HEADLINES & STRATEGIC TAKEAWAYS
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1. AI Spending Spree or Glitter Trap?
Citadel Credit Union CFO Anand Solanki warns FOMO AI investments are “all glitter, no ROI.”
CFO Play: Audit your AI budget this quarter; most CFOs are paying for tools no one uses.
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2. CFO Hiring Process Now a Maze
CFO Brew reports CFO searches now take 20 % longer due to retirements, startup poaching + complex new demands.
CFO Play: Prep your bench. Train #2s on capital strategy + AI literacy before they’re needed.
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3. PwC Cuts 5,600 Jobs Despite $56.9 B Revenue
Growth slowed to 2.9 %, down from 3.7 % last year. Deloitte (+4.9 %) and EY (+4 %) kept pace.
CFO Play: Expect leaner advisory teams and rate pressure from Big Four spinoffs.
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4. Fed Cuts Rates Again
The Fed trimmed rates by 0.25 pts to 3.75–4 %, its second cut this year.
CFO Play: Re-model cash yield vs. debt refi windows before Q4 board reviews.
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5. Hormel Loses CFO, Warns of Sticky Inflation
Paul Kuehneman takes interim seat as CFO exits amid food recalls and commodity costs.
CFO Play: Map supply-chain exposure to recall-linked risks and review your CPI hedges.
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6. Rivian Cuts Costs Post-Tax Credit Axe
After Trump’s budget bill ended EV credits, Rivian CFO Claire McDonough confirmed 600 layoffs and a shift to a $45K SUV.
CFO Play: When subsidies die, cost discipline must double, the same applies to your own projects.
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7. Kimberly-Clark Buys Kenvue for $40 B
A massive consumer-goods merger uniting Kleenex + Tylenol under one roof.
CFO Play: Expect new valuation benchmarks in the consumer-health space.
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8. OpenAI & Oracle Launch $7 B Data Center in Michigan
AI’s infrastructure race hits the Midwest.
CFO Play: Watch for regional CapEx ripple effects: construction, utilities, and tax credits about to boom.
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9. Office Vacancies Finally Dip (Post-Pandemic First)
CBRE reports the first annual decline since 2020, but rents remain at 1980s-level lows.
CFO Play: Renegotiate leases now, your landlord is nervous.
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10. AI Usage by Generation: Big Gap
82 % of Gen Z uses AI at work vs. 52 % of boomers (London School of Economics study).
CFO Play: Launch AI training programs now or your org will age out of efficiency.
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QUICK HITS
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Luminar loses CFO amid cash crunch: another signal the autonomous vehicle bubble is shrinking.
BILL CFO Rohini Jain says AI is now “deep-learning for CFOs.”
Trump’s Digital Asset Working Group pushes FASB to classify stablecoins as cash equivalents: crypto accounting rules could flip fast.
CFO PULSE
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“You can’t be strategic if you’re busy cleaning up data.” — Anand Solanki, Citadel CFO
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