Masters of Scale
On Masters of Scale, iconic business leaders share lessons and strategies that have helped them grow the world's most fascinating companies. Founders, CEOs, and dynamic innovators join candid conversations about their triumphs and challenges with a set of luminary hosts, including founding host Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner). From navigating early prototypes to expanding brands globally, Masters of Scale provides priceless insights to help anyone grow their dream enterprise.
Episodes
The AI race to save American science and reshape medicine forever
Renee Wegrzyn spent her career building the future of American science — including ARPA-H, the White House agency created to accelerate health breakthroughs. Then the Trump administration showed her the door. Wegrzyn co-founded Transfyr to tackle what she calls one of the most overlooked issues in science: the magic hands problem. She joins Rapid Response to explain why fixing this unglam
Pioneers of AI: OpenAI’s Tibo Sottiaux doesn’t want humans to be an ‘afterthought’
Thibault “Tibo” Sottiaux is OpenAI’s head of Product & Platform, making him responsible for the AI tools used by more than a billion users worldwide. Rana el Kaliouby spoke with Tibo on Pioneers of AI about why he’s “proud” OpenAI delayed its latest Astra model over safety concerns, the new suite of agentic products released at DevDay, and what it’s like to lead inside a frontier AI c
Building a marketplace from scratch, with Hipcamp founder Alyssa Ravasio
Alyssa Ravasio loves using ‘coyote trickster energy’ to get more people to put down their technology. Her camping marketplace, Hipcamp, has grown into the largest source for booking campsites on public and private land. She talks with host Jeff Berman about scaling the company, learning to prioritize your health as a founder, and more. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newslet
Kalshi vs. Everyone: Co-Founder Luana Lopes Lara on the lawsuits and the long game
Prediction markets incentivize truth. Everything else incentivizes clickbait. That's the core argument Luana Lopes Lara makes for Kalshi — the prediction market platform she co-founded that has gone from $5 billion to $22 billion in valuation in under a year, and is now being sued by New York's attorney general for $36 billion. Luana joins Rapid Response to make the case that Kalshi is fu
Don't be boring: KCRW's Jennifer Ferro on building a brand people love
Jennifer Ferro is the former board chair of NPR and president of Southern California’s iconic public radio organization: KCRW. Ferro talks with host Jeff Berman about how nearly two decades as the founder’s deputy taught her to lead, why she thinks we deserve a better internet, and how the best defense of getting ignored is simple: Don’t be boring.Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly
Halloween meets GLP-1s: Hershey’s candy Super Bowl, with CEO Kirk Tanner
The second a brand like Hershey stops being culturally relevant, says its CEO Kirk Tanner, you should be worried. He joins Rapid Response to explain exactly what he's doing to make sure that never happens. Tanner also reveals why GLP-1 users are actually good for the candy business, how AI is now routing Hershey's sales force in real time through Target and Walmart, and why the Reese's Or
Rapid Response: Stop creating businesses. Buy one instead, with Codie Sanchez
Own or be owned. That's Codie Sanchez's ultimatum for anyone serious about their financial future. The founder of Contrarian Thinking and author of the new book Own or Be Owned returns to Rapid Response to make her most impassioned case yet for why buying a small business is the most reliable path to wealth that most people are too scared to take. She breaks down what "cowboying" your bus
How to build a billion-dollar sports team from scratch, with Golden State Valkyries’ Jess Smith
When Jess Smith became employee number one for the Bay Area’s WNBA expansion team, the future was a blank slate. Now, the Golden State Valkyries brand is boasting a unicorn valuation in just its second season. Smith talks with host Jeff Berman about building the brand from scratch, the rise of women’s professional sports, and why so many women in the C-Suite are former athletes. Subs
Rebranding in a war zone, with Prosper Global (formerly Mercy Corps)
The world has never faced so many humanitarian crises at once, and the systems built to respond to them are fraying. Tjada McKenna, CEO of Prosper Global — the organization long known as Mercy Corps — joins Rapid Response during UN General Assembly week to share what she's seeing firsthand from Syria to Sudan to Ukraine to Gaza, and why she rebranded a 40-year-old institution in the middl
Brené Brown & Reid Hoffman on the skills every leader needs now
Author and researcher Brené Brown joined host Reid Hoffman on stage last year in San Francisco for the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit. She reveals insights about how to lead courageously, the underrated skills leaders need to thrive, and why compassion is essential for success – even if it’s currently being crowded out of the zeitgeist. For more conversations like this, join us at this
Let’s Kill Sh*t: Axios CEO on simplifying your work-life in the AI era
AI isn't simplifying your life… Yet. It's mass-producing more options, more decisions, and more noise. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei returns to Rapid Response to make the case that the antidote isn't a better productivity app, it's a ruthless, three-part system he calls Confront, Delete, Amplify. VandeHei shares what he's learned from running Axios by these principles, including calling a leader
Rapid Response: On's 16-year overnight success: Zendaya, Federer, and outrunning competition
On built a $4 billion sports brand in 16 years with a garden hose, a Roger Federer dinner in Zurich, and a young designer who watched a Halloween YouTube video. Co-founder and co-CEO David Allemann joins Rapid Response to explain why the defining decade for On is still ahead, and why being the most premium brand matters more than being the biggest. He breaks down the leadership shake-up t
From high school dropout to CEO, with Autodesk’s Andrew Anagnost
Autodesk is the massive public software company at the heart of designing almost everything around you, from cars to buildings to video games. CEO Andrew Anagnost talks with host Jeff Berman about why he first joined a “rebel” group at the company, how he battled for the top job, and why he thinks leading with empathy is smart business.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and C
NFL Kickoff: the science gets more damning, but the money keeps growing
The NFL is the world's most valuable sports business, and it keeps growing. But is the growth sustainable? Sports journalist Michele Steele joins Rapid Response to kick off the 2026-2027 NFL season with a clear-eyed look at what's driving record franchise valuations, why quarterback salaries keep exploding, and what the league's dizzying array of streaming platforms means for the fans. Sh
Angela Duckworth on why grit isn’t enough
With the highly anticipated follow up to her bestseller “Grit”, psychologist and author Angela Duckworth offers a new framework for achieving excellence. She talks with host Jeff Berman about why making even small changes to your situation is the precursor to success. You can find more about Angela's book Situated here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Situated/Angela-Duckworth
When AI agents do your shopping, everything changes, with Shopify’s Jess Hertz
For decades, e-commerce rewarded the biggest brands who could buy their way to the top of search results. AI is changing that. Shopify COO Jess Hertz joins Rapid Response to share what Shopify's data reveals about the agentic shopping revolution in real time, and how the company is building the infrastructure layer that makes products discoverable and purchasable by AI. Plus, why Shopify'
Pioneers of AI: Designing AI for people and the planet, with Aza Raskin
AI is rapidly changing what it means to be human, but is AI development truly human-centered? According to Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, the answer is largely “no.” The man who invented the “infinite scroll” is now working to understand why the most powerful technology so often fails to prioritize the human experience and our collective well-being. Raskin is
Chicago Fed President on inflation, recession, and Trump’s attacks
The economy is strong, prices are still too high, and the job market is sending mixed signals. The Federal Reserve is navigating all of it while fending off the most overt political pressure in its modern history. Austan Goolsbee, President of the Chicago Fed, joins Rapid Response ahead of the Central Bank’s highly-watched meeting in Jackson Hole, to give his most candid read on what's ac
Ford's Jim Farley on beating China, and the storm nobody sees coming
With the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and fuel prices still elevated, few auto executives are feeling the pressure more acutely than Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley. He joins Rapid Response to give a candid account of what the turmoil means for the auto industry, and for an iconic American brand navigating one of the most turbulent moments in its history. Farley gets frank
How Barnes & Noble made a comeback, with CEO James Daunt
CEO James Daunt has now rescued two iconic bookstore chains: Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. He joins host Jeff Berman to discuss the turnarounds, plus how bookstores are preparing for an onslaught of AI-written content, his BookTok strategy, and why local control is the key to making great bookstores. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.co
What the jobs report isn't telling you about AI & the workforce, with Upwork’s Hayden Brown
Few leaders have a better real-time read on how AI is actually reshaping the workforce than Hayden Brown. As CEO of Upwork, the platform where 18 million freelancers meet the businesses that need them, she sees what the monthly jobs report can't: which skills are surging, which jobs are quietly disappearing, and why 23% of businesses that moved work to AI are already bringing humans back.
Pioneers of AI: Why AI conversations are always one-sided
Is it possible for us to ever wholeheartedly trust a machine the way we would a human? According to Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, the answer is no. And that’s what stops us from being able to emotionally connect with AI chatbots.In this e
Know which rules to break, with MTV co-founder Tom Freston
Tom Freston is a cofounder of MTV and former CEO of Viacom. He joined host Jeff Berman to dig into the wild stories and meaningful lessons from his life as an unconventional corporate leader. Freston reveals how MTV’s audience-first mentality and “subway car” approach to hiring helped the network scale into a cultural icon. Tom’s memoir is Unplugged: https://www.simonandschuster.com/
Rapid Recap: Google’s exodus, Spider-Man’s odyssey, Taco “Hell”, and more
What’s the business story of the summer thus far? SpaceX’s stumble post-IPO? AI security breaches? Ongoing tension surrounding the Strait of Hormuz? Host Bob Safian sits down with Rapid Response producer Alex Morris to weigh in. The pair also break down the impact of Uber COO Andrew Macdonald’s appearance on the podcast, and how it sparked a broader conversation throughout the business wo
Always be the challenger, with Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole
Jesse Cole loved baseball. He also knew most people thought it was too long and boring. So he disrupted America’s pastime by putting on a yellow tux - and an incredible show. The founder of the Savannah Bananas welcomed host Jeff Berman to Anaheim Stadium before a show recently to talk about how he’s scaling Fans First Entertainment into a growing league that sells out pro sports stadiums
The new rules of brand building, with Wieden+Kennedy CEO
For decades, Wieden+Kennedy has defined the brands that shape culture. Now, as economic uncertainty, AI, and shifting consumer expectations rewrite the rules of business, CEO Neal Arthur joins Rapid Response to break down why understanding your audience is no longer just the marketing team's job. Arthur shares what today's most successful brands are getting right and how leaders can bette
How to beef up your business, with ButcherBox CEO Mike Salguero
After his first VC-backed business flopped, ButcherBox CEO and founder Mike Salguero turned lessons learned the hard way into the fuel that built his subscription meat delivery business. Salguero joined host Jeff Berman to reveal how a blend of clean ingredients, clever marketing, and hiring for grit helped him scale into a business that’s now making more than $600M a year and expanding i
Serena Williams on winning in business
Serena Williams doesn't just defy convention on the court. She’s also applying her competitive mindset to entrepreneurship and venture investing, recently rebranding her firm from Serena Ventures to StarFire Ventures. Serena joins Bob Safian to discuss how she identified the 16 unicorns now in her portfolio, what she looks for in founders, and how partnerships with companies from Nike to
Possible: Satya Nadella on making human and token capital compound
In this recent episode of Possible, Reid Hoffman sits down with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella fresh off Microsoft Build 2026. The conversation goes wide: how AI is reshaping work, business, and society—and why the transformation sweeping through software development today is only a preview of what's coming for all knowledge work. Satya makes the case that human capital and "token capital" a
Author Jim Collins on unlocking your potential
Jim Collins is the author of some of the most important business books of all time, like Good to Great and Built to Last. For his latest project, instead of profiling iconic companies, he zoomed in on extraordinary individuals we can learn from. He joined host Jeff Berman to reveal how icons like Grace Hopper and John Glenn illustrate lessons on how to navigate the cliffs and fog of life.
Delta's Ed Bastian on spiking fuel, summer travel, and a blunt reality check on AI
Few companies have a better real-time read on the American economy than Delta, and few CEOs are more willing to say what they actually think. Ed Bastian returns to Rapid Response to share what Delta's booking data is telling him that the headlines aren't, why he's not convinced by AI until it moves his top line, and how he decided to yank congressional travel perks during the government s
Build better relationships at work
Therapist Esther Perel wants us all to build stronger relationships at work. Her coveted advice is the centerpiece of her books, TED talks and podcast “Where Should We Begin?” During the pandemic, she launched a conversational card game. In 2025, she joined host Jeff Berman to talk about why she released another edition, Where Should We Begin? At Work, designed specifically for coworkers.
The quiet reinvention of a $42b business, with Canva’s Cameron Adams
In the last year, Canva redefined itself from the ground up. Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Cameron Adams joins Rapid Response live from the Cannes Lions festival to explain why the so-called SaaSpocalypse never kept him up at night, how Canva shifted from a design company to an AI company without losing what made it great, and why being only 1% of the way there is actually the most
Pioneers of AI: John Deere's AI vision for future farms
Tractors are smarter than you think. John Deere, the nearly 200-year-old company, is combining sensors, data, and machine learning in highly advanced vehicles and software to reinvent how the world grows food. On this Pioneers of AI episode, John Deere CTO Jahmy Hindman breaks down how AI is making farms faster, smarter, and more sustainable. Plus he shares his vision for a fully autonomo
Chef Marcus Samuelsson on the ingredients for success
Telling a clear story about your product is an essential entrepreneurial skill. Chef Marcus Samuelsson is an expert at this in his beloved restaurants (Hav & Mar and Red Rooster) and through his broader entrepreneurial efforts.Samuelsson joined host Reid Hoffman in 2024 to share how embracing a diversity of stories has been an essential ingredient to his businesses.Subscribe to the Ma
Relevance is a sport: Gap’s Richard Dickson on swinging, missing, and winning
Gap was never uncool. It just disappeared. CEO Richard Dickson joins Rapid Response to explain how he's bringing it back, using the same pop culture playbook he used to resurrect Barbie at Mattel. He breaks down why he tracks "brand love" metrics on a dashboard hourly, why Sydney Sweeney's viral jeans ad was actually good news for the whole industry, and why the biggest risk a brand can t
How to build breakout products, with Mark Pincus & Reid Hoffman
Mark Pincus is a serial tech entrepreneur and investor best known as the co-founder of Zynga. He joins host Reid Hoffman to reveal the insights at the center of his new book: Life at the Speed of Play. The godfather of mobile gaming talks with Hoffman about building products people love, learning fast from your mistakes, and handling screen time for his own kids. The book: https://ww
Cannes Lions’ battle of the brands: Starbucks’ stumble, World Cup ads, and more
Every year at Cannes Lions, the advertising world takes stock of itself — what's working, what's not, and what it's pretending not to notice. Autodesk CMO Dara Treseder joins Rapid Response live from the festival to cut through the noise. She breaks down the industry's complicated relationship with AI, weighs in on the hottest and most overrated campaigns of the year including sharp takes
Pioneers of AI: Reid Hoffman says the AI race is not a cage match
Anthropic and OpenAI’s plans to go public have set off waves of speculation about the ripple effects, and how they’ll stack up to the SpaceX IPO. What’s really driving the value of these companies? Does the timing of the IPOs matter? How might they impact the AI startup ecosystem?To process all this, Pioneers of AI phones a friend: Reid Hoffman. As co-founder of LinkedIn and Manas AI, a l
How to balance a two-sided marketplace, with Care.com CEO Brad Wilson
Care.com is the digital marketplace that connects caregiving professionals with people who need help with kids, seniors, pets, and more. It’s the market leader in an area where the need is constantly growing. Host Jeff Berman talks with CEO Brad Wilson about how companies can create more loyal employees by supporting caregiving, why the future of work needs to be flexible, how he’s leadin
$300m in year two. The controversy came free, with David Protein’s Peter Rahal
David protein bars went from startup to one of the hottest consumer products in America in under two years. But the ride has been anything but smooth. Founder and CEO Peter Rahal joins Rapid Response to talk about building a breakout brand through lawsuits, a Jeffrey Epstein association, and the kind of social media heat most companies would run from. Rahal also revisits his $600 million
IBM’s $10 billion bet on what comes after AI
While many tech companies race to build ever-larger AI models, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna sees the future differently. Speaking with host Bob Safian before a live audience during New York Tech Week, Krishna explains why enterprises are overcomplicating AI adoption, what kinds of risks leaders should be taking right now, and how to weigh AI's costs against its benefits. He also shares why IBM
The U.S. at 250: The case for reckoning and rebuild, with Ian Bremmer
As America hurtles toward its 250th birthday, the world is watching. Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group President and PBS host, joins Rapid Response to give his unvarnished read on the state of Brand America. He shares how he’s advising business and political leaders around the globe, why he believes the US is overdue for a revolution, and what the widening gap between American wealth and America
The future of EVs, with Rivian’s RJ Scaringe
RJ Scaringe is the founder and CEO of Rivian Automotive. Host Jeff Berman digs into how Scaringe thinks about competing with Tesla, the hard won lessons of building a company that makes both vehicles and software, and how the company is scaling to fuel the highly anticipated launch of its newest electric vehicle: The R2.This Masters of Scale Live event, sponsored by Atlassian, was recorde
World Cup kickoff: Goals, greed, and geopolitics, with ESPN’s Sam Borden
As the World Cup kicks off this Thursday, scrutiny surrounds ticket prices, disrupted fan travel, potential ICE activity, and FIFA’s murky dealings. ESPN Global Sports Correspondent Sam Borden has covered this tournament from Brazil to Qatar, and he joins Rapid Response to break down the USA's real chance, what Iran's presence on American soil actually means, and whether hosting the world
Rapid Response: The Guardian’s secret weapon against media’s collapse, with CEO Anna Bateson
While legacy news outlets like The Washington Post stumble, The Guardian keeps growing — but how? Guardian Media Group CEO Anna Bateson joins Rapid Response to pull back the curtain on the company's unusual ownership structure and the multi-revenue model fueling its resilience. Bateson also weighs in on the threat and opportunity of AI chatbots, the Jeff Bezos effect on media, and what ro
Rohan Oza: The playbook for building billion-dollar consumer brands
If there was a Mount Rushmore of brand builders, investor Rohan Oza would be on it. He’s been the driving force behind $8 billion in exits for vitaminwater, Poppi, and more. Oza joins host Jeff Berman to reveal his playbook for success.Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi
The race no one can win: AI’s anti-human crisis, with Aza Raskin
Big Tech is moving fast on AI. But who's watching out for the rest of us? Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, has spent years sounding the alarm about where the race to build powerful AI is actually taking us. He joins Rapid Response to expose the incentive structures quietly pushing Silicon Valley toward dangerous territory, and to make the case that it's not too
How to get better at money, with Carrie Joy Grimes
Money = Math + Feelings. That’s the equation at the heart of Carrie Joy (CJ) Grimes’ nonprofit WorkMoney, which has scaled to more than 9 million members since it started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grimes joins host Jeff Berman to reveal the strategies that can improve not just how much money we have, but our relationship with it. CJ’s book: The Joy of MoneySub
Why success destroys the companies we love, with Eric Ries
What if the way we think about business value, trust, and capitalism itself is fundamentally broken? Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup changed how a generation of entrepreneurs build companies. Now, Ries takes aim at some of the most sacred business assumptions today in his new book, Incorruptible. Ries joins Rapid Response to share what he witnessed firsthand in the clash between Anthropic and
Pioneers of AI: How fast can you upskill in AI? We did a sprint to find out.
We all feel the urgency: learn to use AI, or risk falling behind at work. And we all know there's an upside: AI can reduce tedious tasks, streamline operations, and boost output. But knowing is half the battle (maybe even less) and implementing AI needs to happen across an entire organization. So what does it take to start?Well, here at WaitWhat (the company behind this podcast!) we pause
How Coach scaled from a single store into a global icon
When Lew Frankfort joined Coach half a century ago, it was a small NYC handbag maker without a single storefront. Frankfort reveals how he scaled the brand into a global icon worth more than 20 billion dollars with a signature blend of “magic and logic”. Lew’s memoir is Bag Man. Find it at: https://lewfrankfort.com/Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mas
The “invisible army” behind Amazon’s robotaxi revolution
Robotaxis are multiplying across American cities… But are consumers actually ready to trust them? Zoox CEO Aicha Evans joins Rapid Response to talk about the company’s strategy as an Amazon subsidiary, its intensifying rivalry with Waymo, and why a new partnership with Uber could be the key to getting autonomous rides from novelty to scale. Evans also reveals why she recruits what she cal
Author David Epstein on why constraints fuel innovation
In a new follow-up to his bestselling book Range, author David Epstein reveals his new contrarian take: The best thing for innovation is actually constraints. Epstein talks with host Jeff Berman about the fascinating research he did to prove out this idea, with examples from Silicon Valley, Pixar and more. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofsca
Duolingo’s battle for learning in an AI world, with Luis von Ahn
When Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn sent an internal memo about AI last year, he didn't expect it to go viral — or to ignite a firestorm about the future of work. Now he joins Rapid Response to unpack what he got right, what he got wrong, and what the backlash taught him about the real limitations of AI. Von Ahn also reveals why he's made a deliberate pivot in 2026: chasing users, not revenue
Raising Cane’s secret recipe for scaling, with CEO Todd Graves
Todd Graves built Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers into a nearly 1,000 restaurant empire worth billions. It’s well known for both its deliciously simple menu and its refreshingly friendly staff. The founder and CEO talks with host Jeff Berman about how he perfected the recipe for success, why he thinks restaurants should be wary of private equity, and much more.Subscribe to the Masters of S
Mellody Hobson: When investors head for the exit, run to the fire
When markets drop and chaos hits, Mellody Hobson is determined to be brave. The co-CEO of Ariel Investments and former chair of Starbucks and DreamWorks joins Rapid Response to make the case that volatility isn't something to survive but to exploit. She shares the financial lessons she lives by, including a surprising admonition against making choices based on money, and why she sees wome
The Devil Wears Prada workplace: Toxic or timeless?
As The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits theaters this weekend, Rapid Response explores the enduring business lessons inside the now 20-year-old original. Host Bob Safian is joined by two insiders who built their careers in the world the film depicts: Janice Min, CEO of The Ankler, and Sarah Ball, editor-in-chief of WSJ Magazine. Together they track how publishing, fashion and power have all shift
How Poppi’s founders built a new soda brand worth $2 billion
Allison and Stephen Ellsworth hyperscaled their healthier soda brand Poppi to a truly gigantic exit to Pepsi – nearly $2 billion – and changed an entire category. The married co-founders talk with host Jeff Berman about what it takes to juggle a growing company and family at the same time, how savvy social media strategy helped them stand out, and what happens when you decide to run a Sup
Maria Sharapova’s centre court tricks for the boardroom
Five grand slam titles. More than a decade as the world's highest-paid female athlete. But the fiercest competition Maria Sharapova describes may be the one she's navigating now. She joins Rapid Response to talk about her second act as an investor, entrepreneur, and podcaster — and what the court never prepared her for. She gets candid about the deals she's walked away from, the candy bra
Possible: Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings: stories, schools, superpowers
Reed Hastings has announced he'll leave the board at Netflix, the company he co-founded. Before that news broke, Reid and Aria sat down with Hastings on "Possible" to talk about how technology has rewritten the rules of entertainment before, but AI takes him back to his beginnings. He studied AI at Stanford in the late '80s, decades before it became the only conversation in tech. Few peop
The art of the steal: Serial founder Eric Ryan on finding inspiration
Serial entrepreneur Eric Ryan knows what it takes to build clever companies that earn massive exits. He founded and scaled the cleaning products brand Method, vitamin brand Olly, and more. Ryan joins host Jeff Berman to reveal his winning strategy for creating bold brands that disrupt whole categories. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.c
A first look at Samsung’s blueprint to win the AI era, with Mauro Porcini
AI redefining how products are both built and experienced, and Samsung is reimagining its place in the tech ecosystem. As Milan Design Week gets underway, Samsung's president and chief design officer Mauro Porcini pulls back the curtain on the company’s new design manifesto, and gets candid about their rivalry with Apple, the shift from hardware to human experience, and why a brand known
Why CEOs need to think more like athletes, with investor Byron Deeter
Byron Deeter has spent two decades at the epicenter of tech as an investor with Bessemer Venture Partners. His portfolio includes some of the most innovative companies in the world, from Anthropic to Waymo to Canva. He talks with host Jeff Berman about his advice for both founders and investors in this moment of AI transformation, why CEOs need to think more like athletes, and more.Subscr
LIV Golf’s gambit to rewrite global sports, with Scott O’Neil
Scott O'Neil has run NBA and NHL franchises. Now he's betting on a golf revolution. The LIV Golf CEO joins Rapid Response to reveal what it really takes to disrupt a legacy sport, the unique pressures of answering to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, and why golf may be the most underleveraged business in all of sports. Plus, inside the startup mindset Scott’s instilling his team, and
Humanize AI before it dehumanizes us, with Dr. Rana el Kaliouby at SXSW
AI is moving fast. But are we really keeping humans at the center? In this special live Rapid Response, recorded on stage at South by Southwest, host Bob Safian sits down with AI scientist, founder of Affectiva, investor at Blue Tulip, and host of Pioneers of AI, Dr. Rana el Kaliouby. Rana makes the case that human-centric AI isn't just a safety guardrail; it's the key to thriving s
The “most stressed” wellness CEO, with Calm’s David Ko
What does it take to lead a meditation company without finding a moment’s peace? David Ko spent years as CEO of Calm, one of the world's most recognized mental health and wellness apps, helping millions manage stress. Now he's stepping down. Ko unpacks why he made the call, what the relentless pressure of the C-suite really does to a person, and how to draw the line between the kind of st
How to think faster and talk smarter, with Matt Abrahams
Matt Abrahams knows what it takes to win over a crowd, close a deal, or inspire a team. The renowned communication expert and Stanford business school lecturer shares his science-backed strategies for overcoming public speaking anxiety and more. Check out Matt’s podcast and book: https://www.fastersmarter.io/Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.co
The internet is breaking. So what’s next? with Cloudflare’s Matthew Prince
AI bots are on track to outnumber humans online by 2027. No one has a better line of sight into that shift than Matthew Prince — his company, Cloudflare, routes more than 20% of all internet traffic. Speaking live from SXSW, Prince reveals how AI is rewriting the economics of the web, how tech giants are scrambling to respond, and what it means for anyone running an online business. Plus,
Arthur Brooks on how to build a meaningful life
Arthur Brooks is a bestselling author and Harvard professor best known for his work on the science of happiness. He joins host Jeff Berman to reveal the insights at the heart of his new book: The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness. Link to Arthur's new book The Meaning of Your Life: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/books/the-meaning-of-your-lifeYou can find more
Crisis at Hormuz, and your $160b tariff refund clock, with Flexport’s Ryan Petersen
When global trade buckles, Ryan Petersen is the person executives call. The founder and CEO of Flexport returns to Rapid Response to offer a real-time account of the Strait of Hormuz crisis — what he's seeing on the ground, on the water, and across the supply chains straining under the pressure. Petersen also digs into the prospect of tariff refunds in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruli
Futurist Amy Webb: Trends are not enough
Amy Webb, futurist and CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group, held a funeral for her famous annual trend report at SXSW this year. She explains to host Jeff Berman why convergences are the new critical unit of change instead. Webb says leaders must stop being distracted by "the shiny" and learn to prepare for the disruption of convergences.Link to the Convergence Outlook: https://ftsg.co
The C-suite is messier than you think, with Maryam Banikarim
Career disruption is accelerating across the economy — and few people have navigated it more boldly than Maryam Banikarim. The former CMO of Univision, Gannett, and Hyatt, and host of The Messy Parts podcast, Banikarim joins Rapid Response to share hard-won wisdom about C-suite politics, and ultimately betting on yourself. Growing up in Iran during the time of revolution, Banikarim offers
How Shantanu Narayen transformed Adobe
Shantanu Narayen announced this week that he will step down after nearly two decades as CEO of Adobe. In this conversation first published in early 2025, Narayen talked with host Reid Hoffman about how he led the transformation of Adobe’s creative tools like Photoshop to cloud-based subscriptions, how that unlocked faster innovation, and why those lessons are serving the company well in t
FanDuel CEO Amy Howe: ‘My whole career has been sliding doors moments’
Before taking on the role of FanDuel CEO, Amy Howe faced unprecedented uncertainty while leading Ticketmaster through a global pandemic. Howe talks with host Jeff Berman about navigating fierce competition, shifting regulations, and the rise of prediction markets. A sports betting giant, FanDuel has a market cap of more than $25 billion dollars.Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: htt
Stop waiting for clarity. Unfreeze and act, with Accenture’s Julie Sweet
AI disruption and geopolitical upheaval are forcing business leaders to make high-stakes decisions — fast. Accenture CEO Julie Sweet joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share what she's hearing from her 9,000 clients and the hard-won advice she's giving them. Sweet reveals why AI proficiency is now a requirement for promotion at Accenture, why she's doubling down on entry-level hiring
Your Rich BFF dishes on dopamine spending and the new money minefield, with Vivian Tu
Why does uncertainty make us less rational with money? And who should we trust for financial advice online? Vivian Tu, financial educator and CEO of Your Rich BFF, joins Rapid Response to break down today’s personal finance risks and opportunities, from “lifestyle inflation” and the most common money mistakes smart people make to how Gen Z is navigating 2026 volatility and a shifting job
Rapid Recap: Iran, Anthropic vs. Pentagon, Paramount’s win, and more
Geopolitics is back at the top of every business leader's agenda — and the signals are coming fast. Host Bob Safian sits down with Rapid Response producer Alex Morris to cut through the noise and decode the stories shaping the business world right now: from Jeff Bezos' Washington Post shakeup and Jack Dorsey's AI-driven layoff memo, to a landmark Supreme Court tariff ruling and the Elliso
Hailey Bieber, AI and fast launches: how e.l.f. Beauty is winning
Tarang Amin took the helm of e.l.f. Beauty at a pivotal moment and helped turn it from industry underdog to category disruptor, with a retail footprint spanning Sephora, Target, Dollar General, and H&M — while outperforming much of the beauty sector. Amin breaks down the unconventional moves driving that growth, from lightning-fast product cycles and hands-on AI experimentation to cul
Unrivaled is rewriting the business of women’s basketball
Women's sports are continuing to thrive. Record-breaking WNBA viewership, a flood of new brand investment, and now Unrivaled: the women's basketball league built by players, for players. Commissioner Micky Lawler joins Rapid Response to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to launch a high-stakes sports startup in the full glare of the public eye, from signing Sephora and Samsung
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