Episode Details

WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE/VOTE FOR?

Home Depot co-founder, GOP donor Bernie Marcus dead at 95. Berne endorsed Trump in November… 2023 and said two years ago that “Nobody works, nobody gives a damn. Just give it to me. Send me money. I don't want to work — I'm too lazy, I'm too fat, I'm too stupid. We used to have free speech here. We don't have it. The woke people have taken over the world. You know, I imagine today they can't attack me. I'm 93. Who gives a crap about Bernie Marcus?”  WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE?

Lead “Independent” Director Gregor Brenneman

CEO Ed Decker already on board

Doesn’t have to sit on any committees (all other independent directors sit on at least two)

$380,000 in pay last year to meet 11 times; one of two directors who didn’t even give to charity as part of the board’s matching charitable contribution program

Has an actual voice that matters (14%); CEO has 25%

Director Gerard Arpey

$315,000 despite low pressure (only 3% influence)

No leadership rules: sits on Nominating Committee with four other directors and FInance Committee with 5 other directors

Doesn’t even have a “Real” job: says he has been a partner in Emerald Creek Group, a private equity firm since 2012. Prior to his retirement in 2011, he served as CEO of AMR Corporation

Emerald Creeks’s website is a picture of an orange grove. In the “news” section of the website the last listed event was from November 29, 2011: Arpey Joins Emerald Creek Group

Meta Permits Its A.I. Models to Be Used for U.S. Military Purposes.

Meta will allow U.S. government agencies and contractors working on national security to use its artificial intelligence models for military purposes.

Meta said that it would make its A.I. models, called Llama, available to federal agencies and that it was working with defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen as well as defense-focused tech companies including Palantir and Anduril.

Meta’s move is an exception to its “acceptable use policy,” which forbade the use of the company’s A.I. software for “military, warfare, nuclear industries,” among other purposes.

WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE?

Meta Platforms Emperor Mark Zuckerberg

72% influence; 61% voting power

World’s 4th richest person: ~$200B

Blah blah blah

Meta director John Arnold

1% influence

Member on only one committee (Audit & Risk) with 4 other members

No other directorships; only have a BA

received an $8M bonus from Enron just before the company filed for bankruptcy; the largest cash bonus ever distributed by the company. Known as "king of natural gas”

You work at a place named after you (Arnold Ventures) and you’re still just the co-founder and co-chair

Your board appointment was announced on Valentine’s Day

Pay will be roughly $500,000 annually. He also received two initial equity grants worth $1.4M

 In 2007, Arnold became the youngest billionaire in the U.S

Boeing Union Approves New Contract, Ending Costly Strike

Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seat