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Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld

  • Trump’s Reluctant Goodbye

    In the final act of Donald Trump‘s presidency, Yale SOM's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sees echoes of “monarchical” CEOs who purge truth-tellers and surround themselves with sycophants—and invariably make an involuntary exit from the C-suite.

    Marine One departing the South Lawn of the White House
  • CEOs Urge Respect for Election Integrity

    In a hastily assembled call on November 6, corporate leaders agreed on the importance of smooth transition process and encouraged GOP leaders to endorse the integrity of the election.

    President-Elect Joe Biden speaks to the media on November 9, 2020, in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
  • Business Leaders Mobilize for a Fair Vote

    As the U.S. approaches a divisive election, writes Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, business leaders are calling for patience while ballots are counted and a peaceful transfer of power.

    Ballots in a sorting machine at the Santa Clara County registrar of voters office in October 2020. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.
  • Getting Corporate Diversity Programs Wrong

    Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who studied a previous wave of diversity initiatives, describes how such well-intentioned initiatives can go awry—and how to get them back on track.

    Protests sparked by the arrest of two Black men at a Starbucks location in Philadelphia in April 2018. Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
  • On COVID-19 Vaccines, Big Pharma Knows to Just Say ‘No’

    In the face of pressure from President Donald Trump, nine major pharmaceutical companies have signed a pledge to complete testing before submitting vaccines for approval. Yale's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Dr. Albert Ko write that the drugmakers’ caution may help provide badly needed confidence in the eventual vaccine.

    Moncef Slaoui, lead scientist on Operation Warp Speed, with President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a press conference on vaccine development in May 2020. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
  • Please Mr. Postman

    Some have defended cutbacks to the United States Postal Service, weeks ahead of the election, by citing the USPS’s financial struggles. But the postal service was created to provide a public service, writes Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, not to turn a profit.

    A USPS worker wearing a mask puts envelopes in a mailbox while driving past
  • Departures from Convention

    With the Democratic National Convention taking place online, Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld reflects on other conventions Americans have abandoned, and the traditions we’ve let go of, during this tumultuous time.

    The Statue of Liberty at night
  • John Lewis’s Last Lesson for Leaders

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld reflects on the lessons he learned from the civil rights pioneer and congressman John Lewis about voice, courage, integrity—and the dangers of being too patient.

    Congressman John Lewis is arrested for blocking traffic outside the U.S. Capitol at a protest in support of immigration reform in 2013. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
  • Don’t Use COVID-19 as an Excuse to Turn Away Skilled Immigrants

    The Trump administration is reportedly planning to limit immigration for skilled workers in order to boost employment for domestic workers. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that such a move would stifle innovation and even endanger Americans’ health.

    New U.S. citizens recite the the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York City in September 2019. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
  • Why Isolating Older Americans Would Be a Huge Mistake in Fighting the Coronavirus

    In a Fortune commentary, Dr. Michael Apkon ’02, president and CEO of Tufts Medical Center, and Yale SOM’s Dr. Howard Forman and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld write that such an approach would be dangerous and ineffective.

    Empty streets in New York City on March 22. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.