Economics

When Mark Zuckerberg announced his “free speech” overhaul to Meta’s content moderation in January, the unexpected pivot was the culmination of months of planning with a tight-knit inner circle driven by one key adviser: Republican lobbyist Joel Kaplan.  According to interviews with multiple current and former Meta employees, Kaplan has risen over the past decade…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China’s President Xi Jinping has declined an initial invitation to visit Brussels for a summit to mark the 50th anniversary of ties, as the EU questions the sincerity of recent Chinese overtures. Beijing told EU…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Saudi Arabia has arrested more than 50 suspects for crimes including prostitution and begging after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the creation of a unit to police “immoral acts”, following years of loosening the…

Hundreds of US companies have removed references to “diversity, equity and inclusion” from their annual reports in a rapid pullback from the corporate values that have become a target of President Donald Trump’s administration. More than 200 of America’s largest corporate groups have culled mentions of DEI and related terms such as “diversity”, according to…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world Half of all Mexican exports to the US last year did not arrive under North America’s free trade deal and therefore still face an immediate risk of 25 per cent tariffs imposed by…

Audrey Louail has finally managed to hire the technology workers she needs. That is only possible because her rivals are cutting headcount. “I had a lot of problems recruiting last year, but now there are enough people on the market,” said the chief executive of IT services group Ecritel. A poll of the Croissance Plus…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Europe needs a “big bang moment” to boost long-term investment in companies and capitalise on this year’s surge in the region’s stock markets, according to the head of Germany’s stock exchange. Stephan Leithner, chief executive…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. One of the joys of being a columnist is that you get to have opinions you might not have known you had otherwise. Writing can be an excellent way of working out how you feel…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. There is no pleasant way to be fired. But imagine how much worse it must be to get the sack as your employer declares it is axing poor performers. For thousands of workers this year,…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world Donald Trump on Saturday invoked a centuries-old law to detain and deport members of a Venezuelan gang, but his executive order was swiftly blocked by a federal judge. Trump’s order cited the Alien…