Cautionary Tales

We were all shocked about WeWork’s dramatic downfall and disgusted with CEO Adam Neumann’s bloated exit package. We’ve listened to the podcast and watched the documentary about Theranos and its shyster CEO Elizabeth Holmes. But let’s be honest, when both companies first launched we were enamored with their promise and seemingly endless possibilities. Reading fair and balanced reporting on these kinds of companies can help you keep your emotional leanings out of your stock purchases and trades.

Check out this informative article “WeWork debacle exposes why investing in a charismatic founder can be dangerous” published by a refreshing kind of news organization called The Conversation and here’s a bit of its mission statement:

Importantly, The Conversation is committed to information transparency and credibility. Authors are only allowed to write on a subject on which they have proven expertise. They must sign a disclosure statement outlining any relevant funding or affiliations. We ourselves disclose all of The Conversation US’ funders on our homepage and elsewhere. Our goals are summed up in our editorial charter.

This probably doesn’t replace The New York Times and other more established news sites, but it might be a good secondary source for your research.