Business and management

Prof. Emeritus Paul Osterman speaks with Fortune reporter Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez about how a number of company layoff announcements recently have blamed the introduction of AI technologies for staff reductions. He notes that some layoffs are also likely tied to the increasing number of contract, gig and temporary workers used by employers, who can be cut at any moment. “We created a stable employment system of high wages and shared prosperity in the past,” he said. “That’s what we should be thinking about doing now.” 

Fortune reporter Preston Fore spotlights Lisa Su ’90, SM ’91, PhD ’94, Advanced Micro Devices CEO, who was named to Fortune’s “2026 Most Powerful Women” list. “After immigrating from Taiwan to the U.S. with her family at a young age, Lisa Su spent her early years fascinated by technology. She studied electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, obtaining her bachelor’s and PhD focused on semiconductors,” writes Fore. Since being named president of AMD in 2014, Su has “led the company to the forefront of computing and the AI revolution.” 

John Richardson, a senior lecturer in Sloan, and Attia Qureshi co-authored a piece for CNBC with tips on how to say "no" in negotiations. "Saying “no” can be hard for many people. We want to be polite, even if we think a proposal is unattractive," they write. "The goal here is to give an unequivocable “no” in a way that lets you gracefully exit the interaction, while still preserving the relationship." 

Writing for Bloomberg, Prof. Paul Osterman examines the rising use of contractors, freelancers and gig-workers by employers around the country. “While not all workers need to be forced into standard employment, they deserve some minimum level of protection and benefits—that includes gig workers and freelancers, who often don’t have any,” Osterman notes. “Workers need not pay a high price so employers can secure the flexibility they need.”

Yuly Fuentes-Medel of the MIT Climate Project speaks with GBH Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan about her work focused on improving sustainability in the footwear industry, and making running shoes more eco-friendly. 

According to the 2026 QS World University Rankings, MIT has been earned a No. 1 global ranking in 12 subject areas, including chemical engineering; chemistry; civil and structural engineering; computer science and information systems; data science and artificial intelligence; electrical and electronic engineering; engineering and technology; linguistics; materials science; mechanical, aeronautical, and manufacturing engineering; mathematics; and physics and astronomy, reports Michael T. Nietzel for Forbes.

Visiting Senior Lecturer Paul McDonagh-Smith speaks with Newsweek reporter Adam Mills about how AI implementation across organizations can have impacts on business oversight and governance. “The organizations I’ve seen moving fastest have built governance systems early enough that they become a permission structure, rather than a constraint,” says McDonagh-Smith. 

Boston Globe reporter Jon Chesto spotlights the MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship’s delta v startup accelerator program, which is designed to help early-stage startups find success in the Boston area. With financial support from Klaviyo co-founders Ed Hallen MBA ’12, and Andrew Bialecki, the program will “help support more customizing, to better tailor the program for each entrepreneur, as well as a broadening of its professional network, to support mentorship from industry veterans for the participating startups,” writes Chesto. 

MIT has been ranked the No. 1 university in “arts and humanities, business and economics, and social sciences” in Times Higher Education’s Rankings by Subject for 2026, reports Patrick Jack for Times Higher Education. 

Prof. Yossi Sheffi speaks with Boston Globe reporter Claire Thornton about fraud and crime in the digital age, and its impact on supply chain management. According to Sheffi, “instead of crimes that rely on physical covertness, breaking and entering, violence, or the threat of it, digital-age criminals are finding more success posing as legitimate members of the supply chain in order to trick businesses,” writes Thronton. 

Institute Prof. Daron Acemoglu speaks with Carl Higbie of Newsmax about the long-term profitability of new AI technologies, noting that AI's long-term success will ultimately be decided not by technological promise, but by whether AI tools can deliver sustainable profits. "Integrating AI actually is very difficult," Acemoglu explains. "You need to understand your organization, what your employees really add, and then bring AI to help them. Rote automation is not going to work." 

MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics Research Scientist Sreedevi Rajagopalan speaks with Associated Press reporter Aya Diab about the impact of “fast shipping” options on emissions. “For the same demand, fast shipping definitely increases emissions 10 to 12%,” explains Rajagopalan. “Given that companies want to be competitive in terms of speed, it comes at the cost of your efficiency. Vans are half full, and you make multiple rounds, multiple trips to the same location … your fuel consumption goes up, and you’re not able to consolidate.”

Fortune contributor Andrew Winston highlights an analysis from the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, part of MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics, examining the role of sustainability in supply chains. The researchers found that “85% of companies were maintaining or accelerating sustainable supply chain practices.”

Prof. Emeritus Paul Osterman speaks with The Boston Globe reporter Scotty Nickerson about increased employment opportunities in nursing homes and residential care facilities. “Baby boomers and retirements are going to increase demand, and a lot of folks are going to need longer-term health care,” says Osterman.

Prof. Desirée Plata, director of MIT’s Methane Network, spoke with Boston Globe reporter Kate Selig about how regional supermarkets are addressing their methane footprints. Plata notes that “grocers could make an impact through improving their waste management practices. And beyond operational changes, she said supermarkets can help shape the public’s understanding of climate issues,” Selig writes. “Most people go to the grocery store,” says Plata. “They have this great opportunity to educate people.”