Fortune 500 Daily

While movie-goers countdown to December’s Star Wars release… a different kind of “JEDI” battle has been brewing in the tech world. Microsoft and Amazon were competing for The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure – or JEDI – deal from the U-S Department of Defense. Microsoft was recently awarded the ten-billion-dollar contract to develop cloud computing for the D-O-D. Teresa Carlson is the Amazon V-P who oversaw the company’s bid.

Americans are paying twice as much for their healthcare today than they did in the 19-80’s. The biggest culprit? The skyrocketing cost of insurance. It’s jumped more than 7-hundred percent in the last three decades. The majority of Americans get their health insurance from their employers. And former General Electric C-E-O Jeffrey Immelt told Fortune’s Alan Murry, these companies have been terrible consumers.

We may not be flying around in our own spaceships like the Jetsons – but the transportation industry is definitely evolving. Rideshare options, connected cars and autonomous vehicles are all changing the way we get from Point A to Point B. So it makes sense that the Avis Budget Group no longer wants to be known as just a car rental company – but a “mobility” company. Steering a big corporation through this change takes a certain kind of leader.

When you think about the most iconic brand mascots out there… it’s pretty clear which product they represent. Like a squishy doughboy for Pillsbury, or a man made of tires for Michelin. But what about the mascot for the American Family Life Assurance Company… better known as “AFLAC”.

Wildfires are flaring in California, and that’s putting the state’s aging infrastructure in the spotlight once again. Investigators say some of last year’s most devastating blazes were sparked by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s aging equipment. And there’s fears the same thing could happen again this year. As the fire season plays out, utility companies across the country are paying close attention.

Among the seven core values of the U-S Army are loyalty, respect, honor and integrity. Some might argue those characteristics are also vital in the business world. Alex Gorsky certainly thinks so. He’s the C-E-O of Johnson-and-Johnson. But before he started his career at the Fortune 500 company, Gorsky served as a captain in the U-S Army. He sat down with Fortune’s Susie Gharib and described how his military training helped prepare him for the C-suite.

The world is drinking less alcohol. In fact, consumption’s been declining for several years now. That may sound like trouble for Anheuser Busch InBev – the world’s largest brewer. But the company’s C-E-O, Carlos Brito, told Fortune’s Susie Gharib it’s not all bad news.

Advanced Micro Devices has had an on-again off-again relationship with the Fortune 500. But thanks to the turnaround efforts of its C-E-O, Lisa Su – the semiconductor company is back on the list this year. Su became A-M-D’s first woman leader in 20-14. She spoke with Fortune’s Michal (meh-HALL) Lev-Ram at the Most Powerful Women Summit in October to talk about how she tackled the transition.

When Antonio Neri started work at Hewlett Packard’s call center in 19-95… he had no idea he would one day become the tech giant’s C-E-O. After twenty-three years of climbing the company ladder, Neri moved into the C-suite last year. He replaced Meg Whitman – who oversaw the company’s 20-15 split into Hewlett Packard Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Neri shared the advice he got from Whitman with Fortune’s Susie Gharib.

The back and forth between the U-S and China over agricultural goods is enough to make anyone’s head spin. But for those in the farming industry – it’s yet another bump in an already rocky road. Floods and disease have plagued crops this year. That’s on top of overall farm incomes that have fallen 45-percent over the past six years. Also feeling the pain: companies who support those farmers. Companies like Caterpillar – the 94-year-old construction equipment maker.