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☆ Israeli political tensions boil over, revealing new danger for Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Analysis Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Divisions and disagreements within the Israeli cabinet on the conduct and priorities of the war against Hamas have simmered since the onset of the crisis. That has been a red line for the religious right in the Israeli cabinet. Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, pictured in October, is widely seen to be a leading contender to be the next Israeli leader. Over the next three weeks, compromise may yet keep the war cabinet intact. It would, however, leave the prime minister more exposed to the demands of far-right- members of his cabinet.

Persons: –, Benny Gantz, Mahmoud, Abbas, Gantz, Amir Levy, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Gantz, Itamar Ben Gvir, Yair Lapid, Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, ”, Jack Guez, Yoav Gallant, “, “ Gantz, Anshel Pfeffer, ” Pfeffer, “ Bibi, …, Pfeffer, Gallant, Leo Correa, Bezalel Smotrich Organizations: CNN, Hamas, National Unity Party, Palestinian Authority, Israel, National, Getty, Sunday, Jerusalem Post, AP, Finance Locations: Gaza, “, Iran, Lebanon, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, AFP, Israel, Jerusalem

Most Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years in the military, followed by years of reserve duty. Netanyahu asked the court Thursday for a 30-day extension to find a compromise. Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday that the state provides only 7.5% of all funding for the institutions. “Without the Torah, we have no right to exist," said Yitzchak Goldknopf, leader of the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism. But the powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties — longtime partners of Netanyahu — want draft exemptions to continue.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, David Ben Gurion, Anshel Pfeffer, Israel's, “, ”, Aryeh Deri, Haredim, Yitzchak Goldknopf, NETANYAHU, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu — Organizations: JERUSALEM, Jewish, Haaretz, Shas, Cabinet Locations: Gaza, Israel, Jewish

☆ Opinion | The Man Who Could Unseat Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Anshel Pfeffer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the most complex challenge facing Mr. Gantz sits with him at the war cabinet table: Mr. Netanyahu. He has accused the prime minister numerous times in the past of dividing Israeli society. Several security officials and foreign diplomats were also interviewed about Mr. Gantz. Mr. Gantz, 64, is in a unique and contradictory position. At the same time, according to polls, he is also the man most likely to replace Mr. Netanyahu and his disastrous government.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mr, Netanyahu —, Israel — Organizations: Defense Ministry Locations: Tel Aviv, Gaza, Iranian, Lebanese

☆ Netanyahu's two-front war against Hamas and for his own political survival
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Howard Goller | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

On camera Gantz, a former army chief and opposition leader who joined Netanyahu's war cabinet last month, pointedly asked a TV crew to leave him alone with the families. Facing a huge wave of criticism over his failure to prevent the shock Hamas infiltration of Israel on Oct. 7, Netanyahu has largely avoided the limelight while conducting a two-front war, one against Hamas and the other for his own political survival. Israelis have shunned some of Netanyahu's fellow cabinet ministers, blaming them for failing to prevent the Palestinian Hamas gunmen from entering from Gaza, killing 1,200 people, abducting 240 more and engulfing the country in war. Some 14,800 Palestinians have been killed in the war, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced. Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu has survived many a political crisis, staged several comebacks, and need not face another election for three years if his coalition remains in tact.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Netanyahu, Bibi, Anshel Pfeffer, Pfeffer, Israel, NETANYAHU, Abraham Diskin, Diskin, GANTZ, Gallant, pollster Mano Geva, Yair Lapid, Netanyahu's, Lapid, Howard Goller, Diane Craft Organizations: Rights, Hamas, Defence Ministry, Jerusalem's Hebrew University, Likud, Gantz's National Unity Party, Israel's, Qatar, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, ABIR, Iran, Gaza, GAZA, Likud

Copycat layoffsAndreyPopov/Getty Images"Copycat layoffs" is the idea that companies are being influenced by one another as they cut jobs. Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, attributed the layoffs to "copycat behavior" in an interview with Stanford News in December. They followed on the way up; companies were hiring, so everybody decided to hire. Now, companies are laying off, and everybody decided to follow each other and lay people off." "It's difficult without being inside those companies to really point a finger at why these tech companies are shutting people," Minshew said.

Persons: Jeffrey Pfeffer, " Pfeffer, Kathryn Minshew, Minshew Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Stanford News

☆ Wells Fargo adds Amazon to its focus list to beat the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wells Fargo Investment Institute is getting more bullish on Amazon as the e-commerce retailer's Amazon Web Services and North American retail segments "near inflection points." Wells Fargo Investment Institute's focus list aims to beat the S & P 500 over a roughly one-year period on a total return basis. AMZN YTD mountain Shares have rallied more than 65% this year Amazon shares have rallied more than 65% this year. "More importantly, we see re-acceleration in growth, even a modest one, in core AWS functions over the next few years as a key catalyst for the stock," Pfeffer wrote. Wells Fargo is also gaining more confidence in Amazon's retail business in North America, as it builds up regional utilization and benefits from lower transportation rates and shipping costs.

Persons: Lawrence Pfeffer, Wells Fargo's, it's, Pfeffer, Wells Fargo, Michael Bloom Organizations: Investment Institute, Web Services, O'Reilly Automotive, Wells, Wells Fargo Investment, Amazon Locations: Wells, American, Wells Fargo, North America

☆ Israel's Netanyahu buys time, but is still in a fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Angus Mcdowall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It shows the dilemma facing Israel's longest-serving prime minister, who managed a comeback last year, brushing aside an ongoing corruption scandal and the political obituaries written after his last coalition collapsed in 2020. Announcing the delay of the judicial law on television, Netanyahu cited the wisdom of Solomon to say he would extend a hand for dialogue. With polls showing his coalition would lose any new election, Netanyahu can meanwhile count on little goodwill from old foes and former allies still sore from previous encounters. Netanyahu describes the cases as politically motivated, denies wrongdoing and says they are not linked to his judicial reforms. His coalition partners include hard-right supporters of Jewish settlers, who have dismayed Israel's foreign allies with harsh statements about Palestinians.

☆ Amazon and Meta's 48,000 job cuts usher in Big Tech's new mantra: Revenue per employee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon and Meta say their combined 48,000 job losses are about getting leaner. All told, the two firms have cut 48,000 jobs across two waves of layoffs in less than six months. Discussing Twitter's remaking under new owner Elon Musk, Rabois noted that Musk is "steering hard" in terms of revenue per employee. A 2009 analysis of Big Tech's performance found Google's revenue per employee was over $1 million, the highest of all tech firms. Management experts say that cuts make workers jittery, weakening their productivity and firms' ability to bring in new talent.

☆ Layoffs are still historically low, so why does it feel like everyone's losing their job?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The layoffs and discharges rate in January was 1.1%, which remains historically low. While BLS data may show a low US layoff rate overall, tech layoff announcements are important, given Pollak said that tech and finance are "synonymous with Americans' aspirations generally." "Those markets are very exposed to tech layoffs, and tech plays a disproportionate role in the economy," Terrazas added. Pollak told Insider that the layoffs at tech companies are "relatively small" and that "many companies also are not pursuing layoffs across the board." Despite the layoff rate being very low, job seekers may still be concerned about these headlines.

☆ 5 non-fiction books everyone should be reading about work in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

If you're looking for inspiration or feel stuck in your job, these 5 career books, recommended by Goodreads, can help put you in the right mindset. These books, all published in 2022, have at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads and at least 1,000 members added the book to their "want-to-read" shelf on the site. Chance walks readers through how to cultivate charisma, become a stronger negotiator and deal with manipulative people. Pfeffer introduces seven rules for building a fulfilling, successful career, including "break the rules" and "network relentlessly," as well as how to follow them in your own life. As one review noted: "This book felt like the wakeup call I had been seeking for years now."

☆ The job cuts by companies like Uber and GM targeting low performers show CEOs are taking a hard-line approach to management
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Rebecca Knight | Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

To wit, GM this week said it was axing roughly 500 salaried positions in performance-related job cuts. Business advisors who work with executives told Insider that companies conduct what are sometimes called "quiet layoffs" for two main reasons. Job cuts send a potent messageGM this week said it was axing roughly 500 salaried positions in performance-related job cuts. He recently told Insider that the widespread layoffs in tech are more likely due to companies parroting each other rather than necessary cost-cutting. In other words, a rival's announcement of job cuts gives other companies reason to follow suit.

☆ Matthew McConaughey's Salesforce gig
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hallam Bullock here, reporting from London — and yes, Matthew McConaughey is on my mind. Salesforce has reportedly been paying McConaughey $10 million a year to act as a "creative adviser." Robyn Phelps/InsiderProgrammers are thrilled about AI tools like ChatGPT. Read why programmers are pumped about the rise of AI tools. Larry Lundstrom spends about 40 to 60 hours a week as a pastor, but on the side, he uses AI tools like ChatGPT to make pitch decks for businesses.

☆ I'm a Stanford professor who's studied organizational behavior for decades. The widespread layoffs in tech are more because of copycat behavior than necessary cost-cutting.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer says there's another simpler reason: Companies are blindly copying each other. A lot of companies were hiring during the pandemic, so everybody decided to hire. A lot of companies doing layoffs cite the economic downturn, but many of them aren't going to run out of money if they avoid layoffs. In many instances, layoffs don't increase stock prices or cut costs. These layoffs are a decision that reflects the company's values, and these companies have basically given their employees the middle finger.

Copycat layoffsAndreyPopov/Getty Images"Copycat layoffs" is the idea that companies are being influenced by one another as they cut jobs. Since the start of 2023, numerous tech companies have laid off workers, including Google, Microsoft, and Zoom, picking up on job cuts that started in the second half of 2022. They followed on the way up; companies were hiring, so everybody decided to hire. Now, companies are laying off, and everybody decided to follow each other and lay people off." "It's difficult without being inside those companies to really point a finger at why these tech companies are shutting people," Minshew said.

☆ Highly successful people use this 1 skill to get more from reading, says Northwestern expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Anyone who's ever curled up with a good book knows the health benefits of regular recreational reading. There's a single tweak you can make to your reading habits to become even more successful, says Northwestern management professor Brooke Vuckovic, who teaches a MBA class on extracting leadership lessons from literature. Her tip: After you've finished reading a new book, try describing it in one sentence. There's another benefit, too: When students in Vuckovic's MBA class write one-line book descriptions, they're often struck by how differently other people see the world, she says. One person might write a summary about Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" that focuses on the central love story.

Some young women are changing the way they talk about food and their body image after seeing the discussion surrounding so-called almond moms on TikTok. The term “almond mom” began trending on TikTok last month after a 2014 clip of former “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member Yolanda Hadid went viral. Koemptgen, 25, recently posted a video showing off the “almond mom” snacks at her mom’s house. Carla A. Pfeffer, an associate professor in the school of social work at Michigan State University, said some of the criticism of “almond moms” is rooted in misogyny and a culture that places the burden of childcare almost exclusively on women. She called “almond moms” a scapegoat of diet culture, but not the cause.

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