Our Newest Culture Warriors: Activist C.E.O.s

– The New York Times

C.E.O. activism has typically not brought people together, working from the middle out. Instead, this type of activism, largely from the progressive side, has begun to galvanize conservatives.

Amazon, Apple Struggle To Sit Out NRA Gun-Control Debate

– Bloomberg

Gun-control advocates are demanding CEOs of major companies to do something they have carefully avoided: pick a side in the hot-button political debate. Activists are learning that when their concerns fall on deaf ears with politicians, businesses are more likely to yield to changes in public sentiment and this approach is having some success.

Labour-Monitoring Technologies Raise Efficiency – And Hard Questions

– The Economist

Bosses have always sought control over how workers do their jobs. Whatever subtlety there once was to this art, technology is now obliterating. Using such technology seems an obvious step for firms seeking to maximise productivity. Whether workers should welcome the trend, or fear it, is harder to say.

For Activist Investors, Board Power Depends on Where You Sit

– The Wall Street Journal

As activists increasingly wrangle with directors over board appointments, the most popular pick is the compensation committee, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of significant settlements involving companies and activists between 2015 and 2017. Because pay drives executive behavior, says longtime activist David Batchelder, a compensation committee role “is the only one that really counts.”