Fortune 500 Daily

There were plenty of skeptics when Walmart acquired an e-commerce startup in India called FlipKart last year. The 16-billion-dollar price tag didn’t help… it was the retailer’s biggest acquisition ever. But now those skeptics may be back peddling. Not only is FlipKart emerging as one of India’s top e-commerce players – it’s also spinning off a subsidiary called PhonePe (phone-pay) for 10-billion-dollars.

Beth Ford made headlines when she became C-E-O of Land O’ Lakes last year. She’s the first woman to lead the almost 100-year-old food company. She’s also the first openly gay female C-E-O on the Fortune 500. As one of eight kids in a working-class family, Ford quickly developed a strong work ethic. Her first job was detasseling corn in Iowa, earning two dollars an hour.

There are an estimated seven-hundred-thousand tech jobs waiting to be filled in the U-S, according to I-T trade group Comp T-I-A. While hubs like San Fran and Seattle still claim the bulk of those positions, some smaller cities are working to up their tech cred. Places like Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The town is home to Northwestern Mutual, a Fortune 500 insurance company. And C-E-O John Schlifske (ShLIFFskee), is working hard to turn Milwaukee into a tech hub of the midwest.

In a Gillette T-V ad, a man teaches his son how to shave for the first time. Seems pretty straightforward… until the young man reveals that he’s transgender. Suddenly, the ad has a whole new meaning. The commercial is just the latest example of Gillette’s efforts to make its brand more relevant to today’s consumer. … Efforts being spurred by declining sales at Gillette, and its parent company Procter and Gamble.

Money. One of the top sources of stress for Americans. From credit card and student loan debts to a rollercoaster stock market – it’s enough to send anyone into a tailspin. Big investment firms are feeling the pinch too. In fact, Charles Schwab has announced plans to lay off three-percent of its staff following the Fed’s latest rate cuts. Meanwhile, the Fortune 500 company’s stock continues to tumble.

When employees at Old Navy enter the corporate offices, they are met with a large, scrolling L-E-D screen. It displays messages directly from Old Navy’s social media feeds. Positive feedback is in blue, negative reviews are in red. The technology was installed by Old Navy’s C-E-O, Sonia (SONE-yuh) Syngal (sin-GALL). She’s preparing for the impending spinoff of Old Navy from GAP - its Fortune 500 parent company.

How often do you throw your jeans in the wash? In China, they do it every ten wearings. In Europe, it’s every five. In America? It’s every other time we wear our jeans. The C-E-O of Levi Strauss – says we should NEVER wash our jeans. That’s more than just a headline-grabbing statement. Chip Bergh (BERG) says it’s really about conserving water.

The Blackstone Group is one of the world’s biggest investment firms – managing more than half a trillion in assets for clients all over the world. Steve Schwarzman co-founded the New York-based company in 19-85, and still serves as the company’s C-E-O. Not bad for a kid who started out folding handkerchiefs at his dad’s linen business. Schwarzman went on to attend Yale and Harvard Business School.

There’s no question - beauty is a global business. Just look at Estee Lauder – home of popular brands like Aveda and Mac. It was founded in the U-S, but more than seventy-percent of its business comes from abroad. For instance, sales in China grew a whopping forty-two percent this year. Skincare products and high-end beauty labels drove much of that success.

Remember when I-B-M’s supercomputer “Watson” beat two Jeopardy champions back in 20-11? The stunt wowed the tech world. Since then, Watson’s computing skills have evolved into a wide range of artificial intelligence applications. And thanks to I-B-M’s acquisition of The Weather Company, Watson’s predictive powers are now being used to help farmers. Cameron Clayton is general manager of I-B-M’s Watson Media and Weather division.