Concerns over privacy, workplace culture, and social responsibility have required the chiefs of Silicon Valley's biggest firms to defend themselves in unfamiliar forums, said Ben LaBolt, a partner at Bully Pulpit, an image consulting firm.
As tech companies face greater public scrutiny, and Congress considers regulation, LaBolt said executives must show they're sympathetic as well as diligent.
"A lot of it is as much style as it is substance," said LaBolt, a former campaign press secretary for President Obama. " It's showing respect for the members of Congress, talking to the broader public, not just the people in the room."
LaBolt said Monday in an interview with Cheddar that the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's appearance before Congress earlier this month was an example of the new requirements for Silicon Valley executives. Public hearings can test an executive's judgment in different ways than he or she is used to.
"I think starting with 'I'm sorry' is always a good place to start, but it's usually not enough," said LaBolt. "People need to see accountability."
He cited the case of Uber's former chief executive, Travis Kalanick, who was forced out after reports of combative behavior and a toxic work environment. Uber is a Bully Pulpit client, and since Dara Khosrowshahi took over the company, LaBolt said he has heard more from his client about efforts to change company's culture than he has negative stories about Uber being a difficult place to work.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/image-and-branding-in-the-digital-era).
Stepping up a feud with Washington over technology and security, China's government on Sunday told users of computer equipment deemed sensitive to stop buying products from the biggest U.S. memory chipmaker, Micron Technology Inc.
Stocks are moving tentatively Monday, as Wall Street waits to see whether a pivotal meeting in the afternoon will help the U.S. government avoid a potentially disastrous default on its debt.
Scores of Boston University students turned their backs on the head of one of Hollywood's biggest studios, and some shouted “pay your writers,” as he gave the school's commencement address Sunday in a stadium where protesters supporting the Hollywood writers' strike picketed outside.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking that a federal judge be disqualified from the First Amendment lawsuit filed by Disney against the Florida governor and his appointees, claiming the jurist's prior statements in other cases have raised questions about his impartiality on the state's efforts to take over Disney World's governing body.
Ford CEO Jim Farley says the company will stop competing in over-served market segments and instead will place big bets on connected vehicles and digital services. The days of Ford being all things to all people are over, Farley said at the company's capital markets day event Monday.
The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine Monday and ordered it to stop transferring users personal information across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by U.S. cybersnooping fears.
Joanne Rodriguez, founder and CEO of Mycocycle Inc., joined Cheddar News to discuss how her company uses mushrooms to decarbonize construction waste. "Mycocycle was started to address the waste mismanagement issue we have," she said. "Globally, we've got overflowing landfills that are creating human and environmental health issues."
The World Economic Forum recently released its future of jobs report and broke down what abilities employers are looking for. Julia Pollak, chief labor economist at ZipRecruiter, joined Cheddar News to discuss what top, in-demand job skills are needed in the rapidly-changing economy.
