A Portrait in Corporate Patriotism with Greg Penner of Walmart, plus a game that gives thanks
The Business Pants Thanksgiving Special Game!
Let’s take a trip through history:
Dark ages
Walmart pulls back on DEI efforts, removes some LBGTQ merchandise from website
The nation’s largest employer, which has about 1.6 million U.S. workers, joined a growing list of companies that have stepped back from diversity, equity and inclusion efforts after feeling the heat from conservative activists.
In a statement, Walmart said it is “willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America.”
“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the statement said.
Among the changes, Walmart will no longer allow third-party sellers to sell some LGBTQ-themed items on Walmart’s website, including items marketed to transgender youth like chest binders, company spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said.
She said it also recently decided to stop sharing data with the Human Rights Campaign, a nonprofit that tracks companies’ LGBTQ policies, or with other similar organizations.
Additionally, the big-box retailer is winding down the Center for Racial Equity, a nonprofit that Walmart started in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder sparked protests across the country. At the time, Walmart and the company’s foundation pledged $100 million over five years to fight systemic racism and create the center.
Over the past year, the company has phased out supplier diversity programs, which gave preferential financing to some groups, such as women and minorities, after the Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action.
It’s also moved away from using the term “diversity, equity and inclusion” or DEI in company documents, employee titles and employee resource groups. For example, its former chief diversity officer role is now called the chief belonging officer.
Luddites Unite
Ransomware attack leaves Starbucks using pens and paper to track employee hours
NYC's Underground Steam System May Be Key to a Greener Future
Some 100 miles of steam pipes snake below Manhattan, delivering low-carbon vapor to some big-name customers. More buildings could soon tap in.
Drugs
Kohl's CEO to depart after less than two years at the helm
Kohl's CEO Tom Kingsbury will step down after less than two years at the helm, paving the way for former Walmart executive Ashley Buchanan to take on the role as the department store chain looks to execute a turnaround.
Kohl's said Buchanan improved profitability at Michaels Companies, a specialty retailer of arts and crafts supplies, where he has been the CEO since 2020, and grew its digital business while simplifying its merchandise strategy.
Prior to Michaels, Buchanan was at retailer Walmart for 13 years, where he held a number of executive roles including chief merchandising and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. e-Commerce.
‘Drill, baby, drill’ is unlikely under Trump, Exxon says
Oil and gas producers in the US will not raise output significantly in the coming years despite calls from President-Elect Donald Trump to “drill, baby, drill,” said Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Upstream President Liam Mallon.
McDonald's gets into gift-giving with limited-time 2-toy Happy Meal
The company said it will sell "Pet Simulator Happy Meals" featuring two toys at participating restaurants across the country beginning Tuesday. One of the toys will be gift-wrapped, the fast-food chain said.
"We hope this special Happy Meal inspires kids to share during this season of giving," McDonald’s executive Jennifer Healan said in a statement. "Whether they choose to give their extra toy to a family member, make a friend smile, or show kindness to a neighbor, it’s all about helping kids feel the joy of giving this holiday season."
McDonald's to invest more than $100 million to speed up recovery after E. coli outbreak
Meta, TikTok, Google slam Australia’s under-16 social media ban
Under the proposed law, Australians under 16 years of age will be prohibited from setting up accounts on all major social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Reddit, even if they obtain parental permission. The social media giants will be responsible for policing the ban, under threat of fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32.5 million).
Tech firms urge caution and more research(!):
TikTok ANZ’s director of public policy Ella Woods-Joyce described the legislation as “rushed”
Meta said the social media ban “overlooks the practical reality of age assurance technology.”
Both Meta and Google said it was important for Australia to wait until a national trial of age verification technology was completed before passing the bill.
“In the absence of such results, neither industry nor Australians will understand the nature or scale of age assurance required by the Bill nor the impact of such measures on Australians,” Meta said in its submission.
At the same time, Elon Musk’s X Corp said the bill was “alarming,” adding that it had “serious concerns as to the lawfulness of the bill,” potentially setting up a court challenge to the legislation. “There is no evidence that banning young people from social media will work, and to make it law in the form proposed is highly problematic,” X said in a submission to the committee, adding that the bill was “vague.”
Almost all tech companies warned that the laws could also damage the mental health of young Australians if they were rushed through, by cutting off vulnerable teenagers from online community support networks.
The Future
AirPods that never need charging? These researchers just found a way to use your body as a charger
A new Power-over-Skin technology invented at Carnegie Mellon University could change the way we charge our wearables.
The new technology works by transforming the human body into a power delivery medium, using RF (radio frequency) signals to wirelessly transmit electricity across the skin. In simple terms, the system consists of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is a battery-powered unit that couples RF energy to the user’s skin. It could be integrated into existing items like a phone, smartwatch, or a power bank, which could be placed anywhere on the body. The receiver absorbs this RF energy, transforming it into usable power to operate a wearable gadget—like earbuds, rings, or any kind of low-power electronic device—which could be positioned elsewhere on the body.
Vegan cheese market expected to grow to nearly $9 billion by 2031
MATT1
This Week’s Portrait in Corporate Patriotism
Greg Penner, Chair of WalMart board
Walmart becomes the latest company to walk back DEI initiatives
Because everyone should get their jobs on merit, not from some affirmative action bullshit
For instance, here’s what meritocracy is:
Penner was meritocratic enough to marry Rob Walton’s daughter
He co-owns the most American and patriotic of things, an NFL team, the Denver Broncos…
They believe in family - he co-owns it with his wife who bought it
He started the Penner Foundation to give back to the community with his wife’s grandfather’s money - he strongly believes in education, having donated 45% of the foundations grants in 2023 to Brown University where his kids HAPPEN to go
Both kids are hardworking athletes at Brown who didn’t get on the teams because their parents paid for a new athletic facility at Brown, but because of their skill
His daughter earned her internship at her mom and Walton heiress’s venture firm
These are the true patriots who celebrate the meritocracy, not DEI initiatives that separate us into white and not white and normal or gay nancies
Walmart has no place selling things to people who don’t merit products, and they have no place supporting trainings about anything except merit badges
Honorary patriot:
Brian Niccol, CEO of Starbucks and Walmart board member
He’s a DOUBLE patriot, since he’s taking on DEI handouts at both Harley Davidson and Walmart, both of whom chose America over DEI
