Death Of Two Billionaires | Visa Won’t Pay For Plaid | The Job Losses Gender Gulf

Plus: Big Companies Try To Distance Themselves From Trump—While Still Paying Him Millions In Rent

Good morning.

We cover the deaths of two tycoons on each side of the Atlantic—Sheldon Adelson in the U.S., and Sir David Barclay in the U.K. We also look at Visa’s change of heart over Plaid, and at the Synchrony CEO’s retirement.

In The News Today

Lisa Montgomery became the first woman to be executed in the U.S. in nearly 70 years on Wednesday morning. 

Visa and fintech startup Plaid ditched plans for a $5.3 billion merger after a Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit had threatened to block the deal. 

Top Take-Aways

At the time of his death on January 11, Sheldon Adelson commanded a net worth of $35 billion. His beginnings were humble, but as his fortune grew, so did the casino tycoon’s outsized influence, which stretched from the Las Vegas casino strip to Washington D.C., where he played the role of Republican kingmaker.

British billionaire Sir David Barclay, who died last night, shares a similar rags to riches story as Adelson. Having left school aged 14, he and his twin Sir Frederick—together known as the Barclay brothers—built an empire including London’s top hotels, a catalogue retail giant, and one of the U.K.’s most prominent conservative newspapers.

December’s U.S. unemployment data reveals the extent to which women, and particularly women of color, have been affected by the pandemic. One statistic in particular paints the gravity of the situation: women accounted for 100% of the job losses that month.

Margaret Keane, CEO of the $21 billion credit card lender Synchrony Financial, is retiring effective April 1. Keane will transition to a role on the company’s board—but this move means the S&P 500 will lose one of its 30 female CEOs.

Tesla shares grew by 4.7% on Tuesday, returning Elon Musk to the top spot of the world’s richest people ranking. Will he still be number one at the end of trading today? With Jeff Bezos in second place, $1.4 billion below, anything could happen,

If you use Facebook, Messenger, Google, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, WhatsApp is probably not the priority in terms of concerns over data use. But there are at least three steps you can take to strengthen your privacy and security on the messaging app.

Skepticism over WhatsApp has fueled the popularity of alternative messaging platforms like Signal and Telegram. But as their rise coincides with Twitter clamping down on conspiracy theorists, experts worry the encrypted messaging apps could become far-right hotbeds.

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As more states look to legalize online betting to raise revenue, Chicago real estate magnate Neil Bluhm, who cofounded online casino and sports betting outfit Rush Street Interactive (RSI), got more than $1 billion richer when his firm closed on its merger with the blank check company dMY Technology Group.

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