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Intelligence for the New World Economy

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Intelligence for the New World Economy
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Semafor CEO Signal

From Semafor Business

How Bill McDermott’s ‘underdog desire’ drives ServiceNow

The enterprise software CEO sees AI creating ‘chaos’ inside some companies — and opportunities for his own.
A graphic showing ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott.Courtesy of ServiceNow/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor

How Saint-Gobain is getting US students to prize factory work

North America CEO Mark Rayfield says young Americans who visit its plants see that “it’s not your 1950s manufacturing job.”
Mark Rayfield, CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed.The Manufacturing Institute/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor

How Joe Preston got New Balance back in the race

The sneaker brand’s CEO says problem-solving “sprint” teams have been key to turning around its revenues and reputation.
Joe Preston, CEO of New Balance.Courtesy of New Balance/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor

A man for Four Seasons: Alejandro Reynal’s ‘intentional growth’ plan

The luxury hotel brand’s CEO says knowing where his brand has the right to win is the key to its global expansion.
Alejandro Reynal.Courtesy of Four Seasons/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor

Noubar Afeyan on the Flagship model for ‘entrepreneuring’

Flagship Pioneering, led by Moderna’s co-founder, has launched scores of new companies — but first, it tries to kill them.
Noubar Afeyan.Courtesy of Flagship Pioneering/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor

Tilray’s Irwin Simon on answering to regulators, shareholders, and God

The cannabis and craft beer CEO has responded to tougher conditions by diversifying — and avoiding debt.
Irwin Simon.Courtesy of Tilray/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor

Yale study shows CEOs picked from within drive higher returns

Researchers say the performance gap should tell boards not to assume that an outside ‘savior’ will be better.

Belén Garijo’s prescription for Germany’s Merck

The former doctor says long-term success stems from making hard decisions when the going is good.

How Ariane Gorin sees AI writing Expedia’s third chapter

The former Microsoft executive says agents will not replace her travel site — if it can get its own technology right.

Agentic brains and ‘digital gardeners’: How one CEO runs his AI office

Weber Shandwick’s Jim O’Leary says agents need to be watered, fertilized, and weeded.

Why Enrique Lores bet HP’s future on AI reshaping work

The PC group’s CEO sees a new era of opportunity if it sells experiences rather than just products.

‘The CEO role is very, very lonely’: Per Franzen on EQT’s succession

The new head of the Swedish private equity firm says putting the subject on the agenda is critical to good governance

Why Dropbox’s Drew Houston still does his own coding

The cloud storage company founder says CEOs should ‘live a couple of years in the future.’

‘We admired problems’: C.H. Robinson’s CEO on turning around a logistics leader

Dave Bozeman is applying “lean” manufacturing lessons to an industrial AI challenge.

BHP’s Mike Henry on the mining industry’s ‘new reality’

The CEO counts on frank feedback and a continuous improvement culture to navigate volatile politics.

How Sam’s Club became the ‘Netflix of shopping’

CEO Chris Nicholas aims to double sales at the Walmart unit with a focus on driving “disruptive value.”

How Jamie Iannone made eBay an investor collectible

The e-commerce veteran is using AI and customer insights to reduce the “friction” that deters many buyers and sellers.

Ecolab’s Christophe Beck warns CEOs: ‘There is no growth without water’

The water treatment company’s CEO says AI data center demand is making smart management of scarce resources an imperative.