One year ago the CEOs of some of America's largest businesses promised to do more than just hunt for profits. The pandemic gave them a chance to live up to that promise.
CEOs on the Business Roundtable said their view of capitalism was changing. The pandemic has forced them to live up to that statement.
Germany gets a new universal basic income experiment as more countries consider cash handouts amid the pandemic
Some 120 Germans will receive approximately $1,400 every month for three years in a new study.
A year after 181 CEOs of companies like Apple and Walmart committed to stakeholder capitalism, Americans think leaders are doing a better job of supporting workers. But there's still more to be done.
New survey data finds Americans are more confident in executive leadership, but they still may not be doing enough.
11 companies boosting benefits so employees don't feel isolated or lonely in the middle of the coronavirus crisis
Starbucks, Target, PwC, and others are increasing mental health benefits like access to apps and free counseling sessions.
If the Senate doesn't bail out the childcare industry, economists see women leaving the workforce en masse
Women are more likely than men to scale back their hours or prioritize flexibility, which would widen the wage gap and weaken the economic recovery.
How decades of US welfare policies lifted up the white middle class and largely excluded Black Americans
Historians and economic-policy researchers told Business Insider how welfare programs have left Black Americans behind, dating back to the New Deal.
The CEO of 'Big 4' accounting firm EY says government programs aren't doing enough to tackle income inequality, and it's time for executives to step up
Carmine Di Sibio joins 26 other CEOs in a new initiative pledging to hire 100,000 professionals from low-income backgrounds.
The pandemic is set to shutter 40% of US childcare centers — and it could prove catastrophic for the careers of American women
The US may see a childcare shortage affecting millions of families, economists and daycare-center providers say.
15 books that explain how the American economy became a mess — and why we need 'better capitalism'
Leaders are increasingly being held accountable for not only their role in the economy, but in society.
The unemployment bonus has been working, so why do Republicans want to slash it?
The stimulus functioned as a trial run for a kind of universal basic income and it worked. New research also finds no evidence it held back hiring.
60 companies including Adobe, Best Buy, and Ralph Lauren commit to interviewing at least one BIPOC candidate for every senior level job
The initiative, created by Parity.org, is a step toward more diversity among VPs, CEOs, and board members.
The Twitter hack shows Americans still want billionaires to come to the rescue — and we need to realize they never will
To understand why the Twitter Bitcoin scam worked, we have to reexamine our love for the 'benevolent billionaire' myth.
Verizon unveils new business plan with the goal of going carbon neutral by 2035 and retraining 500,000 employees for emerging tech jobs
The move is part of a larger trend of companies changing the way they do business to be more environmentally and socially conscious.
Here's a 3 step action plan to break down the barriers that keep Black employees from reaching the C-suite
Black employees are facing a "concrete wall" of obstacles that is keeping them from senior management roles and leadership positions.
Americans are calling on the C-suite to take a stronger stance on racial inequality. Here's exactly what they want execs to do, according to a survey of 2,000 people.
Employees are calling on businesses to increase their use of Black-owned suppliers, to commit to paying all workers a living wage, and more.
Salesforce's chief philanthropy officer says companies need 'bold' internal changes along with donations to drive change: 'It's dollars plus action'
In order to make real change to systemic problems, especially during a time of crisis, philanthropy has to be paired with action, Ebony Beckwith said.
200 CEOs from companies like Apple, Amazon, and Walmart just gave Congress their plan for reforming police — and they want it done by August
The plan includes investments in de-escalation training and raising the standards on the "no-knock" policy used in the killing of Breonna Taylor.
The great a-woke-ning: Mark Zuckerberg's $8 billion dip in net worth from the Facebook ad boycott shows corporate America is finally listening to calls for racial justice
Experts weigh in on why CEOs are putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion right now.
One of America's top activist investors is leaving his $16 billion hedge fund to start a socially responsible investment firm — and it represents a broader push toward stakeholder capitalism
Jeff Ubben's move is part of a larger trend of leaders saying that the role of a company is to benefit society at large.
The 10-step action plan leaders can use right now to create more equal workplaces during the pandemic and beyond
The coronavirus outbreak continues to lay bare systemic inequalities in the US workforce and economy.
Melinda Gates and MacKenzie Bezos are partnering up to confront gender and racial inequality, starting with a $30 million grant. Here's how to qualify.
The contest is open to any US charitable organization and will have a special focus on elevating Black women and women of color.
Only 25% of Americans think capitalism is good for society
Business leaders like billionaire Ray Dalio have said capitalism is in crisis. A new survey shows most Americans agree, and they want specific change.
Elon Musk said a college degree isn't required for a job at Tesla — and Apple, Google, and Netflix don't require employees to have 4-year degrees either
Students assume getting a 4-year degree is the only way into top companies like Tesla, Apple, and Netflix. But that isn't always true.
JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon joins Ray Dalio, Mark Cuban, and other billionaires sounding the alarm on inequality in the US
Business leaders are highlighting the need for better childcare, more paid sick leave, and higher wages for American workers.
Apple, Ford, and GM are stepping up to address global shortages of ventilators, hand sanitizer, face masks, and gowns. Here's a running list of companies helping out.
Tim Cook, James Dyson, Mary Barra, and other leaders are responding to calls for more healthcare equipment.
Billionaire Ray Dalio says America's jarring inequality is a 'national emergency' that is threatening capitalism
According to the billionaire, capitalism as we know it is in crisis, and there needs to be bipartisan support for new policies.
How Microsoft is using AI to make the planet greener — and what other companies can learn from its environmental game plan
Microsoft has given out 230 grants to fund the use of AI to address climate change, and it levies a "carbon fee" for all businesses it works with.
'WHAT THE ACTUAL F***?????': Heiress Abigail Disney slams company for furloughing workers but protecting shareholder payouts and executive bonuses
Abigail Disney slammed the company's decision to furlough employees without first canceling plans to pay dividends and executive bonuses.
A Stanford economist says we're headed for a crisis worse than the Great Depression. Here's his plan for getting people back to work and spending on businesses.
Lawmakers need to look back to FDR-era policies for a "New New Deal" as a solution to the pandemic's economic fallout, Matthew Jackson said.
French President Emmanuel Macron says the coronavirus pandemic will remake capitalism
Macron told the Financial Times that if the EU doesn't help out countries such as Spain and Italy, it could lead to a rise in populism in Europe.
13 business leaders who have cut their salaries to $0 to help struggling workers as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on their industries
Comcast execs, Airbnb's CEO, and airline leaders at Delta, United, and Alaska have forgone salaries. So have GE, Lyft, Disney, and Marriott execs.
Billionaire Mark Cuban has a strong message for CEOs: Millennials and Gen Zers will send your brand 'straight into the toilet' if you lay off employees during the pandemic
Leaders of large companies should do everything they can to prioritize their employees during the novel coronavirus outbreak, Cuban said.
I was a VP at Alibaba during the SARS crisis in 2003. Here's what Jack Ma did to unite our team, accelerate revenue, and launch a new business amid the uncertainty of a pandemic.
"The door to my home was chained shut, a guard was stationed in my apartment building lobby, and I and 400 Alibaba colleagues were forced to run the company from our homes for 10 days."
The maker of Absolut Vodka and Jameson Irish Whiskey says it is converting its facilities to produce hand sanitizer that it will donate amid the shortage
The US faces a massive hand-sanitizer shortage and the company that makes Absolut Vodka and Jameson Irish Whiskey is pitching in to help.
JPMorgan just pledged $50 million in aid to small businesses and nonprofits as the coronavirus sends the economy into a nosedive
This is a "historic time of need" that requires businesses to step up and help their communities, a company executive told Business Insider.
There are 2 types of purpose, according to a Harvard professor — but only one of them boosts company productivity. Here's the question every manager should be asking to focus on the right kind of purpose.
HBS professor Rebecca Henderson said the data showed a major output gap between the top 10% of productive companies and the rest. The reason is purpose.
How Ben & Jerry's embrace of social issues set it apart from the competition, boosted its marketing, and helped it build a positive workplace culture
The ice cream giant's CEO tells us how social purpose can boost employee and customer engagement — as long as it's authentic.
Like the United States, Finland has a capitalist economy. Why are Finns so much happier than us?
Finland has universal healthcare, affordable childcare, free college, and copious paid vacations — and yes, it's in fact a capitalist country.
Levi's found a way to make hemp feel like cotton, and it could have big implications for your wardrobe
Levi's debuted a soft cotton-hemp blend, and its head of innovation expects to have 100% cottonized-hemp garments in five years.
'A fundamental reshaping of finance': The CEO of $7 trillion BlackRock says climate change will be the focal point of the firm's investing strategy
"In the near future — and sooner than most anticipate — there will be a significant reallocation of capital," CEO Larry Fink said in an annual letter.
Ray Dalio says that everybody is missing the key metric for saving America's economy from inequality — productivity
Ray Dalio said that the US must boost productivity through investments in things like education, and through bipartisan action.
10 books to read if you want to become the ultimate authority on the American economy
Columbia professor and "Transaction Man" author Nicholas Lemann chose these titles to illustrate the evolution of American capitalism.
Toys R Us is bouncing back from bankruptcy, and the way it's treating workers shows what American labor rights could look like in the next decade
Jobs with Justice executive director Erica Smiley says that "mirror boards" of employees should meet with executive boards when making decisions.
Here are all the ways bitcoin could help address income inequality in the 2020s
As the global wealth gap reaches a record high, experts say cryptocurrency could turn into a valuable tool to help solve the problem.
What investors need to know about opportunity zones, the controversial solution for inequality that has big bipartisan support — and that will be a top issue of the 2020s
Former Obama adviser Steve Glickman helped create a bipartisan movement to get wealthy Americans to invest in low-income communities across the US.
Big countries are refusing to tackle climate change, so companies are stepping in. Take an exclusive look at a tool the UN hopes will revolutionize the way these businesses track sustainability goals.
The tool was created by the nonprofit B Lab, and is set to launch in January 2020. Here's how companies that care about the environment can use it.
The art of activism: How Greta Thunberg's matter-of-fact way of speaking and taking action turned her into a global icon and Time's 'person of the year'
Her activism, which began over a year ago in Sweden, has blown up into a mass movement which culminated in the Global Climate Strike this fall.
Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz: It's time for Congress to do something about the economic mess that private-equity giants have created
Private equity's excesses should be reined in, and the Stop Wall Street Looting Act is a good place to start, says economist Joseph Stiglitz.
This 33-year-old economist hasn't just helped shape one of Elizabeth Warren's and Bernie Sanders' boldest policies — he's been changing how you think about wealth, whether you know it or not
Alongside his UC Berkeley colleague Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman has helped lead a resistance to the 2017 Republican tax cuts to fight inequality.
I worked at Toys R Us for 20 years before private equity killed my job. The same thing will happen to more workers if Congress doesn't take action.
Private-equity firms killed Toys R Us, but former employees are fighting back and raising concerns about private equity's role in the US economy.
