Canada’s Mark Carney has said bonjour to China’s EV manufacturers. It may mean au revoir to GM and Ford’s EV ambitions.
Business
Why Uber Turned Me into a Waymo Convert
Never in a million years did I expect I’d trust a robot over a human driver.
But after years of rising prices, declining service, and watching Uber enrich its CEO while degrading both drivers and riders, I found myself choosing Waymo — reluctantly at first, then repeatedly.
This isn’t a tech love letter. It’s a story about how Uber hollowed out ride sharing so thoroughly that automation began to feel like relief.
A Man-Bites-Dog Car Dealership Repair Story
Car dealerships are deservedly among the most distrusted businesses in America. So when I was told this past weekend that my six-year-old, out-of-warranty vehicle needed a major engine repair, I braced for the worst.
The bill never materialized. I don’t know why Subaru absorbed the cost, and I didn’t press my luck by asking. Given how rare that outcome has become in the car business, the experience was worth noting.
Wall Street Owns America’s EV Debacle
In 2021, Wall Street analysts spoke about EVs with near-messianic certainty. Four years later, the strategy is being unwound, billions have been written off, and the media has largely allowed those same voices to move on without explanation or accountability.
Alas, I’m not so charitable.
Trump and Sen. Warren Agree on Stock Buybacks
When a company’s stock price soars after a CEO retreats from her transformational vision and takes a $1.6 billion write-down linked to that strategy, it’s worth asking what’s actually being rewarded.
In a largely overlooked moment, President Trump and Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently began asking that same question about stock buybacks and corporate incentives. While both have pledged to do something about it, here’s why I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Platinum Equity’s POS Toilet Buyout
A private equity firm sold a company to itself, booked a gain, kept the fees — and, surprise, surprise, the company filed for bankruptcy this week.
That story doesn’t end with a portable toilet company. It leads to private credit, bank regulatory “workarounds,” and provides important context for an alarming report by former New York Times investigative reporter David Cay Johnston showing that the Fed is quietly propping up the banking system.
Remembering Chris: Jim Farley on Homelessness
I’ve spent years criticizing Ford CEO Jim Farley. In recent days, I learned about a side of him that rarely shows up in corporate America.
Trump Didn’t Break EVs. Barra and Farley Did
If you were launching a transformational technology, would you cut marketing by $1 billion?
GM did.
On Mary Barra Sliming Biden for GM’s EV Failure
Mary Barra last week blamed Joe Biden for GM’s EV mess.
The media gave her a free pass.
Again.
CEOs’ Rx for Hurting Workers: Let Them Eat ETFs
Struggling to pay rent or cover a $400 emergency? Don’t worry — America’s CEOs say the solution is simple: just buy their stocks.