Musings
Elon Musk To Twitter: “Иди На Хуй”
Elon Musk just offered to buy Twitter for $43 billion. That offer gives the middle finger to Twitter’s Board and management. Expect a reply in kind. How should we respond? “Иди На Хуй” — The New Battle Cry Of Freedom At the outset of Russia’s recent all-out attack on Ukraine, a Russian naval vessel demanded…
Read MoreAmerica’s Real Iron Man: Elon Musk And His $50,000 Home
The world’s richest man, Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, drew media fire by stating that his primary home is worth $50,000. Would he have done better boasting of an Iron Man suit? Billionaire Genius Playboy Philanthropist At one point in a 2012 Marvel Avengers super-hero movie, the chemically-enhanced-but-anally-retentive Captain America tries to throw shade on Tony…
Read MoreU.S. News Business-School Rankings: Crucial But Meaningless?
A former B-school dean boosted his school’s rankings by fraudulently misstating student test scores, work experience, and other data. If rankings weren’t crucial, he wouldn’t have done it. But might such rankings also be meaningless? Ranking Mania The last 30 years have seen an explosion of rankings. Among other things, we rank countries for rule…
Read MoreAmEx Learns The Hard Way: Pigs Get Fed; Hogs Get Slaughtered
A tax-planning adage states, “Pigs get fed; hogs get slaughtered.” In pushing a “dodgy tax break” to business customers, AmEx taught itself and them a lesson they should have already known. AmEx’s Tax Alchemy AmEx wanted to boost commission fees from business customers. So, it suggested to owners of closely held businesses that they make…
Read MoreBoeing 737 Max Aftermath: The Big Fish Get Away
After two 737 MAX crashes and 346 dead, prosecutors only go after a couple of mid-level Boeing employees. The prosecutor who cut Boeing its deal now works for Boeing’s law firm. Something smells fishy. Violating Basic Principles Previous columns here and here, described the decisions and events leading up to two separate crashes of Boeing…
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