Latest news with #Hansson
Business Insider
13-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Ruby on Rails creator David Heinemeier Hansson says he looks for 2 key things when hiring
A cover letter might not be your top priority if you're preparing an application for a job in tech — but perhaps it should be. That's especially true if your hiring manager happens to be David Heinemeier Hansson, the creator of Ruby on Rails, a well-known framework for building web applications, and the CTO at software firm 37signals. In a lengthy six-hour interview with podcaster Lex Fridman published Saturday, the exec shared the two key things he looks for when hiring new computer programmers. "Up until this point, the main pivot point for getting hired was not your résumé, was not the schooling you've had, it was not your grades, it was not your pedigree," Hansson, who is also known as DHH, said, adding that AI could now change things. It was about how well you do two things: your cover letter and programming, he continued. "I can only work with people remotely if they're good writers," he told Fridman. "If you can't pen a proper cover letter and can't bother to put in the effort to write it specifically for us, you're out." He also said you had to be able to program well. "To the degree that I can look at your code and go like, 'Yeah, I want to work with that person.' Not only do I want to work with that person, I want to work on that person's code when I have to see it again in five years to fix some damn bug." Hansson said that applicants would have to show their skills through a programming test that "simulates the way we work for real." "I've been surprised time and again where I thought for sure this candidate is a shoo-in, they sound just right, the CV is just right, and then you see the code getting turned in and I'm like, 'No way. No way are we hiring this person,'" he said. "The capacity to evaluate work product is a superpower when it comes to hiring." Writing cover letters has long been a necessary evil for job candidates. Often regarded as time-consuming and repetitive, many are also put off by rumors that hiring managers simply don't read them. But even for jobs that don't specifically ask for one, studies suggest cover letters are still an important part of the application process. In 2023, a Resume Genius survey of 625 hiring managers across the US found that 83% said they frequently or always read cover letters. And 73% of managers at companies that did not require cover letters also said they frequently read them. For applicants to the tech industry, the key to a successful cover letter is conveying experience with relevant technology and providing a snapshot of what you'd bring to the specific company, Thomas Vick, a senior regional director at the talent firm Robert Half, previously told Business Insider. "What return on investment have you created for an organization?" Vick said. "What have you done in your career that has helped save a company time, energy, and money?"
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volvo Cars taps new finance chief amid market, tariff uncertainty
This story was originally published on CFO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CFO Dive newsletter. Automaker Volvo Cars appointed Fredrik Hansson, its head of global controlling and performance steering and deputy finance chief, to the role of CFO effective Thursday, according to a company press release. In the role, Hansson will succeed Johan Ekdahl, a 10-year alum of the company who has served as CFO since 2022, according to the Thursday release. The move comes just about a month after Volvo brought back company alum Håkan Samuelsson as CEO and President, according to a March 30 press release. Samuelsson, who previously served on Volvo's board of directors and as CEO for a ten-year period from 2012 to 2022, will serve a two-year term as top executive that began April 1, a move which 'ensures stability while preparing to appoint a long-term successor,' the company said. 'We are currently navigating challenging and fast-moving market conditions, where efficiency and financial performance are key,' Samuelsson said in a statement included in the Thursday release. 'Fredrik's deep knowledge of the company, combined with his strategic understanding of the industry's complexities, will be a valuable addition to the company's Executive Management Team.' Hansson joined the Gothenburg, Sweden-based automaker in 2021, and was appointed to the role of deputy CFO and to the company's Group Management Team in 2023, according to the Thursday press release. Prior to Volvo, he served as a partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, according to his LinkedIn profile. The company's executive leadership shifts come as Volvo, like other automakers, is weathering ongoing macroeconomic headwinds, such as continuing uncertainty regarding potential tariffs that are set to be levied on the automotive space. In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on imported automobiles — which took effect at the top of April — as well as a 25% tariff on imports of auto parts, the latter of which is set to go into effect next month. Volvo recently announced it would be laying off between 550 to 800 employees at various sites across the U.S., in the face of continued market turmoil that is likely to lead to slumping demand for its vehicles, according to a report by CNBC. The automaker reported a 10% drop in global sales for the month of March compared to the prior year period, according to a sales update published on April 2. Sales in the U.S. declined by 8% year-over-year to 14,052 cars, though sales of Volvo's electrified models rose by 5% compared to the prior year period, the company said. Other automakers have also reported dips in sales amid rapid shifts in tariff and trade policy by the Trump administration. On Tuesday, electric vehicle maker Tesla reported lukewarm results for its most recent quarter, including dropping profit, that followed slumping sales, with CFO Vaibhav Taneja noting expected tariffs on the auto space will have an impact on the company's profitability. Automotive industry groups, meanwhile, have expressed concern on the imposition of tariffs on automotive parts, set to go into effect on May 3. In an April 21 letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, various automotive trade groups warned the 25% tariff on auto parts will 'will scramble the global automotive supply chain and set off a domino effect that will lead to higher auto prices for consumers, lower sales at dealerships and will make servicing and repairing vehicles both more expensive and less predictable. Most auto suppliers are not capitalized for an abrupt tariff induced disruption,' the letter, signed by various associations including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, American Automotive Policy Council and American International Automobile Dealers Association, reads. 'Many are already in distress and will face production stoppages, layoffs and bankruptcy.' The Trump administration is reportedly considering reducing certain tariffs on the auto industry, including potentially exempting auto parts in compliance with the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter. Volvo is set to reports its Q1 2025 earnings on April 29. The company declined to comment beyond the press release.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volvo Cars appoints Fredrik Hansson new CFO
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden-based Volvo Cars said on Thursday it had appointed Fredrik Hansson as new chief financial officer (CFO). Volvo Cars, which is majority-owned by China's Geely, said in a statement that Hansson, a member of its management team since 2023, would take on the job on Thursday and that current CFO Johan Ekdahl was leaving the company. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Volvo Cars appoints Fredrik Hansson new CFO
STOCKHOLM, April 24 (Reuters) - Sweden-based Volvo Cars ( opens new tab said on Thursday it had appointed Fredrik Hansson as new chief financial officer (CFO). Volvo Cars, which is majority-owned by China's Geely, said in a statement that Hansson, a member of its management team since 2023, would take on the job on Thursday and that current CFO Johan Ekdahl was leaving the company.
The Guardian
31-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
New blood test checks for Alzheimer's and assesses progression, study says
Researchers have developed a blood test for patients with thinking and memory problems to check if they have Alzheimer's and to see how far it has progressed. The team behind the work say the test could help medics decide which drugs would be most suitable for patients. For example, new drugs such as donanemab and lecanemab can help slow the progression of Alzheimer's, but only in people in the early stages of the disease. Prof Oskar Hansson from Lund University, a co-author of the work, said: 'There is an urgent need for accurate and cost-effective Alzheimer diagnostics considering that many countries have recently approved the clinical use of amyloid-targeted therapies [such as donanemab and lecanemab].' Plaques of a protein called amyloid beta and the formation of tangles of another protein called tau in the brain are considered hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, Hansson and colleagues reported how they found fragments of tau, called eMTBR-tau243, could be detected in blood and correlated with a build-up of tau tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer's, but not other diseases. The team's analyses, which involved 902 participants, found levels of this tau fragment were elevated in people with Alzheimer's symptoms who had mild cognitive impairment, and higher again in those with dementia. Levels were not raised in people with cognitive impairments due to other conditions. 'Scientifically, these results are very promising and important as this marker performed better than existing tests and the new marker could help track performance of new drugs in trials,' said Prof Tara Spires-Jones, a neurodegeneration expert at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the work. But, she said, it was not a foolproof blood test for Alzheimer's. 'This is also not a simple test, rather requiring complex scientific methods only available in specialist laboratories, so this will not be routinely available without further validation and development of cheaper, easier detection,' she said. Dr Sheona Scales, the head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said eMTBR-tau243 was one of a number of different biomarkers being studied for use in blood tests for Alzheimer's. 'What's interesting is that the blood levels of eMTBR-tau243 seem to be linked to a person's memory and thinking abilities,' she said. 'At present, it is not always possible to make a connection between the level of tangles observed with imaging and level of cognitive impairment, but having blood tests that do this will help to monitor diseases like Alzheimer's in the brain as they progress, and help inform prognosis in future.' Another piece of research, also published in Nature Medicine, has revealed the ratio of two proteins in brain fluid is associated with the degree of cognitive impairment experienced by people with Alzheimer's, independent of levels of amyloid beta plaques and tau tangles in their brains. This research, led by scientists in the US, involved samples from 3,397 people across the US, Sweden and Finland, and looked at levels of two proteins – YWHAG and NPTX2 – that are normally found at the junctions, or synapses, between neurons in the brain. The team found the ratio of YWHAG:NPTX2 was better able to indicate that people were experiencing cognitive problems than their levels of amyloid beta and tau, and could be used to predict their future cognitive decline and dementia onset. Prof Tony Wyss-Coray, a co-author of the study from Stanford University, said the results could help identify the best medications for individuals and help design better clinical trials by selecting appropriate participants.
