Gelles writes, “While each of those articles was different, my interactions with the executives were more or less the same. There was almost always a public relations representative for the company in the room, hovering nearby to make sure the boss didn’t say something inappropriate. The C.E.O.s usually stuck to talking points that portrayed their companies, and themselves, in a flattering light. And the executives — all of whom have had hours of media training — usually delivered crisp, if dry, answers to just about any question I threw at them. They were programmed not to say anything that might make them appear vulnerable, and certainly not anything that might raise suspicions about their ability to lead a company.
“My most recent role at The Times, as the new Corner Office columnist, has provided me with a forum to have somewhat more personal conversations with business leaders. Ken Frazier, the C.E.O. of Merck, was candid in his remarks about why he split with Mr. Trump last year. Stacy Brown-Philpot, the C.E.O. of TaskRabbit, spoke frankly about being a black woman in Silicon Valley. Paula Schneider, the C.E.O. of Komen, told a moving story about working through breast cancer treatment. Still, even the executives I speak with for Corner Office are careful not to leave themselves too exposed.
“But on Thursday with Mr. Musk, none of these rules seemed to apply. After a few awkward minutes of introductions, Mr. Musk began speaking in deeply personal terms, and went on for a full hour.”
Read more here.
The Yale Program on Stakeholder Innovation and Management announced the appointment of Alan Murray, departing chief…
The Advocate is looking for a savvy reporter to cover the Baton Rouge business scene…
MLex, a LexisNexis company, is an independent news organization for breaking news and forward-looking analysis…
The Austin Business Journal seeks a staff writer to cover economic development in one of…
A Russian court on Saturday placed Sergei Mingazov, a journalist for the Russian edition of…
Justin Nielsen of Investor's Business Daily writes about the newspaper's 40th anniversary. Nielsen writes, "When the…