My argument as to why Fidelity Investments ranks among America’s most extraordinary companies.
Technology
Khalid David and Black Entrepreneur Stereotyping
Given the current climate to support black businesses and entrepreneurs, one might expect that it would be a walk in the park for Khalid David to raise a modest $500,000 for his fledgling software company. David’s pioneering app is already being used by a major construction company and his educational background includes degrees from MIT and Columbia.
David is working harder than ever on his fund-raising efforts. His biggest challenge? Overcoming white stereotypes of black entrepreneurs.
Sheryl Sandberg’s Bottomless Kool-Aid
She’s back! Eighteen months after a damning report revealing that Sheryl Sandberg was a ruthless executive ultimately responsible for smearing a prominent Facebook critic and Holocaust survivor with false accusations of anti-Semitism, Sandberg is again fashioning herself as a feminist activist and promoting a dubious Facebook small business program. These are good “make work” activities because indications are Sandberg has quietly been shunted aside.
Mike Bloomberg’s Prison Labor
Mike Bloomberg on Christmas Eve immediately terminated his campaign’s involvement with a call center staffed with inmates after The Intercept reported on the initiative. While it’s possible Bloomberg’s campaign used exploited prison workers, Microsoft and other Fortune 500 technology companies are proudly involved with programs that successfully give inmates second chances. Here’s an example of the potential damaged caused when reporters make assumptions about issues they know little or nothing about.
Why Canadians Suffer Horrific Air Canada
My commentary in support and solidarity with the countless Air Canada passengers in 222 cities on six continents who found themselves in travel hell these past few weeks. Maybe it’s time Canadians rebelled against corporate monopolies that exploit their tolerance and good nature.
Mark Kern: A Moral Leader in an ‘Immoral’ Industry
I’m often accused of being too black and white in my thinking. My skepticism about ESG, a popular form of socially responsible investing, is a case in point. I applaud those who wish to apply moral considerations when investing in public entities, but companies comprising the biggest holdings of Vanguard’s…
Democracy Dies in Blazing Sunshine
Back in 1965, an unknown young attorney named Ralph Nader published a bestselling book called “Unsafe at Any Speed,” accusing American automakers of being resistant to safety features like seat belts and questioning the design of a GM car called the Corvair. In those days, allegations that American companies would…
Uber and the Killing of the American Dream
Silicon Valley’s tech denizens fancy themselves as above reproach liberal do-gooders, disrupting antiquated business models and government regulations for the betterment of genderfluidkind, a term I imagine they’d prefer to “mankind.” Donald Trump is among the greatest things to happen to the Valley since the creation of the microchip because…
Hey Capital One: What’s in YOUR Wallet?
Fortune magazine four years ago published what easily ranks among the best investigative features of all time, an in-depth examination of the devastating cyberattack launched against Sony Pictures. The attack erased everything stored on about half of Sony’s personal computers and servers. A deleting algorithm overwrote the data seven different…