Story of the Week (DR):Data Rules!At DraftKings, AI Targets the Gamblers Likeliest to LoseThe latest gender battle: Nobody asks why having more men is betterICE Wiped Thousands of People From Its DatabaseVaccine Expert Warns US’s 4 Reported Measles Deaths Are Likely a Vast UndercountPentagon Quietly Adds to US Death Toll From Iran War After Reports of Coverup$6 trillion a year in unpaid labor isn’t counted in GDP. Its absence from official stats distorts how we see growth, living standards and productivityA Year After Trump's Tylenol Warning, 3 Million-Patient Review Finds No Causal Autism or ADHD LinkHere we are in a nerdy freefloat nutshell, the stuff we keep hammering or we told you so edition: MMBoards (in the US) are still not taken seriously and investors do not hold them accountable:I’m the CEO of a self-improvement app, and I hired someone on my board to argue with meFounder/CEO Oleksandr "Alex" Matsiuk, RiseGuideWhen hiring, I look for opinionated, independent thinkers. There isn't one interview question that identifies them. I watch how they behave. [One] candidate came in deeply prepared and challenged our brand strategy rather than simply complimenting us. That was exactly what I wanted.I applied similar criteria when selecting a board member. I wanted someone who understood our business model, knew me personally, and could spend time with our team. I can be passionate when I strongly believe in something, and people sometimes stop arguing with me. I needed someone who wouldn't give up until one of us proved our point.What’s A Board Chair’s Real Role?Not a leader but an enabler. Of all the roles on a board, the chairperson is the hardest to define. CEOs act and take risks, directors challenge and vote, but the chair's task is subtler: to design and protect the board's collective process. This remit is the starting point for understanding both what good chairs do and why bad ones are damaging, says Stanislav Shekshnia, Senior Affiliate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise at INSEAD, in the latest episode of INSEAD Explains Governance.So, what skills do good chairs have in common, since they lack the executive levers available to a CEO? Shekshnia named four pairs of seemingly contradictory qualities: authority with humility, commitment with detachment, incisiveness with patience, and a helicopter view with in-depth company knowledge. That same balancing act extends to the chair's relationship with the CEO. All too often, Shekshnia notes, chairs act as though they are the CEO's boss. Another misstep is to become so close to the CEO that it compromises the independent judgement the board needs – something Shekshnia has experienced firsthand, having once found it difficult to manage a CEO's exit after developing an unusually close working relationship.Sam Altman dropped out of Stanford to build an app almost nobody used — it still sold for $43.4 millionDirectors flag gaps in board expertiseThe share of board directors surveyed who see a fellow board member’s “insufficient expertise” as warranting their replacement nearly doubled to 39% this year from 21% last year, with 55% saying at least one colleague should step down, according to a PwC report released Wednesday.At the same time, the report found a disconnect in what boards say they look for in new members with a majority (81%) saying that weighing candidate’s cultural fit or alignment is very important when picking new members.More than half of directors want at least one fellow board member removedAI and cybersecurity: The new priorities for board governance in 2026CEOs Rule!‘I Am the Code': Trump's White House Ballroom Architect Quit After Raising Fire Safety Concerns‘Keep Growing and Pay a Fine’: Polymarket CEO Allegedly Ignored Warnings as Fraud Attempts Hit $10MBoomerang CEOs Rule!Bob Chapek Is So Not Over Getting Fired From DisneyWomen to the Rescue!Judge [Mary McElroy] rules EPA illegally terminated $7B solar pr