Bloomberg Opinion

In the last few years, we've lived through a pandemic, a land war in Europe, multiple trade wars, and more “once-in-a-generation” events than we used to see in a lifetime. Almost all had one thing in common: massive government involvement. And yet, most CEOs still treat politics as someone else’s job. For decades, American business leaders could afford to ignore politics. They outsourced it to lobbyists, focused on quarterly results, and assumed Washington would stay out of their way. That era is over. The Trump tariffs made that clear. His views on trade were no secret—he’s been demanding high tariffs since 1987. Yet companies reacted with shock when he imposed them. Ford shut down a factory after China retaliated with rare earth export bans. They should’ve seen it coming. Apple did. Apple began ramping up iPhone production in India when it foresaw that relations between the US and China could get much worse. The real problem? Our system isn’t training leaders for this world. Of the top 10 U.S. business schools, only two require MBAs to study politics. Fewer than 2% of Fortune 500 CEOs have political science degrees. Almost none have experience in government. But in a world where national security trumps free trade, and economic policy shifts overnight, political fluency is no longer optional. Boards need to start evaluating CEOs on their understanding of geopolitics. Business schools must teach it. And leaders must learn—fast. Because the biggest risks in business today don’t come from balance sheets. They come from ballot boxes. To read my full article on Bloomberg Opinion visit: https://lnkd.in/ezWFHZ2D Or subscribe to my newsletter for more fresh insights on business and innovation each week: https://lnkd.in/e3gv-wiK

With economic uncertainty reaching feverish highs, the Fed has been put in a very tough spot. And the White House isn't helping. Read today’s editorial: https://lnkd.in/e3dpUh3P

Progress for female executives has always been so slow and plodding that every milestone, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, gets celebrated. But recently, sounding the alarm for women in corporate America has supplanted cheering the wins. A growing list of data points signal that the right’s attack on DEI is chipping away at women’s progress toward the boardroom and corner office: ◾ The percentage of women being appointed to boards has declined for the last two years. ◾ It will now take even longer for women to reach parity in the C-suite than was previously estimated. ◾ Boards increasingly want a female executive who has taken the extra step of serving as president on their way to becoming CEO — something they’re less likely to require of male leaders.  ◾ Or they’re no longer interested in considering a diverse slate of candidates when filling the top job. I’ve been one of those doom-and-gloom trackers myself. Last year, I wrote about how corporate women’s gains were falling victim to the anti-woke backlash. There’s a direct line between the progress women have seen over the past half-decade and the ways DEI has moved into the business mainstream. I was worried about what was happening to women in the workplace as those efforts were dismantled. I’m still worried. But there are also some green shoots that have made me more hopeful that some of the gains are enduring. I explain why for Bloomberg Opinion. https://lnkd.in/ezrSjCPk

The internet is loud, but it's not representative. Like Nintendo, sometimes you have to ignore it. Gamers online denounced the Switch 2 as "anti-consumer" -- too expensive, too protected, too easy for Nintendo to disable remotely. That didn’t stop 3.5 million units from flying off shelves in just four days, making it the fastest-selling console in history. Across business and politics, it's a vital reminder: the loudest voices online often don’t reflect real-world behavior. Success depends on separating the signal from the noise. My latest for Bloomberg Opinion, free to read for the next week: https://lnkd.in/gxKTAx9T

We need more folks like Marcos Galperin or David Vélez if we want Latin America to experience a truly ambitious & vibrant business environment my latest for @opinion 🎁 https://lnkd.in/dmsP3ZuC

This heat wave is mercifully almost over, but it’s just a taste of what’s to come. As hot as this summer is, it’s also one of the coolest we’ll ever enjoy again. Just how much hotter and deadlier summers will get is still up to us. Right now we’re working hard to make them worse. My video with Bloomberg Opinion And if you’d rather read words, here’s a gift link to my column: https://lnkd.in/eEF_RPB8

Spain’s block on BBVA’s takeover bid for Sabadell can be seen in two ways. Either it’s a political bridge to help get a shaky government through to its next election — or a hefty kick into some long grass with no escape. The uncertainty may be too much for BBVA Read more at Bloomberg Opinion https://lnkd.in/epXus72p

Guess who’s leading the world in growth, bond market returns and currency appreciation? https://lnkd.in/eDiK4me7

The Irish language group Kneecap are wildly talented - and wildly wrong to confuse concern for civilians in Gaza with support for Islamist death cults such as Hamas and Hezbollah. But is prosecution the best way to respond? Shouldn't we be engaging and having the argument? Surely our values aren't so fragile that we can't bear to debate, and instead seek to shut down those we disagree with. My latest for Bloomberg Opinion takes us on a journey via Lady Chatterley, gender critical academics, bloshy parents, twitter trolls and more to argue that Britain has a free speech problem. Free to read for 7 days. https://lnkd.in/ey4HpZBf

Ananda Lewis galvanized and engaged with young people, particularly Black and brown people, intellectually and honestly about the news like no other media personality has been able to do since. Following her death last week, I wrote about how the popularization of influencers, celebrity gossip and misinformation has contributed to disinvestment in journalism among this group - and how they're worse off for it. My latest for Bloomberg Opinion: https://lnkd.in/giUECNXt https://lnkd.in/gjWSNY9T