2025 QUIZ: women on boards, ESG regression, DEI rebrands, plus 2026 headline predictions

What this episode covers

2025 REVIEW QUIZ: True or False: Nearly half of directors think their board adds insufficient value. What percentage of directors said their board adds no value at all? A) 10% B) 18% C) 31% D) 69% (nice) True or False: Women run 11% of Fortune 500 companies in 2025. True — 11%. Don’t clap. Women hold 24% of CEO pipeline roles but only ___% of promotions. A) 24% B) 16% C) 8% D) 0%, if the board had its way Which company plans to automate up to 90% of privacy and societal risk reviews using AI? A) OpenAI B) Meta C) Google D) Twitter (sorry, “X”) Why did BlackRock get removed from Texas’ boycott list? A) Legal challenge B) Accounting error C) ESG retreat D) They promised not to say “climate” out loud Why did PepsiCo say it delayed its net-zero target from 2040 to 2050? A) The board miscalculated emissions B) Shareholders voted against climate goals C) A change in climate accounting rules D) “The systems around us” weren’t ready True or False: UK financial regulators scrapped mandatory rules because “DEI paperwork is annoying.” True: UK financial regulators scrapped mandatory DEI rules citing regulatory burden. The new acronym JPMorgan prefers over “DEI” is: D&I EDI DOI “Diversity, Opportunity & Inclusion” “Please Stop Asking” Which word even became unsafe during federal climate language purges? A) Sustainability B) Climate C) Resilience D) All of them, coward Which CEO criticized ISS and Glass Lewis as “incompetent”? A) Elon Musk B) Jamie Dimon C) Larry Fink D) All men eventually Which phrase best describes modern CEO accountability? A) Robust B) Improving C) Optional D) Decorative Haw many women have founded and led a Fortune 500 company? one Bonus: Who was that woman? Marion Sandler: Co‑founder and co‑CEO (with her husband Herbert Sandler) of Golden West Financial. True or False: Board gender diversity plateaued around 30%. True — Progress hit a ceiling and called it success. What % of Russell 3000 boards have 50% women? 6% 15% 22% Enough to declare victory True or False: MI6 appointed its first female chief in 2025. True — MI6 got there before corporate America. Blaise Metreweli Which ESG metric disappeared first from earnings calls? Diversity statistics Emissions targets Human rights language All of the above, but quietly The most common excuse for oversized boards: Complexity Global reach “We need all these people” Founder feelings Which industry saw the biggest rollback in ESG commitments? Energy Finance Consumer packaged goods Tech pretending it’s neutral What’s the fastest-growing category of CEO compensation? Cash bonuses Stock options Performance shares “Retention” awards for staying What’s the most common DEI rebrand in 2025? Belonging Culture Talent strategy Risk management What actually drives CEO pay upward during stock declines? Peer benchmarking “Retention risk” Board discretion Fear Why are women overrepresented in “glass cliff” roles? Risk tolerance Crisis optics Limited pipeline Convenient scapegoating What is the most accurate definition of “independent director” in 2025? No financial ties No employment ties No visible conflict No intention of rocking the boat Scoring Rubric 23–25 correct: “Governance Adult” You actually listen. Disturbing. 18–22 correct: “Proxy Advisor Apologist” You skimmed. You nodded. You missed the point. 13–17 correct: “Boardroom Vibes Guy” You believe independence is a feeling. 8–12 correct: “CEO Whisperer” You think pay packages are earned and boards try their best. Below 8: “Kimbal Musk” Please stop hosting the show Which of these headlines are most likely to occur in 2026: Elon Musk announces Groxxx69, the latest iteration of Grok AI dedicated entirely to porn, 69, weed, pro wrestling, Call of Duty, and matchbox cars: 2 DoorDash announces a 12 year $8.4bn pay package for CEO Tony Xu: 9 DoorDash announces cutting staff 80% due to AI: 8 Costco Caves to Trump, Cuts DEI: 1 ISS and Glass Lewis announce new zero page voting policy: 5 Brian Cornell resigns from Target board: 7 CEO of McDonald’s refuses to resign after admitting to affair with other executives: 8 Sam Altman says he is terrified: 6 Shareholders overwhelming vote out directors early in proxy season: 9 Tim Cook announces retirement in 2028: 1