Arbitrary rules and happy holidays — #74

Hello,

This is the last newsletter I will send during 2022. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you for sending encouraging feedback, sharing it with friends, and consistently opening and reading. It means a lot!

I'm giving myself a holiday break, planning to do very little productive thinking until at least next year.

I changed almost everything this year: leaving a fun full-time job in Stockholm and moving to Berlin to start my own company. It wasn't part of some big intentional plan to change; it just happened one small thing at a time. So it is true what they say on Pinterest, "a lot can happen in a year" and "sometimes good things fall apart, so better things can fall together".

And I've gotten incredible support from friends and family.

I'm grateful for having the courage to venture out into the unknown, and I'm excited to see what's in the stars for 2023. And if you are thinking about changing even the tiniest thing, I recommend trying it. You never know where you might be in a year ...

Happy Holidays!

Anna

Elon Musk suspended the Twitter accounts of critical journalists, bringing them back after poll

TECHNOLOGY / FREE SPEECH

On Thursday, Twitter subjectively suspended several prominent journalists without explanation or warning. It affected over half a dozen reporters at The Washington Post, New York Times, CNN and other publications who had recently written or tweeted about the drama surrounding billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform.

Quickly, politicians worldwide started to weigh in on Twitter’s decision to ban the accounts. The UN and the EU condemned the move – the EU threatened sanctions. Several US lawmakers fired comments at Musk, accusing the self-proclaimed free speech supporter of hypocrisy. A spokesperson from the US State Department also made rare critical remarks. Musk claims the bans involve sharing real-time location information endangering his family. Related to the closing on the Twitter account that followed the real-time movement of Musk’s private jet. However, looking at the tweet history from the suspended accounts, there is no reason behind this narrative.

Later in the week, Elon Musk brought some journalists back to Twitter after using a Twitter poll to decide their fate.

Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin confirms interfering with US elections

GEOPOLITICS / DISINFORMATION

On Monday, Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin declared he had historically interfered in US elections and would continue doing so in future. This is the first admission from a public figure about Russia's active efforts to influence American politics.

On the eve of the US midterm elections, in response to questions from a Russian news site, Prigozhin's remark was posted as a comment on the Russian Social media VKontakte: "We have interfered (in US elections), we are interfering, and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically, and in our own way, as we know how to do."

Prigozhin – often referred to as "Putin's chef" since his catering company operates Kremlin contracts – has been formally accused of sponsoring Russia-based "troll farms" that seek to influence US politics. And he has been hit by US, British and European Union sanctions. In July, the US State Department offered a reward of up to USD 10 million for information connecting Prigozhin to "engagement in US election interference."

Previously, Prigozhin has kept a low public profile, but in September, he admitted to founding the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-aligned mercenary organisation active in Syria, Africa and Ukraine. And he has become increasingly outspoken about the Ukraine war, including criticising the performance of Russia's generals.

Ethical brands are statistically 7.1% more profitable, according to a new report

BUSINESS / ETHICS

According to Ethisphere's Ethics index, the publicly-traded companies recognised among the 2022 World's Most Ethical Companies outperformed a comparable index of large-cap companies by 24.6 percentage points between January 2017 to January 2022, creating a substantial five-year premium on ethical stocks. On average, the companies on Ethisphere's list consistently outperformed correlative companies by around 7.1 per cent per year over the last 5 years.

Since Ethisphere assesses companies based on self-reported data and a survey, the results should be interpreted with a bit of scepticism. Still, the result could be seen as a general indication that investing in good business practices makes sense from both an ethical and financial perspective.

The outperformance, referred to as the "Ethics Premium," is believed to result from the companies actively investing in their people, culture, and communities. And it has remained consistent since Ethisphere began tracking the equity performance of companies they recognise as ethical – 15 years ago. Moreover, the data shows that those practices, over time, lead to more robust financial performance.

Building your business on ethical foundations - from sustainability to diversity - is key to improving a brand's relationships with customers, employees, and business partners. And the benefits don't stop at profits. Employees tend to remain loyal to and perform more effectively for a company with a high standard of ethics.

Double-check the headlines

Just making sure you didn't miss any major world events this week.

• The European Union adopts a global minimum 15% tax on big business to stop governments from cutting taxes to attract companies.

• The United States National Ignition Facility achieved carbon-free energy from fusion, the nuclear process that powers stars.

• The United Nations member states voted to exclude Iran from membership in the Commission on the Status of Women just months after it joined.

• The QAnon believer who led the January 6 mob at the United States Capitol was sentenced to five years in prison.

• The United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates by half a point, taking it to a targeted range between 4.25% and 4.5% – the highest level in 15 years. Still, the raise was expected, suggesting inflation might be slowing.

• About 300 tourists have been stranded in Machu Picchu after Peru entered a state of emergency following the ousting of the country's president.

• On Tuesday, the United States Senate passed a bill recognising marriage regardless of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin, requiring all states to recognize valid marriages conducted in places where they are legal.

One long

LOS ANGELES TIMES

How Amazon put Ukraine's 'government in a box' — and saved its economy from Russia

Five short

1. Read

When I finish my yearly Christmas re-read of Franny and Zooey, Amy Zegart's book Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence is at the top of my holiday reading list.

2. Listen

If my 2022 had a soundtrack, this would be it.

3. Remember

Most of us feel awkward in social settings, and holiday parties might be the peak of discomfort. The Guardian has written a good guide on How to party if you’re shy, socially awkward – or just plain boring.

4. Change

You probably read the intro, start with something small and progress from there.

5. Try

After being constantly cold for months, I finally caved and bought myself a set of flannel sheets. I don't want to encourage anyone reading this newsletter to buy things you don't need. But if you have kept the indoor temperature low to save energy all fall, I might make an exception this one time. These are the ones I bought. I'm hoping they'll last me a lifetime.