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

Trendingnow

1

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon

2

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

3

Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026

1

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon

2

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

3

Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
LeadershipCEO Daily

GE Demise, McKinsey, J&J Asbestos: CEO Daily for December 17, 2018

By
Lucas Laursen
Lucas Laursen
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lucas Laursen
Lucas Laursen
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 17, 2018, 6:33 AM ET

Good morning.

America’s two most important newspapers – The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times – consumed a forest of newsprint and a small ocean of ink this weekend taking down two of the world’s most iconic global businesses – GE and McKinsey. If you have a spare hour, you can read the full stories here and here. If you don’t, I’ll give you a handy shortcut: the most damning part of the Times story on McKinsey is in the first five paragraphs; the killer quote from the Journal epic is in the last five paragraphs.

The Journal story takes the prize for length and depth, filling most of the Saturday paper’s second section. That’s a rarity in the age of Murdoch, who despises long stories, but a testament to editor Matt Murray’s career-long interest in the industrial conglomerate. The story chronicles the demise of GE over the last two decades, and ends with this quote from ex-CEO Jack Welch about his hand-picked successor, Jeff Immelt: “I’m terribly disappointed. I expected so much more… I made the best choice I thought I could make, and it didn’t turn out right.” Welch gives himself an A for his own running of the company, and an F for his choice of a successor.

The Times put its piece smack in the center of the front page, and begins with a stunning anecdote: Earlier this year, McKinsey held its lush China retreat, complete with desert tents and camel rides, in the Silk Road city of Kashgar, just four miles away from an internment camp holding thousands of ethnic Uighurs for reeducation. What were they thinking? The remainder of the story recounts McKinsey’s work in various authoritarian countries – Russia, China, Saudi Arabia – but acknowledges “there is no indication that McKinsey has violated American sanctions” … or other laws.

CEO Daily invites readers to give their thoughts on either or both stories; I’ll print selected responses later this week. More news below.

Alan Murray
@alansmurray
alan.murray@meredith.com

Top News

J&J Knew of Asbestos

Personal care product makers Johnson & Johnson’s reputation for caring may suffer as people learn that it has known since 1958 that its talc baby powder sometimes tested positive for asbestos. Court rulings on cancer cases earlier this year have revealed new documents that shape the more than 12,000 pending cases around the U.S. Its stock dropped 10% on the news. Reuters.

Malfeasance in Malaysia

Malaysia filed criminal charges Monday against Goldman Sachs and two former employees for corruption and money laundering related to $6.5 billion worth of bond offerings for 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). The U.S. Department of Justice charged one of the same former employees last month. Fortune.

Activist Employees

Amazon employees who also hold stock have filed shareholder petitions to reduce the retail giant’s dependence on fossil fuels. Google employees filed a similar petition on executive pay. Business leaders better be ready: “Workers are looking at who holds power and where changes can be made,” says one campaigning expert. New York Times.

Davos Opens Doors

U.S. sanctions on Russian businessmen will not affect the door policy at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, organizers say. Russia had threatened a boycott in solidarity with its sanctioned citizens. Wall Street Journal.

Around the Water Cooler

Renault-Nissan Parley

Renault asked Nissan to set a shareholder meeting to discuss the risks set off by former Nissan president Carlos Ghosn’s indictments. Financial Times.

Summary Pardon?

President Donald Trump tweeted that he would review the case of a U.S. soldier charged with the summary execution of a suspected Taliban bombmaker in Afghanistan. Influencing open cases hearkens back to former President Richard Nixon’s interference in the My Lai massacre investigation. New York Times.

So That’s What LinkedIn Is For

Billion-dollar travel app Klook co-founders Gnock Fah and Ethan Lin found their fellow co-founder Bernie Xiong by sifting through hundreds of LinkedIn profiles for someone with the right tech background and then meeting more than one hundred of them in person. CBNC.

Tech Founder Overdoses

HQ Trivia CEO Colin Kroll died Sunday surrounded by drug paraphernalia. He had also co-founded Vine, a six-second video service that sold to Twitter in 2012 for $30 million. Fox Business.

This edition of CEO Daily was edited by Lucas Laursen. Find previous editions here, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters here.

About the Authors
By Lucas Laursen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Alan Murray
By Alan Murray
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • 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
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Artistic drawing of two employees using several tools at once
AIefficiency
Why dbt Labs CEO views AI efficiency and creativity as the same thing
By Sage LazzaroJune 9, 2026
50 minutes ago
Reward or threat? Omnisend offers quarterly raises for employees who use AI to drive business impact—and says those who don’t will get left behind
AIMarketing
Reward or threat? Omnisend offers quarterly raises for employees who use AI to drive business impact—and says those who don’t will get left behind
By Sage LazzaroJune 9, 2026
50 minutes ago
Artistic rendering of complex systems being simplified by two workers
AILumen Technologies
How Lumen’s ‘maniacal focus’ on KPIs drove measurable AI impact across use cases and the company at large
By Sage LazzaroJune 9, 2026
51 minutes ago
AI agents are flattening corporate hierarchies. Here’s how companies—and managers—can develop a new playbook
AIManagement
AI agents are flattening corporate hierarchies. Here’s how companies—and managers—can develop a new playbook
By Sharon GoldmanJune 9, 2026
51 minutes ago
Artistic rendering of a hacker trying to gain access to a worker's computer
AISecurity
AI is supercharging cyberattacks—and most companies aren’t ready
By Beatrice NolanJune 9, 2026
51 minutes ago
China builds 85% of the world’s humanoids robots for cheap at scale, but finding buyers is tricky
InnovationRobots
China builds 85% of the world’s humanoids robots for cheap at scale, but finding buyers is tricky
By The Associated Press and Chan Ho-HimJune 9, 2026
54 minutes ago

Most Popular

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
18 hours ago
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
Economy
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
By Jim EdwardsJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
Success
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
By Preston ForeJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
Economy
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
By Nick LichtenbergJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 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.