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.
Volkswagen U.S. CEO Pablo Di Si joined Cheddar New to discuss record quarterly electric vehicle sales and his reaction to Tesla trimming prices on some vehicles by 20% last week. “We'll continue with our pricing strategy, we're not cutting prices on the vehicle's quality over quantity and product content,” he said.
Southwest Airlines pilots could be on the verge of a strike with a vote planned in May.
Party City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it aims to cut debt.
The federal government says it will begin a targeted crackdown on nursing homes’ abuse of antipsychotic drugs and misdiagnoses of schizophrenia in patients.
Spotify became the latest tech company to call on the European Union to take action against Apple over anti-competitive practices.
Mortgage demand continues to increase as rates dip while homebuilder sentiment is also on the rise.
Amazon has begun cutting about 18,000 workers this week, affecting largely Amazon stores and some in the technology unit.
Microsoft is laying off 10,000 employees, becoming the latest tech giant to cut its workforce.
Darren Jones, President, UPS Central Plains, joins Cheddar News to discuss UPS's first-ever jobs and opportunity report while offering advice to job-seekers amid widespread layoffs and economic uncertainty.
Clare Trapasso, the executive news editor at Realtor.com, joined Cheddar News to discuss the current housing market for first-time homebuyers.
