Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
Google just pumped a bunch of money into Airbnb
Airbnb just got a big cash infusion — and Google is one of its big investors. According to a report from Fortune, the company has raised $555 million at a $30 billion valuation, part of a desired $850 million round that it filed to raise last month. Google Capital and Technology Crossover Read More...
Jamnation builds a fair-trade jam empire from the Bayview
“Have you ever seen a Geami roll?” asks Gillian Reynolds, as she pulls out a box of what looks like ripped paper. Reynolds owns 2-year-old Jamnation, a jam company in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. The Geami roll is biodegradable packing material that she uses instead of Read More...
3 more companies commit to 100% renewables
Apple, Bank of America and Amalgamated Bank have pledged to go 100 percent renewable, joining the RE100 group. Bank of America also announced it will be "carbon neutral" by 2020, while Apple announced new commitments to power its supply chain with renewable energy. "Apple is committed to running on Read More...
MIT will give $1M to four startups that are combatting poverty
Chobani wants to help fledgling food businesses that share its values to get a head start in the market. Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani's founder and CEO, launched the Chobani Food Incubator to mentor and support food entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo in the food industry, which often creates Read More...
Lyft president: Car ownership will 'all-but end' in cities by 2025
The driverless car revolution is coming, and Lyft's president now predicts it will "all-but end" car ownership in cities by 2025. "We see car ownership as a burden that is costing the average American $9,000 every year. The car has actually become more like a $9,000 ball and chain that gets Read More...
Companies that do well for the world pay less for top talent
An analysis of posting on job sites shows that ads featuring descriptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities got more responses from highly qualified applicants. Most of them were willing to work for less than top dollar. In one experiment, candidates who received information about Read More...
Why Socially Responsible Companies Pay Less for Top Talent
Let’s say you’re interviewing two highly qualified applicants, Smith and Jones, for the same job. Mr. Smith shows a clear interest in making a positive mark on the wider world including, for example, listing extensive volunteer work on his resume. Ms. Jones’ whole career, by Read More...
Pittsburgh residents get ready for driverless Uber cars
Very soon, residents of this hilly city will become the first Americans to test out Uber's self-driving car service. It is a historic moment not just for the ride-hailing company, but also for robotic cars in general. For many people, the technology will finally become a reality, one they can Read More...
How Kickstarter became one of the biggest powers in publishing
Four months after launching on Kickstarter, a children’s book that tells the stories of 100 inspiring women has raised more than $1m (£754,000), making it the biggest publishing project in the crowdfunding site’s history. Almost 20,000 backers from 71 countries around the world have signed up Read More...
How to make the sharing economy more inclusive
In theory, people who make lower incomes have a lot to gain from the sharing economy. If you can't afford, say, a monthly car payment, then hiring a car from a neighbor is the next best thing, and there are now many ways to do that, like Getaround. Research by N.Y.U. researchers Samuel Fraiberger Read More...