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Washington zeroes in on correct Facebook target

10 Apr 2018

At his first congressional hearing on data practices, Mark Zuckerberg got a grilling about the social network’s confusing terms of service. More clarity and user control would be a start. But Facebook with its ad-driven business model can’t be trusted to police itself.

Facebook not Zuckerberg is under fire in D.C.

9 Apr 2018

It will be tempting for U.S. lawmakers grilling Mark Zuckerberg to focus on his all-too-apparent flaws. That would miss the bigger question: whether Facebook is too complex to manage, whoever runs it. That is key to knowing whether the company ought to be regulated.

Fintech lenders will struggle to regain mojo alone

9 Apr 2018

The likes of LendingClub, On Deck and SoFi want to put recent problems behind them. But their loan books, and earnings, are small. The banks they once dared to threaten have been catching up. Even Goldman is nipping at their heels. A bout of M&A could do them credit.

Mark Zuckerberg could learn from Jamie Dimon

5 Apr 2018

Crises forced both CEOs onto the public stage. Over the past decade, JPMorgan’s boss has regularly confronted issues and explained the firm’s strategy. Social networks, like banks, rely on confidence to survive and thrive. The Facebook founder would do well to recognize that.

Telegram sends warning to Wall St and Sand Hill Rd

3 Apr 2018

Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov’s messaging service raised $1.7 bln from private sales of its crypto-currency this year, besting all but three IPOs. Booming coin offerings face more oversight and many ring hollow. But Durov’s tech chops should give bankers and VC firms pause.

Viewsroom: Facebook’s multiplying problems

29 Mar 2018

The social network founded by Mark Zuckerberg is reeling from a data harvest on some 50 million users. It will take time for the $440 billion firm to feel the impact but people are starting to slowly unplug. Plus, the world’s largest consumer-drone maker may go public.

Holding: #MeToo is putting corporate law on trial

29 Mar 2018

Claims of sexual misconduct at the likes of Fox and Wynn Resorts have led to suits over board duties and disclosure. They’re long shots, largely because business governance is an awkward tool for social change. Yet investors and victims are giving it a new and useful purpose.

Zuckerberg’s slow defense reveals real weakness

21 Mar 2018

The Facebook founder finally explained how users’ information was harvested - four days after it was revealed by press reports. But his promise to tighten controls rings hollow. The trouble is the social network is built on data. Truly securing it may blow up its business.

Facebook leads Silicon Valley to its Minsky moment

21 Mar 2018

The social network feasted on burgeoning data and devices, just as banks gorged on easy money before the crisis. Society’s focus on benefits over risk gave tech companies free rein – until the resulting abuses couldn’t be overlooked. As user trust evaporates, regulation beckons.

Facebook gives members one more reason to leave

19 Mar 2018

An election consultant’s use of 50 mln profiles creates fresh risks at a company reeling over fake-news and ad-measurement mishaps. Users have plateaued in key markets and people are spending less time on the social network. The danger is that members may unfriend it altogether.

Zuckerberg is making a worrying passel of enemies

19 Mar 2018

The alleged exploitation of 50 mln Facebook profiles by political consultant Cambridge Analytica compounds the $540 bln social network's woes, as it contends with other backlashes. U.S. and UK legislators want to hear from founder Mark Zuckerberg now. He may be in over his head.

Hadas: Businesses need to cut back on half-truths

14 Mar 2018

In the age of digital activism, propaganda’s dire power corrupts politics and divides society. Companies too often join in, pushing agendas with scant regard for the full truth. That’s bad for the world. And if politicians respond by attacking corporations, earnings will suffer.

Trump’s incoherent strategy dooms tariff crusade

2 Mar 2018

The U.S. president defended his steel and aluminum duties, arguing trade wars are “easy to win.” But his tax cuts increase the budget deficit and the country’s reliance on foreign capital, almost guaranteeing a worsening trade balance. The conflicting tactics are self-defeating.

Review: Knocking at the door of tech’s boys’ club

23 Feb 2018

Women played key roles in the development of computers, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at Silicon Valley. A hostile culture has pushed them to the fringes of America’s technology hotbed. A new book says thinking differently would pay dividends for women, and the industry.

Kardashian slap shows hole in Snap’s accounting

22 Feb 2018

Celebrity sibling Kylie Jenner wiped over $1.5 bln from the disappearing-message app’s wobbly value after she questioned its usefulness. Influential fans attract users – and repel them if they publicly flee. Such assets don’t show on the balance sheet. Maybe they should.

The Twitter egg is not a management strategy

23 Jan 2018

The $17 bln social network is splitting its chief operating officer role among other managers, after Anthony Noto took flight to run lender SoFi. With revenue falling and government scrutiny intensifying, moonlighting boss Jack Dorsey needs a solid executive, not a blank avatar.