David Lidsky's Blog, page 359

Corporate DEI may be under attack, but S&P 500 companies with diverse boards perform better

New research from E.l.f. Beauty and North Carolina A&T State University draws on five years’ worth of data to reveal the benefits of diversity in the boardroom.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts are under attack in the private and public sectors, but research has found that companies with diverse boards perform better than those with nondiverse boards.

This was the most disturbing part of Elon Musk’s Trump rally speech

The richest man in the world stumped for Donald Trump at a rally over the weekend, and used baseless claims to put an Orwellian spin on the stakes of this election.

Elon Musk achieved platinum meme status and got ridiculed on Saturday Night Live for gleefully leaping onstage at a Trump rally over the weekend. But a photo of Trump glowering as the Tesla tycoon flung himself skyward was far from Musk’s most egregious moment at that rally.

Google ordered to open up Play app store to competition

The injunction by U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco outlined the changes Google must undertake to open up its lucrative app store, Play, to greater competition, including making Android apps available from rival sources.

A U.S. judge on Monday ordered Alphabet’s Google to overhaul its mobile app business to give Android users more options to download apps and to pay for transactions within them, following a jury verdict last year for Fortnite maker Epic Games.

Amazon, Target, Macy’s, JCPenney, and other retailers are hiring for the holidays. Here’s how much they’re paying

A long list of big retailers have announced that they’ll be hiring hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers. Here’s what we know so far.

Retailers are ramping up hiring for the holiday shopping season.

FTC can proceed with antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, judge rules

U.S. regulators and state attorneys general are accusing Amazon of violating federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws.

A federal judge said the Federal Trade Commission can proceed with its landmark antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. But, he also gave the company a small victory by tossing out a few claims made by states involved in the legal fight.

Where the regional housing market is shifting—and where it isn’t

Now 7 states are back above pre-pandemic inventory levels. And these 4 states are likely next.

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s  ResiClub  in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.

American Water Works cyberattack: Water supplier says its systems were hacked

American Water Works provides drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 14 states and on 18 military installations.

The largest supplier of drinking water and wastewater services in the U.S. is the latest target to be hit by hackers. 

Want to help Asheville recover from Helene? Buy our products, say local businesses

While tourism is in stasis following Hurricane Helene, western North Carolina is promoting its boutique manufacturers as a way to start rebuilding the economy.

When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina on September 27, Asheville’s reputation changed from charming vacation destination to epicenter of devastation. With flooding wiping out whole neighborhoods in Asheville and surrounding Buncombe county, an official death toll approaching 100, and a water system offline for the foreseeable future, the priority has been providing basic necessities to roughly 270,000 people.

5 Supreme Court cases to watch on the current docket

From gender-affirming care for minors to regulation of ghost guns, here are some of the major cases on the docket.

As the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court begin their latest nine-month term, the biggest case on the docket could be one that’s currently not scheduled.

This quietly genius political ad uses ASMR to sell voters on Kamala Harris

ASMR videos are everything political ads are not, which is why a new Kamala Harris ad works so well.

ASMR videos are everything political ads are not. Soft and soothing, they’re a sensory experience listeners say they like for relaxation, insomnia, and stress relief. By contrast, political ads tend to be loud, obnoxious, and unavoidable when you’re forced to watch and listen to them during commercial breaks.