Activist Investors Call on Apple to Address Youth Phone Addiction
Apple under fire after two Apple investors urged the company to step up and play a bigger role in managing smartphone overuse and addiction. David Benoit, Activism Reporter at The Wall Street Journal, was with us to discuss why Jana Partners has decided to push Apple to develop tools and research the effects of smartphone overuse by young people.
Benoit says the investors aren’t saying its necessarily Apple’s responsibility to monitor phone usage. Instead, he thinks they believe that Apple could play an important role in acknowledging that they aren’t sure what the impact of all this phone usage will be, but could score points by giving parents the option to monitor usage.
Activist investors typically focus on things like buybacks and acquisitions. Benoit says this move by Jana Partners to take a stance on corporate responsibility is very different. He thinks following Jana's advice could help protect Apple from potential backlash on teen iPhone usage. In addition, Benoit says goodwill could help drive future sales if consumers feel Apple made a phone that is safe for kids.
UPS is gearing up for a mass hiring event that could help a critical labor shortage affecting the U.S. across all industries. Jon Bowers, human resources director with UPS, joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's job fair known as 'Brown Friday,' which is slated to take place Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, ahead of the holiday season.
A Missouri jury found the National Association of Realtors and other brokerages liable for nearly $1.8 billion in damages on Tuesday. The jury found the parties conspired to keep commissions for home sales artificially high and the lawsuit looked at sales that took place between April of 2015 through June of 2022.
The country’s largest Christian university is being fined $37.7 million by the federal government amid accusations that it misled students about the cost of its graduate programs.
