Moderna to create dual COVID-19, flu vaccine, CEO says

Moderna, the maker of the second COVID-19 vaccine to see emergency use approval in the U.S., is now looking to create a dual vaccine against the flu and the novel virus, the company’s chief executive recently said. 

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said Tuesday that such a jab could be ready for use in a couple of years, though it would be subject to standard regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), not emergency use as its existing coronavirus vaccine was, he said during The Wall Street Journal Health Forum.  READ MORE

New reasons to think the work-from-home revolution is overblown

One year after the Covid-19 pandemic forced millions of workers to start clocking in from home, many companies are thinking about how to bring their employees back into the office.

A number of firms think the past 12 months have proven the merits of remote work, and have pledged more flexible schedules. But increasingly, there are signs the work-from-home revolution could have its limits. READ MORE

Bernie Sanders tells Elon Musk to 'focus on Earth' and pay more tax rather than spend his wealth on space travel

Sen. Bernie Sanders responded to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's claim that he needs his vast wealth to fund interplanetary travel by saying that "we need to focus on Earth" and raise taxes on higher earners to tackle "obscene" inequality in the US.

After Sanders criticized his wealth last week, Musk, one of the wealthiest people in the world, said he would use his fortune to fund space exploration. READ MORE

Goldman Sachs CEO responds to analyst survey describing 'inhumane' workplace

Goldman Sachs' CEO says the bank will strengthen enforcement of its "Saturday rule" and speed up hiring of junior bankers after a group of analysts described "inhumane" working conditions, including 95-hour weeks and instances of workplace abuse.

"This is something that our leadership team and I take very seriously," CEO David Solomon said in a voice message sent to staff on Sunday. READ MORE

Company claims oral COVID-19 vaccine on its way

An Israeli-American pharmaceutical company is preparing to launch a Phase I clinical trial for what could become the world’s first oral COVID-19 vaccine.

Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company based on technology developed by Hadassah-University Medical Center, announced over the weekend a joint venture with Premas Biotech to develop a novel oral vaccine. Together they formed the company Oravax Medical Inc. The vaccine is based on Oramed’s “POD” oral delivery technology and Premas’s vaccine technology. READ MORE

This startup aims to take the trash out of takeout

Like many New Yorkers, Adam Farbiarz eats a lot of takeout.

But every time he finished a meal, he noticed he was left with a lot of garbage.

In fact, New York residents used more than 23 billion disposable food service items in 2016, according to a report from the Overbrook Foundation, a human rights and environmental advocacy group.

To help solve the problem, Farbiarz founded DeliverZero, a zero-waste delivery company that aims to tackle the city's growing mountain of takeout trash. READ MORE

Top finance, tech firms mulling NY exodus over proposed tax hike

Top New York firms that toughed it out through the pandemic are now considering packing their bags over $7 billion in proposed new state taxes.

At least 20 finance and tech companies are already poised to leave for sunny, low-tax Florida, said Kathyrn Wylde, CEO of the business-backed Partnership for New York City. “The Legislature’s proposals will move us in the opposite direction by driving away the businesses and tax base required to do that,” said powerful Real Estate Board of New York President James Whelan. READ MORE

Combined State and Federal Corporate Income Tax Rates in 2021

Corporations in the United States pay federal corporate income taxes levied at a 21 percent rate. Many states also levy taxes on corporate income. Forty-four states and D.C. have corporate income taxes on the books, with top rates ranging from North Carolina’s single rate of 2.5 percent to a top marginal rate of 11.5 percent in New Jersey. Fourteen states levy graduated corporate income tax rates, while the remaining 30 states levy a flat rate on corporate income. READ MORE

A new program can animate old photos. But there's nothing human about artificial intelligence

It's hard to explain the mix of emotions that spark upon seeing a photo of Frederick Douglass come alive with the click of a button. And yet, there he is, blinking and nodding as if he were just alive yesterday, as if he hadn't died in 1895, years before film recording became commonplace.

His animated image and others like it -- at the same time unsettling, emotional, and a bit fantastical, are made possible by Deep Nostalgia, an artificial intelligence program from the genealogy platform MyHeritage. READ MORE

5 Challenges Facing CHROs at Midsize Companies Today

The CHRO’s agenda has never been more daunting than it is in 2021. In addition to their normal workload, CHROs have been dealt a full hand of challenges that have a direct impact on a company’s ability to recover and grow.

The agenda is particularly difficult for CHROs of midsize and emerging enterprises, which typically must meet big-company tests with small-company resources. For example, an organization with 300 full-time employees usually has just three or four full-time HR people — enough to cope with business as usual, but not with extraordinary challenges. READ MORE