Business Pants

著者: Free Float Media Inc.
  • サマリー

  • Whether you love business news or feel like you’re supposed to know it but hate it, Business Pants is business news for humans. Snarky and irreverent, deeply researched and factual, a podcast devoted to market quirks and the humans that make up companies. Investing isn’t a what, it’s a who.

    2024, Free Float Media Inc.
    続きを読む 一部表示

あらすじ・解説

Whether you love business news or feel like you’re supposed to know it but hate it, Business Pants is business news for humans. Snarky and irreverent, deeply researched and factual, a podcast devoted to market quirks and the humans that make up companies. Investing isn’t a what, it’s a who.

2024, Free Float Media Inc.
エピソード
  • A Portrait in Corporate Patriotism with Greg Penner of Walmart, plus a game that gives thanks
    2024/11/26
    The Business Pants Thanksgiving Special Game!Let’s take a trip through history:Dark agesWalmart pulls back on DEI efforts, removes some LBGTQ merchandise from websiteThe nation’s largest employer, which has about 1.6 million U.S. workers, joined a growing list of companies that have stepped back from diversity, equity and inclusion efforts after feeling the heat from conservative activists.In a statement, Walmart said it is “willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America.”“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the statement said.Among the changes, Walmart will no longer allow third-party sellers to sell some LGBTQ-themed items on Walmart’s website, including items marketed to transgender youth like chest binders, company spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said.She said it also recently decided to stop sharing data with the Human Rights Campaign, a nonprofit that tracks companies’ LGBTQ policies, or with other similar organizations.Additionally, the big-box retailer is winding down the Center for Racial Equity, a nonprofit that Walmart started in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder sparked protests across the country. At the time, Walmart and the company’s foundation pledged $100 million over five years to fight systemic racism and create the center.Over the past year, the company has phased out supplier diversity programs, which gave preferential financing to some groups, such as women and minorities, after the Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action.It’s also moved away from using the term “diversity, equity and inclusion” or DEI in company documents, employee titles and employee resource groups. For example, its former chief diversity officer role is now called the chief belonging officer.Luddites UniteRansomware attack leaves Starbucks using pens and paper to track employee hoursNYC's Underground Steam System May Be Key to a Greener FutureSome 100 miles of steam pipes snake below Manhattan, delivering low-carbon vapor to some big-name customers. More buildings could soon tap in.DrugsKohl's CEO to depart after less than two years at the helmKohl's CEO Tom Kingsbury will step down after less than two years at the helm, paving the way for former Walmart executive Ashley Buchanan to take on the role as the department store chain looks to execute a turnaround.Kohl's said Buchanan improved profitability at Michaels Companies, a specialty retailer of arts and crafts supplies, where he has been the CEO since 2020, and grew its digital business while simplifying its merchandise strategy.Prior to Michaels, Buchanan was at retailer Walmart for 13 years, where he held a number of executive roles including chief merchandising and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. e-Commerce.‘Drill, baby, drill’ is unlikely under Trump, Exxon saysOil and gas producers in the US will not raise output significantly in the coming years despite calls from President-Elect Donald Trump to “drill, baby, drill,” said Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Upstream President Liam Mallon.McDonald's gets into gift-giving with limited-time 2-toy Happy MealThe company said it will sell "Pet Simulator Happy Meals" featuring two toys at participating restaurants across the country beginning Tuesday. One of the toys will be gift-wrapped, the fast-food chain said."We hope this special Happy Meal inspires kids to share during this season of giving," McDonald’s executive Jennifer Healan said in a statement. "Whether they choose to give their extra toy to a family member, make a friend smile, or show kindness to a neighbor, it’s all about helping kids feel the joy of giving this holiday season."McDonald's to invest more than $100 million to speed up recovery after E. coli outbreakMeta, TikTok, Google slam Australia’s under-16 social media banUnder the proposed law, Australians under 16 years of age will be prohibited from setting up accounts on all major social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Reddit, even if they obtain parental permission. The social media giants will be responsible for policing the ban, under threat of fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32.5 million).Tech firms urge caution and more research(!):TikTok ANZ’s director of public policy Ella Woods-Joyce described the legislation as “rushed”Meta said the social media ban “overlooks the practical reality of age assurance technology.”Both Meta and Google said it was important for Australia to wait until a national trial of age verification technology was completed before passing the bill. “In the absence of such results, neither industry nor Australians will understand the nature or scale of age assurance required by the Bill nor the impact of such measures ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    41 分
  • FRIDAY WRAP: WWE government, Jaguar and the non-US anti-woke movement, airline CEO blowhards
    2024/11/22
    IntroductionLIVE from Vanguard’s "Mirror Voting Policy", it’s a Business Pants Friday Show here at November 22nd Studios, featuring AnalystHole Matt Moscardi. On today’s weekly wrap up: DEI and Meritocracy Shark Jumping, no more Jaguars for blue-collar America, A-Holey (or is it A-Holy) investors, Will the real Elon Shady please stand up?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):DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open its search monopolyThe Department of Justice says that Google must divest the Chrome web browser to restore competition to the online search market, and it left the door open to requiring the company to spin out Android, too.Stop & Shop cybersecurity issue empties shelves before ThanksgivingTrump's new administration should 'not tolerate' the level of cyber attacks coming from Russia and China, Microsoft president saysThe AI Effect: Amazon Sees Nearly 1 Billion Cyber Threats a DayNews Corp Shareholders Reject Activist Bid to End Dual-Class Share StructureAn advisory, nonbinding stockholder proposal requesting that the Board take the necessary steps to adopt a recapitalization plan that would eliminate the Company’s dual-class capital structure failed to pass as follows:35% FORSubtract Rupert’s shares: 64% FORThe Murdoch family controls 41% of company votes, despite having a 14% stake in the company.Has Meritocracy jumped the shark? Linda McMahon, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for education secretary: Trump's education secretary nominee once said she had an education degree. She doesn't. MMThe billionaire professional wrestling mogul served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009At the confirmation hearing in 2009, she said education was her passion and that her work as CEO of the WWE taught her "firsthand the skills Connecticut students need to obtain through education to be successful."Stepped down for this:McMahon is now facing fresh scrutiny for incorrectly claiming in a vetting questionnaire before being nominated to serve on the state Board of Education in early 2009 that she had earned a degree in education from East Carolina University in 1969; it was actually in French.Member of board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut (2004-2017)McMahon also co-founded the conservative research group America First Policy Institute in April 2021, which says its mission is to "provide sound research and carefully crafted policy recommendations to advance the America First agenda"Leadership Team: 15 white people/0 PoC9 women: 7 blond and 2 brunettesTrump’s Education Secretary Pick Named in Sexual Abuse LawsuitA recent lawsuit alleges Linda McMahon knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) employee as early as the 1980s.Work Advice: I’m uncomfortable with our CEO invoking Jesus in meetingsReader: I’m a mid-level executive for a publicly traded company. I’ve been here four years, and I hope to stay until I retire about 10 years from now.However, I feel increasingly uncomfortable when my CEO, a devout Christian whose family has owned the company since its founding a century ago, begins each meeting or company event with a Christian prayer. These are innocuous prayers that revolve around the health and safety of employees, their families, and our clients. But they always end the same way: “In Christ’s name, amen.” I’m frequently the only one in the room who doesn’t bow my head.Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Anti-woke shark jumping? MMJaguar dubbed 'Bud Light 2.0' after releasing modernist rebranding ad with androgynous models, no carsJaguar Rebrand Sparks Confusion, Angers Anti-‘Woke’ Critics—Including Elon Musk And Andrew TateTexas AG opens investigation into advertising group that Elon Musk sued for 'boycotting' XPro-family Volvo ad celebrated on social media following Jaguar rebrand backlashTexas governor orders state agencies to sell China assetsVolvo Car AB top shareholder: Eric Li (via Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd.) - 79%Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC top shareholder: Tata Motors Limited (which is controlled by Tata Sons Limited)DR: Bluesky CEO Jay Graber says X rival is ‘billionaire proof’“The billionaire proof is in the way everything is designed, and so if someone bought or if the Bluesky company went down, everything is open source,” Graber said. “What happened to Twitter couldn’t happen to us in the same ways, because you would always have the option to immediately move without having to start over.”Assholiest of the Week (MM):News Corp investors36% of non Murdoch investors wanted to stick with dual class structureIf we assume the top two investors that aren’t Murdochs - Independent Franchise Partners and SOF Ltd (who was founded by a Murdoch friend) - vote with the Murdochs, 17% of non Murdoch ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    56 分
  • Get surprised: Bakkt acquisition, investors love Air Products’ board, Vanguard’s 4 for 1 policies, and KFC China CEO’s weird fetish
    2024/11/19
    The Random Ask Matt Stuff about the Headlines Game!Donald Trump’s social media group in talks to buy crypto trading venueTruth Social owner is close to an all-share takeover of Intercontinental Exchange’s BakktWhich one of these key facts surprises you the most? The least? Hoover you want to answer:Bakkt, which has struggled for profitability since its launch, was created by ICE, and the owner of the New York Stock Exchange still holds a 55 per cent economic interest in it.Bakkt’s first CEO was Kelly Loeffler, a former head of marketing at ICE and a Republican ex-senator for Georgia during Trump’s first presidency. She is co-chair of the committee organizing his inauguration in January.She is also married to Jeff Sprecher, ICE’s founder, chair and CEO.Air Products Refreshes Board Ahead of Face-Off With ActivistsAir Products and Chemicals Inc. named two new board members ahead of its shareholder meeting in a potentially defensive move against pressure from two activist investors.The company named industrials executives Bob Patel and Alfred Stern as candidates for the 2025 board election, according to a statement Monday. Two existing board members — David Ho and Matthew Paull — will not seek re-election.Pop QUIZ Question: Since 2015, what is the average level of investor support for Air Products and Chemicals Directors?78%88%98%The CEO of Bluesky's Actual Name Means "Blue Sky" in ChineseWhich thing do you care about most and will either make you join Bluesky?The CEO of Bluesky is in fact a woman named Jay GraberBluesky is an independent public benefit corporationBluesky is owned by Jay Graber and the Bluesky teamBluesky confirms Jack Dorsey is no longer on its boardDorsey hadn’t seemingly been a particularly active participant at the company. In March, when The Verge’s Nilay Patel asked Graeber for Decoder about his level of involvement with Bluesky, she said she gets “some feedback occasionally,” but implied he’s otherwise “being Jack Dorsey on a cloud,” as Nilay put it. Months before that interview, Dorsey had closed his Bluesky account.After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, Twitter severed all legal and financial ties with Bluesky SocialCVS strikes deal with activist Glenview Capital for four board seatsJust a few weeks after the health-care giant ousted former CEO Karen Lynch.Glenview CEO Larry Robbins will join the CVS board effective immediately, alongside Leslie Norwalk, Guy Sansone and Doug Shulman. CVS’ board will expand to 16 members.Two of the directors–Leslie Norwalk and Guy Sansone–have experience in healthcare. Which of these two useless other directors are you most excited about joining the CVS board that will now have 16 board members!A hedge fund dude. Glenview Capital founder and CEO Larry RobbinsDoug Shulman, the CEO of a financial services holding company called OneMain Financial, where the board has a sizable -19% gender gapRate on a scale of 1-10 how surprised you are by these headlines:San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie names OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to transition teamRFK Jr., Who Claims to Be Super Against Fast Food, Spotted Snacking on McDonald's With Trump and Elon MuskVanguard Gives Investors Option to Avoid Voting for ESG Issuesthe "Third Party Wealth-Focused Policy," which votes an investor’s proportionate shares in accordance with the recommendations from a third-party, the Egan-Jones Rating Co. ratings agency, that “focuses on maximizing shareholder value without being influenced by political or social agendas”Another new option will be "Mirror Voting Policy," which votes an investor’s proportionate shares in approximately the same proportions as the votes cast by other shareholders. This policy replaced the "Not Voting Policy."The existing policy lineup comprises the "Company Board-Aligned Policy," the "Third-Party ESG Policy," and the "Vanguard-Advised Funds Policy."Don Jr.’s New Gig: An Investment Firm Connected to Christian Nationalists1789 Capital, an anti-ESG venture capital firm that Donald Trump Jr. is joining instead of taking a White House roleTrump picks Liberty Energy CEO and Oklo board member Chris Wright as Energy secretaryOilfield services company Liberty Energy -13% gender gapOklo; chair and director and 6% owner Sam Altman Bonus question: which do you hate the most?And finally, China's KFC and Pizza Hut CEO [Joey Wat] said she spends hours watching her customers eatWat said that she stakes out Yum China restaurants and spends "two, three hours" watching people eat. That time leads to new product ideas, like KFC China's "mash potato burger."Which surprises you the most?That Yum China Holdings has a positive 10% gender influence gap–led by CEO Joey Wat and Compensation Committee Chair Min “jenny” ZhangThat China's KFC and Pizza Hut CEO Joey Wat spends "two, three hours" watching people eat
    続きを読む 一部表示
    37 分

Business Pantsに寄せられたリスナーの声

カスタマーレビュー:以下のタブを選択することで、他のサイトのレビューをご覧になれます。