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Victoria’s Secret CEO rejected ‘woke-washing’ and endless sales cycles—and it’s paying off

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Victoria’s Secret CEO rejected ‘woke-washing’ and endless sales cycles—and it’s paying off



One year ago, Victoria’s Secret was in free fall.

Since spinning off from L Brands (now Bath & Body Works) in 2021, the stock had cratered from $57 to barely $20 a share on a good day. Once the arbiter of all things sexy, with diamond-encrusted bras and winged angels, Victoria’s Secret’s brand was being buried under all things unsexy: the founder’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, an awkward marketing pivot seen as “woke-washing,” tariffs, and a board that couldn’t stop fighting. An activist investor was beginning to encircle the board, questioning, among other things, whether the new CEO, Hillary Super, could handle running a public company.

On Tuesday, with nine days to go before shareholders voted on that board, Super delivered the verdict in its first-quarter earnings: $0.60 per share, nearly double what Wall Street expected.  Net sales jumped 15% to $1.56 billion, topping guidance, and the company raised its full-year outlook by $120 million, well above street estimates.

Then the stock nearly doubled its share price, hitting an all-time high of $80 per share. 

What was Super’s secret? She had to bring sexy back to everything, even the ticker, which is no longer VSCO but VSXY (“a marker of who we are today,” she wrote in an announcement). 

Balancing between risque and woke

Every brand has had to keep up with the culture. But few have had the times come after them quite like Victoria’s Secret.

Rigid beauty standards defined Victoria’s Secret in the peak of its mid-aughts glory, with girls watching rows of extra-small, tanned models at the annual fashion show. But as millennials came of age and embraced a new era of body positivity, Victoria’s Secret struggled to rebrand. Their attempts—including a splashy rollout of accomplished celebrity women advisors meant to promote female empowerment—were too on-the-nose, widely dismissed as “woke-washing.” They failed to win back the shoppers who had left, and didn’t attract younger ones either.

Super has said that some of those decisions were made out of fear. “That natural human reaction is to want to stay out of controversy,” she says. Victoria’s Secret was so cautious, it stopped bragging altogether—even about being a go-to destination for bra fittings. 

Super’s fix wasn’t to swing back to a narrow template of beauty. It was to be authentic. Under her guidance, the company has embraced its heritage—the glamour and spectacle—without the body-shaming. There is still a focus on diversity, but “without being performative, where we have to check every box,” she told Fortune earlier this year, “because to me that lacks authenticity.”

The results are now showing up in the numbers. The company delivered its fourth consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales, with Super citing double-digit growth in new customer acquisition—Gen-Z is buying bras! —and a move toward getting shoppers to pay full price rather than waiting for a markdown, which Super called a “promo-detox” on the earnings call.

“We are reducing promotions and markdowns and replacing promotional offers with compelling emotional messaging,” Super said. “The result is a healthier, more brand-led business.”

CFO Scott Sekella attributed the performance to “higher regular-price selling, reduced promotions, and leveraging buying and occupancy expenses, all despite tariff headwinds.”

The company also raised its full-year adjusted operating income guidance by more than $100 million, now projecting $550 million to $580 million, citing better-than-expected sales and lower tariff rates following court rulings against President Trump’s sweeping duties.

Goldman Sachs analyst Brooke Roach called it “a very strong result,” adding that the bank was “encouraged by the solid top-line performance with strength across all channels including North America stores, Direct, and International.”

The momentum traces back to a pivotal moment last October, when Super unveiled her vision at the brand’s 2025 fashion show. The show opened with model Jasmine Tookes, ethereal in gold wings, cradling her nine-month-pregnant belly, among longtime Angels like Adriana Lima and WNBA star Angel Reese. The message was unmistakable: same wings, different world. 

Super, a former CEO of Anthropologie and Savage X Fenty who rose through retail ranks from Wet Seal to American Eagle, is the first female CEO of the new public company. “It’s hard to have an intuition about a category that you cannot put on your body,” she says.

On the earnings call Tuesday, Super noted that her executive team has now been together for roughly a year. “Once you hit that year, you start compounding your contributions,” she said. “We are early innings.

The turnaround still faces headwinds. Victoria’s Secret sources and manufactures across several countries, including Vietnam and Sri Lanka, and faces a $90 million net tariff impact. And Super has been locked in a battle with activist investors who circled while the stock was down, with one directly objecting to her leadership, arguing she had limited public-company experience. Tuesday’s blowout quarter may be her most effective rebuttal yet.

She has otherwise shrugged off the pressure: “You have to remember that none of these things are personal, that it’s business,” she says.

Top 1% ke liye kitni SALARY chaiye? #finance #money #stockmarket #trading #trending #viral

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Top 1% ke liye kitni SALARY chaiye? #finance #money #stockmarket #trading #trending #viral

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Best Student Loan Rates for June 2, 2026: Abe Leads At 2.54%

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Best Student Loan Rates for June 2, 2026: Abe Leads At 2.54%


Student loan rates have held steady while lenders have positioned themselves with their low headline rates leading into peak student loan season. As of June 2, 2026, private student loan lenders are offering fixed rates as low as 2.54% APR and variable rates starting as low as 3.03% APR, depending on credit profile, degree program, and repayment term.

Abe℠ Student Loans currently offers the lowest fixed rate loan available. Student Choice is currently offering the lowest variable rate student loan available.

While federal student loan rates are set annually by Congress, private lenders continue to adjust based on market conditions and Treasury yields. Staying current on these changes can save borrowers hundreds (or even thousands) over the life of a loan.

💰 Today’s Best Student Loan Rates At a Glance

Here are the best private student loan rates today:

Lender

Fixed APR

Variable APR

Cosigner Required?

Abe℠ Student Loans

2.54% – 17.02%

3.53% – 17.14%

No

Ascent

2.69% – 16.86%

3.65% – 16.06%

No

College Ave

2.59% – 17.99%

3.89% – 17.99%
Yes

Sallie Mae

2.89% – 17.49%

3.62% – 16.25%

No

Student Choice

2.99% – 14.74%

3.03% – 15.00%

Optional

1. Abe℠ Student Loans – Abe offers private student loans to a undergraduate, graduate, and post-bachelor graduate certificate students, with flexible repayment options and no origination, late payment, or forbearance fees. Rates start as low as 2.54% APR. Read our full Abe Student Loans review.

2. Ascent – Ascent Student Loans is a solid choice as a private lender – as they offer both cosigner and non-cosigner loans for undergraduate and graduate students. Rates start as low as 2.69% APR. Read our full Ascent Student Loans Review.

3. College Ave – College Ave Student Loans offers some of the lowest fixed rates on student loans on the market today. They are one of the largest private student loan lenders, and have highly competitive rates on their loans. Rates start as low as 2.59% APR. Read our full College Ave Student Loans review.

4. Sallie Mae – Sallie Mae is probably one of the most well-known lenders on this list. They are the nation’s largest private student loan lender by loan volume. As a result, they also offer some of the most competitive private student loans and parent loans out there. Rates start as low as 2.89% APR. Read our full Sallie Mae review.

5. Student Choice – Student Choice is a service that works with a huge network of credit unions nationwide to match you with low cost student loans offered by credit unions. They currently have some of the lowest variable rate student loans on the market. Rates start as low as 2.99% APR for fixed rates and 3.03% APR for variable rate loans. Read our full Student Choice Student Loans review.

Federal Loans: Remember, the federal student loan interest rates are fixed. They won’t change again until the next academic year.

  • Undergraduate Direct: 6.39%
  • Graduate Direct: 7.94%
  • Parent PLUS Loans: 8.94%

You can find a full list of the best private student loans here >>

Fixed vs. Variable Rates: Which Should You Choose?

There’s a lot of uncertainty that borrowers don’t like with variable rates, which can make sense, but in a declining rate environment, it also opens the potential for future savings. Here’s what to know:

  • Fixed rates stay the same for the life of the loan, offering predictable monthly payments. They’re better for borrowers who plan to repay over many years.
  • Variable rates can change with market conditions, starting lower but carrying risk if the Fed raises rates again. They can make sense for borrowers who expect to pay off loans quickly.

Most private lenders allow you to check rates without affecting your credit score. Always compare both options before signing.

What To Know Before Borrowing

Before taking out a private student loan, make sure you understand exactly what you’re signing up for.

  • Cosigner rules: Most undergraduates need a cosigner – which is someone (usually a parent) that is just as legally responsible for the loan. Check for early cosigner release after consistent on-time payments.
  • Repayment flexibility: Look for lenders offering in-school deferment, interest-only options, or income-based repayment.
  • Discounts: Many lenders provide 0.25% off for autopay.
  • Fees: Compared to federal loans, private loans offer fewer fees – including no origination fees.
  • Safety: Federal loans offer loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment plans. Exhaust federal options before turning to private loans.

For most families, borrowing federal student loans first makes the most sense. However, for parents looking at parent PLUS vs. private loans, private loans can make more sense.

How We Track And Verify Student Loan Rates

At The College Investor, our editorial team reviews student loan rates daily from more than a dozen major lenders. We verify data using official lender disclosures, regulatory filings, and real-time rate sheets.

We only include lenders offering loans to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. All rates are updated regularly and represent the lowest available APRs with autopay discounts applied.

Our coverage is independent and not influenced by compensation. While we may earn a referral fee when you open a loan through certain links, this never affects our editorial recommendations. Our goal is simple: to help you find the most affordable path to borrow responsibly.

FAQs

How often do private student loan rates change?

Lenders can adjust daily based on bond market movements and Federal Reserve actions, as well as their own competitive goals.

Are private student loans fixed or variable?

You can choose either. Fixed rates offer stability, while variable rates change with the market.

Do private student loans qualify for forgiveness?

No. Only federal student loans are eligible for forgiveness programs like PSLF or IBR.

Is a cosigner always required?

Not always, but most undergraduate borrowers will need one to qualify.

Can I refinance later if rates drop?

Yes. Refinancing can reduce your rate and monthly payment, though you’ll lose federal benefits if you refinance federal loans.

Disclosures


Abe Student Loans

Before applying for a private student loan, DR Bank and Monogram LLC recommend exhausting all financial aid alternatives including grants, scholarships, and federal student loans.

The AbeSM student loan is made by DR Bank, Member FDIC (“Lender”). All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to Lender’s underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions and other terms and conditions apply. LENDER AND MONOGRAM LLC EACH RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. TERMS, CONDITIONS AND RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE.

* In order to estimate your available rates and loan options, with your authorization, DR Bank will initiate a soft credit inquiry. Soft credit inquiries do not affect your credit. Any rates and loan options offered to you are estimates only.

1Interest rates and APRs (Annual Percentage Rates): Interest rates and APRs (Annual Percentage Rates) depend upon (1) the student’s and cosigner’s (if applicable) credit histories, (2) the repayment option and repayment term selected, (3) the expected number of years in deferment, (4) the requested loan amount and (5) other information provided on the online loan application Rates and terms are effective as of 06/01/2026. The variable interest rate for each calendar month is calculated by adding the 30-Day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) index plus a fixed margin assigned to each loan. The current SOFR index, published on the website of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is 3.625% as of 06/01/2026. The applicable index or margin for variable rate loans may change over time and result in a different APR than shown. The fixed rate assigned to a loan will never change except as required by law or if you request and qualify for an interest rate discount, or receive In-School Default Protection (see footnote 3). APRs displayed as a range: APRs assume a $10,000 loan with one disbursement. The low APRs assume a 7-year term, and the Interest-Only Repayment option with payments beginning 30-60 days after the disbursement via auto pay (see footnote 2). The high APRs assume a 7-year term with the Fully Deferred Repayment option, a seven-month deferment period, and a six-month grace period before entering repayment.

2Autopay Discount: Earn a 0.25% interest rate reduction for making automatic payments from a bank account (“auto pay discount”) by completing the direct debit form accessible on the Servicer’s website. The auto pay discount is in addition to other discounts. The auto pay discount will be applied after the Servicer validates your bank account information. Automatic payments and the associated discount will be temporarily discontinued (1) if you elect to stop automatic deduction of payments and (2) during periods when you are not required to make payments. The discount will be permanently discontinued in the event three automatic deductions are returned by the financial institution for any reason.

3 In-school Default Protection: Interest Only or Flat Payment Repayment loans that reach at least 90 days delinquent during an in-school deferment period will automatically transition to the Full Deferment Repayment option. Under these circumstances, the interest rate on an original Interest Only loan will increase by one percentage point (1.00%) and the interest rate on an original Flat Payment Repayment loan will increase by one quarter of one percentage point (0.25%). Credit reporting prior to the transition of a loan to the Full Deferment Repayment option will remain on your record. Any unpaid accrued interest at the end of an in-school deferment period may be capitalized in accordance with the Credit Agreement.

4 Loan Amounts: The minimum loan amount is $1,000, except for (a) student applicants who are permanent residents of Iowa in which case the minimum loan amount is $1,001, and (b) student applicants or cosigners who are permanent residents of Massachusetts in which case the minimum loan amount is $6,001. The maximum loan amount to cover in-school expenses for each academic year is determined by the school’s cost of attendance, minus other financial aid, as certified by the school The requested loan amount cannot cause an individual applicant’s aggregate student loan debt (which includes federal and private student loans) to exceed $300,000 per applicant applying for an undergraduate loan, $350,000 per applicant applying for a graduate, graduate certificate, Healthcare Professionals, Law or MBA loan, or $500,000 per applicant applying for a Medical or Dental loan.

5 Loan Terms: The 15- and 20- year term and Flat Payment Repayment option (paying $25 per month during in-school deferment) are only available for loan amounts of $5,000 or more. Making interest only or flat interest payments during deferment will not reduce the principal balance of the loan. Payment examples (all assume a 14-month deferment period, a six-month grace period before entering repayment, no auto pay discount, and the Interest Only Repayment option): 5-year term: $10,000 loan, one disbursement, with a 5-year repayment term (60 months) and a 11.30% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $218.92. 7-year term: $10,000 loan, one disbursement, with a 7-year repayment term (84 months) and a 8.50% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $158.36. 10-year term: $10,000 loan, one disbursement, with a 10-year repayment term (120 months) and a 8.35% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $123.18. 15-year term: $10,000 loan, one disbursement, with, a 15-year repayment term (180 months) and a 8.30% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $97.31. 20-year term: $10,000 loan, one disbursement, with, a 20-year repayment term (240 months) and an 10.83% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $99.03.

6 The student borrower has meet certain credit and other criteria, and 12 consecutive monthly principal and interest payments or lump sum payments equal to 12 monthly principal and interest payments must have been received by the Servicer during any 12-month period. While a loan is in a reduced repayment plan or while a request for a reduced payment plan is pending, borrowers are not eligible to apply for cosigner release.

7 The grace period is six months. The grace period begins on the earlier of the date (a) the student borrower graduates, (b) the student borrower ceases to be enrolled, or (c) that is 60 months from the first disbursement date, but in no case, earlier than six months after the first disbursement date. The immediate repayment option does not have a grace period.

Ascent Student Loans

*Ascent’s undergraduate and graduate student loans are funded by Bank of Lake Mills or DR Bank, each Member FDIC. Loan products may not be available in certain jurisdictions. Certain restrictions, limitations, terms and conditions may apply for Ascent’s Terms and Conditions please visit AscentFunding.com/Ts&Cs.

Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed are effective as of 06/01/2026 and reflect an Automatic Payment Discount (ACH). The ACH discount consists of 0.25% on credit-based college student loans submitted prior to 6/1/2025, a 0.5% discount for on credit-based college student loans submitted on or after 6/1/2025 and a 1.00% discount on outcomes-based loans when you enroll in automatic payments. Loans subject to individual approval, restrictions, and conditions apply. Loan features and information advertised are intended for college student loans and are subject to change at any time.

The final amount approved depends on the borrower’s credit history, verifiable cost of attendance as certified by an eligible school and is subject to credit approval and verification of application information. Lowest interest rates require full principal and interest (Immediate) payments, the shortest loan term, a cosigner, and are only available for our most creditworthy applicants and cosigners with the highest average credit scores. Actual APR offered may be higher or lower than the examples above, based on the amount of time you spend in school and any grace period you have before repayment begins. Variable rates may increase after consummation. 1% Cash Back Graduation Reward subject to terms and conditions. For details on Ascent borrower benefits, visit AscentFunding.com/BorrowerBenefits. Ascent applicants and borrowers that agree to the AscentUP Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, as well as students associated with an Ascent parent loan application, have access to the AscentUP platform.

The following examples for a $10,000 loan show a 48-month in-school period plus 9 months of grace prior to a full repayment term for 60-months (variable rate), with examples of (i) Interest Only payments, (ii) $25 Minimum payments, (iii) Deferred repayment, and (iv) Immediate Repayment options.
* Interest Only Repayment: 5.90% APR, with 57 payments of $49.17 while in-school/grace, 60 payments of $192.88 during the repayment term, and a total cost of $14,376.53.
* $25 Minimum Payment: 6.53% APR, with 57 payments of $25.00 while in-school/grace, 60 payments of $234.12 during the repayment term, and a total cost of $15,471.73.
* Deferred Repayment: 6.71% APR, with no payment while in-school/grace, 60 payments of $270.31 during the repayment term, and a total cost of $16,181.14.
* Immediate Repayment: 3.65% APR, with 60 payments of $182.6, and a total cost of $10,955.77.
The following examples for a $10,000 loan show a 48-month in-school period plus 9 months of grace prior to a full repayment term for 180-months (highest variable rate), with examples of (i) Interest Only payments, (ii) $25 Minimum payments, (iii) Deferred repayment, and (iv) Immediate Repayment options.
* Interest Only Repayment: 16.06% APR, with 57 payments of $133.75 while in-school/grace, 180 payments of $147.26 during the repayment term, and a total cost of $34,130.81.
* $25 Minimum Payment: 14.46% APR, with 57 payments of $25.00 while in-school/grace, 180 payments of $242.08 during the repayment term, and a total cost of $44,997.01.
* Deferred Repayment: 14.89% APR, with no payment while in-school/grace, 180 payments of $281.22 during the repayment term, and a total cost of $49,857.65.
* Immediate Repayment: 15.81% APR, with 180 payments of $145.54, and a total cost of $26,193.91.

Sallie Mae Student Loans

¹Rates displayed are for undergraduate and career training students:

Lowest rates shown include the auto debit discount: Additional information regarding the auto debit discount: Advertised APRs for undergraduate students assume a $10,000 loan to a student who attends school for 4 years and has no prior Sallie Mae-serviced loans. Interest rates for variable rate loans may increase or decrease over the life of the loan based on changes to the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent. Advertised variable rates are the starting range of rates and may vary outside of that range over the life of the loan. Interest is charged starting when funds are sent to the school. With the Fixed and Deferred Repayment Options, the interest rate is higher than with the Interest Repayment Option and Unpaid Interest is added to the loan’s Current Principal at the end of the grace/separation period. To receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate discount, the borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae. The discount applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment. *These rates will be effective 5/26/2026.

Terms:

Examples of typical costs for a $10,000 Smart Option Student Loan with the most common fixed rate, fixed repayment option, 6-month separation period, and two disbursements: For a borrower with no prior loans and a 4-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.28% fixed APR, 51 payments of $25.00, 119 payments of $182.67 and one payment of $121.71, for a Total Loan Cost of $23,134.44. For a borrower with $20,000 in prior loans and a 2-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.78% fixed APR, 27 payments of $25.00, 179 payments of $132.53 and one payment of $40.35 for a total loan cost of $24,438.22. Loans that are subject to a $50 minimum principal and interest payment amount may receive a loan term that is less than 10 years.

² For applications submitted directly to Sallie Mae, loan amount cannot exceed the cost of attendance less financial aid received, as certified by the school. Applications submitted to Sallie Mae through a partner website may be subjected to a lower maximum loan request amount. Miscellaneous personal expenses (such as a laptop) may be included in the cost of attendance for students enrolled at least half-time.

Editor: Colin Graves

Reviewed by: Richelle Hawley

The post Best Student Loan Rates for June 2, 2026: Abe Leads At 2.54% appeared first on The College Investor.

[750 Points For Existing Users] Marriott Dining: Earn Up To 6,000 Bonus Points (Eat Around Town)

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[750 Points For Existing Users] Marriott Dining: Earn Up To 6,000 Bonus Points (Eat Around Town)


Update 6/1/26: New member bonus below is still active. Existing users can also get 750 points per dine when they spend $75+ through June 30, 2026. 

The Offer

Direct link to offer

  • Marriott Dining is offering new members a bonus of up to 6,000 points. Bonus is broken down as follows (must be completed within 60 days of account opening):
    • 1,000 bonus points the first time you spend $30 or more
    • 2,000 bonus points the second time you spend $30 or more
    • 3,000 bonus points the third time you spend $30 or more

The Fine Print

  • This bonus offer is open to all new Eat Around Town by Marriott Bonvoy™ members who have not yet created an account and linked a credit and/or debit card. To qualify for and earn this New Member Bonus, you must (i) create a web login and link a valid credit and/or debit card to your account by July 31, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, (ii) spend at least $30 (including tax and tip) in one dine at any participating restaurant, bar, or club within 60 days of joining the Eat Around Town program, (iii) pay the check with a credit and/or debit card linked to your Eat Around Town program account, (iv) remain opted in to receive emails from the Eat Around Town program during the duration of the promotional campaign with a valid, deliverable email address, and (v) complete an online review of the restaurant, bar, or club within 30 days of your visit.
  • You may earn this New Member Bonus for a maximum amount of 6,000 bonus points during the promotion period as follows: 1,000 bonus points on the first participating restaurant visit, 2,000 on the second participating visit, and 3,000 bonus points on the third participating restaurant visit, all within 60 days of creating a dining profile. Limit one bonus-qualifying visit per restaurant per day.

Our Verdict

This runs on Rewards Network, so won’t stack with other Rewards Network programs but will stack with other card linked programs. The Eat Around Town program was launched in 2019, I’m not sure if we have ever seen an increased bonus for signing up.

Hat tip to DDG

Should you treat AI agents as colleagues? Fortune 500 executives can’t settle the debate

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Should you treat AI agents as colleagues? Fortune 500 executives can’t settle the debate



The debate over how to integrate AI agents into the workplace has produced no shortage of frameworks, mandates, and org-chart overhauls. And this week at Fortune’s COO Summit, it produced something rarer: complete, 180-degree disagreement between two executives who have thought about this longer than almost anyone, and still left with no clean resolution.

Eric Kelleher, President and COO of Okta, has named the agents on his team Leo, Sloan, Hank, and Walker (among others). They show up in business reviews alongside his human staff. The turning point, he said, came during a standup when he asked staff to give names to their own agents. “In that exercise, AI became a colleague as opposed to a tool,” he told Fortune on the sidelines of the panel, “and that catalyst is valuable.”

Francine Katsoudas, the Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer at Cisco, heard something like that and pushed back hard. “I would not look at AI as a colleague,” she told a separate audience at the COO Summit just hours later. “I think we should look at AI and agents as part of the workflow, but not a colleague. And I think the sooner we land that, the more confident our people will be.”

Both executives are operating at scale and are navigating the same underlying crisis: companies have largely figured out how to experiment with AI, but remain in experiment phase, if not in collective denial about how to actually redesign work around it. Cognizant, whose research team presented new data at the COO Summit, found that 93% of jobs are already being disrupted by AI—six years ahead of their own 2023 projections. But the productivity gains that were supposed to follow haven’t materialized. Their researchers called it an “activation gap.”

The debate over what to call agents might sound is not just semantics.

Katsoudas also talked to Fortune Editorial Director Kristin Stoller about how Cisco handled 4,000 announced layoffs as part of an AI restructuring—noting that on the teams using AI most effectively, trust within those teams actually began to drop about nine months in. “We just have to invest so much more,” she said. “We have to share with our people what we know, what we don’t know.”

The mechanism she’s betting on: investing in skills, not just severance. In previous Cisco restructurings, pairing training with internal redeployment allowed the company to place 75% of impacted employees. “Just imagine if that became 85 or 90 percent,” Katsoudas said. “It would make people feel a lot less worried because they know they’re going to land. She said it’s what Cisco is “working through today. It’s tough.”

A randomized experiment published by Harvard Business Review in May reached a similar conclusion from a different direction: humanizing AI can shift accountability away from individuals, increases escalation, and reduces the quality of human review—the opposite of what most companies deploying agents are hoping for. A separate experiment by Boston Consulting Group found that human workers responded to their AI colleagues by scapegoating them and getting more careless with their own work. Research from the University of Arizona adds another wrinkle: disclosing AI use at work makes colleagues trust you less in the short term, but staying silent and getting caught later is worse. Companies are, in effect, caught in a transparency trap, honesty carries a social penalty, but concealment carries a steeper one.

Franklin’s answer to that trap is blunt governance. “We don’t just let any person into your home to talk to your children, eat your food, sleep in your bed,” she said. “You ask them who they are, why they’re there.” The same logic, she argued, applies to AI. “We don’t just let any AI in. We need to have clear guidelines and clear guardrails around what happens when you bring AI in.” It’s a frame that treats trust not as a feeling to be managed but as a system to be designed, before the agents arrive, not after.

Kelleher’s concern runs the opposite direction. The problem, in his diagnosis, isn’t that workers will feel displaced by agents with names—it’s that managers still aren’t taking agents seriously enough as a category of labor. “We have trained every manager in the world to think about one thing,” he said, “and that is: what’s their headcount? What’s the org chart look like? Who reports to who?” That thinking, he argued, doesn’t fit this moment. His proposed fix: push token budgets down to people managers, forcing a concrete reckoning with a workforce that now includes AI agents operating alongside humans, and making that trade-off visible in the budget itself.

Sarah Franklin, CEO of Lattice—whose entire business is built around helping companies manage and develop their people—made the same diagnosis from the other direction. The performance management process, she argued, is “deeply broken,” because it’s cyclical, once or twice a year, disconnected from how businesses actually move. AI has exposed that, rather than fixing it. “You set up your OKRs at the beginning of the year,” she said, “then six months in, priorities have changed, focus has changed. Not that that’s bad. It’s that the performance process hasn’t kept up with the business.”

What Kelleher and Franklin actually agree on, underneath the framing fight, is more important than the disagreement: the bottleneck is at the managerial level. Org charts, budget cycles, performance processes—these were all built for a workforce of humans and not yet rebuilt for one that isn’t. Cognizant’s analysis of 80,000 tasks found that in 90% of them, a human still needs to be involved in some way. But whether they call the AI agents that they work alongside colleagues is the question.

“We evolve from workforce planning to work planning,” Kelleher said. “What I’m finding right now is that’s a really big leap for people to make.”

Whether the agents helping bridge that gap are colleagues or tools may matter less than whether the humans managing them are finally forced to reckon with what work actually looks like now.

For this story, Fortune journalists used generative AI as a research tool. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.

Democrats appeal judge’s decision not to block Trump’s mail-in voting executive order

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Democrats appeal judge’s decision not to block Trump’s mail-in voting executive order




Democrats appeal judge’s decision not to block Trump’s mail-in voting executive order

Carney says data will be ‘uneven’ as Canada dips into technical recession

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Carney says data will be ‘uneven’ as Canada dips into technical recession




Canadian economic data will be volatile as the government works on a broader transformation of the economy, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in response to last week’s gross domestic product report that showed the country tipped into a technical recession. 

Most Humble Crypto Billionaire #267

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Most Humble Crypto Billionaire #267



#shorts

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Citi Merchant Offer for AT&T Wireless: Spend $65+, Get $50 Credit

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Citi Merchant Offer for AT&T Wireless: Spend $65+, Get $50 Credit


Citi Merchant Offer for AT&T Wireless

Citi Merchant Offers are similar to Amex Offers and Chase Offers. With these offers, Citi credit cardholders can unlock additional savings and benefits when making purchases with select merchants. They include discounts or cashback rewards tailored to cardholders’ spending habits and preferences.

Citi Merchant Offers are available for all Citi cardholders, although specific offers might still be targeted. Some people are now seeing an offer that can save you $50 on your AT&T bill. The offer terms state that it only applies to new plans, but it usually works on existing plans as well. If you have the offer on multiple Citi cards, it can be quite lucrative. Check out the details below.

Offer Details

  • Earn $50 back on a purchase of a new eligible wireless plan of $65 or more.
  • This offer is available again through June 30, 2026.
  • Visit att.com/MobilityMC for more information. 
  • Find your Citi Merchant Offers here.

Citi Merchant Offer for AT&T Wireless $50 off $65

Important Terms

  • May be redeemed 1 time(s) by the offer end date.
  • Offer valid one time only for new AT&T Wireless customers who purchase an eligible wireless plan (min. $65/mo. after discounts).
  • Payment must be made directly with the merchant.
  • Offer not valid on any smartphone, accessories purchases, AT&T Prepaid, or Cricket Wireless products or services.
  • Valid in the US and US territories.

Guru’s Wrap-up

With this AT&T Citi Merchant Offer you can save $50 on your bill when you pay $65 or more. The fine print says that the offer is for new wireless plans, but it has worked for existing customers in the past. It may even work for other AT&T services.

You can take advantage of this offer by simply using your Citi credit cards for eligible transactions. Just make sure you enroll in the offer first, before making a purchase. You can enroll multiple Citi credit cards for this same offer, as long as the offer shows up in that account.

Once you add the offer, use that card to make a payment of $65 or more and you will receive a $50 credit. I the past this offer has also worked for other AT&T services, so give those a try as well if you don’t have AT&T wireless.

This time around I see the offer on my Citi Strata Premier and Citi Custom Cash cards. Let me know if you have this Citi AT&T offer in your accounts!

Use the social media buttons below to share this article. Your support and engagement is always greatly appreciated.

When CPI Breaks, So Do Real Returns

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Start with pension allocation. Nigeria’s pension assets reached ₦26.66 trillion as of October 2025, with roughly 60%, or about ₦16 trillion, invested in government securities. If the real return on government paper has been negative for most of the past 15 years, then millions of retirement savers were not just earning low returns. They were losing purchasing power while their nominal balances increased.

This is not unique to Nigeria. The OECD’s 2024 pension report, using 2023 data, found that pension systems in Nigeria, Angola, and Egypt, where more than half of assets are allocated to bills and bonds, delivered negative real returns. Recent increases in Nigeria’s pension fund equity allocation limits are directionally positive. But they are modest relative to the scale of the problem.

Under the old CPI methodology, a 91-day T-bill yielding 18% against inflation at 34.8% was clearly negative in real terms. Under the rebased CPI, a yield of 15% against inflation of 15.15% appears roughly neutral. Has the underlying reality improved, or has the measurement changed?

The answer is both.

Inflation has genuinely moderated. Monthly CPI increases fell below 1% for several consecutive months in the second half of 2025. But the rebase also lowered measured inflation by roughly 10 percentage points. Without a continuous series, it is difficult to separate these effects.

What is clear is that the sign has shifted.

From August 2025 through January 2026, real returns turned positive for six consecutive months. January 2026 was the strongest month, with a +4.39% real return, driven by a 2.88% month-on-month decline in CPI alongside a 1.38% nominal T-bill return. The real return index rose from 984 to 1,027, above its base level of 1,000 for the first time.

After 15 years of negative returns, cash is no longer guaranteed to destroy purchasing power. Whether that shift proves durable remains an open question.

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