Across The Bar Podcast

Should employers be covering menopause benefits? Peter and guest co-host Liz Plosser (Best Case Scenario) take on a listener's question this week — and it opens up a bigger conversation about the legal tightrope employers walk when choosing employee benefits, plus the real fear a lot of women have about whether even asking for support quietly marks them as a liability. Also, Liz's tips on how to survive the current estrogen patch shortage happening right now. From there the episode swings hard — a business school for eight-year-olds, EY paying employees up to $25K to be more human in the age of AI slop, and the great "cool boss" debate, which Peter is fairly convinced misses the point entirely. Employees don't care if you chug a beer standing on your head; they care if you actually have their back. Then things get heavier. The Met Gala trustees overrule Anna Wintour on John Galliano as this year's honoree, and it becomes a case study in what happens when nobody around a powerful person is willing to push back. The Good Good Golf CEO is gone after that Callaway ad. And Uber's layoff memo manages to make 3,300 job cuts sound like something employees asked for — which Peter is not going to let slide.

Summer's basically over, and everyone's dealing with it differently — some people are faking Wi-Fi outages to steal one more day off, while Peter's out here treating a plane's spotty signal as a built-in excuse to actually get work done. That tension — who owes their employer visibility into their time, and who's allowed to go quiet — ends up running through the whole episode. It's there in the conversation about Slack, where companies are now feeding entire channels into AI so nothing stays private, "side-slacking" during meetings has become its own art form, and Peter's blunt reminder is that none of it — Slack, iMessage, Zoom chat — comes with any real expectation of privacy. Even your emoji reactions aren't safe; used the wrong way, they can become evidence in a harassment case. That same question of who gets to decide what's disclosed and what isn't shows up again with the Wall Street Journal's decision to quietly bless AI-written op-eds — including one from a billionaire who compared using AI to using a calculator — a stance that puts the Journal sharply at odds with outlets that have banned the tools outright. And it's there in two harder stories: Disney's new policy stripping spousal health coverage from employees whose spouses have insurance of their own, which Peter calls what it is — a pay cut dressed up as cost-cutting, and a strange look for a company that's built its whole brand on family — and the Neutrogena backlash following Hayden Panettiere's death, where old comments about a "morality clause" invoked over her postpartum depression disclosure are forcing a real reckoning about what brands owe the people who represent them. Guest co-host Liz Baker Plosser fills in for Laura this week, and the two also get into an $18 billion Meta settlement over kids and teens on social media, plus heroes and zeros closing out with a shared tribute to Dolly Parton.

Laura is on a well-earned summer break, so Peter's joined by special guest co-host Liz Plosser, former editor-in-chief of Women's Health and the voice behind the wellness Substack Best Case Scenario. First up, the GLP-1 conversation nobody knows how to have at work — commenting on a colleague's weight loss feels harmless until it isn't, and HR is starting to notice. Then, the reader question of the summer: is it actually okay to quit if you have been left on the "decoy plane"? Peter and Liz dig into the lates Presidential story and whether managers are responsible for the safety of their employees, plus Liz's own wild Air Force Two detour involving a cracked windshield and a very unglamorous curbside drop-off at the Delta terminal. From there, the etiquette of writing your own goodbye message (hint: nobody wants your ten-page victory lap), whether LinkedIn's new "AI slop" flag will actually clean up your feed, and a sobering look at the 61 S&P 100 companies that have quietly dropped board diversity criteria altogether. Liz also settles the office gym debate once and for all — yes, you should go, and yes, it's fine to say hi to your CEO at the water fountain. Subscribe to Best Case Scenario: https://lizplosser.substack.com

Peter's joining from Sardinia this week, which means the vibe is loose but the topics are not. First up: Gen-Z parents have entered the chat at work, showing up to job interviews and calling managers to contest their kid's firing. Peter and Laura's rule is simple — unless your child is in a literal coma, hang up the phone. From there, we turn to HR, a department that's had a rough couple of years and is now watching AI quietly take over its job. Peter, of all people, makes the case that this isn't entirely bad news — right before explaining exactly how it goes horribly wrong. Then: tenure, the thing every professor was told was untouchable, turns out to be very touchable. A West Point professor challenges a gag rule and wins; a tenured economics professor at the New School gets laid off anyway, and the whole academic world is having a small crisis about what "lifetime job security" actually means. We close things out with LinkedIn's new ranking of top colleges for career success — Princeton's #1, feelings were had about alma maters — and a real conversation about whether the rankings measure anything a 17-year-old should actually care about.

A Netflix production exec named is suing after getting fired following a corporate retreat where he disclosed medically supervised ketamine treatment for depression during a trust exercise — and also, per Netflix, drank a Guinness standing on his head. Peter and Laura dig into where the actual legal exposure sits: if the termination was really about the medical disclosure, Netflix has a problem; if it was the sum total of "behavior unbecoming of an executive," that's a different story entirely — and a reminder that company policy travels with you to every offsite, happy hour, and business trip. Then: a Wachtell Lipton partner and associate caught mid-makeout on a Bryant Park bench by a stranger with a camera, nine blocks from their office. He's married, she has a partner, and he's a partner at the firm to her associate — a combination that got him left off the six-lawyer defection to Gibson Dunn and landed him on administrative leave instead. Peter on why judgment, not just skill, is what firms actually pay for. Finally, the real conversation: a Fortune piece on Gen Z workers napping in movie theaters and crying in Aritzia fitting rooms to cope with workplace stress. Peter and Laura get into why this generation is hitting a harder wall than the ones before it — less in-person conflict practice growing up, employers openly talking about replacing them with AI, and a job market that made the entry-level seat itself feel like the finish line

This week we start in the West Wing, where the man responsible for scrolling President Trump's speeches across the teleprompter turned out to have a lucrative side gig: allegedly trading on Kalshi based on what he already knew the President was about to say. It's the kind of insider trading story that writes itself — except it's paired with something arguably worse, reports that early access to the President's Truth Social posts is being sold to companies for somewhere around $100–200K a pop. We get into why any regulated firm even considering paying for that access should think hard about what a state attorney general, or a very different administration two years from now, might make of it. From there we head to the EEOC, which just voted 2-1 to scrap the EEO-1 reporting requirements that have quietly tracked workplace demographics for six decades — and is doing it on a 30-day comment period instead of the usual 60. We talk about what it means when the agency in charge of equal employment opportunity stops measuring who's actually employed at companies. Then there's Frank Bisignano, the head of the IRS, who — according to a Wall Street Journal report — allegedly used JPMorgan's own security apparatus to keep tabs on his internal rivals during his time there. We break down why that story matters well beyond his old job, and the basic access controls every company, not just megabanks, should have in place. We close things out with something a little less felonious: how to actually plan a corporate retreat people want to attend instead of one they've been dreading for weeks — including why the boss should probably stay out of the planning committee.

Apple and OpenAI used to be in business together. Now Apple's accusing its former partner of coaching employees to walk out the door with company files — and Peter's got thoughts on exactly how not to do that when you leave your own job (hint: never sync your work iPhone to your personal iCloud, you absolute rookie). Meanwhile, Meta's facing a lawsuit alleging its layoff algorithm had a very specific taste for people with disabilities and medical leave — which raises the fun question of who you actually sue when the firing squad is a spreadsheet. Then a federal judge takes a flamethrower to the Trump administration's IRS settlement, referring the president's own lawyers to the bar for what she calls a fraud on the court — Peter calls it "the most fun decision of the week." And because summer isn't all lawsuits, Peter and Laura close out with the internship crisis nobody prepares you for: what to actually do when you're bored out of your skull and too scared to admit it. Corporate espionage, algorithmic layoffs, a judge with zero patience, and career advice for the terminally bored intern. Your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist is served. Read the Demis Hassabis Proposal for a Frontier AI Framework: https://tinyurl.com/4hkhbj4n

Remember when every AI company was telling you your job was toast? They've quietly changed their tune — Anthropic just leased a whole building in Hudson Square and is hiring by the hundreds, OpenAI did the same in SoHo weeks earlier, and suddenly it's all "efficiency" and "job creation." Peter's not buying the whiplash and explains why so many layoffs blamed on AI have nothing to do with AI at all. Then Wall Street gets serious: Goldman just told employees they can only use prediction markets for sports and entertainment, and hedge funds like Point72 and Balyasny said forget the nuance, no prediction markets at all — Peter breaks down why this is the right call and why the "sports exception" won't survive the year. From there, things get personal: a New York Times op-ed says we should all be dating our co-workers again, and Peter and Laura find out live on mic that they completely disagree about it. Plus, the real reason your boss is so obsessed with getting you back in the building (hint: it might say more about them than about productivity), and the right way for interns to send a thank you note that actually gets remembered — a group email is not it. Legal takes, career reality checks, and the usual amount of bickering, all in one episode.

Peter and Laura are recording on the last day of June — drinks in hand, holiday weekend approaching — and the Supreme Court just had one of its biggest weeks in years. They break down what the rulings actually mean for you, your company, and the stability of the business environment Americans have long taken for granted. From the gutting of Humphrey's Executor to birthright citizenship to Citizens United getting even more toothless, the throughline is clear: power is consolidating in the executive branch, and the ripple effects on business, regulation, and predictability are just beginning. Then: remember the salami incident? A few weeks ago we told you about the JPMorgan employee who got a $4 million FINRA arbitration award after being fired over a $600 expense report. Now JPMorgan and other major banks are so annoyed by the outcome that they want to rewrite the rules of the very system they created — the same system they forced their employees into in the first place. Peter breaks down what that means for anyone working in finance and what you actually can and can't negotiate in an employment contract. And finally, a fascinating and unsettling piece from the New York Times: companies are putting AI into their org charts — and it's backfiring. Employees are checking AI-generated work less carefully than work from human colleagues, not more. Peter has seen it firsthand with clients sending him AI-drafted contracts full of hallucinated clauses and made-up cases. The lesson isn't that AI is useless. It's that handing it the wheel without supervision is a genuinely dangerous move. 🎙️ Across the Bar is your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist — covering workplace law, employment issues, and the stories shaping professional life. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

The World Cup is taking over America — and it's actually a masterclass in everything that makes a great employee. This week, Peter and Laura are joined by Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the US Soccer Foundation, to talk about what youth sports really build in young people, why coaches are some of the most underrated leaders in our culture, and what this historic tournament could mean for the next generation of workers. Then things get a little wilder. A JPMorgan employee was caught on video dumping trash on the street during the Knicks championship parade — and walking off with the garbage can. In broad daylight. On camera. At one of the most photographed events in New York City history. She lost her job. The can was $168. There are lessons here. Speaking of JPMorgan, Jamie Dimon made a major move this week — naming two co-presidents as potential successors. It's a reminder that the best leaders are always thinking about what happens after them. Peter breaks down why succession planning isn't just for Fortune 500 CEOs, why the Bob Iger playbook is a cautionary tale, and what every business owner and team leader should have in their drawer right now. Also this week: former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has assembled Anthropic, Amazon, and Microsoft behind a new nonprofit called RAISE — committing $500 million to train workers for the AI economy. It's the conversation companies should be having with their employees instead of the one Meta is having. Because over at Meta, morale has reportedly never been lower — after the company rolled out keystroke tracking and forced AI transitions and acted surprised when people didn't love it. And finally: AI isn't freeing up your time. It's eating it. Peter and Laura dig into the rise of the infinite workweek — and why the pressure to always be doing more is burning people out faster than ever. 🎙️ Across the Bar is your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist — covering workplace law, employment issues, and the stories shaping professional life. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

The New York Knicks just ended a 53-year drought — and we're breaking down what their championship run means for New York. Then we shift to the workplace: summer office fashion do's and don'ts, why Costco's model of paying workers more and its CEO less is actually a masterclass in business strategy, and why remote work keeps beating the odds despite every "return to office" headline. Plus — CEOs are now hiring matchmakers to find traditional wives, and Peter Thiel's secretive Dialog society is raising serious questions about power, influence, and what elite networking looks like in 2026. All of that and more on this week's episode of Across the Bar — your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist. In this episode: ⚖️ Knicks Championship — and what it means for New York 👔 Summer Office Wardrobe Do's & Don'ts 🛒 Costco's worker-first pay model and why it's good for business 🏠 Remote work is still winning — here's why 💍 CEOs hiring matchmakers for trad wives 🤫 Peter Thiel's Dialog society — power, secrecy, and influence Subscribe for weekly episodes covering workplace law, employment issues, and the stories shaping how we work.

The workplace is full of surprises this week — and we've got all of it covered. Peter Rahbar and Laura Brounstein dig into six stories at the intersection of work, law, and culture, from prediction markets to newsroom meltdowns to what your out-of-office message says about you. Prediction platform Kalshi just announced it will require users to disclose their employer before placing bets in markets flagged for insider trading risk. A positive step — but will people be honest, and will other platforms follow suit? Microshifting. The Wall Street Journal is calling it the next big workplace trend, but is it really just flexible hours with a rebrand? Peter and Laura break down when it works, when it doesn't, and why your best leverage for any scheduling accommodation is being someone your boss can trust. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon announced that general counsel Kathy Ruemmler — who was supposed to leave the firm this week following her links to Jeffrey Epstein — is now staying on as an adviser. And it turns out his own chief of staff raised objections. Peter and Laura ask the obvious question: what's the calculus here, and what message does it send? At CBS News, Bari Weiss has reportedly barricaded herself in a key-card-only sixth-floor suite — physically separated from the staff she's supposed to be leading through one of the most turbulent moments in the network's history. Peter and Laura on why that move is a classic sign of weak leadership, and what to do when your boss starts going squirrely. Out-of-office message philosophies: how much is too much? Two paragraphs on the importance of rest? Your bunion surgery? Just enough is just enough. And finally: a federal judge in Massachusetts struck down the Trump administration's $100,000 H-1B visa fee, ruling it was effectively an unauthorized tax that only Congress has the power to impose. A win — but Peter explains why the real damage to America's talent pipeline goes far beyond any court ruling. Subscribe for weekly conversations where law meets real life. 🎙️ Across the Bar drops every week wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on the Across the Bar Podcast, employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down a packed week in workplace news — from corporate transparency failures to what a Senate candidate's controversies teach us about background checks, to the AI spending reckoning hitting companies everywhere. Microsoft is facing backlash after employee's questions the integrity of a recent employee survey. Employees noticed some questions missing, and they're not happy. Peter and Laura unpack what it means when employers control not just the answer, but the question. The Graham Platner saga offers a surprisingly instructive lesson for anyone navigating a background check. Whether you're a Senate candidate or a C-suite hire, someone's going to ask about your skeletons — and who gets that information, how it's handled, and what happens when it leaks matters enormously. Peter walks through how to protect yourself, what to ask your prospective employer, and when to loop in an attorney before you say a word. Uber blew through its entire 2026 AI budget in four months and has now capped employee spending at $1,500 per tool per month. What went wrong, who's responsible, and what should employers actually be doing to manage AI use before the bills spiral? Peter and Laura break it down. AI isn't just costing money — it's eliminating the entry-level pipeline. Companies are demanding experience that new grads can't possibly have yet, and no one's filling that training gap. Peter and Laura talk about what that means for recent grads, what companies are risking long-term, and what smart job seekers should be doing right now. And the Scott Pelley firing: Was it a blaze-of-glory exit? A wrongful termination? A little of both? Peter walks through the "for cause" legal framework, what Pelley's contract language likely said, and why this story might not be over yet. Across the Bar is your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist. New episodes every week. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. 📩 Questions? Find us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

It's a (sort of) America 250 edition of Across the Bar! 🇺🇸 Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down a packed week of workplace stories — from a CIA gold heist to a $642 deli platter that cost JPMorgan millions. ⚖️ The Union Comeback Is Real — Unionized workers just hit 16.5 million, a jump of 463,000 in a year and the highest level in 16 years — even as employers pour $1.7B+ into anti-union efforts. Peter explains what the shift in worker-vs-employer power really signals, and why he's warning companies not to overplay their hand. 🏆 The CIA Gold Bar Guy — A senior CIA official allegedly faked his résumé for years, then walked off with $40M in gold bars, $2M in cash, and a pile of Rolexes. Laura and Peter use it as a jumping-off point for the real question: how much can you actually embellish on a résumé before it becomes a career-ending lie? Plus where salary-history laws stand now. 🥪 The JPMorgan "Salami" Case — A wealth manager who brought in a billion dollars was fired over a $642.50 expense his assistant mislabeled. He asked for $30M and won $4.25M in arbitration. Laura and Peter explain why theft is a bright-line issue for big employers — no matter how small the dollar amount or how high the performer. 🤝 Intern Survival Guide — Two listener questions: Should you join in on the office jokes? (Wait for the invite.) And how do you handle the Monday "how wasted were you" chatter without oversharing? Laura's got a trick — plus the cleanest embarrassing story of all time, straight from her White House internship. 📌 Follow-ups: A Google engineer arrested for an insider-info Polymarket scheme, and why every company needs a betting-markets policy — plus the AI meeting-recording trap. Peter Rahbar is a New York-based employment attorney, workplace expert, and founder of The Rahbar Group and Laura Brounstein is an accomplished veteran journalist. Each week on Across the Bar, Peter and Laura Brounstein decode the headlines through the lens of your rights at work. 🎧 New episodes every week — subscribe so you never miss one.

This week on Across the Bar, employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein pour one and dig into a week that had the workplace world buzzing. First up: Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow made headlines by defending his decision to fire the company's entire HR department — arguing the team was inventing problems that didn't exist — as part of a broader restructuring that also cut roughly 30% of the workforce. Peter and Laura break down whether eliminating HR is bold strategy or a legal and cultural disaster waiting to happen — and what it means for employees who no longer have anyone to call. The conversation then turns to how CEOs are talking about workers right now — and why the language matters more than you might think. We also talk about what's actually happening with the Meta layoffs and what should workers be paying attention to, including a deeper look at AI and hiring through the lens of one of the most candid CEO statements in recent memory. Cloudflare's CEO wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the company cut "measurers" — middle managers, finance, legal, and operations staff — while prioritizing "builders" and "sellers," even as the company posted record revenue growth. Peter and Laura unpack what this framework means for how companies are reshaping their workforces, and what it tells us about where hiring is headed. Plus, should your company have a predictive market policy? It's a question more employers are starting to ask — and the legal and HR implications are real. And because it's New York and it's May: the Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers — and Peter has thoughts.

Fifty episodes in, and the workplace just keeps getting weirder. To mark the milestone, Peter Rahbar and Laura Brounstein dig into four stories that show exactly where work, law, and technology are colliding right now. The OpenAI Trial & Your Digital Footprint: The Musk vs. Altman trial isn't just a billionaire grudge match — it's a masterclass in what happens when your texts, emails, and yes, your diary become evidence. Peter breaks down the digital hygiene habits every executive (and employee) should have before their next sensitive conversation. AI Is Watching How You Feel: Employers are now deploying AI tools to monitor employees' emotions in real time. We explain why companies think this helps them — and why it might actually create more liability than it prevents. The Delicate Art of the Payoff: A JP Morgan employee allegedly turned down $1 million to walk away from a harassment claim — and then filed a lawsuit that took on a life of its own. Peter unpacks how companies decide when to settle, when to fight, and what the current climate means for anyone navigating a workplace dispute. Bad Behavior Company of the Week: TTEC — a $2 billion company with 16,000 American workers — announced it's pausing 401(k) matches to fund AI investment. Peter and Laura call it what it is. 🎙️ Across the Bar drops every week — a lawyer, a journalist, and the workplace stories that actually matter to your career. 📩 Have a story or topic for us? Reach out.

It's internship season — and whether you're the one trying to land a spot or the manager running the program, this episode has something for you. Peter Rahbar and Laura Brounstein are joined by career coach and magazine industry veteran Eliot Kaplan — former VP of Talent Acquisition at Hearst, former Editor-in-Chief of Philadelphia Magazine, and former Executive Editor of GQ — for a full breakdown of the internship lifecycle. In this episode: 🎯 Where to find internships and how to start your search early 📝 Cover letters, networking, and how to get a human to actually see your application 🎤 Interview tips — including the "three greatest hits" strategy and questions that make you stand out 📅 Day one dos and don'ts — how to read the room and set yourself up for a great summer 🚫 What NOT to do (yes, including the alcohol at the work party) 🏢 Advice for employers — structure, mentorship, communication, and the value of reverse mentoring 💼 How to stay in touch after your internship ends and actually convert it into a job offer ⚖️ A quick legal note on confidentiality — what you can and can't share when you go back to school 🎙️ New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a drink.

Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work, and the law — plus a big announcement: next week is Intern Palooza! 🍹This week we cover: 📱 Can you sue your boss for their social media posts? — a listener question Peter and Laura dig into; when a manager's online activity can actually create legal liability, and when your only real remedy is to quit 🤖 AI is more expensive than employees — the CTO of Uber has already blown his entire tech budget on AI in the first third of the year; Peter and Laura break down what this reality check means for the future of the workplace ☀️ Hire summer interns! — Peter makes the case for why every company should be bringing on interns right now, what it costs (less than you think), and why over-lawyering the issue has become its own problem 📺 FCC threatening Disney's broadcast licenses — is the government using regulatory power as a weapon against free speech? Peter and Laura weigh in on the Jimmy Kimmel controversy and what it means for media workers and employers everywhere ⚖️ EEOC goes political — staffers speak out about the agency's increasingly politicized agenda, including one jaw-dropping case Peter and Laura can barely believe is real 🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life — and send us your intern questions for next week's Intern Palooza episode!

Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work, and the law — straight from a beautiful spring day in New York City. 🍹 This week we cover: 🎬 Toxic workplace allegations at Mr. Beast & Unwell — what these high-profile cases reveal about the real dangers of hiring family members to run your company, and what every founder needs to know before they hand the keys to a spouse or cousin 👩‍💼 Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer's resignation — another woman out of Trump's cabinet; Peter and Laura break down the pattern, the allegations, and what no employer should ever tolerate ⌨️ Meta tracking employee keystrokes "for AI training" — is that really what's going on? Peter and Laura dig into employee surveillance, what's legal, and why this is a massive morale problem 💼 Layoffs vs. buyouts — Meta cuts 8,000 jobs while Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts; why the distinction matters and what employees need to know about their rights in each scenario 🤖 When your boss is a boomer about AI — why managers pushing AI too hard (or too clumsily) are demoralizing their teams and driving people out the door 🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life.

Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work, and the law. This week we cover: 🏛️ Swalwell & Gonzales resignations — two congressmen out amid serious sexual misconduct allegations; why known harassers go unreported, why colleagues look the other way, and what managers are legally obligated to do when they know 🔥 Attacks on Sam Altman's home & warehouse arson — workers are burning down warehouses on camera and attacking the homes of tech CEOs; Peter and Laura on what this signals about corporate greed, AI-cover layoffs, and a workforce pushed to the edge 🍸 The office bar is back — JP Morgan, British companies, and others are opening bars at work to lure people back; is it a morale win or a legal nightmare waiting to happen? 🤖 Gen Z hates AI — a new Axios poll shows only 22% of Gen Z is excited about AI; why the youngest workers are the most worried, and what companies and the government should be doing about it 🏆 Heroes & Zeros — the shuttering of Health magazine, a $40 Greenpoint rotisserie chicken, Coachella, and the lost art of talking to strangers 🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life.