• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPWBroadsheet

Harvey Weinstein, Ivanka Trump, State Street: Broadsheet for October 5th

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 6, 2017, 8:16 AM ET

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Harvey Weinstein is outed for decades of harassing women—and kind of apologizes, the financial firm behind Fearless Girl is settling a gender pay discrimination suit, and we have another surprise guest at the Fortune MPW Summit. Have a relaxing weekend.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

•Harvey Weinstein's semi-apology. The New York Times on Thursday published a bombshell story about producer Harvey Weinstein (he co-founded Miramax, which produced Pulp Fiction and Clerks and later The Weinstein Company, which produced Shakespeare in Love). The article details numerous accusations of sexual harassment against the Hollywood icon, including a lead anecdote in which actress Ashley Judd describes being lured up to his hotel room—where he offered to give her a massage and invited her to watch him shower.

Weinstein's bizarre response to the allegations begins with an excuse, claiming that when he was coming of age, "the rules about behavior and workplaces were different." He goes to on to say he "appreciates" and "apologizes" that his behavior caused a lot of pain, quote Jay-Z, and note that he created a $5 million scholarship to female directors at the University of Southern California. Ultimately, Weinstein says he is leaving the movie business to “give the NRA my full attention” (Weinstein is an opponent of the gun lobbying group).

As the Times' story and Weinstein's response rippled through the Fortune newsroom, the collective response was essentially: "Oh, no. Here we go again." After all, it's difficult not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stories of harassment and discrimination by powerful men, which seem to have piled up with remarkable speed over the past year or so. From Fox News to the VC world, to executives at Uber and Sterling Jewelers—not to mention the still-ongoing trial against Bill Cosby—it's easy to allow numbness to set in.

Any headline that begins, "Decades of Sexual Harassment Accusations..." must inspire shock and anger. We cannot allow such revelations to become routine. How can we in the media help fight "scandal fatigue" and bring these stories the attention they deserve? Let me know at valentina.zarya@fortune.com. Fortune

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

•Ivanka's comeback. Ivanka Trump is returning to Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, our annual gathering of powerful women, for the third consecutive year. She will appear on a panel along with Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert and Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson to discuss the future of work—including tomorrow’s jobs, worker disruption, and how companies can build an agile talent base. Fortune

•Now that's an apology. In a nearly two-minute video released Thursday evening, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton apologized for his words to Charlotte Observer Jourdan Rodrigue ("It's funny to hear a female talk about routes"). He said in the video, "I understand that my word choice was extremely degrading and disrespectful to women," and pointed out that that is not the example he wants to set for his two daughters: "I try to instill in them that they can do and be anything that they want to be." ESPN

•Slow, but steady. TechCrunch has updated its 2016 "Women in Venture" report 18 months after it was initially released. Key updates: Among the top 100 VC firms, the percentage of women partners is now 8% (vs. 7%); eight firms in the top 100 added a female partner for the first time; women hold 15% of the partner roles at accelerators and corporate venture firms (a 25% increase); 10% of venture dollars and 16% of seed dollars globally between 2012 and Q3 2017 went to startups with at least one woman founder. TechCrunch

•Oh, the irony! State Street, the financial-services company behind Fearless Girl, the statue of a young woman challenging Wall Street’s Charging Bull, has agreed to a $5 million settlement over allegations by the Labor Department that it paid female employees less than their male counterparts. A spokesperson for State Street told Broadsheet co-editor Kristen Bellstrom that while the firm "disagreed with the [DOL’s] analysis and findings," it has "made a decision to bring this six-year-old matter to resolution and move forward.” Fortune

•Alba loses her horn. Honest Co., Jessica Alba's all-natural packaged goods company, is raising $75 million in new venture capital funding at a share price that would slash the company's valuation from around $1.7 billion to below $1 billion—meaning there may be one fewer female-founded "unicorn." Axios

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Chobani has announced that Grace Zuncic, who most recently served as the company's SVP of Corporate Development, will be assuming the role of SVP of People, overseeing Chobani’s HR department.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

•It's their turn. Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to allow women to drive means an entirely new market of car owners—and automakers are already trying to woo them. Volkswagen recently tweeted a photo of two henna-decorated hands on a steering wheel, with the words “my turn.” Mini Cooper released a video showing a car pulling out of a parking lot that is “reserved for women.” WSJ

•Chipping away at the ice ceiling? Men's hockey team New Jersey Devils have become the first NHL franchise to partner with a National Women’s Hockey League team. The Devils will assist with marketing and facilities for the Metropolitan Riveters’ games and practices in Newark, New Jersey. The NWHL is a four-team league that was launched in 2015. CBS

•Video stars. PR firm Weber Shandwick is partnering with SellersEaston Media, which is run by Fortune's Pattie Sellers and Nina Easton, to create VoiceUp, a video series of women executives sharing their stories of success. PRWeek

•Comedic compromise? Sarah Silverman's new political variety show, “I Love You, America,” aims to unite liberals and conservatives. Many of the guests on the show will be people who have undergone a change (one example is Megan Phelps-Roper, who left the Westboro Baptist Church, an ultraconservative group). The show—which the comedian insists isn't a talk show—premieres on Hulu on Oct. 12. New York Times

Share today's Broadsheet with a friend.
Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.

ON MY RADAR

The women of Bob Marley's close-knit family circle are carrying the revered last name to new heights Essence

Divided States of Women: A new video series, podcast, and digital platformVox

Stephen Paddock shared a trait with other mass killers: He abused women Quartz

StackCommerce buys Joyus to focus on video and expand into fashion, shopping and beauty TechCrunch

QUOTE

I could go on and on, but I'd like to get right to the point. Can I give you a hug?
Miley Cyrus, reading a thank you note to Hillary Clinton during 'The Tonight Show'
About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Workplace CultureSports
Exclusive: Billionaire Michele Kang launches $25 million U.S. Soccer institute that promises to transform the future of women’s sports
By Emma HinchliffeDecember 2, 2025
12 days ago
C-SuiteLeadership Next
Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman says she has the best job ever: ‘My job is to help make people feel really good about themselves’
By Fortune EditorsNovember 5, 2025
1 month ago
ConferencesMPW Summit
Executives at DoorDash, Airbnb, Sephora and ServiceNow agree: leaders need to be agile—and be a ‘swan’ on the pond
By Preston ForeOctober 21, 2025
2 months ago
Jessica Wu, co-founder and CEO of Sola, at Fortune MPW 2025
MPW
Experts say the high failure rate in AI adoption isn’t a bug, but a feature: ‘Has anybody ever started to ride a bike on the first try?’
By Dave SmithOctober 21, 2025
2 months ago
Jamie Dimon with his hand up at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit
SuccessProductivity
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says if you check your email in meetings, he’ll tell you to close it: ’it’s disrespectful’
By Preston ForeOctober 17, 2025
2 months ago
Pam Catlett
ConferencesMPW Summit
This exec says resisting FOMO is a major challenge in the AI age: ‘Stay focused on the human being’
By Preston ForeOctober 16, 2025
2 months ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
18 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple CEO Tim Cook out-earns the average American’s salary in just 7 hours—to put that into context, he could buy a new $439,000 home in just 2 days
By Emma BurleighDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.