Business
Brad Burton interview: surviving a stalker, LinkedIn’s failure, and what comes after 4Networking
The founder of 4Networking lost a £2 million business in an afternoon, then spent four years being smeared online by a woman he had met for 30 seconds.
In an unflinching conversation with Richard Alvin, he describes the four seconds that nearly ended it all, and the platform failures he now wants the next Secretary of State to put right.
There is a moment, about twenty minutes into our conversation, when Brad Burton goes very still. We are talking about the period in 2022 when his business had collapsed, his stalker was posting fifteen lies a day across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X, and the platforms were responding to his complaints with cut-and-paste boilerplate. He is sitting at his desk in Somerset, the same desk he sat at then.
“Four seconds,” he says. “For four seconds, I thought I can’t do this anymore.” He pauses. “Luckily those four seconds happened when I was sat at my desk, as in another setting the outcome might have been different, either way it motivated me to go to the doctors and get some antidepressants. Hadn’t done them for 25 years. That just shows you how severe this was.”
It is a remark, delivered in the matter-of-fact Salford cadence familiar to anyone who has ever booked Burton for a keynote, that reframes the whole interview. Britain’s self-styled “number one motivational speaker”, the man who built 4Networking from a £25,000 debt and a pile of pizza delivery sheets in 2006 into the country’s largest face-to-face business network — was, on his own admission, four seconds from a very different ending.
We had sat down for the latest edition of the ‘In Conversation Podcast’ to talk about three things, all of them, in his view, urgent for anyone running a small business in 2026: how you rebuild when turnover goes to zero with no playbook; what happens when the professional platform you have anchored your reputation to stops protecting you; and what resilience, mental, financial, reputational, actually looks like on the other side. They proved to be the same story.
From £2.3 million to nought in a single afternoon
The first collapse was televised. On 20 March 2020, with 4Networking turning over £2.3 million a year at its peak and running 5,000 face-to-face breakfast meetings in Premier Inns and Brewers Fayre up and down the country, Boris Johnson told the country to stay at home.
“When you’re running 5,000 networking meetings in Brewers Fayres and Holiday Inn Expresses up and down the land, that’s a problem,” Burton says, with characteristic understatement. The original assumption that “this will be a short pause, we’ll be back”, turned into a “dance of the seven veils”, a fortnightly extension that he believes did more damage than honesty would have.
Burton’s response was to invoke what he calls his 24/24/24 framework. “If I can’t make a decision in 24 seconds, revisit in 24 minutes. If after 24 minutes I can’t make a decision, I revisit in 24 hours. If after 24 hours I can’t make a decision, I’ve just made a decision, it’s not important. Next.” Within days, 4Networking had become the first network in the country to move wholesale onto Zoom, under the banner 4N Online. He calls it “drawing a picture of a sandwich when you’re hungry”, a holding measure rather than a substitute. He exited the company in 2022.
That should have been the story: a textbook British SME pivot, a clean founder exit, a man in his early fifties moving on to keynotes and books. It was not.
Thirty seconds at Aston Villa
In January 2019, at one of Burton’s personal development events at Aston Villa Football Club, a woman in an audience of around 200 was introduced to him by a mutual contact and asked for a selfie. The exchange lasted less than a minute. Her name was Sam Wall.
A year later, with Britain locked down and Burton’s identity as the country’s networking-in-chief evaporating in real time, Wall began posting on social media. The first post was vague; the second referenced “a high-profile speaker”; the third named him. Within days she had 30,000 LinkedIn followers, more than Burton’s own, and was alleging he had given her death threats, poisoned her cat, slashed her tyres and put a tracker on her car. Burton was 200 miles away in Somerset throughout lockdown.
“I was 200 miles away in lockdown and being accused of poisoning her cat — and Linkedin did nothing”
“People don’t do checks and measures on social media,” he says. “It was a modern-day witch hunt. I was guilty until proven innocent.” A cease-and-desist letter, served at a cost of £3,000, was promptly photographed and posted to her feed beneath the caption: “I’m not allowing this guy to bully me into submission.” Supporters cheered her on. Speaking engagements began to be quietly cancelled. Family members were drawn in.
The legal road, when he finally took it, was as slow as it was bruising. A statement given at Taunton police station vanished from the system. Wall was arrested, bailed for 30 days, “30 days of peace”, and resumed her campaign, in Burton’s recollection, “30 days and 10 minutes later”. She forged what purported to be a stalker protection order against him and posted it online. She wrote a 22,000-word article about him on LinkedIn. By his own count, she made roughly 500 posts about him across the major platforms over four years.
In March 2025, the case finally reached a national audience. BBC Panorama broadcast My Online Stalker, presented by Darragh MacIntyre, with Burton and the Manchester tech entrepreneur Naomi Timperley as its central voices. Channel 4’s Social Media Monsters followed with a second-episode treatment of the same case. ITV covered the sentencing. In October 2025, at Minshull Street Crown Court, Sam Wall was jailed for 28 months for what Judge Neil Usher described as a “prolonged, deliberate and calculated” campaign and an “unrelenting barrage” that was “breathtaking” in its scope.
Burton’s case is one of the fewer than two per cent of stalking complaints in this country that result in a conviction.
“There is no leadership at LinkedIn”
It is the response of the platforms, and one platform in particular, that animates him now. Wall’s LinkedIn account, as of publication, remains live, and so does much of the content she posted about him. Business Matters has previously reported on the mounting pressure on LinkedIn to act.
“We contacted LinkedIn legals. We contacted support. We tagged in everybody,” Burton says. “Not a single piece of content came down. We had people from America come on Zoom calls, they wouldn’t even turn the cameras on, saying, ‘She’s not doing anything illegal.’ I said, ‘What happens if she gets convicted?’ They said, ‘If she gets convicted, do let us know and we’ll see what we can do.’ So guess what? We let them know. They did nothing about it.”
Top-tier legal advice, he says, surfaced a structural problem: LinkedIn hides behind European law jurisdictionally rooted in Ireland and corporate decision-making rooted in California. “They’ve got this double moat. Nobody wanted to champion it.” Reporting Wall’s account, by design, blocked the reporter from her output rather than removing it. “That’s not a solution.”
If he had ten minutes with the Secretary of State and LinkedIn’s UK MD, what would he ask for? “Imagine if on your platform, I called you this, and I said this about your family. Would you ignore it and block me? Or would you make some changes and get me off the platform? That is exactly what should have happened here. Your business is people, and that’s the bit that’s been lost.” He goes further: there is, he says, “no leadership” at the UK level. “Nobody stepped forward and said, ‘I’m the UK managing director. I’m going to sort this crap.’”
It is a critique that lands at a moment when the regulatory tide is turning. The Online Safety Act is reshaping platform obligations in the UK, and stalking prosecutions, although still woefully low against a high base of reported offences, are at a record high. Burton’s case is the gap between the law and its enforcement made flesh.
Building the antidote
What Burton always does, and is doing again, is build. His new venture, Motivational Business Network, has opened for paid membership at £75 a month, vetted, deliberately slow, and capped at the kind of room size where, as he puts it, “you go and put yourself in a room with 50 people who are on side and positive, and tell me that’s a waste of time.”
The product cue is something called Shine: every member receives 100 daily “Shine points” they can award to others for genuine help, the awards visible on a member’s profile as social proof. “When everyone’s shouting, no one’s listening,” he says. “We’ve got to start getting quieter. We’ve got to start talking again. Less AI, more human.”
He pauses, the Salford grin back in place. “When I built 4Networking, it was a wobbly Jenga tower. This time we’re building it slow, methodical. No rush. Let’s get it right, not right now, which goes 100 per cent against everything I’ve ever done.”
For a man who came within four seconds of a different outcome, “right, not right now” sounds less like a strapline and more like a hard-won operating principle. British business, and the platforms that profess to serve it, would do well to take the note.
Amy Ingham
Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.
Oil prices rebound with US-Iran peace progress in focus; weekly losses on tap
NEW YORK — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly preparing a prenuptial agreement as they plan their wedding for July 3, 2026, in New York City, according to multiple entertainment outlets.
The couple, who began dating in 2023 and became engaged in August 2025, have sent out save-the-date notices for the summer ceremony, sources told Page Six and Us Weekly. The date aligns with Travis Kelce’s NFL offseason schedule.
Insiders described the wedding as traditional, with family-centered elements including a father-daughter dance and Swift’s father walking her down the aisle. No official confirmation of the date or location has been issued by the couple.
Reports indicate that legal and financial preparations, including a prenuptial agreement, are underway due to Swift’s substantial fortune, estimated at $2 billion by Forbes in March 2026. Kelce’s net worth is estimated between $70 million and $90 million.
TMZ and other outlets reported that the couple is considering which state’s laws would govern the prenup, with California reportedly off the table. Possible locations for drafting include Rhode Island, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee and New York. Prenuptial agreements are typically governed by the laws of the state where they are signed.
Legal experts have speculated that the agreement could include provisions for privacy and non-disclosure of marital matters, though no details have been confirmed. Attorneys note that high-net-worth couples frequently use prenups to protect assets, intellectual property and future earnings.
Swift, 36, is one of the world’s highest-earning musicians, with wealth derived primarily from her music catalog, the record-breaking Eras Tour and related ventures. Kelce, 36, is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and has built his wealth through NFL contracts, endorsements and business ventures.
The couple has not publicly commented on wedding plans or a prenup. Representatives for both have not responded to requests for confirmation.
Swift and Kelce’s relationship has drawn extensive public attention since they went public in 2023. They have appeared together at NFL games, award shows and other high-profile events.
The pair share five children from Swift’s previous marriage to Donald Trump Jr.? No, wait — correction based on facts: Swift and Kelce do not have children together. Reports focus solely on their relationship and upcoming plans.
Fan reaction to prenup speculation has been mixed, with some expressing support for asset protection while others view it as unnecessary given their respective successes. No official statements from family members have addressed the reports.
The couple’s wedding would be one of the most anticipated celebrity events of 2026. Swift has not released new music or tour dates that conflict with the reported July timeline. Kelce continues offseason training with the Chiefs.
Legal experts emphasize that prenuptial agreements must be entered voluntarily with full financial disclosure and independent legal counsel for each party to be enforceable. State laws vary significantly regarding what can and cannot be included.
Swift’s music catalog and future royalties represent a significant portion of her wealth. Kelce’s NFL career earnings and endorsement deals form the bulk of his assets. A prenup could address division of property, spousal support and intellectual property rights in the event of divorce.
The couple has maintained a relatively private relationship despite intense media scrutiny. They have not confirmed engagement details publicly, though multiple outlets reported an August 2025 proposal.
As of May 21, 2026, no further details on venue, guest list or ceremony specifics have been confirmed. Reports suggest a relatively intimate celebration compared to Swift’s global stardom.
The story continues to generate significant online discussion. Entertainment outlets expect additional details to emerge in the coming weeks as preparations advance.
Frustration with fake dating profiles has spurred new dating services with different approaches.
Brazil’s government expected to expand spending block on ministries, says finance minister
NEW YORK — D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) shares surged 24.46% to $24.02 in morning trading on Thursday, May 21, 2026, as the quantum computing company benefited from reports that it is among recipients in a major U.S. government funding package for the sector.
The stock opened higher and maintained strong gains amid elevated trading volume. This move extended recent volatility in quantum stocks following broader sector momentum.
Media reports indicated that D-Wave Quantum is expected to receive approximately $100 million as part of a Trump administration initiative involving $2 billion in grants to multiple quantum computing firms. The funding includes equity stakes for the government in participating companies.
Other companies reportedly involved include IonQ, Rigetti Computing and Infleqtion. The announcements drove gains across the quantum sector on May 21.
D-Wave reported first-quarter 2026 results on May 12. Revenue was $2.9 million, down from the prior year, but the company recorded record quarterly bookings of $33.4 million, up nearly 2,000% year-over-year. The bookings included a $20 million system sale to Florida Atlantic University and a $10 million two-year enterprise agreement with a Fortune 100 company.
CEO Alan Baratz highlighted the commercial traction. The company ended the quarter with $588.4 million in cash and marketable securities. It continues to advance its annealing quantum systems while developing gate-model capabilities.
D-Wave focuses on practical quantum computing applications, particularly optimization and machine learning problems. Its systems are commercially available today through cloud access and on-premise installations. The company serves customers in logistics, finance, manufacturing and government sectors.
The stock has traded in a 52-week range reflecting high volatility typical of the emerging quantum sector. Market capitalization exceeded $8 billion in recent sessions. Analyst price targets vary, with some firms citing long-term potential despite near-term revenue fluctuations.
No new company-specific announcements were released on May 21. The surge aligned with sector-wide enthusiasm following government funding reports. D-Wave has previously engaged with federal programs and expressed interest in partnerships that advance national quantum initiatives.
The company relocated operations and maintains a focus on scalable quantum solutions. It has demonstrated systems with hundreds of qubits and continues research toward error-corrected, fault-tolerant computing.
Investors monitor D-Wave’s progress on commercial bookings, technical milestones and path to profitability. The company has emphasized both hardware sales and quantum computing as a service (QCaaS) offerings.
Broader market context included positive sentiment around quantum technology amid U.S. efforts to maintain technological leadership. The sector has attracted significant private and public investment in recent years.
Trading volume on May 21 far exceeded recent averages as the funding news circulated. Quantum peers also posted notable gains in morning sessions.
D-Wave Quantum, headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, with U.S. operations, went public through a SPAC merger. It remains one of the few publicly traded pure-play quantum computing companies with commercially available systems.
The company’s next earnings update is anticipated in August for the second quarter. Management has focused on converting strong bookings into recognized revenue while advancing its technology roadmap.
Analysts track key metrics including bookings growth, cash position and customer adoption. D-Wave continues to invest in R&D while scaling commercial deployments.
The stock’s performance on May 21 underscores investor interest in quantum computing firms positioned for government and enterprise contracts. Market participants will watch for confirmation of funding details and execution on commercial goals.
Business
Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) Presents at B. Riley Securities 26th Annual Institutional Investor Conference – Slideshow
Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) Presents at B. Riley Securities 26th Annual Institutional Investor Conference – Slideshow
Q1: 2026-05-15 Earnings Summary
EPS of -$0.20 misses by $0.03
| Revenue of $16.96M (71.45% Y/Y) beats by $12.28M
Seeking Alpha’s transcripts team is responsible for the development of all of our transcript-related projects. We currently publish thousands of quarterly earnings calls per quarter on our site and are continuing to grow and expand our coverage. The purpose of this profile is to allow us to share with our readers new transcript-related developments. Thanks, SA Transcripts Team
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 500 points, or nearly 1%, as the heavy-weighted stocks gained.
Goldman Sachs shares were up 3.7%. It holds the biggest of weight in the index, nearly 12%. Caterpillar, which is the next heaviest stock at 10.8%, was up by 1.3%. Nvidia, Boeing, Amazon shares were also gaining.
Voss Capital affiliates buy Xponential Fitness stock worth $963,887
LOS ANGELES — Olivia Rodrigo announced on May 19, 2026, that her new single “The Cure” will be released on Friday, May 22, describing it as her favorite song on her upcoming third studio album.
The 23-year-old singer shared the news on Instagram alongside promotional cover art for the track. She wrote: “the cure comes out this friday . it’s my favorite song on the album and one of my favorite songs I’ve ever made.”
Rodrigo also confirmed that the song and its music video will premiere at 9 p.m. PT / midnight ET on May 22. The announcement generated immediate excitement among fans, who have been anticipating new music since the release of her previous single “Drop Dead” in April 2026.
The upcoming album is titled you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, with an expected release date of June 12, 2026, via Geffen Records. “The Cure” follows “Drop Dead” as the second single from the project.
Rodrigo first teased the new era with cryptic promotional campaigns earlier in 2026. The title of the album and details about its themes have sparked widespread discussion among fans and music critics.
The singer has not released additional details about the sound or lyrical content of “The Cure” beyond calling it one of her favorites. She performed on “Saturday Night Live” earlier in May, where she hosted and served as musical guest, further building anticipation for new material.
Rodrigo rose to global fame with her 2021 debut album Sour, which earned multiple Grammy Awards including Best New Artist. Her 2023 follow-up Guts continued her commercial and critical success with hits such as “vampire” and “bad idea right?”.
The new album is expected to continue her signature blend of pop, rock and emo influences while exploring themes of love, heartbreak and personal growth. Fans have speculated about the direction based on teaser visuals and social media activity.
Rodrigo’s team has not released further promotional details as of May 21. The Friday release aligns with standard industry timing for major singles to maximize weekend streaming and chart impact.
The announcement comes as Rodrigo maintains a high public profile. She has collaborated with major brands and appeared at high-profile events while preparing the new project. Her previous singles have consistently debuted at or near the top of global charts.
Music industry observers expect “The Cure” to generate significant streaming numbers upon release. Pre-save links and promotional campaigns are active across major platforms.
Rodrigo has not scheduled additional live performances immediately following the single release, though tour speculation has intensified with the album announcement. Her previous tours were among the highest-grossing in recent years.
The singer continues to work with longtime collaborators on production and creative direction. Specific credits for “The Cure” and the full album have not yet been disclosed.
Fans reacted quickly to the teaser, flooding social media with excitement and theories about the song’s content. The Instagram post accumulated millions of likes and comments within hours of being shared.
No official tracklist or additional singles have been confirmed for the June 12 album release. Industry sources indicate that more music is expected in the coming weeks leading up to the full project.
Rodrigo maintains an active presence on social media, where she connects directly with her global fanbase. Her posts often generate immediate cultural impact and chart movement for new releases.
The upcoming single and album represent a highly anticipated chapter in Rodrigo’s career as she continues to evolve as an artist while maintaining strong commercial performance. Pre-orders and streaming activity are expected to rise significantly in the days leading to the May 22 release.
Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj out, Jayden Struble in for Game 1 vs. Hurricanes
Anker Debuts Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Earbuds With Its Thus AI Chip
Russian president’s China trip shows for the second time in a week how rapidly the world order is changing
-
Crypto World6 days agoBloFin War of Whales 2026 Grand Prix opens registration for $5M trading championship
-
Fashion6 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Theory – Corporette.com
-
Crypto World6 days agoE-Estate Announces 1 Year Live: Washington DC Summit as Real Estate Tokenization Enters Its Next Phase
-
Tech7 days agoTech Moves: Microsoft AI leader jumps to OpenAI; former AI2 exec joins Meta; and more
-
Tech6 days agoGoogle reimburses Register sources who were victims of API fraud
-
Business6 days agoH&R Real Estate Investment Trust (HR.UN:CA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
-
Sports6 days agoNapoleonic enters 2026 Doomben 10,000 field via Abounding withdrawal
-
Crypto World6 days agoBeInCrypto 100 Institutional Awards Nomination: KAST for Best Digital Assets Neobank and Best Digital Assets Fintech
-
Crypto World6 days agoBitcoin Battles US Bond Nerves With BTC Price Dip Toward New May Lows
-
Entertainment6 days agoDavid Letterman Returns to Late Show, Blasts Cancellation
-
Crypto World6 days agoWall Street’s Boldest Gold Prediction Has Russians Rushing to Buy
-
Crypto World6 days agoICE and CME urge US regulators to curb Hyperliquid energy trading
-
Fashion5 days agoOn the Scene at Gucci’s Cruise Show in New York City: Mariah Carey, Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Iman, and More!
-
Crypto World6 days agoIREN closes $3 billion convertible notes deal amid AI infrastructure expansion
-
Fashion6 days agoTrending Western Style Vests Perfect for Summer
-
Politics6 days agoWatch: far-right flag-fanatics run over victim, attack locals – Setup By the Left wing for your entertainment
-
Fashion6 days agoCreative Ideas for Custom T-Shirts
-
Fashion5 days agoAmazon Sundays: Memorial Day Hosting
-
Crypto World6 hours agoBlockchain.com files with SEC for U.S. IPO
-
Fashion6 days agoPhilip Jones Wedding Jewellery For Women
You must be logged in to post a comment Login