#asia

Nothing new has been released in the last 5 years and the existing products are bad.

It has been several years since the LeBron James Innovation Center declared itself the “epicenter of Nike’s innovation engine,” yet remarkably little innovation has managed to crawl out alive. The building may carry the name of a generational talent, but its output often feels like the corporate equivalent of a benchwarmer taking credit for the championship.

Inside sits a particularly self-righteous class of professional spectators who appear convinced that their titles, salaries, and proximity to an expensive building make them indispensable. Many function as little more than human forwarding addresses: incapable of producing the work themselves, but highly skilled at shipping it to Asia, scheduling check-ins about it, and eventually presenting the finished result as evidence of their own “leadership.”

The Asia and factory teams perform the experimentation, engineering, troubleshooting, and execution. Meanwhile, these overpaid PowerPoint undertakers bury the names of the people who did the work, exhume the finished product, and parade it through Beaverton wearing someone else’s achievement like a stolen suit.

Perhaps that is the Innovation Center’s only genuine breakthrough: developing a world-class system for transferring labor downward, credit upward, and accountability absolutely nowhere. If the building disappeared tomorrow, the factories would probably continue innovating without interruption. The only immediate crisis would be a sudden shortage of meetings, inflated job titles, and people available to applaud themselves.

Strip away the architectural spectacle, corporate jargon, and masturbatory storytelling, and what remains looks less like innovation than corporate theft dressed in designer sportswear. Stealing other people’s work, laundering it through PowerPoint, and attaching an executive’s name to it may be the only process this building has actually perfected.

Saudi Aramco offers 'crude oil' outside the Strait of Hormuz through private negotiating to some Asian refiners, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. This is similar to Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) of United Arab Emirates.

https://www.marinelink.com/blogs/blog/saudi-aramco-sells-crude-oil-to-asian-refiners-outside-of-hormuz-105327

https://services.global.ntt/en-us/newsroom/ntt-data-appoints-seelan-nayagam-as-asia-pacific-ceo

What to expect for Asia region layoff for this latest round of cut?

Anyone heard anything?

Consolidate all production under the Asia region and aligning reporting into a single Manufacturing hierarchy could improve speed, clarity, and execution.

More and more contractors are being moved to different recruiting companies that will ultimately be their last stop. Contracts will expire and not be renewed and in some cases will be cancelled outright. If you have had three or more different recruiting companies under your tenure with HP then you will likely be next on the chopping block. Your $100,000 salary will be taken from you and fed into Asia.

I just received a list of new hires in my division at State Street and it appears that only 12.5% had Anglican names. Based upon the names, most of the new hires are Indians and Asians.

I am curious to see what will happen with the tighter H-1B policies.

30 Oct , mark your calendar.

This time it's China again

http://techrights.org/n/2025/10/10/Another_Wave_of_Microsoft_Layoffs_This_Time_During_National_Day.shtml

SINGAPORE - US energy giant ExxonMobil has begun production at a new plant in Singapore to convert heavy residue that is left after refining of crude oil into higher-value lubricant base stocks and lower-sulphur fuels.

The plant’s start-up marks the completion of the multibillion-dollar Singapore Resid Upgrade Project announced in 2019. The project was originally scheduled to be completed in 2023 but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected many large projects here.

ExxonMobil said the new plant on Jurong Island will increase its Singapore base stocks production capacity by 20,000 barrels per day (bpd). The higher production will include up to 6,000 bpd of a new-to-industry lubricant base stock for engine oils and greases used in commercial vehicles and industrial sectors.

The new plant will also enable the refining complex to increase production of ultra-low sulphur diesel and products that can also be used for lorries, construction vehicles and power generation turbines.

ExxonMobil’s Singapore refinery produces fuels and base stocks for industrial and automotive lubricants, and aromatics that are marketed within Singapore and exported to countries across the Asia-Pacific region.

The company said the plant, which uses a first-of-its-kind technology, is a strategic investment in Singapore and represents ExxonMobil’s ongoing efforts to transform its manufacturing assets to better meet the demand for high-quality fuels.

Ms Geraldine Chin, chairwoman and managing director of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific, said: “No other company in the world can do what we’ve done in Singapore.”

She added: “We will deliver innovative products to the market by deploying our proprietary technology and expertise. We’re proud of the teams who helped make this possible.”

Experts believe the high-viscosity lubricant market is poised for significant growth worldwide, driven by increasing demand in the automotive and industrial sectors for enhanced equipment efficiency, durability, and performance under extreme conditions.

Asia-Pacific is a leading region where demand for these lubricants is rising amid industrial expansion, technological advancements, and a growing emphasis on environmental regulations that promote the use of high-performance, climate-friendly lubricants.

ExxonMobil is one of Singapore’s oldest and largest investors, with over $30 billion in fixed-asset investments to date. It employs about 3,500 people here, and its operations create business for about 2,000 other firms – mostly small and medium-sized enterprises. Its regional teams that trade oil and liquefied natural gas, and work on low-carbon solutions, are also based in Singapore.

https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/exxonmobil-starts-new-plant-in-singapore-to-produce-lubricants-and-cleaner-fuels

CNBC is planning new staff cuts in its international division. About two dozen jobs may be affected, mostly in London and Singapore, with some in other cities. The layoffs are focused on the digital editorial team. Because of UK labor rules, the cuts are in a consultation period before they can be finalized.

These changes come as parent company NBCUniversal prepares to spin off most of its cable networks into a new group called Versant. Bravo will remain with NBCUniversal, but CNBC and others will move. The spinoff is expected soon and is hiring around 750 new staff. Sources say the CNBC layoffs are not directly linked to the Versant launch.

The international arm of CNBC is led by Deep Bagchee, who took over in 2024. He replaced John Casey, a long-time leader at the network. Bagchee has been guiding CNBC’s global coverage in a media world that is shifting quickly to digital.

The outcome of the consultation process will decide how many people lose their jobs. For now, CNBC is trying to cut costs while still aiming to keep its reputation as a top source for business news worldwide.

https://cordcuttersnews.com/comcast-is-laying-off-more-staff-at-cnbc/