The business journalist, Charles Gasparino, discusses his new book "Go Woke, Go Broke" and how CEOs accelerated corporate political activism only to regret its impact on the economy.
0:00-Introduction
1:12-The origins of Gasparino's book, Go Woke Go Broke
9:24-Bud Light X Dylan Mulvaney controversy
18:05-Corporate wokeness started with CEOs
25:06-Trump-world tried to save Bud Light
31:35 Ben & Jerry's pioneered corporate political activism
33:13-Wokeness at Disney
45:22-Does wokeness sell?
47:28-Where is the corporate advocacy for Uyghurs?
49:36-BlackRock, Larry Fink & ESG
59:00-How ESG worsened inflation
1:00:56-Ed Rensi's innovative interventions
1:05:52-Corporate wokeness is in recession
1:07:30 CEOs against campus wokeness
1:10:00-Would Donald Trump or Kamala Harris be worse for the economy?
reason.com/podcasts
Charles Gasparino is a senior correspondent for the Fox Business Network and a columnist for the New York Post. He's also the author of the new book Go Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America. Gasparino analyzes major missteps by companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Target, and Disney and explores how CEOs and top management become entranced by things like stakeholder capitalism; diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; and environmental, social, and governance plans to the detriment of customer satisfaction, public relations, and the bottom line. Four years out from the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of George Floyd, Gasparino talks with Reason's Nick Gillespie about whether peak woke has ended and why he views people like Ed Rensi, the former head of McDonald's, as models for how businesses can make profits while being socially responsible. They also discuss how the 2024 election will impact the economy.