At most companies, the glory in the C-suite has typically gone to the executives who dream up new products, plot bold market expansions, or out-innovate the competition with money-gushing patents. Think Target’s chief merchant or Tesla’s CFO.
But this is 2021. READ MORE
How Moderna’s people strategy helped bring the COVID vaccine to market
Two years ago, few people outside of biopharmaceutical circles had likely heard of the company Moderna. Now, it’s a household name—thanks to its COVID-19 vaccine, which received emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration at the end of 2020. As of last week, more than 156 million Moderna COVID vaccines have been administered in the U.S. READ MORE
Silicon Valley is not on trial in the Elizabeth Holmes case. Classic fraud is
As the Elizabeth Holmes trial unfolds, the audacity of the alleged scheme becomes clearer by the day. The purported lies are big, the sums of money staggering, the boldface names riveting. But perhaps what is most remarkable about the case is how unremarkable it is as a legal matter. Many have suggested that the culture of Silicon Valley is on trial — the infamous "fake it 'till you make it" ethos of founders. But the trial is really about classic fraud, just in a glossy form and a high-tech context. READ MORE
There could be a seismic shift in the labor market. Here's why
America's job market is showing signs of strength — welcome news after a choppy summer.
What's happening: The US economy added 531,000 jobs in October, according to government data released Friday. That's stronger than in August and September, though gains for both months have been revised higher. READ MORE
Facebook … What To Do?
Don Draper suggested that when you don’t like what’s being said, you should change the conversation. Facebook is trying to change the conversation to the Metaverse. But we should keep our eyes on the prize, and not look stage left so the illusionist can continue to depress teens and pervert democracy stage right. In sum, nothing has changed. And something (likely many things) needs to be done to stop the most dangerous person on the planet. I first wrote the preceding sentence three years ago; it seems less novel or incendiary today. READ MORE
Democrats' spending bill could give four weeks of paid leave to people without jobs
The latest version of the House Democrats’ massive $1.7 trillion reconciliation bill contains a provision guaranteeing four weeks of federal paid medical and family leave, even if you’re unemployed.
The provision in question is buried deep in the Build Back Better Act as Democrats desperately try to get legislation across the finish line after a GOP trouncing at the polls on Tuesday. READ MORE
Nearly half of board members want to fire a colleague
A survey from PwC of around 800 corporate directors found that 47% believe a fellow director on their board should be replaced, and of those almost one-fifth (18%) believe multiple directors should leave. READ MORE
How Tyson Foods Got 60,500 Workers to Get the Coronavirus Vaccine Quickly
When Tyson, one of the world’s largest meatpacking companies, announced in early August that all of its 120,000 workers would need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or lose their jobs, Diana Eike was angry. Eike, an administrative coordinator at the company, had resisted the vaccine, and not for religious or political reasons like many others here in her home state.
“It was just something personal,” she said. READ MORE
These are the people still most likely to quit during the next wave of the Great Resignation
The hottest trend in 2021 isn’t some fad on social media or a creative new baking recipe, it’s quitting your job, and it’s taken the U.S. workforce by storm. READ MORE
4 Must-Know Tips For Building A High-Growth Startup
All startups have the same goals; develop an innovative product, find your market fit, and exit through an acquisition or IPO. Yet, very few achieve these goals. Even if they’ve built a product that blows the market away, the majority of startups fail. While some companies may suffer from a lack of product-market fit or a lackluster sales strategy, many don’t make it far because of mundane reasons. READ MORE
Inside Q4’s Action-Packed IPO Pipeline, Including The Year’s Biggest Expected Offering
This year has already been a record one for IPO volume, and by all accounts the final quarter of 2021 is set to continue that momentum with anticipated Wall Street debuts from big venture-backed companies including Weave, Expensify and—the largest expected offering of the year—electric-truck maker Rivian.
Fourteen companies went public last week in the U.S., according to IPOScoop, with Rent the Runway and Udemy among the notable public debuts for tech companies. READ MORE
Americans take essential work ‘for granted’
As American workers are leaving their posts due to coronavirus vaccine mandates, the country’s gap in filling essential jobs worsens and FOX Business’ "How America Works" host Mike Rowe says it’s no secret why.
Rowe told "Fox News Primetime" that the issue has always lied in what Americans value, which includes turning a blind eye to blue-collar careers. READ MORE
Can Supersonic Air Travel Fly Again?
Despite the promise of two-hour flights from New York to Los Angeles, the supersonic airline industry never really got off the ground. That is largely because of physics: specifically, the sonic boom, the thunderclap noise made when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, which essentially doomed supersonic aviation as a viable business. READ MORE
Musk would liquidate Tesla shares to 'solve world hunger' if UN can explain how money would be spent
Elon Musk, the founder of Telsa whose net worth is approaching $300 billion, responded Sunday to calls from social media users to sell some stock to solve world hunger.
Musk responded to a repost of a CNN article that quoted David Beasley, the director of the UN’s World Food Program, who said billionaires need to "step up now" — namely Musk and Jeff Bezos. READ MORE
SEC Enforcement Developments: Fessing Up and Paying Up
As the SEC has recently completed its fiscal year on September 30, 2021, where it pushed its enforcement initiatives under new Chairman Gary Gensler, a brief overview of its recent track record is in order. No one can now doubt the enhanced enforcement already underway in the Biden Administration. Basically, the SEC mantra is "fess up" and "pay up." READ MORE
Four Retail IPOs
I make predictions, which is a shitty business. If they come true, circumstances leading up to the event make the prediction seem less bold. If they don’t, the Twitter troll army comes for you. On a risk-adjusted basis, bad idea.
Like that’s going to stop me. READ MORE
Employees are designing the workplace of the future
Why do we go to the office?
This is not a rhetorical question. Do we go to be around other people and work collaboratively? Do we go because it’s a dedicated location that allows us to focus on our work in a unique way? Do we go because we believe it’s necessary to be “seen”? Do we go because we’re just supposed to, because it’s what we’ve always done? READ MORE
MeWork
Two years ago, WeWork’s IPO was aborted, and the company was put on SoftBank life-support. Things changed yesterday. WeWork took its first steps in the public markets, opening at $9.5 billion, which is a fifth of its 2019 valuation. Sanity restored.
The stock’s doing well. It closed up 13.5%, which is an especially nice gift to Adam Neumann, whose 11% ownership is now worth more than $1 billion. He celebrated in standard douchebaggery: spraying champagne at the Standard Hotel in a shirt that read “Student for Life.” It took the greatest catastrophe in IPO history for Neumann to realize he’s not fit to teach. READ MORE
Gas hits $7.59 a gallon in CA town
Gas keeps getting more and more expensive, especially in California. But perhaps nowhere is it pricier than the remote central coast community of Gorda.
The town's only gas station is offering regular unleaded for $7.59. Premium is nearly $8.50. READ MORE
Labor flexes its muscle as leverage tips from employers to workers
Workers are saying enough is enough.
And many of them are either hitting the picket lines or quitting their jobs as a result.
The changing dynamics of the US labor market, which has put employees rather than employers in the driver's seat in a way not seen for decades, is allowing unions to flex their muscle. READ MORE