Today, I’m talking with Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project and author of a new book, called When Companies Run the Courts , about the rise of forced arbitration. Brendan’s actually been on the show before — his previous book, Plunder , was about private equity taking over huge swaths of American life, and that conversation is among our most popular episodes. Forced arbitration...
Today, I’m talking with Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project and author of a new book, called When Companies Run the Courts , about the rise of forced arbitration. Brendan’s actually been on the show before — his previous book, Plunder , was about private equity taking over huge swaths of American life, and that conversation is among our most popular episodes. Forced arbitration is similarly everywhere in modern life. Deep in every single terms of service for almost any product you buy or service you use there’s a clause that says that by buying or using the thing, you’re giving up your right to join a class-action suit if something goes wrong and instead you and the company have to go to arbitration. Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Decoder wherever you get your podcasts. Head here . Not a subscriber? You can sign up here . There have been some really high-profile cases these past few years highlighting how deeply unfair these clauses are to consumers. One you’ll hear Brendan talk about — which we also covered here on The Verge — was the very sad instance where a man’s wife died of an allergic reaction after eating at a Disney World restaurant. When the man sued, Disney tried to force him into arbitration instead, arguing that because he’d signed up for streaming service Disney+ many years earlier, he’d waived his right to sue. Disney changed their tune after massive public pushback, as you may remember. But there are thousands or maybe millions of other, lower-profile instances every year where consumers and employees have completely lost their right to redress if something goes wrong. Brendan’s book really delves into how and why we got here — spoiler: we can blame Antonin Scalia for some of it — but also, most importantly, what we might be able to do about it in the future. Brendan and the Public Integrity Project are also in the early stages of legal action against Paramount over possible quid pro quo with t...
Are you familiar with the old saying, "Cash is king"? A great cash position makes everything easier, providing some massive advantages both in business and for individual investors. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) seems to be taking the old axiom to an extreme -- the company has a massive cash position right now that's bigger than the market capitalizations of most companies. At the e...
Are you familiar with the old saying, "Cash is king"? A great cash position makes everything easier, providing some massive advantages both in business and for individual investors. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) seems to be taking the old axiom to an extreme -- the company has a massive cash position right now that's bigger than the market capitalizations of most companies. At the end of the first quarter, Berkshire had nearly $400 billion in cash and cash equivalents. Why is Berkshire Hathaway amassing so much cash -- and what will it do with it? Continue reading
Brookfield Corporation (NYSE: BN) reported its first-quarter results on May 14. The global investment firm's earnings growth rate reaccelerated as it delivered solid results across its platform. Here's a look at the company's first-quarter results and whether now's the time to buy the financial stock . Image source: The Motley Fool. Continue reading
Brookfield Corporation (NYSE: BN) reported its first-quarter results on May 14. The global investment firm's earnings growth rate reaccelerated as it delivered solid results across its platform. Here's a look at the company's first-quarter results and whether now's the time to buy the financial stock . Image source: The Motley Fool. Continue reading
Today's Soap Operas – Coronation Streeting, Eastenders, And Succession By Michael Every of Rabobank In the UK --where the 30-year gilt yield sits at 5.74%, the highest since 1997-- politics is abuzz with rumors centre-right Health Secretary will resign to take on PM Starmer in a leadership contest, which left-wing Energy Secretary Miliband is expected to join to prevent any Coronation Streeting , ...
Today's Soap Operas – Coronation Streeting, Eastenders, And Succession By Michael Every of Rabobank In the UK --where the 30-year gilt yield sits at 5.74%, the highest since 1997-- politics is abuzz with rumors centre-right Health Secretary will resign to take on PM Starmer in a leadership contest, which left-wing Energy Secretary Miliband is expected to join to prevent any Coronation Streeting , as left-wingers Rayner and Burns may try to as well. This is 24 hours after King Charles read out the Starmer government’s legislative agenda, which includes using a Henry VIII-era statute to force the UK to readopt EU laws without (yet) wanting to rejoin. As UK political commentators put it , the struggling Labour Party needs to decide what it’s for - and depending on what happens next, it remains to be seen if that includes the markets . Indeed, several left-wingers have been openly derisory about concerns over potential Labour policies lifting gilt yields. Logically, a (successful) political party should try to understand the context in which its policies will operate. As a social media commentator points out, while Labour built the welfare state in 1945 when the UK was broke, which remains its proud legacy, “ Attlee's settlement was bankrolled by imperial surpluses, Marshall Aid, sterling's privileged role within Bretton Woods, capital controls that turned domestic savers into a captive bond market, and inflation that quietly torched the real debt. It sat on top of a state a fraction of today's size, financed by a young workforce, riding reconstruction productivity growth .” Raise your hand if you think the present geoeconomic backdrop, and that of the UK, meets those criteria – and the bond market will also get a vote. As the Financial Times relatedly underlines ‘Why global imbalances matter’, as they are the root of our geopolitical and geoeconomic problems (which, ironically, is why we rarely talk about them?), another long-running soap opera is playing in Beijing. I...
Shares of creative software giant Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) fell 3.2% in the afternoon session after rising treasury yields and renewed Iran tensions hit the software sector.
Shares of creative software giant Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) fell 3.2% in the afternoon session after rising treasury yields and renewed Iran tensions hit the software sector.
Nexon press release ( NEXOF ): Q1 revenue of ¥152.2B (+33.6% Y/Y). More on NEXON NEXON Co., Ltd. (NEXOY) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript NEXON Co., Ltd. (NEXOY) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript Historical earnings data for NEXON Dividend scorecard for NEXON Financial information for NEXON
Nexon press release ( NEXOF ): Q1 revenue of ¥152.2B (+33.6% Y/Y). More on NEXON NEXON Co., Ltd. (NEXOY) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript NEXON Co., Ltd. (NEXOY) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript Historical earnings data for NEXON Dividend scorecard for NEXON Financial information for NEXON
In January 2007, Steve Jobs walked onstage at Macworld and detonated the mobile strategy of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Google had been building a BlackBerry clone. Within months, Andy Rubin’s team scrapped it and rebuilt Android around touch. For 19 years since, Apple has held the high ground in that rivalry. Google paid roughly $20 billion a ... After 19 Years: Google Will Get Its Ultimate Revenge ...
In January 2007, Steve Jobs walked onstage at Macworld and detonated the mobile strategy of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Google had been building a BlackBerry clone. Within months, Andy Rubin’s team scrapped it and rebuilt Android around touch. For 19 years since, Apple has held the high ground in that rivalry. Google paid roughly $20 billion a ... After 19 Years: Google Will Get Its Ultimate Revenge on Apple
England and Scotland have experienced two highly controversial VAR decisions in a matter of days which could help to decide who ends the season as champions.
England and Scotland have experienced two highly controversial VAR decisions in a matter of days which could help to decide who ends the season as champions.
AlexSecret/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Fervo Energy company ( FRVO ) have seen an impressive public debut. Shares jumped about 40% on the first day of trading, as investors are very upbeat on the business trying to provide reliable and clean geothermal energy to power the American economy and AI boom. This is encouraging, but for now, the first real commercial plant still has to come online,...
AlexSecret/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Fervo Energy company ( FRVO ) have seen an impressive public debut. Shares jumped about 40% on the first day of trading, as investors are very upbeat on the business trying to provide reliable and clean geothermal energy to power the American economy and AI boom. This is encouraging, but for now, the first real commercial plant still has to come online, as this comes with real technical, economic, and valuation risks here. This makes it difficult to build conviction, as the direction of travel and the mission are good and encouraging, yet many and various hurdles still have to be overcome. I am pleased to pick up coverage post-IPO, similar to ideas we cover at Value in Corporate Events . Next Generation Geothermal Energy Fervo Energy claims to be positioned to become the next great American energy company, leading innovation and enhanced geothermal systems. This is all designed to harness abundant power at competitive costs. The company reports large potential numbers regarding repeatability, scalability, and cost reduction. These include over $7 billion in contracted revenue and 658MW under budding power purchase agreements. The vast majority, some 500MW of these, are in construction, as nearly 600k acres of land position provides for a potential of more than 40GW of energy. The company is based on the premise that American prosperity is based on affordable and reliable energy, as this is very much more apparent and needed in the current AI revolution. The company was launched in 2017, based on the technology developed in the share evolution, to bring geothermal energy as the same and cost-competitive and clean energy source, all based on standardization and simplification of its energy source. This is the same approach as the company uses, approaching a geothermal power facility as a repeatable project, not a single project. Geothermal is a clean, firm, and reliable energy source, traditionally relying on relatively rar...
India has further tightened rules for importing gold into the country, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi steps up efforts to defend the rupee amid the Middle East war. Bullion imports of over a 100 kilograms (220 pounds) will be subject to advance authorization, a government notification said, adding that any subsequent imports would be issued only after 50% exports. India’s new rules for import lic...
India has further tightened rules for importing gold into the country, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi steps up efforts to defend the rupee amid the Middle East war. Bullion imports of over a 100 kilograms (220 pounds) will be subject to advance authorization, a government notification said, adding that any subsequent imports would be issued only after 50% exports. India’s new rules for import licenses comes days after the government more than doubled import tariffs on gold and silver to defend the currency. New Delhi is weighing several emergency steps to shore up foreign-exchange reserves and limit the damage from the war in the Middle East.
Non-traded private credit funds handed more money back to investors than they raised in the first quarter — the first time outflows from the vehicles have surpassed inflows. Non-listed business development companies gave back about $7 billion over the period, while raising about $5 billion, according to a report from Robert A. Stanger & Co. “Fundraising has slowed, redemptions have risen, and for ...
Non-traded private credit funds handed more money back to investors than they raised in the first quarter — the first time outflows from the vehicles have surpassed inflows. Non-listed business development companies gave back about $7 billion over the period, while raising about $5 billion, according to a report from Robert A. Stanger & Co. “Fundraising has slowed, redemptions have risen, and for the first time, more capital left non-listed BDCs in a quarter than came in,” Stanger Chief Executive Officer Kevin Gannon said in a statement Thursday. Total redemption requests topped $15 billion for the first quarter, prompting many of the funds to enforce 5% limits on withdrawals. Investors in the vehicles, which promise some form of liquidity, rushed to get their money back this year amid mounting concerns about underwriting standards, loan quality and the lenders’ exposure to software firms ripe for disruption by advances in artificial intelligence. Inflows from dividend reinvestment — in which payouts from the vehicles are automatically re-invested — weren’t included as part of the inflows counted by Stanger. During the quarter, the Stanger NL BDC Total Return Index also posted its first negative return since the second quarter of 2022, slipping 0.03%.
da-kuk/E+ via Getty Images Introduction Dynatrace ( DT ) is an AI-powered observability platform. DT helps big companies see what is happening inside applications, cloud infrastructure, logs, security signals, and user experience. When systems get more complex, customers need tools that find problems faster—and this is where Dynatrace has generated its moat. Dynatrace is now a $2 billion-plus ARR ...
da-kuk/E+ via Getty Images Introduction Dynatrace ( DT ) is an AI-powered observability platform. DT helps big companies see what is happening inside applications, cloud infrastructure, logs, security signals, and user experience. When systems get more complex, customers need tools that find problems faster—and this is where Dynatrace has generated its moat. Dynatrace is now a $2 billion-plus ARR software company. In Q4 FY2026 , Dynatrace reported ARR of $2.054 billion, up 18% year over year and 16% constant currency. Q4 revenue was $531.7 million, up 19% year over year, and subscription revenue was $505.8 million. For FY2026, revenue was $2.018 billion and free cash flow was $529.5 million. Why the stock is interesting Activist investor Starboard Value publicly disclosed a substantial investment in Dynatrace on April 28, 2026, after Reuters reported on April 27 that it had taken a significant stake. Reuters reported that Starboard had become one of Dynatrace’s top-five shareholders, although the exact ownership percentage was not disclosed. Starboard Value raised several important points in its public letter to management and the board about improving shareholder value. Among these are the view that the market may be treating Dynatrace too harshly as an AI-risk software company, that margins can improve, that sales and marketing efficiency can be better, and that the company can be more active with capital return. I agree with Starboard Value on the first item, since AI could mean more apps, more agents, more cloud workloads, and more complexity. That can make observability more important, instead of less. When we see a business going on with current trends and their scalability, it is worth giving a look. Starboard Value shows Dynatrace trading at 16.6x CY2026E EV / free cash flow versus a 31.0x peer median. This chart shows Starboard Value’s point that Dynatrace trades at a much lower CY2026E EV/FCF multiple than the peer group, even though its expected revenue g...