Richard Smith on labor policy
From FedEx founder: When you make work optional, your economy stagnates · · Fox Business
“When you make work optional, your economy stagnates.”
On , Richard Smith, Founder & Executive Chairman at FedEx, spoke about labor policy during FedEx founder: When you make work optional, your economy stagnates on Fox Business.
About Richard Smith
Richard Smith, founder and executive chairman of FedEx, has been active in public discussions on financial markets and organizational change management. In a December 2025 interview, Smith predicted that the U.S. dollar would see a significant rally in 2026, though he noted there could be further downside beforehand. He stated that he expects the Federal Reserve to implement "some form of quantitative easing" under the radar, particularly through buying short-term Treasuries, and described Bitcoin as "the canary in the coal mine" due to its sensitivity to liquidity. Smith also commented that the U.S. debt is "too big for yields to go up dramatically" and that the system is being "engineered to keep that system afloat." He said he does not expect a collapse in gold, citing "genuine concern for federal deficits and central bank buying." Smith has also spoken about change management in professional contexts. In a December 2024 interview, he said that the best change managers help make change "business as usual" and that the people implementing change should feel like "the real winners." He expressed concern that commercial organizations are "relabeling, reframing and reinventing" change management in ways he does not find helpful. In April 2025, Smith served as head judge for the Change Awards ceremony in London, where he noted that the judging process involved "difficult" decisions due to the high standard of submissions.