Tag Archives: CEOs

When it Comes to Lawyers and Allegiances, Execs Should Look Out for No. 1

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Joe Ahmad

Embattled former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes learned an inconvenient truth when it comes to allegiances between outside law firms, their corporate clients and individuals on the executive team. In pretrial wrangling before the August 31 start of her federal criminal … Continue reading →

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Harassment Skeletons in McDonald’s Closet Hasten CEO Steve Easterbrook Downfall 

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Joe Ahmad

Even by today’s standards of board oversight in the #MeToo era, the speed of McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook’s fall was breathtaking. In just four short years at the helm, Easterbrook was credited with nearly doubling the company’s share price and … Continue reading →

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As Patent Litigation Wanes, Businesses Increasingly Turn to Trade Secret Law to Protect Digital Assets

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Joe Ahmad

The popular dating app platform Tinder and its parent company Match recently succeeded in having a patent infringement lawsuit tossed. Like many companies accused of infringement today, it accomplished this by going on the offensive and challenging the fundamental validity … Continue reading →

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Backlash Builds for Noncompetes

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Joe Ahmad

For a generation of workers, noncompete agreements have steadily crept into more and more facets of the working world to the point that even low- and middle-wage earners are increasingly being asked to sign the agreements as a condition of … Continue reading →

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For Execs Confronting Extortion Shakedowns, Few Reasons to Participate

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Joe Ahmad

A juicy corporate scandal has a unique ability to wipe away billions from a corporation’s market cap with frightening speed, so it’s no wonder that executives are prone to quake when faced with the prospect of responding to the threat … Continue reading →

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For Politicians and Business Leaders, Dusty Yearbooks Hide Ticking Time Bomb

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Joe Ahmad

A cascade of yearbook scandals and confessions of disreputable behavior is sending quakes through Virginia political circles and beyond after decades-old yearbooks surfaced with references to racial slurs, images of students in blackface and other behavior unbecoming of those in … Continue reading →

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C-Suite Lessons from Ghosn’s Nissan Ouster

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Joe Ahmad

For Carlos Ghosn – one of the highest-flying chief executives in the world (literally) – home has been a 50-square-foot cell since Japanese authorities announced a series of vague allegations against him for underreporting his compensation and misusing company property. … Continue reading →

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Dallas Morning News Interviews Joe Ahmad About Clash of the Dating App Start-Ups

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Joe Ahmad

The Dallas Morning News took a close look at a raft of lawsuits facing Dallas-based online dating company Match.com, including a series of bitter lawsuits with rival startup Bumble, which I’ve written about previously on this blog. DMN Reporter Danielle Abril … Continue reading →

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#MeToo Zeitgeist Sends Quakes Through C-Suites

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Joe Ahmad

CEOs from three big U.S. chipmakers made unexpected career exits for improper behavior in the last two months alone, some on the job barely long enough to get their new business cards. Most recently and perhaps most surprising, Texas Instruments’ … Continue reading →

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5 Lessons About Protecting Digital Assets From ZeniMax v. Oculus VR

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Joe Ahmad

The November edition of DCEO magazine dives into the recent $500 million jury verdict against Facebook’s Oculus virtual reality subsidiary, describing the whopper verdict as a transcendent moment for businesses that have not yet taken steps to identify and protect … Continue reading →

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