E-commerce, unsurprisingly, plays a rapidly expanding role in the global economy. A report from the World Trade Organization estimated that in 2016 alone the value of e-commerce transactions totaled $27.7 trillion. Spurred by advances in computing power, increased analysis of consumer behavior and tailored platforms to facilitate online transactions, e-commerce’s growth is a direct reflection […]
Goldman Sachs Likely to Escape Accountability for 1MBD Scandal
Goldman Sachs’ board of directors authorized the potential claw back of a number of top executives’ compensation pending the outcome of the 1MBD scandal. Ex-CEO Lloyd Blankfein and CEO David Solomon are among the executives who could have to pay back stock awards. The board of directors responded to increasing scrutiny around Goldman Sachs’ role […]
PG&E Files for Bankruptcy as Wildfires Liability Looms
On the hook for billions of dollars in wildfire liability, Pacific Gas and Electric Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 29th. Despite PG&E’s precarious finances, shares rose 16.5 percent and its market value soared to over $7 billion in the hours after the bankruptcy filing. Though executives claim that insolvency is “the […]
The Implications of Twilio’s Multibillion Dollar Acquisition of SendGrid
Twilio, the “mightiest unicorn” of Silicon Valley, first went public in 2016 at a $1.2 billion valuation. Just last week, the company was soaring with a valuation of $11.2 billion. Twilio is a developer-centric communications platform focused on providing easy access to global telecommunications companies. This is accomplished by turning archaic and decentralized services into […]
Scooters, Start-Ups, and Stifled Innovation
Today, if you walk through a number of major cities, you will likely see an electric scooter laying on a nearby sidewalk. These new e-scooters are a part of a recent boom that began in Santa Monica, California. The scooters offer customers a quick and efficient form of travel, similar to that of an Uber […]
Upheaval at PG&E Spurred by Deluge of Potential Tort Liabilities
The Camp Fire was one of the most devastating in California history. In addition to devastating over 18,000 structures and 153,336 acres, the Camp Fire claimed the lives of 86 people and the entire town of Paradise, California. While recently cleared of liability for the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma, many fire victims and Californians are […]
Eccentric Bargain Store Chain Takes Advantage of Toys R Us Bankruptcy
After closing the last of its U.S. stores in June 2018, Toys R Us signed off with a sincere message on its website to “Play on!” While the message was probably meant to thank the fallen retail giant’s millions of loyal customers, companies like Ollie’s Bargain Outlet may have taken it as business advice. Ollie’s […]
The Woes of IPOs from the Government Shutdown
The recent government shutdown has significantly affected the initial public offering (IPO) timelines of startups hoping to go public in 2019. Due to the shutdown, law firms and investment banks ventured into the unfamiliar territory of trying to complete an IPO without a fully functioning SEC. Among the companies affected include tech startups Airbnb, Uber, […]
The End of the Petroleum Vehicle?
For many in the United States, electric vehicles (EVs) are practically synonymous with Tesla. In the past eight years, Tesla has almost singlehandedly launched the EV marketplace into the public eye. Its stock has risen from $19 in its 2010 IPO to right around $300 today – a 1,700% increase. That market dominance might soon […]
BuzzFeed Starts to Layoff 15% of its Workforce to Hit Profitability
Last Wednesday night, January 23, 2019, BuzzFeed announced its layoff plan in a memo sent to employees by Jonah Peretti, the company’s CEO and co-founder. The leading digital media company plans to reduce its workforce by 15%, or a total number of about 220 employees. The layoff plan first affected the news division of BuzzFeed […]