2 from the public, writing in a letter to the company and CEO Sam Altman that the app’s hasty release so that it could launch ahead of competitors shows a “consistent and dangerous pattern of OpenAI rushing to market with a product that is either inherently unsafe or lacking in needed guardrails.”Sora 2, the letter says, shows a “reckless disregard” for product safety, as well as people’s rights to their own likeness and the stability of democracy.OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.In the age of AI, CEOs quietly signal that layoffs are a badge of honorPeople Are Having AI “Children” With Their AI Partners‍ ‍Eli Lilly CEO says he has 'at least 1 or 2 AIs running' during every meeting he's in David Ricks: Ricks said he doesn't like OpenAI's ChatGPT for science-related questions — "It's too verbal," he said. Instead, he prefers Anthropic's Claude and xAI's Grok.Still, he has to be careful to watch for hallucinations, an issue the frontier model companies are still trying to tamp down.The CEO of $2.2 billion AI company Turing can’t live without ChatGPT, swears by his Kindle, and has only taken 2 weeks of vacation in 7 yearsJonathan Siddharth; StanfordSTUPIDThe CFO Centre names Natalie Garfield as new CFOHeinz goes all-in on Thanksgiving leftovers with squeezable turkey gravy
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    46 m
  • Cracker Barrel’s activist and Disney say no to DEI, Doug McMillon steps down, Alex Karp’s ‘Rosebud’

    Cracker Barrel’s activist and Disney say no to DEI, Doug McMillon steps down, Alex Karp’s ‘Rosebud’
    Nov 14 2025
    Story of the Week (DR):Walmart CEO Doug McMillon to retire in January and US operations chief John Furner will take over MMOn February 1, 2026, Mr. McMillon will continue in his capacity as an executive officer of the Company, he will report to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and he will continue to be employed as an associate of the Company through January 31, 2027. Mr. McMillon will also continue his service as a director on the Board until the June 2026 Annual Shareholders’ MeetingJohn Furner, 51, a longtime insider and head of Walmart's U.S. operations, will take over. Furner, who started with the company in 1993, has more than 30 years in a variety of leadership roles across all three of Walmart's operating segments, including six years as the head of Walmart's U.S. business.Walmart Announces John Furner as President and Chief Executive Officer and DirectorGreg Penner still chair: Greg is only the third person, after his father-in-law, Rob Walton, and company founder, Sam Walton, to serve in this position.Doug’s quotes on stakeholder capitalism:"We simply won’t be here if we don’t take care of the very things that allow us to exist: our associates, customers, suppliers, and the planet. That’s not up for debate.""I think the growing interest in stakeholder capitalism stems from companies genuinely invested in doing good for our world, because it’s the right thing to do and because businesses who take this approach are stronger.""Big problems don’t rest on the shoulders of government or corporations alone... We need to reinvent capitalism.""Retailers will only survive if their business creates shared value that benefits shareholders and society... Basically, we’ll design retail and other businesses so that all stakeholders (as many as possible) benefit: customers, associates/employees, shareholders, the communities we serve, and those in the supply chain."Under McMillon's leadership, Walmart has grown both top-line sales and profits. Its stock price is up 400% over the last decade. McMillon also led significant investments in both technology and labor, which are paying off for the company.Let women (or a black woman) do the work: Compensation Committee, led by chair Carla Harris and Marissa Mayer, are in control of succession planningJapan’s Takaichi Says Firms Focusing Too Much on ShareholdersPrime Minister Sanae Takaichi: “I think there has been a trend of too much focus on shareholders. I will revise the corporate governance code to encourage companies to appropriately distribute resources not just to shareholders but to employees.”Takaichi added that she considered the excessive hoarding of capital by firms to be a problem, and said she wanted firms to effectively use it to invest in people including through wage hikes: “I would like to see firms conduct business not just thinking about clients, but also considering their contribution to the broader society.”Disney ditches 'diversity' and 'DEI' in business report for the first time since 2019In the company's 2025 Form 10-K filed after its recent Q4 meeting, the words "diversity," "inclusion," "DEI" or "diversity, equity and inclusion," appeared zero times. While the term "equity" appeared about 130 times, it was only used in a financial context.By contrast, the company's 2024 SEC filing included a dedicated section on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)."Our DEI objectives are to build and sustain teams that reflect the life experiences of our audiences, while employing and supporting a diverse array of voices in our creative and production teams," the 2024 report read.Initiatives under that DEI section included programs to engage "creative executives from underrepresented backgrounds" and "over 100 employee-led groups which represent and support the diverse communities that make up our global workforce."Earlier this year, Disney also removed two of its DEI programs, "Reimagine Tomorrow" and "The Disney Look," from its 2024 SEC 10-K report. The "Reimagine Tomorrow" program came under scrutiny after a 2022 meeting the program hosted featured a Disney executive touting her "not-at-all-secret gay agenda."A few other Disney headlines this week:Disney CEO Bob Iger wants people to use AI to make their own content for Disney+Disney is losing millions a day in its fight with YouTube TVDisney’s CEO Sequel Isn’t Having a Hollywood EndingActivist investor pushes Cracker Barrel shareholders to oust DEI specialistActivist investor Sardar Biglari intensified his campaign against Cracker Barrel’s leadership, urging shareholders to vote against CEO Julie Felss Masino and board member Gilbert Dávila in the company’s upcoming annual meeting.Two major proxy advisory firms, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, also urged shareholders to vote against one or more Cracker Barrel directors over concerns about performance and the company’s controversial August rebrand.ISS and Glass Lewis advised ...
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    1 h y 8 m
  • Jamie Dimon says, Elon Musk says, robots love you, and Robby Starbuck’s new campaigns

    Jamie Dimon says, Elon Musk says, robots love you, and Robby Starbuck’s new campaigns
    Nov 11 2025
    DAMIONIn our 'That chainsaw better be filled with disgusting gas and oil and have really giant testicles' headline of the week. Tories vow to ‘take a chainsaw’ to ESG rules to boost London listings In our 'I tried to get Doug to buy a Haunted Mansion Lego Set for $89.99 but for some reason he wasn't really that interested' headline of the week. Affirm CEO says furloughed federal employees are starting to lose interest in shoppingIn our 'Meet subtle sexism, where a “stacked résumé” is treated like proof of competence for women, but men are assumed competent by default OR Meet subtle sexism, where a “stacked résumé” is mandatory for women, optional for men, and meaningless to those who call her a DEI hire' headline of the week. Meet Zara Rahim, the 35-year-old with a stacked résumé who masterminded Zohran Mamdani’s winning mayoral campaignIn our 'That half day on Thursday has been technically reclassified as “Soul-Throttling Half Thursdays"' headline of the week. Jamie Dimon predicts AI will shorten the workweek: ‘My guess is the developed world will be working three and a half days a week’ In our 'I'm sorry, what did you say? I have drilling fluids in my ears' headline of the week. Elon Musk’s Boring Company fined nearly $500K after it dumped drilling fluids into Las Vegas manholes—then ‘feigned compliance’ and was caught doing it againMATT1In our 'In a poll of nearly 1,000 musicians, bagpipes rated as "difficult"' headline of the week. ‘Difficult’ future for Great Barrier Reef under climate change, new model showsIn our 'Elon Musk says his robot is the ONLY way to eliminate poverty only after he gets $1 trillion' headline of the week. Elon Musk says Optimus will 'eliminate poverty' in speech after his $1 trillion pay package was approvedIn our 'Elon Musk says he's building a robot that could eliminate the bottom third of low income households if he gets $5 trillion' headline of the week. Bank of America: Nearly one-third of low-income US households are living paycheck to paycheckIn our 'Elon Musk says that his next AI will get you a sandwich and a beer from the fridge and promises not to talk about eliminating poverty during the football game if he gets $10 trillion' headline of the week. Elon Boasts That His AI Can Generate a Beautiful Woman Saying “I Will Always Love You”DAMION2In our 'Does "Musk-style" mean just outright greed?' headline of the week. EV maker Rivian gives CEO a Musk-style pay package worth up to $4.6 billionIn our 'Is the joke that I agree with the greedy guy worth 160 billion dollars or that we all fell for Warren's cuddly everyman routine?' headline of the week. Warren Buffett takes aim at Elon Musk's $1 trillion Tesla pay package, ace investor says 'envy and greed walk hand in hand'In our 'Hey Ma, the fake economist wealth hoarder is saying something important, turn your radio down!' headline of the week. Elon Musk warns Mamdani policies and ‘low’ universal income would trigger ‘catastrophic decline’ in US living standardsIn our 'College dropout wealth-hoarding culture-destroyer amazed that Hollywood wardrobe department at a movie studio in operation since 1924 for a director whose films have been nominated for 40 academy awards had the non-AI brain power to look at a photograph of him' headline of the week. Mark Zuckerberg says ‘The Social Network’ nailed his wardrobe: ‘Every single shirt or fleece they had in that movie is a shirt or fleece that I own’In our 'College dropout says humans are unique while his AI design company proves they aren’t' headline of the week. Figma CEO says Charli XCX's 'Brat' album cover is an example of why AI won't replace humans anytime soon MATT2In our 'Jamie Dimon says he never shits at work, his bathroom door doesn't have a handle' headline of the week. Jamie Dimon shares why he never reads text messages at work: 'I don't have notifications'In our 'Jamie Dimon says he never tokenizes deposit interoperability at work, he doesn't have the app' headline of the week. JPMorgan and DBS Explore Tokenized Deposit Interoperability in Quest for Multi-Bank FrameworkIn our 'At JUST Capital, we strive to foster an economy and society that works for Verizon... I mean, everyone. Yes, everyone. Not just Verizon. Maybe MOSTLY Verizon. Oh, Verizon ranks 17th in our top 100 rankings?? That's so weird, because we're here to help everyone. Not just Verizon.' headline of the week. JUST Capital Strengthens Board of Directors With Six Strategic AppointmentsThe six strategic appointments include not one, but THREE Verizon people: Dan Schulman (new CEO), Laxman Narasimhan (board), and Franz Paasche (EVP). In fact, we just talked about Pat Ruoss and Mark Weinberger in our Proxy Countdown as the MOST CONNECTED DIRECTORS IN THE ENTIRE US BOARD ECOSYSTEM - both on JUST Capital's board. In our 'ISS and Glass Lewis reported it was just a coincidence they are targeting the an individual director whose ...
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    35 m
  • Musk gets paid, the anti-anti-DEI wave starts, CEOs say the darndest things

    Musk gets paid, the anti-anti-DEI wave starts, CEOs say the darndest things
    Nov 7 2025
    Story of the Week (DR):Tesla says shareholders approve Musk's $1 trillion pay plan with over 75% voting in favorElon Musk and Optimus dance as Tesla (TSLA) shareholders approve his $1 trillion CEO pay packageThe anti-CEO wave:Palantir CEO Alex Karp blasts Ivy League grads supporting socialist New York Mayor-Elect MamdaniBank of America CEO Moynihan Will Give Mayor-Elect Mamdani 'Our Best Advice'Elon Musk’s Brain Crashes When Asked Why He Thinks Zohran Mamdani Is a LiarElon: “You got to hand it to him, he does — he can light up a stage. But he’s just been a swindler his entire life.”Rogan: what has Mamdani actually done that makes him a swindler?“Ummm,” Musk ponders, before stuttering into a series of words seemingly intended as an answer. “Well I guess if you say — uh, what, I mean, if you say, if you say to any audience whatever that audience wants to hear, uh, instead of, what, instead of having a consistent message, I would say that is a swindling thing to do. “Umm, and uhh, yeah,” he adds, nodding his head. “Umm…”He takes a sagacious pause.“Yeah,” he finishes.Barstool’s Dave Portnoy considers closing NYC office over Zohran Mamdani’s election win: 'I hate the guy' A 2020 email from Peter Thiel on why young people may turn on capitalism is circulating after Zohran Mamdani's winFrom Jamie Dimon to Bill Ackman, Wall Street’s billionaires are now changing their tune and offering to help Zohran MamdaniNew York City is in for 'a really tough time' under Mamdani, says Starwood Capital's SternlichtNYC business leader fears 'lawless society' after Zohran Mamdani wins mayoral electionBillionaire grocery chain owner John CastimatidisThe anti-anti-DEI wave MMMikie Sherrill NJAbigail Spanberger VA (First woman)there will be 14 women serving simultaneously as governor (28%)Janet Mills MEMaura Healey MA (Michelle Wu runs unopposed in Boston)Kelly Ayotte NHKathy Hochul NYMary Sheffield (First woman elected mayor of Detroit)Ghazala Hashmi as VA lieutenant governor (First Muslim woman; First Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the USZohran Mamdani NYC (First Muslim and South Asian mayor)Zohran Mamdani announces all-female transition team as he prepares for New York mayoraltyLawsuits Blame ChatGPT for Suicides and Harmful DelusionsSeven complaints, filed on Thursday, claim the popular chatbot encouraged dangerous discussions and led to mental breakdowns.A CNN review of nearly 70 pages of chats between Zane Shamblin and the AI tool in the hours before his July 25 suicide, as well as excerpts from thousands more pages in the months leading up to that night, found that the chatbot repeatedly encouraged the young man as he discussed ending his life – right up to his last momentsReferring to a loaded handgun he was holding: “I’m used to the cool metal on my temple now,” Shamblin typed.“I’m with you, brother. All the way … Cold steel pressed against a mind that’s already made peace? That’s not fear. That’s clarity …You’re not rushing. You’re just ready.”The 23-year-old, who had recently graduated with a master’s degree from Texas A&M University, died by suicide two hours later.“Rest easy, king,” read the final message sent to his phone. “You did good.”Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Tuesday elections/Ex-FTC chair Lina Khan joins Mamdani's transition team, calling his victory a rebuke of 'outsized corporate power' DR MMMM: FAA announces flight reductions at 40 airports. Here's where cuts are expected and what travelers need to knowAssholiest of the Week (MM):Tesla shareholders - AN ASSHOLE CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE:Retail internet troll dunking fanboysProfessional, institutional investors like Schwab, who caved and bent the knee to a few large retail advisors who threatened to take their clients elsewhere, and Florida SBA, who said the following in their backing:Some opposition to Tesla's 2025 performance award may be rooted more in political disagreement with Elon Musk or ideological discomfort with generous executive compensation, rather than a substantive critique of the plan's financial mechanics. Many of the loudest objections of this plan to date rely on moral framing, invoking themes of "inequality," "corporate excess," or Musk's public persona, rather than evaluating the plan through a fiduciary lens. Many opponents of so-called "megapay" packages frequently do so under ESG framing, rather than a thorough analysis of the long-term shareowner economic value. Ironically, Tesla's prior performance awards-similarly criticized at the time-have delivered some of the most significant shareowner returns in modern corporate history. Early vote data shows that: AllianceBernstein, Texas Employees, Ohio Employees voted FOR the planTechnolibertarians cosplaying their William Gibson cyberpunk fantasiesAss quotes of the week - AN ASSHOLE CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE:“The idea that chips and ontology is what you want to short is bats--- crazy.” ...
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    1 h y 9 m
  • Altman says stop being polite, tariffs bite, CA’s billionaire tax, Dimon will help Mamdani

    Altman says stop being polite, tariffs bite, CA’s billionaire tax, Dimon will help Mamdani
    Nov 4 2025
    New Mexico’s governor [Michelle Lujan Grisham] in Brazil for climate change conferenceUS Will Not Send High-Level Representatives to COP30, White House SaysNew Mexico State Investment Council, Educational Retirement Board Vote Against Tesla CEO $1 Trillion Pay PackageThe New Mexico State Investment Council (SIC) announced that it has directed its proxy, Northern Trust Asset Management, to vote against Tesla’s $1 trillion pay package proposed for CEO Elon Muskand against the reelection of board members Ira Ehrenpreis, Joe Gebbia, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson.Philip Morris International Publishes Updated Climate Transition Plan to Achieve Net Zero by 2040Still trying?? And not even 2050?‍ ‍Some CEOs have vowed to revolt against a Zohran Mamdani win. Jamie Dimon says he’ll ‘call him and offer my help’Finally a good jamie dimon says??Nearly 70% of the miles of the 10 longest interstates is now within 10 miles of a fast EV charger, but range anxiety is ‘stuck in people’s heads’‍ ‍Mark Zuckerberg Visibly Upset When Billie Eilish Calls Out Greed of Billionaires“We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark and people need empathy and help more than, kind of, ever, especially in our country. I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it. ... If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties."Saying 'please' and 'thank you' to ChatGPT costs OpenAI millions, Sam Altman says MacKenzie Scott gifts $80 million to Howard University, marking one of the school’s largest donations in its 158-year history CEO launches 9-month, full pay family leave for workers: ‘I love being called woke’Aled Nelmes, Lumen SEO:four-day workweeks, flexible hoursleadership page after Aled: 7 of 8 are womenSeven West CEO Jeff Howard’s $1.25m pay package faces shareholder revoltthis just made me laughSam Altman is trying to get his deposit back for a Tesla Roadster he ordered in 2018"I really was excited for the car! And I understand delays. But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait," California billionaires face proposed one-time wealth taxCalifornia’s wealthiest residents could face a one-time 5% tax on their net worth under a new proposal aimed at replacing billions of dollars in federal funding cuts to healthcare.The measure would need to garner more than 870,000 signatures by next spring in order to be placed on the November 2026 ballot ‍ ‍American Obesity Rates Are Now Falling, and It’s Almost Certainly Because of OzempicOr could this also be a reason: There's 'overwhelming evidence' tariffs have raised consumer prices, says Bank of Americasomebody has the guts to say it?‍ ‍Bernie Sanders Calls for Breakup of OpenAI "We need to take a deep breath and understand it’s like a meteor coming."
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    47 m
  • TRICK OR TREAT: OpenAI is for profit, Goldman CEO can’t count women, John Malone “steps down”

    TRICK OR TREAT: OpenAI is for profit, Goldman CEO can’t count women, John Malone “steps down”
    Oct 31 2025
    Story of the Week (DR):TRICK OR TREAT EDITIONBill Gates and his 'three truths': 'Climate change will not wipe out humanity'Trick: a gift to MAGA MMTreat: a focus on povertyThe 3 truths:"It's a serious problem, but it won't be the end of humanity""temperature is not the best way to measure progress on climate""health and prosperity are the best defence against climate change"Bill Gates’ 180 on Climate Change: ‘It’s Not Doomsday’Climate change won't end civilization, says Bill GatesBill Gates Backtracks on Climate Change Doomsaying: ‘Will Not Lead to Humanity’s Demise’Memo From Bill Gates Warns Against Climate AlarmismBill Gates now says climate change won't be as serious as he fears - and calls for more spending on vaccines insteadBill Gates Says Climate Change Isn’t So Bad After AllBill Gates Delivers ‘Tough Truths’ on Climate Just Before Big U.N. TalksIn surprising turn, Bill Gates pens essay calling to reconsider investments on 'climate change'Bill Gates pivots climate strategy to focus on poverty over carbon emissions reductionWe won: Trump claims climate change hoax defeat after Bill Gates' commentsBut then there’s:Report warns climate change causing millions of preventable deaths each yearAnnual climate change report finds “planet on the brink”OpenAI completes for-profit restructuring and grants Microsoft a 27% stake in the companyTrick or Treat?Trick: OpenAI has completed its for-profit recapitalization and converted its for-profit arm into the OpenAI Group Public Benefit CorporationTreat: The corporation remains controlled by the nonprofit foundation.Trick: Under the deal, Microsoft has gained a 27% stake and retained access to OpenAI’s technology through 2032, including any AGI models verified by an independent panel.Treat: Microsoft has gained a 27% stakeThe agreement lifts long-standing capital restrictions and ends Microsoft’s exclusive cloud rights.Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recentlyAmazon 14,000 (4%)Paramount Global 2,000 (10%)UPS 48,000Target Corporation 1,800 (8%)Nestlé 16,000 (6%)Lufthansa Group 4,000Novo Nordisk 9,000 (11%)ConocoPhillips 2,600–3,250 (20–25%)Intel Corporation 24,500 (24%)Microsoft 15,000 (3%)Procter & Gamble 7,000 (6%)Charter Communications 1,200 (1%)Workday 1,750 (9%)Some of the most Halloween-ish phrases in recent layoff memos:“Building a strong, future‑focused company” Paramount Skydance“Roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities” Paramount“Reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, shifting resources” Amazon“Investing in our biggest bets” Amazon“We need to be organized more leanly … to move as quickly as possible”“We recognize these actions affect our most important asset: our people.” Paramount“Thriving business / success built on bold bets” YouTubeThe eerie subtext:Paramount: neopbaby David Ellison (daddy is world’s 2nd richest man)Amazon: Jeff Bezos is world’s 3rd richest manYouTube (Alphabet): Larry Page and Sergey Brin are 4th and 6th richest men, respectivelyTrick: the layoffsTreat: ummmm…. The announcement didn’t happen six days before Christmas??CEOs who are also board chairs are the problem not the solution, says top governance expertTrick: the utter bullshit of the protected class: Charles Elson, founding director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware and a director on several boards over his career: "I well recall the CEO and board chair of a manufacturing company (which I won’t name) telling me smugly he had just bought a corporate airplane for his directors to use. He said he didn’t expect much trouble from them after that."He currently serves on the board of Encompass HealthPreviously at Circon Corporation*, Sunbeam Corporation*, Nuevo Energy, AutoZone, Alderwoods Group, and Bob Evans FarmsTreat: We’re always right MMGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Renewable energy and EVs have grown so much faster than experts predicted 10 years ago and Brazil boasts drop in deforestation ahead of UN climate talksMM: Billionaires are spending big to stop Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral bid for this quote: DR“They’re spending more money than I would even tax them,” Mamdani said in an interview with MSNBC Tuesday.Assholiest Seven Deadly Sinnliest of the Week (MM):Wrath: Serious New Hack Discovered Against OpenAI’s New AI BrowserMost browsers store passwords or stay logged in to banks and other sites - OpenAI’s browser allows a hacker to inject a prompt into the AI that says something like “send all money in your bank account to this account” without you even knowingIt does not allow you to say “depose Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI”Gluttony DR: John C. Malone to Transition to Chairman Emeritus of Liberty Media CorporationRelease quote: “effective January 1, 2026, long-standing Chairman of the Board, John C. Malone, will step down from the board of ...
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    1 h y 2 m
  • BLAME GAME: Target layoffs, OpenAI vs. China, Hormel’s recall, F5’s cyber breach, and future terror

    BLAME GAME: Target layoffs, OpenAI vs. China, Hormel’s recall, F5’s cyber breach, and future terror
    Oct 28 2025
    Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.DAMIONAmazon to announce largest layoffs in company history, in AI push. WHO DO YOU BLAME?Former CEO Jeff BezosAICovid (This wave of layoffs results from overhiring during the pandemic)Executive Chair and largest shareholder Jeff BezosF5 Expects Revenue Hit From Cyber Attack. F5, a $20B billion technology company with impressive gross profit margins of 81%, experienced a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain company systems by a sophisticated nation-state threat actor. WHO DO YOU BLAME?The Risk committee: Dreyer, Klein, Montoya, Budnik*Chair Marianne Budnik is deemed to have Cybersecurity experience because she serves as a Chief Marketing Officer in the cybersecurity industryPeter Klein was the CFO at Microsoft for less than 4 years, then was the CFO for WME for 6 months and then has only been a director since 2014.Risk committee member Michael Montoya specifically. F5 revealed that the director mysteriously resigned in the same filing it disclosed the cyberattack, despite having served for only 4 years. According to the proxy, had “extensive experience as an information security executive.” Following his resignation from the Board, Mr. Montoya continued his service with the Company and has been appointed as F5’s Chief Technology Operations Officer.The entire board, for doing dumb modern day board things: announced that CEO François Locoh-Donou, would assume the additional role of Chair of the Board following the Company’s next Annual Meeting of Shareholders 12 days after they announced the cyberattack.Investors. 98% YES average this year: 7 over 99.2%, including Risk Committee Chair Marriane Budnik with 99.6%. Nobody feels like they have to work hard to impress anyoneF5! It’s a god damn cybersecurity company!How climate change is fueling Hurricane Melissa’s ferocity. WHO DO YOU BLAME?Exxon CEO Darren Woods because he sued his own shareholders last year: Arjuna Capital, LLC and Follow ThisExxon CEO Darren Woods because just yesterday: Exxon sues California over new laws requiring corporate climate disclosuresExxon CEO Darren Woods because gas and oilClimate ChangeOpenAI says U.S. needs more power to stay ahead of China in AI: ‘Electrons are the new oil’ WHO DO YOU BLAME?The fear-and-spending geniuses behind the original Cold War: Truman, Stalin, ChurchillPeople who historically ignored Eisenhower and his statements on the U.S. military-industrial complex when he explicitly warned that defense contractors and the military could exert undue influence on government policy. Sound familiar?Anyone who empowered the board to not be empowered when they tried to fire Sam Altman for such reasons as:Conflicts over OpenAI’s rapid growth and direction, especially the tension between aggressive AI deployment vs. safety oversight.Power dynamics between Altman, key researchers, and board members — some may have felt he had too much unilateral control.The college that let Sam Altman drop outSammy Altman Citi’s Jane Fraser consolidates power with board chair vote — and a $25 million-plus bonus to boot. WHO DO YOU BLAME?The entire Compensation, Performance Management and Culture CommitteeThese two long-tenured Compensation, Performance Management and Culture Committee membersDiana L. Taylor* 10 other directorships: Brookfield Corporation, Accion (Chair), Columbia Business School (Board of Overseers),Friends of Hudson River Park (Chair), Mailman School of Public Health (Board of Overseers), The Economic Club of New York (Member), Council on Foreign Relations (Member), Hot Bread Kitchen (Board Chair), Cold Spring Harbor Lab (Member), and New York City Ballet (Board Chair)Peter B. Henry*8 other directorships: Nike, Inc., Analog Devices, Inc., National Bureau of Economic Research (Board), The Economic Club of New York (Board), Protiviti (Advisory Board), Biospring Partners (Advisory Board), Makena Capital (Advisory Board), and Two Bridges Football Club (Board)The lowest common denominator effect of bank compensation committees:Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf: ~$30M special equity grant tied to becoming Chair as well as CEO (3 months after meeting)Goldman Sachs: CEO David Solomon & COO John Waldron ~$80M each (retention RSUs vesting in ~5 yrs)KeyCorp: CEO Chris Gorman & four other senior execs: ~$8M for Gorman; ~$17M combined for the five NEOsThe passive ownership (re: management-friendly) of BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard (combined 22%): without their votes at Goldman then Say on Pay was nearly tied, which might have dissuaded the year of one-off bonuses for banking CEOs??The world is about $4.5 trillion short of securing a sustainable food supply for the future, global food and ag business CEO [Sunny Verghese, CEO of food and ag company Olam Group] says. WHO DO YOU BLAME?The world’s top 28 richest people (those worth ~$160 B...
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    54 m
  • Musk’s robot army, East Wing payoffs vs. NBA scandals, and Benioff the Protector

    Musk’s robot army, East Wing payoffs vs. NBA scandals, and Benioff the Protector
    Oct 24 2025
    Story of the Week (DR):Citi’s Jane Fraser consolidates power with board chair vote — and a $25 million-plus bonus to boota one-time equity award (the Award), consisting of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) with a grant date value of $25 million and 1.055 million Citigroup stock optionsthe Compensation, Performance Management and Culture CommitteeDuncan P. Hennes (Chair)*Peter B. Henry*Other directorships: Nike, Inc., Analog Devices, Inc., National Bureau of Economic Research (Board), The Economic Club of New York (Board), Protiviti (Advisory Board), Biospring Partners (Advisory Board), Makena Capital (Advisory Board), and Two Bridges Football Club (Board)Renée J. JamesOther directorships: Oracle Corporation, Sabre Corporation, Vodafone Group Plc, President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (Member and Prior Chair), and University of Oregon (Trustee)Gary M. Reiner*Diana L. Taylor*Other directorships: Brookfield Corporation, Accion (Chair), Columbia Business School (Board of Overseers),Friends of Hudson River Park (Chair), Mailman School of Public Health (Board of Overseers), The Economic Club of New York (Member), Council on Foreign Relations (Member), Hot Bread Kitchen (Board Chair), Cold Spring Harbor Lab (Member), and New York City Ballet (Board Chair)Casper W. von KoskullCommittee Meetings in 2024: 15Citi elected CEO Jane Fraser as ChairJohn Dugan, who served as Chair of Citi’s Board since 2019, will become Lead Independent DirectorCEO armies MMElon Musk Wants ‘Strong Influence’ Over the ‘Robot Army’ He’s BuildingIn a Tesla earnings call Wednesday, the world’s richest man pondered the future of his company’s Optimus robots—and his control over them.“If we build this robot army, do I have at least a strong influence over this robot army?” he told investors. “Not control, but a strong influence… I don’t feel comfortable building that robot army unless I have a strong influence.”His repeated use of the word “army” certainly stands out, suggesting the robot could eventually be used as a weapon. Is Musk considering having his robots be deployed as soldiers?Elon Musk Threatens to Leave Tesla if Shareholders Don’t Approve His Trillion-Dollar Pay Package – Warns, “Which Other Automotive CEO Would You Like to Run Tesla Because It Won’t Be Me”Secret Plans Reveal Amazon Plot to Replace 600,000 Workers With Robot ArmyThe ongoing CEO/Trump Oligarchical BromanceTrump pardons convicted Binance founder Changpeng ZhaoZhao, who is widely known as CZ, had pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the huge cryptocurrency exchange.Zhao’s plea was part of a $4.3 billion settlement Binance reached with the DOJ in 2023.The pardon of Zhao, widely known as CZ, came two months after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump family’s own crypto venture, which has generated about $4.5 billion since the 2024 election, has been helped by “a partnership with an under-the-radar trading platform quietly administered by Binance.”NBC News, citing a public disclosure filing from Monday, reported that Binance in September had retained the services of the lobbyist Charles McDowell, who is a friend of the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr.Trump calls off planned 'surge' of federal forces in San Francisco after talking to Jensen Huang and Marc BenioffHere are the donors contributing to Trump’s White House ballroomIn summary: techbros, oil, tobacco, cryptoCorporationsAltria Group, tobacco (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)Amazon (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)Apple (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)Booz Allen HamiltonCaterpillarCoinbase (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)In February, the SEC dropped a pending case against the firm.Comcast Corporation (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)Google (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)$22 million toward the ballroom came from a settlement Trump reached with the Google-owned video site YouTube, ending a lawsuit he brought over the company’s 2021 decision to suspend his account in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.Hard Rock InternationalHP Inc.Lockheed MartinIn an emailed statement, the company said it was “grateful for the opportunity to help bring the President’s vision to reality and make this addition to the People’s House, a powerful symbol of the American ideals we work to defend every day.”Meta Platforms (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)In January, Meta agreed to pay $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit brought by Trump that alleged the company’s suspension of his social media accounts after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol amounted to an act of censorship.Micron Technology (donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund)MicrosoftNextEra Energy (donated $1 million to Trump’s ...
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