Sky Blog
In a new paper considering the two leading theories of corporate governance, shareholder theory and stakeholder theory, I argue that stakeholder theory is fatally flawed. Stakeholder theory holds that, in making business decisions, directors should consider the interests of …
Much of the law governing corporate artificial intelligence rests on a single premise: that the a company’s protection against legal liability depends on the quality of the record it can produce. Directors defend oversight claims with minutes and charters. Issuers …
Boards advise on strategy, risk, and a variety of leadership, organizational, and geopolitical topics. While individual directors are selected with these specific skills in mind, it is unlikely that any begin or complete their tenure with full knowledge to resolve …
On April 7, the Federal Reserve chair and U.S. Treasury secretary called an emergency meeting with America’s top bank CEOs. The reason: an AI model capable of autonomously hacking major corporations, finding thousands of software vulnerabilities no human ever caught, …
AI adoption is now mainstream: 88% of businesses use AI in at least one function, with global spending expected to exceed $1.5 trillion in 2025 and approach $2 trillion in 2026. As organizations race to scale AI, many have relied …
Too often, for-profit and nonprofit boards are passive, deferential, or both. Their failures to engage their critical faculties have resulted in serious harms as diverse as Boeing planes crashing and the NRA squandering millions of dollars. Boeing’s massive safety failures …
Boards face increasingly demanding requirements for oversight. It is no longer enough to have a compliance program on paper. Regulators, courts, and investors expect boards to ensure that compliance systems function to prevent, detect, and respond to misconduct. That expectation …
The 2026 edition of the annual Chief Legal Officers Survey (“Survey”) from the Association of Corporate Counsel validates the continuing evolution of senior in-house corporate counsel from strictly technical experts to also wise counselors and business partners to management. In …
Firms need data to ensure core business functions. Yet, as we discuss in a new paper, many do not pay enough attention to data sources, tending instead to focus on how data are used. Most regulations address downstream uses …
When activist investors acquire large stakes in a company and seek influence, they traditionally push for seats on the board of directors. In recent years, however, many activists have instead appointed a non-voting observer who can attend board meetings, receive …
The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act is now law. Some provisions are already in effect, but others are still being finalized, so boards are being asked to take digital governance seriously while the legal floor under their feet is still …
Under In re Caremark Int’l Inc. Derivative Litig., directors can be liable for failing to adequately oversee corporate compliance. While Caremark has famously been described as “the most difficult theory in corporation law upon which a plaintiff might hope …
A rapidly expanding scope of challenges is prompting corporate boards to re-evaluate the adequacy of the information with which their staffs provide them. Traditional sources such as financial reports, regulatory and litigation briefings, and strategic commentaries are not enough to …
The growing body of governance literature offers no shortage of views on what boards ought to concern themselves with beyond the routine fare of overseeing management and discussing strategy and finances. Depending on the perspective of the author, topics range …
For more than a decade, the European Union has styled itself as the custodian of digital civilization. If Silicon Valley built the engines, and Shenzhen perfected the replication, Brussels has written the rulebook. After the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Proxy advisers play a pivotal role in corporate governance by providing institutional investors with recommendations on how to vote at shareholder meetings. These firms influence key corporate decisions, including the election of directors, executive compensation, and governance policies, thereby exerting …
In an era of heightened political uncertainty – from gridlock in Washington to changes within the European Union – political risk has become a top concern for many boards of directors. Firms often cultivate political connections to mitigate these risks …
Following a string of high-profile data breaches and other cybersecurity failures, investors and regulators increasingly expect corporate directors to monitor cyber risk. But what does board oversight of cybersecurity look like in practice, and is it effective? In a recent …
Board structure sits at the heart of corporate governance, but its optimal form remains a subject of debate. A longstanding view – championed by Jensen (1993) and Yermack (1996) – advocates for smaller boards, arguing they are more efficient and …
The corporate law discourse on climate change has largely focused on the “internal dimension” of directors’ duties – whether boards must consider climate-related risks and opportunities that affect firm-specific financial performance. While this question has gained significant traction, a more …