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☆ F1 team bosses have their own light-bulb moment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The late McLaren boss Teddy Mayer liked to compare Formula One drivers to interchangeable light-bulbs, declaring "you plug them in and they do the job", and nowadays the same might be said for team principals. The Frenchman is on his third different team, after stints at Sauber and Renault. "It shows also that the role of the team principal is maybe sometimes also a bit over-rated because if you can change it so quickly and there is no big impact, it tells also something. Sauber, with Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing as chairman of the board, will become the Audi works team from 2026. "But other than that we must not forget that F1 teams have developed into big organisations where the owners are not any more the team principals... some have engineers as team principals, some have more an old-fashioned rule."

☆ A generation of high-profile women tech leaders have stepped aside. What’s next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The tech industry has now lost an entire generation of trailblazing women leaders and replaced them mostly with men. And in the wake of the pandemic, women leaders in corporate America more broadly are more likely than ever to quit, according to the most recent Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org. Now that she’s departing, Big Tech is facing a new reckoning over its failure to promote and support women leaders, and what this could mean for the next generation of women in the industry. “Without women in the C-suite who have come before them, it could make this transition period tougher for next generation women leaders,” Kray said. “I think that what she achieved and what she modeled will be something that will live on beyond the fact that now we don’t have a female Big Tech CEO.”

☆ An ex-Instagram employee says Meta's 'impatience' has hurt its shopping efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But as Instagram axes shopping products, ex-staffer Meghana Dhar points to Meta's "impatience." The moves have left many asking: What's going on with Instagram shopping? While at Instagram, Dhar worked on Instagram's early shopping features, from onboarding brands to getting John Mayer to host a live shopping event with laundry company The Laundress. But it's also had a tendency to launch and then axe shopping products, like Instagram (and Facebook) live shopping and affiliate marketing. Scaling back on shopping, for now, could also be a blessing in disguise for Meta, Dhar added.

☆ Who are Larry Kramer and Andreas Paepcke — the two people who paid part of Sam Bankman-Fried's bail?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sarah Jackson | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

They are Larry Kramer and Andreas Paepcke, both of whom have ties to Stanford, where SBF's parents work. On Wednesday, unsealed court records identified the FTX founder's bail guarantors as Larry Kramer, a former dean of Stanford Law School, and Andreas Paepcke, a senior research scientist at Stanford. A screenshot of Larry Kramer's bio on a Stanford Law School web page shows that he's emeritus dean of the institution. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1984, according to his Stanford Law bio page. On his personal page, Paepcke listed hobbies including "piano studies and simple composition, worrying, and poetry."

☆ Sam Altman is tech’s next household name — if we survive the killer robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( David Ingram | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, walks from lunch during the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 6, 2022, in Sun Valley, Idaho. Sam Altman may be tech's next household name, but many Americans probably haven't heard of him. To anyone outside San Francisco, Altman would probably seem like just another young tech CEO. That worldview flared up into controversy in 2017 when Altman wrote a blog post criticizing political correctness, saying tech entrepreneurs were leaving San Francisco over it. "I realized I felt more comfortable discussing controversial ideas in Beijing than in San Francisco," he wrote.

☆ Exclusive: Trump lawyer hires own attorney in classified documents probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Andrew Goudsward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Levy was hired by Corcoran's law firm, Silverman Thompson Slutkin & White, to represent Corcoran in the probe, according to one of the people. Levy, a principal at the Washington law firm Ellerman Enzinna Levy, declined to comment. Corcoran has appeared before a grand jury in connection with U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into classified documents taken to Mar-a-Lago following Trump's term in office and possible attempts to obstruct that probe. Another Trump lawyer, Christina Bobb, signed a certification that all classified documents had been returned before the FBI found about 100 additional classified documents during an August 2022 search, according to prosecutors. Trump has denied wrongdoing and claimed, without offering evidence, that all documents at his residence had been declassified.

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced a new business structure Wednesday and further details emerged Thursday. ESPN and ESPN+ will form a separate unit, led by Jimmy Pitaro. Hollywood is already busy sharing memes about Bergman and Walden and how they will share and compete for power. As part of the cuts, Iger has directed his reports to lay off 7,000 staffers. A Thursday morning press release outlined all the shared services units that will now come under Bergman, Walden, and Pitaro.

One of the really interesting questions here – this will be fascinating – the core of linear TV is sports rights. When you look at the size and scope of the linear TV business, it's huge. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesByron Allen, Entertainment Studios founder and CEO: I think linear TV will exist for a very, very long time. Simmons: I believe Apple, out of nowhere, will start making their own awesome televisions that have Apple TV embedded in them. We are witnessing early stages of this dynamic with deals like "NFL Sunday Ticket" on YouTube and the MLS deal with Apple TV.

☆ FIA defends Ben Sulayem after reported sexist comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Sexist comments attributed to the head of Formula One's governing body and splashed across the media do not reflect the beliefs of president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA said on Saturday. The comments, which appeared to be more than two decades old, appeared on an old personal website that could no longer be read online. An FIA spokesman said however that "the remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the president's beliefs. "He has a strong record on promoting women and equality in sport, which he is happy to be judged on. read moreBen Sulayem had questioned on Twitter a reported $20 billion valuation of the sport following reports of Saudi Arabian interest.

Zelenskyy has called the Russian attacks on infrastructure “energy terrorism” and vowed the assault won’t change the course of the war. People sit in a dark cafe during a blackout after Russian strikes Dec. 29 in Lviv, Ukraine. Company officials believe Russian engineers who know the vulnerable points in Ukraine’s electricity system most likely advised the Russian military on its targeting. Water and cellphonesThe attack on the country’s electricity grid has had a knock-on effect for other infrastructure, including water supplies and mobile phone service. Although the assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure hasn’t damaged Ukraine’s position on the battlefield or broken the country’s will to fight, it has inflicted “huge damage” on the economy, he said.

☆ Who is Shou Zi Chew? Mounting scrutiny on TikTok could put new spotlight on its CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Months later, when TikTok was grilled by Congress over privacy and security concerns, Pappas was the TikTok executive in the hot seat fielding questions. But Chew, who took over as TikTok CEO in April 2021, has largely stayed out of the spotlight at a time when the app he leads can’t seem to avoid it. He eventually went on to become the CFO of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, which he helped take public in 2018. While Chew is not a Chinese national, Quint noted Chinese tech companies and leaders that have drawn too much attention to themselves have faced tough government crackdowns. Ultimately, Quint said, “I don’t think the CEO of TikTok has much relevance at all” for US lawmakers scrutinizing its ties to China.

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Jan 19 (Reuters) - BASF (BASFn.DE) investors said that oil and gas business Wintershall Dea's exit from Russia, though painful, clears the way for plans to take it public and for BASF to focus on its chemicals operations. Portfolio manager Arne Rautenberg of mutual fund company Union Investment, among the 10 largest BASF shareholders, welcomed BASF drawing a line. "This step will facilitate an IPO of Wintershall Dea," said Cornelia Zimmermann, a corporate governance specialist at mutual fund group Deka Investment. BASF said last year that the oil and gas company's exposure in Russia was the reason for it to hold off on plans to take Wintershall Dea public. Before the Ukraine war, Russia had accounted for roughly half of WD's global oil and gas output.

☆ Disney board exposed itself to activist intervention, but Peltz may be overreaching
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Disney's share price spike in 2021 was caused by the same phenomenon — investors charging into streaming services with significant subscriber growth. Activist investor Nelson Peltz spent about 30 minutes Thursday morning speaking with CNBC's Jim Cramer and David Faber in a wide-ranging interview about why he wants a Disney board seat. Now Iger's back, and the Disney board has tasked him with finding a successor in the next two years. It's a far easier case to be made that Disney's board and Iger have consistently bungled succession planning. As Trian noted in its presentation (on Slide 28), the Disney board extended Iger's retirement date five different times between October 2011 and December 2017.

☆ Top DAZN exec reveals how the streamer is gearing up to super-serve fans in 2023, moving beyond boxing, and betting big on women's sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

We've also invested heavily in women's boxing. You are starting to see real, meaningful growth in women's sport now and that comes in different forms. The professionalism of the production in women's sport, we've been central to driving that forward. In the US, boxing fans in this country are disproportionately Hispanic relative to the wider population. The real business for us is the ongoing monthly subscription relationship that we have with boxing fans in this country, or soccer fans in Germany or Italy, and baseball fans in Japan.

☆ Greenpeace-led case against Volkswagen admissible, unlikely to succeed, German court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A case led by Greenpeace against Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) demanding that the automaker tighten its carbon reduction targets is admissible but unlikely to succeed, a German district court said on Tuesday, with a further hearing scheduled for Jan 31. However, the Braunschweig court said it was not clear whether the German ruling was applicable in a case between private entities. The peculiarity here is that this is a case of a private individual against a privately acting company... the lawsuit is unlikely to succeed," said Bastian Willers, spokesperson for the Braunschweig court. The NGO has appealed the ruling, which Greenpeace lawyer Roda Verheyen said her clients will also do if the court dismisses their case later this month. Another case by DUH against BMW in Munich is ongoing, with the next hearing scheduled for February 7.

At the heart of Harry and Meghan's narrative is that Britain's sensationalist popular press is a "devil" that members of the royal family have colluded with to protect or enhance their own reputations. The royal family have been here before, though. "That said, you could argue it only reinforces the victim narrative from Harry and Meghan in America," the former aide said. "The one thing the royal family has on its side is time. So it can play the long game - which Harry and Meghan maybe can't, in that they have to be telling their story now."

☆ Applications are open to drive the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Oscar Mayer is currently recruiting the next class of drivers for its iconic Wienermobile. The year-long “Hot Dogger” gig is available for a cadre of recent college graduates, according to a news release from Oscar Mayer. There are a total of 12 Wienermobile driver positions available for 2023, according to Oscar Mayer. The job posting says that the full-time role comes with a “competitive salary” and that expenses, benefits, and team apparel will be covered by Oscar Mayer. Aspiring Wienermobile drivers can apply for the position online any time before January 31, says Oscar Mayer.

☆ With Bing and ChatGPT, Google is about to face competition in search for the first time in 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Microsoft put $1 billion in OpenAI, which built ChatGPT, and plans to integrate ChatGPT into Bing. Many have said Google Search has stagnated, and competition from Bing and ChatGPT might change that. The Information reported Microsoft and ChatGPT creator OpenAI are working on integrating the technology into Microsoft's perpetually overlooked search site Bing. Bing has lost to Google search for over a decade, but with the integration of ChatGPT, Bing may offer the first compelling reason why people might want to switch from Google. The internet giant has its own language model called LaMDA, short for Language Model for Dialogue Applications.

☆ Equinox bans new members on January 1, leading to criticisms of 'shaming' and praise of 'bold' strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The high-end fitness chain Equinox did not accept new members on January 1. The decision got mixed reviews, with some saying it "shames" people trying to start new habits. The decision drew criticism and praise on social media, with some accusing the company of "shaming" people trying to start the year with healthier habits. "Super bold, super smart, strategically aligned with their brand," wrote marketing and digital strategy professional Jess Smith, on Twitter. Equinox operates 106 clubs, according to its website.

☆ Triple Olympic champion Mayer announces retirement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Three-time Olympic champion Matthias Mayer of Austria announced his retirement from Alpine skiing on Thursday, saying he had arrived at the decision after days of consideration. He also claimed super-G gold at the Olympics in Pyeongchang as well as the downhill gold in Sochi. In addition to his Olympic medals, Mayer also racked up 11 World Cup victories. I've been thinking about it over the last few days and the time has come to stop," Mayer told reporters in Bormio, Italy. Matthias added he will not be competing in the super-G World Cup event in Bormio later on Thursday.

☆ Swiss Odermatt takes super-G win in Bormio
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Swiss Olympic champion Marco Odermatt won the super-G event in Bormio, Italy on Thursday to extend his lead atop the overall World Cup standings. Odermatt beat Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr by 0.64 seconds, while Loic Meillard took third place, 1.22 seconds behind his Swiss compatriot. The 25-year-old Odermatt has now racked up five wins this season and leads the overall World Cup standings by 329 points from Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. Earlier on Thursday, three-time Olympic champion Matthias Mayer of Austria announced his retirement from the sport. "Matthias was our leader and he helped the younger guys and all of us a lot, so it was not easy."

☆ The best food marketing stunts of the year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“The Big Cheez-It Tostada and Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap are in such Big demand that our limited offer is no longer available,” the chain said. Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Fancy FeastOver the summer, Fancy Feast invited people to answer the question: What does cat food taste like? The restaurant dishes drew inspiration from Fancy Feast Medleys, cat food that is itself inspired by human food like salmon primavera and turkey florentine. The restaurant’s menu was created by Amanda Hassner, in-house chef for Fancy Feast, as well as restaurateur Cesare Casella, a Michelin star winner, according to a Fancy Feast press release. Papa JohnsAs a permanent addition to the Papa Johns menu, the no-crust, toppings-only Papa Bowls are technically not a stunt.

☆ This CEO was Jay-Z’s lawyer for 17 years—her best advice for women at work: 'Always try to get to the top'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jennifer Justice, CEO of legal and startup services company the Justice Department, did not come from a family of high-powered CEOs herself. Justice ended up becoming rapper Jay-Z's lawyer in 1998 and representing him for 17 years. "That's really where my passion for representing women came from," she says. She preferred not to share her age as she's seen that kind of openness hurt women in business in the past. As someone who's represented people at various levels of the corporate ladder, Justice has a wealth of knowledge about work.

☆ 12 media executives anonymously predict 2023's biggest deals, trends and changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Candle Media has acquired intellectual property assets including Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine production company and Moonbug, which owns the animated kids series "CoComelon." Executive 3: Iger extends his contract There's been lots of speculation over who Iger will choose as his successor. History suggests he has a hard time leaving the role of Disney CEO. Christine M. McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The Walt Disney Company. "I love Shari [Redstone], but ViacomCBS is not long for this world as it stands today," said a media executive last year.

☆ 6 key Disney executives working with Bob Iger to remake former CEO Bob Chapek's business structure
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Lucia Moses | Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger has returned to a company facing significant pressures on its linear and streaming businesses. He'll also need to unwind the business structure implemented in 2020 by his short-lived predecessor, Bob Chapek — which separated budgeting and distribution decisions from creative content development. Alan Bergman, chairman, Disney Studios ContentAlan Bergman. Disney Interactive/Reuters/Jonathan AlcornPitaro is close to Iger, has a long tenure at Disney, and has a foot in both creative and business sides. Dana Walden, chairman, Disney General Entertainment ContentDana Walden.

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