Today we bring you #ChedHER: a day full of live programming celebrating women who are changing the game. In each hour, we'll focus on a different theme and introduce a new guest co-host.
In Opening Bell, we highlight women in business and finance and then women entrepreneurs. Anjali Kumar, Cheddar's Chief People Officer and General Counsel, kicks off the day's coverage with Kristen Scholer.
We hear from Dia Simms, president of Combs Enterprises, about how she climbed the ladder and got to where she is today. Simms started as Sean Combs' assistant in 2005 and gradually worked her way up the ranks. At times, Simms oversaw Combs' liquor, entertainment, and clothing properties, and also played a big role in the creation and launch Ciroc Vodka.
We also talk to Whitney Casey, founder of the women's tech start-up Finery. Casey and her partner Brooklyn Decker just closed on a $5 million round of funding. Finery is the world's first automated online operating system for wardrobes. Casey discusses the challenges she faced trying to get male-dominated VC firms to invest in a female-focused tech company.
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
