Musings

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 […]

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

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

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

The new Administration’s commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (”ESG”) issues begs the question of a business’s end goals. We deserve an open and honest debate. Will we get one? Contending Theories of Corporate Purpose What should be a business’s end goal? Over the last 50 years, two competing approaches have duked it out. Dualism:

De-platformed within a 24-hour span by Amazon, Apple, and Google, social-media service Parler tries to rise from the dead. What’s the direct and collateral damage of success or failure? Framing In setting norms, how an issue is framed goes a long way towards deciding it. Whoever wins the framing battle often wins the policy war.

Upgraded Boeing 737 MAX commercial jets have returned to the skies. The blame game, however, goes on. Can we find a principle that cuts through the spin? Accidents Happen; Catastrophes Take Effort A total of 346 people died in two separate crashes of Boeing 737 MAX jets in October 2018 and March 2019. The crashes

In a free market, when companies fight over customers, it’s the customers who should win. Will that happen here? The Apple-Facebook fight over user privacy heated up last week, with Facebook taking out full-page advertisements in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. The ads proclaimed that Facebook was “standing up to Apple for

By a 13-1 vote, an “independent expert” panel of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (”CDC”) just recommended who should enjoy priority for rollout of COVID vaccines. What would we do without experts? Two drug companies, Pfizer and Moderna, have requested and expect emergency approval of their COVID-19 vaccines. These companies estimate having