We hate to do this. We’ve reached peak Taylor Swift (if you hear her name one more time, it might physically destroy you), and yet—and yet—we need an Eras Tour analogy here.

Because, really, it helps to think about artificial intelligence discussions in earnings calls the same way Swift thinks about her precious albums: as eras, if you will.

Since last year’s rapid AI explosion, many companies fell into one of two camps: jumping the gun, touting AI capabilities before they were ready for prime time, or feeling perpetually behind, yet too wary of security risks to proceed further.

Now, companies are taking the more level-headed approach of an elder T. Swift, looking back at their former naivety with a knowing chuckle. That was just an era.

This time around, companies seem to know which era they’re in. Some are in their “Let Him (Tim) Cook” era. They’re investing in AI, they swear, but just give them a minute!

Click here to see what companies are saying about AI in their earnings reports.—NP

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Yoana Land is CFO of transformation for L’Oréal North America.

It’s a fitting title for her in more ways than one.

At L’Oréal, Land has held various CFO positions, including CFO of research and innovation for North America and CFO of the active cosmetics division in North America and Asia. In 2022, she took her current role as CFO of transformation in North America. Her job involves facilitating large transformational projects that cross departments and functions and ensuring they stay aligned with the mission of the organization as a whole.

She’s learned to deal with the seismic changes to the role through multiple transformations in her life. As a teenager, she left communist Romania to pursue education in the US. She switched careers from IT to finance. She’s changed industries, moving from airlines to beauty. And she’s used what she’s learned to guide others through their own transitions as well, acting as a mentor and facilitating organizational change in the workplace.

“If you want to survive, you’d better adapt” is her advice for coping with change, she told CFO Brew. “Everything around you changes, but what grounds you is never going to change. It’s your core, it’s who you are. But everything else you welcome into your life.”

For more on how this CFO manages change, click here.—CV

Evan Kolter started as CFO of advertising platform Simpli.fi in October 2023. Previously, he served as CFO at other tech companies, including Meriplex and Cardtronics. He spoke with CFO Brew about his new role, and his advice for people who aspire to become CFOs.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What’s one thing you’ve learned so far during your time on the job?

Make sure you listen to all aspects of a situation. The numbers may appear to paint a fairly black-and-white story, but you need to go out and source the other angles that you may be missing. Get a rounded view on things before making decisions, because the numbers don’t always tell the full story.

What advice would you give someone who aspires to become a CFO?

Try to tackle the things that folks don’t want to touch with a 10-foot pole. You can learn a lot and also come out of it as a better employee or a better manager. As I look back on my career, I was always willing to tackle anything. It really helped round me out. I got to see all aspects of accounting and treasury, investor relations, and FP&A.

Click here to continue reading.—CV

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Stat: $3+ billion. That’s how much restitution New York State Attorney General Letitia James is now seeking from Digital Currency Group, Genesis Global Capital, and Gemini, the crypto exchange run by the Winklevoss twins, for allegedly defrauding more than 230,000 investors, after initially suing in October. (CNBC)

Quote: “This is a huge victory for whistleblowers all across the country, not only corporate whistleblowers seeking relief under Sarbanes-Oxley, but all those seeking damages for retaliation under the dozen government and nongovernment whistleblower-protection laws structured in exactly the same way.”—Robert Herbst, attorney for former UBS analyst Trevor Murray, responding to the US Supreme Court’s decision that the investment bank owed Murray back pay after he was allegedly fired, he claims, after complaining about instructions to alter reports; the Supreme Court unanimously said that plaintiffs don’t have to prove “retaliatory intent” when fired (the Wall Street Journal)

Read: How attacks on Red Sea shipping are driving up cargo costs. (CNN Business)

Earning opportunity: With a CMA certification from IMA, you can earn more on average than non-CMAs and boost your career trajectory. See how much more you could earn.*

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