Good morning, Broadsheet readers. Elizabeth Warren answers the question about her plans for 2016, and Diane von Furstenberg just might take her more than 40-year-old brand public. Read on to learn why women are crucial to Richard Branson’s future hotel business. Have a great Wednesday.
EVERYONE'S TALKING
•Not running. Senator Elizabeth Warren told former FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair that she will not run for president in 2016. She also said for any Democratic Party nominee to win, he or she must publicly acknowledge that "Washington works for the rich and powerful and not for America’s families." Fortune
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
•'Her own attorney general,' People often assume that Loretta Lynch, President Obama's nominee to replace Eric Holder as attorney general, will follow in the footsteps of her predecessor. Yet Lynch sees herself more as a traditional prosecutor than a civil rights advocate. While Holder was on the forefront of the public debate about the shooting of Michael Brown, a black teenager who was killed by a white cop, sources say Lynch will likely shy away from political discussions on race. “It’s never about Loretta. It’s always about the work.” NYTimes
•20% of what? It's been widely reported that Google allows employees to spend 20% of their working hours on personal projects and goals outside of their normal job description. Yet Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, a former Google employee, contends that the policy doesn't really exist, according to a new book. It's really just "stuff that you’ve got to do beyond your regular job," Mayer reportedly said. Business Insider
•Curry's new startup. Ann Curry is leaving Today to launch her own media startup using initial funding from NBCUniversal. The mission of her new company is still unclear, but Curry reportedly will produce programs and news for NBC and other networks. Capital New York
•DVF goes public? Leaders of Diane von Furstenberg's namesake company are fueling rumors that the iconic fashion company just might file for an IPO. “If you control expectations and you run your business the way the brand needs to be run for the long-term, not for the quarter, you can be very successful as a public company," said Joel Horowitz, a DVF Studio co-chair, during an industry conference. Buzzfeed
•Not even behind the camera. Just 7% of the top 250 films at the U.S. box office last year were directed by a woman, a 1 percentage point gain from 2013, according to a study from San Diego State University. Ava DuVernay's Selma is the only Oscar favorite so far this year to be directed by a woman. Reuters
THE BROADVIEW
POLL: In 2014, is an all-male board of directors acceptable?
There are 18 companies in the S&P 500 that have no female directors on their board. That's just one finding of a report that came out yesterday from Catalyst, but it was enough to spark my interest and do a little reporting.
On Friday, I'll publish the definitive list of Fortune 500 companies with male-only boards of directors -- each of which I reached out to for comment.
"I do think we can say it’s no longer acceptable to have zero women on a board of directors," Brande Stellings, vice president of corporate board services for Catalyst, told Fortune.
Which brings me to you. Do you think in 2014 it is acceptable for a Fortune 500 company to have no women on its board board of directors? What’s the best way to get the entire Fortune 500 to commit to having at least one female director?
Email me at caroline.fairchild@fortune.com with your thoughts by Thursday afternoon and I'll share them on Friday.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
•Relationships vs. performance. Carla Harris, the vice chairman of wealth management at Morgan Stanley who joined the firm in 1987, advises young people working on Wall Street to know the difference between "relationship currency" and "performance currency." Performance currency is what you earn for doing a great job and relationship currency is what you earn for maintaining strong relationships with mentors and sponsors. Business Insider
•Female friendly. Richard Branson hopes his first Virgin Hotel, set to open this week in Chicago, will attract female travelers who he feels are ignored by the hospitality industry. “I don’t think any hotel caters to the female traveler,” says Branson, adding that rooms in his hotel have ample closet space, drawers for makeup and larger showers. WSJ
•Bye bye baby. Brazilian airlines may start to charge travelers who bring a flier under two years old, even though the baby doesn't take up a seat. Bloomberg
ON MY RADAR
3 things to learn from your worst boss Fortune
The war on moms? LATimes
6 ways to beat workplace distractions Fast Company
How to sell wearables to women Businessweek
QUOTE
I'm in a position of power where I run this world and handle this situation. If I'm going to make a crazy decision, then I better be damn sure. Because it's not like anybody's going to tell me, you can't do that.
Shonda Rhimes, the mastermind behind hit television shows like <em>Grey's Anatomy </em>and <em>Scandal</em>, turned 45 yesterday.
