Hektor

May be the VP is hoping that the boss man’s attention will shift to what he is saying in Greenland from what the VP said on signal.

They probably have quotas to meet, in which case who or why might not matter.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/musk-merges-his-ai-company-with-x-claiming-combined-valuation-of-113-billion-4a8f2263 Musk Merges His AI Company With X, Claiming Combined Valuation of $113 Billion Elon Musk’s artificial-intelligence startup xAI has acquired X, the social-media platform he also owns, in an all-stock transaction, he said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/16/india-manufacturing-foreign-investment-apple-samsung/ Excerpt Businesses are pivoting away from China — but few wind up in India Red tape, restrictive import policies and unpredictable regulations have prevented global companies from committing to India, executives and officials say. NEW DELHI — When companies began shifting their global supply chains away from China, India declared it was ready to become the world’s factory. But the moment hasn’t arrived. A decade ago, India positioned itself as the prime destination for companies looking to diversify their manufacturing base, known as the China Plus One strategy. Now it is grappling with a sobering reality: Smaller countries such as Vietnam have been much more successful at attracting foreign investment. Bureaucratic red tape, restrictive import policies and unpredictable regulations have prevented global companies from fully committing to India, according to interviews with more than two dozen business executives, government officials and diplomats Often obscured by the flashy messaging of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s signature “Make in India” campaign is a more complicated story — one of missed deals, stalled investments and companies quietly choosing to go elsewhere. The urgency for India is mounting amid a slowdown in its economic momentum. The country is in the midst of an acute employment crisis, unable to create enough jobs for the 14 million people entering the workforce each year. Lagging foreign investment in manufacturing — the kind of labor-intensive industry India needs to develop — is central to the problem. The Indian government is considering fresh incentives to lure foreign companies, including subsidies for component manufacturing. It is also hoping to seal a trade deal with the Trump administration, which would be likely to reduce India’s tariffs and make manufacturing in the country more attractive.

Thats interesting.

Thanks @gfp

I wonder what is included in the sale? Are they bundling other things from the empire? Any + and/or - to HomeServices. I also wonder if this is in part driven by the legal/regulatory climate BHE has faced in the recent past.

+1

https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/compass-in-talks-to-buy-warren-buffetts-real-estate-brokerage-unit-5eab82e5 Compass in Talks to Buy Warren Buffett’s Real-Estate Brokerage Unit A sale by Berkshire Hathaway would be the latest sign of consolidation in the residential brokerage business amid slow home sales Key Points Compass is in talks to acquire Warren Buffett's real-estate brokerage business, HomeServices of America. The deal would combine the biggest and fourth-biggest U.S. brokerages by volume, according to RealTrends. HomeServices had about 820 brokerage offices, 270 franchisees, and 5,400 employees in 2024.

An explanation of why it doesn't work

Good one, @Buffett_Groupie

Consistent with his (and Charlie's) "Praise by name, criticize by category" approach, I guess.

Thanks @gfp. Interesting read.

I suppose the hassle of implementation and adoption makes it sticky - any hospital would think twice before replacing their software.

https://www.wsj.com/business/big-consulting-bosses-meet-with-trump-officials-to-save-contracts-8b2946f8 Big Consulting Bosses Meet With Trump Officials to Save Contracts Executives from EY, Booz Allen and others are being told to ‘defend the spend’ on their work for the government—and identify possible cuts In recent days, top executives at professional services firms including Ernst & Young and Guidehouse have met with officials including Josh Gruenbaum, the Federal Acquisition Service commissioner within the General Services Administration, according to people familiar with the discussions. A Booz Allen executive has also been in touch with Gruenbaum. The GSA has identified that the 10 highest-paid consulting firms are set to receive more than $65 billion in total fees across 2025 and future years. That is money that has yet to be spent, and comes from contracts tagged as “consulting services” within the Federal Procurement Data System from the top governmentwide vendors In the meetings with consultants, Gruenbaum has emphasized to executives that the government sees value in consulting—particularly in rolling out advanced technology and modernizing government agencies. What may be frowned upon are contracts providing market research and analysis or supporting work on topics the Trump administration has de-emphasized, such as diversity, equity and inclusion issues. Gruenbaum has assured executives that the GSA wasn’t looking to put firms out of business Consulting firms are being asked to “defend the spend,” by explaining which of their existing projects they see as mission critical to the government’s goals, and which could be cut. Firms may be asked to make pricing concessions on existing contracts, though Gruenbaum has told executives that they could make up for the cuts by also suggesting new projects or services to the government that could offer a demonstrable return-on-investment.

+1 Good work @Saluki

Thanks

@Blake Hampton You can stay here and apply Graham’s teaching. Similar to Mr. Market, you are offered many opinions every day. What you do with it is for you to decide

I feel these adventures are resulting in the push for peace by this president. Many kids born in the US after 9/11 went to fight wars in distant lands that started before their birth and did not come back. A good majority of their communities are the current president’s constituents, I feel. He has been clear about not going on these adventures even during the previous term. I feel that if the fighting continues and Ukraine does not have man power, US will be involved directly sooner or later.

The more I read about this event, I feel Zelensky pulled a master class in negotiation. He pulled out of a negotiation where the terms did not meet his needs. Does anyone else feel this way?

Hi @Grafter, curious to hear why ABG, if you don’t mind. Thanks

If only President Zelensky had watched the Puppet Regime!

That's prudent, I think. Interestingly, CACI is not in the top 10 targeted

https://www.washingtontechnology.com/companies/2025/02/trump-administration-asks-agencies-cull-consultants/403348/ Trump administration asks agencies to cull consultants The Trump administration is asking agencies to review their consulting contracts with at least 10 large companies, including some global firms, as part of an effort to cut “non-essential consulting contracts.” The acting head of the General Services Administration, Stephen Ehikian, asked “agency senior procurement executive[s]” to review their consulting contracts with the 10 companies the administration deemed the highest paid using procurement data — Deloitte, Accenture Federal Services, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics, Leidos, Guidehouse, Hill Mission Technologies Corp., Science Applications International Corporation, CGI Federal and International Business Machines Corporation — in a memo dated Feb. 26 obtained by Nextgov/FCW.