From tiki statues and “family” talk to 4,000 pink slips and an army of bots.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff calls this “progress.” I call it another entry in my CEO Hall of Shame.
People
Woke Pepsi Falls Prey to Elliott Barbarians. Karma!
Woke Pepsi spent years greenwashing, virtue signaling — and blowing billions on stock buybacks to fizz its share price. Paul Singer’s ruthless Elliott Investment Management has taken note.
Pepsi’s fate couldn’t happen to a more deserving management.
Kennedy Is Unfit. Media’s Bias Made Him Possible
The CDC and FDA were once the gold standard of public health. Smallpox eradicated. Polio defeated. Frances Kelsey standing up to Big Pharma and sparing America the Thalidomide tragedy.
Today, those same agencies are politicized, distrusted, and weaponized. The media’s selective outrage helped get us here.
All About Ilhan Omar’s 300,000 Benjamins
“It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.” That was Ilhan Omar’s infamous 2019 tweet alleging Jews controlled Congress.
Now Omar’s own disclosures show she and her husband may be sitting on as much as $30 million — wealth built largely from two businesses valued at no more than $51,000 just a year earlier.
That’s 300,000 Benjamins, baby. Here’s why Omar’s sudden fortune matters.
David Geffen and the Illusions of Purchased Love
Billionaire music impresario David Geffen’s messy divorce is more than gossip — it’s a reminder of how Hollywood, media, and money romanticize illusions that never hold up. From Pretty Woman to Seeking Arrangements, many mistakenly believe money can buy love. As Geffen learned the hard way — it can’t.
How Ulysses ‘Crazy Legs’ Curtis Changed My Life
To Toronto Argonauts football fans he was Ulysses ‘Crazy Legs’ Curtis, one of the greatest running backs of his day. To me, he was my junior high gym teacher — the intimidating, muscular man who barked, “You boys are the poorest excuse for the male species I’ve ever met” — and then inspired me to build the discipline and pushup prowess that shaped my life.
Only today did I learn how legendary Curtis truly was.
The Narcissism of Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol
Gulfstreams. $14,000 cappuccino machines. A $96M payday—6,666x the median wage he pays employees—while telling managers to cut costs. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is the poster boy for CEO narcissism. Here’s why investors should care.
Why Verizon Deserves to Crash and Burn
Verizon only wants “high-quality” customers, says its $24 million CEO Hans Vestberg. If that’s the goal, investors should demand the immediate deactivation of Vestberg—and the dead-weight board he chairs.
AT&T’s John Stankey Enters CEO Hall of Shame
Mass layoffs. Major data breaches. A disrespected brand. And the architect of one of the worst media deals in recent corporate history.
AT&T CEO John Stankey’s record is a case study in failing upward.
And yet—last week—he told employees they must embrace AT&T’s new performance-based culture.
In-N-Out Burger’s Heart vs. Starbucks’ CEO Hype
If Starbucks’ hotshot CEO Brian Niccol wants to learn what real leadership looks like, he should spend some time shadowing Lynsi Snyder, president of the beloved In-N-Out Burger chain.
While Niccol hopscotches the country in a Gulfstream jet and manages Seattle-based Starbucks remotely from Southern California, Snyder plays bass in a company rock band that raises money to fight substance abuse and human trafficking.