- MasterCard has finally realized that signatures are obsolete and stupid
Companies are finally seeing the light. Starting in April 2018, MasterCard cardholders will no longer be required to sign their name when they purchase something using their debit or credit cards.
The company has been moving away from requiring signatures for a few years now, with only about 80% of purchases (typically over a certain dollar amount) requiring a signature these days. MasterCard did some digging, though, and per its press release, realized that most of their customers “believe it would be easier to pay and that checkout lines would move faster if they didn’t need to sign when making a purchase.” So they are doing away with signatures entirely, and instead will rely on actually secure measures like “chips, tokenization, biometrics and other newer and more secure methods” instead of scribbly signatures perfected in middle school.
- Richard Branson to parents: Work from home, if you can
Between 2005 and 2015, the number of workers who telecommuted increased 115%, according to a report from Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs. That translates to 3.9 million workers, or almost 3% of the total U.S. workforce, who worked from home at least half the time in 2015.
New technologies have made it easier for people to work remotely.
Branson adds that having as much flexibility as possible where you work can also make all the difference for working parents. “I lived in a houseboat when my kids were young,” he recalls. “I was building Virgin. They were fooling around. I changed a nappy and I’d be on the phone. So I suspect I’ll see more of my kids and family than almost any father.”
http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/23/news/companies/richard-branson-boss-files/index.html
- Why Are Grandparents Running America?
Some valid points but very aggressive messaging. - Verizon’s still figuring out how to deal with cord-cutters
Verizon reported a net loss of 18,000 Fios Video customers (versus a gain of 36,000 in the year-earlier period) for the third quarter of 2017. That reflects the “ongoing shift” from traditional linear video to over-the-top services, CFO Matt Ellis said on a call with analysts, as well as competitive offers from rivals. At the end of the quarter, Verizon had 4.6 million Fios Video connections. The telco gained 66,000 Fios Internet subs in the period, to stand at 5.8 million total.
As a hedge against declining pay-TV numbers, Verizon is looking to launch its own OTT television service, similar to Dish Network’s Sling TV and AT&T’s DirecTV Now.
http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/verizon-q3-2017-cord-cutting-ott-service-1202594015/
- Your “Inspirational” Social Media Posts Are Hurting Your Career
Your best ideas will take more than a few words to lay out, and that’s okay. The most difficult challenges out there–the ones that take real leadership to surmount–are complex. So while there’s an art to speaking about complicated subjects without dumbing them down, your real goal should be to motivate others to engage with complexity, not shy away from it. Tossing out generic remarks that stick to the surface level doesn’t help you do that. Worse, it suggests you aren’t capable of diving any deeper.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40488694/your-inspirational-social-media-posts-are-hurting-your-career
Photo: Gabriel Sanchez