Alumnus Charles Handy, a “management guru” whose work “favored counseling over consulting for leaders,” has died at the age of 92, reports Andrew Hill for the Financial Times. Handy’s “many insights into organizations, offered in public lectures and a series of books and articles, were practical, prescient and often provocative,” writes Hill.
Alumnus Charles Handy – a "writer, social philosopher and management theorist” – has died at age 92, reports Glenn Rifkin for The New York Times. Handy, “presciently imagined a brave new corporate world where employees worked remotely, jobs were outsourced and workers had ‘portfolio careers,’ working for themselves and contracting their skills to companies, explains Rifkin.
TIME has named Lisa Su ’90 SM ’91 PhD ’94, chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, the 2024 CEO of the year. “It was at MIT that Su first experienced a semiconductor lab, where she was taken by the idea that such a tiny piece of hardware could carry so much mathematical firepower,” writes Billy Perrigo. “I was really lucky early in my career,” says Su. “Every two years, I did a different thing.” Su adds: “I felt like I was in training for the opportunity to do something meaningful in the semiconductor industry. And AMD was my shot.”
Anna Sun '23 co-founded Nowadays, an AI-powered event planner, reports Julie Bort for TechCrunch. Nowadays “emails venues, caterers, and the like to gather bids,” explains Bort. “It will even make phone calls to nudge a response to unanswered emails. It then organizes the information and presents it to the event planner, who can make decisions and sign contracts.”
TSP Smart Spaces, a home automation company founded by Michael Oh '95 has been named to Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston Home 2025 list, reports Jaci Conry, Cheryl Fention, Marni Elyse Katz, Angela Athena Mats, and Stefanie Schwalb for Boston Magazine. TSP Smart Spaces uses “the ideal technology solutions while simultaneously making the user experience simple, comprehensive, and value-driven ensures even the most tech-hesitant homeowner feels automatically savvy,” they write.
Financial Times reporter Seb Murray highlights a new paper by Prof. Roberto Rigobon and Research Scientist Florian Berg that explores why different ESG ratings can paint different pictures of the same company, finding that “measurement differences between rating agencies are the main source of divergence.” Murray notes that “by exposing these inconsistencies, the research highlights the need for standardization, noting that regulators could help by harmonizing ESG disclosure practices. That would make ratings more reliable and useful for decision makers.”
Prof. Donald Sull speaks with Fortune reporter Lila Maclellan about his research studying the impact of evolving business models in a company’s success. “Business history is littered with the corpses of companies that have fallen prey to active inertia,” reports Sull.
Prof. Stuart Madnick speaks with Boston Globe reporter Scooty Nickerson about how to prevent and address data breaches. “Do not put all your eggs in one basket,” says Madnick. “Assume they are breaking in, and make it so they can’t break into every one of [your] systems.”
MIT has been named the number 2 university in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of the country’s top universities and colleges, reports Ross Cristantiello for Boston.com
MIT has been named to the second spot in U.S News & World Report’s “Best National University Rankings,” reports Frank O’Laughlin for Boston 25 News.
MIT was named the number 2 university in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best colleges and universities in the country, reports Travis Andersen for The Boston Globe.
Prof. Deborah Ancona provides advice for the new Starbucks CEO in an interview with Fast Company’s Nicole Gull McElroy. Recommending the “sensemaking” leadership strategy, she says “you need to understand the company culture, its business model, its customers…even if you have been successful at one company, there is a need to learn, or ‘sensemake,’ about your new place.”
Prof. Kristin Forbes speaks with Reuters reporters Ann Saphir and Howard Schneider about the Federal Reserve’s decision to lower borrowing costs. “It's not one thing that causes everyone to move,” says Forbes. “It's different people focus on different data, different indicators, different risks, and then they all end up in the same place.”
Prof. Kristin Forbes speaks with Associated Press reporter Christopher Rugaber about the Federal Reserve’s announcement declaring the end of the three-year inflation surge. “It really has been a remarkable success, how inflation went up, has come back, and is around the target,” says Forbes. “But from the viewpoint of households, it has not been so successful. Many have taken a big hit to their wages. Many of them feel like the basket of goods they buy is now much more expensive.”
Forbes contributor Peter High spotlights research by Senior Research Scientist Peter Weill, covering real-time decision-making, the importance of digitally savvy leadership and the potential of generative AI. High notes Weill’s advice to keep up. “The gap between digitally advanced companies and those lagging is widening, and the consequences of not keeping pace are becoming more severe. ‘You can’t get left behind on being real time,’ he warned.”