Good morning. Alex Wood Morton in our London bureau here, standing in for Peter.
I’m delighted to be joining Fortune today as executive editor, marking the start of a significant new expansion across Europe. Throughout its 94-year history, Fortune has guided the leaders of today and tomorrow through an unpredictable world, and I am honored to lead the brand’s next chapter.
Having covered the fast-paced intersection of global technology and business for the past 20 years, I’ve found one constant—Europe does business differently.
There’s no way to sugarcoat it; after all, data doesn’t lie. When it comes to economic growth over the past decade, Europe has consistently lagged behind the United States and emerging markets.
But, putting growth to one side, there are two trends that stand out to me—first, love it or loathe it, where Europe leads in regulation, the world follows. However unpopular they may be, moves like the catchily-named General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the European AI Act, which finally took shape last week, influence the global CEO conversation far beyond Europe’s borders.
The second is reinvention. As a spectator to global trends, I love nothing more than watching Europe’s oldest brands adapt and reimagine themselves for the 21st century.
Take Polestar, the EV spinout of Swedish carmaker Volvo, which delivers one of the most convincing rivals to Tesla, and (most importantly as a reluctant Tesla owner myself) a way to ‘go green’ without lining Elon Musk’s pocket.
Then there’s Ray-Ban’s Smart Glasses partnership with Meta, which blends cutting-edge technology with Italian style—creating a fashion piece you’d be proud to wear, unlike Google’s clunky and short-lived Google Glass or Apple’s awkward-looking and eye-wateringly expensive Vision Pro headset.
Unusually for a journalist, I’m also a former entrepreneur, an experience that has greatly influenced my view as an editor. In 2015, I started my own digital trends magazine, which years later Forbes acquired, transforming my life and propelling me into the fast lane of global business.
From that personal experience, I know the grit, determination, and emotional toll it can take to lead a company—and that is why I have such profound respect for you, the Fortune reader, who takes on these challenges to build a better future for us all.
Fortune really does favor the brave—I’m honored to serve you and welcome your feedback.
More news below.
Alex Wood Morton
TOP NEWS
A better gig
The EU has agreed to landmark rules to improve employment conditions for gig workers at ride-sharing and delivery groups such as Uber Eats, Bolt, and Deliveroo. Regulation put forward by Brussels will allow countries to determine a worker's employment status and eligibility for benefits like sick pay, presenting workers with more rights and protections. Bloomberg
Lego thinks long-term
Lego is in talks with manufacturers of raw materials for renewable plastic to increase production capacity. The Danish company is vowing to use sustainable material in its building blocks by 2032 and aims to become net carbon neutral by 2050, but it faces a shortfall of materials. CEO Niels B. Christiansen pledges that the high costs of renewable plastic will not be passed on to consumers. Bloomberg
Faster startup growth
For its new book Scaling Through Chaos, European venture firm Index Ventures analyzed a dataset of over 200,000 founders and employees from successful tech companies like Airbnb. It found that growing a business from zero to 500 employees used to take around eight years but now takes five due to decades of accumulated wisdom, diverse experts, and new technology. Fortune
Brainstorm AI takes London
Fortune is hosting its inaugural London-based Brainstorm AI conference on April 15-16. The event will gather top AI minds alongside Global 500 executives, policymakers, and academics to dissect the latest developments in AI and how they are shaping the business world. Apply to attend here.
AROUND THE WATERCOOLER
Germany ‘on course, for the first time’ to slash emissions 65% by 2030, vice chancellor says by The Associated Press
Germany faces a recession, and an economic recovery ‘isn’t yet in sight’ according to Economy Ministry by Bloomberg
EasyJet is confident it’ll grow ‘more than any other European airline this summer,’ CEO Johan Lundgren said by Bloomberg
This edition of CEO Weekly Europe was curated by Aslesha Mehta.
This is the web version of Fortune CEO Weekly Europe, a newsletter on the companies and industry leaders shaping every facet of business in Europe. Sign up for free.