Behind The Money

The purpose of the US corporation has evolved over time, from Henry Ford's mission to benefit the carmaker's employees to Milton Friedman's essay on shareholder primacy. The FT's US business editor, Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, reports on the latest thinking, this time from America's largest business lobby, the Business Roundtable.  Read more on the idea of sustainable investing at ft.com/moralmoney For information regarding your data privacy, visit

Investors poured $17bn into agricultural food and technology startups in 2018, fuelled by threats to the world's food supply, including climate change and a growing global population. We visit one such startup, Indigo Ag, which is working with farmers to trial its microbial products for healthier crops. Indigo Ag provides microbial seed treatments to farmers for free in exchange for data. The company also sells the seed treatments through its standard commercial model.  With guests Emiko Terazono, FT commodities correspondent, Ben Riensche, owner and manager, Blue Diamond Farming Company and Geoffrey von Maltzahn, co-founder and chief innovation officer, Indigo Ag.  Read more from Emiko on agricultural food and technology at FT.com:

Amid concerns about a slowdown in global economic growth, there is one industry telling a completely different story: luxury goods. Aimee goes to Paris to find out why. With guests Harriet Agnew, Paris correspondent for the Financial Times, and Robert Burke, chairman and chief executive of the consultancy Robert Burke Associates. For information regarding your data privacy, visit

About 10 years ago, two legendary private equity firms, Apollo Global Management and TPG, teamed up to carry out a leveraged buyout of one of the biggest and most iconic gaming companies, then known as Harrah’s. They financed the purchase by taking advantage of Harrah’s real estate. Now, an obscure regional casino group out of Reno, Nevada is set to scoop up what has become the Caesars Entertainment empire in a deal that is making use of a pretty similar kind of financing. The FT’s Sujeet Indap tells the story. For information regarding your data privacy, visit

When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles withdrew its proposal for a €33bn merger with France’s Renault it reversed plans to create what could have been the world's third-largest carmaker. The FT's David Keohane, Leo Lewis and Rachel Sanderson tell the story of how the bid came together, how it eventually fell apart and what it means for the future of global carmakers.  For information regarding your data privacy, visit