Episode Details

Story of the Week (DR):

Jeff Shell, president and board director at Paramount Skydance, is stepping down after allegations of SEC violations

Shell came under scrutiny after gambler and whistleblower R.J. Cipriani filed a $150M lawsuit alleging Shell shared confidential information in violation of SEC rules.

Shell previously left his role as NBCUniversal CEO in 2023 after he admitted to having an “inappropriate relationship” with an employee.

The company said it did not find an SEC violation. Paramount added in a statement that the claims were “baseless” and said Shell is taking “forceful legal action.”

His future at Paramount has been in question since the company beat Netflix  in a bidding war in February to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery The acquisition of WBD will bring in many new executives, and Shell, who was not involved in deal talks, didn’t have a defined role at a combined company, CNBC reported last month.

Yesterday, a Separation Agreement was announced: Shell will be getting approximately $16M:

$5M Cash Severance ($3.5M salary + $1.5M bonus)

$11M Equity Acceleration (1,000,000 shares @ $10.95=$10.95M)

12 months of COBRA benefits COBRA/Subsidies ~$30,000

According to the agreement: “The Executive shall not issue a press statement announcing about the separation without the advance approval of the Company” and “Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed or construed as an admission of wrongdoing or liability on the part of the Company or of the Executive”

“The problem is Sam Altman”: OpenAI Insiders don’t trust CEO DR

Inside Sources Say Sam Altman Is a Sociopath

OpenAI Insiders Claim Sam Altman is Lying, Manipulative, and Untrustworthy in The New Yorker's Investigation

Sam Altman’s Really Weird Week Just Got Even Worse

Two OpenAI Execs Are Going on Medical Leave

The company’s chief marketing officer Kate Rouch is reportedly stepping down to recover from cancer.

And Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s