Insights

What does a lettuce recall teach us about crisis comms?

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

July 30, 2026

Cyclosporiasis isn’t easy to remember. Its symptoms, unfortunately, are.

This latest outbreak of foodborne illness has triggered widespread fear and confusion. Even the Salad Queen is taking a break from greens.

Behind the jokes and memes, the cyclosporiasis outbreak has grown to more than 18,000 suspected cases and led to a growing number of lawsuits against Taco Bell and Taylor Farms. The House Oversight Committee aims to launch an inquiry into Taylor Farms’ role in the outbreak and allegations that it sought to influence the FDA’s investigation.

For communicators, this moment is a real-time case study in crisis communications and an opportunity to learn what any organization, food-related or otherwise, can do to prepare for their own worst case scenarios.

ICYMI: The question facing global companies is no longer just where to do business — it’s which side are you on? We sat down with James Stevens, Managing Partner, Brussels, at Rud Pedersen, to unpack Europe’s shifting political landscape, the decline of strategic neutrality, and the forces redefining business across the continent. Read it here.

Interested in learning more? Join us for a Zoom discussion with policy experts on Europe’s changing landscape on Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. ET. Register here.

Run the drill before you need it

What a food safety crisis can teach every communicator

The timeline

  • May 1: Per the CDC, the cyclosporiasis outbreak, caused by the Cyclospora parasite, officially begins.
  • July 14: The CDC issues a nationwide Health Alert Network advisory, more than two months after the outbreak began, warning clinicians and public health officials about the growing multistate outbreak.
  • July 17: The FDA identifies Taylor Farms de Mexico as the common supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five affected states, prompting Taylor Farms to announce a voluntary recall. Taco Bell says it has removed the affected lettuce from restaurants nationwide.
  • July 18: The FDA announces that a sample of Taylor Farms lettuce tested positive for Cyclospora.
  • July 19: Less than 24 hours later, the FDA retracts the test result as a false positive but says the reversal does not change its investigation, which continues to identify Taylor Farms lettuce as the likely source. Taylor Farms responds by releasing a statement opening with: “Today, FDA apologized to us.”
  • July 21: In one of his first public statements on the outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says, “We do have the outbreak under control,” adding that investigators had identified the source and the companies involved had implemented a recall.
  • July 24: The CDC expands the outbreak from five to nine states, reinforcing that the investigation and the public narrative were still evolving.

The fallout

  • Taco Bell foot traffic fell more than 20% in the weeks following the outbreak, according to Placer.ai data cited by Reuters. Parent company Yum Brands’ stock fell about 8% after the outbreak became public.
  • The impact spread beyond Taco Bell. Restaurant stocks, including Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Cava, also declined as concerns extended to fresh produce more broadly.
  • Public reassurance became part of the response. On July 28, FDA Acting Deputy Commissioner for Food Donald Prater told attendees at the International Association for Food Protection that “the U.S. food supply is safe,” even as reported cyclosporiasis cases reached record levels.
  • As facts evolved, the crisis became one of trust. Companies can prepare by establishing credibility and earning trust long before a crisis hits, according to Erin Boyd Kappelhof, CEO of Eat Well Global.

Kappelhof told COMPASS: “That means being transparent about your practices and being credible, compelling and consistent in your communication. When you’re under the microscope, everything is scrutinized, even seemingly unrelated aspects of your business. The companies that come through a crisis intact are the ones who were already doing that work before anyone was watching.”

  • That challenge is compounded by already fragile public confidence. “There is massive distrust right now in these institutions, and now you’re layering on top of that the conspiracy theories that emerge so incredibly quickly on social media,” Timothy Caulfield, a professor studying health misinformation at the University of Alberta, told The New York Times.

What communicators should know

The communications challenge wasn’t limited to Taylor Farms or Taco Bell. Regulators, suppliers, brands and the media were all trying to communicate as the facts continued to evolve.

Increasingly, organizations are expected to communicate while investigations are still unfolding, evidence is incomplete and new information may reshape the public narrative overnight.

Communicating amid uncertainty isn’t new. What’s changed is how quickly organizations are expected to respond as information spreads instantly across social media, news outlets and other digital channels.

The challenge isn’t just communicating quickly; it’s communicating with restraint. Steve Soltis, a crisis communications expert at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, argued Taylor Farms took a risk by emphasizing the FDA’s false positive before the broader investigation had concluded.

What doesn’t change for companies and institutions caught in an evolving health-related scare is the first priority that should drive all communications: public safety. Messages and actions guided by that north star will hold up under the inevitable twists and turns of uncertainty.

This still-unfolding drama reminds us that many crisis playbooks may no longer reflect today’s realities. Teams have changed. Approval chains have changed. AI has changed how organizations prepare for and manage crises. A crisis plan that hasn’t been updated recently isn’t much of a plan.

Questions every communicator should ask, regardless of where your organization sits in the supply chain

  • What first priorities will guide our actions and messages when public safety is at risk and certainty is still far off on the horizon?
  • How will we communicate when the public expects answers before we have them?
  • How will we adapt our messaging as new facts emerge without undermining trust?
  • Can our legal, operations, communications and public affairs teams make decisions as quickly as the story is moving?
  • Are we nurturing the public trust so helpful in navigating a crisis?
  • Have we tested our crisis plan recently, and adapted it for today’s media and AI realities?

The bottom line: Build the frame before you need it

We’ve shared the kinds of questions worth asking before the next crisis, not during it. Even organizations with good instincts stumble in a crisis without a rehearsed process for moving fast, together, before the story gets ahead of them.

Want a Crisis Frame vulnerability and scenario assessment with a Global Gateway Advisors partner to evaluate your readiness? Drop us a note at insights@gga.nyc and we’ll set up a free hour of counsel.

Key upcoming events

AI + Tech

  • Ai4 (Las Vegas, Aug. 4-6) Join thousands of business executives, technology leaders and researchers to explore the latest advances in AI. Speakers include Fei-Fei Li, CEO of World Labs; Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning.AI and former head of Google Brain; and Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo. Don’t miss our client Anthony Moisant, CIO and CSO of Indeed, in his 1:1 session with Fortune’s Kristin Stoller.
  • CIO 100 Awards & Conference (Frisco, Texas, Aug. 17-19) The world’s most influential CIOs and technology leaders gather to share how they’re scaling AI, accelerating digital transformation and turning innovation into measurable business results. Speakers include Jen Hartsock, EVP and chief information and digital officer at Cargill; Motti Finkelstein, former CIO of global IT at Intel and CEO of EMDO; and Deepa Soni, EVP and CIO of New York Life Insurance Company.
  • WSJ Technology Council Summit (New York City, Sept. 14-15) Enterprise technology leaders gather to discuss how organizations are moving beyond AI experimentation to deployment, with a focus on ROI, cybersecurity, governance and business transformation. Speakers include Raj Subramaniam, CEO of FedEx; Kim Basile, CIO of Kyndryl; and Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator.

Geopolitics + Global Business

  • Fortune Leaders Forum (Macau, China, Sept. 8) Leaders from Asia’s biggest companies gather to explore how geopolitical fragmentation, AI breakthroughs and demographic change are rewriting the rules of business. Speakers include Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group; James Peng, CEO of autonomous driving company Pony.ai; and Christina Zhu, CEO of Walmart China.

Leadership, Media + Innovation

  • The Status Summit (New York City, Sept. 9) Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter makes its live event debut with a day of conversations on AI disruption, political pressures, business strategy and the forces reshaping the media industry. Speakers include Meredith Kopit Levien, CEO of The New York Times; David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker; Rebecca Kutler, president of MS NOW; and Wendy McMahon, former CEO of CBS News and Stations.
  • Forbes Power Women Summit (New York City, Sept. 10) Influential women leaders gather to discuss how they’re reshaping business, policy and innovation while redefining what leadership looks like in an era of constant change. Speakers include Leena Nair, global CEO of Chanel; actress, philanthropist and Once Upon a Farm co-founder Jennifer Garner; and supermodel and founder of Meaningful Beauty Cindy Crawford.
  • Fast Company Innovation Festival (New York City, Sept. 14-17) Business leaders and innovators gather for four days of thought-provoking discussions, behind-the-scenes company tours and hands-on experiences exploring the future of business. Speakers include Martha Stewart, entrepreneur and cofounder of Hint; Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm; and Keily Blair, CEO of OnlyFans.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

  • Your 500 followers might finally be enough. As algorithms increasingly surface content from people users don’t already follow, brands including Target, American Eagle and SoulCycle are expanding programs that reward everyday creatorsinstead of focusing solely on mega influencers.
  • Business Insider is coming to TV. The publisher has launched a streaming app and a FAST channel, joining a growing number of media companies extending their brands beyond traditional digital publishing in search of new audiences and revenue.
  • TIME gives its flagship health newsletter a refresh. The publisher is relaunching Health Matters under longtime health editor Mandy Oaklander. The revamped newsletter will feature health news, practical advice and reporting from TIME’s health team.
  • BuzzFeed cuts more than a third of its workforce. New owner Byron Allen laid off roughly 180 employees across BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Tasty and the company’s film and TV studio as he works to reduce losses after acquiring the company for $120 million.
  • Yahoo Finance launches an auto and EV news hub. The new destination combines original reporting with coverage from InsideEVs, WardsAuto, Just Auto and The Drive.
  • Dynamic pricing comes to news subscriptions. Publishers including The Wall Street Journal, WIRED and NJ.com are using algorithms to set personalized renewal prices, a practice some subscribers are only now discovering through new disclosure requirements.
  • POLITICO expands its energy coverage. The publisher will launch Surge, its first daily global policy newsletter, focused on the politics and policy of rising electricity demand.
  • Substack doubles down on human-created content. The platform is partnering with AI detection tool Pangram to let readers estimate whether posts and comments were written by humans or AI, while adding a feature that lets creators disclose whether they use AI.

 

Media moves

  • Lauren Fedor (formerly Financial Times) joined POLITICO as a senior politics reporter.
  • Sri Muppidi (formerly The Information) joined The New York Timesas a Dealbook reporter focused on tech and AI.
  • Lizzy Lawrence (formerly STAT) was hired by The Wall Street Journal to cover the pharmaceutical industry, while Emily Hamilton(formerly Axios Live) joined the organization as associate news editor for live journalism.
  • Randall Lane has stepped down as CCO of Forbes.
  • Ross Douthat, op-ed columnist at The New York Times, is joining ‘60 Minutes’ as a correspondent.
  • J.D. Capelouto is now covering tech at Semafor.
  • Casey Hall has been promoted to bureau chief and senior companies correspondent in Shanghai at Reuters, while Eduardo Baptista was named Greater China chief technology correspondent.
  • Kurt Wagner was promoted to Big Tech team leader at Bloomberg, while Ben Weiss(formerly DL News) was hired to cover cryptocurrencies and prediction markets.
  • Marissa Russo (formerly STAT) was hired by Fierce Biotech as a staff writer.
  • Reyhan Harmanci was promoted from features director to executive director at WIRED.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

Is Europe asking businesses to pick a side?

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

July 17, 2026

Europe’s political and economic landscape is changing rapidly, with major implications for businesses operating across the bloc. We spoke with James Stevens, Managing Partner, Brussels, Rud Pedersen, about the end of the rules-based global order, Europe’s push to strengthen economic competitiveness and what global business leaders should be watching next.

ICYMI: Our annual Summer Edit is back, featuring recommendations from some of the smartest people in our network on what to read, watch and listen to this summer. Read it here.

Europe is at a crossroads. Companies are being asked to choose.

The old playbook is dead.

For decades, multinational companies operated in a world largely defined by open trade, global integration, and a belief that economic interests would ultimately outweigh political divisions. Today, that assumption is rapidly eroding.

We spoke this week with James Stevens, Managing Partner, Brussels, Rud Pedersen, one of Europe’s leading independent public affairs and strategic communications firms. The company advises international and European companies, scale-ups and organizations on how to navigate political, regulatory and reputational complexity.

Stevens described a business environment increasingly shaped by fragmentation rather than globalization. Governments across the U.S., Europe and China are asking companies a question many hoped they could avoid: Which team are you on?

The end of strategic neutrality

One of Stevens’ most striking observations is that companies are finding it harder to remain neutral. Governments are increasingly prioritizing domestic and regional economic interests, industrial strategies are becoming more protective and expectations around corporate alignment are growing.

Whether it’s “America First,” Europe’s push for greater strategic autonomy, or China’s domestic priorities, businesses face pressure to demonstrate their commitment to regional, political and economic priorities. For global companies, reputation, public affairs, government relations and market strategy are becoming inseparable.

The continent’s new word: Competitiveness

Just a few years ago, much of Europe’s policy debate centered on sustainability and the Green Deal. Today, Stevens notes that nearly every second sentence in Brussels includes another term: competitiveness.

As Stevens puts it, “we’ve flipped.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy challenges, supply chain disruptions and growing geopolitical tensions have pushed policymakers in Brussels to focus more intensely on industrial capacity, economic security and growth.

Businesses are now split between those urging policymakers to “stay the course” on ambitious climate goals and those seeking to slow implementation while Europe’s industrial base regains its footing.

The many Europes

There’s a deeper layer to all of this: Not only must companies operating in the EU navigate pressure to line up behind Brussels’ pan-European priorities, but also the national priorities of the EU’s 27 individual member states, Stevens said.

Despite efforts to project unity, ongoing issues from the war in Ukraine to the energy crisis have on occasion led to open contradiction.

Stevens calls monolithic views of Europe the “biggest misconception” held by companies operating in the bloc and encourages the private sector to adopt a highly localized understanding of the priorities and political outlook of the countries in which they operate.

The question that will shape Europe’s future

Stevens argues that the most important debate looking ahead may not be about regulation, trade or even elections. It’s about money.

Europe remains committed to decarbonization, industrial resilience and long-term competitiveness. The challenge is deciding who pays for the transition. As the EU negotiates its next seven-year budget, leaders face a fundamental question: Can Europe invest enough in its future industries while maintaining public support for that investment?

As Stevens put it, the defining issue is whether the member states can agree on a budget “that puts money against the future and not against the past.” For business leaders, communicators and investors, that may be the most important European story to watch.

Why it matters

The era of globalization is giving way to one of geopolitical alignment. Companies that once focused primarily on markets and customers must now navigate competing national priorities, evolving regulatory models and growing expectations about where they stand. The organizations that succeed will be those that understand not just the economics of change, but the politics behind it.

Still ahead

If you would like to join a virtual discussion in September to explore this topic in more detail, share your interest here.

Key upcoming events

Leadership + Ideas

  • Semafor World of Work (Washington, D.C., July 22) In partnership with Gallup, this invitation-only gathering explores how AI, economic uncertainty and shifting employee expectations are reshaping organizations, with discussions focused on workforce trust, employee engagement, talent strategy, AI adoption and organizational resilience. Speakers include Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup; Katy George, CVP of workforce transformation at Microsoft; and Claire MacIntyre, CPO at Sam’s Club.

  • CIO 100 Awards & Conference (Frisco, Texas, Aug 17-19) The world’s most influential CIOs and technology leaders gather to share how they’re scaling AI, accelerating digital transformation and turning innovation into measurable business results. Speakers include Jen Hartsock, EVP and chief information and digital officer at Cargill; Motti Finkelstein, former CIO of global IT at Intel and CEO of EMDO; and Deepa Soni, EVP and CIO of New York Life Insurance Company.

AI + Tech

  • Ai4 (Las Vegas, Aug. 4-6) Join thousands of business executives, technology leaders and researchers to explore the latest advances in artificial intelligence. Speakers include Fei-Fei Li, CEO of World Labs; Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning.AI and former head of Google Brain; and Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

  • A new newsletter from Fortune. “Fortune 500 Digest Weekday,” written by Jim Edwards, executive editor for global news, hits inboxes each morning with the latest business news and analysis.
  • Semafor expands its video strategy. The publisher hired former Fortune executive Adam Banicki to lead video as it develops five new shows aimed at C-suite audiences, betting on influence over scale.
  • The AI feedback loop. As ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI chatbots increasingly turn to Reddit for answers, brands are flooding the platform with marketing slop in an effort to shape what AI says about them—a practice known as generative engine optimization (GEO). Reddit’s answer? AI-powered moderation, kicking off a new AI-versus-AI arms race.
  • Anthropic is hiring a standards editor. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the growing importance of the corporate newsroom, so it’s fitting that the tech company is offering a salary of up to $295,000 (!) for the role.
  • Chase launched a Substack. Stacking Paper is a finance newsletter for young people and, as it puts it, “everyone who is over being bad at money.”
  • Muck Rack releases its 2026 State of PR report. The annual survey of PR professionals suggests AI has moved from experiment to expectation, while communications teams are beginning to rethink how they earn visibility in AI-generated search results. Among the findings:
    • 80% already use generative AI in their workflow.
    • 73% say GEO is now part of their communications strategy.
    • 55% are targeting high-authority publications to improve AI visibility.
    • Yet 39% aren’t measuring GEO success at all.

Media moves

  • Brett LoGiurato (formerly Yahoo Finance) was hired as deputy editor of Status.
  • Ben Weiss has departed Fortune for a new opportunity.
  • A.J. Katz (formerly Adweek) was hired by The Wrap to cover the media industry.
  • Katie Roof (formerly The Information) is joining Business Insider as an editor-at-large, covering venture and tech finance, while Truman Dickerson was hired as a weekend news fellow.
  • Kirsty McGregor (formerly Vogue Business) was hired by Fortune as its editorial director in Europe while Emily Forlini (formerly PCMag) was hired to cover AI. Tatiana Sataua joined the organization as an editorial news fellow.
  • Norah O’Donnell is leaving CBS new to launch Healthful, a podcast that aims to cut through misinformation on women’s health.
  • Nate Wolf has moved from covering trending news to technology at Barron’s.
  • Josephine Cumbo is leaving the Financial Times after 27 years. She will be writing a book and pursuing other “side hustles.”
  • Ellen Pollock is moving on from her role as business editor at The New York Times for a yet-to-be-announced role at the organization. Meanwhile, Sui-Lee Wee is now the Times’ Asia business correspondent, following a stint as the Southeast Asia bureau chief.
  • Sam Dagher, Bloomberg News’ senior Middle East reporter has left for another opportunity.
  • Jory Heckman (formerly Federal News Network) is joining GovExec as a senior reporter.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

Global Gateway Advisors' 2026 Summer Edit

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

July 1, 2026

Each year, we ask the sharpest people in our orbit what’s on their nightstands, in their earbuds and queued up on their TVs. The responses never fail to impress and inspire us (this year: UFO docs, next to 19th century grief politics, next to Hannah Berner). We hope this summer roundup does the same for you.

ICYMI: Corporate reputation is under pressure as AI, geopolitics, economic uncertainty and shifting audience expectations reshape trust and support. We spoke with Lyndsey Tierney, vice president, advisory at RepTrak, about why reputation can no longer be treated as just a communications function. Read it here.

NEWSLETTERS

Still Wandering — Alex McCann’s Substack offers a window into how younger generations think about work. It’s useful for understanding your talent’s mindset and expectations and quietly prompts you to examine what you bought into along the way. Recommended whether you manage people in their 20s and early 30s or simply know and love some — Kim Sample, President, PR Council

If you aren’t subscribed to Stratechery by Ben Thompson and Nextdraft by Dave Pell are you even internet’ing? — Ethan McCarty, CEO, Integral

I look forward to Laura Lowery’s Ferocity Letter every other Sunday. Drawing on two decades in leadership communications, Laura writes with a rare combination of warmth and sharpness. If you lead, or aspire to, it’s worth your time. — Carol Harrison, President + Senior Partner, Global Gateway Advisors

What else?

  • Feed Me by Emily Sundberg: A daily newsletter about the spirit of enterprise.
  • Girlboss Daily: Career advice and inspiration, sprinkled with pop culture and hot takes. 
  • Lenny’s Newsletter: Product, growth and career advice. 
  • Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert: An industry publication covering the digital economy.
  • News Items by John Ellis: A daily newsletter focused on four topics: The world in disarray, the financialization of everything, advances in science and technology and electoral politics: foreign and domestic.
  • Prof G Media: Scott Galloway shares analysis of the forces transforming business, power and society.
  • StoryWorlds with Junot Díaz: An interactive literary space where the Pulitzer Prize-winning author shares personal essays, practical lessons on the craft of writing and reflections on diasporic life and culture.
  • Tech: NYC Daily Digest: Stories, funding news and job intel driving New York’s innovation economy.
  • The Deep View: A daily guide to the fast-moving world of AI.
  • The Sheconomist: Career advice, wealth-building and economic insights through a women’s leadership lens.

PODCASTS

All-In — The world of AI and technology is moving fast, and these hosts have the inside track, sprinkled with fun bipartisan banter and news updates. — Rob Imig, SVP of Marketing, Aēsop

The News Agents, because they’re sharp, witty and knowledgeable about British and to some extent American politics. They pick Trump to pieces in a fact-based way. — Rebecka Ahlmark, Project Manager

What else?

  • What’s News: The biggest stories from The Wall Street Journal.
  • Break and Entry Media: 500+ long-form interviews with advertising CEOs and CMOs, sharing marketing insights and career lessons.
  • Giggly Squad: Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo’s weekly podcast covers pop culture, fashion, mental health moments and their personal lives.
  • Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Laid-back, funny and thoughtful conversations about creativity, life and friendship.
  • Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know: The Peabody Award-winning comedian talks with politicians, public figures and experts with genuine curiosity rather than talking points.
  • If Books Could Kill: Hosts Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri dive into bestselling “airport books” with a mixture of wit and skepticism. 
  • New Yorker Radio Hour: Interviews and profiles with editor, David Remnick
  • Plain English: Writer Derek Thompson cuts through the noise on the week’s biggest headlines, bringing sharp, opinionated takes and smart guests to make sense of tech, culture, and politics.
  • Pivot: Journalist Kara Swisher and NYU professor Scott Galloway team up for sharp, unfiltered takes on the week’s biggest stories in tech, business, and politics.
  • Search Engine: The podcast that tries to answer the questions that keep you up at night
  • Serial: An award-winning investigative journalism podcast that explores one real-life story each season through in-depth reporting and compelling narrative storytelling.
  • Slow Burn: Illustrating America’s most consequential moments
  • So True with Caleb Hearon: Hearon chats with fellow comedians, actors, and internet personalities about pop culture, relationships, and the absurdities of everyday life.
  • The Curiosity Shop: Researcher Brené Brown and organizational psychologist Adam Grant explore the research and ideas shaping leadership, relationships, work, and personal growth
  • The Daily: 20 minutes of in-depth reporting and analysis of one of the day’s biggest stories from The New York Times.
  • The Grey Area with Sean Illing: A philosophy-minded look at culture, technology, politics, and the world of ideas
  • The Hidden Third: A weekly true crime and investigative journalism podcast hosted by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller.
  • The Journal: Stories about money, business and power, hosted by Ryan Knutson and Jessica Mendoza.
  • The Mel Robbins Podcast: Interviews with experts in science and human behavior, turning science-backed wisdom into practical advice.
  • The Readout LOUD: STAT’s weekly biotech podcast breaking down the biggest developments in life sciences, pharmaceuticals and health care with reporting and analysis from its newsroom
  • The Telepathy Tapes: Ky Dickens explores the voices of nonspeakers and the science of consciousness, connection and communication.
  • There Are No Girls on the Internet: Bridget Todd explores the intersection of technology, culture, politics, and social justice, examining how online issues disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
  • Today, Explained: Sean Rameswaram and Noel King will guide you through the most important stories of the day.

BOOKS

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans was a terrific read. It touched on how deeply we can connect with people we never actually meet. It also brought back an appreciation for the beauty of letter writing and in response, I purchased a new stationery set! (We’ll see if I use it) — Devan Gallagher, Policy Analyst to the NYC Deputy Mayor for Operations

Glorious Country: How the Artist Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World by Victoria Johnson — Thread of art and society and politics set against the country’s approach to and through and recovery beyond the Civil War, with a family story for one of America’s first globally recognized artists. — Matthew Doering, Founder + CEO, Global Gateway Advisors

The Open Era or Thirty Love — Both gay tennis romances perfect for summer beach season (and tennis season) … thank you Heated Rivalry for making gay sports romances a thing. — Jon Paul Buchmeyer, CIO, M Booth

What else?

  • Central Park: An Anthology: Celebrates New York City’s most iconic park through a collection of essays, stories and poems.
  • Driven by Susie Wolff: Reflects on resilience, leadership and breaking barriers in motorsport.
  • Famesick by Lena Dunham: Explores celebrity, obsession and the cost of modern fame.
  • Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin: A coming-of-age classic exploring faith, family and identity in Harlem.
  • God of the Woods by Liz Moore: Blends family secrets, privilege and a missing child into a gripping literary mystery.
  • Heart the Lover by Lily King: Examines love, intimacy and human connection.
  • Human Acts by Han Kang: Explores the enduring human cost of political violence through interconnected lives.
  • I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally: Reflects on a life spent building some of New York’s most iconic restaurants.
  • Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain: The late chef’s bestselling memoir pulls back the curtain on restaurant kitchens with wit, candor and unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories.
  • London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe: A gripping work of nonfiction that untangles crime, wealth and Russian oligarchs through the story of an ordinary Londoner swept into an extraordinary world.
  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl: Chronicles the author’s experiences surviving Nazi concentration camps while exploring how purpose can sustain people through unimaginable suffering.
  • Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan: Explores how one of music’s most enduring bands built a fiercely loyal fan base, and what today’s brands can learn from it.
  • Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy: A deeply personal memoir exploring the complexities of family, identity and the mother-daughter bond.
  • Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: The story of an unlikely friendship between a grieving widow, Tova Sullivan, and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus at the Sowell Bay Aquarium where she works.
  • Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now by Sharon Blackie: Explore how fairy tales can help women navigate life’s transitions and reclaim a sense of purpose.
  • Strong Ground by Brené Brown: A field guide for courageous leadership in turbulent times.
  • The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker: An incredible resource on how to meaningfully attend and host any type of gathering, from Zoom call to family holiday.
  • The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova: Chronicles the psychologist-turned-author’s journey into professional poker, revealing lessons about decision-making, luck and human behavior.
  • The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad: A guide to the art of journaling — and a meditation on the central questions of life.
  • The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton: A sweeping family mystery that begins with an abandoned child and unravels generations of secrets spanning Australia and England.
  • The Loneliness of Sunny and Sonia by Kiran Desai: Explores belonging, identity and family across New York and New Delhi.
  • The Possible Human by Jean Houston: Draws on psychology, philosophy and practical exercises to help readers unlock creativity, expand consciousness and realize their full potential.
  • The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin: A coming-of-age story about grief, friendship and scientific curiosity.
  • What We Mourn: Child Death and the Politics of Grief in 19th Century Britain by Lydia Murdoch: Explores both the power and the limitations of a new politics founded on grief and the protection of child life.
  • Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: A sharp satire of the publishing industry, authorship and cultural appropriation.

MOVIES + TV

The movie Mercy on Prime. A terrifyingly real thriller about when AI is now the judicial system. It is always good to consume AI content to remember just how powerful it is. — Liz Kamal, Associate Director, Media + Content Strategy, Global Gateway Advisors

The Age of Disclosure — a timely and eye-opening doc about UFOs and Widow’s Bay, an excellent genre-bender! Unique and twisty. — Ali Feinstein, Director of Marketing, Netflix

What else?

  • The American Revolution: Ken Burns’ documentary series examining the people, events and lasting legacy of America’s fight for independence.
  • The Bear: A series about food, family and the relentless pace of the restaurant industry.
  • The Capture: A British thriller exploring surveillance, deepfakes and the blurred line between truth and manipulation.
  • Color Theories: Comedian Julio Torres’ surreal stand-up special blending absurd humor with his signature visual storytelling.
  • The Crash: A true-crime documentary revisiting the mysterious Ohio car crash that killed two teens and sparked years of speculation.
  • Disclosure Day: A documentary examining the people and events behind the growing movement to reveal government knowledge of UFOs.
  • Eleanor the Great: June Squibb stars in this heartwarming comedy-drama about friendship, reinvention and aging on your own terms.
  • Fleabag: Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s acclaimed comedy-drama follows a sharp-witted woman navigating grief, relationships and modern life.
  • FROM: A horror series in which residents of a mysterious town struggle to escape while surviving terrifying creatures that emerge after dark.
  • Hacks: An award-winning comedy following the evolving relationship between a legendary comedian and her young writer.
  • House of the Dragon: The Game of Thrones prequel chronicling the Targaryen dynasty’s descent into civil war.
  • It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley: A documentary exploring the life, music and lasting legacy of the late singer-songwriter.
  • Lord of the Flies: A modern reimagining of William Golding’s classic novel about survival and the collapse of civilization.
  • Marty: A documentary celebrating comedian and actor Martin Short’s life, career and enduring friendships.
  • Mr. Scorsese: A documentary tracing Martin Scorsese’s extraordinary filmmaking career and cultural impact.
  • My Favorite Shapes: Julio Torres’ inventive comedy special built around sentimental objects and imaginative storytelling.
  • Obsession: A psychological thriller exploring desire, betrayal and dangerous relationships.
  • The Odyssey: Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated adaptation of Homer’s epic poem.
  • One Battle After Another: A political thriller from Paul Thomas Anderson starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
  • Out of Body: Noah Kahan’s documentary reflecting on mental health, creativity and the inspiration behind The Busyhead Project.
  • Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii: The legendary 1972 concert film captures Pink Floyd performing in the ancient Roman amphitheater before an audience of none.
  • Project Hail Mary: A sci-fi adventure following a lone astronaut on a mission to save humanity.
  • Running Point: A comedy about family, leadership and navigating the high-pressure world of professional basketball ownership.
  • Thelma: June Squibb stars as a determined grandmother who sets out to reclaim what was stolen from her after falling victim to a scam.
  • Untold UK: Liverpool’s Miracle of Istanbul: A documentary revisiting Liverpool FC’s unforgettable comeback in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
  • U.S. Against the World: A documentary following the U.S. men’s national soccer team as it prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
  • Your Friends & Neighbors: Jon Hamm stars in this dark comedy about a disgraced financier who turns to robbing his wealthy neighbors.

CORPORATE NEWSROOMS

As more people turn to AI for answers, the corporate newsroom is growing in importance as timely, relevant content is surfaced by LLMs. In this year’s Summer Edit survey, we asked which companies are getting it right.

The best examples are companies that create content people would read even if they weren’t customers. Microsoft and Stripe are good examples of that approach. — Erica Kless, Senior Vice President & Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard

Anthropic, for better or worse, seems to address hot-button AI trends + issues before other major model builders. As such, their positions are often fodder for many of the subsequent articles from top business media and tech trades. — Nick Punzi, Senior Account Executive, Global Gateway Advisors

Who else?

What’s keeping you entertained — books, shows, movies, podcasts? Tell us what you’re loving here.

Key upcoming events

Leadership + Ideas 

  • Semafor World of Work (Washington, D.C., July 22) In partnership with Gallup, this invitation-only gathering explores how AI, economic uncertainty and shifting employee expectations are reshaping organizations, with discussions focused on workforce trust, employee engagement, talent strategy, AI adoption and organizational resilience. Speakers include Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup; Katy George, corporate vice president of workforce transformation at Microsoft; and Claire MacIntyre, chief people officer at Sam’s Club.

Sports Business 

  • WSJ Sports (New York City, July 15-16) Join investors, team owners and senior executives to explore the transformation of sports into a trillion-dollar asset class, with discussion on rising team valuations, media rights, sports betting, performance technology and emerging investment opportunities across the sports ecosystem. Speakers include Michele Kang, CEO of Kynisca; Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners; and Mark Shapiro, president and COO of TKO.
  • CNBC Game Plan (New York City, July 16) Held during Fanatics Fest, this annual gathering brings together athletes, team owners, investors and executives to explore the future of sports, media and entertainment, with conversations focused on the trends, technologies and business models shaping the industry’s next chapter. Speakers include LeBron James, NBA player and philanthropist; Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA; and Lindsey Vonn, Olympic gold medalist and entrepreneur.

AI + Tech

  • Raise Summit (Paris, France, July 7-8) One of the world’s largest AI leadership gatherings, this summit brings together 9,000 executives, investors, founders and policymakers to explore how organizations can move from AI ambition to implementation at scale, with discussions focused on enterprise adoption, workforce transformation, governance, regulation and the practical challenges of deploying AI across industries. Speakers include Yann LeCun, executive chairman of AMI; Carolina Parada, head of robotics at Google DeepMind; and Guillaume Princen, head of international at Anthropic.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

  • Penske acquires remaining Vox Media brands. The company has picked up the titles left over after James Murdoch’s earlier $300 million purchase of New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network, and Vox.com, including The Verge, Eater, SB Nation, Popsugar, and Thrillist.
  • Polymarket gets into podcasts. The prediction market is teaming up with Dear Media to launch “What Are the Odds?,” a weekly podcast that’s part pop culture and part real-time prediction data, with rotating hosts from Dear Media’s roster.
  • The Atlantic doubles down on video. The magazine is expanding Radio Atlantic to twice-weekly episodes, adding a Monday show hosted by Adam Harris alongside Hanna Rosin’s existing Thursday edition. The company says podcast revenue is up 104% year-over-year and has nearly doubled its video team, with a new David Brooks video podcast planned later this year.
  • Substack launches sponsorship program. The platform is partnering with Yahoo Scout, Whatnot, Granola, Balenciaga, T-Mobile, Polymarket, and Uber to launch a native sponsorships framework that streamlines how creators connect with brands. As part of the rollout, top creators can now publish a “Creator Kit,” a media kit signaling their interest in brand partnerships. The company also hired Dan Robbins, formerly of Roku and PayPal, as its first head of brand sponsorships.
  • WIRED debuts forum-style app for subscribers. The new app will let paying subscribers interact directly with WIRED journalists in topic-based forums, part of a broader push to keep readers on owned platforms rather than social media.
  • Forbes tries AI-powered podcasting. The publisher’s new “Daily Brief” uses Forbes’ internal AI tool, Bertie, to summarize and voice a five-minute daily podcast based on its top three stories, with a human reviewing each episode before it goes live.
  • Yahoo Finance launches media and advertising hub. The new vertical pulls content from MediaPost, Adweek, Marketing Brew, Axios, and Marketing Drive into a single destination aimed at investors and industry professionals tracking the ad business.
  • LinkedIn expands creator tools. The platform is testing a new collaborative posts feature that lets creators, brands and company pages co-author posts, expanding opportunities for partnerships and audience reach as LinkedIn continues to invest in creator monetization.
  • A new CEO interview show from TIME. Each month, editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs sits down with CEOs to discuss leadership, the priorities shaping their organizations, and the societal shifts reshaping business.
  • LabX Media group acquires Scientific American. The acquisition adds the 180-year-old science magazine to LabX’s portfolio of science and laboratory media brands, with Chairman Bob Kafato calling it a chance to “steward this important brand into its next chapter.”
  • Link in Bio’s “Very Online Survey” of 834 social media professionals found:
    • 59% would choose Instagram if they could only post on one platform for the rest of the year, with LinkedIn (15%) and Facebook (10%) trailing.
    • Reddit, YouTube Shorts and Substack all rose year-over-year as “priority platforms.” Reddit nearly doubled but remains a priority for just 8% of respondents, while YouTube Shorts rose 11 points and Substack grew from 4% to 5%.
    • 56% are actively moving away from certain platforms, with X/Twitter cited most often (32%), driven by brand safety and moderation concerns.
    • 26% launched a new account in the last six months, most often on TikTok.
    • Carousels slightly edged out short-form video as the best-performing post format, with single-image posts falling to 9% (from 13% last year).
    • 44% feel their boss doesn’t understand social media. Read the full results here.

Media moves

  • Kevin Roose, New York Times tech columnist and host of the “Hard Fork” podcast, is leaving the outlet in August to start a new media company with Casey Newton focused on artificial intelligence.
  • Content creator Kyla Scanlon was hired by CNN as a contributor and economic analyst.
  • Kate Taylor (formerly Business Insider) joined WIRED as a senior writer.
  • Joanna Solotaroff is now editorial director at Vox.
  • Sharon Goldman (formerly Fortune) launched Ground Level AI on Substack, where she will be covering AI research, security, infrastructure and impact.
  • Anissa Gardizy (formerly The Information) joined The Wall Street Journal as a reporter covering cloud computing and AI infrastructure, while Katrina Northrop (formerly The Washington Post) was hired to cover China.
  • Kevin Schmidt (formerly CNBC, CBS) joined Bloomberg as a producer on the US TV desk and Anna Sackel (formerly CBS) was named senior producer for “Businessweek Daily,” while longtime anchor Caroline Hyde announced she is taking time off to travel with her family.
  • Matt Vella (formerly the Financial Times) was named international editor of Bloomberg Businessweek.
  • Nate Wolf is now covering tech at Barron’s.
  • Senior technology correspondent Rani Molla, business reporter Max Knoblauch, and technology reporter Jon Keegan were among those laid off from Sherwood News after parent company Robinhood cut 10% of staff.
  • Miriam Waldvogel was hired by The Washington Post to cover technology and artificial intelligence.
  • Cory Weinberg has shifted his coverage to Anthropic at The Information.
  • Simon Hernandez-Arthur (formerly PayPal) was hired by Axios to write its Communicators newsletter and run the franchise.
  • Joshua Hong is joining Fortune as a news fellow.
  • Chris Wade (formerly WPP) was named VP of Communications for Reuters.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

Are you ready for the new reputation imperative?

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

June 12, 2026

Corporate reputation is facing a stress test. New data from RepTrak show declining reputation scores across sectors and a growing reluctance among stakeholders to trust, support and advocate for organizations.

We spoke with Lyndsey Tierney, vice president, advisory at RepTrak, about why reputation can no longer be treated solely as a communications function and how AI, geopolitics, economic uncertainty and shifting audience expectations are reshaping how organizations earn trust and support in 2026.

ICYMI: The AI jobs debate is no longer just a tech story. We examined what communications leaders can do now to build credibility as questions about automation, reskilling and workforce impact intensify. Read it here.

What’s driving reputation today

Reputation has always been difficult to earn. Right now, it’s becoming harder to hold. RepTrak’s latest data show U.S. reputation scores hit their lowest point since 2017 this past March.

The forces driving that decline are layered: Economic uncertainty has reduced the touchpoints people have with companies; anti-American sentiment has created new risk for multinationals; and AI has introduced a new layer of reputation risk that most companies are just beginning to understand.

A conversation with Lyndsey Tierney, vice president, advisory at RepTrak, about navigating a ‘lower-forgiveness’ environment

In this COMPASS Q&A, we spoke with Tierney, whose firm tracks the reputation of more than 6,000 companies across 30+ industries. She shared her perspective on why reputation is a growing priority for CEOs, stakeholder behavior trends from RepTrak’s latest data, and how AI influences corporate reputation.

The following has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: Why has reputation become a bigger priority for CEOs and executive teams?

TIERNEY: We’ve definitely seen an increase in interest. CEOs are asking, “Are we doing anything to manage reputation?” Clients want data, but they also want help to act on that data, build reputation councils, expand into new stakeholders and understand where risk exists. Last week alone, I presented to three different CEOs. That didn’t always happen a few years ago.

Q: Your latest data show reputation declining across industries. What are you seeing?

TIERNEY: It’s not isolated to one or two industries. Virtually every industry faces a challenge right now. It’s a very difficult environment for companies to be communicating in.

Q: What does that mean for stakeholder behavior?

TIERNEY: We’re seeing fewer ambassadors, people who strongly support companies, and more fence sitters and detractors. There’s been a significant drop in willingness to buy, trust and give companies the benefit of the doubt. The result is a behavior pullback. We’re operating in a less resilient, lower-forgiveness environment right now.

Q: One trend that surprised many companies is growing anti-American sentiment. What are you seeing?

TIERNEY: We’ve seen a huge increase in concern about American-headquartered companies. If you’re based in the U.S., you need to be aware of this and prepared for it. Make sure you understand how to localize your communications and not just lean into the idea that you’re this big U.S. company. Think about what that really means locally, and understand some of those sensitivities.

Q: How has AI changed the way reputation is formed?

TIERNEY: We’re seeing fewer people recall traditional earned, paid and owned media. At the same time, more people are using AI to research companies, compare products and gather information before making decisions. AI is increasingly becoming a source of information for the same stakeholders communicators care most about.

Q: Can you give an example of what that risk looks like in practice?

TIERNEY: One example we can look at is that of a leading electric automotive manufacturer, which AI scores lower than its actual customers. We can look at this at an individual factor level: Product quality is the number one most important factor for this company’s reputation among customers, and customers rate them well on it.

But AI is giving them a 64.6 on that same factor, a pretty average score, significantly behind customers. Part of the reason is that AI is only going to the company’s website 12% of the time. Everything else is being formed by earned media that AI is scraping. As more people get their information from AI, that gap becomes a real risk.

Q: What do companies get wrong about AI and reputation?

TIERNEY: The goal isn’t simply getting people to use AI more. It’s understanding what AI is saying about your company and how that information is shaping perceptions. As AI adoption grows, the real question is whether those systems are surfacing accurate, impactful information about your organization.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson for communicators right now?

TIERNEY: Every touchpoint matters. Understand what’s most important to your reputation, make sure you’re ready to tell that story simply, and then bang that steady drumbeat consistently. That’s what moves the needle right now.

Key upcoming events

Talent + Workforce

  • Aspen Ideas Festival (Aspen, June 25-July 1) One of the world’s most celebrated gatherings of bold thinkers, the festival brings together hundreds of leaders from business, technology, public service, science and the arts for wide-ranging conversations on the ideas shaping tomorrow — from the AI revolution and geopolitics to leadership, culture and the economy. Speakers include Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker; Fareed Zakaria, journalist and author; and Katie Couric, journalist and co-founder of Katie Couric Media.
  • Semafor World of Work (Washington, D.C., July 22) In partnership with Gallup, this invitation-only gathering explores how AI, economic uncertainty and shifting employee expectations are reshaping organizations, with discussions focused on workforce trust, employee engagement, talent strategy, AI adoption and organizational resilience. Speakers include Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup; Katy George, corporate vice president of workforce transformation at Microsoft; and Claire MacIntyre, chief people officer at Sam’s Club.

Sports Business

  • WSJ Sports (New York City, July 15-16) Join investors, team owners and senior executives to explore the transformation of sports into a trillion-dollar asset class, with discussion on rising team valuations, media rights, sports betting, performance technology and emerging investment opportunities across the sports ecosystem. Speakers include Michele Kang, CEO of Kynisca; Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners; and Mark Shapiro, president and COO of TKO.
  • CNBC Game Plan (New York City, July 16) Held during Fanatics Fest, this annual gathering brings together athletes, team owners, investors and executives to explore the future of sports, media and entertainment, with conversations focused on the trends, technologies and business models shaping the industry’s next chapter. Speakers include LeBron James, NBA player and philanthropist; Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA; and Lindsey Vonn, Olympic gold medalist and entrepreneur.

AI + Tech

  • Raise Summit (Paris, France, July 7-8) One of the world’s largest AI leadership gatherings, this summit brings together 9,000 executives, investors, founders and policymakers to explore how organizations can move from AI ambition to implementation at scale, with discussions focused on enterprise adoption, workforce transformation, governance, regulation and the practical challenges of deploying AI across industries. Speakers include Yann LeCun, executive chairman of AMI; Carolina Parada, head of robotics at Google DeepMind; and Guillaume Princen, head of international at Anthropic.

Health

  • HLTH Europe 2026 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 15-18) The continent’s premier healthcare innovation event, where global expertise meets local insight to tackle Europe’s most pressing challenges — from AI-driven diagnostics to reimagining patient care at scale. Speakers include Gianrico Farrugia, CEO of Mayo Clinic; Elena Bonfiglioli, Global GM of Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft; and Freddy Abnousi, VP of Health Technology at Meta.
  • Healthcare of Tomorrow (Washington, D.C., June 17-18) U.S. News & World Report’s exclusive annual forum for hospital and health system executives to discuss AI’s transformation of care delivery, post-acute care and policy shifts, while gaining behind-the-scenes insight into the methodology powering the Best Hospitals rankings.
  • BIO International Convention (San Diego, June 22-25) The world’s largest biotech gathering brings together 20,000 industry leaders from pharma, startups, academia and government across 130+ sessions spanning AI and digital health, cell and gene therapy, oncology and rare disease, with exclusive partnering meetings that make it the premier destination for business development in the life sciences. Speakers include Bradley Campbell, CEO of Amicus Therapeutics; Sandeep Menon, Chief Development Officer at Alnylam; and Jean Bennett, Professor Emerita at Penn Medicine.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

  • Fortune releases its annual Most Powerful Women list. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser leads the 29th edition, five years after becoming the first woman to head a major Wall Street bank. See the full list.
  • A new chapter for The Verge? Status’ Oliver Darcy reported that the tech outlet’s editor-in-chief has been meeting with potential investorsas Vox Media prepares to spin off several brands not included in its recent deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
  • The Economist launches AI app. The outlet has become the first major consumer news publication to launch a native app inside ChatGPT. The new offering, “The Economist – Graphs,” allows users to interact with polling data from the publication’s Trump approval tracker through charts and visualizations.
  • NPR’s shrinking newsroom. The public broadcaster laid off 10 staffers and is buying out 18 others who voluntarily accepted offers as it tries to make up for the discontinuing of federal subsidies for public media.
  • Turmoil at CBS continues. Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is taking on 60 Minutes, installing former New York Times tech columnist Nick Bilton as the show’s executive producer. She also fired on-air correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, as well as an executive editor and senior producer. In response, 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the program, while questioning Bilton’s “slender” qualifications. Pelley was fired days later following a confrontation with management over the changes.
  • “Hallie Jackson NOW” goes local. For the first time, the national show, normally streamed on NBC News NOW, will air on NBC Bay Area / KNTV, weekdays from 2-3 p.m., giving residents more access to coverage around California primary elections.
  • Bloomberg expands personal finance coverage. Bloomberg Money, which launched on Tuesday, offers a dedicated digital hub, newsletter, data tools and a weekly television program hosted by Tom Keene and Scarlet Fu, covering everything from investing and retirement to real estate, taxes and spending.
  • Tech’s in-house media boom. First, OpenAI acquired the popular podcast TBPN. Now, Feed Me’s Emily Sundberg reports that New Yorker writer Adam Iscoe has joined Notion as part of a growing trend of tech companies hiring journalists and storytellers to explain AI and build direct relationships with audiences.
  • Politico doubles down on energy. The outlet is folding E&E News, the standalone energy publication it acquired in 2020, into a broader energy expansion that includes new newsletters focused on AI-driven power demand, energy policy and geopolitics. The move reflects how energy has evolved from a niche specialty into a central business, technology and national security story.

Media moves

  • Dakin Campbell (formerly Business Insider) was hired by The Information to cover the money behind artificial intelligence, while Grace Kay (formerly Business Insider) was hired to cover Elon Musk’s businesses.
  • Brian Kahn (formerly Bloomberg) joined WIRED as a senior science editor.
  • Ken Brown (formerly The Information and The Wall Street Journal) joined CNBC as managing editor of digital and editorial strategy. Meanwhile, Diana Ransom was promoted to deputy managing editor of money & success.
  • Ethan Smith (formerly The Wall Street Journal) was hired by The Ankleras a news and features editor.
  • Anna Silman (formerly Business Insider) was hired by The Wall Street Journal, covering culture and power.
  • Mohammed Hadi was promoted to news director at The New York Times, while Lisa Friedmanhas transitioned to the energy beat on the business news desk.
  • Mansur Shaheen was named managing editor of Health Payer Specialist, a Financial Times publication.
  • Corbin Bolies (formerly The Wrap) was hired by Varietyto cover the intersection between AI and the entertainment industry.
  • Ella Feldman was hired by Bloomberg News as a reporter and will begin her rotation on the wealth team. Rebecca Joneswas appointed senior editor on the Asia-Pacific news desk, focusing on AI initiatives and live coverage strategy across the region.
  • Melissa Hancock (formerly Arabian Banker and Arabian Gulf Business Insight) joined Fortune to write Fortune Gulf Brief, a new weekly newsletter covering business and economic developments across the Middle East. Meanwhile, Sharon Goldmanis departing the outlet to go independent.
  • Simon Hernandez-Arthur (formerly PayPal and CNN) will lead Axios Communicators.
  • Ellen O’Brien joined Inc. Magazine as news editor.
  • Jordan Hart has departed Business Insider.
  • Emilia David (formerly VentureBeat) will be joining Information Security Media Group (ISMG) as an associate editor covering enterprise AI and technology later this month.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

Are we entering an AI jobs apocalypse?

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

May 28, 2026

The “AI jobs apocalypse” went from think-piece to mainstream cultural moment in seven days.

The Pope, two of the most-watched CEOs in finance, the founder of the company that started the AI race and two flagship business magazines — and many others — are now in open argument about whether millions of jobs are about to vanish.

The real challenge is no longer predicting the future of work, but explaining how your organization plans to navigate it as scrutiny intensifies. Here’s what communications leaders should be doing now.

ICYMI: We dove into how workplace discussions around mental health have become litmus tests for trust, transparency and employer credibility. Read it here.

This is no longer a tech story

In a matter of weeks, the AI jobs debate expanded from top-tier business press to the mainstream dialogue, splitting into two camps.

Camp 1: Apocalypse Now. Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, released earlier this week,  compared unchecked AI to a “new Tower of Babel” and warned of accelerating unemployment. The Economist’s latest cover called for readers to prepare for an AI jobsapocalypse.

Camp 2: Apocalypse Overblown. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon argued in a recent New York Times op-ed that fears are “overblown,” citing internal estimates that AI may automate hours without eliminating jobs. Sam Altman walked back earlier warnings about job loss, admitting he’d expected greater entry-level impact.

Yes, but. Sandwiched in between these POVs lies a third middle camp. MIT Technology Review recently notedthat current labor data doesn’t support either extreme — and that the more pressing challenge is preparedness.

And that’s the camp effective communicators should occupy. The most credible position is neither optimism nor catastrophizing, but demonstrated readiness.

What this means for communicators

  • Talk about workforce development as much as AI adoption. Reskilling is central to the conversation. The Commerce Department just committed $25 million to AI workforce training. Stakeholders will increasingly judge organizations not just on adoption, but on whether they’re helping employees adapt alongside it. Reskilling opportunities are expanding as online education platforms grow and shift their courses toward skills needed to stay competitive in the AI era. Per 2U’s CEO Kees Bol, “As AI reshapes roles faster than ever, we need to bring high-quality learning closer to the world of work.”
  • Name the transition plan. General commitments to “investing in people” are no longer sufficient. Stakeholders want specifics: retraining programs, internal mobility pathways, timelines and accountability. If AI is changing hiring plans or headcount projections, say so. As Altman put it this week: “It is better for us to be going in the direction of too much transparency.
  • Address the entry-level pipeline directly. Entry-level job postings in the US have fallen 35% in the preceding 18 months, and some employers now say they won’t hire junior talent at all. As Indeed Chief Economist Svenja Gudell warned at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit this month: “In three to five years you’re not going to have the people with three to five years of experience, because you never hired them to begin with.” Organizations need to explain how early-career employees will build skills and advance in an AI-first environment.
  • Be deliberate about augmentation versus replacement. Stakeholders increasingly view workforce outcomes as a strategic choice. The question is no longer whether AI can replace work. It’s whether your organization is intentionally using it to make people more capable.
  • Don’t overlook other AI risks. Workforce disruption dominates headlines, but employee privacy concerns, data governance questions and energy consumption are all quietly accumulating. They can quickly become reputation challenges if left unaddressed.

Regardless of who is right, AI has a reputation problem

Public sentiment has already shifted from anxiety to anger. Nearly a third of employeessurveyed by Writer and Workplace Intelligence admitted to sabotaging their company’s AI rollout in some way. Among Gen Z, that figure rises to 44%.

Gallup finds only 18% of Gen Z feels hopeful about AI — down nine points in a year — while 31% report outright anger. Commencement speakers are being booed for praising the technology. Morgan Stanley has called growing public resistance a “binding constraint.”

This debate is no longer confined to corporate boardrooms. As the U.S. and China race to lead in AI development, both are increasingly confronting questions about how the technology will reshape work. A recent Wall Street Journal report detailed the lengths Chinese officials are willing to go to avoid unrest tied to AI adoption, including warning employers against layoffs as they deploy new technologies.

The bottom line

Whether the AI jobs apocalypse arrives or proves overblown is beside the point. Employees, policymakers, investors and communities are already demanding answers. For communicators, the challenge is no longer explaining what AI can do. It’s building trust in how it will be used.

Navigating the AI narrative for your organization? Let’s talk. Reach out to insights@gga.nyc to set up a conversation.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

Workplace mental health has a credibility problem

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

May 21, 2026

Workplace mental health entered a new phase in 2026 shifting from what companies offer to whether employees find those commitments believable.

Recent Glassdoor data find mentions of burnout in reviews are up 65% year-over-year and 2.5x higher than pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, burned-out workers who once job-hunted their way out of their situations have stopped trying — not because things have improved, but because the labor market has left them nowhere to go.

Employees are now increasingly judging companies not by whether support for mental health issues like burnout exists, but whether leadership communicates it credibly, models it visibly and creates environments where people feel comfortable accessing tools and talking about it.

At the same time, economic anxiety, AI disruption and a difficult entry-level job market are shaping a generation of workers with very different expectations around trust, transparency and employer credibility.

The result: Workplace mental health is no longer just an HR initiative. It has become a strategic leadership and workforce trust priority.

ICYMI: We spoke with Noah Greenberg, CEO of Stacker, about why the future of thought leadership is shifting from coverage to citation and the growing importance of the corporate newsroom. Read it here.

The workplace mental health credibility gap

For employers, workplace mental health is both an employee engagement and reputation challenge.

The employee engagement angle:

  • Employee engagement fell for the second consecutive year in 2025, the first back-to-back decline in Gallup’s history. Only 20% of employees worldwide are actively engaged.
  • Nearly half of U.S. employees say they’ve left a job for reasons tied to their mental health.
  • Just 65% of employees trust their senior leadership, according to the Qualtrics XM Institute’s 2025 Customer and Employee Trust Indices. The business case is straightforward: Trusted leaders drive engaged employees, engaged employees drive satisfied customers and satisfied customers drive profit.
  • Nearly all large employers now offer Employee Assistance Programs, yet annual utilization rates often remain below 5%, according to the nonprofit mental health advocacy organization Mental Health America.

The reputation angle:

  • The same Glassdoor data show burned-out employees are 76% less likely to give positive overall reviews and 78% less likely to recommend their employer. In a tight talent market, that reputational drag shows up in employer rankings and candidate pipelines.
  • Companies on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list generate 8.5x more revenue per employee than the U.S. market average, and have delivered 3.5x higher cumulative stock return over the past 27 years compared to the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies by market capitalization, according to a 2025 report from Great Place To Work.
  • “The internal is now permanently external,” PR News warned in its 2025 predictions. Every gap between what leadership says and what employees experience now plays out publicly — in talent markets, on review platforms and in how customers and investors interpret organizational character.
    • Case in point: Internal emails and layoff memos routinely leak to the media. In March, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei apologized after a memo leaked in which he called OpenAI staff “gullible.”

What this means for communicators

  • Build a standing narrative, not a calendar. Mental health messaging that only appears in awareness months signals exactly what employees suspect: It’s performative.
  • Pair every change announcement with human support. Nearly 6 in 10 employees say workplace stress rises during organizational transitions, yet only 12% have had access to mental health resources during those periods, according to research from TalentLMS and WorkTango.
  • Prepare managers, not just employees. Nearly half of managers say they don’t know how to access mental health care through their employer-sponsored insurance, according to the 2025 NAMI Workplace Mental Health Poll. If managers can’t navigate the resources themselves, they can’t communicate them credibly to employees.
  • Equip executives to lead visibly. When leaders speak openly about mental health, they normalize it. When they don’t, silence is its own message.
    • In action: At Salesforce, where executives openly discuss their therapy use, program utilization rates are three times higher than industry averages and their Mental Wellness Day policy reduced burnout-related resignations by 28%.

The bottom line

The organizations getting this right don’t necessarily have better programs. They understand that workforce trust is now a core reputation asset — and they manage internal credibility with the same rigor as external brand stewardship.

When what companies say matches what employees experience, the data is clear: Lower turnover, higher engagement and stronger performance. When it doesn’t, the gap rarely stays internal for long.

Mental Health Awareness Month

Globally, one in seven people — roughly 1.1 billion — are living with a mental health disorder.

The impact of these conditions on the workplace is staggering: According to the WHO, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost annually to depression and anxiety alone, costing approximately $1 trillion in lost productivity globally.

These numbers make the workplace credibility gap more than a talent issue — they reflect a global public health reality that organizations, communicators, and leaders can no longer treat as background noise.

Likewise, one in seven young people experience a mental health condition, yet most go unrecognized and untreated. Closing this gap requires solutions built by young people, not designed for them.

Global Gateway Advisors co-created OK Today with AFS Youth Assembly. It is a global, youth‑led mental health initiative focused on reducing stigma and equipping young people with the tools to support each other through peer‑to‑peer conversation, education, and leadership. Learn more about its mission.

Interested in partnering with OK Today or learning more? Reach out at OKToday@gga.nyc.

Key upcoming events

Leadership + Ideas

  • Fortune COO Summit (Scottsdale, June 1-2) Fortune’s editors and top COOs from around the world will explore the strategies shaping the next generation of enterprise execution, from building shock-proof supply chains and human-AI workforces to harnessing agentic AI to reimagine workflows and operating models. Speakers include Venkatesh Alagirisamy, COO of Nike; Ayesha Molino, COO of MGM Resorts International; and Janelle Sallenave, COO of Chime.
  • WSJ CEO Council Summit (London, UK, June 9-10) Drawing on the geopolitical and economic fault lines reshaping global business, this summit convenes CEOs of Europe’s leading banks, pharmaceutical companies and retailers to confront mounting risks — from AI disruption and energy constraints to eroding global institutions and escalating conflicts — and chart a path from uncertainty to opportunity. Participants include Fernando Fernandez, CEO of Unilever; Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament; and Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of 01.AI.
  • Aspen Ideas Festival (Aspen, June 25-July 1 ) One of the world’s most celebrated gatherings of bold thinkers, the festival brings together hundreds of leaders from business, technology, public service, science and the arts for wide-ranging conversations on the ideas shaping tomorrow — from the AI revolution and geopolitics to leadership, culture, and the economy. Speakers include Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker; Fareed Zakaria, journalist and author; and Katie Couric, journalist and co-founder of Katie Couric Media.

AI + Tech

  • Axios AI+NYC (New York City, June 3) Expect exclusive conversations with top innovators and visionaries on the next wave of AI transformation and its impact on business and the world. Speakers include Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM; Ariel Ekblaw, CEO of Aurelia Institute; and Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo.
  • Bloomberg Tech (San Francisco, June 3-4) Led by the outlet’s Emily Chang and Tom Giles, this summit brings together leading CEOs, investors and innovators harnessing technology to change the world — covering everything from industrial robots and consumer electronics to data center buildout and the race to artificial general intelligence. Speakers include Daniela Amodei, president and co-founder of Anthropic; Fei-Fei Li, CEO of World Labs; and Alexandr Wang, chief AI officer of Meta. Contact us to meet up on site!
  • Fortune Brainstorm Tech (Aspen, June 8-10) Returning for its 25th anniversary, this cross-disciplinary summit brings together the CEOs, investors and innovators tackling the most urgent challenges spanning industries and geographies — debating big questions and defining what comes next as global alliances shift, industries face upheaval, and intelligent technology advances at a breakneck pace. Speakers include Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code at Anthropic; Meg Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard; and Andrew Yang, CEO of Noble Mobile.
  • Semafor Tech (San Francisco, June 10) A one-day AI-focused gathering that cuts through the hype to examine how emerging technologies, from quantum computing to humanoid robotics, will reshape markets, labor and geopolitics, with founders, investors, researchers and policy figures focused on what comes next in the real economy. Speakers include Daphne Koller, CEO of Insitro; Jeetu Patel, Chief Product Officer of Cisco; and Pete Shadbolt, Chief Scientific Officer of PsiQuantum.
  • AI Summit London (London, UK, June 10-11) Now in its 10th annual edition and headlining London Tech Week, this summit moves past AI theory and into bottom-line impact — spanning 10 stages, 14 tracks and hands-on labs designed to help enterprises build, deploy and scale AI with confidence. Speakers include Anne-Claire Gerbaldi, Chief Digital, Data and AI Officer of AstraZeneca; Wendy Ng, AI Futurist at Marks and Spencer; and Anthony Hills, EMEA Enterprise Director at NVIDIA.

Health

  • HLTH Europe 2026 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 15-18) The continent’s premier healthcare innovation event, where global expertise meets local insight to tackle Europe’s most pressing challenges — from AI-driven diagnostics to reimagining patient care at scale. Speakers include Gianrico Farrugia, CEO of Mayo Clinic; Elena Bonfiglioli, Global GM of Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft; and Freddy Abnousi, VP of Health Technology at Meta.
  • Healthcare of Tomorrow (Washington, D.C., June 17-18) U.S. News & World Report’s exclusive annual forum for hospital and health system executives to discuss AI’s transformation of care delivery, post-acute care and policy shifts, while gaining behind-the-scenes insight into the methodology powering the Best Hospitals rankings.
  • BIO International Convention (San Diego, June 22-25) The world’s largest biotech gathering brings together 20,000 industry leaders from pharma, startups, academia and government across 130+ sessions spanning AI and digital health, cell and gene therapy, oncology and rare disease, with exclusive partnering meetings that make it the premier destination for business development in the life sciences. Speakers include Bradley Campbell, CEO of Amicus Therapeutics; Sandeep Menon, Chief Development Officer at Alnylam; and Jean Bennett, Professor Emerita at Penn Medicine.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

  • An audience of AI agents. The Economist will now be writing for two distinct audiences: humans and AI — restructuring its marketing and editorial surfaces so AI answer engines can find, parse and surface its content cleanly, while preserving the human judgment and voice that subscribers actually pay for.
  • James Murdoch buys half of Vox Media. The $300 million deal includes New York Magazine and Vox Media Podcasts — the latter considered one of the company’s most valuable assets thanks to star hosts like technology journalist Kara Swisher, who supported the deal, saying: “I always thought James had great instincts on the digital business, but then Rupert would always come in and f**k it up.”
  • Fierce Publications sold in $1.5b deal.  Apollo Funds agreed to acquire Questex, publisher of Fierce Pharma, Fierce Biotech, Fierce Healthcare and Fierce CRO.
  • ABC claims government overreach threatens press freedom. In the most aggressive defense yet from a broadcast network, ABC filed with the FCC accusing regulators of a “chilling effect” on free speech by targeting political content they disagreed with — specifically the talk show The View.
  • Business Insider announces cuts. Less than 5% of global newsroom staff will be affected as the organization seeks to focus on areas that drive more readership.
  • NPR trims. The public broadcaster is restructuring its newsroom as it must close an $8 million shortfall in its $300 million annual budget following the elimination of federal subsidies for its member stations, offering buyouts to 300 employees. NPR CEO Katherine Maher said the network projects a $15 million decline in station fees this year and expects corporate sponsorship revenue to fall as well.
  • Bloomberg expands to books. A forthcoming newsletter, On Books, will feature weekly reviews and recommendations to “expand your thinking.”

Media moves

  • Fortune has hired Sebastian Herrera (formerly The Wall Street Journal) as a technology correspondent. The organization also hired Aaron Andrews (formerly Forbes) as senior director partnerships.
  • Dhruv Mehrotra is returning to WIRED after several years at Bloomberg.
  • Forbes hired careers writer Courtney Connley-Hampton, education writer Lisa Chambers and small business writer John Schroyer.
  • Brianna Abbott (formerly The Wall Street Journal) is going freelance full-time as a health reporter.
  • The Financial Times named Chris Johnston (formerly Business Insider) its Asia companies and markets news editor.
  • Mark Wilson is leaving Fast Company after 15 years. He will be joining the design team at Hark as Lead Writer.
  • Business Insider CEO Barbara Peng announced she is leaving the organization by the end of June to pursue a more tech-oriented position.
  • Matt Phillips returned to Axios as a markets correspondent and co-author of the Axios Markets newsletter after a stint at Sherwood News.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

The corporate newsroom just got a lot more important

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

May 8, 2026

For years, communications success meant earning media coverage. Now, as more people turn to AI instead of traditional search for answers, it means earning citations. What your organization publishes determines whether you’re part of the answer or left out of the conversation.

ICYMI: Our most recent edition explored how events are becoming one of the most powerful venues for influence in 2026 and featured a Q&A with Diane Brady, Executive Editorial Director at Fortune. Brady previewed the Fortune 500 Innovation Forum, taking place November 16-17 in Detroit. Read it here.

From coverage to citation

The corporate newsroom is having a moment. Owned content has sometimes been a secondary asset — useful for SEO and sales enablement, but ultimately less valuable than an earned placement in the right outlet. That calculus is changing.

As fewer people read the news and more query AI, the role of thought leadership is shifting. Companies should stop treating content as bait for media placement and start treating it as authoritative input into how systems and decision-makers form answers.

The old model optimized for awareness and coverage. The new standard is citation: by people, advisors, AI systems and the internal leaders who shape strategy.

A conversation with Noah Greenberg, CEO of Stacker, about what it takes to become a reference source in the age of AI

In this COMPASS Q&A, we spoke with Noah Greenberg, CEO of Stacker, an earned syndication platform that connects media outlets with original research and insights from third-party organizations. He shared his thoughts on what it takes to build content that earns lasting reference value in an AI-mediated world.

The following has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: What’s the fastest way for a piece of content to become irrelevant?

GREENBERG: Publish a figure for March and never update it for April or May. [LLMs] are really smart and that’s not going to stick. As soon as a piece of content is no longer seen as fresh, LLMs are pretty good at removing it from answers.

Q: Do you have data on this?

GREENBERG: We analyzed this at Stacker and found that content syndicated to local news outlets had roughly twice the citation half-life of content published elsewhere. That speaks more to the type of site than the type of content, but the freshness principle holds across the board.

Q: So what does it actually take to become a reference source, not just a publisher?

GREENBERG: You need to be putting out unique data or subject matter expertise that only you can provide. Indeed and Glassdoor can show how job growth is shifting based on their own data. Lyft can tell stories about where people are commuting. Instacart can tell you the most popular groceries in every state.

Q: What if you don’t have proprietary data?

GREENBERG: Take public datasets like CDC health statistics or walkability scores and do your own analysis. If you show your methodology and do it well, that’s the kind of content that earns citations. It reminds me of early SEO, when someone would complain they weren’t showing up first on Google, and you’d pull up their page and say: You don’t deserve to show up first. Look who is. They have the best piece of content. Yours is twentieth at best.

Q: How does that change who the most important comms or marketing people are?

GREENBERG: One thing that’s really stuck with me is that the most valuable role in the age of GEO might be the product marketer, someone who understands what makes your product unique, what people are searching for and how to connect those two things. That’s increasingly going to be the brand newsroom’s job.

Q: If a company wanted to increase its chances of being cited tomorrow, what’s the most practical advice you’d give?

GREENBERG: Two things: First, make sure the data in your content changes over time. Ten years ago, you could publish a generic buying guide and it would perform. That doesn’t work anymore. LLMs aren’t looking to cite things when the answer is the same today as it is next year. Second, get that content republished. If you syndicate a strong piece across hundreds of sites, you dramatically increase the surface area for it to be cited.

Q: Are there any companies whose newsroom strategies you particularly admire?

GREENBERG: HubSpot, with what they’ve done through The Hustle and their YouTube acquisitions, is educating entrepreneurs and business builders better than most traditional media. Hone Health’s blog, The Edge, has done a fantastic job of owning a content space that Men’s Fitness or Women’s Health would have occupied a decade ago. And GoodRx stands out. They’ve hired doctors and economists and they’re putting out content that only they can tell. They’re getting significant GEO citations as a result.

The bottom line

  • Treat freshness as a feature. Static content fades. Build processes to update core content regularly.
  • Invest in original, proprietary content. If your content could have been written by anyone, it won’t be attributed to your organization.
  • Think like a product marketer. The question is no longer “What’s the story?” Instead, it’s “What makes our perspective uniquely ours?”
  • Distribution amplifies authority. Getting content republished across authoritative outlets increases its surface area for citation.

How we can help

Contact us to discuss ways to build newsroom strategies for your organization that earn reference value. From content audits to editorial frameworks to thought leadership positioning, we help you show up where it matters most.

Join Noah and the Stacker team at Cited 2026, their inaugural gathering for senior marketing, content and communications leaders — taking place June 10 in New York City. The single-day event brings together practitioners from HubSpot, Tripadvisor, Salesforce, The Points Guy and more to explore how great content drives measurable business results in the age of AI. Request your spot here.

Key upcoming events

Talent + Workforce

  • Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit (Atlanta, May 19-20) Join senior executives, CHROs, technologists and culture leaders to examine how AI, demographic shifts and evolving employee expectations are reshaping the future of work, with Indeed serving as the event’s Founding and Data Partner. Speakers include Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center; Hannah Pritchett, Chief People Officer of Anthropic; and John Santora, CEO of WeWork.
  • Fortune COO Summit (Scottsdale, June 1-2) Fortune’s editors and top COOs from around the world will explore the strategies shaping the next generation of enterprise execution, from building shock-proof supply chains and human-AI workforces to harnessing agentic AI to reimagine workflows and operating models. Speakers include Venkatesh Alagirisamy, EVP and COO of Nike; Ayesha Molino, COO of MGM Resorts International; and Janelle Sallenave, COO of Chime.

AI + Enterprise Execution

  • Axios AI+NYC (New York City, June 3) Expect exclusive conversations with top innovators and visionaries on the next wave of AI transformation and its impact on business and the world. Speakers include Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM; Ariel Ekblaw, CEO of Aurelia Institute; and Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo.
  • Bloomberg Tech (San Francisco, June 3-4) Led by the outlet’s Emily Chang and Tom Giles, this summit brings together leading CEOs, investors and innovators harnessing technology to change the world — covering everything from industrial robots and consumer electronics to data center buildout and the race to artificial general intelligence. Speakers include Daniela Amodei, president and co-founder of Anthropic; Fei-Fei Li, CEO of World Labs; and Alexandr Wang, chief AI officer of Meta. Contact us to meet up on site!
  • Fortune Brainstorm Tech (Aspen, June 8-10) Returning for its 25th anniversary, this cross-disciplinary summit brings together the CEOs, investors and innovators tackling the most urgent challenges spanning industries and geographies — debating big questions and defining what comes next as global alliances shift, industries face upheaval, and intelligent technology advances at a breakneck pace. Speakers include Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code at Anthropic; Meg Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard; and Andrew Yang, CEO of Noble Mobile.

Health

  • Financial Times US Pharma and Biotech Summit (New York City, May 14) Amid mounting policy, regulatory, and investment uncertainty, participants will explore how the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry can sustain innovation and accelerate the path from breakthrough science to patient access. Speakers include Fiona Marshall, president of biomedical research at Novartis; Jane Grogan, executive vice president and head of research at Biogen; and Greg Meyers, executive vice president and chief digital and technology officer at Bristol Myers Squibb.
  • World Health Assembly (Geneva, Switzerland, May 18-23) The 79th World Health Assembly brings together delegates from WHO member states to review global health policies, agendas, and budgets for the upcoming year.
  • STAT Summit West (San Francisco, May 19) As advances in AI, biotech and health tech generate unprecedented volumes of biological data, industry leaders will explore how new technologies are reshaping drug discovery and the economics of bringing treatments to market. Speakers include Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe; Neil Kumar, CEO of BridgeBio Pharma; and Ted W. Love, former chair of Biotechnology Innovation Organization and former CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics.
  • Reuters Digital Health (Chicago, May 21-22) As AI becomes embedded in care and health systems race to modernize, join healthcare decision-makers to explore how to turn digital innovation into real-world impact — advancing adoption, strengthening infrastructure, and improving patient access and outcomes. Speakers include Natalie Davis, CEO of United States of Care; Maggie Helms, senior vice president and chief digital and AI officer at Intermountain Health; and Karthik Raja, senior vice president and chief analytics and AI officer at the Ascension Data Science Institute.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

  • Inside the minds of independent media. Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie and Head of New Media Hanne Winarsky are launching “Open Tab,” a new interview series where they’ll sit down with an independent media founder each week at a favorite local spot to discuss what it really takes to build a sustainable media business. Episode one premieres today.
  • Silicon Valley & The World. Following the success of its World Economy Summit, Semafor announced a new annual convening bringing together top AI founders, senior government officials and global decision-makers — with an advisory board that includes Satya Nadella, Jensen Huang and Ruth Porat — in November 2026.
  • The Ankler is splitting with Substack. The entertainment industry-focused publication — one of the platform’s largest, with 150,000 paid subscribers — is moving to its own in-house technology infrastructure, with subscriptions now handled by Passport, a new paywall provider operated by Automattic, the company behind WordPress, and media analyst Ben Thompson. Substack currently takes 10% of publisher subscriptions sales.
  • Business Insider is getting into the shopping guide business. “Valued,” will be in the form of a weekly newsletter, with “practical product picks, smart shopping advice and the inside scoop on sales.” Basically its own play on The New York Times’ Wirecutter and a bid for affiliate link revenue.
  • James Murdoch eyes Vox. His company, Lupa Systems, is in talks to acquire parts of Vox Media, the controlling company of New York Magazine and a sprawling podcast network that generated more than $80 million last year with hosts like Scott Galloway and Brené Brown. The purchase would give Murdoch a foothold in the U.S. media landscape alongside his father and brother, whose trust includes Fox News and The Wall Street Journal.
  • Axios released its Q1 2026 Media Platforms Insights Report. Read the full report here (paywalled). Key themes this quarter:
    • Platforms are doubling down on feed control and bot detection as AI-generated content erodes user trust.
    • Creator platforms like Substack, Beehiiv and Patreon are converging into full-stack publishing tools.
    • AI companies — led by OpenAI — are moving aggressively into advertising as infrastructure costs demand new revenue.
    • Meta is on track to surpass Google in global ad revenue for the first time.
    • The line between Hollywood and social media continues to blur, with Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube all racing toward vertical video.

Media moves

  • Shashank Joshi was named Washington bureau chief for The Economist.
  • New York Magazine hired Michael Calderone (previously The Wrap) as deputy editor of its Intelligencer vertical.
  • Rachel Siegel (formerly The Washington Post) was hired by CNN as a business reporter.
  • The Wall Street Journal hired Kara Voght (formerly The Washington Post) as a features reporter covering politics, power and culture. Meanwhile, Sebastian Herrera, who covered tech, has left the outlet.
  • Edmund Lee (formerly The New York Times) was hired by Reuters as media editor.
  • TechCrunch reporter Becca Szkutak has left for a role at the Association for Advancing Automation.
  • Prashant Rao was promoted to global managing editor at Semafor.
  • WIRED hired Brian Kahn (formerly Bloomberg) and Sophie Kleeman (formerly Business Insider) as senior editor on the science desk and senior editor on the business desk, respectively.
  • Courtney Connley-Hampton (formerly CNBC) was hired by Forbes to cover careers.
  • AP News technology and business reporter Michael Liedtke and media reporter David Bauder both accepted buyouts after several decades with the outlet.
  • Phoebe Liu (formerly Forbes) is joining The Information to lead its coverage of Nvidia.
  • Morning Brew hired Jamila Huxtable (formerly NPR) as a reporter for its new Founder Brew newsletter.
  • Business and technology reporter Shannon Carroll shared that she was laid off by Quartz.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

500 CEOs walked into a room + Fortune's Diane Brady on C-suite events

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

April 23, 2026

The most important conversations in business and politics are increasingly happening not in briefing rooms or boardrooms, but at events. These carefully curated gatherings are where senior leaders convene, relationships form and agendas get set.

Consider what’s happening this month alone. Last week, more than 500 CEOs and global leaders gathered in Washington for Semafor’s World Economy Summit, one of the most significant concentrations of global business leadership of the year (keep reading for our takeaways).

Meanwhile, nine of the 40-plus side events at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this weekend are being hosted by media startups less than a decade old, a sign of how rapidly the landscape for influence and access is being reorganized.

For communicators and senior leaders, this shift has significant strategic implications.

ICYMI: We explored four AI workforce narratives — and why they don’t tell the full story. Read it here.

The room is the strategy

C-suite events have long served a convening function. What has changed is their role as primary vehicles for shaping narrative, building relationships and signaling institutional relevance.

Legacy media brands built their events’ credibility on reach. However, newer entrants — Semafor, Punchbowl, Axios, Puck — are building theirs around access and convening power: the ability to put the right leaders in a room and make that room matter. Sponsoring or appearing at these events is no longer a brand play. It is increasingly a reputational, relational and commercial one.

The same dynamic is playing out at the CEO level. As institutional trust in traditional structures has fragmented, senior leaders have become the most credible spokespeople for their organizations and events provide the stage for their credibility to be expressed and tested.

Go deeper: What it means to lead with trust right now?

What we heard at Semafor World Economy Summit

We were on the ground at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C. last week. The agenda was jam-packed with five days of candid, on-the-record conversations with some of the world’s top CEOs, finance ministers and policymakers.

Four themes stood out:

  1. Uncertainty is the new normal: Business leaders who once kept Washington off their calendars are now regulars, working to make sense of a fast-changing economic landscape: record investment and technological innovation on one hand, and persistent geopolitical turbulence and low consumer confidence on the other. As Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer noted, while markets are performing well, ”There’s going to be a really rocky transition to get from an American-driven globalization … to that post-American hedge.”
  2. Trade and tariffs dominated the agenda. GM CEO Mary Barra voiced what many in the room were feeling: “I need clarity, and then I need consistency.” Foreign officials advocated for greater certainty. French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial, and Digital Sovereignty Éric Lombard advocated for a “genuine free trade agreement” with the U.S. in the wake of Trump-era tariffs on U.S. imports. “We are ready to [make a] deal anytime,” he said.
  3. AI’s impact on work is more complex than headlines suggest. Recruit Holdings and Indeed CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba made a compelling case that workforce shrinkage, not AI, is the more immediate challenge facing employers. The struggle to backfill retiring workers, he said, is “a way bigger impact than AI impact today.” Indeed’s own research underscores the point: Of 20 million fewer U.S. workers projected over the next 15 years, 80% will be due to an aging population, and just 20% to AI-related job displacement.
  4. The real currency is interpretation, not information. With facts more accessible than ever, the advantage no longer belongs to those who have the most data, but to those who can make sense of it. Leaders who can cut through complexity, frame what matters and communicate it clearly are the ones shaping the conversation.

This was our second year at Semafor World Economy, and the growth was hard to miss: 500+ CEOs and leaders, 400 registered media and thousands of attendees. But the numbers only tell part of the story.

Beyond the mainstage, the format allows for incredible access. Business leaders moved seamlessly between dedicated CEO programming, bilateral meetings, media engagements, and policy discussions, making it an extremely efficient use of executive time in the nation’s capital.

Congratulations to the Semafor team on a standout event!

A conversation with Diane Brady, Executive Editorial Director, Fortune

In this COMPASS Q&A, we spoke with Diane Brady, Executive Editorial Director at Fortune, to understand how major media brands are thinking about this moment and preview the outlet’s premier event, the Fortune 500 Innovation Forum, taking place November 16–17 in Detroit.

The following has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: What is the vision for this year’s forum?

BRADY: The theme is really around innovation and America leads — not in a hubristic sort of way, but really about the great American experiment of innovation. More than 200 companies in the Fortune 500 are over a century old. We want to take a deep dive into the conditions for innovation in those companies, in those sectors and talk to senior leaders about what comes next.

Q: What tracks and conversations are you building around?

BRADY: The tracks that are most interesting to us include partnering for innovation because part of America’s strength has been its ability to attract talent, partners and capital from around the world. We’ll also look at the strength of capital markets, leadership in the age of AI, lean manufacturing and workforce and talent. This is going to be our biggest event of the year. We’re expecting at least 350 senior leaders, and the content strategy is strong.

Q: Why Detroit?

BRADY: We deliberately did not want to race to Washington in June, as a lot of companies are doing. Detroit was the capital of innovation, the engine that drove the last century. And it’s a testament to the power of revitalization and resilience. If you look at Detroit today, yes, there’s the auto sector, but it’s also the country’s leading center for robotics, a hotbed of entrepreneurship, and sits right next to the largest trade point for business in North America. I can’t think of many places more emblematic of how innovation is baked into the DNA of this country.

Q: Who should be in the room?

BRADY: We’re targeting CEOs and senior C-suite leaders, from the largest companies in America, including major private companies. We’re also partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Points of Light around civic engagement, so there will be volunteerism and community activations built into the program. At our heart and soul, Fortune is a news organization. This is the most exciting news opportunity we’ll have all year.

What this means for communicators

The rise of the C-suite event as a primary influence venue creates both opportunities and obligations for communications leaders.

Presence is a signal. Which events senior leaders attend, and which they don’t, communicates institutional priorities. In a fragmented media environment, convening power has become a proxy for credibility.

Preparation is the work. The most effective leaders at these events are not those who deliver the most polished remarks. They’re the ones who can speak with precision and specificity about their industry, their decisions and the tradeoffs they’ve navigated.

The conversation doesn’t stay in the room. What gets said on stage and in the hallways travels. Event appearances are increasingly source material for reporting, investor perception, employee communications, and onsite conversations with peers and current and prospective customers and partners. Communicators need to treat them accordingly.

The bottom line: The events landscape is changing faster than most organizations’ strategies for navigating it. Leaders and teams must engage with it deliberately, not just reactively, to have a meaningful advantage.

Key upcoming events

Marketing + Media

  • Marketing Vanguard Summit (Chicago, May 7) Join marketing and business leaders, cultural figures and academics to examine how CMOs can lead through ambiguity and drive enterprise value. Participants include Mark Kirkham, CMO of PepsiCo Beverages U.S.; Jill Kramer, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Mastercard; and Maggie Schmerin, Chief Advertising Officer of United Airlines.

Global Economy + Policy

  • The Wall Street Journal Future of Everything (New York City, May 4-5) The Journal’s flagship innovation conference explores how emerging technologies are reshaping business, culture and daily life. ​​Speakers include Barry Diller, Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC; Joanna Stern, Chief Technology Analyst at NBC News; and Ariel Ekblaw, Founder of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative and CEO of Aurelia Institute.
  • Milken Global Conference (Los Angeles, May 4-7) Join global decision-makers, experts, and innovators to tackle urgent challenges — from geopolitics to AI — while advancing solutions for a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future. Speakers include José Andrés, chef and founder of World Central Kitchen; Jill Biden, former first lady of the United States; and Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia.

Talent + Workforce

  • Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit (Atlanta, May 19-20) Join senior executives, CHROs, technologists and culture leaders to examine how AI, demographic shifts and evolving employee expectations are reshaping the future of work, with Indeed serving as the event’s Founding and Data Partner. Speakers include Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center; Hannah Pritchett, Chief People Officer of Anthropic; and John Santora, CEO of WeWork.

AI + Enterprise Execution

  • Reuters Momentum AI New York (New York City, April 27-28) Learn how to move AI from experimentation to execution over two days of practical, case-driven conversations focused on scaling responsibly, building trusted systems and turning strategy into measurable impact.

Health

  • Financial Times US Pharma and Biotech Summit (New York City, May 14) Amid mounting policy, regulatory, and investment uncertainty, participants will explore how the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry can sustain innovation and accelerate the path from breakthrough science to patient access. Speakers include Fiona Marshall, president of biomedical research at Novartis; Jane Grogan, executive vice president and head of research at Biogen; and Greg Meyers, executive vice president and chief digital and technology officer at Bristol Myers Squibb.
  • World Health Assembly (Geneva, Switzerland, May 18-23) The 79th World Health Assembly brings together delegates from WHO member states to review global health policies, agendas, and budgets for the upcoming year.
  • STAT Summit West (San Francisco, May 19) As advances in AI, biotech and health tech generate unprecedented volumes of biological data, industry leaders will explore how new technologies are reshaping drug discovery and the economics of bringing treatments to market. Speakers include Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe; Neil Kumar, CEO of BridgeBio Pharma; and Ted W. Love, former chair of Biotechnology Innovation Organization and former CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics.
  • Reuters Digital Health (Chicago, May 21-22) As AI becomes embedded in care and health systems race to modernize, join healthcare decision-makers to explore how to turn digital innovation into real-world impact — advancing adoption, strengthening infrastructure, and improving patient access and outcomes. Speakers include Natalie Davis, CEO of United States of Care; Maggie Helms, senior vice president and chief digital and AI officer at Intermountain Health; and Karthik Raja, senior vice president and chief analytics and AI officer at the Ascension Data Science Institute.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

New platforms and voices

  • Meet: “Monitoring the Situation.” The new Andreessen Horowitz-backed media company will exist entirely on X, where hosts including Mark Halperin, Jayden Clark, Jack Farley, Amit Kukreja, Steven Sinofsky, Jesse Genet and Nathan Laben will make sense of what’s happening “RIGHT NOW”  across technology, business, politics and culture.
  • The “New Things” Newsletter. Written by veteran tech correspondent Joanna Stern, the twice-weekly newsletter (once-weekly for non-paying subscribers) is “Tech journalism. For Humans. Who like fun.” Subscribe here.
  • Brian Williams is back. In a forthcoming Netflix-based podcast, the veteran anchor will chat with today’s leading cultural figures about their work, life and the moment we’re living through.
  • Maria Sharapova takes on podcasting. In an industry dominated by men, the former tennis star’s new show, “Pretty Tough,” created in partnership with Vox Media, will focus on “the pursuit of excellence without apology.” Upcoming guests include Chelsea Handler and National Football League CFO Christine Dorfler.

Legacy brands adapting

  • Forbes gets into wine. Launching this summer, the new vertical will feature original coverage and reviews, as well as a sommelier-led wine club and eCommerce store. The move can be attributed to Forbes’ goal of relying less on website traffic, which was down 37% year-over-year in the first quarter of this year.
  • Dow Jones targets the “Era of Volatility.” In response to the energy supply shocks in recent history, the organization launched “Crisis Monitor: Middle East,” a weekly briefing designed to help navigate the intersection of energy security and geopolitical risk.
  • The WSJ Newsroom ranks itself high on AI usage. While many newsrooms are still finding their footing around the technology, staff at The Wall Street Journal are ranking themselves as intermediate or above in AI tooling. Much of this can be attributed to the way AI was introduced to staff, including how its usage was framed, with leadership encouraging experimentation instead of listing what was and wasn’t allowed.
  • The Economist to put its writers on camera. Breaking with its 183-year tradition of anonymous bylines, the outlet will introduce correspondents from studios in New York and London through Economist Play, a new initiative featuring interviews and policy debates, debuting this summer.

Contraction

  • The Financial Times offers buyouts. The New York Times’ Ben Mullin broke the news on X, adding that compensation will be based on tenure, with the cap raised from £100,000 to £120,000 for this year only.
  • The BBC to cut nearly 10% of roles. Between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs will be eliminated as part of an effort to save £500 million (roughly $670 million USD), amid declining revenue from TV license sales, the broadcaster’s primary source of income.

Media moves

  • Fortune hired Robert Bikel (previously Fast Company and NBC News) as showrunner of “Fortune Daily” and announced that Ellie Austin will host the daily show, in addition to her role as editorial director of Fortune Most Powerful Women. Allie Garfinkle was made editor of the Term Sheet newsletter, which she has been writing for two years — her coverage will shift to longform, scoops and analysis.
  • Meanwhile, Fortune Asia appointed Andrew Staples (previously The Economist) and Lee Williamson (formerly the South China Morning Post) as editorial directors, leading both editorial and events strategy. Yuko Tsukada (previously Bloomberg), was hired as head of Fortune Brand Studio.
  • Bloomberg News named Kelly Gilblom as U.S. health team leader.
  • Eleanor Hawkins announced she is leaving Axios Communicators for a new opportunity.
  • CNBC hired Joanna Ossinger (formerly Bloomberg) as head of digital news in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Hugo Lowell (previously the Guardian) joined Wired as a senior correspondent.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

Four AI workforce narratives communicators should be shaping

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Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

April 9, 2026

AI has become a near-universal business priority. In the fourth quarter of 2025, 68% of S&P 500 companies mentioned AI on earnings calls, more than double the share just two years earlier.

But while the narrative is everywhere, the underlying transformation is not.

Across companies, there is a growing disconnect between AI investment, AI storytelling and how work actually gets done.

ICYMI: In our last newsletter, we spoke with Tonia Ries, a trust and business strategist, about how the definition of a “trusted leader” is evolving. Read it here.

1. Automation vs. augmentation: Both are true. Neither tells the whole story.

The dominant public debate frames AI as either a job killer or a productivity superpower. Both narratives are incomplete. The automation framing overlooks that most work will be reconfigured rather than eliminated. The augmentation framing routinely understates the organizational friction, uneven adoption and change management involved in realizing those gains.

And the impact of workforce demographic changes challenges both. In a recent article for the World Economic Forum, Indeed and Recruit Holdings CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba argued that aging populations, not AI, will define the future of work.

With labor forces shrinking across advanced economies, “AI is not a job killer. It is a job transformer.” As Deko notes, the real risk isn’t mass unemployment, but misallocating scarce talent in economies where workers are becoming more precious, not more expendable.

The opportunity for communicators: Vague reassurances don’t hold. The communications job is to push leaders toward specificity: what is changing, for whom, on what timeline, and build the internal and external language to deliver that consistently.

2. Reskilling won’t be enough.

Upskilling programs are everywhere, but they are inadequate as a standalone answer. The research is consistent: 84% of companies have not redesigned jobs or workflows around AI. Training employees to use AI tools while keeping them in outdated workflows produces incremental gains, not transformation.

The opportunity for communicators: Be honest about whether reskilling is accompanied by genuine workflow redesign. Communications built around reskilling programs that aren’t backed by structural change could backfire when employees realize the gap between the promise and the reality.

3. The talent pipeline problem is real but often misread.

Many companies are laser-focused on hiring AI and technical talent while simultaneously eliminating entry-level roles that have historically served as the pipeline for that talent. A Stanford analysis of payroll data shows a 13% drop in employment among younger, entry-level workers in AI-exposed roles, even as experienced hiring holds steady.

The opportunity for communicators: The talent narrative is shifting from a focus on technical skills toward judgment and decision-making capabilities. Companies that communicate AI transformation through the lens of what they’re building — rather than just what they’re cutting — will be better positioned with employees, recruits and the public.

4. AI as justification for layoffs: A credibility risk hiding in plain sight.

AI was cited in 55,000 layoffs in 2025, but research suggests that current AI platforms aren’t yet capable of fully replacing those workers. Indeed Hiring Lab research found that only about 25% of jobs are likely to be highly transformed by AI, rather than eliminated.

In New York State, where employers are now required to disclose when layoffs are technology driven, none of the 160 companies filing notices checked the technology box. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy noted that his company’s major 2025 cuts were “not really AI-driven.”

When leaders use AI as a forward-looking cover for financially-motivated restructuring, they signal to employees and the public that they view AI primarily as a headcount reduction tool. That framing erodes trust, undermines future AI adoption and fosters the cynicism that makes workforce transformation harder.

That credibility challenge is already spilling into the broader public conversation. As The Wall Street Journal reported this week, major AI companies are increasingly on a “charm offensive” to soften public backlash and respond to growing anxiety about AI’s real-world impact.

The opportunity for communicators: Advocate internally for accurate attribution for workforce changes. When restructuring is driven by overhiring, business model shifts or cost pressures, say so. Precision here is not a liability. Credibility is the asset.

Go deeper: AI transformation is a leadership problem, not a workforce problem

The research consistently points to something most organizations underestimate: The primary barrier to AI transformation is leadership clarity, not employee readiness.

  • Employees are already using AI tools, expect their work to change and are eager to build new skills. What’s missing is direction.
  • Without clear priorities, ownership, and ambition from the top, organizations default to isolated use cases instead of systemic change.

That creates a clear opening for communications leaders. AI transformation is not just a technology story –  it’s a strategy, values and trust story. And those are shaped as much by narrative as execution.

The ability to clearly articulate how and why your organization is using AI — and what it means for your people — is an opportunity for real competitive differentiation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

AI is already reshaping how companies talk about work, often faster than it’s reshaping the work itself. For communications leaders, the mandate now shifts from messaging to narrative integrity: building a clear, credible narrative about what is changing, why it matters, what it means for employees and where the organization is actually headed.

That means equipping leaders internally and externally with language, proof points and consistent framing that can hold up across employee communications, media interviews, investor conversations and moments of scrutiny.

What that means in practice:

  • Get upstream. Be in the room before workforce decisions are made, not brought in to explain them after. Close the gap between story and reality.
  • Pressure-test AI narratives against what employees will actually experience. If reskilling, restructuring or AI attribution aren’t grounded in real change, employees, media and other stakeholders will spot the disconnect quickly.
  • Push for specificity. Employees are sophisticated enough to know when “AI will augment your work” means nothing. Lean into specific timelines, roles and commitments.
  • Protect credibility. When restructuring is financially-motivated, say so. Using AI as shorthand for cost-cutting may work in the short term, but creates long-term trust deficits.
  • Reframe the workforce story. The real shift isn’t just who is being replaced, it’s about what capabilities organizations are building.

Leaders who navigate this well won’t just implement AI more effectively. They will communicate the transformation with clarity and earn trust in the process.

Key upcoming events

Marketing + Media

  • Adweek Social Media Week (New York City, April 14-16) Marketers, creators and brand leaders will convene to navigate platform fragmentation, AI disruption and the evolving business of attention, examining how social drives culture, commerce and measurable impact. Speakers include Rob Gaige, Global Head of Insights at Reddit; Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios; and Jessica Yellin, Founder of News Not Noise.

  • Marketing Vanguard Summit (Chicago, May 7) Join marketing and business leaders, cultural figures and academics to examine how CMOs can lead through ambiguity and drive enterprise value. Participants include Mark Kirkham, CMO of PepsiCo Beverages U.S.; Jill Kramer, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Mastercard; and Maggie Schmerin, Chief Advertising Officer of United Airlines.

Global Economy + Policy

  • Semafor World Economy Summit (Washington, D.C., April 13-17) More than 400 global CEOs, as well as investors and policymakers, gather for five days of conversation examining the forces reshaping the world economy — from AI and geopolitics to capital flows, climate and future industries. Speakers include Deko (Hisayuki) Idekoba, CEO of Indeed and President & CEO of Recruit Holdings; Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast; Henry M. Paulson Jr., Chairman of the Paulson Institute and former U.S. Treasury Secretary; Dennis Mathew, Chairman & CEO of Optimum; and Patrice Louvet, President & CEO of Ralph Lauren.
  • CNBC Invest in America Forum (Washington, D.C., April 15) Top investors, policymakers, and CEOs examine how economic policy is translating into real-world consequences for American business and accelerating investment in technology and AI infrastructure. Speakers include Marc Rowan, Co-Founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management; Scott Strazik, President and CEO of GE Vernova; moderated by Sara Eisen, Co-Anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” and “Money Movers.”
  • The Wall Street Journal Future of Everything (New York City, May 4-5) The Journal’s flagship innovation conference explores how emerging technologies are reshaping business, culture and daily life. ​​Speakers include Barry Diller, Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC; Joanna Stern, Chief Technology Analyst at NBC News; and Ariel Ekblaw, Founder of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative and CEO of Aurelia Institute.

Talent + Workforce

  • HR Brew The Talent 2030 Collective (New York City, April 21) Join HR leaders for a day of conversations on how to recruit, develop and retain top talent amid economic uncertainty, from AI in hiring to skills-based workforce strategy and long-term employee wellbeing. Speakers include Dr. Benjamin Granger, Chief Workplace Psychologist at Qualtrics; Daniel Chait, CEO and Co-Founder of Greenhouse Software; and Amber Grewal, Chief Growth Officer at Eightfold.
  • Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit (Atlanta, May 19-20) Join senior executives, CHROs, technologists and culture leaders to examine how AI, demographic shifts and evolving employee expectations are reshaping the future of work, with Indeed serving as the event’s Founding and Data Partner. Speakers include Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center; Hannah Pritchett, Chief People Officer of Anthropic; and John Santora, CEO of WeWork.

AI + Enterprise Execution

  • Reuters Momentum AI New York (New York City, April 27-28) Learn how to move AI from experimentation to execution over two days of practical, case-driven conversations focused on scaling responsibly, building trusted systems and turning strategy into measurable impact.

Health

  • Fierce Pharma Engage (San Diego, April 22-24) A gathering of senior leaders in pharma marketing, PR and communications, medical affairs and business development and licensing focused on strategic collaboration, candid conversation and meaningful connection. The event matches profiled senior executives with solution partners for discussions that address their most pressing challenges.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

Expansion and experimentation

  • Semafor Gulf ramps up publishing. Following its first year of profitability, the outlet is expanding to an 11-person editorial team and moving to a five-day-a-week publishing schedule. Co-Founder and CEO Justin B. Smith pointed to the Gulf’s growing global importance and Semafor’s ambition to become the “business and economic news platform of record” in the region.
  • Business titans face off. CNN is launching “The 1 on 1,” a new show featuring business leaders interviewing one another. The first episode pairs chef-entrepreneurs Eric Ripert and José Andrés, followed by Pinterest CEO Bill Ready and Venmo Co-Founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail.
  • McClatchy journalists “revolt” amid AI tool use. Dozens of Sacramento Bee staffers said they would withhold their bylines from stories produced using McClatchy’s new generative AI tool, which repurposes reporters’ existing work. “Our managers describe this to us as an experiment,” said reporter Ariane Lange, “and we responded, ‘Yeah, it is an experiment, and the imperiled guinea pig is our credibility.’”

Acquisitions

  • OpenAI buys TBPN. In its first foray into media, the tech company purchased the popular tech industry talk show for an undisclosed amount. The show was on track to make more than $30 million this year despite its relatively modest audience of around 70,000 per episode. Noting OpenAI’s atypical nature, Fidji Simo, the company’s CEO of applications, said in a memo that the standard communications playbook simply doesn’t apply.
  • LinkedIn explored beehiiv acquisition. In a recent newsletter, Semafor media editor Max Tani discussed rumors around potential M&A discussions in late 2025, though neither party responded to request for comment. If true, it would underscore the continued influence of newsletters among professional audiences and reflect a broader media M&A trend driven less by profit than by reputational clout and messaging, Tani notes.

Media in motion

  • The Atlantic + Seabourn. The magazine and luxury cruise line announced a three-year partnership that will bring the former’s writers and editorial programming aboard select voyages starting this fall. As part of the deal, passengers aboard those routes will receive digital access while onboard, as well as a three-month subscription after returning home.
  • The New York Times + Delta. All of the Times’ journalism and content – including games and cooking –  will be available to Delta SkyMiles members through seatback screens and personal devices connected to WiFi. Once signed in, flyers will retain their access for 24 hours.

And, several new newsletters

  • Axios is testing a C-suite newsletter. Written by Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei, it will feature insights from top business leaders. In a recent edition, Sam Altman shared three tips for AI implementation over the next 6-12 months. To request access, email csuite@axios.com with your name, title and company; approved readers receive their first edition on Saturday.
  • Business Insider launches “Vibe Mode.” The weekly newsletter will track the rise of vibe coding — that is, a non-technical way of utilizing AI to write code — and what it means for work, startups and the economy.
  • Marketing Vanguard debuts. Written by Jenny Rooney, ADWEEK’s new CMO-focused newsletter will cover leadership, strategy, talent, technology and creativity, with contributions from senior marketers across the Marketing Vanguard community.

Media moves

  • The Atlantic hired Kelsey Ables, Janay Kingsberry, Will Oremus, and Matt Viser, all formerly at The Washington Post, as staff writers
  • Hope King joined the beehiiv Media Collective and launched Macro Talk’s first newsletter, MacroTalk.News. Sign up here.
  • The Financial Times’ George Hammond is now the deputy bureau chief on the West Coast. He will continue covering venture capital and AI. The outlet also appointed Mel Unsworth (previously END Clothing) as chief technology officer.
  • Victor Swezey returned to Bloomberg News as a rotational reporter starting with the Management + Work team, where he will cover changing workplaces and the decisions made by corporate executives.
  • Kelly Gilblom was named U.S. health team leader at Bloomberg News, managing a team of eight reporters, covering all aspects of the U.S. healthcare system.
  • Business Insider hired Stephen Council (previously at SFGate) and Rya Jetha (formerly at The San Francisco Standard) to cover AI and emerging tech.
  • Matt Brittin (formerly at Google) was hired as the BBC‘s new director general.
  • CIO Dive hired Paige Gross (previously at States Newsroom) to cover enterprise technology and AI.
  • Ruth Reader (formerly at Fast Company and Politico) joined Second Opinion Media.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

What it means to lead with trust right now

Insights

Insights

By Global Gateway Advisors

March 26, 2026

The trust problem has changed. The tools communicators have relied on — narrative, reputation, brand consistency — were built for a different era. Today, people are living through real disruption: information is messy, change is relentless, and conflicts are out in the open.

Rapid AI adoption is accelerating that pressure, and rising skepticism means audiences are actively looking under the hood. In that environment, authentic storytelling matters more than ever — but the story has to be structurally true.

Trust is now a structural asset. Trust today is built on credibility around how power is used, how decisions are made, and whether the systems behind the words actually match them. A new report from UK-based Echo Research makes this concrete: more than a quarter of FTSE 350 market value is priced on leadership credibility, governance, and delivery.

That puts communicators in a new position — not just crafting the story, but pressure-testing whether the organization can stand behind it.

ICYMI: In our last newsletter, we unpacked six practical ways for strategic communicators to sharpen their focus and stay credible, discoverable and quotable. Read it here.

In this COMPASS Q&A, we spoke with Tonia Ries — trust and business strategist — about how the definition of a “trusted leader” is evolving.

Her focus: decision-making discipline, aligned incentives, and transparency. She covers where trust breaks down, the risks introduced by AI-enabled systems, and what communicators need to know when advising leaders at high stakes.

Tonia brings more than three decades of experience in management, strategy, marketing, research and media. She helps organizations understand how trust operates at the intersection of leadership, systems and decision-making.

Q: When you look at the current environment, what does it actually mean to be a “trusted leader” today — and what’s changed from even a few years ago?

RIES: Trust has shifted in both structure and tone: from building an image to designing an architecture, and from delivering certainty to providing steadiness.

A few years ago, trust was still treated as something you could earn with credibility, brand, and strong messaging. Today, that’s not enough. People are living through real disruption: information is messy, change is relentless, and conflicts are out in the open. Many feel fearful, exposed, and tired — leaders themselves included.

Today, the trust test for leaders is less about “Do people like and believe me?” and more about “Can people see I’m using power responsibly?” That means being transparent about how decisions are made: what you’re prioritizing, where the tradeoffs are, who will be accountable. It also means being honest about your own lack of certainty: “Here’s what we know, here’s what we don’t and here’s how we’ll adjust as we learn more.”

Trust deepens when people feel they belong. Leaders earn trust by sharing the values behind tough decisions, and creating real ways for employees and customers to have voice, dignity, and recourse, especially when the stakes are high.

Q: Where do you see C-suite leaders most challenged when it comes to building and sustaining trust — particularly when trust is shaped by systems, incentives, and power, not just personal credibility?

RIES: Trust failures don’t usually come from a lack of communication; they more often happen when there are structural issues such as misaligned incentives or power imbalances. Leaders may say the right things, but if the metrics reward short-term wins, people will make short-term choices, even if those choices undermine values.

That’s why trust failures feel personal even when they’re rooted in structural problems: people experience mixed signals as unfairness. “We say we care about safety, but we punish the messenger.” “We say we value inclusion, but decisions are made by a small group behind closed doors.”

The leadership challenge is to make sure that the system matches the narrative. Are governance, decision rights, and incentives aligned with the trust story you want to tell and the values you want to nurture? Does your organization suppress truth-telling or protect it? Trust-building is often seen as a “soft skill,” but these are concrete operational and management questions for leadership to address.

Q: How does trust show up in business performance and outcomes in tangible ways, especially in high-stakes sectors like health and technology?

RIES: Trust removes friction, which impacts costs, efficiency, scalability and legitimacy. When it is strong, information moves faster, problems surface earlier, and decisions are easier to implement because people believe the organization is competent, honest and accountable. When trust is weak, every decision costs more: more oversight, more escalation, more rework, more churn, more time spent managing backlash instead of solving the problem.

In high-stakes sectors like health and tech, trust is part of the core operational infrastructure. It shapes whether innovation can scale, whether employees or partners surface risks early and whether teams coordinate well when things get complicated. It increases adoption rates and improves product development cycles.

Trust also shapes outcomes when something goes wrong—a patient safety issue, a product failure, a data breach. Stakeholders decide quickly whether to lean in with collaboration or suspicion, backlash or boycott. You can’t wait until you’re in a crisis before you think about whether you’ll have their trust.

Q: You’ve written about the erosion and distortion of trust signals. What indicators still matter most for leaders — internally with employees and externally with stakeholders — and which signals are increasingly misleading?

RIES: In a world where anything can be gamed or generated, the signals that matter are the ones that are hard to fake. Signals that are increasingly seen with suspicion are those that can be manufactured quickly: high engagement, polished narratives, and “trust us” promises. What can’t be faked is a track record of fair decisions, accountable leaders, and respectful treatment of people and communities.

Internally, one of the most important signals is whether truth can travel upward. Do people feel safe raising concerns? Do issues get addressed early, or do they get buried until they become crises Another signal is whether inclusion is real: who is listened to, who is protected and who bears the cost of mistakes.

Externally, the durable signals are consistency and follow-through. Do people see a clear connection between what you say and what you do over time? When you make a mistake, do you explain it, own it and fix it—or do you minimize and move on?

Q: Many organizations are optimizing aggressively for efficiency, speed and scale. Where do you see leaders unintentionally trading away trust in the process and what’s a better way to think about those tradeoffs?

RIES: Leaders often trade away trust when they skip over explanations, compress timelines and limit conversation in the name of efficiency. It can happen quietly: decision-making centralizes, communication gets thinner and people find they are expected to accept outcomes they can’t understand or challenge. That can look efficient in the short run, but speed without fairness weakens legitimacy—and legitimacy is what keeps people cooperating when they’re anxious or disagree with the outcome.

Trust is not the enemy of efficiency, as long as you design for speed in a way that people can understand it and feel they are part of it. Make your decision process transparent, create clear escalation paths and build feedback loops so that people can actually weigh in and change outcomes.

When people experience the system as fair and understandable, you get speed that lasts: less resistance, fewer surprise flare-ups and more willingness to collaborate under pressure. Over time, that is far more efficient and scalable.

Q: As AI-enabled agents and automated systems take on more responsibility, what trust risks do leaders tend to underestimate and what governance principles matter most to prevent power from concentrating in ways that feel opaque or unfair?

RIES: Automation concentrates power, so the most important thing governance has to do is to define responsibility. AI systems can quickly create new routines with real impact, shaping hiring decisions, customer outcomes and information flow. The trust risks are predictable: opaque decisions, unclear ownership and questions about potential bias. People don’t just fear decisions that are wrong: they fear decisions that can’t be understood or challenged.

The governance principles are straightforward: keep decision rights legible; tie accountability to specific individuals; require explainability for high-impact decisions; create oversight and auditability; and give affected people real mechanisms for appeal, override and correction.

AI also affects people’s sense of safety—jobs, privacy and the credibility of information itself. To gain full buy-in for AI-based initiatives, leaders will need to acknowledge and address those concerns and help their employees and customers navigate change.

Q: For leaders navigating high-stakes change or scrutiny right now, what’s one trust-related principle or discipline you think is most important to get right?

RIES: Leaders build trust when they make their decision-making process transparent. Tell us about what you prioritized, who you consulted and what would make you change course.

They don’t need to have all the answers; pretending to have certainty can quickly backfire. What people need is steadiness: clear principles, visible accountability and a real path for questions to be heard and harms to be repaired.

Q: For leaders navigating high-stakes change or scrutiny right now, what’s one trust-related principle or discipline you think is most important to get right?

RIES: Reputation still matters because AI can’t mediate the lived experience people have with your brand or organization over time. You can use AI to automate how I interact with your organization, but a strong reputation is tested and built through decisions that can’t be automated: how you treat people, whether accountability is real, whether actions consider the interests of all stakeholders, and whether you fix problems and repair harm quickly and transparently.

A good reputation is earned when you deliver on your promises over time. And that’s also the kind of leader people trust, and the kind of organization they want to do business with.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Trust is no longer a communications output – it’s a leadership discipline expressed through decisions, governance and accountability. For communicators, the mandate is to translate how the organization operates into clear, credible narratives that align words with action. As AI accelerates scale and introduces new opacity, scrutiny of decision-making will only intensify. Earned media is already shifting from what organizations say to how they act. The advantage goes to leaders and teams who can articulate tradeoffs, demonstrate accountability and communicate with precision and consistency-building durable credibility in environments where trust is continuously tested.

Key upcoming events

Marketing + Media

  • Adweek Social Media Week (New York City, April 14-16) Marketers, creators and brand leaders will convene to navigate platform fragmentation, AI disruption and the evolving business of attention, examining how social drives culture, commerce and measurable impact. Speakers include Rob Gaige, Global Head of Insights at Reddit; Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios; and Jessica Yellin, Founder of News Not Noise.

Global Economy + Policy

  • Semafor World Economy Summit (Washington, D.C., April 13-17) More than 400 global CEOs, as well as investors and policymakers, gather for five days of conversation examining the forces reshaping the world economy — from AI and geopolitics to capital flows, climate and future industries. Speakers include Deko (Hisayuki) Idekoba, CEO of Indeed and President & CEO of Recruit Holdings; Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast; Henry M. Paulson Jr., Chairman of the Paulson Institute and former U.S. Treasury Secretary; Dennis Mathew, Chairman & CEO of Optimum; and Patrice Louvet, President & CEO of Ralph Lauren.
  • CNBC Invest in America Forum (Washington, D.C., April 15) Top investors, policymakers, and CEOs examine how economic policy is translating into real-world consequences for American business and accelerating investment in technology and AI infrastructure. Speakers include Marc Rowan, Co-Founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management; Scott Strazik, President and CEO of GE Vernova; moderated by Sara Eisen, Co-Anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” and “Money Movers.”

Talent + Workforce

  • WSJ CPO Council Summit (Palo Alto, March 25-26) A gathering of top Chief People Officers and other HR senior executives examining how AI is reshaping the workforce, from talent strategy and hiring to organizational resilience and large-scale change management. The program features expert speakers, peer discussions, and curated experiences designed to help leaders prepare for a future in which work is increasingly driven by AI. Our client Julia Anas, Chief People Officer, Qualtrics, will lead a discussion on “Employee Listening — and the Credibility Gap.”
  • HR Brew The Talent 2030 Collective (New York City, April 21) Join HR leaders for a day of conversations on how to recruit, develop and retain top talent amid economic uncertainty, from AI in hiring to skills-based workforce strategy and long-term employee wellbeing. Speakers include Dr. Benjamin Granger, Chief Workplace Psychologist at Qualtrics; Daniel Chait, CEO and Co-Founder of Greenhouse Software; and Amber Grewal, Chief Growth Officer at Eightfold.

AI + Enterprise Execution

  • Reuters Momentum AI New York (New York City, April 27-28) Learn how to move AI from experimentation to execution over two days of practical, case-driven conversations focused on scaling responsibly, building trusted systems and turning strategy into measurable impact.

Health

  • Fierce Pharma Engage (San Diego, April 22-24) A gathering of senior leaders in pharma marketing, PR and communications, medical affairs and business development and licensing focused on strategic collaboration, candid conversation and meaningful connection. The event matches profiled senior executives with solution partners for discussions that address their most pressing challenges.

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

  • Semafor rolls out a new global CEO podcast. Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson and Penny Pritzker will host The CEO Signal show/podcast. The show builds on The CEO Signal newsletter, featuring candid conversations with the leaders running the world’s biggest companies.
  • CNBC launches a new business show. Starting this week, CNBC’s Morgan Brennan is hosting Morning Call, at 5am ET. The program will deliver market-moving insights and break down unfolding global developments, in addition to setting the business agenda for the trading day ahead.
  • Nexstar merges with rival TV station owner. The FCC greenlit Nexstar’s $6.2B merger with Tegna, creating the largest local TV station operator in the country.
  • Axios restructuring. The outlet cut 11 staffers across national, local, news desk, visuals, and social teams, including April Rubin and Maxwell Millington.
  • CBS News announces more cuts. CBS News announced a new round of changes – laying off 6% of staff and shuttering CBS Radio – as Bari Weiss remakes the broadcast network.

Media moves

  • Adam Banicki was promoted to General Manager, Video at Fortune, and has joined the Senior Leadership Team.
  • Stephanie Ruhle is departing the 11:00 p.m. ET slot at MS NOW to anchor a new two-hour morning show on the network airing at 9:00 a.m. ET. Other MS Now changes include: Alicia Menendez moves from 7:00 p.m. ET (“The Weeknight”) to 12:00–2:00 p.m. ET; Ali Velshi takes over 11:00 p.m. ET; Luke Russert joins “The Weeknight” at 7:00 p.m. ET; “Morning Joe” shortens to 6:00–9:00 a.m. ET.
  • NOTUS is expanding its newsroom, with notable additions including Washington Post alumni Jeff Stein, Paul Klane, Dana Milbank, Paige Cunningham, Sam Fortier, Andrew Van Dam and Missy Khavmongsa. Also joining the team is POLITICO’S Joe Gould and The Hill’s Al Weaver.
  • Endpoints News is adding Karen Weintraub and Kevin Miller as editors.
  • Bloomberg News hired Victor Swezey as a Rotational Reporter.

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by Global Gateway Advisors

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