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

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
NewslettersCEO Daily

Taking a Stand: CEO Daily

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 25, 2019, 6:36 AM ET

Good morning.

One of the most remarkable moments in the emergence of corporate social consciousness over the last few years was when Dick’s Sporting Goods made the surprise decision to stop selling assault-style rifles after the Parkland shootings. The backlash from NRA members was swift and severe. But Ed Stack, the CEO of Dick’s, was determined. In his new autobiography—It’s How We Play the Game: Build a Business. Take a Stand. Make a Difference—he says the tragic shootings made him realize that, as one of the four biggest U.S. sellers of firearms, his company was “part of the problem.” And he wanted to become part of the solution.

In an interview with Fortune’s Phil Wahba, Stack says he is not looking back. Indeed, he’s removed guns altogether from 125 of his 727 stores. And he says the whole hunting business is up for “strategic review.” Read that: stay tuned for further action.

“We sold that kid in Parkland a shotgun,” he said emotionally (although it wasn’t the weapon used in the massacre.) “He should never have been able to buy a shotgun from us.” You can read more from Phil’s interview here.

And since it is Friday, some feedback. My Tuesday post on the Business Roundtable’s letter to Elizabeth Warren drew some skepticism. This from J.H.:

“When the first BRT Member Company’s annual report shows that senior-level executive compensation is based on well-defined, measurable outcomes over specific periods of time related to stakeholder values, then I might consider those behind the statement to be sincere.”

And this from D.G.:

“The BRT’s letter points to the fact that ‘MANY of our companies have taken steps to increase their own minimum wage’ [emphasis added)… Oh boy! You mean that you’ve announced that the nature of capitalism has shifted towards all stakeholders and yet the entire group, no wait, not even MOST of the entire group has led on the minimum wage issue?”

As I’ve said here before, there is a level of seriousness among business leaders on these issues today that is qualitatively different from anything I’ve seen in the past four decades. But there also is an unprecedented level of public cynicism. Climbing over that mountain of mistrust won’t be easy.

More news below.

Alan Murray
alan.murray@fortune.com
@alansmurray

TOP NEWS

Citigroup Succession

No woman has ever been CEO of a Wall Street bank and, as Fortune's Claire Zillman recently reported, in April Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat did not seem to believe his successor would be female. Well, Citigroup just promoted its Latin America chief, Jane Fraser, to be its president and head of its consumer bank—Citi's number two executive role, and a stepping stone to Corbat's role once he vacates it. Wall Street Journal

Boeing Flaws

Indonesian investigators' final report into last year's Lion Air 737 Max crash points fingers at flaws in the design and certification of Boeing's new flight-control system, as well as the airline's pilots and maintenance work, plus a Florida part supplier. The report details the flight's last minutes, in which the crew battled to regain control over the plane's nose-down movements. Seattle Times

Wind Power

The International Energy Agency says offshore wind power can entirely meet the world's energy needs, and will become competitive with fossil energy within the next decade, thanks to falling costs. IEA executive director Fatih Birol: "Looking at the future of offshore wind . . . it has the potential to join the ranks of shale and solar photovoltaics in terms of steep cost reductions." Financial Times

Tech Shares

Amazon and Twitter both suffered heavy share-price drops (6.6% and 20.8% respectively) following the release of their results. Stung by rising shipping costs, Amazon disappointed analysts with EPS of $4.23 rather than $4.62, and irked investors with poor revenue guidance for the holiday season. Twitter reported revenues of $823.7 million rather than the expected $874 million, and CNBC blamed technical bugs and lower-than-expected advertising. CNBC

AROUND THE WATER COOLER

Libra No

So, will Twitter ever sign up to Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency play? "Hell no," says CEO Jack Dorsey. "It’s not an Internet open standard that was born on the Internet. It was born out of a company’s intention, and it’s not consistent with what I personally believe and what I want our company to stand for.” The Verge

Barclays Loss

Barclays posted a $375 million net loss for the last quarter, thanks to being hit by $1.8 billion in insurance claims relating to the mis-selling of payment protection insurance. In Q3 last year, Barclays made $1.3 billion in net profit. Nonetheless, its investment banking unit is becoming more profitable, and Barclays' share price rose slightly on its results. CNBC

A.I. Search

Google claims to have harnessed the power of natural-language understanding to improve its search results, in an update that will start rolling out soon. The company says this is the biggest change to its core product that it's instituted in five years, and one that will improve one in 10 searches. The technology is an A.I. model called BERT. Fortune

Brexit Delay

The EU today discussed how long an extension to grant the U.K. for its departure from the bloc, but did not come up with an answer. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Monday try to call a general election in order to formulate a new Parliament that might actually reach agreement on Brexit. But the law means two-thirds of Parliament need to agree to an early election, and opposition parties don't want to play ball. Guardian

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

About the Authors
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Alan Murray
By Alan Murray
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

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 Newsletters

Businesswoman working at desk with laptop and documents in office
NewslettersCFO Daily
Finance teams can’t quit Excel. Workday wants to change that with AI
By Sheryl EstradaJune 10, 2026
5 hours ago
Health care’s AI dividend is real. The fight now is over who reaps the gains
NewslettersCEO Daily
Health care’s AI dividend is real. The fight now is over who reaps the gains
By Diane BradyJune 10, 2026
9 hours ago
JB Straubel, co-founder of Tesla and founder and CEO of Redwood Materials, speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo: Michael Faas/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Why China is outpacing the U.S. power grid
By Andrew NuscaJune 10, 2026
9 hours ago
Trump speaking into a mic.
NewslettersEye on AI
Should Americans get an equity stake in AI? Trump and progressive Democrats float public ownership of AI
By Beatrice NolanJune 9, 2026
23 hours ago
Meet the Walmart exec who runs a $96 billion business that would sit between Tesla and Target on the Fortune 500
NewslettersMPW Daily
Meet the Walmart exec who runs a $96 billion business that would sit between Tesla and Target on the Fortune 500
By Emma HinchliffeJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Exclusive: The startup that’s dressing up crypto for Wall Street raises $175 million in a round led by a16z crypto, Paradigm, and Ribbit Capital
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: The startup that’s dressing up crypto for Wall Street raises $175 million in a round led by a16z crypto, Paradigm, and Ribbit Capital
By Ben WeissJune 9, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
Economy
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
By Nick LichtenbergJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Wall Street dumped nearly $1 trillion in tech stocks by midday—then clawed it back and bought peanut butter and paint
Investing
Wall Street dumped nearly $1 trillion in tech stocks by midday—then clawed it back and bought peanut butter and paint
By Eva RoytburgJune 9, 2026
20 hours 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.