BLAME GAME: WestJet’s cramped seats, Walmart’s exec planning, SEC proxy voting, Netflix movie list

DAMION

MLK Day:

1. Incoming Walmart CEO John Furner:

1. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy reminds us blahblahblah. 

2. During our annual MLK Day Celebration, we reflected on blahblahblah. We care for people. Blahblahblah We strive to be honest, fair, and courageous. And we put others first in the work we do to help people live better.

3. When we lead with care, show respect and do what’s right, we honor Dr. King’s legacy through action and continue building a Walmart that reflects our purpose and values.

2. Walmart: $27,408,854, the fiscal 2025 annual total compensation of our median associate was $29,469, and the ratio of these amounts was 930:1.

3. By 11:14 AM: He has earned $29,469 (the median worker’s entire year of labor).

4. Total Earnings by MLK Day: ~$1,425,000

1. That $1.4 million is equivalent to the lifetime earnings of 48 median Walmart associates (assuming each works for one year at $29,469)

5. As of January 20, 2026, the combined net worth of the Walton family has reached a historic $513.4 billion, according to the latest Bloomberg and Forbes data.

1. As of January 2026, the Walton family collectively receives approximately $3.4 billion per year in dividends from Walmart.

1. Per Day: The family earns roughly $9.27 million every day just by owning the stock.

2. Per Hour: They earn about $386,000 per hour, 24 hours a day.

6. King was literally campaigning for a living wage in Memphis when he was shot by the FBI. your move, walmart CEO John Furner

WHO DO YOU BLAME?

1. WestJet reverses cramped seating layout after viral videos show passengers' knees pressed against seats.

1. In the reconfigured layout, which rolled out in late October on select Boeing 737s, space between rows was reduced to 28 inches to accommodate an extra row of seats. WestJet also made economy class seats non-reclinable, offering passengers the option to pay extra for adjustable seats.

1. In a news statement, the company said it will reverse what it called the "densified seating" by removing the additional row of seats.

2. WHO DO YOU BLAME?

1. Samantha (Sam) Taylor was appointed WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief Experience Officer  March 2025. Sam joined Sunwing in March 2020 as Chief Marketing Officer. Sam’s portfolio is accountable for critical touch points in the guest journey and includes leading all Marketing, Guest Experience and Contact Centres for WestJet and Sunwing Vacations. MM

2. Stakeholders!

1. Customers: WestJet’s rollout of the reconfigured seats has sparked widespread outrage among travelers and even crew members.

2. Employees: Reuters reported that pilots and flight attendants have raised concerns over the new configuration's comfort and safety, specifically whether passengers could safely evacuate the plane in an emergency due to the confined seating.

3. Journalists: Reuters reported that pilots and flight attendants have raised concerns over the new configuration's comfort and safety, specifically whether passengers could safely evacuate the plane in an emergency due to the confined seating.

4. Labor Unions: Alia Hussain, president of the union local representing WestJet cabin personnel, said: "It created a hostile working environment for us as cabin personnel."

3. Onex Corporation, WestJet’s publicly traded owners

1. Which is really founder and board Chair Gerry Schwartz (annual Chair fee of $1 million), who maintains 100% control of the Multiple Voting Shares (MVS) of Onex Corporation, which effectively grants him 60% of the total voting power in the company.

1. This control allows him to elect 60% of the members of Onex's Board of Directors. While he also personally holds a significant portion of the Subordinate Voting Shares (SVS)—roughly 11.3% as of late 2024—the primary mechanism of his control is the MVS class.

4. All stupid U.S. dual class dictatorships who do not do this!!

1. The "Sunset" Provision: In May 2023, Onex shareholders approved a plan to implement a "sunset" on these special voting rights. Under this agreement, Schwartz’s multiple voting rights are scheduled to expire three years after the effective date of the amendment (roughly May 2026).

1. Current Status: As we are currently in early 2026, Schwartz remains the controlling shareholder. Upon the "Event of Change" later this year, the Multiple Voting Shares will convert into Subordinate Voting Shares, and he will lose his absolute control, shifting the company toward a more traditional governance structure.

1. Matt Damon says Netflix wants to make action movies differently to account for shorter attention spans

1. How the art of filmmaking is being subverted

1. The "Say What You Do" Rule: Writers are frequently being told to eliminate subtext. In traditional filmmaking, if a character is sad, you show them staring at a cold cup of coffee. Now, streamers often request that the character explicitly say, "I’m just so sad right now," or have another character ask, "Why are you so sad?"

1. The Reason: If you are looking at your phone during a silent, emotional shot, you miss the story. If the character says it out loud, you can follow the plot without looking at the screen.

2. Heightened Audio Cues: If you’ve noticed that modern movies have very aggressive sound design—sudden loud bangs, dramatic musical stings, or high-pitched notification-like sounds—it’s often intentional.

1. The "Audio Hook": These sounds act like a "ping" to pull your eyes back from your phone to the TV. It’s a literal alarm clock for your attention.

3. The "First 10 Minutes" Mandate: In the past, a movie could have a "slow burn" opening (think 2001: A Space Odyssey). Today, Netflix and other streamers use data that shows exactly when a user hits the "Back" button.

1. The Note: Writers are told that a "major event" (an explosion, a death, or a massive hook) must happen within the first 2 to 5 minutes. If the "inciting incident" happens at the 20-minute mark, the data shows they will lose 30% of the audience to TikTok.

4. Centered Framing: Cinematographers are increasingly being told to keep the "important" action in the center of the frame.

1. The Reason: This makes the content easier to view on a mobile device if the user decides to switch from the TV to their phone, or if they are watching a cropped "clip" of the movie on social media later.

5. Increased "Recapping":  Have you noticed characters summarizing what just happened more often?

1. The "TikTok Brain" Fix: Because people are multitasking, they often lose the thread of the plot. Streamers now encourage dialogue like, "So, let me get this straight, we have to get the key from the vault before the guard returns in five minutes?" It’s a recap for someone who tuned out for the last three minutes.

2. WHO DO YOU BLAME?

1. Netflix: Ted Sarandos & Greg Peters (Co-CEOs of Netflix), Reed Hastings, Jay Hoag

2. Drug CEOs (re: The Algorithm): Passive Viewing: Data shows that up to 94% of people use a phone while watching TV.

1. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew: TikTok is widely considered the pioneer of the "Short-Form Video" era. Its algorithm is specifically designed to provide "intermittent reinforcement" (like a slot machine), which studies suggest can reduce the ability to focus on long-term tasks.

2. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Zuckerberg pivoted Facebook and Instagram (Reels) to aggressively compete with TikTok. Critics argue this transition turned a platform for connection into one of "passive scrolling" that further erodes focus.

3. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan: Under his leadership, YouTube Shorts was launched to capture the short-attention-span market. Even YouTube co-founder Steve Chen has recently warned that these short videos are "shrinking kids' attention spans."

3. Smartphones: Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs MM

4. Stanford: The "Father of Persuasive Tech": B.J. Fogg

1. Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab, run by B.J. Fogg, taught many of the founders and early employees of Instagram and Facebook.

2. The "Fogg Behavior Model" taught engineers how to use "triggers" and "rewards" to change human behavior through software. He provided the scientific framework that allowed tech companies to treat the human brain like hardware that could be "hacked" for maximum engagement.

1. Trump calls NYSE Dallas expansion plans 'unbelievably bad' for New York: Trump says move poses 'big test' for newly inaugurated Mayor Zohran Mamdani. WHICH HYPOCRISY DO YOU BLAME?

1. The Free Market Bullshit

1. Trump and Texas leaders have long championed the freedom of businesses to flee blue-state regulations. However, now that a prestigious icon like the NYSE is actually expanding to Dallas, Trump has pivoted to calling it "unbelievably bad" for New York.

2. The Anti-Woke /Anti-ESG scaremongering

1. Texas frames itself as a "Sanctuary from Socialism," yet the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) is being used to bypass ESG transparency. While railing against woke mandates, these leaders are creating their own ideological silos—demanding a protected market where management isn't held accountable by shareholders for social or environmental impacts.

2. Texas AG Ken Paxton described BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard as an "investment cartel" that was "illegally controlling national energy markets" and "squeezing more money out of hardworking Americans."

1. Paxton sent a formal warning to Larry Fink and other CEOs, stating that their "radical environmental policies" and "race-based quotas" (DEI) would face severe enforcement actions if they prioritized "politics over consumers."

3. Lead by example: Trump quits NYC and Musk’s Dexit to Y’all Street

1. Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump consistently compared New York unfavorably to states like Florida and Texas: as an example, he pointed to the lack of state income tax in Florida as a reason why "everyone is leaving New York." 

2. Elon Musk’s Dexit from Delaware/California is sold as a strike for freedom, yet his empire is built on nearly $40 billion in government subsidies and contracts. He moved to Texas to escape over-regulation (re: his pay package and people being mad about nooses in his factories) while simultaneously heading the most over-regulatory body ever: Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

4. Leader name calling and scaremongering

1. Trump’s pre-bromance attacks on New York's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani (communist lunatic" and a "Marxist"). 

2. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson (UPenn, Harvard, Princeton): "un-American socialist impulse" and explicitly marketed Dallas as a "sanctuary from socialism" for businesses looking to Dexit New York. 

5. The Elite vs. Common Man Nonsense

1. Despite bullshit Y’all Street populist framing, the Texas Stock Exchange is backed by the world's most powerful financial titans. There is no common man victory here; it is the CEO class moving the financial capital to a jurisdiction with fewer labor protections and less oversight.

2. The Big Four Anchor Investors

1. BlackRock: (managing ~$14 trillion), despite being the primary target of "anti-woke" and anti-ESG rhetoric from the same politicians who support the TXSE.

2. Citadel Securities: Led by Ken Griffin, this firm executes roughly 1 in 4 of all stock trades in the U.S. Left Chicago for Miami.

3. J.P. Morgan Chase: Jamie Dimon. Joined in 2025 during a $90 million funding round and holds an observer seat on the board.

4. Charles Schwab: handles over 50% of U.S. retail stock orders.

MATT

1. Walmart International CEO Kath McLay to step down - WHO DO YOU BLAME?

1. Half exiting CEO Doug McMillon

1. McLay was under McMillon her entire tenure at WalMart, raised to CEO of the international division

2. Clearly a protege - passed over for the new CEO?

2. Incoming CEO John Furner

1. The white guy who became CEO is such an interesting new story, but Furner started as a sales clerk and has been with the WALTONS a long time through Sam’s Club as CEO, another Walton joint

2. Furner/McMillon/Walton family named David Guggina CEO of Walmart US (passing McLay), Chris Nicholas replace McLay, Seth Dallaire was made chief growth officer… rounding out an all male promotion cycle of new execs - no women in major positions

3. Maybe McLay read the tea leaves - women got chief legal and chief of people, like everywhere else, but leave the big jobs to the swinging dicks.

3. The compensation and management development committee, who according to the company charter, ir responsible to “periodically review and recommend to the full Board succession planning practices for the Company’s CEO and other executive officers.”

1. Carla Harris (chair) - black woman with “multicultural” in her job description at Morgan Stanley who apparently didn’t apply “multiculturalism” to Walmart executive search?

2. Marissa Mayer - yes, THAT Marissa Mayer, who is on the board of Starbucks with Brian Niccol and AT&T where Randall Stephenson was CEO

3. Brian Niccol - CEO of Starbucks, with no conflict by having Marissa Mayer on the same board

4. Randall Stephenson - ex CEO of AT&T, with no conflict of interest by having Marissa Mayer on the board.  Also on the board - Tom Horton, ex CEO of American Airlines who was… CFO of AT&T under Stephenson

5. Shishir Mehrotra - who worked at Google via YouTube when… Marissa Mayer worked there (she was in search/maps)

4. Kath McLay, who just couldn’t cut it at Walmart anymore

2. An SEC official has said (implied) you don’t HAVE to vote your proxies as an investor - WHO DO YOU BLAME?

1. Brian Daly, who gave a speech titled (Re)Empowering Fiduciaries in Proxy Voting on Jan 8 in which he argued that not voting doesn’t necessarily violate fiduciary duty

1. Gamblers: “Not voting makes sense in many situations. Look, for example, at quantitative and systematic managers, who often operate models that merely seek exposures to identified sources of alpha.”

2. Index investors: “But it may be appropriate for these categories of investment advisers (and the Boards that exercise oversight over this function) to consider whether taking positions on fundamental corporate matters, or on precatory proposals, is consistent with their investment mandates.”

3. Hedging himself: “So, there is no stock answer to the “Must I vote?” question... Instead, it is important that advisers and clients have a fair amount of latitude to decide what works in their individual cases.”

4. Threatening using proxy advisors: “And if we are raising issues for consideration, I will also mention, because the President did, that there is real concern out there that habitual adherence to a proxy consultant’s recommendations could pull an adviser into a Section 13(d) group.”

2. Investors, because no matter what Brian Daly suggests, investors almost never vote against management and neither do proxy advisors, so what the fuck are we talking about?

3. Cost, because Daly points out, “And in assessing proposed votes, investment advisers might utilize the Fiduciary Interpretation’s concept of a “reasonable inquiry into the client’s objectives.” If an investment adviser routinely follows a proxy advisor’s stock recommendations without a tailored engagement or independent analysis, is this “reasonable inquiry?” Maybe, but it is certainly worth thinking about. And, to go back to the first question, if the voting process is so burdensome that it requires extensive external resources, why is the adviser voting at all?”

4. John Chevedden, along with Jim McRitchie, without whom we have maybe half the shareholder rights as SP500 companies, and who the no-action data is now showing is disproportionately getting responses for exclusion from the SEC (as if to double down on the idea that we can ignore those commie socialists entirely, but we want to tell you explicitly you’re totally legally cool and there’s no threat if you exclude Chevedden).  Chevedden might be the reason investors were voting at all - maybe now they won’t have to?