Ralph Lauren Outsources Olympic Uniforms to China

Outrage this week developed over the Team USA Olympic uniforms for the Opening Ceremonies in London in not just the style, but the Ralph Lauren decision to outsource. 


A huge public relations firestorm was discovered when Ralph Lauren's made-in-China label was noticed by all.


Ralph Lauren, at a time when American's are not interested in China or the outsourcing message, promises not to do the same for 2014; but that satisfied nobody.


Shame, Ralph Lauren, shame.

Has Mark Cuban Hedged His Facebook Position?

Has Mark Cuban Hedged His Facebook Position?


There are five (correct) answers to this question. They are (in no particular order):

a. who knows?
b. he'd be stupid if he wasn't
c. Broadcast.com
d. Yep, he's gotta to be
e. Yes, his silence (no posts or tweets) on this means only one thing

First, let's take a look at Mark Cuban's current (disclosed) Facebook position---

(Long) 150,000 shares; average cost per share $32.49; total cost $4,873,500

Based on a 6/1/12 FB close at $27.72, Cuban looks like he is sitting on a net (paper) loss of $715,500.

Do we begin to worry and feel sorry for Mark Cuban and his Facebook trade? No, because we only can see his paper loss. No, because he already told us this is a trade, not a long term investment. No, because with an original FB position of nearly $5 million, he has a vested interest in monitoring trade. No, because Mark Cuban doesn't like to lose money. No, because Mark Cuban isn't stupid.

Back in 1995 Mark Cuban and partner created Broadcast.com, a multimedia company. Years later they sold the company to Yahoo! for $5.7 billion in 1999. But, Cuban then owned restricted Yahoo! stock that was locked up. Cuban was at risk owning (temporarily) illiquid Yahoo stock. Cuban was at substantial risk. Cuban didn't want to accept that risk. Mark Cuban wanted to transfer that risk to the options market. So, Cuban says he "hedged my stock with synthetic indexes, in case the market cratered in the six months before I could hedge my actual Yahoo shares. It cost me $20 million, but I protected what I had." (Fast Company, September 30, 2002).

In January 2000, Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks, NBA franchise.

In May 2012, Cuban bought a little under $5 million of Facebook stock.

Mark Cuban is hedged.

Polo and David Lauren Discover the Internet Independently Without Help from Al Gore

Fast Company, the business magazine that has still not discovered what it wants to be after all this time and that continues to see circulation fall year after year; has fallen in love with Polo's David Lauren.

Naturally.

Polo [the "acquired" trademark of Ralph Lauren] continues to get on magazine covers with ease [regardless of any actual measurable successes]

Meanwhile, it is true that Fast Company has still not discovered itself after all these years.

Here is the central question that Fast Company editors have been toying with over the past 10-15 years: Should Fast Company be a) a Silicon Valley version of GQ? b) a hip-hop business rag? c) a contra-company indicator for hedge fund shorting d) [supply your own idea here].

Yeah, Fast Company has provided some really amazing winners on their covers over the recent months: Arnold Love Child Schwarzenegger, Matt Water Boy Damon, John Chambers and Cisco, Lance EverReady Armstrong, Barack Unemployment Rate Obama, Conan Where's My Ratings O'Brien, and far too many others to list.

David Lauren: who talked you into the "interview" and cover of ..... Fast ?? Company???

Billionaire Interview: Pierre Omidyar of eBay

Pierre Omidyar turned eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) into the most successful company of the dotcom era. EBay likewise turned its founder into a multibillionaire, and in 1999, Omidyar set up a charitable foundation. But he tired of the nonprofit sector, and in 2004 he shuttered the foundation, instead launching Omidyar Network to fund both nonprofit and for-profit enterprises that create social value.

read:::the full FastCompany interview