Executives need to have an understanding of information technology in order to derive business value from it and to productively interact with IT professionals. Nevertheless, IT experts have long lamented many executives’ limited knowledge of IT’s underlying functionality. In turn, many executives have (often unconsciously) declined to develop such IT literacy, preferring instead to focus their time and attention on domain and business matters. READ MORE
Has remote work changed how people travel in the US?
The prevalence of remote work since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed urban transportation patterns in the U.S., according to new study led by MIT researchers.
The research finds significant variation between the effects of remote work on vehicle miles driven and on mass-transit ridership across the U.S. READ MORE
Office redesigns should focus on enabling hybrid work arrangements, AI: study
Employees have positive views about returning to the office but expect it to look and feel differently than it did before the pandemic to accommodate hybrid arrangements as well as facilitating new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, according to a new study by Cisco.
The Cisco Hybrid Work study – which surveyed 14,050 full-time employees and 3,800 employers from around the world in December 2023 and January 2024 – found that 72% of employees have positive feelings about returning to the office. However, only 47% of employees believe their work environments are equipped for the hybrid work era, pointing to a need for office spaces to be redesigned to better support the ways that employees want to work together. READ MORE
Former Google employee warns of ‘terrifying patterns’ in company’s AI algorithms
A former high-level Google employee said "terrifying patterns" were discovered in Google's core products and hypothesized how bias may have entered the Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.
Whenever there is a problem inside of a Google product, the company has a reporting system called "Go Bad" that can be utilized to document potentially harmful content, according to the source. READ MORE
‘Shortcuts Everywhere’: How Boeing Favored Speed Over Quality
In February last year, a new Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane was on one of its first flights when an automated stabilizing system appeared to malfunction, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing soon after they took off.
Less than two months later, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max plane with eight hours of total flight time was briefly grounded until mechanics resolved a problem with a fire detection system. And in November, an engine on a just-delivered United Airlines 737 Max failed at 37,000 feet. READ MORE
Walmart, 7-11, and Chick-fil-A launch new project to speed up every shopping trip – you won’t even need to go to a store
DroneUp CEO Tom Walker introduced the company's proprietary autonomous drone "ecosystem" on Tuesday, saying it could revolutionize last-mile logistics.
The system differs from existing drone delivery because it includes a climate-controlled locker, referred to as DBX, where drones pick up packages. READ MORE
Stellantis uses ‘mandatory remote work day’ to cut 400 white-collar jobs
White-collar workers at Chrysler-parent Stellantis have reason to be nervous if they ever receive a company notice telling them it’s mandatory that they work remotely on a particular day.
That’s what happened to 400 or so of their colleagues on Thursday. They were informed via a notice that the next day the carmaker would be “holding important operational meetings that require specific attention and participation." READ MORE
America’s largest companies are fueling inequality, says new study
US-based corporations are making more money than ever before, and they’re putting that money right back into shareholders’ pockets.
One of the reasons the S&P 500 is up more than 10% so far this year is because investors expect dividends — a redistribution of profits from a company to its shareholders — to get bigger. READ MORE
California leads nation in unemployment after slower job growth than anticipated
California now has the highest unemployment in the nation, after new data revealed that job growth in the Golden State was much lower in 2023 than previously believed.
Data from the state Employment Development Department indicates California reached 5.3% unemployment last month. READ MORE
Where the DEI pushback leaves employers
It’s the “D” in DEI that gets all the attention. The “equity and inclusion” goals are very much on the sideline, in part because they don’t bring to mind any particular practice or change; diversity focuses attention on hiring as a means of change.
It is a hot-button issue because of the perception that diversity programs are about giving preference in hiring and promotions to people other than white men. The widespread belief that DEI is another word for hiring preferences is unfortunate, given that—except in very limited situations—any such practice violates the law. Affirmative action is also assumed to be a synonym for preferential hiring, but again, except in very unusual circumstances, it is limited to reducing bias and shaping the applicant pool. READ MORE
Slice into a piece of Pi! Pie, math enthusiasts celebrate 3.14: 'The nerd holiday'
Pi Day is the most mathematically delicious day of the year.
March 14 -- it's 3.14, which celebrates the number used to calculate the circumference of a circle and an excuse to indulge in sweet and savory pies.
"It's kind of like what everyone calls the nerd holiday," said Mary Wortman, the owner of Dangerously Delicious Pies in Canton. READ MORE
Dave Calhoun was hired to fix Boeing. Instead, ‘It’s become an embarrassment’
Hardly a day has gone by in 2024 without a bad headline for Boeing, from life-threatening mid-flight crises up above to entrenched business debacles happening on the ground. So how does CEO Dave Calhoun still have a job?
“It’s become an extreme embarrassment,” Richard Aboulafia, a longtime aviation analyst, told me. “The board seems weirdly absentee, investors seem weirdly complacent, and the government doesn’t seem to have a mechanism for dealing with this.” READ MORE
If the US bans TikTok, China will be getting a taste of its own medicine
TikTok is now facing a ban in the United States, a fate that has already befallen a string of American social media giants that tried to make it in China.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill which could ban TikTok in the country if its Chinese owner ByteDance doesn’t sell the app to an entity that satisfies the US government. READ MORE
Jamie Dimon’s hot management take? Don’t be afraid to fire people
There’s no crying in baseball—and no crying in the boardroom either, according to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
In his 18 years at the helm of the world’s biggest bank, the Wall Street titan has cemented his reputation as an outspoken thought leader on finance and CEOship—and occasionally, the “pet rock” that is Bitcoin. READ MORE
This company intends to be the first to mine the moon
Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed a law that allows private American space companies the rights to resources they mine on celestial bodies, including the moon.
Now, there’s a private venture that says it intends to do just that. READ MORE
Former Google consultant says Gemini is what happens when AI companies go 'too big too soon'
A former Google consultant said the backlash to the company's Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) resulted from going "too big too soon" and floated several ideas for how Big Tech can offer transparency to the public.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, DataGrade CEO Joe Toscano said Google was left without a solution when groundbreaking tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney came to market and has since been trying to meet the competition. READ MORE
Steve Jobs' Daughter Claims He Told Her She 'Smelled Like A Toilet' While On His Death Bed — But She Clarifies He Was Being Honest: 'I Really Did'
In “Small Fry,” a memoir by Lisa Brennan-Jobs, the estranged daughter of Steve Jobs, readers are offered a profound insight into her complicated relationship with the iconic Apple co-founder. Known for his unfiltered approach to communication, Jobs never hesitated to express his opinions, no matter how sharp or direct. Published excerpts in Vanity Fair in 2018 drew considerable attention, revealing the depth of their strained interactions and emotional distance. READ MORE
Electric 18-wheelers are even stupider than electric cars
“It still boggles my mind,” says Jeffrey Short, Vice President of the American Transport Research Institute.
Mr. Short was talking about the findings of a study conducted by ATRI recently, which quantifies how much additional power generation capacity would have to be added to America’s existing electric grid to convert the nation’s entire heavy truck fleet to battery electric vehicles. READ MORE
A bigger pool of American workers could slow inflation further?
US inflation is down considerably from a four-decade high reached nearly two years ago. Now, as the Federal Reserve faces the final stretch of its historic inflation battle, a bigger pool of workers could slow inflation even further.
That would also improve the chances of a “soft landing,” an extremely rare scenario in which inflation is tamed without triggering a recession. READ MORE
Warren Buffett Proposed A Way To Ensure 'Anybody Who's Willing To Work 40 Hours A Week Has A Decent Living' — And It Wouldn't Cost Employers Anything
In a 2016 interview with CNN, famed investor Warren Buffett shared insightful views on the state of the economy, the distribution of wealth and the mechanisms through which a fairer economic system could be achieved. Buffett’s observations came years before concerns over inflation intensified. Given that the federal minimum wage has remained unchanged at $7.25 since 2009, his proposals for ensuring a livable wage have become increasingly relevant today.
Buffett emphasized the disparity within the American economy, noting, “We’re in an economy where specialized talents bring incredible sums and where if you’re a little bit where you really don’t fit well into the market system you are left behind.” READ MORE