• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

NewslettersCEO Daily

Excessive IPO Verbiage: CEO Daily

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 29, 2019, 5:57 AM ET

Good morning.

Apologies for being a day late here, but I can’t help touting my colleague Polina Marinova’s discovery in yesterday’s Term Sheet newsletter. She identified one of the hidden bubbles caused by a decade of expansion and hyper-low Interest rates: excessive IPO verbiage.

I’ve already written about the wild WeWork IPO language. WeWork is an office real estate company, but called itself “a community company committed to maximum global impact.” The word “community” appears in the filing 150 times.

Then there is Peloton, which sells stationary bicycles, but proclaimed in its filing: “We sell happiness.” Zoom, a video conferencing company, must compete with Peloton, because it also claims to “sell happiness.” And it “fundamentally changes how people interact.” Then there is Pinterest, which “is where more than 250 million people around the world go to get inspiration for their lives.”

Surely the end is near. Certainly the bond market thinks so.

By the way, it has been two years since Polina took over writing Term Sheet, Fortune’s window on the private equity world. Since then, she has instilled it with her own unique form of happiness, and substantially expanded its readership. You can subscribe here.

Other news below.

Alan Murray
alan.murray@fortune.com
@alansmurray

TOP NEWS

U.K. Turmoil

The U.K.'s hard-Brexiteer prime minister, Boris Johnson, has triggered a constitutional crisis by deciding to suspend Parliament for around a month from mid-September. Suspensions are common before a government lays out a new legislative agenda—an overdue event at this point, thanks to Brexit sucking up all the oxygen in Westminster—but they are very rarely this long, and it seems clear that Johnson wants to hamper lawmakers' efforts to block a no-deal Brexit on October 31. Parliamentarians now have little time available to stop him, so expect fireworks next week. Fortune

Italian Resolution

Meanwhile, Italy's latest bout of turmoil is over for now, after the populist 5Star Movement and center-left Democratic Party agreed to form a coalition goverment. The 5Stars' erstwhile coalition partner, the far-right League, recently pulled the plug on that arrangement in the hope of triggering a fresh election and taking over entirely. But the new coalition means no election is needed, and Matteo Salvini's League will have to grumble from the opposition benches. Guardian

Cable Fears

A largely completed, Google- and Facebook-backed undersea cable between L.A. and Hong Kong is reportedly under threat from U.S. officials, who want to block the venture on national security grounds. Officials are apparently suspicious of the Chinese partner that's involved in the Pacific Light project, Dr. Peng Telecom & Media Group Co., which they suspect has ties to the Chinese government. Wall Street Journal

Indian Apple

Thanks to a relaxation of local sourcing and commerce rules, Apple will be able to start selling its products directly to consumers in India, and it will be able to do so online before setting up a physical store. So iPhones will become available in the country from Apple's website in the next few months—a Mumbai store will likely follow sometime late next year. Economic Times

AROUND THE WATER COOLER

Union Probe

The home of United Auto Workers chief Gary Jones was raided by FBI and IRS agents yesterday, in an expansion of a federal probe into corruption. Former UAW president Dennis Williams was also subject to a raid, as was a Missouri office of the union. Five UAW-affiliated people and three Fiat Chrysler executives have already been convicted in the multiyear investigation. CNBC

Amazon Ring

Amazon's Ring smart-doorbell subsidiary has now partnered with over 400 police forces in the U.S. to allow cops to ask owners for footage from the devices. Privacy advocates are heavily against the program, as the doorbell-cameras capture images of many people who are innocent of crimes. Fortune

UBS Hire

Iqbal Khan, who last month lost out a Credit Suisse power struggle, has been hired by rival UBS to head up its global wealth management division. Khan had reportedly also been in talks with wealth manager Julius Baer. Financial Times

South Korean Trial

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong faces a bribery retrial over horses the electronics giant gave to the daughter of a friend of former President Park Geun-hye. Lee had already been jailed for five years in 2017, but the next year his sentence was halved and suspended, resulting in his early release. The South Korean supreme court now says that was a bad decision. Park, who was convicted of bribery and abuse of power in 2018, could now face an even longer sentence than the 25 years she was given. BBC

This edition of CEO Daily was edited by David Meyer. Find previous editions here, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters here.

About the Authors
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Alan Murray
By Alan Murray
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Oakland, California, on May 12, 2026. (Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Musk v. Altman: That’s all, folks
By Andrew NuscaMay 19, 2026
2 hours ago
ESG may be fading—but moral leadership isn’t
NewslettersCEO Daily
ESG may be fading—but moral leadership isn’t
By Diane BradyMay 19, 2026
2 hours ago
Women’s representation on boards of directors falls below 30%—but there’s one bright spot
NewslettersMPW Daily
Women’s representation on boards of directors falls below 30%—but there’s one bright spot
By Emma HinchliffeMay 18, 2026
18 hours ago
US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on.
NewslettersCFO Daily
Trump’s new corporate playbook: Why the administration is taking equity stakes in companies like Intel
By Sheryl EstradaMay 18, 2026
23 hours ago
A panel on Gen Z workers sit alongside Fortune's Kristin Stoller at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit.
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
AI in the workplace is stumbling. Fortune’s Workplace Innovation Summit will dive in to why
By Kristin StollerMay 18, 2026
23 hours ago
Wallet makers are the quiet backbone of the crypto industry. Now they want to be banks
NewslettersFortune Crypto
Wallet makers are the quiet backbone of the crypto industry. Now they want to be banks
By Jeff John RobertsMay 18, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
7 days ago
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense and gold
Economy
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense and gold
By Eva RoytburgMay 18, 2026
17 hours ago
Current price of oil as of May 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 18, 2026
22 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: An hour in the Oval Office with the CEO-in-Chief, President Trump
Politics
EXCLUSIVE: An hour in the Oval Office with the CEO-in-Chief, President Trump
By Alyson ShontellMay 18, 2026
1 day ago
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
Travel & Leisure
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
22 hours ago
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.