Good Week: WeWork – The office-sharing “it” company announced plans to hire 1,500 refugees worldwide over the next five years to keep pace with its hockey-stick growth. WeWork leadership insists the move is not a political statement but rather was born out of a “desire to take an active role in solving a bigger problem.” Kudos either way.
Bad Week: Papa John’s – Facing a social media backlash two weeks after CEO John Schnatter complained in an earnings call that the ongoing protests by NFL players were hurting the NFL-sponsor pizza chain and its investors, Papa John’s took to Twitter to issue an apology. Schnatter ignored the golden rule: the best thing to put in your open mouth is a slice of pizza, not your foot. The moral of the story? Papa don’t preach.
Worse Week: General Electric – With its stock at its lowest point in more than five years, the American industrial titan cut its dividend for only the second time since the Great Depression. Layoffs are underway, as is the sale of a number of the company’s business units, including (gasp) its iconic light bulb division. Prospects for the company’s return to greatness are dim.
