Podcast

The Exchange: Lord John Browne

23 Sep 2019

The former BP boss-turned-renewable-energy-supporter-turned-gas baron stops by to discuss “Make, Think, Imagine,” his new book that’s part an explanation of and part an ode to the benefits of engineering. As UN Climate Week kicks off, he also discusses his take on global warming.

Viewsroom: Not your mother’s oil shock

19 Sep 2019

Saudi Arabia is quickly repairing the damage drones inflicted on its oil industry. But the fallout has implications for everything from security to U.S. shale drillers to climate change-driven alternative energy. Plus: Why are AB InBev and ESR restarting Hong Kong listing plans?

Viewsroom: Nissan’s car-crash CEO

11 Sep 2019

Hiroto Saikawa is stepping down amid controversy over his pay. It has implications for the company’s rocky Renault alliance, and by extension for the French carmaker’s recent attempt to merge with Fiat Chrysler. Plus, is activist Elliott Management going soft on AT&T?

Viewsroom: How money really can grow on trees

5 Sep 2019

Done right, reforestation can capture much of the carbon causing climate change. It would improve crop yields and water quality and lessen the power of floods and storms like Hurricane Dorian. There are good financial returns to reap, too. Plus: the Alibaba competitor to watch.

The Exchange: White House hopeful Tom Steyer

3 Sep 2019

The hedge fund founder has already spent millions to impeach Donald Trump. He’s now trying to replace the U.S. president, joining a crowded Democratic field. The Exchange went to his campaign office to discuss why he is running and what he thinks of businessmen as politicians.

Viewsroom: How to read the recession runes

22 Aug 2019

A U.S. downturn is near, judging by past early warning signals from yield curves to bank valuations. But fallout from the 2008 crisis has sapped them of some predictive power. Plus: what the exit of Cathay Pacific’s CEO says about Beijing’s response to the Hong Kong protests.

Viewsroom: WeWork unfurls the red flags

15 Aug 2019

The shared-office provider’s long-awaited IPO filing is packed with pointless life-affirming tropes. But it also details a host of conflicts of interest and other risks that should send investors running. Plus: India’s powerhouse Reliance is building a war chest for dominance.

Viewsroom: Vicious trade cycle traps U.S., China

8 Aug 2019

The White House’s decision to brand Beijing a currency manipulator is the latest move in a conflict riven by miscommunication, unrealistic expectations and no obvious way out. Plus: Why the LSE is paying $27 bln for Refinitiv, and which of the data firm’s owners comes out on top.

Viewsroom: Is Beyond Meat worth a bite?

1 Aug 2019

The meatless-burger maker is the best-performing IPO of the year by far. Now insiders are selling stock early as the company deals with rising competition, regulations and even a potential pea shortage. Plus: Using wine goggles to look at Western firms’ joint ventures in China.

Viewsroom: UK’s new PM looks for the exit

25 Jul 2019

Boris Johnson helped persuade Britons to vote to leave the EU. London’s former mayor now leads the country – and may find his pledge to quit the European bloc hard to keep. Meanwhile, U.S. watchdogs are circling Amazon, Alphabet, Apple and Facebook. Plus: Protests rock Hong Kong.

The Exchange: Andreessen Horowitz’s Scott Kupor

22 Jul 2019

The venture capitalist’s new book, “Secrets of Sand Hill Road,” is a fundraising guide for entrepreneurs. At his office off the famed Silicon Valley street he discusses with Breakingviews whether tech founders make good CEOs and details the biggest financial mistakes they make.

Viewsroom: AB InBev’s stubborn financial beer gut

18 Jul 2019

The $150 bln brewer of suds like Budweiser and Stella has scrapped its Asia unit’s Hong Kong float. CEO Carlos Brito now needs new ways to reduce the company’s debt. And as the second pulled IPO in weeks amid civil unrest, it puts the city’s financial hub under a spotlight.

The Exchange: Surviving the digital-media meltdown

8 Jul 2019

Venture capitalist Ben Lerer, whose firm backed BuzzFeed and Axios, drops by Breakingviews to discuss why startups in the news industry have been suffering. Unlike some of his peers, Lerer reckons these minnows can have mutually beneficial relationships with giants like Facebook.

Viewsroom: The great EU jobs carve-up

4 Jul 2019

After much unedifying horse-trading, European leaders have finally agreed on who will head the commission, central bank and other top roles. That has implications for the bloc’s future. Plus: Why Africa’s growth figures make worrying reading for the continent’s democrats.

Viewsroom: What makes companies proud of Pride?

27 Jun 2019

Neither profit nor investor pressure explain U.S. firms lining up to mark 50 years of the LGBT-rights movement. They may simply be doing the right thing. But the nation still has a long way to go. Plus: how the UK prime minister race affects the Bank of England’s next boss.

Viewsroom: UBS gets lost in translation

20 Jun 2019

A star economist at the Swiss bank sparked outrage on Chinese social media after his remarks about the country’s pigs were misconstrued. UBS’s decision to put him on leave seems overdone. And: Those weighing the benefit of a Facebook cryptocurrency must ask if “In Zuck we trust.”

The Exchange: John Delaney

17 Jun 2019

The first Democrat to bid for 2020’s presidential election has a pitch rarely heard in today’s political slugfest: that Democrats and Republicans can get along. Despite being a peacemaker, the former Maryland congressman has some punchy views on China, Big Tech and drug prices.

Viewsroom: When dealmaking gets difficult

13 Jun 2019

Raytheon and United Technologies’ planned $114 bln tie-up raises questions about strategy, cost cuts and executive overreach. It’s prompted their shares to tank and activist Bill Ackman to oppose it. And Fiat Chrysler and Renault’s mooted merger has crashed. Can they salvage it?

The Exchange: Dick’s sticks to its guns

10 Jun 2019

Dick’s Sporting Goods lost sales, customers and suppliers when it banned assault-style weapons from its stores last year. Over a year later, boss Ed Stack tells Breakingviews what he learned from taking a stand on gun violence, and addresses his newer challenge of China tariffs.

The Exchange: Dustin Yellin

3 Jun 2019

Is there a better way to signal the hydrocarbon era’s end than by flipping a 1,000-foot oil tanker vertically from the sea to create the world’s largest sculpture? Not according to the artist behind “The Bridge,” who discussed his project with Rob Cox at his Brooklyn studio.