By Anne D'Innocenzio
NEW YORK (AP) --Brian Goldner, who as CEO and chairman spearheaded Hasbro's transformation from a toy company to an entertainment force, has died. He was 58.
The announcement Tuesday came two days after the Pawtucket, Rhode Island, company said Goldner was taking a medical leave of absence.
Hasbro did not give a cause of death, but Goldner disclosed in August 2020 that he had been undergoing treatment for cancer since 2014.
Goldner, who joined Hasbro in 2000, served as the CEO of Hasbro Inc. since 2008, and as chairman since May 2015.
Under his stewardship, Hasbro expanded beyond toys and games into television, movies, digital gaming and other areas. That strategy culminated with the 2019 acquisition Entertainment One Ltd., a British entertainment company that produces "Peppa Pig," "PJ Masks" and other animated shows for preschoolers.
Goldner also served on the board of ViacomCBS.
Marc Rosenberg, a toy consultant who closely worked closely with Goldner as a marketing executive at Hasbro 15 years ago, said that Goldner was always interested in telling a story about toys and went to the archives to pull out such brands as My Little Pony, Transformers and the Tiniest Pet Shop.
"His idea was to take brands that had been sitting dormant and reimagine them," he said. "He always said you have to have a story arc, whether it is toys or movies."
When Hasbro announced Goldner's medical leave, it said that Rich Stoddart, most recently the lead independent director of the company's board, had been appointed as interim CEO. Stoddart was previously CEO at marketing company InnerWorkings Inc. and Leo Burnett Worldwide. He has served on Hasbro's board since 2014.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More