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Steven Tian

  • What Critics Get Wrong About Dual-Class Shares

    The SpaceX IPO has renewed debate over dual-class share structures, which give founders outsized voting power. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian argue that these structures can create long-term shareholder value under the right conditions.

    Screens in Times Square during the SpaceX IPO
  • How Trump Rewrites Defeat as Victory

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian argue that after falling short of his stated objectives in Iran, President Trump has turned to a familiar set of political and rhetorical tactics: declaring victory, redirecting public attention, and recasting friends as foes and foes as friends.

    Vice President J.D. Vance with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, during negotiations in Lucerne, Switzerland
  • Trump Has a Path Out of the Trade War. Will He Take It?

    By striking down Trump’s tariff authority, write Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian, the Supreme Court handed him a chance to retreat from a damaging trade war while claiming credit for a more effective negotiating strategy.

    Shipping containers in a port
  • Apple’s CEO Transition Signals Strength, Not Uncertainty

    Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian argue that Apple is executing a model succession, with the transition from Tim Cook to John Ternus positioning the company to embed AI at scale across its global hardware ecosystem.

    John Ternus speaking in front of blown-up images of iMac computers
  • Why Trump Puts His Name on Everything

    The president’s relentless self-branding is intended to signal success and sustain authority, Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian argue, but beneath the gold-plated surface lies a deeper fragility.

    A poster of the Trump Gold Card in the Oval Office next to a bust of George Washington
  • The Method in Trump’s Madness

    In an excerpt from his new book, Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld describes his personal history with Donald Trump and argues that the 45th and 47th president’s seemingly chaotic approach masks a consistent, if unconventional, strategic playbook.

    Donald Trump speaking surrounded by microphones
  • Trump Shouts Loudly and Fumbles a Big Stick

    In recent weeks, Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write, the president’s usual approach of bullying with coercion, threats, and retribution has backfired on multiple fronts.

    Donald Trump speaking at a press conference with reporters' hands raised
  • The President Holds the Trump Card in His Meeting with Putin. Will He Play It?

    When Donald Trump meets with Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine this week, write Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian, he should remember that he has a key piece of leverage: Russia’s economy is struggling, and the U.S. can push it off the cliff.

    Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin before a meeting in Helsinki in 2018.
  • The Last Disgrace of the ‘Tiffany Network’

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, with co-authors Steven Tian and Stephen Henriques, writes that the capitulation of CBS to the Trump administration is the final stage of a long decline for three storied brands.

    A water tower on the Paramount movie lot
  • Zelensky Must Protect Civil Society

    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and coauthors write that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy’s recent moves against political rivals are self-defeating and dangerous missteps. They argue that he needs to show the courage to acknowledge mistakes and restore trust.‌

    Protestors in Ukraine