Robert Zafft

Picking through the charred remains of a Tesla crash last weekend, first responders found two bodies in passenger seats, but none at the wheel. It’s possible they incorrectly used Tesla’s much-touted “Autopilot” feature. If so, did they die from their own folly, or from overhyped marketing? Electric Cars Are Not Carbon Neutral When They Burn …

Did Overhyped Marketing Kill Two Tesla Passengers? “Autopilot” That Isn’t Read More »

Dozens of CEOs and other senior leaders conferred via Zoom this past weekend to explore responses to draft voting-law reforms in various U.S. states. The Zoom call followed Major League Baseball’s pulling its 2021 All Star Game from Atlanta in response to Georgia’s recent voting law. Voting access and voting integrity lie at the heart …

Voting Laws: When Should CEOs Lead Their Companies Into Crossfires? Read More »

Want to test your ability to tell fact from opinion? Start by picking test maker who can. Slightly Better Than Guesswork A Pew Research Center survey asked just over 5,000 U.S. adults to categorize as either factual or opinion each of 10 statements relating to policy and current affairs. Researchers found that only one quarter …

Pew Research Says Americans Can’t Tell Fact From Opinion; Neither Can Pew Read More »

A just society prizes equity. Seeking it — achieving it — require careful thought and effort. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. How can we prevent a concept as important as “equity” from devolving into a catchphrase? “I Put That S**t On Everything” One measure of a catchphrase is its memorability. Here, Frank’s Red Hot …

What Do ‘Equity’ And Frank’s Red Hot Sauce Have In Common? Read More »

High-level deal making is an art. Now, some top entrepreneurs are partnering with a Nobel-winning contract theorist and other academics to combine art and theory into new best practices. How can we turn such innovation into advantage? In Deal Making, The Contract Comes Last And Least Deal making is too important to be left to …

Better Deal Making: Turning Art & Theory Into New Best Practices Read More »

Environmental impact has become a key metric for business ethics and governance. It’s also an issue that should concern everyone. Duty calls for digging into the numbers. Does recent data on electric vehicles (“EVs”) suggest that they will pull us back from the climate brink — or push us over it? What Time Does the …

Will Electric Vehicles Pull Us Back From The Climate Brink — Or Push Us Over It? Read More »

US and UK prosecutors promise leniency for errant companies that have tried hard to comply and cooperated with investigators. When does a thumb on the scales do justice? Rethinking Collective Punishment for Individual Wrongdoing Regulators and prosecutors in the U.S. and U.K. face a quandary. Does justice require harsh penalties against a company (and its …

When Does A Thumb On The Scales Of Justice Do Justice? Read More »

In a process as secretive as a papal conclave, involving only slightly less mystique, McKinsey’s senior partners refused Kevin Sneader a second term as CEO. Shareholder democracy has spoken. But what did it say? A Rare “One And Done” McKinsey & Company operates as unified global partnership. The firm’s approximately 650 senior partners elect the …

Shareholder Democracy: McKinsey Partners Oust CEO Kevin Sneader Read More »

Some day soon, computers may convincingly mimic human empathy. Will this lead to ethical artificial intelligence, or synthetic sociopathy? A Turing Test for Ethical Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) Technologists and ethicists have started to explore the form and meaning of a Turing Test for Ethical AI. The Original Imitation Game — Can Machines Think? 20th century …

Will Artificial Intelligence Produce Synthetic Sociopaths? Read More »

Warren Buffett tells his managers: “There’s plenty of money to be made in the center of the court. If it’s questionable whether some action is close to the line, just assume it is outside and forget it.” But what do you do when the lines shift? Who’s Sorry Now? McKinsey & Company, the world’s premier …

McKinsey To Buffett: ‘When Lines Shift, Where’s The Center Of The Court?’ Read More »