 |
|
|
|||||
Its been a tough few weeks for the consumer health company Kenvue, after President Trump publicly spread unproven claims about Tylenol, one of its core subsidiary brands. Today, though, it seems like there might finally be some good news for Kenvue. This morning, Kimberly-Clark, the personal care corporation behind brands like Kleenex, Huggies, and Cottonelle, announced that its struck an agreement to acquire Kenvue (which, alongside Tylenol, also owns brands like Band-Aid, Zyrtec, and Listerine). The deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2026, will proceed through a cash and stock transaction thats set to value Kenvue at around $48.7 billion. Kenvue stock was up as much as 19% in premarket trading. As of this writing, Kenvue stock is up more than 17%, while Kimberly-Clark stock is down about 12%. The proposed acquisition news comes nearly a month after President Trump spread a widely debunked claim that suggested a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism, causing a temporary dip in Kenvue stock and posing a more serious reputational risk to the company. Now, it seems like investors are feeling hopeful about the companys latest move. What to know about Kenvue ahead of Kimberly-Clark acquisition Kenvue shares have been on a bit of a roller coaster over the past several weeks. On the morning of September 22, shares of the company dropped around 7.5% as shareholders caught wind of President Trumps plans to publicly claim that Tylenol consumption could be linked to autism. Later that afternoon, Trump did just that at a White House conference where he instructed pregnant women, around a dozen times, Dont take Tylenol. The claim that Tylenol use is connected to autism has been widely debunked by experts and is not backed by medical science. In response to Trumps comments, Kenvue disputed any link between Tylenol and autism, and warned that if pregnant mothers dont use the drug when in need, they could face a dangerous choice between suffering fevers or using riskier alternatives. The companys stock jumped back up around 6% on September 23. The recent tumult surrounding Kenvue follows several years of stock price decline for the company, which first broke off from Johnson & Johnson back in 2023. Since then, Kenvues share prices have slumped by almost 35% from their initial public offering price. Year-over-year, the companys stock is down almost 27%. In a press release published today, Mike Hsu, CEO of Kimberly-Clark, explained that acquiring Kenvue was part of a larger plan to pivot our portfolio to higher-growth, higher-margin businesses. Kirk Perry, Kenvues CEO, added, “Our combination with Kimberly-Clark unites two highly complementary portfolios filled with iconic, beloved brands and everyday essentials that people trust and count on throughout their lives. If the acquisition proceeds as planned, it will create a personal care giant that encompasses 10 different billion-dollar brands under one corporate umbrella.
Category:
E-Commerce
How do you say yes when you have no idea how to deliver? My cofounders and I built Moment Factory by saying yes to projects most people thought were impossible. Long before the technology existed, we designed interactive concerts, illuminated night walks through forests, and towering LED installations in airports. Every project started with the same challenge: Finding the path to make the impossible possible. The unknown isnt unique to our industry. Every creative team faces itstartups launch apps no one knew they needed, architects design spaces no one had imagined, chefs invent dishes no one had tasted. At the beginning of every project, you dont know the outcome or what discoveries lie ahead. But uncertainty is where creativity begins. After 25 years and more than 600 creations, we developed a framework to help teams navigate uncertainty. We call it The Journey Into the Unknown, structured around four tools: The Map, The Crew, The Ship, and The Compass of Amazing. It builds a shared language, aligns teams, fosters trust, and keeps everyone moving forward together. Next time a project feels impossible, let this framework guide your journey into the unknown. THE MAP No explorer started with a complete map of undiscovered territory. At first, your map will be messy, incomplete, and full of gaps. The key is to start with the fragments of information you have and let them guide you in an initial direction: the context, the brief, the timeline, the budget, the objectives, the audiences, and your initial assumptions and ideas. Each small step uncovers something new. Every decision and experiment adds layers of detail, gradually revealing the direction and shape of the map. Progress is not linear, but each step should bring a clearer sense of the path ahead, and thats the Map in action: by trusting this process, we could zigzag through decisions and discover our breakthrough moment. THE CREW Your team is your Crew. Once you have your Map, you need to cast your Crew carefully. A strong team is a multidisciplinary mix of great talentschosen with intention and purpose. The right individuals, with the right expertise and the right mix, kept as lean as possible, supporting one another and sharing knowledge across disciplines, are what makes the work come alive. Picture the classic standoff: Creatives could spend years conceptualizing ideas and exploring every possibility, while production teams push for specificstimelines, budgets, roadmaps. The creative says, It needs to feel more magical. The producer responds, Whats that going to cost? This tension isnt a flawits the balance that keeps the Ship upright. You need both the dreamers and the builders, and when they align, when they understand each others reality, breakthrough work becomes possible. THE SHIP The Ship carries the Crew and the tools for the journey. Each project requires a different ship to carry your Crew and their tools from concept to execution. For some missions, a mothership with support vessels is essential; for others, a small, fast, agile craft is enough. The right ship will have the fuel, speed, and capacity suited to the journey, carrying just the right team to get the project across the finish line. THE COMPASS OF AMAZING The Compass of Amazing is your instinct. Everyone has a creative instinct shaped by past experiences. Its a guide, like one youd bring on a trip, helping you decide your next move. Every journey into the unknown is made of thousands of small decisionsand its success depends on the accumulation of good ones, never just one. Following your Compass often means making choices that arent obvious and trusting a hunch, even when it feels risky. Take John Lennon during the recording of Strawberry Fields Forever: He had two very different takesone with a Mellotron, the other with brass and strings. Rather than choosing one, he trusted his instinct that combining them could create something extraordinary. It was a technical challenge, but that intuition produced a groundbreaking result that changed how records were produced. Using your Compass is about recognizing intuitive moments just like Lennon did. When you pitch an idea and the whole room leans forward, thats your Compass pointing true north. If that feeling disappears, stop, feel, and realign to chart a new course from there. SAY YES TO THE UNKNOWN Every impossible project will be a rollercoaster of excitement, fear, doubt, and hope. Embrace it. These feelings arent obstacles; theyre part of the creative process. When a project lands in front of you, ask yourself: Does it feel exciting? and Does it align with my values? If the answer is yes, be courageous and boldly step forward. Your Map will gradually reveal itself, your Crew will rise to the challenge, your Ship will take shape, and your Compass of Amazing will guide your decisions. Fear will inevitably surface along the way. When it does, remember past moments of uncertainty and how they ultimately unfolded. The journey into the unknown is always a dance between chaos and order. A certain amount of chaos is essentialit sparks discovery and creativitybut too much becomes dysfunction and stifles imagination. The creative process flows from uncertainty to clarity, and it is in that delicate balance that ideas ignite, projects take shape, and something truly remarkable emerges. Sakchin Bessette is the cofounder and executive creative director of Moment Factory.
Category:
E-Commerce
One year after Donald Trump retook the White House and set into motion a dramatic expansion of executive power, the Republican president figures prominently in state and local elections being held Tuesday.The results of those contests the first general election of Trump’s second term will be heralded by the victors as either a major repudiation or resounding stamp of approval of his second-term agenda. That’s especially true in high-profile races for Virginia and New Jersey governor, New York City mayor and a California proposition to redraw its congressional district boundaries.More than half of the states will hold contests on Tuesday. Here’s a look at some of the major statewide and local races on the ballot: Governors: New Jersey and Virginia In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are the nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Sherrill is a four-term U.S. representative and former Navy helicopter pilot. Ciattarelli is a former state Assemblyman backed by Trump. In 2021, Ciattarelli came within about 3 percentage points of toppling Murphy.In Virginia, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger look to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. While Spanberger has made some efforts to focus on topics other than Trump in stump speeches, the president remained a major topic of conversation throughout the campaign, from comments Earle-Sears made about him in 2022 to some of his more polarizing policies, such as the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending cut measure and the widespread dismissal of federal workers, many of whom live in northern Virginia.Trump was scheduled to participate in telephone rallies for the candidates on Monday night.As the only gubernatorial races held in the year following a presidential election, the contests have long served as the first major test of voter sentiment toward the party holding the White House. In every race for governor since 1973, one or both states have elected a governor from a party different than that of the sitting president. New York City Mayor The race to lead the nation’s largest city features Democratic state legislator Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate and former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.Mamdani’s comfortable victory over Cuomo in the June primary generated excitement from the party’s more progressive wing and apprehension among the party establishment. Party leaders like Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries eventually endorsed the self-described democratic socialist months after he won the nomination.The winner will replace outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who initially sought renomination as a Democrat. After losing the primary Adams opted to run as an independent, but dropped out of the race in September and eventually endorsed Cuomo. In February, the Trump Justice Department asked a court to drop corruption charges against Adams because the case impeded Trump’s “immigration objectives.” Trump later said he’d like to see both Adams and Sliwa drop out of the race in an effort to defeat Mamdani. California Proposition 50 California voters will decide a statewide ballot measure that would enact a new congressional map that could flip as many as five Republican-held U.S. House seats to Democratic control.Proposition 50, championed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is in response to a new Texas map that state Republicans enacted in August as part of Trump’s efforts to keep the U.S. House under Republican control in the 2026 midterms. The Texas plan, which could help Republicans flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats, has sparked an escalating gerrymandering arms race among states to pass new maps outside of the regular once-a-decade schedule. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will be at stake when voters cast Yes or No votes on whether to retain three justices from the high court’s 5-2 Democratic majority.Partisan control of the court could have major implications for the 2028 presidential race, since justices might be asked to rule on election disputes, as they did in 2020. Spending on Tuesday’s contests is on track to exceed $15 million as Republicans have campaigned to end the majority and Democrats have responded.If all three justices are ousted, a deadlock in the confirmation process to replace them could result in a court tied at 2-2. An election to fill any vacant seats for full 10-year terms would be held in 2027. Other notable contests VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Republican incumbent Jason Miyares seeks a second term against Democrat Jay Jones. Much of the fall campaign has focused on text messages suggesting violence against political rivals that Jones sent in 2022.TEXAS-18: Sixteen candidates hope to fill a vacant congressional seat previously held by the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner.STATE LEGISLATURES: Control of the Minnesota Senate and Virginia House of Delegates is at stake, while New Jersey Democrats defend their 52-28 General Assembly majority.BALLOT MEASURES: Maine voters will decide statewide questions on voting and a “red flag” law aimed at preventing gun violence. Texas’ 17 ballot measures include constitutional amendments on parental rights and limiting voting to U.S. citizens. Colorado and Washington also have statewide measures on the ballot.MAYORS: Detroit, Pittsburgh, Jersey City and Buffalo will elect new mayors, while incumbents in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Cincinnati seek another term. Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2025 election at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/. Robert Yoon, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||