CEOs have become pretty set in their perceptions of the business climate in many states, especially those on the east and west coasts. But there’s still lots of movement in what company chiefs see as the business-friendliness of many other states, and CEOs’ conclusions are being driven by new factors ranging from the rise of AI to relative housing costs. Those are some of the main takeaways from the latest Chief Executive Best & Worst States for Business survey of more than 600 American CEOs, with representation from every state, to gain their perspectives on state business climates and ..read more

If the chickens unleashed by the pandemic and remote-work revolution are finally coming home to roost in the U.S. commercial real-estate market, Arlington County, Virginia, keeps trying to chase them out of the nest. Across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the county is an epicenter of federal-government employees, lobbyists, military contractors and related knowledge and tech workers. Arlington County scored a big coup, of course, when Amazon pledged in 2018 to build a campus that would employ 25,000 tech workers there. The county beat out literally hundreds of other locales across Am ..read more

Over his career as “Mr. Wonderful” on Shark Tank, Kevin O’Leary has invested a reported $8.5 million or more into dozens of startups that have appeared on the long-running TV show gamifying entrepreneurism, including makers of genetic test kits for cats, snack bites made out of dates, online forms for pre-nuptial agreements and sheet de-tanglers for dryers. Now, O’Leary is placing his investment recommendations on entire states. Lately, North Dakota, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Montana have gained endorsement in his “Competitive States Investment Tour,” and it’s no surprise that some economic ..read more

Elon Musk revived a century-old debate when he vowed to move Tesla out of Delaware after a state Chancery Court judge’s ruling invalidated his $56 billion compensation package. Musk was effectively asking: Who needs Delaware? The answer is surprisingly complex, and one legal scholars have been arguing over since the tiny state started becoming America’s corporate capital. More than half of all Fortune 500 corporations are incorporated in Delaware, which derives 30 percent of its $5 billion budget from corporate fees and taxes. California, with the world’s fifth-largest economy, has a tiny shar ..read more

The intersection of geopolitics and employment law has now secured a place in every boardroom discussion, as global companies navigate increasingly complex legal and ethical issues—from those related to talent acquisition and immigration to cross-cultural management and human rights to data security and artificial intelligence. Here’s what leaders at international companies need to consider: • Talent acquisition. In an increasingly interconnected world, organizations are looking beyond their national boundaries to attract top talent from diverse backgrounds. However, varying immigration polici ..read more

As enterprises become smitten with the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), the reality on the ground can often be sobering. A recent study indicated a striking gap in confidence among executives regarding their organization’s prowess in AI implementation. Furthermore, a comprehensive poll of 1,400 executives revealed a widespread sense of dissatisfaction with the pace of progress, particularly in the realm of Generative AI—the ability of AI to generate new information based on input. These insights spotlight the lack of expertise and a sufficient approach to AI deployment. The following ..read more

Generative AI like ChatGPT is already showing a ton of utility in areas like marketing and software programming—and it can write a heck of an entertaining limerick for your break room fridge. But a lot of manufacturers are still struggling to see the potential productivity leaps for them. Coming at a time of historically tight labor in factories, especially among workers with high levels of technical skill, unlocking even some productivity gains from AI would be a huge win for factory operators. But how? Pavan Muzumdar, chief operating officer of Automation Alley, Michigan’s Industry 4.0 knowl ..read more

Like a lot of people in business these days, Paul Sarvadi believes in the spirit of diversity, equity and inclusion. Everyone, regardless of race, creed or politics, should get a shot at what was once known as the American dream, and companies should do all they can to help make that a reality for as many people as possible.  But, like a lot of those same people, he also believes that something has gone very wrong with the way DEI has come to play out inside many companies in this country. “DEI did start with unifying objectives [but] graduated to this kind of check-the-box mentality ..read more

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