Episodes
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Does My Vote Change My Payroll?
Quick: can you name your state representative? Cindy couldn’t. By the end of this episode, you’ll see why that person may matter more to your business than whoever wins Congress. With the midterms here, Cindy Goodwin-Sak and Jaime Peters do the homework before the outrage. Since 1914, both…
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Cut the Layer, Keep the Ladder: The Great Unbossing, Round Two
Block CEO Jack Dorsey says his ideal setup would be all 6,000 employees reporting directly to him. If he held monthly one-on-ones, that’s close to 300 a day. He isn’t the only leader thinking along these lines. Uber cut about 3,300 roles to remove layers and flatten the company. Block cut roughly...
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Cut Now, Pay Later: The AI Layoff Boomerang
Over the last three years, Ford brought in or brought back about 350 experienced engineers. They weren’t there to build something new. They were there to catch what Ford’s automated quality systems were missing. CEO Jim Farley credits that effort with saving hundreds of millions of dollars in...
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Please Regulate Us: Why AI's Biggest Rivals Just Asked for a Referee
We’re back after a fun-filled summer of activities. We have so many questions!!! On September 12, three men who agree on almost nothing (Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk) all said the same thing within hours: the AI industry should slow down. Even Rahm Emanuel said he’d never seen an...
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Houston, We Have a Loophole
The largest IPO in history is about to launch and Jaime and Cindy aren't strapping in quietly. SpaceX hits the Nasdaq on June 12 at a $1.75 trillion valuation, except the "space company" is now really three companies in a trench coat: rockets and Starlink, the platform formerly known as Twitter,...
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Sole Searching
What do you get when a $4 billion wool sneaker brand sells its entire identity for $39 million and reinvents itself as an AI GPU rental company…in 16 days? Finance expert Jaime Peters and leadership researcher Cindy Goodwin-Sak untangle the wild, woolly tale of Allbirds' transformation into…
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More Customers, Worse Numbers
OpenAI may be the most talked-about company in tech, but even visionary companies have to pass the budget test. In this episode, Dr. Cindy Goodwin-Sak and Dr. Jaime Peters pick up where they left off on OpenAI’s business model and go deeper, this time into the IPO mechanics that could affect...
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OpenAI's Data Center Gamble
What does it actually take to run an AI company? And can OpenAI afford it? This week, Cindy Goodwin-Sak and Jaime Peters kick off a multi-part series diving into the business of being an AI company, not just using one. It all started with a CNBC article on OpenAI’s data center pivot that had them...
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Daylight Saving Time: Scam, Tradition, or Terrible Policy?
Twice a year, society agrees to a completely unnecessary group project. This week on Seriously, What Could They Be Thinking?, Dr. Cindy Goodwin-Sak and Dr. Jaime Peters tackle daylight saving time: the policy that promises efficiency, delivers exhaustion, and somehow survives year after year.…
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Why Employers are Frustrated...
Employers are noticing a troubling pattern. Graduates and young professionals increasingly ask for step-by-step instructions for everything, from routine assignments to basic workplace decisions. Tasks that once required judgment and initiative now often trigger a request for detailed guidance.…
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The Algorithm Is Haggling With You
Picture this: Chicago. Christmas week. Wind doing its best to remove your face. Your kids are lobbying hard for an Uber like it’s a humanitarian need. And somewhere in the background, an algorithm is quietly asking: How much will she pay before she gives up and starts walking? In this episode,...
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Empty Shelves, Full Carts
Nothing says holiday spirit like spending money, or getting elbowed by a grandma over a discounted air fryer. In this episode of Seriously, What Could They Be Thinking?, Jaime Peters and Cindy Goodwin-Sak dig into why some stores looked bare before Thanksgiving while others seemed overstocked…
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AI: Bubble, Revolution, or Mass Hallucination?
Is AI genuinely the next industrial revolution, or are we watching another dot-com-style J curve flatten in real time? From NVIDIA’s outsized role in the market to why most companies still can’t point to productivity gains, Jaime Peters and Cindy Goodwin-Sak dig into the numbers, the psychology,...
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The K-Shaped Economy
The K-Shaped Economy: Why Some People Are Flying First Class While Others Are Just Trying to Afford Groceries In this episode of Seriously, What Could They Be Thinking?, finance expert Dr. Jaime Peters and leadership expert Dr. Cindy Goodwin-Sak dig into the emerging reality of a K-shaped…
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Kimberly-Clark Buys Kenvue:
When we heard that Kimberly-Clark wants to buy Kenvue, we had the same reaction you probably did: Wait, who’s Kenvue? And then, Seriously, What Could They be Thinking? The $48.7 Billion Question At first glance, this looks like a match made in your linen closet: diapers meet Tylenol, tissues meet...
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Work–Life Balance
This week on Seriously, What Could They Be Thinking?, Jaime Peters (finance brain with a dry wit) and Cindy Goodwin-Sak (leadership expert and recovering overachiever) take on the myth that just won’t die: work–life balance. Is it even real, or just a 1990s self-help fantasy with a corporate logo...
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Can You Get Fired for THAT?
Ever wonder why interest rates seem to dominate the headlines, or how public firings have become an American pastime? Last week, we went LIVE to unpack all the drama after the Fed’s latest two-day meeting: from their anticipated rate cut (was it a big deal?) to the chaos and uncertainty swirling...
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The 'Oh Sh*t' Leadership Moments
Ever wonder what happens when leaders say that one sentence they instantly regret—while the whole world is watching? In sports, mistakes get instant replays. In business, they get Twitter… and hashtags you definitely don’t want trending. On today’s episode, Jaime Peters and Cindy Goodwin-Sak dig...
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Roblox: The $40-Billion Wild West for Kids
Ever wondered what happens when you give 100 million kids a digital playground—and the adults can barely keep up? Meet Roblox: a global gaming phenomenon, a billion-dollar company, and a lightning rod for controversies on safety, accountability, monetization, and child labor. This week on...
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Quiet Power
Imagine this: You’re Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. The President’s threatening tariffs that could send iPhone prices skyrocketing. Investors are sweating bullets. Samsung’s popping champagne. Do you freak out? Not Tim. He plays chess while everyone else is still learning checkers. This week, Jaime…
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Are Mangers OK?!
If you've ever wondered what’s *really* going on inside your manager’s head (beyond calendar invites, KPIs, and the occasional existential crisis) you’re not alone. This week on Seriously, What Could They Be Thinking?, hosts Jaime Peters, and Cindy Goodwin-Sak dig deep into the silent struggles...
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Mandatory RTO...
After two years of proving remote work can work, companies like Amazon are saying it’s time to come back…or get out. But what are leaders really after? Is it more productivity, more innovation, or just more eyes on more cubicles? In this episode, Jaime Peters and Cindy Goodwin-Sak dive head-first...
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Why CEOs Make 271x More Than You
This week, we are diving headfirst into one of business’s hottest topics: executive compensation. Is it justifiable (or just plain outrageous) that today’s CEOs are making hundreds of times what their average employees bring home? (Spoiler: In the US, the CEO-to-worker pay ratio hit 271:1…
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The Federal Reserve, Trump, Powell, and the Battle for Your Wallet
What do Alexander Hamilton, JP Morgan, and President Trump all have in common? They’ve each dramatically influenced America’s rollercoaster history with central banking, interest rates, and financial drama…even if Hamilton never saw the modern Fed himself (that’s news to Cindy…). 🤣 In this…
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The Warehouse Wars
In this episode, we're diving into a silent battle between two titans of retail: Costco and Walmart. It's not just a clash of carts but a strategic showdown of loyalty vs. scale, living wages vs. rock-bottom prices. But who’s truly winning in the break room and on the balance sheet? Join hosts...
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Flight Fight: United vs. American at 30,000 Feet
Fasten your seatbelts! Today’s episode is taking off into turbulent skies as we debate the strategic routes of two airline giants: American Airlines and United Airlines. Jamie is banking on Team American, championing cost discipline and strategic caution. Cindy, meanwhile, is soaring with Team...
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Pulling Back the Curtain on Layoffs
In today's episode of "Seriously, What Could They Be Thinking?", we tackle a topic that sends a chill down everyone’s spine: layoffs. We're diving deep to uncover what's really driving those tough decisions behind closed doors. Why do companies resort to layoffs, and what impact do they have on...
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Tariffs, Costs, and the Inevitable Reckoning for Retail Giants
In this episode, we explore a scenario no CEO wants to face: a sudden tariff imposition resulting in a 10% cost increase across all their products. Join us as we explore the tough decisions business leaders have to make. Do they pass these costs on to consumers, risking backlash and lost market...
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The $8.5 Billion Oops
💸 They paid $8.5 billion. They sold it for just $1 billion. What went wrong? In 2015, Dollar Tree set out to build a discount retail empire by acquiring Family Dollar. Ten years—and billions of dollars in losses—later, the dream was over. In this episode of Seriously, What Could They Be…
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TACO Trades: The Tariff Rollercoaster That’s Driving Execs Crazy
One day tariffs are soaring; the next, they’re gone. Welcome to TACO Trades, the acronym quietly whispered in corporate boardrooms, standing for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” As tariffs flip-flop unpredictably, executives across America are stuck in strategic limbo. In this episode, we explore the...
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Inside Nvidia’s High-Stakes Play
Ever see a business headline and immediately wonder, “Seriously, what could they be thinking?” You’re not alone. This week’s episode explores Nvidia’s ($NVDA) recent earnings call: Key questions explored: * Is Nvidia positioned to dominate the global AI infrastructure race? * Are the internal...
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Can Berkshire Thrive Without the Oracle?
What happens when the world’s most legendary investor steps aside? In this episode, we dive deep into the transition of power at Berkshire Hathaway, from Warren Buffett to his hand-picked successor, Greg Abel. While Buffett has long been the face of value investing and steady leadership, Abel now...
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The Price of Protection
When the U.S. ramps up tariffs on Chinese goods, companies don’t just adjust spreadsheets, they make leadership decisions under fire. In our latest episode of Seriously, What Could They Be Thinking? 🎙️ Jamie and I break down how Walmart…yes, Walmart….is navigating the quiet chaos of trade…
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About this show
Welcome to the podcast that unpacks the wildest, weirdest, and most fascinating business decisions through the lens of leadership and finance.
whatcouldtheybethinking.substack.com
Hosted by
Cindy Goodwin-Sak & Jaime Peters
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