Corporate cuts: Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 corporate employees globally as new Chair and CEO Brian Niccol streamlines operations. In a letter to employees released Monday, Niccol said the company will inform employees who are being laid off by mid-day Tuesday. Niccol said Starbucks is also eliminating several hundred open and unfilled positions. Read more from the AP.Â
Think different: As it seeks relief from President Donald Trump’s tariffs on goods imported from China, Apple Inc. says it will hire 20,000 new workers and produce AI servers in the U.S. The company said Monday that it plans to spend $500 billion domestically over the next four years, which will include work on a new server manufacturing facility in Houston, a supplier academy in Michigan and additional spending with its existing U.S. suppliers. Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be required.Â
Luncheon speaker: Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, will be the guest speaker at the Press Club of Baton Rouge on Monday. He will speak about Amendment 2 on the March 29 ballot. This amendment is a condensation of a 115-page bill passed by the Louisiana Legislature during the November 2024 special session that rewrites the section of the state constitution that governs taxes and spending. The Press Club meets on Mondays in the ballroom at Drusilla Place Catering, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. and the program beginning at 12:15 p.m. Learn more about the event.Â
