Bayer is throwing out the corporate playbook to try a radical experiment: getting rid of a huge swath of its bosses. After years of tumbling stock prices, the company has decided to give workers more decision-making power. WSJ's Chip Cutter talks about how this boss-less plan is being implemented among Bayer's 100,000 employees. Further Reading: -One CEO’s Radical Fix for Corporate Troubles: Purge the Bosses -The Boss Wants to Make You More Efficient Further Listening: -The New Layoff: On a Wedn...
Mar 26, 2024•21 min
We’re back for Sam Bankman-Fried’s sentencing. After the crypto golden boy was found guilty on all counts in November, this week he’ll find out how long he will serve in federal prison. Caitlin Ostroff and Rachel Humphreys get an insight into Bankman-Fried’s life for the past few months, from unappetizing prison food to tutoring inmates. Further Listening: - The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy Further Reading: - Sam Bankman-Fried’s Life Behind Bars: Crypto Tips and Paying With Fish Learn more about...
Mar 26, 2024•16 min
The Department of Justice announced a landmark lawsuit against Apple, alleging that it has built a monopoly in smartphones by thwarting innovative apps and accessories that would make users less dependent on Apple’s technology. WSJ’s Tim Higgins breaks down the lawsuit and what it could mean for the company and its CEO Tim Cook. Further Reading: - Ghost of Microsoft Stalks Apple as DOJ Takes Its Shot - Monopoly Case Pits Justice Department Against Apple’s Antitrust Winning Streak Further Listeni...
Mar 25, 2024•21 min
Donald Trump’s finances are under stress. He faces a $454 million judgment against him in a civil-fraud case. Meanwhile, his campaign fundraising is trailing President Biden’s. WSJ’s Peter Grant unpacks the developments and a potential windfall for Trump. Further Reading: -Trump Is in a Race Against Time to Protect His Fortune -Trump Makes a New Fortune With Truth Social Listing Further Listening: -Biden vs. Trump: The Rematch Nobody Wants Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
Mar 22, 2024•20 min
This week, the Supreme Court is considering whether the Biden administration unlawfully pressured tech companies to suppress social media posts opposed to Covid vaccines. We talk to WSJ’s Jess Bravin about the latest in a series of cases that could set important ground rules for free speech and online content moderation. Further Reading: - Covid-Era Case on Free Speech to Test Supreme Court - Supreme Court Voices Skepticism Over Social-Media Censorship Claims Against Government Further Listening...
Mar 21, 2024•20 min
The social-media platform Reddit is making its stock-market debut Thursday and is offering a chunk of shares in its initial public offering to users, who are the lifeblood of its operations. But those same passionate users could cause trouble for the company. WSJ's Corrie Driebusch explains, and a moderator for the popular Reddit forum WallStreetBets weighs in. Further Reading: - Reddit Fueled Meme-Stock Mania. Now Its CEO Is Overseeing His Own Company’s IPO. - They’re Reddit Die-Hards. Do They ...
Mar 20, 2024•22 min
When David Solomon became CEO of Goldman Sachs just over five years ago, he made promoting women to senior levels of the firm a priority. But female executives are heading for the door—among them, Stephanie Cohen, one of the most senior executives at the company, who announced her departure Monday. WSJ’s AnnaMaria Andriotis unpacks what’s happening at the Wall Street giant. Further Reading: -Women Aren’t Getting the Big Jobs at Goldman Sachs, and They’re Heading for the Exits -Stephanie Cohen Is...
Mar 19, 2024•19 min
Two Binance employees, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, are being held by Nigerian authorities in a guarded house. According to their families, they haven’t been charged with any crimes. WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff explains how the two men ended up there and why crypto is being blamed for a country’s currency collapse. Further Listening: - The Fall of (Another) Crypto King - A Crypto Exchange Crackdown - The Rise of Binance – And the Effort to Reel It In Further Reading: - Crypto Gets Blamed fo...
Mar 18, 2024•21 min
In November 2022, Kavita Fischer downloaded a casino app from DraftKings, one of the top online betting companies in the U.S. Kavita was looking for relief from the stress of a recent divorce and the isolation of working from home during the pandemic. In less than a year, Kavita gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars. We speak to Kavita and to WSJ’s Katherine Sayre about how online betting companies keep customers coming back by giving them bonus credits and VIP treatment. Further Reading...
Mar 15, 2024•32 min
Hospitals, pharmacies and medical groups have been reeling in the wake of last month’s ransomware attack on a company widely used for insurance billing and payments. WSJ's James Rundle unpacks how the cyberattack on Change Healthcare has left thousands of providers scrambling to pay their bills and some wondering if they can keep their doors open. Further Reading: - Change Healthcare Rival Onboards Hundreds of Thousands of Customers During Hack Crisis - U.S. Health Department Intervenes in Chang...
Mar 14, 2024•22 min
Today the House voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill that would ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. or force a sale. For years politicians have threatened a ban, but this latest attempt finally gained traction. WSJ's Georgia Wells on the long push to ban the Chinese-controlled platform and how the company is fighting back. Further Listening: -The Billionaire Keeping TikTok on Your Phone -Exclusive: TikTok’s CEO on the App’s Future in the U.S. -What's Up With All the TikTok Bans? Further Read...
Mar 13, 2024•18 min
About a year after a major train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, an activist investor is trying to oust Norfolk Southern’s CEO, Alan Shaw. But as WSJ’s Esther Fung explains, the CEO has some unlikely allies in his corner. Further Reading: -Railroad Workers Were Ready to Strike. Now They’re Fighting to Save Their CEO. Further Listening: -What Caused a Train to Derail in East Palestine, Ohio? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 12, 2024•19 min
Nearly 80% of ship-to-shore cranes at U.S. ports are made by ZPMC, a Chinese state-owned company. In recent years, U.S. officials have grown concerned that these giant cranes could be used for spying on the U.S. China says these concerns are “paranoia-driven.” WSJ’s Aruna Viswanatha reports on why cranes have become the latest point of contention in U.S.-China relations. Further Reading: - Pentagon Sees Giant Cargo Cranes as Possible Chinese Spying Tools - Espionage Probe Finds Communications De...
Mar 11, 2024•21 min
This week the Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted to unionize, setting up a fight with the school over whether its athletes are students or employees. WSJ’s Laine Higgins talks about how this move upends decades of NCAA precedent and could change college sports forever. Further Listening: - A League of Champions Implodes - A Tipping Point for Paying College Athletes? Further Reading: - Dartmouth Basketball Players Vote to Unionize in New Challenge to NCAA’s Amateurism Model - Dartmouth Men’s B...
Mar 08, 2024•20 min
Sam Altman once called Elon Musk, one of his OpenAI co-founders, his hero. Now Musk is suing Altman, accusing him of abandoning OpenAI’s founding mission in pursuit of profit, which OpenAI denies. WSJ’s Berber Jin reports on the highs and lows of a Silicon Valley’s bromance. Further Reading: - How the Bromance Between Elon Musk and Sam Altman Turned Toxic - Elon Musk Sues OpenAI, Sam Altman, Saying They Abandoned Founding Mission Further Listening: - Artificial: The OpenAI Story - Money, Drugs, ...
Mar 07, 2024•23 min
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley suspended her bid for the Republican presidential nomination.That sets the stage for another matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in November. WSJ’s Eliza Collins looks at the new shape of this old rivalry. Further Reading: - Biden vs. Trump: A Familiar Matchup in an Unprecedented Election - Nikki Haley Exits Republican Presidential Race Further Listening: - Does Nikki Haley Have a Chance At Beating Trump? - A Messy Star...
Mar 06, 2024•18 min
In 2017 Bill Shufelt was desperate. He’d quit his job at a hedge fund to start a business that sounded absolutely nuts: a non-alcoholic beer that people would actually want to drink. WSJ’s Ben Cohen uncovers how Shufelt’s idea has led to one of the fastest-growing movements in the beer industry. Further Listening: -Canned or Homemade? America’s Biggest Cranberry Company Wins Either Way Further Reading: -The Hottest Beer in America Doesn’t Have Alcohol -Bud Light Missed Out on the Super Bowl Part...
Mar 05, 2024•20 min
When Russian troops invaded his hometown in 2022, Ukrainian teenager Denys Kostev filmed TikTok videos cursing Vladimir Putin and praising Ukrainian courage. But a few months later, Kostev suddenly began appearing in Russian propaganda videos. WSJ’s Matthew Luxmoore spoke to the Ukrainian teenager about how he became part of the Kremlin's propaganda machine. Further Reading: -A Ukrainian Teen’s Dark Transformation Into Russian Propaganda Star Further Listening: -The Grim Story of a Russian Priso...
Mar 04, 2024•25 min
