#growth

Recent layoffs have impacted the workforce, yet Oregon forecasts steady economic growth and a 6% increase in jobs over the next decade.

Perhaps investors should look at one metric for the future growth of Croda, customer satisfaction. By the looks of the company’s news releases it has been since June 2022 that Croda has been awarded anything from a customer. In the June 2022 instance it was for sustainability efforts. It would be interesting to learn the last time they were even nominated for supplier of the year or similar by any of their customers. Customers do find alternatives, they do shut access to development programs, and don’t care if it’s the smartest science.

Verizon Strategic Growth Analysis: Competing for the Top Line
Note

This document analyzes Verizon's position relative to T-Mobile and AT&T as of late 2024/early 2025, focusing on strategies to improve top-line revenue.

Executive Summary
Verizon faces a bifurcated challenge: defending its premium user base against T-Mobile's aggressive value-plus-performance attacks while igniting new growth engines to match AT&T's fiber momentum. To improve the top line, Verizon must pivot from being a "utility" provider to a "platform" provider, leveraging its massive 5G Ultra Wideband investment for high-ARPU services in both consumer (FWA, Bundles) and enterprise (Private 5G, MEC) segments.

1. Competitor Landscape: The "Big Three" Dynamics
   Feature Verizon (The Premium Defender) T-Mobile (The Growth Engine) AT&T (The Balanced Builder)
   Primary Strength Network reliability brand equity, massive B2B base. "Un-carrier" value proposition, 5G mid-band spectrum lead. Fiber footprint + Mobility cross-selling.
   Top-Line Strategy Yield over Volume. Focus on ARPA (Account Revenue Per Account) via "myPlan" upsells and perks. Strong FWA push. Volume + Value. Aggressive net adds (Postpaid), attacking rural markets, and entering fiber via JVs. Convergence. Bundling Fiber + Wireless to reduce churn and boost LTV (Lifetime Value).
   Weakness Consumer postpaid net adds have historically lagged. Perception of "expensive". Lack of owned fiber assets (relying on partnerships/acquisitions like Lumos/Metronet). Debt load remains a factor; legacy wireline decline.
2. Strategic Pillars for Top-Line Growth
   A. Consumer Wireless: The "myPlan" Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) Lever
   Verizon cannot win a price war with T-Mobile. It must win on value density.

Strategy: Aggressively migrate base to "myPlan" tiers. By decoupling perks (Disney+, Apple One, Walmart+) from the base rate, Verizon turns low-margin "freebies" into a recurring revenue marketplace.
Action:
Increase "perk" penetration to drive ARPA up by $2-3/mo per user.
Target the "Switcher Pool" with premium device on us offers only on the highest tier plans (Unlimited Ultimate).
B. Broadband: FWA as the "Gatekeeper"
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is Verizon's fastest-growing segment. It is the key to winning households where Fios doesn't exist.

Strategy: Position 5G Home Internet not just as a "cheap" alternative, but as a "smart home" hub.
Action:
Bundle Deeply: Offer significant discounts for FWA + Mobile subscribers to lock in the household (churn reduction = sustained top line).
SMB Expansion: Aggressively market FWA Business Internet to small businesses currently stuck on expensive cable legacies.
C. Enterprise (B2B): Private 5G & MEC Focus
Verizon historically owns the Fortune 500 relationship. This is the biggest differentiator against T-Mobile.

Strategy: Move beyond connectivity to managed industry solutions.
Action:
Private Networks: Scale "Network in a Box" solutions for logistics, manufacturing, and stadiums.
MEC (Mobile Edge Compute): Monetize low latency. Collaborate with AWS/Azure to sell "cloud at the edge" for real-time AI inference (e.g., computer vision in factories).
Public Safety: Compete with AT&T's FirstNet by leveraging Frontline's superior mmWave capacity in dense urban centers.
D. Innovation: The API Economy
The industry is moving toward "Programmable Networks" (GSMA Open Gateway).

Strategy: Monetize the network ITself via APIs.
Action:
Sell "Quality on Demand" (QoD) APIs to broadcasters, drone operators, and gaming companies who will pay a premium for guaranteed throughput/latency slices.
Implement "Silent Authentication" APIs to banks for fraud prevention (replacing SMS 2FA), creating a high-margin B2B2C revenue stream.

1. Summary of Recommendations
   Stop chasing empty calorie net adds; focus on High Value adds who take phones + watches + home internet.
   Accelerate the "Platform" narrative: You aren't just selling data; you are selling the ability to run real-time AI at the edge.
   Defend the Enterprise Moat: Use Private 5G to make Verizon indispensable to industrial operations, locking out T-Mobile.

Consolidate all production under the Asia region and aligning reporting into a single Manufacturing hierarchy could improve speed, clarity, and execution.

Follow up from my post yesterday. Today my team was destroyed, as were many.

Years of building, growth, and success right down the drain. Top performing reps sent to unemployment right before Christmas. Meanwhile, mo--ns and failures keep their jobs. It's not about layoffs, it's about making horrible decisions and then executing poorly on those decisions.

This company has become an utter disappointment. We immediately bankrupted our culture, integrity, and brand as soon as we win the war. T-Mobile is showing their true colors, and it's as disgusting as it is disappointing.

We hear the new CEO from his Dec 5th call but what’s next on the roadmap? When in the timeframe that Verizon will again see growth after the Nov 2025 mass layoff? Is Dan really the CEO that can accelerate the change? I wonder.

Check-out #2 on the list. . .

https://time.com/7333715/best-companies-future-leaders-2026/

We all get it that NGL is a major growth area, but the associated gas is not a focus considering that we are selling off natural gas pipelines. When are we going to acknowledge that the Colorado assets are way too capital intensive to maintain. DCP d-mbly lead the short term build out in CO but ignored the consequences of the ever present air regulations.

Everyone else is in a hiring freeze but the engineering group in Rancho Bernardo is seriously picking up with more than 22+ open positions open. Everyone keeps dooming on this place but I only see growth

"That 25% of non-core business, including SMB and consumer cybersecurity, DevOps, and analytics, is going to be a hole worth almost $1.3 billion to fill however, so the shrink to grow strategy better work, and the new CEO may need some patience given to them."

https://www.iteuropa.com/news/opentext-shrink-grow-strategy-may-mean-it-has-13bn-sales-hole

https://imgur.com/a/4AB5EjR

Up 10% you doom gloomers

Bell Canada says it's cutting approximately 690 employees, mostly managers, to help reduce debt and drive growth. The cuts follow thousands of company layoffs last year.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bell-jobs-layoffs-9.6986533

Recently hired in a new store. I overheard the GM talking to suits that were here. Basically saying end of year is looking neat and some large clients would be coming back next year.

Bryan appears to either be simple-minded on his approach to running SOLV (into the ground) or being directed by a higher power or deity who has no idea how to run a HC company (Peltz). Either way, he has once again proven that the GE style (Welch, McNerney, Nardelli) of "leadership" simply emaciates a once-strong company into a parceled mess of unrelated businesses waiting for a spin or break-up.

Thankfully, I got to leave during the Covid wave of layoffs and enjoy retirement and coffee mornings on the porch, but still care from time to time about what was left behind.

When Bryan was named CEO before the actual spin and gave his first townhall, people on this board sounded so optimistic, which made sense since Roman was a complete buffoon as CEO. Not sure if he talked much about actual strategies for growth and investment or he just used soothing words and bubblegum phrases to get people to like him, but the shine has clearly worn off.

Annual layoffs, as occurred at 3M under Roman and now at SOLV, only prove you have either NO long-term strategy except for HOPE or you have a strategy that changes faster than the weather in Minnesota every spring and fall day. Either way, Wall Street has (finally!) learned that such a "strategy" is a loser and has kept SOLV stock changing mostly sideways while the SP500 is up over 15%.

Having read a few of the public SOLV releases to shareholders, it appears that SOLV is not likely to have any major runout during Bryan's term. NO long-term growth = no long-term ROI. He has never indicated either to employees or Wall Street what his plan is to reduce the massive debt 3M left in his mailbox. He is the antithesis to Lee Iacocca who earned $1 per year and potentially worthless stock options while flying commercial to DC to lobby for loan guarantees.

Perhaps the only strategy that will work is a series of mergers and spins with other HC companies to spread the debt across multiple companies, hopefully stronger and run for growth. But where would this leave Bryan and his guaranteed 40 million per year? That's the sting! I'm convinced a McKnight CEO would quickly be forced out by some activist investor wanting a quick return for their buck like Peltz.

If there's any consolation, Peltz is basically sitting on dead money with 600+ million invested, almost zero gain on the stock price, and no dividend for perhaps years to come. No wonder he keeps pushing for more layoffs. But the layoffs people talked about this week appear to wiping out business critical roles that will only hurt SOLV and help the competition.

Sorry to hear about this 2nd round of Holiday layoffs. The people at 3M/SOLV deserved much better than Roman, Hanson, and Brown.

Cisco had an incredible quarter.
J2 has righted the ship hyperfocusing on AI Infrastructure

Is this attainable given top line decline rates are 9%

MW is promising something like 12% production increases per year to account for production declines and well failures.

Is this doable or will more companies need to be purchased?
Possibly a Permian Pure Play, and a multinational large independent

I’m only a few days out from Wells Fargo, and the feeling is nothing short of liberation. After years of toxic management, mind games, tricks, and the constant drain of unhealthy dynamics, I finally feel like I can breathe again.

What I’m curious about—and what I’d love to hear from this community—is how others have experienced life after Wells. Have you noticed your mental health or physical health improve once you left? Do you feel lighter, healthier, or more yourself in a new company compared to the environment we endured here?

I’m also wondering about comparisons. For those of you who’ve worked at other money-center banks or big financial firms: is Wells Fargo’s toxicity truly on another level, or is it just a variation of the same culture across the industry? What feels different about Wells compared to other firms?

For me, asking these questions is part of healing, curiosity, and looking forward. Understanding how others have rebuilt after leaving helps me realize what’s possible—and reminds me that liberation isn’t just about escape, it’s about growth.

Would love to hear your thoughts, stories, and comparisons.

TDC crushed Q3 with Total ARR of $1.490 billion, an increase of 1%. 1.49 billion seconds is 47.2 years, that's an enormous figure when you really think about it. Up 11% in public cloud ARR! Hands off to each and everyone here who put their best foot forward and never stop believing in yourselves, this is a shared victory.

The direction of our cloud services is going to spearhead strong growth to 2026 onwards! We didn’t just turn the corner, we built the road. Mic dropped

F5 is poised for recovery as it doubles down on the technologies that power and protect today’s digital world. With businesses rapidly adopting hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, F5’s expertise in application delivery, security, and traffic management has never been more relevant. The company’s transition toward software and SaaS-based models ensures sustainable, recurring revenue while its Distributed Cloud platform expands reach beyond traditional load balancing into full-stack app security and observability. By embracing automation, AI-driven insights, and edge computing, F5 is positioning itself as a trusted leader in simplifying and securing complex application ecosystems—laying the groundwork for renewed growth and investor confidence in the years ahead.

Kudos to FLD and executives focusing on XC(SaaS) and not just sticking to legacy system.

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/IBM/ibm/goodwill-intangible-assets-total

There are more job postings for BNY right now than i ever recall seeing in the past decade. Seems like the company is doing fine..

2026 CDGP - Continuous Delay of Growth and Prosperity 😊

It's interesting that the removal of the growth cap hasn't resulted in a significant gain in the stock price, nor has it resulted in Wells Fargo buying up anything. We still seem to be in the continual layoff loop we've been in ever since Charlie came on board. Why aren't we growing now? Surely, there must have been people planning for when the growth cap was lifted.

All products consolidated under CPO office , but the only product growing is the CPO's overhead - marketing, planning biz dev, PR while engineering shrinks

Story by Mella McEwen

ExxonMobil officials, like all other oil and gas producers, are closely watching the current economic climate. The company recently announced a reduction of 2,000 jobs — none in the U.S. — as part of a long-term restructuring plan.

“We are worried about prices,” said Rich Dealy, vice president, Permian Basin, with ExxonMobil.

Addressing Hart Energy’s Dug Permian conference, he continued, “Our depth of inventory is impressive even at current prices.”

Dealy said ExxonMobil is worried less about oil prices and more about efficiency gains, with a team of skilled workers focused on improving efficiencies and refining drilling and completion costs. A vast majority of its Permian Basin wells and operations are monitored from a central hub.

“We have a number of good zones across the basin,” he said. He sees the rising amount of natural gas being produced in association with crude oil as an opportunity, but the Permian needs sufficient takeaway capacity to realize that opportunity.

The multinational giant currently produces 1.5 million barrels per day from its Permian Basin holdings, with plans to increase that to 2.3 million barrels per day by 2030.

“The Permian is a gift to the U.S.,” he said, predicting ExxonMobil will be developing resources in the Permian Basin for decades to come. “We predict production will continue to grow, oil and natural gas demand will still be tremendous, at least through midcentury.” Despite the rising use of renewables, he said the company estimates oil and gas will still provide over 50% of the world’s energy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/exxonmobil-permian-growth-targets-2-3m-bpd-by-2030/

What happened to all the good high paying jobs and growth the company promised when they took all those tax incentives from Suffolk county?

TSMC's capacity will be freed up to China. This will help China to grow its own CPU and GPU chips and to eliminate Intel later.

XRX is up 13% over the past 5 days. Looks like the Lexmark deal did what Reinvention could not and got us on the growth path again!

You can’t call yourself a leader if no one grows when you’re around.

2024 | ############################ (400,000)
2023 | ################################ (440,000)
2022 | ############################ (400,000)
2021 | ######################### (350,000)
2020 | ######################## (330,000)
2019 | ####################### (325,000)
2018 | ###################### (300,000)
2017 | ################### (260,000)
2016 | ################# (230,000)
2015 | ############### (200,000)
2014 | ############# (170,000)
2013 | ############ (156,000)
2012 | ########## (133,000)
2011 | ######## (99,000)
2010 | ####### (87,000)
2009 | ###### (80,000)

https://macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/UNH/unitedhealth-group/number-of-employees

While the company is poised for (in amidst of) growth -- our group's (operations) budgets are being aggressively cut. Are we looking to divest some low margin aspects of the company or any people actions?

I've been with this company for a few years now, and I've always been on top of duties, getting things done no matter how urgent the situation, and the managers never compensate us, not even with a thank you or an impact reward. There is no GROWTH at this company. God forbid if your computer broke down and you required help from the IT department, you'd have to wait hours or days for a response. Absolutely absurd.