Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 22/08/2026New on SSRN: The Shareholding Rights Shift from India to Delaware and Texas (w/ Aditya Baheti). We argue American corporate law has become shareholding-centric rather than shareholder-centric using India as a comparative mirror to DE and TX. Download it and tell me what you think! bit.ly/IndiaTXDE 011
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 08/08/2026New co-authored book chapter: The Incorporation Ritual, in The Nature of Corporations (Edinburgh Univ. Press, forthcoming 2027). We trace incorporation’s ritual lineage from the founding of Rome to the modern filing window, and ask what free chartering discarded. ssrn.com/abstract=7194158ssrn.comThe Incorporation RitualWhat makes a business worth the corporate form? From Rome through England and America, the corporate form was granted only after an assessment that the undertak 011
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Yesterday, Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci & I submitted a comment letter to the SEC opposing the SEC’s proposal to make quarterly reporting optional and to allow reporting companies to instead submit semiannual reports on Form 10-S. You can download the letter on SSRN. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comComment Letter on SEC's Proposed Rule on Semiannual Reporting, File No. S7-2026-15<p>This comment letter responds to the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed Release Nos. 33-11414; 34-105368; 39-2563; IC-36140; File No. S7-2026-15 – 021
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 25/05/2026ExxonMobil’s shareholder meeting is May 27. After NYC Comptroller heavily relied upon my work in its letter to Exxon shareholders, Exxon decided to take shots at me w/out substantively engaging w/ my arguments. I have responded in a CLS Blue Sky Blog post clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2026/05/21/e...clsbluesky.law.columbia.eduExxonMobil’s Planned Domicile Change Is a Test of the Leopard ParadigmExxonMobil’s proposal to change its domicile from New Jersey to Texas offers an important test of a principle that, in a forthcoming article, Corporate Disenfranchisement, Sergio Alberto Gramitto R… 162
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 10/05/2026I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Act Now: Help Save the Vital Shareholder Proposal Rule. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/ac...actionnetwork.orgAct Now: Help Save the Vital Shareholder Proposal RuleEvery day, decisions made inside public companies affect retirement savings across the country. Shareholder proposals are way investors raise concerns, manage risk, and protect long-term value before ... 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Rare to see my scholarship have an impact in real time. NYC Comptroller's Office cites my op-eds and Corporate Disenfranchisement (w/ Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci) in its letter to ExxonMobil shareholders ahead of the May 27 vote www.sec.gov/Archives/edg...sec.gov 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 02/05/2026Although I’ve already been here for a week, better late than never to say that I am spending a couple of weeks teaching corporate and securities law at the University of Milan. It’s fantastic to be here! 020
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 02/05/2026Law360 published an OpEd I wrote on ExxonMobil’s retail investor voting program and financial literacy education (particularly corporate governance literacy). Check out the OpEd here: www.law360.com/articles/246... 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 01/04/2026New in the Texas Lawbook: my analysis of ExxonMobil’s reincorporation vote. The board calls it a path to “maximizing shareholder value.” But it gives the board the keys to restrict shareholder rights whenever it wants, without asking shareholders first. texaslawbook.net/the-texas-re...texaslawbook.netThe Texas Reincorporation Trap — What the ExxonMobil Vote Reveals About Board Power - The Texas LawbookExxonMobil’s shareholders are being asked to cast a vote this May that they may not fully understand. The company’s board has unanimously recommended moving its state of incorporation from New Jersey ... 001
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 20/03/2026My new Bloomberg Law op-ed: ExxonMobil is asking shareholders to vote YES on a move that cld ultimately limit their rights. Most won’t realize it until it’s too late. It’s what Sergio Gramitto Ricci & I dub the Leopard Paradigm in action. 🐆 news.bloomberglaw.com/legal-exchan...news.bloomberglaw.comExxon Texas Move Should Prompt Shareholders to Read Fine PrintOpinion: “Maximize shareholder value” is a phrase that deserves scrutiny. Because ExxonMobil’s proposed move may or may not maximize value for its shareholders. What it will unquestionably maximize, h... 021
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 12/03/2026I’m delighted to announce that “Corporate Disenfranchisement” co-authored with Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci will be published in the UC Irvine Law Review & is now available for downloading on @SSRN.bsky.social: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... We’d love to hear any comments you might have! 063
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 23/02/2026📄 New on SSRN: “Corporate Disenfranchisement,” coauthored with @sergioalberto_ - exploring how shareholders are systematically losing their voice in corporate governance. Read & download on @SSRN: bit.ly/corpdis 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 31/01/2026New post w/ Sergio Gramitto Ricci: Before #FinTok, corporate gadflies like Wilma Soss educated investors via 1950s radio programs. The legacy continues w/ Jim McRitchie & CorpGov.net. corporatelawacademic.wordpress.com/2026/02/01/b...corporatelawacademic.wordpress.comBefore Finfluencers Were Iconic Shareholders: Post #6 for the Blogposium on FinfluencersGuest post by Christina Sautter and Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci* Today, finfluencers dominate social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, X, and Instagram, reaching millions of retail investors … 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 06/01/2026Read my Bloomberg Law OpEd “Texas Corporate Reforms Silence Retail Shareholders—By Design” arguing amendments to the Texas Code are designed to disenfranchise retail investors despite being advertised as furthering “shareholder democracy” @SMULawSchool news.bloomberglaw.com/legal-exchan...news.bloomberglaw.comTexas Corporate Reforms Silence Retail Shareholders—By DesignOpinion: By erecting barriers to shareholder litigation and proposals and codifying near-absolute deference to board decisions, Texas has enshrined into law corporate America’s central fiction: that s... 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 13/11/2025M&A students & profs - Office Hours on Mergers and Acquisitions was released on the West Academic Study Aids & Reference Collection site. There’s 12 recordings (plus transcripts) covering the basics of M&A: subscription.westacademic.com/Book/Detail?... 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 19/09/2025Very much looking forward to participating in the “Investor Preferences and Corporate Governance” workshop to be held at the University of Bologna and co-sponsored by the Center for Retail Investors & Corporate Inclusion. I’ll be presenting my WIP “Corporate Disenfranchisement” 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 28/07/2025SMU Law is looking to hire 2 entry-level, tenure-track faculty members in Civ Pro & Leg Reg and Law & Tech, inc AI. Candidates must apply by Sept 15 via Interfolio (link 👇) to be considered. I’m on the appointments Cmte & happy to answer questions apply.interfolio.com/17006apply.interfolio.com Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio 011
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 14/07/2025Colleen Baker & I wrote a short piece titled “Democratization of the Private Markets?” focusing on closed-end funds investing in private company equity. It was just published by Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comDemocratization of the Private Markets?<p><span>U.S. initial public offerings are declining and the amount of private market assets under management are exploding. Simultaneously, the number of retai 001
Reposted by Christina SautterSarah C. Haan @sarahhaan.bsky.social · 09/07/2025So great to sit down w/ the Bite-Sized Business Law Podcast, @csautter.bsky.social & Sergio Gramitto Ricci to talk about democracy & corporations. You can't understand what's going on in U.S. politics w/out understanding what happened to "corporate democracy." podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...podcasts.apple.comA Corporate GovernmentPodcast Episode · Bite-Sized Business Law · 07/08/2025 · 44m 163
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 02/07/2025Great speaking with Columbia Journalism Review - Paramount will pay Trump $16 million to settle "60 Minutes" suit.! 🦋 www.cjr.org/news/paramou...cjr.orgParamount Will Pay President Trump $16 Million to Settle 60 Minutes Lawsuit“It is a dark day for independent journalism,” says Sen. Bernie Sanders. 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 23/06/2025I wrote a short commentary on Delaware SB 21 for @promarket.bsky.social. Check it out below! 011
Reposted by Christina SautterBen Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 20/06/2025First was a fantastic discussion with Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci and @csautter.bsky.social on the history of the concept of shareholder democracy and its fraught present on @busscholarship.bsky.social. Highly recommend www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kz... (2/7)youtube.comBusiness Scholarship Podcast - Ep.249 – Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci and Christina Sautter on...YouTube video by Business Scholarship Podcast 111
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 20/06/2025Want to hear how shareholder democracy is a lie? Check out the latest episode of the @busscholarship.bsky.social hosted by @AndrewjJennings.bsky.social. Sergio Gramitto Ricci (@hofstra.baky.social) & I were delighted to talk about “The Shareholder Democracy Lie” m.youtube.com/watch?v=61kz...m.youtube.comBusiness Scholarship Podcast - Ep.249 – Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci and Christina Sautter on...YouTube video by Business Scholarship Podcast 054
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 09/06/2025Sergio Gramitto Ricci & I were invited to write an Encyclopedia entry on Compliance for Stakeholders and Reputation. We’d love to get your feedback! You can download it here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comCompliance for Stakeholders and ReputationThis draft encyclopedia entry examines the evolving relationship between corporate compliance and reputation management in contemporary business environments. I 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 02/06/2025Very excited to be named Associate Dean for Research at SMU Law School. Looking forward to promoting the great work of our outstanding faculty and community! www.smu.edu/law/news-eve...smu.eduProfessor Christina Sautter Named Associate Dean for Research 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 14/05/2025Sergio Gramitto Ricci & I have been saying that retail investors are here to stay. . . investorsobserver.com/news/record-...investorsobserver.comRecord Main Street and Wall Street divide: Individual investors been buying stocks for 21 weeks straight | Investorsobserver“This is a much larger divergence between retail and institutional investors than during the 2022 bear market” 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 18/04/2025I’m overdue posting this here but I had the most fantastic Ph.D. students at Bocconi last week for my US Securities Law/US Shareholding seminar. Many thanks to Giovanni Strampelli & Gaia Balp for inviting & hosting me. My students gave me permission to post this pic 020
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 13/04/2025It was great speaking with Phil Prazan and Gromer Jeffers on NBC DFW about M&A and market uncertainty www.nbcdfw.com/news/politic...nbcdfw.comLone Star Politics: April 13, 2025Musical chairs comes after AG ken Paxton announces Senate run. Plus, we speak to an expert about if business deals may dry up amid tariff uncertainty. NBC 5’s Phil Prazan and Gromer Jeffers with the D... 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 07/04/2025Very excited to be at Università Bocconi this week teaching a Ph.D. in Law (Business Law Concentration) seminar on U.S. Securities Law/U.S. Shareholding. Many thanks to Giovanni Strampelli & Gaia Balp for the invitation. Thanks also to Hao Jiang for welcoming me today! 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 12/03/2025I presented “The Shareholder Democracy Lie” (co-authored w/ Sergio Gramitto Ricci & Dan Greenwood of Hofstra Law & forthcoming in Florida Law Review) ystrdy at the University of Glasgow School of Law. Big thnx to the faculty for their feedback & to Konstantinos Sergakis for hosting me! 121
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 06/03/2025A new set of wireless investors has begun to be born - Generation Beta. As @WSJ reports, their lives will be shaped by AI & technology like never before. I suspect this generation will begin to invest at a younger age & transform investing norms www.wsj.com/lifestyle/a-...wsj.comA New Generation Is Here. Its Name Is Already an Insult.Generation Beta takes its name from the Greek alphabet, but for some parents—and every school-age child—its connotation is less than scholarly. 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 05/03/2025Check out Sergio Gramitto Ricci, Dan Greenwood, & my @clsblue.bsky.social blog post about our article “The Shareholder Democracy Lie” forthcoming in the Florida Law Review clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2025/03/05/s...clsbluesky.law.columbia.eduShareholder Democracy Is a Corporate Governance Myth That Won’t Die – CLS Blue Sky Blog 100
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 25/02/2025Many thanks to @nellminow.bsky.social for featuring The Shareholder Democracy Lie and providing her feedback on our articles valueedgeadvisors.com/2025/02/24/n...valueedgeadvisors.comNew Scholarship: The Shareholder Democracy LieSergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci (Hofstra University), Daniel J.H. Greenwood (Hofstra University), and Christina M. Sautter (Southern Methodist University) wrote an article about the gulf between the … 031
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 24/02/2025Looking forward to spending the next 5 weeks as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Law School. Many thanks to David Cabrelli and Jonny Hardman for hosting me! 040
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 20/02/2025It looks like the link in my post isn’t working - here’s the link papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comThe Shareholder Democracy Lie<p>This Article critically examines the fallacious nature of “shareholder democracy” rhetoric and its implications for corporate governance, political democracy 030
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 20/02/2025I’m delighted to announce that “The Shareholder Democracy Lie” co-authored with Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci & Daniel Greenwood will be published in the Florida Law Review & is now available for downloading on @SSRN.bsky.social bit.ly/ShareholderD.... We’d love to hear any comments you might have! 4145
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 19/02/2025Many thanks to @ssrn.bsky.social for featuring Colleen Baker and my paper “Democratization of the Private Markets?” Download it on SSRN using the below link. It’s forthcoming in Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comDemocratization of the Private Markets?<p><span>U.S. initial public offerings are declining and the amount of private market assets under management are exploding. Simultaneously, the number of retai 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 04/02/2025Also, looking forward to presenting Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci & my WIP “The Conundrum of Collective Decision-making from the Greek City-State to Virtual Shareholder Meetings” tomorrow at Dublin City University 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 04/02/2025Looking forward to spending the next 3 weeks as a Visiting Scholar at Dublin City University’s School of Law and Government. Many thanks to Goran Dominioni for the invitation and for hosting me! 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 16/01/2025As Colleen Baker writes in her latest post on Business Law Prof Blog, private markets are all the rage. That’s why we wrote “Democratization of the Private Market?” Check out her blog post about our short piece. Link to the article in the post. www.businesslawprofessors.com/2025/01/prof...businesslawprofessors.comProfessors Baker and Sautter on "Democratization of the Private Markets?"Increasingly, it seems like not a day goes by without my reading some story in the financial press about the growth of and developments in private capital 000
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 07/01/2025Looking forward to speaking tmrw on the Financial Regulation in Cyberspace panel @ #AALS2025. Financial literacy & corp gov education are crucial as as technology breaks down barriers to investing, as @sergioalberto_ & I argued in “The Educated Retail Investor” bit.ly/EducInvestbit.lyThe Educated Retail Investor: A Response to 'Regulating Democratized Investing'The diffusion of mobile-first investing apps, like Robinhood, has increased retail investor participation in financial markets, particularly from the Millennial 031
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 03/01/2025Is anyone teaching Mergers & Acquisitions this semester? Or any students taking M&A? I co-authored a treatise just for you which was published by West Academic Press. Click on the link below or look for it on the West Academic Study Aids website. faculty.westacademic.com/Book/Detail?... 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 21/12/2024New Paper! Colleen Baker (OK Business School) & I wrote “Democratization of the Private Markets” exploring one aspect of the explosive growth in private co assets - closed-end funds (CEFs) which invest in private companies. Download it on SSRN at the link below bit.ly/DemoPrivMarketsbit.lyDemocratization of the Private Markets?<p><span>U.S. initial public offerings are declining and the amount of private market assets under management are exploding. Simultaneously, the number of retai 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 20/12/2024Today was my last day as a Visiting Fellow @ LSE Law. What a fantastic experience being immersed in the life of LSE. Many thanks in particular to the Business & Financial Law Hub for welcoming me into their weekly gatherings with open arms and to my host Eva Micheler! 020
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 04/12/2024Very much looking forward to presenting my WIP “Democratization of Private Markets?” co-authored w/ Colleen Baker today at LSE Law. It details efforts to open up private company mkts to retail investors & focuses on funds of private company shares using Destiny Tech100 as a case study 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 02/12/2024I can’t wait for the Delaware Supreme Court opinion in this bc you know there will be an appeal www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/b... via @nytimes.comnytimes.comElon Musk’s $50 Billion Tesla Pay Can’t Be Reinstated, Delaware Judge RulesThe judge said she would not reverse her decision to strike down the compensation package after Tesla shareholders approved Mr. Musk’s pay a second time. 020
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 25/11/2024Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci & Dan Greenwood (neither of whom are on here yet) have posted their latest article “Total Governance” which is forthcoming in the Journal of Corporation Law on @ssrn.bsky.social. Download it here papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comTotal GovernanceEveryone has values which conflict with the sheer maximization of profit. When those conflicts occur, virtually no one will consistently choose profit over conf 010
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 24/11/2024I’m very much looking forward to presenting “The Shareholder Democracy Lie” tomorrow, Monday, November 25 at Hofstra Law along with my co-authors Sergio Alberto Gramitto Rici and Daniel Greenwood 071
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 18/11/2024I presented my co-authored WIP “The Shareholder Democracy Lie” at the University of Edinburgh last week. Many thanks to @akamalnath.bsky.social for being the designated commentator and to David Cabrelli and Jonny Hardman for hosting. Many thanks to the participants for their insightful feedback! 150
Christina Sautter @csautter.bsky.social · 18/11/2024I recently co-founded the non-profit the Center for Retail Investors & Corporate Inclusion aimed at facilitating financial literacy & corporate governance literacy & furthering research on retail investors. If you haven’t done so yet, give it a follow on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/rici...linkedin.comCenter for Retail Investors & Corporate Inclusion | LinkedInCenter for Retail Investors & Corporate Inclusion | 269 followers on LinkedIn. Non-profit organization being formed to develop and provide corporate governance and financial literacy education for... 030