Frances Frei

@wnba - Asking players to accept 4x in a world where the owners get 10x is unfair. Suggesting that it is reasonable because of a complicated ownership structure is disingenuous. In exchange for asset appreciation, owners fund the business, including salaries. Most organizations have complicated ownership structures. @WNBAPA

Two reasons sports leagues have revenue share instead of profit share: they don't have to open books and players don't influence most costs. @WNBA is pushing for profit share despite not opening its books. Something else seems to be going on.

🎙️ Talking Tech: The Entry-Level Set-Up 🎙️ If you’re still using your computer’s built-in camera and microphone, a few simple upgrades will make a dramatic difference in 2026. @elgato Key Light @insta360 Link 2C @shure MV7+ linkedin.com/pulse/talking-…

@gssahni @ouraring @Altimetrik @WSJ @wef @OpenAI @salesforce @awscloud @googlecloud @tpg @FollowCII @nasscom My first fix is (finally) committing to fruits & vegetables.

Best. Gift. Ever. 💍✨ Huge thank you to my partner for this @ouraring (and grateful to a dear friend & mentor for the stellar recommendation). As we head into the new year, I’m channeling @FrancesFrei Move Fast and Fix Things but applying it to my health. My first “fix”? Switching to decaf after noon. ☕️🚫 It’s not just about sleep; it’s about agency. I’ve been reading God, Human, Animal, Machine (thx for the rec @rajeshkan !), and it’s got me thinking about how AI and data shouldn’t replace our humanity, but help us understand it better. Seeing my own stress and recovery metrics in real-time is the perfect example of that. It’s exactly the kind of “Human + AI” synergy we at Altimetrik are looking forward to discussing on the ground at #Davos2026. 🇨🇭where we be representing AI First team @Altimetrik We need to talk about the “Brain Economy” using tech to build resilience, not just productivity and How Altimetrik is leading the charge with amazing partners including @openai @salesforce @googlecloud @amazonwebservices to make the world Smarter Bolder and Faster! If you’ll be at the @wef & @WSJ Davos House , let’s grab a coffee (decaf!) and chat. 🤝 🔗 Links to the Oura 2025 Health Trends & Rajesh’s book review on my LinkedIn handle linkedin.com/posts/gurvinde… #Grateful #AIFirst #AIForHealthEquity #OuraRing Wellbeing WEF26 MoveFastAndFixThings DataAndAI BrainEconomy SleepHealth Davos @pfersht @rwang0 @ValaAfshar @DisrupTVShow @prkelker @jimitarora @sandy_carter Video content - from my camera feed during morning walks and Blissful welcome to the New Year at the local Sikh Gurudwara

@Blackmagic_News I just looked at your webpage. Are the least expensive ATEMs with SuperSource really the ATEM SDI Extreme ISO ($1695) and ATEM Mini Extreme ISO G2 ($2195)? I ask because the @rodemics Video S is $499 with SuperSource (and ISO recording and great audio).

Fall semester book list. Something for everyone, just in time for the holidays. 1. Burn Book by Kara Swisher Tech’s power elite explained. From all the way inside. 2. Epic Disruptions by Scott D. Anthony Radical change then and now. Lovingly explained by my former student. 3. Hidden Potential by Adam Grant Raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. From the one who does it and studies it. 4. How to be Bold by Ranjay Gulati Courage by design. From this worldly professor (and his mom). 5. Leadership Unblocked by Muriel Maignan Wilkins Mindset matters. From the coach’s coach. 6. Make Work Fair by Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi Fairness wins. From a dynamic duo (and former student!) 7. Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway A love letter to healthy masculinity. For boys and their parents. 8. Pioneers by Neri Karra Sillaman, Ph.D. Building resilient businesses. Through research and lived experience. 9. Strong Ground by Brené Brown Courage and accountability. From the people’s professor. 10. The Canary Code by Ludmila Praslova, Ph.D., The neurodivergent handbook. Through science and lived experience. 11. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins The theory that started a revolution. Tattoos optional. 12. Uncompete by Ruchika T. Malhotra Build a culture of collaboration. In work and play.

@Jessicalessin A long time ago I wrote a book whose subtitle was "how to win by putting the customer at the core of your business." It would agree with your premise.

Here is a wild thought I am not sure I fully believe but am trying out—so have at it: What if this AI race really isn't a race? What if Meta, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft stopped focusing on which company had the best models and started focusing more on how people use their technology? Is that so crazy? It would be an admission that models will all improve but the winners will come from who builds the best products, period. To do so, you need some access to great models but do you really need to be like 2 months ahead of the next guy?

@Jessicalessin @theinformation Just renewed my lapsed subscription to take advantage of this reporting. Thank you.

All I wanted to do was have some tea, finish Nobody Wants This and go to bed, and now @theinformation has broken two major stories in 24 minutes and the news cycle has changed again.

@LVpolitic @sohali2012 @WNBA Perhaps. But, so, too, is the amount needed for $1 million average salary. I think the investors have a 10x asset appreciation since the last CBA.

@FrancesFrei @sohali2012 @WNBA The media rights deals works out to $8-$10 million per team after central cost and overhead… not even considering the investors - that is hardly meaningful when discussing rev sharing.

The @WNBA players need to wake up. You aren’t getting revenue sharing in any meaningful way unless you start breaking even. The NBA makes money so they revenue share . Can’t revenue share when the eventual bottom line is less than zero. Revenue sharing started in NBA in 1984 in its landmark CBA. League was around since 1949.

@Martina My advice is to begin with Season 1, Episode 1. Go for the storyline, stay for the acting.

Is this a show worth watching? I have no idea…

@wagesofwins Thank you for so clearly debunking the narrative that the league doesn't make money. I dont see how the players can accept anything less than a $1 million average salary - otherwise, they are receiving a decreasing share of an increasing pie.

The NBA's latest offer to the WNBA players is "highly lucrative". For the NBA owners!! Really... this deal promises to make the NBA owners millions!! wagesofwins.substack.com/p/highly-lucra…

@cirving Hilarious. One year later.

@FrancesFrei @FrancesFrei long overdue but I sent you a message 🙏

Courtside seats for the first person who can describe all five.

@wagesofwins I hold weekly Office Hours on Fridays, free, open to all, where we talk through leadership topics. You'd be most welcome if it ever fits your schedule. tinyurl.com/FrancesOfficeH…

The most useful leadership advice!

Well this is fun. Thanks @thinkers50 for the recognition and support. We love being part of the community.

Negotiations wisdom from @Prof_Malhotra 1. Resist ultimatums 2. Get in the habit of writing their victory speech for them 3. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed 4. I know where I need to get to, but I’m flexible in how I get there. 5. Don’t negotiate the what (you want), negotiate they why (you want it). @WNBA @WNBAPA podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fix…

Dear @WNBA and @WNBAPA, Please consider investing 30 minutes to listen to @Prof_Malhotra offer negotiations advice. Your situation is #fixable, but perhaps not as you are currently managing it. With love, Frances podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fix…

@wagesofwins If the league doesnt agree to a revenue share, is there an absolute amount that would make sense in your mind? Something like average of one million with a very short-term agreement?

Connecting a Nate Bargatze joke to the annoying habit Adam Silver has of making the same offer to WNBA players and hoping for a different outcome. I think this clearly establishes that Bargatze is far funnier than Silver! wagesofwins.substack.com/p/what-about-n…

The current CBA has allotments for rev share to kick in after certain targets are hit, but they have never been hit. The league wants to continue that into the next CBA, stressing that the rev share is uncapped once the targets are hit. The players’ position is that there should be no targets, that rev share is rev share, as it is in other leagues, including the NBA. The league has proposed a max salary of $850k. A $1 million average salary seems more aligned with the economic data that can be pieced together (none has been shared publicly). I sure hope there are skilled negotiators on both sides. @WNBA @WNBAPA

The @WNBA has an opportunity to do something special right now. The league is at an inflection point with the breakdown in player contract negotiations, and its commissioner is struggling mightily to build (and rebuild) trust with players. In today’s installment of Unsolicited Advice, @annemorriss and I discuss how to *not* waste this crisis. The predictable path is for the WNBA to retreat into its own patronizing defensiveness, a familiar crouch for sports leagues in moments like this. The unpredictable path is to find the courage to listen and do things differently this time. We think the lessons of this moment can be applied well beyond the world of sports. I hope you enjoy. Episode Link: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fix… @TEDTalks | @HarvardHBS | @pushkinpods | @WNBAPA