#news

And this is not going to help. Apparently, these people are not aware that many police departments don’t even respond to vehicle thefts, you are told to come into the police department to make a report. Sounds like desperation to appear like there is a subscription product there, The News didn’t even put it behind the paywall:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2025/12/12/ford-uses-tech-cooperation-with-police-to-thwart-f-150-pickup-thieves/87732049007/

Well, 2025 is almost over. It's time to revisit the 2025 predictions and make new ones for 2026.

I don't really know which rule the predictions thread violated, but the original 2025 Predictions thread disappeared after being up for a really long time. Not sure what happened there. Someone partially resurrected it here: https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1k38aeyac

So, weigh in on which predictions were right, and make some new predictions for 2026.

http://techrights.org/n/2025/12/12/IBM_Layoffs_in_Europe_as_Well.shtml

Just curious. Hears we are moving to new Region

Watch the link below titled "Why Companies Are LYING About Mass Layoffs":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEA7vQKJ8aQ

https://www.tipranks.com/news/the-fly/intel-ceos-multiple-jobs-investments-raise-concerns-ny-times-reports-thefly#google_vignette

Mission accomplished, another quarter and another dividend for shareholders.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/verizon-communications-inc-vz-announces-123254918.html

Meanwhile, KO's CEO to step down:
https://www.fooddive.com/news/coca-cola-chief-james-quincy-exits-after-9-years/807630/

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/medicaid-firm-struggles-to-block-patient-data-from-india-workers

"Microsoft announces $17.5 billion investment in India after laying off thousands of Americans in 2025"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/microsoft-announces-17-5-billion-investment-in-india-after-laying-off-thousands-of-americans-in-2025/ar-AA1S6We2?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=eac23231c5ae4276c2dfc9a72dc23e82&ei=14

Yes

Who’s bringing the popcorn?! Any thoughts on what will be announced / shared?

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/south-koreas-sk-ford-motor-end-us-battery-joint-venture-2025-12-11/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/kroger-s-biggest-pricing-scandal-erupts-as-ftc-heat-puts-24-6b-future-at-risk/ss-AA1S5rcc#image=1

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/grocery/shopping/2025/12/10/interim-kroger-ceo-buys-boston-home-for-11-5m-report-says/87709886007/

Any RIFs or reorgs today?

That is all Stankey is doing

Hundreds of layoffs are hitting Chicago’s suburbs. S&S Activewear is letting go of 195 employees, APL Logistics is cutting 230, and 10 Roads Express is dropping 55 workers - adding up to almost 700 layoffs across Illinois.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/hundreds-of-layoffs-announced-at-suburban-companies-in-recent-days/3861448/

I could not listen to the call with MA yesterday. Did he talk about layoffs in his board area?

…but oh my, no one is close to being read internally…. M&A to bring in the next CEO?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/chevron-ceo-wirth-says-in-succession-talks-with-board/ar-AA1S2fhC

Certainly helped AIG stock today! Interesting read: https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/chubb-reportedly-makes-takeover-offer-for-aig-stock-soars-93CH-4401708

https://www.wsj.com/video/att-ceo-not-surprised-by-netflix-warner-deal/BE9CCAD6-870E-4A25-829C-FE43921B35E0

The Street sees through the smoke and mirrors.

https://www.investors.com/news/technology/ibm-stock-confluent-cflt-news-ai-software/

Occidental Petroleum (OXY) -2.5% in Monday's trading as J.P. Morgan downgraded shares to Underweight from Neutral with a $44 price target, cut from $51, citing relative valuation and the company's above-average balance sheet leverage given a cautious stance on crude oil fundamentals.

PepsiCo investors are unimpressed by the company’s latest plans to boost sales growth, cut costs, and increase profits.
The initiative, disclosed Monday, came after “constructive engagement” with Elliott Investment Management, the activist investor that revealed a $4 billion stake in PepsiCo three months ago.
To stimulate sales, PepsiCo plans to offer smaller packages and containers at lower prices. It intends to improve its products by removing artificial colors and flavors and offering simpler ingredients.

To boost margins, the company plans to reduce operating costs, cutting the number of products it offers in the U.S. by nearly 20%. It closed three manufacturing plants and shut down several manufacturing lines this year.
These changes are expected to bring organic sales growth of 2% to 4% in 2026. Including acquisitions and the effect of favorable currency exchange rates, PepsiCo expects net revenue to increase 4% to 6% and core earnings per share to rise 5% to 7%.
“We aim to deliver a record year of productivity savings in 2026, benefiting in part from the actions taken in the second half of 2025,” the company said.
Still, PepsiCo stock was largely flat on Monday and Tuesday. The shares have fallen nearly 10% over the past 12 months as a result of softer sales trends and concern about the turnaround, while Coca-Cola stock has gained nearly 12%.
“There is a lot of work to do and the dual initiatives of a top-line rebound and cost cuts will be hard,” wrote Jefferies analyst Kaumil Gajrawala in a Tuesday note, “Accelerating cost cuts and rejuvenating growth at the same time is a difficult needle to thread.”
Despite the new pricing strategy, the customers PepsiCo has lost because of high prices will be difficult to win back, wrote the analyst. Efforts to innovate in terms of products don’t always go well. And while a leaner portfolio can be good over the long term, it is almost always a drag on sales in the near term, he said.
“We view many of the steps outlined in the release as necessary, but iterative in comparison to some of the more strategic changes some investors were discussing in recent weeks,” wrote UBS analyst Peter Grom. 
Elliott has suggested cutting overhead and freeing up more cash by outsourcing PepsiCo’s low-margin, asset-heavy bottling operations to franchisers. On Monday, PepsiCo said a full refranchising of its North American beverage operation is “not under consideration.”
Rather, the company is integrating its food and beverage businesses in Texas to save money in areas such as transportation, and is considering a national rollout for that approach. CEO Ramon Laguarta said PepsiCo will take a nuanced approach that considers points such as businesses’ scale and sales channels to limit the disruption.
Gajrawala anticipates that at least three or four of PepsiCo’s board members won’t stand for re-election next year, opening the door for “fresh ideas.” While Laguarta serves as both chairman and CEO at PepsiCo, Gajrawala believes those roles should be separate.
“While PepsiCo Foods remains a good asset, it is struggling,” said Gajrawala, “Innovation, openness to ideas, a new CFO and a ‘refreshed’ board should help, but it is too early to call for a turnaround in fundamentals.” 

Investors are still waiting for evidence that PepsiCo’s actions are driving an improvement in sales trends. Still, Grom thinks the latest changes are “a step in the right direction.” He says the stock could rise because PepsiCo’s valuation is low compared with those of its peers.

From Reuters

Wells Fargo: severance likely to rise in fourth quarter
Bank will roll out AI gradually over the next year and beyond
More efficiencies to come from AI, CEO says
Dec 9 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo (WFC.N), opens new tab expects more cuts to its workforce and sees higher severance expenses in the current fourth quarter, CEO Charlie Scharf said on Tuesday, adding that artificial intelligence was set to change the way its business works.
"We have gone through the budgeting process, and even pre-artificial intelligence, we do expect to have less people as we go into next year," Scharf said on the sidelines of a Goldman Sachs financial services conference.

https://wchstv.com/news/local/west-virginia-sues-united-healthcare-for-exacerbating-the-states-opi--d-epidemic

https://calmatters.org/newsletter/lahsa-layoffs/

Checking to see how much change is happening

Seems like the rumor is coming true

https://www.masondc.com/blog/contract-awarded-wells-fargo-one-flagler

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/12/08/trump-now-slams-paramount-skydance-deal-after-marjorie-taylor-greene-bashes-him-on-60-minutes/

do a a quick google search, multiple articles released today. Feels like they are easing into what’s to come.

Plans are in the works to save hundreds of the roughly 1,000 jobs slated to be lost at Algoma Steel Inc.

Bill Slater, president of United Steelworkers local 2724 that represents some of the affected employees, says as many as 500 people could be back at work by the end of next year.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-algoma-union-job-cuts-federal-loan/

Apparently the Confluent Cloud is not a Cluster*fook

Confluent's cloud revenue was a primary driver of growth in 2025, with Q3 2025 cloud revenue reaching $161 million, a 24% increase year-over-year.

Confluent reported its Q3 2025 earnings in October 2025, where total revenue surpassed Wall Street expectations.

The company was recently announced to be acquired by IBM in an $11 billion deal, a transaction expected to close by mid-2026.

Confluent's annual revenue for the trailing twelve months ending September 30, 2025, was $1.113 billion, a 21.58% increase year-over-year.
More detailed financial data is available through Confluent's investor relations website.

Confluent 2025 Revenue Breakdown
Fiscal Period Total Revenue Subscription Revenue
Q1 2025 $271.1 million $261.0 million
Q2 2025 $282.3 million $271.0 million
Q3 2025 $298.5 million $286.3 million
Q4 2025 Outlook N/A $295.5 - $296.5 million
FY 2025 (Total) ~$1.16 billion $1.1135 - $1.1145 billion

The company will cut 200 employees, about 4% of its global workforce. Because over 3,000 of Mobileye’s roughly 4,300 employees are based in Israel, most of the layoffs will fall on its local teams.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hjznnzvzzl

U.S. Xpress laid off employees across the company in response to lower demand for trucking, according to an internal email obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/dec/05/us-xpress-enacts-broad-layoffs-amid-reduced-truck/

What's the latest news after AEP ended yesterday? Concerns, comments, predictions?

Has anyone heard of who has been impacted as of this morning? All quiet on my end and I’m in a Corporate role.