March 2 2022 Random but Connected Thoughts Severance, the new series on Apple TV where people live completely disconnected lives at work, as if in a Skinner Box. (more…)
Tag Archives | Silicon Valley
Empowering Employees 2021
Empowering Employees 2021 through workers on boards, workers councils, director liaisons, and/or ESOP trusts. Help us move to more democratic workplace cultures. (more…)
Lead Director – Non-Executive Chair: Evolving
Today’s lead director and non-executive chair face a seemingly never-ending set of risks, governance decisions and strategic initiatives as a result of investors’ growing emphasis on board transparency, accountability, and independence. This insightful panel focused on the evolving roles of board leaders, specifically, the independent chair and lead director. Drive higher-performing boards through improved processes, […]
Governance, Liquidity, and Employee Retention
Governance, Liquidity, and Employee Retention in an Era of Capital Abundance was the full title of last Thursday’s morning event sponsored by the Silicon Valley Directors Exchange and Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance. As billed, we were to hear a panel of experts discuss the role of the board of directors in addressing challenges of […]
Activism, Short-Termism and Corporate Governance
Silicon Valley companies continue to be the leading target for “activism, short-termism and corporate governance.” Directors of some Silicon Valley companies believe these activists are too short-term focused, while some institutional investors believe the activists create value for all shareholders. One response to the growth of activism has been the adoption by some high-profile tech […]
BuyThisPlatform: Twitter Explores Co-op Capitalism
Twitter has been an important tool to promote democracy – think #ArabSpring, #BackLivesMatter, #OccupyWallStreet, #WomenOnBoards, etc. Now, through #BuyTwitter @ BuyThisPlatform, Twitter is being called on to explore its own form of corporate governance – how the company itself can be more democratic and inclusive. The results could have implications for the future of capitalism. Take Action: On May 22 […]
#ICGN16: 4, Silicon Valley Exceptionalism
#ICGN16, the annual meeting of the International Corporate Governance Network, was held in San Francisco, June 27-29. #ICGN16 was the hashtag for tweeting at the meeting, so check Twitter for additional posts to #ICGN16. This post is a continuation of a few rough notes from the conference. Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of #ICGN16. (more…)
Video Friday: Replacing Board Members
As I reported in Replacing Board Members: The Elephant in the Room, SVDX and Stanford University’s Rock Center put on another great event last week that just about packed the house! These events are always top notch. A few nibbles and coffee or tea for breakfast, excellent company and a great program — what more could you want on third […]
Silicon Valley Corporate Governance & Gender Diversity
Fenwick & West, one of the Silicon Valley’s premier law firms serving technology, venture capital and life sciences companies, released its Corporate Governance Survey and its adjunct Gender Diversity Survey. The surveys cover more than a decade of governance and leadership trends comparing companies in the S&P 100 and their relatively smaller and younger counterparts in the Silicon Valley […]
CII Fall 2014 Conference: Part 2
This is first time I’ve attended a Council of Institutional Investors (CII) semi-annual conference. My report from first day events can be found at CII Fall 2014 Conference: Part 1. Okay, I’m getting more cryptic in my second day of notes. Sorry, I’m not willing to take the time to clean them up. Watch out for possible […]
Guest Post: Meet… James McRitchie, CorpGov.Net
Mike Tyrrell is Editor of SRI-Connect – an online research marketplace for professional institutional investors, analysts & companies interested in sustainable development. He is keen to open up the site to corporate governance analysts & corporate governance research. Mike kindly gave permission to reproduce the interview on CorpGov.net. (more…)
Is Silicon Valley Different?: A Conversation with Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster
I attended this discussion between Professor Joe Grundfest and Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster, Delaware Court of Chancery at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance on March 10, 2014. As Advertised Many Silicon Valley companies are marked by the presence of dual and triple class (more…)
Stock Buybacks: Smart or Foolish?
Should boards reexamine stock buybacks? That was the subject addressed by a distinguished panel during a recent SVDX program hosted at Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance. What follows is the SVDX meeting pitch, with issues and brief bios, followed by a few of my observations at the event. Watch the video wrap-up (below) from WMS media […]
Corporate Governance and Practices and Trends: Comparison of Large Public Companies and Silicon Valley Companies
If you are investing in Silicon Valley companies, I recommend this report from Fenwick & West LLP. They have collected this data since 2003. It should be useful for Silicon Valley companies, other public companies for comparison purposes, advisors and investors. (more…)
Weathering a Crisis: Weil in Silicon Valley
On May 8, 2012, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s Silicon Valley office hosted a one day symposium on Weathering a Crisis for corporate leaders and general counsel. Panel discussions focused on how to effectively handle a crisis before it becomes public; how to navigate the media while preserving your company’s public image; and how to implement sound […]
Silicon Valley Exceptionalism
Hopefully, it can mostly be attributable to early stage growth but Fenwick & West’s Corporate Governance Practices and Trends: A Comparison of Large Public Companies and Silicon Valley Companies found significant differences between the (more…)