Episode Details

Live from a stack of DEI-hating lead independent directors dipped in milk chocolate, it’s an all-new Whacky Wednesday edition of Business Pants. Joined by Analyst-Hole Matt Moscardi! On today's Twizzler-shaped proxy voting policy called February 12th 2025: Biz Nuggets!

Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.

DAMION1

DEI

In our 'Hey Ma, Civil Rights Hurts My Back! And Equal Rights Gave Me a Stomach Ache!I quit! Tell Dad!' headline of the week. Diversity Is No Longer a Factor for Assessing US Boards, Proxy Adviser ISS Says***************

In our 'White Men Have Scarier Lawyers' headline of the week. Goldman Sachs ends IPO diversity policy citing legal developments***************

In our 'Are they Atrophied and Unprepared enough to Ignore this Study?' headline of the week. Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared”***************

In our 'ISS Borrows "Mission Accomplished" banner from George W. Bush' headline of the week. Proxy Advisory Firm ISS Removes DEI Factors from Voting Recommendations for U.S. Boards***************

In our 'The Dilemma Is Do We Actually Give a Shit or Were We Merely Pretending to Give a Shit?' headline of the week. There is a DEI dilemma taking place across Corporate America***************

Meritocracy

In our 'The Meritocracy is Plastic' headline of the week. In a move to ‘Back to plastic,’ Trump bans paper straws***************

In our 'The Meritocracy Is Super Duper Confusing, says a College Dropout Dude' headline of the week. Mark Zuckerberg warned employees to prepare for an ‘intense year.’ He just laid off 3,600 workers—including some who claim they got glowing reviews***************

MATT1

In our 'ISS added, "we also feel that voting recommendations on the basis of performance, skills, knowledge, fit, usefulness, age, height, ability to tie shoes, or familiarity with modern technology are unneccesary and potentially discriminatory against 85 year old Uncle Gary and will no longer be a part of our assessment."' headline of the week. ISS drops race, gender from U.S. proxy voting

In our 'ISS added, "future assessments will no longer refer to predators, as that is disrespectful to the predators from the movie series Predator."' headline of the week. Macy's calls Diddy 'an equal opportunity sexual predator' in bid to be dropped from sexual assault lawsuit

In our 'ISS added, "our policy has also changed to ignore legal cases in favor of diversity as material, as we feel someone might disagree with a law and that would be awkward for our clients."' headline of the week. Companies like Costco have a strong legal case for keeping DEI

In our 'ISS added they will also be ignoring wildfires, sea level rise, drought, famine, floods, mudslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, comm