By Richard Torrenzano Richard Torrenzano is chief executive of The Torrenzano Group. For nearly a decade, he was a member of the New York Stock Exchange management (policy) and executive (operations) committees. He is a sought-after expert and leading commentator on artificial intelligence, cyber and digital attacks; financial markets; brands, crisis, media and reputation. His new book is Command the Conversation: […]

Business survival, in 2026, will be a high-wire act where market value and trust vanish in minutes. A single deepfake attack against a chief financial officer (CFO) — engineered into a jaw-dropping manufactured “gotcha“ — or a rogue, unauthorized AI-driven digital attack can torch reputation before a chief executive officer (CEO) can shout, “Battle stations!” Corporate survival […]

By Richard Torrenzano Jerome Powell took the stage at Jackson Hole thismorning and said—well, not much. He talked about “neutral,” repeated “data dependent,” and recycled “not on a preset course.” It was the familiar Fed script. Yet markets immediately rallied nearly 2%. That’s the disconnect. Powell stood still. The market surged. He tried to sound cautious. […]

It wasn’t just the rise of misinformation and half-truths that dismantled media’s old advantage. It was the rise of tech-savvy audiences – millions who didn’t wait for the headlines but went straight to the data and decided what mattered most to them. Platforms didn’t simply accelerate delivery. They handed everyone a publishing engine, leaving old […]

By Richard Torrenzano    |   Tuesday, 10 June 2025 04:28 PM EDT We May BeSeeing the Advent of Politics in an Age of Deepfakes When federal investigators started probing an impersonator targeting White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, it wasn’t just a Washington D.C. oddity — it actually was a warning shot. The impersonator used […]

New York, NY,  June 10, 2025 — Command the Conversation: Next Level Communications Techniques, a powerful new resource for contemporary leaders launched today. The eBook transforms how executives engage, inspire and influence in an AI driven global digital era. Packed with high-impact ideas and strategies, this playbook provides the ultimate competitive edge for today’s decision makers […]

What is the most lethal artificial intelligence attack an adversary could execute against your company’s reputation, and has that scenario been stress-tested at the board level? As deepfakes hijack identities and synthetic media blurs truth from fiction, boards must be stewards and sentinels, building trust before it’s tested and anticipating threats before they strike. When […]

China’s Ploys Won’t Wreck U.S. Investor Confidence, or Trump’s McKinley-Style Strategies Trade turmoil didn’t shake markets — this week, it shattered them. President Trump jolted the trade order, lighting up a global chess board, slapping tariffs on imports from more than 180 countries and forcing world leaders off the sidelines. What followed wasn’t just immediate […]

Deepfakes, phishing attacks, algorithmic bias, backdoors, trojans, data poisoning, supply chain vulnerabilities, side-channel attacks, and reputation attacks through artificial intelligence enabled manipulation. These aren’t plot points in the latest dystopian thriller—they’re boardroom-level threats, happening in real-time. Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just transforming business; it’s ballooning risk and exposing organizations to new, complex vulnerabilities that demand fresh approaches to crisis management. Companies that treat […]

When a company posts on social media, who actually owns the data created? Is it the company, the platform, or some other entity? The answer is often complex and unclear. Many believe whoever creates a post owns the data, but once content is shared, it enters a legal fog where rules are as clear as […]

Last week, Jeff Bezos just did something rare in today’s media landscape: he embraced common sense. Under his ownership, The Washington Post, in a bold declaration on X, Bezos made it crystal clear: “We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too, […]

OPINION Bad News Always Comes with a ‘Made in China’ Label, And — a No Return Policy For more than a week, the Australian Navy has been shadowing a fleet of Chinese warships prowling 150 nautical miles east of Sydney — the closest China’s Navy has ever ventured along Australia’s seaboard. This growing presence is no accident. In late […]

President Trump’s Economic Strategy: Tariffs, Trade Wars, Reasserting U.S. Power This past Saturday, President Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, a bold reaffirmation of his America First economic strategy. By targeting key industries — steel, aluminum, and automobiles — he signals that weak trade deals and unchecked foreign competition are over. He acknowledged short-term strain […]

By late fall, Fox sold out advertising spots for Super Bowl LIX, set for Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Months before the teams (the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs) were set or the halftime show headliner (Kendrick Lamar) announced, companies were committing a staggering $7 million for just 30 seconds of airtime. With more than […]

Why the Hype, Fear, and Future All Matter Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a reputation problem. Depending on whom you ask, it’s either humanity’s best shot at solving its greatest problems — or it is an existential threat poised to outthink, outwork, and eventually oust us all. At a White House event Wednesday joining President Trump, […]

2025 is shaping up to be a watershed year for the SEC and Paul Atkins nomination signals a significant shift for the agency. The big question is whether Atkins can strike that balance effectively and reorient the SEC to address pivotal concerns without stifling innovation. Financial Markets Watch Closely as Paul Atkins Steps Toward SEC […]

Momentum against Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in the U.S. is intensifying, as business leaders, policymakers and investors increasingly reject what they view as an expensive and misguided agenda. They are advocating for a return to transparent, merit-based frameworks that prioritize innovation, profitability and tangible societal impact. This shift represents a bold pivot toward operational excellence […]

OPINION From China with Tariffs As President-elect Donald Trump begins his second term on Jan. 20, the new administration is sharpening focus on fair and balanced trade. The renewed agenda includes expanding tariffs, reinforcing ties with key economic partners, and prioritizing U.S. industries. Central to this effort is addressing historic trade distortions, compelling corporations to […]

Unprecedented developments make it feel as if 2025 is hurtling toward us at ludicrous velocity, requiring leaders to seize new expertise needed for digital transformation. Change and control are two forces that shape our lives but rarely align. Change drives progress and growth—it’s relentless and disruptive. Control represents efforts to manage advancements and create order […]

Sweeping Shifts Disrupt Stability, Ignite U.S. Business Success New Era of Common Sense, Clear Communications The globalized economy, once a cornerstone of stability advocated by the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialized nations, faces unprecedented turbulence. Political instability and leadership missteps are eroding economic and business resilience. Across the G-7, leaders are increasingly adopting unpopular policies, further alienating […]

In the blink of an eye, artificial intelligence has erupted like a technological storm, turning industries upside down and making bold promises to reshape life as we know it. Headlines scream of breakthroughs, each more revolutionary than the last, sparking a frenzy of excitement and speculation. But behind the curtain of hype, something more complex […]

The next two to three years will radically redefine “high stakes” and risk for boards and CEOs as sprouting challenges driven by artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and stakeholder communications escalate and demand more than traditional action and oversight. Board legal advisors will no longer merely focus on how to mitigate risks; they will guide organizations […]

OPINION Less Gov’t Oversight Doesn’t Always Translate to Lessened Burdens on Business  Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025 is already sending shockwaves through business and political leadership, ushering in a turbulent mix of risks and opportunities. The implications will be profound, as Trump’s drive for deregulation and economic nationalism is […]

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently,” Warren Buffett’s words more than 20 years ago. That was when artificial intelligence (AI) was just glamor in the eye of Geoffrey Hinton, British computer scientist called the Godfather of AI. Fast […]

Wall Street is at a crossroads. The sacred opening and closing bells of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) seem under scrutiny as the financial world contemplates a bold shift to more active round-the-clock trading. In late April, the NYSE announced it was seeking market participants’ views for potential 24 hour trading of its listed stocks. No further comments or report has […]

In George Orwell’s classic 1984, published in 1949, warnings about the dangers of Big Brother and state-controlled media echo the chilling realities of censorship we see today in places like China and Russia. Almost a century later, we face an even more chaotic battlefield as free speech is not under siege by a single monolithic oppressor—but rather a hydra of rapidly shifting political agendas, […]

“Trust is like the air we breathe—when it’s present, nobody really notices; when it’s absent, everybody notices,” Warren Buffett once famously said. Today, much like air being sucked out of the room, trust in America’s institutions continues to erode at an alarming rate. In 1972, a survey found that CBS TV Network news anchor Walter Cronkite was the “most trusted man […]

In a startling revelation last week, sensitive data from Disney’s internal Slack system, including strategic discussions on ad campaigns, studio technology and other confidential information, were exposed online by NullBulge, a group reportedly committed to fighting AI-generated art. This activist effort to damage Disney’s reputation brings unanticipated and unwanted attention to the entertainment powerhouse as the leaked data reportedly contains […]

Despite AI’s evolution, leaders must play an active role in managing reputational challenges. “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” remarked management guru Peter Drucker, who foresaw the use of outsourcing and the conversion of manual workers to knowledge workers. Now, global business is entering a new era leveraging AI for enhanced […]

As technology advances at warp speed, a striking phenomenon is emerging: the undervaluation of in-person interactions and interpersonal skills, particularly among the tech-immersed young workforce, seduced by remote work options. This mindset is further exacerbated by several years of limited contact with family, friends, and co-workers due to the pandemic. In this new era, dominated […]

Since the formation of America’s first stock market in Philadelphia in 1790, markets have been evolving. Now, cutting-edge technology enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping instantaneous access to a myriad of resources, transforming connectivity, as well as global trading. Recently, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) sought to gauge market players’ opinions on the […]

AI’s dark side has the potential to create massive disruption and challenge the concepts of authenticity and truth. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” are the timeless words of former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, spoken March 4th, 1933, during the Great Depression. If Roosevelt were present today, he would undoubtedly […]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts. The number of AI mentions on earnings calls has skyrocketed, according to Accenture’s new Technology Vision 2024 report. In Q1 2022, there were approximately 500 mentions. By Q3 2023, there were more than 30,000. But AI is transforming earning calls in many other ways. Gone are the days of […]

Significant technological shifts, assertive regulators, and increased public reporting transparency are reshaping how boards and management interact with shareholders. This transformation has also sparked a surge in activist engagement, amplified by 24/7 news and social media, which modify and magnify stakeholder perceptions. Today, company annual general meetings (AGMs) are conducted mostly as virtual shareholder meetings (VSMs). On the screen, […]

As we kick off 2024 and reflect on previous years, one undeniable truth surfaces – we’ve all been drowning in virtual meetings Nevertheless, these digital gatherings have significantly cut travel costs and time … and that is indeed positive. Surprisingly, 11 million virtual meetings are held every day in the United States: translating to 55 […]

Take heed of wisdom conveyed by 18th Century scientist and theologian, Joseph Priestley, whose foresight eerily resonates with challenges faced by today’s CEO and corporate counsel: “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” In this era of intricate communication channels, these leaders risk neglecting a fundamental powerful tool that amplifies their […]