Good morning.
One measure of health in a big business is how it partners with small business—those 33 million U.S. companies that typically have one or a handful of employees and account for just under half of private-sector employment.
While the U.S. economy remains strong, persistent inflation, high interest rates and unequal wealth gains have left many Americans feeling pessimistic. Small business owners are increasingly likely to share that mixed outlook, with optimism at an 11-year low.
Many small businesses are experiencing lackluster sales growth and are waiting longer to get paid by those who use their services, according to research from Xero, a global small business platform that sells accounting software and other services to about 4.2 million subscribers. By the end of last year, Xero’s customers were waiting an average of 29.1 days to be paid—almost 10 days late. That number has been creeping up, says Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, and big business is often a cause for the delay. “Small businesses have to deal with cash-flow struggles, even when they’re making the sale,” she says. (Several weeks ago, my colleague Ryan Hogg reported that Bud Light maker AB InBev, Coca-Cola’s European bottler, and other major brands were taking months to pay invoices.)
Government can only help so much. The U.K. government recently took action to crack down on late payments. Here in the U.S., there’s less inclination to intervene, though the government did make it easier for small businesses to file for bankruptcy protection with a COVID-era provision due to expire next month.
Big business has the power to do better, as Cassidy points out: “Big businesses have a role to play in both supporting small businesses as suppliers, and they’re also one of their most stable customers.”
Keep your eye on this critical segment of the U.S. economy. They need to digitize and adapt as much as their larger corporate brethren. Businesses that squeeze small suppliers are ultimately sabotaging their own success.
More news below.
Diane Brady
diane.brady@fortune.com
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TOP NEWS
Dupont breaks up
Chemical giant Dupont announced that it would spin off its electronics and water units, turning the conglomerate into three separate companies. CEO Ed Breen will step down on June 1, with chief financial officer Lori Koch taking over. Dupont is the latest U.S. corporate giant to break itself up, following similar restructurings from conglomerates like Johnson & Johnson and General Electric. Bloomberg
A ticket selling monopoly
The U.S. Department of Justice is planning to accuse Ticketmaster-owner LiveNation of using its ticket-selling monopoly to suppress competition, according to sources, The DOJ has been investigating the company since 2022, after Ticketmaster crashed during a presale for Taylor Swift’s concert tour. The department wants to target the huge advances LiveNation pays to high-profile venues to win long-term deals. The Wall Street Journal
Nvidia surges again
Nvidia shares jumped 6% in after-hours trading after the chip company beat expectations with a 262% year-on-year jump in quarterly revenue. It also announced a 10-to-1 stock split, making shares—now priced over $1,000—more affordable to retail investors. CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged high demand for the company’s products, which are key to the AI boom: “Customers are putting a lot of pressure on us to deliver the systems and stand them up as quickly as possible.” Fortune
AROUND THE WATERCOOLER
The new quiet luxury is burgers and fries: Over 60% of Americans are buying less fast food because it’s just too expensive, survey finds by Sasha Rogelberg
JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs want bankers back in the office 5 days a week, but one bank CEO says he only took his $4.2 million job on the condition he could work from home by Eleanor Pringle
Commentary: Big Tech employees missed out on $5.1 billion in 401(k) gains over the last decade because of fossil fuels, new research finds by Andrew Behar
EU’s trade surplus over the U.S. surges to record $47 billion—with China tariffs going up, it may get even bigger by Ryan Hogg
Why Volvo’s focus on safety and ‘human-centric technology’ are anchor points during turbulent times by Fortune Editors
This edition of CEO Daily was curated by Nicholas Gordon.
