Episodi

  • FRIDAY WRAP: Meritocracy RIP, Jamie Dimon’s governance take, missing 8K at Tesla, and Kraft Heinz’s bad week

    FRIDAY WRAP: Meritocracy RIP, Jamie Dimon’s governance take, missing 8K at Tesla, and Kraft Heinz’s bad week
    Nov 15 2024
    IntroductionLIVE from your ESG sad sack, it’s a Business Pants Friday Show here at November 15th Studios, featuring AnalystHole Matt Moscardi. On today’s weekly wrap up: The government is getting its own Facebook Oversight Board; Meritocracy is not the name of a new WWF character; and food with a 36-month shelf life is still bad for youOur show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):Trump taps Musk, Ramaswamy to oversee ‘drastic’ changes to U.S. governmentDepartment of Government Efficiency–nicknamed DOGE after the cryptocurrency preferred by the Tesla CEO–its stated purpose is to radically shrink the size of the federal government by streamlining bureaucracy, eliminating jobs and shaving up to a third off of the $6.75 trillion fiscal budget.Conservatives have advocated starving the bureaucracy of resources ever since Ronald Reagan transformed the party with his famous 1986 slogan “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help’.”How DOGE will exactly operate remains at present unclear. Nor has there been an official explanation as yet regarding oversight, as Trump has confirmed it will operate outside of the executive branch but under his authority. This means it could be little more than a glorified advisory body or it could wield considerable influence, depending on how much favor it carries with the President-elect. Even Exxon Mobil Is Horrified by Trump's Climate PlanAs the New York Times reports, Exxon CEO Darren Woods warned that withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement would greatly weaken our global efforts to curb carbon emissions — a grim irony, given the fact that he represents one of the biggest contributors to global warming in the world."We need a global system for managing global emissions. Trump and his administrations have talked about coming back into government and bringing common sense back into government. I think he could take the same approach in this space."Twitter Is Getting Absolutely Destroyed as Users Flee to Rivals Run by People Who Haven't Lost Their MindsBluessky saw a major influx of well over a million new users in the week following the presidential election, growing from just 9 million users in September to 15 million.Bluesky even became the number one free app on Apple's App Store this week, beating out Meta's Threads — which is also spiking in apparent user count, though in a slightly more dubious fashion.Meanwhile, X-formerly-Twitter was in the news this week after British newspaper The Guardian announced it would be leaving the Elon Musk-owned platform, which has quickly devolved into a cesspool of hate speech and disinformation since his acquisition.Jamie Dimon on not getting a job under Trump: 'I haven't had a boss in 25 years and I'm not about ready to start' MMGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: The Onion Buys Alex Jones’s Infowars Out of BankruptcyThe Onion said its bid was sanctioned by the families of the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, who in 2022 won a $1.4 billion defamation lawsuit against Mr. Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems.MM: Kraft Heinz discontinues school Lunchables MMWhile the Lunchables were said to be tailored to meet school standards, CR found that they contained high levels of sodium—even higher than those kits found in the grocery store, as well as potentially troubling levels of phthalates and heavy metals. CR said the products contained between 460 to 740 milligrams per serving, or “nearly a quarter to half of a child’s daily recommended limit for sodium.” Amy Keating, a dietician for CR, explained that Lunchables are “highly processed” and that processed meat “has been linked to an increased risk of some cancers.” Assholiest of the Week (MM):Meritocracy DRSure, Matt Gaetz, Vivek, Elon, Tulsi Gabbard, etc… but we’re gaslit everywhere to believe meritocracy is what drives markets and appointmentsFrom this week: Felicia Williams Joins NeoGenomics Board of DirectorsWilliams brings experience as the interim CFO of Macy’s (after it declared bankruptcy) and experience at Coca-Cola to the board of… oncological DNA test company NeoGenomicsHere’s a fun one - in our database - Apple is tops on the list of US large cap companies that ignores the core knowledge ever other company in its industry has - 20% of directors in the Technology Hardware industry have Computer Science backgrounds. At Apple, only Tim Cook has that background - Apple is the Disney of tech!Vivek’s Strive voted against Cook, the only qualified director8KsTesla - no 8k mentioning the fact that their CEO is tapped as a government employee?ANTHER FUCKING JOB?Voting against self interestTraders betting against clean-energy stocks have made $1.3 billion since Trump's election winJob growth by state in ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    56 min
  • “Your body, my choice”, billionaires want you to have their babies, and a 4 year “skip Trump” cruise

    “Your body, my choice”, billionaires want you to have their babies, and a 4 year “skip Trump” cruise
    Nov 12 2024

    Live from an ESG-scented fanny pack, it’s an all-new Terrific Tuesday edition of Business Pants. Joined by Analyst-Hole Matt Moscardi! On today’s ongoing post-Election hangover called November 12th 2024: The Financial News Headline Trigger Game!


    Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.


    DAMION1

    The Financial News Headline Trigger Game

    Donald Trump’s election win will create a DEI reckoning that forces companies to either stand up for their policies or ‘step away’

    9

    Tech companies will have it easy under Trump. Just like they did under Biden

    5

    Elon Musk’s America PAC spent about $200 million to help elect Donald Trump—with vast majority from the Tesla CEO

    6

    Meta's Zuckerberg not liable in lawsuits over social media harm to children

    5

    Bird flu begins its human spread, as health officials scramble to safeguard people and livestock

    500

    ‘Your body, my choice’: Women face new surge of hate speech on X and TikTok following Trump’s election victory

    500

    Harris’s election loss shows American women still face a glass ceiling

    6

    Oil giant Shell wins appeal against landmark Dutch climate ruling to slash emissions

    6

    Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is funding free IVF for women who have his children

    500

    A cruise company is offering a 4-year journey to escape Donald Trump's presidency

    2
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    43 min
  • FRIDAY WRAP: Did accountability die in capital markets? Plus, CEOs win, climate passes, and monkeys escape

    FRIDAY WRAP: Did accountability die in capital markets? Plus, CEOs win, climate passes, and monkeys escape
    Nov 8 2024
    IntroductionLIVE from your ESG crying towel, it’s a Business Pants Friday Show here at November 8th Studios, featuring all your favorites: AnalystHole Matt Moscardi. On today’s weekly wrap up: a former CEO beats a glass cliff CEO and a bunch of other depressing stuffOur show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):Trump’s victory adds record $64bn to wealth of richest top 10 MMStock market euphoric over Trump winShare surge increases Elon Musk’s fortune by $26bn in a day as Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin and Bill Gates also benefitCoinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is more than $2 billion richer after post-election stock popTesla hits $1 trillion market cap as stock rallies after Trump winWall Street scores political victory with a Trump win: 'This should aid all banks'Tech CEOs Eagerly Grovel at the Feet of TrumpCEOs including Satya Nadella and Sam Altman are lining up to congratulate Donald Trump on his election victoryGoldman Sachs CEO congratulates Trump on election victory, calls for unityAfter Trump Took the Lead, Election Deniers Went Suddenly SilentTrump supporters spent years fomenting concern about election integrity. On Tuesday, they set it all aside.Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Climate Initiatives Fare Well Across the Country Despite National Political Climate MMWashington voters on Tuesday firmly rejected a measure to overturn the state’s signature climate lawCalifornia voters also voiced their support for strong action on climate, approving a $10 billion bond measure to boost climate resilienceA ballot initiative in Honolulu, Hawaii, creating a climate resiliency fund passedLouisiana voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment that requires any revenue received by the state from renewable energy production to be deposited into Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration FundA ballot measure in South Dakota aimed at easing the construction of carbon dioxide pipelines was squarely rejected DR: Workers in Missouri can look forward to raises after minimum-wage boosts passedvoters opted to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 (from $12.30) an hour by 2026.DR: Nissan to cut 9K jobs, reduce CEO's monthly pay by 50% as company faces 'severe situation'CEO Makoto Uchida volunteered to immediately begin forfeiting half of his monthly compensation, and other executive committee members also volunteered to take pay cuts.Boeing strike ends after workers vote to accept “life-changing” wage increase DRMembers of the IAM had been fighting for a 40% bump. The initial agreement gave workers a 25% wage increase over its four-year lifetime. The final agreement gave them a 38% raise.It is common for collective bargaining agreements to give workers a bonus upon ratification. The initial agreement would have given workers a $3,000 bonus. The final agreement gave them a $7,000 bonus plus a $5,000 401(k) contribution.The initial agreement offered a 75% company match on the first 8% of workers’ contributions to their 401(k) plans. The final agreement gave them a 100% company match on the first 8% of their contributions.MM: Intel says it's bringing back free office coffee to boost morale after a rough yearAssholiest of the Week (MM):AmericaWe did this already and it was literally horrible for everyoneCEOsCEOs are clamoring for bodyguards as the world feels more dangerous, a top security boss saysRepublican mega-donors asked their employees who they will vote for in surveyJeff Bezos' net worth hits all-time high fueled by Amazon shares getting Trump bumpWarren Buffett and Jensen Huang stayed quiet on the election—and their fortunes have rallied more than $12 billionAccountabilityHeadliniest of the WeekDR: Olivia Rodrigo Says She Would Never Date a Man Who Wants to Go to SpaceMM: Police Warn Residents to Lock Down Houses as Dozens of Monkeys Escape Research FacilityWho Won the Week?DR: Black Women break a barrier in U.S. Senate, winning two seatsTwo Black women, Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester, have won US Senate seats representing Maryland and Delaware, breaking another barrier in a 235-year-old institution long dominated by White men.Only 12 Black people have served in the Senate, and only three of them have been women. Never before have two Black women been seated at the same timeMM: Cloned ferrets: Cloned Endangered Ferret Gives Birth to Healthy OffspringPredictionsDR: I feel bad for a whileMM: There was the Trump trade - people buying oil stocks, bitcoin, etc - but now there’s the White Man trade. Investors target voting out black women on boards to add insult to injury!
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    50 min
  • Who would you elect? Zuck vs. John Arnold, Boeing now vs. Boeing before, driving a Tesla vs. driving anything, and Howard, Susan, or Peter Buffett

    Who would you elect? Zuck vs. John Arnold, Boeing now vs. Boeing before, driving a Tesla vs. driving anything, and Howard, Susan, or Peter Buffett
    Nov 5 2024
    WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE/VOTE FOR?Home Depot co-founder, GOP donor Bernie Marcus dead at 95. Berne endorsed Trump in November… 2023 and said two years ago that “Nobody works, nobody gives a damn. Just give it to me. Send me money. I don't want to work — I'm too lazy, I'm too fat, I'm too stupid. We used to have free speech here. We don't have it. The woke people have taken over the world. You know, I imagine today they can't attack me. I'm 93. Who gives a crap about Bernie Marcus?” WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE?Lead “Independent” Director Gregor BrennemanCEO Ed Decker already on boardDoesn’t have to sit on any committees (all other independent directors sit on at least two)$380,000 in pay last year to meet 11 times; one of two directors who didn’t even give to charity as part of the board’s matching charitable contribution programHas an actual voice that matters (14%); CEO has 25%Director Gerard Arpey$315,000 despite low pressure (only 3% influence)No leadership rules: sits on Nominating Committee with four other directors and FInance Committee with 5 other directorsDoesn’t even have a “Real” job: says he has been a partner in Emerald Creek Group, a private equity firm since 2012. Prior to his retirement in 2011, he served as CEO of AMR CorporationEmerald Creeks’s website is a picture of an orange grove. In the “news” section of the website the last listed event was from November 29, 2011: Arpey Joins Emerald Creek GroupMeta Permits Its A.I. Models to Be Used for U.S. Military Purposes.Meta will allow U.S. government agencies and contractors working on national security to use its artificial intelligence models for military purposes.Meta said that it would make its A.I. models, called Llama, available to federal agencies and that it was working with defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen as well as defense-focused tech companies including Palantir and Anduril.Meta’s move is an exception to its “acceptable use policy,” which forbade the use of the company’s A.I. software for “military, warfare, nuclear industries,” among other purposes.WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE?Meta Platforms Emperor Mark Zuckerberg72% influence; 61% voting powerWorld’s 4th richest person: ~$200BBlah blah blahMeta director John Arnold1% influenceMember on only one committee (Audit & Risk) with 4 other membersNo other directorships; only have a BAreceived an $8M bonus from Enron just before the company filed for bankruptcy; the largest cash bonus ever distributed by the company. Known as "king of natural gas”You work at a place named after you (Arnold Ventures) and you’re still just the co-founder and co-chairYour board appointment was announced on Valentine’s DayPay will be roughly $500,000 annually. He also received two initial equity grants worth $1.4M In 2007, Arnold became the youngest billionaire in the U.SBoeing Union Approves New Contract, Ending Costly StrikeLeaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seattle said 59% of members who cast ballots agreed to approve the company’s fourth formal offer and the third put to a vote.The new contract will raise wages more than 43 percent cumulatively over the next four years, an improvement over the two previous offers. The first proposal would have raised wages just over 27 percent.The deal also includes a $12,000 ratification bonus, which is four times as much as the bonus in the initial offer, and productivity bonuses.However, Boeing refused to meet strikers’ demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.Bank of America analysts estimated last month that Boeing was losing about $50 million a day during the now-ended strikeWHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE?Current CEO Kelly Ortberg, who inherited a messOr former CEO David Calhoun, who got to step down when he felt like it and got $98M in total summary compensation since 2020Kroger Finalizes $1.37 Billion Opioid Crisis SettlementUnder the agreement, which wasn’t an admission of wrong doing or liability by Kroger, the company agreed to pay about $1.2 billion over 11 years and around $177 million over a six-year period, each in equal installments. WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE?CEO and Chair Rodney McMullen since 2014$94M pay since 2019; ; holds $350M in Kroger stockPay ration 502:1; median associate for 2023 was $31,302; received $600k in dividend payments in 202492% shareholder supportNora A. Aufreiter, chair of the Public Responsibilities Committee that met a whopping 3 times last year; served on our Public Responsibilities Committee for nine years, the last four as chairDirector Emeritus of McKinsey & Company; retired in 2014 after more than 27 years with McKinsey$321,000 last year; holds $3M in Kroger stock98% support from shareholders; 99% last year2% board influence despite having served for a decadeElon Musk and X are epicenter of US election misinformationFalse or misleading claims by billionaire ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    33 min
  • TERRIFYING: 23andMe’s board, “dangerously cold” ice cream, and the governance US election

    TERRIFYING: 23andMe’s board, “dangerously cold” ice cream, and the governance US election
    Oct 29 2024
    Live from an ESG-flavored pumpkin patch, it’s an all-new Terrific Tuesday edition of Business Pants. Joined by Analyst-Hole Matt Moscardi! On today’s Halloween-filled scary Independent lead Director called October 29th 2024: a scary rate the headline game and a Terrifying headlines quiz!Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.DAMION1Scary headlines game23andMe Appoints Three New Independent Directors to BoardMark Jensen (LD & Comp Committee Chair): former executive at Arthur Andersen LLPAndre Fernandez (Audit Committee chair): former CFO WeWorkJim FrankolaAverage board influence across 4 boards (Lattice Semiconductor, Cardlytics, Ansys, and Skillsoft) is 4%OpenAI chair's AI startup Sierra gets $4.5 bln valuation in latest funding roundBret Taylor has raised $175 million in a new funding roundOne-year-old Sierra focuses on selling artificial intelligence-powered customer service chatbots to enterprises. It serves clients such as WeightWatchers and Sirius XMJeff Bezos Reveals Why Washington Post Didn't Endorse a 2024 Candidate (spoiler: the quick answer is Jeff Bezos)“Dave Limp, the chief executive of one of my companies, Blue Origin, met with former president Donald Trump on the day of our announcement,” Bezos wrote. “I sighed when I found out, because I knew it would provide ammunition to those who would like to frame this as anything other than a principled decision.”As he heads for the exit, Missouri secretary of state resurrects ‘anti-woke’ investing rulesIn calling for the latest round of changes, Jay Ashcroft said there is “an immediate danger to the public welfare” if there are not guidelines in place cautioning people about investment firms that use ESG principles: “ESG investing opposes fossil fuels, pushes unionization of private companies, pushes radical racial and gender equity over merit, and flexes their influence over who is chosen to sit on corporate boards.”AI will acquire a human form,' says Nvidia vice president (Masataka Osaki, the Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations at Nvidia)Elon Musk's secret talks with Putin ramped up during his Twitter takeover: WSJ reportGoogle to develop AI that takes over computers, The Information reportsAlphabet's Google is developing artificial intelligence technology that takes over a web browser to complete tasks such as research and shoppingJeff Bezos Reportedly Has Secretive "Personal Reasons" for Wanting to Escape to MarsWoman sues JetBlue over ‘dangerously cold’ ice cream sandwich that she says cracked her toothRobinhood jumps into election trading, giving users chance to buy Harris or Trump contractsU.S. stocks could soon trade for almost 24 hours a dayElon Musk claims he can cut the federal budget for Trump by 'at least' $2 trillionTech CEOs hedge their bets and make nice with TrumpApple’s Tim Cook phoned the former president to discuss Apple’s European legal troublesSundar Pichai called him to praise his photo op at a McDonald’sFinally, let’s rate some Jamie Dimon says:JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says 'it's time to fight back' on regulationJamie Dimon says the global order is at risk–and raging conflicts could explode into World War 3World War 3 has already begun, says JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie DimonMATT1Terrifying headlines quizYou really like being alive on earth… and then…:Volcanoes don't cause climate change — but it could be the other way aroundClimate Change Even Threatening Greece’s Butterflies, Food SupplyPolar bears are getting horrific injuries and huge 'ice balls' on their paws because of climate change, researchers say DRFall leaves look a little muted? Warmer, drier conditions are changing autumn in ArizonaYou really don’t want e coli or some horrible plague… and that’s when you hear:McDonald's bringing back Quarter Pounder after beef patties ruled out as source of E. coli outbreakRoyal Caribbean raises annual profit forecast on strong cruise demand, price hikesThe Arctic ice is melting. A booming cruise industry is taking advantage — while it can.Threat of foodborne pathogens is growing with climate change, experts warn DRYou are an out gay human being working in a firm with thousands of employees, virtually all of whom are white hetero milquetoast or not out at work. You’re already basically alone in a sea of bros, when you find out…:Your CEO leads an anti-gay church, and apologizes only because the billionaire ex-CEO and chair has a married non-binary child (Fortescue) DRIt’s your fault angry white men don’t want to pay your products touched by your gayness (Harley)Your existence in the office, not your work product, got your hetero white male CEO paid morePicture this - you’re home, comfortably at your kitchen table, home made coffee, house is empty, on your Zoom calls. You can shit in your toilet, you can choose to wear pants or not, you can be on call if your ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    51 min
  • FRIDAY WRAP: McDonald’s had a week, Southwest’s board “shakeup”, Boeing’s board get sued, and Techno Optimism revisited

    FRIDAY WRAP: McDonald’s had a week, Southwest’s board “shakeup”, Boeing’s board get sued, and Techno Optimism revisited
    Oct 25 2024
    IntroductionLIVE from your ESG corn maze, it’s a Business Pants Friday Show here at October 25th Studios, featuring all your favorites: AnalystHole-man Matt Moscardi. On today’s weekly wrap up: McDonald’s investor relations team hires entire writing staff from The Onion, an accelerated retirement at Southwest, Denny’s is saving lives, and a shout-out to Mr. CorpGovOur show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):McDonald’s strange week: DR MMTrumpMcDonald's is distancing itself from Donald Trump after a high-profile visit to the fryerWe don’t support presidentsRead McDonald's memo about Trump's controversial visit: 'We are not red or blue – we are golden'E. coli outbreak/quarter pounder/onionsE. coli outbreak tied to McDonald's Quarter Pounder kills 1, sickens dozens in USTaco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King pull onions amid McDonald’s outbreakA much bigger McDonald’s lawsuit is about to ‘erupt’ in the aftermath of its E. coli outbreak, food safety lawyer saysCDC told McDonald's about potential E. coli outbreak late last weekFDA probing McDonald's supplier Taylor Farms as source of E. Coli outbreak, CNBC reportsDEI failure? According to comparably.com, only 2 of Taylor Farms leadership team of 16 are women. So I guess Vivek would agree that it was the men? Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries charged with sex trafficking, interstate prostitutionSouthwest chairman will 'accelerate retirement' and step down next week, as board appoints 6Disney to name CEO Bob Iger's replacement in 2026, taps Morgan Stanley's Gorman as chairBoeing strike drags on as latest deal is rejected by 64% of unionGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Other Job: Helping Nike Turn Things AroundDR: Denny's to close 150 restaurants, will reduce menuMM: McDonald's linked to E. coli outbreak, CDC saysTrump just served them!MM: SEC Fines WisdomTree $4 Million for Investing in Fossil Fuels and Tobacco in ESG Funds DR MMAssholiest of the Week (MM):Southwest and activist investor Elliott strike deal to keep CEO Bob Jordan, add six new directorsLook how we have to coddle these fucking directors - the six directors leaving Southwest will be gone by November 1, but Gary Kelly, who has sat on this board and let it languish for THREE DECADES will still get to linger at the back of the conference room as “Chair Emeritus”In: David Cush, Sarah Feinberg, Dave Grissen, Gregg Saretsky and Patricia Watson plus Pierre Breber, who was already addedWe have Grissen, Saretsky, Watson, and Breber in our dataAverage earnings: 413Average TSR: 389Out: Biegler, Biggins, Blunt, Cunningham, Gilligan, and SoltauAverage earnings: 356Average TSR: 371Survivors: Doug Brooks, Ed Conrado, Bob Fornaro, Rakesh Gangwal, David Hess, Elaine Mendoza, Chris Reynolds, and Lisa AthertonAverage earnings: 379Average TSR: 500Replacement skills:Energy/oil (Biegler) for energy/oil (Breber)Government (Blunt) for government regulator (Feinberg)TWO professors (Cunningham, Gilligan) for TWO airlines (Cush, Saretsky)Bankrupt retail (Soltau) for mediocre hotel (Grissen)Bank (Biggins) for Bank tech (Watson)Jordan staysThis is the big win??? Replacing mediocre with mediocre, keeping Kelly napping in the background, and Jordan, a lifer alongside Kelly, keeps his job? That’s a WIN?Teen Dies by Suicide After Becoming Obsessed With AI Chatbot150m raised at a 1bn valuationAndreesen anchoredTechno Optimist Manifesto:We believe Artificial Intelligence can save lives – if we let it. Medicine, among many other fields, is in the stone age compared to what we can achieve with joined human and machine intelligence working on new cures. There are scores of common causes of death that can be fixed with AI, from car crashes to pandemics to wartime friendly fire.We believe any deceleration of AI will cost lives. Deaths that were preventable by the AI that was prevented from existing is a form of murder.Our present society has been subjected to a mass demoralization campaign for six decades – against technology and against life – under varying names like “existential risk”, “sustainability”, “ESG”, “Sustainable Development Goals”, “social responsibility”, “stakeholder capitalism”, “Precautionary Principle”, “trust and safety”, “tech ethics”, “risk management”, “de-growth”, “the limits of growth”.Accountability and oversight: noneOpenAI disbands another safety team, head advisor for 'AGI Readiness' resignsMeta Oversight Board seriously concerned about Facebook’s ‘overenforcement’ of Harris-Walz nipple postWhining Boeing InvestorsLawsuit Against Boeing's Board Seeks Accountability for Safety FailuresOhio AG Dave Yost on behalf of Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System of OhioThe lawsuit contends that board members and senior management know about the...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    41 min
  • POP QUIZ: Roblox, female leadership, HSBC’s glass cliff CFO, and Jana vs. Lamb Weston’s econ majors

    POP QUIZ: Roblox, female leadership, HSBC’s glass cliff CFO, and Jana vs. Lamb Weston’s econ majors
    Oct 22 2024
    Live from the Founder’s Diamond Mine in Botswana, where all diamonds are worth 50 votes per share, it’s an all-new Terrific Tuesday edition of Business Pants. Joined by Analyst-Hole Matt Moscardi! On today’s chocolate-filled summary compensation table called October 22nd 2024: It’s Double Quiz Tuesday, featuring a heartbreakingly mediocre ESG News Quiz and a relatively thoughtful data drop quiz!Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.DAMION1Let’s start with a report that came out a week or two ago that claims Roblox is ?Bonus question 1: of influence is held by women on the Roblox board?Bonus question 2: of influence is held by brothers named Baszucki?Bonus question 3: CEO and co-founder David Baszucki undemocratically controls the pedophilic landscape known as Roblx because his Class B shares are magically worth ?Roblox’s 2024 proxy statement cites a Trust & Safety Advisory Board comprised of world-renowned digital safety authorities. The company invites shareholders and stakeholders to “learn more about each of our Safety Advisory Board members at: corp.roblox.com/parents/.” Here’s Bonus question 4: Yes or No, Does Roblox list names and qualifications of the members of its Trust & Safety Advisory Board at corp.roblox.com/parents/, in any of its SEC filings, or anywhere else on its corporate website, or anywhere else in the world, including the back on a Chipotle napkin?As a sidenote, the board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is tasked with overseeing Roblox’s initiatives related to trust and safety:The chair of that committee, Anthony Lee, has been on the board since before Obama was president, is the VP at a VC firm called Altos Ventures management that “invests in founders”Committee member Andrea Wong who serves on the boards of:media company Liberty Media, which is controlled by billionaire John C. Malone;Qurate Retail, an American media conglomerate controlled by billionaire John C. Malone; andHudson Pacific Properties, a real estate investment trust controlled by Victor ColemanAnd committee member Christopher Carvalho, who currently owns options worth about $5 million today based on an exercise price of SIX CENTS.There’s no real quiz question here: so Bonus Question 5: Do you like this committee??And finally, let’s get to executive pay at Roblox:According to the company’s 2024 proxy statement, of Rolox’s 5 named executive officers are women?Over the past 3 years, has founder and CEO and chair and majority voting powerman David Baszucki, averaged $50 million a year?Let’s move over to a recent research report from Russell Reynolds called Gender Diversity in the C-suite: Women’s representation in the 2024 S&P 100Just to put the collective power of the S&P 100 into perspective, what is the market cap of the S&P 100?What is the market cap of the entire S&P 500?In 2022, women held 12.2% of the ~15,000 C-suite positions across publicly traded U.S. firms. At the end of 2023, what was this percentage?Russel Reynolds’ report looked specifically at 1553 executives at the 100 largest S&P 500 companies (the S&P 100). Out of all S&P 100 organizations, how many have achieved gender parity on their senior leadership teams?Of the six organizations that have achieved parity, name one notable feature of five of those six companies:What percentage of S&P 100 companies have leadership teams consisting of at least two-thirds men?What percentage of S&P 100 companies have leadership teams consisting of at least two-thirds women?The study looked at gender distribution by executive roles:Name the top 3 executive roles held by women:Extra credit: what percentages of those roles are held by women?Name the bottom 2 executive roles held by women:Extra credit: what percentages of those roles are held by women?Double extra credit: what’s another name for the CEO role?In 2022, RRA research found that 43% of CEOs in the Fortune 250 companies were promoted from the COO position, making it the most commonly held internal role prior to taking the top job.In the S&P 100, of the 35 men who were a COO in 2022, eight have been promoted to CEO at their same organization and one left to be CEO elsewhere. But of the four women who’d held the COO role, none had been promoted—and three out of four left their operating roles to pursue boards/advisory work Let me add one bit of research that stood out to me from McKinsey's “Women in the Workplace 2024: The 10th-anniversary report”Since the anti-DEI/anti-ESG movement took off over the past year or so, the following four data points have all shown remarkable rebounds after several years of declining percentages:Any competence-based microaggression 37% to 57%Having judgment questioned in area of expertise 22% to 39%Being mistaken for someone at a much lower level 10% to 19%Being interrupted or spoken ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    43 min
  • FRIDAY WRAP: CVS’s board coup, Zuck’s firing spree, and “social independence” board fines

    FRIDAY WRAP: CVS’s board coup, Zuck’s firing spree, and “social independence” board fines
    Oct 18 2024
    IntroductionLIVE from your ESG USB-C DIY LOL DEI Vape Pen, it’s a Business Pants Friday Show here at October 18th Studios, featuring all of your favorites: AnalystHole Matt Moscardi! On today’s weekly wrap up: Meta employees have acne but don’t call CVS’s Karen Lynch, meth-flavored TikTok, 3-headed CEOs, and even one-headed CEOs named Jamie that love to talk Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):CVS ousts CEO Karen Lynch, names Caremark head as new chief DR MMCVS Health Corp. named David Joyner as its new chief executive officer, ending a tumultuous tenure for current CEO Karen Lynch at the pharmacy giant.Longtime executive Joyner, 60, took over Thursday, according to a Friday release. The move comes after the company repeatedly missed earnings targets, setting off unrest among shareholders that spilled into public view in recent weeks.Last month, major CVS shareholder Glenview Capital began a significant push for changes at the company, CNBC previously reported.CNBC reported last month that CVS’ board had engaged strategic advisors to weigh its options, including the potential of a breakup of its insurance and retail businesses.Joyner most recently oversaw the company’s pharmacy services business as president of CVS Caremark, a similar position to the one Lynch held before she assumed the top job in February 2021. He began his career at Aetna in pharmacy benefit services and previously held the role of executive vice president of sales and marketing at CVS Health.“We believe David and his deep understanding of our integrated business can help us more directly address the challenges our industry faces, more rapidly advance the operational improvements our company requires, and fully realize the value we can uniquely create,” Chairman Roger Farah said in a statement.Lynch also stepped down from the company’s board of directors this week, the company said Friday. Joyner will take a seat on the board, and Farah will assume the role of executive chairman.FFA: Karen Lynch (16%) vs. Roger Farah (16%)Meta fires staff for abusing $25 meal creditsMeta recently fired some employees for misusing a Grubhub meal perk.Roughly two dozen employees were terminated for abusing the company's meal credit system.The Grubhub perk is intended to support employees who work at locations where free meals aren't provided by a cafeteria or when employees work late and need food delivered to the office.Instead of purchasing meals, some Meta employees used the $25 credit to order other items, including laundry detergent, wine glasses, and acne pads, the person familiar with the situation said.The roughly two dozen staff were fired for a repeated pattern of misuseAmazon invests in nuclear energy, hot on the heels of Google and MicrosoftBig Tech continues to go nuclear as the artificial-intelligence boom drives energy demand to new heights.Amazon announced on Wednesday that it's anchoring a $500 million investment for X-energy to develop small, advanced modular nuclear reactors, which would provide carbon-free power for some of its data centers.Microsoft last month helped advance a plan to reopen the Three Mile Island plant, the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in US history, and Google on Monday announced a partnership in small-modular-reactor tech with Kairos Power.A Sam Altman-backed nuclear power stock soared 150% in a monthParamount Will Allow Its 3 Co-CEOs to Resign and Receive Severance If They Are DemotedWith Paramount Global poised to be taken over by Skydance Media in 2025, the three execs running Paramount as co-CEOs — George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins — now have an additional provision in their employment agreements that will let them quit and receive severance benefits if they are demoted from their co-CEO roles.In addition, Cheeks, McCarthy and Robbins were each awarded grants of $3 million worth of restricted share units Prior to securing the deal with Skydance, Paramount dismissed former CEO Bob Bakish and formed the three-member Office of the CEO effective as of May 1 comprising: George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.guaranteed severance payments equivalent to two times their annual base salary plus twice their annual target bonus amount, among other benefitsFor Bob Bakish last year that severance would have amounted to nearly $50MThe change in compensation comes at a time when Paramount is aiming to reduce annual costs by $500 million ahead of its merger with Skydance Media. As part of these cost-cutting measures, Paramount started job cuts in August and plans to lay off 15% of its U.S.-based workforce in three phases by the end of the year."US judge orders Boeing, DOJ to ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    50 min