Episode Details

Live from an ESG-flavored pumpkin patch, it’s an all-new Terrific Tuesday edition of Business Pants. Joined by Analyst-Hole Matt Moscardi! On today’s Halloween-filled scary Independent lead Director called October 29th 2024: a scary rate the headline game and a Terrifying headlines quiz!

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

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Scary headlines game

23andMe Appoints Three New Independent Directors to Board

Mark Jensen (LD & Comp Committee Chair): former executive at Arthur Andersen LLP

Andre Fernandez (Audit Committee chair): former CFO WeWork

Jim Frankola

Average board influence across 4 boards (Lattice Semiconductor, Cardlytics, Ansys, and Skillsoft) is 4%

OpenAI chair's AI startup Sierra gets $4.5 bln valuation in latest funding round

Bret Taylor has raised $175 million in a new funding round

One-year-old Sierra focuses on selling artificial intelligence-powered customer service chatbots to enterprises. It serves clients such as WeightWatchers and Sirius XM

Jeff Bezos Reveals Why Washington Post Didn't Endorse a 2024 Candidate (spoiler: the quick answer is Jeff Bezos)

“Dave Limp, the chief executive of one of my companies, Blue Origin, met with former president Donald Trump on the day of our announcement,” Bezos wrote. “I sighed when I found out, because I knew it would provide ammunition to those who would like to frame this as anything other than a principled decision.”

As he heads for the exit, Missouri secretary of state resurrects ‘anti-woke’ investing rules

In calling for the latest round of changes, Jay Ashcroft said there is “an immediate danger to the public welfare” if there are not guidelines in place cautioning people about investment firms that use ESG principles: “ESG investing opposes fossil fuels, pushes unionization of private companies, pushes radical racial and gender equity over merit, and flexes their influence over who is chosen to sit on corporate boards.”

AI will acquire a human form,' says Nvidia vice president (Masataka Osaki, the Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations at Nvidia)

Elon Musk's secret talks with Putin ramped up during his Twitter takeover: WSJ report

Google to develop AI that takes over computers, The Information reports

Alphabet's Google is developing artificial intelligence technology that takes over a web browser to complete tasks such as research and shopping

Jeff Bezos Reportedly Has Secretive "Personal Reasons" for Wanting to Escape to Mars

Woman sues JetBlue over ‘dangerously cold’ ice cream sandwich t