corporate governance
$20 billion write-off. Did Ford destroy its future by “investing billions based on assumptions that vanished”?
Just before midnight, as 2025 ended, Ford wrote off $20 billion in losses for its cornucopia of failed EV programs. Cancelled plants, cancelled vehicles, cancelled battery production, termination of workers.... Incorruptible Organizations AMA with Eric Ries. Wednesday 2/4 at 3:00 PM CT
Lean Startup author who now focuses on legal structures to protect mission-driven organizations from corruption. incorruptible.co
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNfb54LuzwIThat is not necessarily true. It is for many companies, but owners (not publicly-traded companies) can choose to put purpose before profits or to find a balance of the two. As it happens, I've literally written a book telling people how to do that.... Leave the country or stay? There was a time period where my friends and I were getting invited to these new exciting community projects in the Central America and Asia and Europe. Crypto millionaires and retired billionaires trying to bootstrap whole new civilizations and villages and large retreat centers.
Yet, all of us felt a certain affinity and even responsibility to stay in the States.
Which is a little strange considering probably all of our families also have immigrated here at some point.
How does one assess whether to establish a new home abroad and call it quits on the homeland? Or stick it out and try to make it work?
It reminds me of the dilemma that's often posed around do you try to reform an institute as a player within or do you go off and establish a brand new thing? Does staying in the current system doomed to be corrupted and compromised? Or is going off naive and doomed to failure as a retreat from life?
As I'm writing this, I could see the same dilemma in deciding whether to stay working for a corp or start your own business. Or stay in a currently challenging relationship or call it quits to find a new partner. Or even try to be a lay person in the world or go off to be a monk in the mountains.
I suppose the answer is ultimately context is what matters most.
And I've yet to see a really compelling abroad experiment that seemed actually integrated or likely to deliver on the promises.
I, myself, have been increasingly interested in building out more of the physical and social infrastructure locally to create the new type of village community in AVL. But, those billionaire communities or even rural Portugal tiny communities do tempt me at times.
i havent watched the video yet but I love love love the idea of companies having an expiration date by default. It should be mission defined, and if we met our mission, maybe we retire.... Deliberately Development Orgs are bullshit?
I expect others here read and were influenced by An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization by Kegan and Lahey? I remember first being introduced to it in a circling retreat probably 8 years ago or so.... China's Economic Slowdown: Challenges, Debt, and an Uncertain Future. This excellent video explores China's economic challenges, particularly its slowing growth, increasing debt, and the risks associated with these trends. Despite expectations that China would become the world's dominant superpower due to its rapid economic rise, issues such as economic mismanagement, deflation, and high debt levels are creating significant problems. The country's debt crisis, fueled by heavy borrowing for infrastructure and real estate projects, is especially concerning, as it's tied to unsustainable growth expectations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK4cVoqVQsk
The housing market in China, reliant on speculative investment and inflated property prices, is a key driver of the country's economic issues. Additionally, China is facing increased internal unrest, particularly among younger workers, and a significant reliance on state-owned companies that have been over-leveraged.
While these problems are concerning, experts argue that an outright collapse of China's economy is unlikely due to its financial safeguards and global influence. However, China’s rise to dominance may have plateaued, and its future remains uncertain. The country's economic future will have significant implications for the global economy, but it's unclear whether it will stabilise, stagnate, or eventually surpass the U.S. economically.
Despite the severity of China's economic challenges, many experts believe that a total collapse is improbable. Rather, China's economic slowdown will likely lead to a period of stagnation and reform, with possible long-term adjustments to its economic structure. However, it's clear that the expectations surrounding China's dominance have not materialised, and its future is now filled with uncertainty.Separately, I think AI changes the game again, where we currently have global superpowers and multi-national corporations as dominant power structures; I'm not sure what's next but I think it's not going to obviate the existing structures but rather be another layer on top of... IP is a boomer concept in the age of abundance. This is a hot take that really has me thinking.
I generally feel negatively toward Kyle for a myriad of reasons, but this is a really interesting proposal.I’m still noodling on it. Thought I’d share so others can join me in the noodling.
When you say relative do you mean absolute dollars or percentage of income, or? I think judge "fairness" based on relative cost: if Ghibli's big enough then they can afford to miss out on millions of dollars, but it's not okay if the same thing happens to a broke studio....