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Nearly 160 companies (full list here) plan layoffs throughout June, up from 130 in May, affecting industries from retail to pharmaceuticals as employers cite profit maximization and demand fulfillment. Major names include Wells Fargo, Pfizer, FedEx, McDonald's, Walmart, and JP Morgan Chase, with cuts ranging from single digits to thousands at companies like U.S. Cellular. There are also countless stores closing in June.

The surge reflects broader economic uncertainty stemming from widespread tariffs imposed on virtually every trading partner, plus targeted levies on steel, aluminum, and foreign automobiles that have rippled through supply chains. While some layoffs represent routine business adjustments, the scale suggests companies are bracing for prolonged economic headwinds (tariff impact layoffs, explained).

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filings reveal cuts spanning tech giants to local franchises, from Oracle and NetApp to individual Chick-fil-A operators, indicating broad-based corporate caution rather than sector-specific downturns. The timing ahead of summer traditionally strong for retail and hospitality suggests companies expect sustained consumer spending weakness (WARN Act, explained).

Valterra Platinum launched secondary trading in London Monday with a £7.77 billion valuation after spinning off from Anglo American, which retains a 19.9% stake worth £1.55 billion. The world's largest platinum group metals miner opened at 29.30 pence while maintaining its primary Johannesburg listing (platinum group metals, explained).

The demerger stems from BHP's failed £50 billion takeover of Anglo American last year, triggering broader restructuring as the parent shed assets. CEO Craig Miller positioned the London listing as expanding shareholder access to "world-class assets.”

Valterra's 2025 targets of 3-3.4 million PGM ounces at $970-$1,000 per ounce reflect mining's efficiency push amid volatile markets (more here). The spinoff exemplifies conglomerates simplifying portfolios, with specialized players betting focused expertise trumps diversified scale.

The Tony Awards are this Sunday (nominees here) and Broadway's 2024-25 season shattered box office records with $1.89 billion in grosses, surpassing 2018-19's previous high of $1.82 billion despite theater's inherent limitations compared to scalable movie screenings. The triumph reflects an unusual mix of star-powered productions and crowd-pleasing originals, with George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck setting weekly records.

Unlike previous seasons dominated by IP regurgitation and uninspired revivals, this year balanced celebrity draws like Denzel Washington (interview here) with original musicals such as Death Becomes Her and Maybe Happy Ending. Straight plays traditionally considered tourist-unfriendly, including Oh, Mary! and John Proctor Is the Villain, played near 100% capacity over Memorial Day weekend.

The surge suggests scarcity matters less than cultural relevance, with long-running shows like The Lion King and Hamilton maintaining momentum nearly three decades and multiple streaming availability later. Wicked's 2024 film success may have reminded casual theatergoers how thrilling live cultural phenomena feel compared to endless remakes, creating unexpected synergy between Hollywood and Broadway stages (movie-to-stage impact analysis).

Why do timid thoughts never translate to powerful outcomes? Robert Greene's Law 28 exposes "The Boldness Paradox" — the neurological truth that hesitation creates the very obstacles it seeks to avoid, while audacity eliminates resistance before it forms.

Greene explains (video): "If you hesitate before doing something, your doubts will undermine your efforts." He points to Napoleon, originally timid and socially awkward, who transformed into a commanding presence by practicing boldness until it became automatic. The emperor understood that people sense weakness instantly — hesitation signals vulnerability that others will exploit.

This creates a vicious cycle. When you act tentatively, you inspire doubt in others, making your goals harder to achieve. The solution isn't building confidence. It's practicing audacity until boldness becomes your default response. Greene advocates for radical action: lie bigger, move faster, intimidate through sheer force of will. When your boldness towers over others' expectations, power isn't something you chase — it's something that gravitates toward you.

Learn how to unlock the deepest layers of human consciousness. World-renowned psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, who conducted over 4,500 supervised LSD sessions and revolutionized our understanding of the psyche, tells Tim Ferriss how systematic exploration of non-ordinary states exposes profound realms that traditional psychology never knew existed. Full interview on accessing consciousness here.

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