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Judge won't block ex-UnitedHealth exec from going to Amazon venture

Optum's headquarters in Minnesota. Photo: UnitedHealth Group

A federal judge on Friday denied a temporary restraining order that would have prevented a former employee of Optum, which is part of UnitedHealth Group, from joining the new health venture started by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase.

The bottom line: It's still unclear what the so-called ABC company will do. But UnitedHealth does not want the ex-employee, David Smith, to work for it because UnitedHealth views the company as a competitor, and it believes Smith could divulge trade secrets. The next step is arbitration.

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Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
19 mins ago - Technology

Scoop: More boycotts coming for Facebook

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Leaders of the Stop Hate For Profit social media boycott group are discussing whether to organize another campaign against Facebook in light of an explosive investigative series from The Wall Street Journal, Common Sense CEO Jim Steyer tells Axios.

The intrigue: Sources tell Axios that another group, separate from the Stop Hate For Profit organization, is expected to launch its own ad boycott campaign this week.

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Alexi McCammond, Sarah Mucha
49 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Democrats' dwindling 2022 map

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Democrats are trying to unseat only about half as many Republican House members next year as they did in 2020, trimming their target list from 39 to 21.

Why it matters: The narrowing map — which reflects where Democrats see their best chance of flipping seats — is the latest datapoint showing the challenging political landscape the party faces in the crucial 2022 midterms.

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Felix Salmon, author of Capital
50 mins ago - Economy & Business

Evergrande's reassuring default

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

It's not a Lehman moment but it's still a very big deal. Chinese construction giant Evergrande looks set to default on its $300 billion of liabilities, in a move that has already had global market repercussions.

Why it matters: Evergrande is the first big test of the global financial system — and especially the Chinese financial system — since the pandemic-induced chaos of March 2020, when central banks around the world were forced to take unprecedented measures to prevent total collapse. So far, world markets seem to be coping just fine.

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