The Confidence Trick The Business Roundtable’s latest CEO survey is being paraded around as proof of renewed economic strength. Sure, the Economic Outlook Index ticked up a few points. Sure, these well-manicured executives are feeling better about future sales. But buried in the fine print — below the corporate optimism and the “resilient economy” headlines — is the real news: More CEOs are planning to cut jobs than hire — for the third quarter in a row. Let that sink in. These are the biggest firms in the country, sitting on record cash reserves, enjoying the benefits of Trump-era tax cuts, deregulation, and AI-fueled productivity boosts. Yet their grand strategy going into 2026? Fire more people. Again. This isn’t a…
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