Rapid Response (WaitWhat)

While some artists complain that AI uses their music as training data, Will.i.am argues that it’s no different than Prince and Michael Jackson taking inspiration from James Brown. Will joins Rapid Response to talk about his investments in the “dawn of intelligent media,” including his new app RAiDIO.fyi — AI technology that he contends will be pre-installed in every car of the future. Will shares surprising lessons from his MBA studies at Harvard, why developers are like rappers, how he works with Mercedes, and more. 

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The fashion world is at a sudden inflection point. Big luxury players are struggling, e-commerce markets are floundering, and ultra-fast players like Shein are disrupting. The Business of Fashion’s Imran Amed takes us inside the tumult, providing a framework to understand the trends and their larger economic impact. Plus: how manufacturers are adapting to new sustainability scrutiny, and the first year of Pharrell Williams’ tenure at Louis Vuitton. 

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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V76MSWINFQ0

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Apple used Monday’s keynote at the big annual WWDC event to unveil a roster of new software developments, product upgrades, and most importantly — their long-awaited AI play. Fast Company’s Yasmin Gagne joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss Apple’s new high-stakes partnership with OpenAI, implications for app-based businesses, and investors’ reactions to the week’s news. The pair also read the tea leaves on Tim Cook’s future successor, explore whether we’ve reached ‘peak Apple,’ and more.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKUNYVavHP8

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When a tech nonprofit competes against a $2 billion incumbent dominating the market, its odds are slim. But Zo Orchingwa took that bet, founding Ameelio, believing that access to communication and education for the incarcerated is needed for their future success. Ameelio is on a quest to partner with every prison district in the country until one day, it scales enough to be redundant.   

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Masters of Scale presents 10 must-hear moments from 2022! This special episode gathers the most valuable, lesson-packed, insight-filled moments from the past year across Masters of Scale and Masters of Scale: Rapid Response. From Ukraine to Covid, fashion to crypto, Pepsico to Planned Parenthood, these highlights illuminate timeless takeaways that every business person can learn from and be inspired by — for 2023 and beyond. Featuring: Shark Tank’s Daymond John, Ukrainian entrepreneur Alyona Mysko, Ford chairman Bill Ford, and more.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

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"This was like 1918, 1929 and 1968 in one week," says Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. With the pandemic, economic crisis, and civil unrest all coming together after George Floyd's death, Walker found himself flooded with calls from CEOs struggling for how to respond. Walker's advice mixes clear-eyed messages — denying the trauma borne by communities of color is no longer option — with optimism about the opportunities ahead. At the Ford Foundation, they've accelerated giving and even exceeded their own KPIs. With more leaders dedicated to making a positive impact, he says, the wind is changing, for people of color and for America.

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Next week, TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, will appear in court as the U.S. government moves to force the Chinese company to shutter or sell its wildly popular social platform. Investor and former LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is preparing a consortium bid to buy the app — and access to its 170 million users. McCourt joins Rapid Response to explain the national security case against Bytedance, take us inside the story of his TikTok bid, and reveal how he would use the platform to address a central crisis of our digital age.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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When Elon Musk, Karlie Kloss, Travis Kelce, and a who’s-who of media, branding, and tech execs all converge, there’s plenty of buzz. From the Cannes Lions festival in the south of France, Autodesk’s Dara Treseder talks with Bob Safian about the key themes, lessons, and intrigue that emerged. She explains why AI and women’s sports dominated much of the conversation, how the attention economy is giving way to the ‘intention economy,’ and why influencers don’t want you calling them “influencers” anymore. 

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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What are your options for emergency funding in the US? Can you use the U.S. CARES Act to get financial assistance? Should you consider crowdfunding? We talk to Karen Cahn, CEO of IFundWomen, about what you need to know. Who qualifies for the forgivable and traditional loans within this $2.2 trillion stimulus package? Do you have to apply today? How much money could you get? And is a loan a good idea? Karen gives us the details – and makes the case that now is the best time to crowdfund.

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Controversy, frat house culture, viral moments — when you hear ‘Barstool Sports,’ this may be what comes to mind. But former CEO Erika Ayers Badan is here to tell you that the business model that made Barstool into an online cultural juggernaut is replicable and poised to re-shape the food and lifestyle industry. Ayers Badan shares with Rapid Response why she decided to make a dramatic career pivot — taking over Food52 — and why running Barstool was like “a heart attack every day.” She also explores lessons around cultivating a community of fans, and why as a leader, “no” is often a better answer than “yes.”

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Non-alcoholic beer is booming, boosted by a cultural shift in Gen Z drinking habits and a pivot to healthy living. Athletic Brewing has become the biggest non-alcoholic beer brand in the US, fueling the buzz. Co-founder & CEO Bill Shufelt joins Rapid Response to share how Athletic is approaching a critical crossroad. After securing endorsements from JJ Watt to Karlie Kloss as well as a partnership with Arsenal Football Club, Athletic now faces a flurry of beer industry titans flooding into non-alcoholic brews. Shufelt explains why Athletic is expanding despite the competition, lessons from his days in the hedge fund world, and the balance between passion and discipline. 

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With 75% of U.S. customers saying they'll soon be vaccinated, Delta is embracing a new phase, opening up middle seats as of May 1. CEO Ed Bastian bet at the start of the pandemic that focusing on consumer confidence and reinforcing Delta’s brand would ultimately pay big rewards. Now that strategy will be put to the test -- even as Bastian clashes with Georgia officials over the state's new voting law. How quickly will domestic demand rebound? When will business and international travel return? And what blowback may Delta face for its political stance? For Bastian, being on the hot seat is just another day on the job.

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Many of us will be working remote for a long time to come. So: How do you turn March's temporary scramble into a long-term benefit? Bitcoin pioneer Wences Casares runs a fully distributed company at his unicorn bitcoin startup, Xapo. For Wences, remote work is an intentional choice, one that celebrates the creativity and freedom of being released from geographical boundaries – and turns remote work into a striking advantage. Hear Xapo's battle-tested guidelines for communication styles, hiring – and supporting home offices that really work.

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Small, independent store owners have been perpetually hit by waves of disruption: from malls to big box stores to e-commerce giants. But Max Rhodes, co-founder and CEO of the $12 billion online wholesale marketplace Faire, argues that Main Street retailers are actually better positioned right now to navigate today’s stormy shopping landscape than the competition. Max digs into how Faire is using technology and data to help stores maximize their advantages — nimbleness, adaptability, and smaller inventories — and combine them with the scale benefits enjoyed by the likes of Amazon and Target.

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How do you survive a crisis? You create your own trajectory, says Ellen Kullman. And she knows: In her former role, she became CEO of the chemical engineering giant DuPont in 2008, just ahead of the financial crisis. During those years of straight free fall, Ellen learned how to lead through what seemed like completely devastating circumstances and developed four crisis principles, forged through the fire of experience. She’s putting those to the test now, at the helm of 3D printing unicorn startup, Carbon. She took the role just five months ago – and then headed straight into the pandemic. At Carbon, she’s zeroing in on what she can control (from innovating manufacturing to restructuring supply chains to where the team works) and pivoting to create a new path to success.

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When it comes to racial justice, many companies and organizations haven't matched their reality to their words. Rashad Robinson, the president of Color of Change, the largest online racial justice organization in the U.S., is holding major corporations accountable. Hear Rashad talk through the difficulties of changing systems from Hollywood, Silicon Valley, to Washington DC, getting help from President Barack Obama, and what business leaders can do to actively change racial injustice.

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How does a start-up geared to healthcare workers balance giving back during Covid with the desire for growth? FIGS, an emerging lifestyle brand for medical professionals that built its name around premium scrubs, faced key choices amid the pandemic. Co-founder and co-CEO Heather Hasson explains why a commitment to offering free PPE, isolation gowns, and more supported both FIGS's mission and its community. Shifting supply lines, leaning into a robust e-commerce system, and expanding internationally in response to demand, the FIGS team used the moment to reinforce their relationship with their customers – and saw annual revenue climb past $250 million. Hasson likens medical professionals to star athletes, under high pressure for hours on end, with huge stakes in the balance. By treating them with special care, and championing their contributions, FIGS has built enviable brand allegiance among a community that, until Covid hit, was often overlooked.

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After slashing his NYC restaurant team from 2,400 people to just 45 in the teeth of the pandemic, Danny Meyer has rebuilt Union Square Hospitality Group back to its former size. But in his fifth appearance on Rapid Response since Covid struck, Danny says he isn’t yet triumphant. With inflation creating fresh challenges even at Shake Shack, Danny shares lessons on the good and bad of leading through a crisis, plus explains why he’s handed off his CEO title — and where he finds inspiration to fuel new innovations.

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“We should expect more volatility,” Reid Hoffman tells Rapid Response host Bob Safian in the first Need to Know session of the year, covering news and business topics impacting entrepreneurs right now. Reid and Bob discuss the implications of the Ukraine invasion, then dive into the pandemic-fueled troubles at Peloton, PayPal, and Meta, new climate-change urgencies — including Reid’s recent trip to Antarctica, and how Activision will be different after merging with Microsoft. Plus: pay transparency; the lessons of Theranos; and the business case for democracy. Cameos: John Doerr (author of Speed & Scale), Jeremy Farrar (Wellcome Trust), Daniella Ballou-Aares (Leadership Now Project).

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“Hope is a practice. It comes from doing.” As the head of Planned Parenthood, Alexis McGill Johnson is regrouping in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to remove the federal right to safe abortion. Johnson is now faced with the challenge to move her team from tears and shock to action. Any leader faced with a worst-case scenario can learn from her vision: “to fight and stay courageous, and maintain ourselves.”

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Since stepping down as Walmart’s president of e-commerce at the beginning of the year, billionaire entrepreneur Marc Lore has had a busy year of big ideas. In the Spring, it was announced that he reached a deal to purchase the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, alongside Alex Rodriguez. And then last month, he outlined his plans to build a new American city called Telosa, centered around sustainability and inclusion. Lore, who co-founded Jet.com, an e-commerce company that sold to Walmart in 2016, says that he approaches these moonshot ideas in the same manner: by reverting to the fundamentals and naming the mission and values. "VCP: vision, capital, people,” he says. “If you get VCP right, everything else falls in place."

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There’s no better way to prepare for 2024 than to look back at the year that was. 2023 offered a slew of challenges and opportunities, from AI mania to inflation to Taylor Swift obsession. In this special episode, Rapid Response host Bob Safian shares the most impactful business lessons from the year, exploring the importance of an experimentation mindset, empathy-driven leadership, and adapting to the modern workplace. Featuring guest appearances from Gary Vaynerchuk, Bozoma Saint-John, Rana el Kaliouby, Daniel Lubetzky, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud and more.

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Small business is being taxed emotionally as well as financially, and that tax is rising, says H&R Block CEO Jeff Jones. As the pandemic hit, entrepreneurs did what entrepreneurs do: solved problems, protected teams, served customers. But as uncertainty has persisted, anxiety among business owners has risen, even since the summer, according to a major new H&R Block study. With small enterprises the backbone of his customers, Jones has a unique vantage to offer advice and lessons: about asking for help, prioritizing needs, and finding calm. Jones sees small businesses as key to thriving economies, convinced that entrepreneurial resilience can eventually overcome all hurdles.

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Five years of growth in five weeks. That's how Covid-19 lockdowns accelerated Instacart's business last spring. Now, a year later, the company faces another "crucible moment," says Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta. He's leaning into what he describes as a four-sided market – including software services for grocers and advertising for product vendors – to amplify the appeal of tech-enabled shopping, even as vaccinations proliferate and in-store buying revives. Instacart's focus, he says, will help it outpace a rising field of competitors, and create a distinctive advantage even against behemoth Amazon.

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Everything starts with transportation, says John Zimmer, co-founder and president of Lyft. And even though ride sharing is sharply down, transportation remains key – for essential workers and for our supply chain. So Lyft is flexing some new muscles, says John. They recently launched a delivery service so they can help get supplies where they need to go – and put drivers on the road. They’ve also spent over a million dollars on protective equipment so that both drivers and riders can be protected; and began providing free and discounted rides to both essential workers and people in need of transportation. John’s hope is that by Lyft staying true to its mission, they’ll come out successful on the other side.

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Summer’s not so hot at the movie theaters, and the same goes for streaming. Nothing’s come close to last year’s Barbie-Oppenheimer success, and Janice Min of entertainment news startup Ankler Media can’t say she’s surprised. Janice vets Hollywood’s offerings for the summer entertainment cycle, weighs in on deals from Paramount/Skydance to the astronomical price of NBA rights, and lays out the financial reality for media companies in an age of scrambling for everyone’s digital attention. 

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Eric Schmidt, Angela Ahrendts, and Dara Khosrowshahi — three legendary culture-setters — sit down with host Bob Safian to discuss how they’ve built and rebuilt great cultures at Apple, Uber, Google and more. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, the conversation delivers surprising stories, and counterintuitive lessons on authenticity, making mistakes, and how to build a unique culture that’s right for your business.

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This past summer, Fidji Simo departed from Facebook – where she stood among the highest-ranking female executives, serving as the head of their app – for the opportunity to become a first-time CEO at Instacart. She replaced founder Apoorva Mehta, who appeared on this show last spring to talk about Instacart’s incredible COVID-fueled growth. Since then, Fidji has emphasized an evolved company mission, diversifying the company’s leadership and focusing on providing the necessary technology to help grocery retailers best serve their customers. As you’ll hear Fidji mention in the episode, she was raised in a French-Sicilian family where food anchored their daily life. “To me, Instacart’s mission resonated deeply, and I saw a very big opportunity.”

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Under a harsh spotlight, how do you remain composed while fighting for your mission? Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to take us inside the story of his public row with Elon Musk. Jonathan also explains how business leaders must ignite hope in the face of hate to help build a brighter future. Plus, he shares lessons about the seasonality of business, the importance of Hollywood, and why leaders everywhere should embrace conflict.

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Potential tariff wars, market movements, allies in big tech … About two months out from Trump’s return to office, there’s rampant speculation about the new administration’s impact on the business world. To cut through the noise, Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer joins Rapid Response to share what he’s hearing from individuals in global governments and boardrooms. Bremmer reveals which industries are poised to thrive under a second Trump term, how China is strategizing trade and investment in the US, and what Elon Musk’s new role says about the eroding free market economy. 

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With the pandemic, cooking at home got a renewed boost, and meal kit outfits saw a rise in demand. But a year in, the trend toward at-home dining now faces a new inflection point. We're talking with Linda Findley Kozlowski, CEO of meal-kit pioneer Blue Apron, because she’s on the frontlines of assessing which pandemic-fueled behaviors will persist, and in what ways. Early on, Linda made the choice NOT to sop up every ounce of demand, instead focusing on what she calls sustainable growth. Blue Apron has seen a flood of new competitors come onto the market, but her bet is that long-term trends and a differentiated product will matter more than crisis opportunity. As she puts it, a pandemic is not a business model.

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Crypto winter isn’t a disaster, it's an opportunity. That’s how Michael Gronager, CEO of $8 billion crypto data company Chainalysis, describes the crashing prices and bankruptcies that have roiled the cryptocurrency sector. Gronager offers an insider’s perspective on operating in a volatile marketplace, providing lessons on dreaming too big in boom times and on leaning into building and creating when lulls emerge. Chainalysis helps track financial flows on blockchains, including crypto criminals from North Korea and Russia. Despite current risks, Gronager argues, the still-emerging crypto sector is maturing, and he’s as confident as ever about its future. 

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As the pandemic hit, Airbnb was preparing for an IPO. Within a matter of days, everything changed dramatically, as travel worldwide screamed to a halt. “I felt like I was captain of a ship and a torpedo hit the side,” says CEO Brian Chesky. Airbnb responded quickly, announcing that they'd override host rules and allow for guest cancellations. They went on to establish a relief fund for hosts, lobby the U.S. Congress to include hosts in the CARES stimulus package; open up a new business line of virtual experiences, and raise an astounding one billion dollars in new capital — all with the goal of both weathering the storm and laying the groundwork for the new era of travel that Chesky firmly believes will follow. Chesky takes our co-host Bob Safian through the last few weeks, shares what gives him hope and explains why he’s bringing Airbnb back to its roots as a scrappy, resilient startup that can adapt and evolve.

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How do you win the post-pandemic war for talent? Send your frontline workers to online school. That's the pitch that Rachel Carlson has made – successfully – to big businesses from Chipotle to Disney, Walmart to Waste Management. As co-founder and CEO of Guild Education, Carlson runs a digital platform that enables workers to get degrees and certifications as a free employee benefit. Though virtual schooling for kids is under fire, virtual education for adults has caught on over the last year like never before. To meet the ongoing need for “upskilling” in the modern economy, Carlson says, company-sponsored digital classes should be as ubiquitous as company-sponsored health plans. The ROI, she explains, is astonishingly high.

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In this special 2-for-1 episode, we offer two segments of rapid-fire fun from the 2024 Masters of Scale Summit. First, Slutty Vegan’s Pinky Cole joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian for a gamified session on capturing consumer attention that delivers lessons on the power of joy, building celebrity, and competing with stalwarts like McDonald’s. Then, ocean storyteller and entrepreneur Philippe Cousteau Jr. has 10 minutes to convince Safian (as a faux VC) to invest in our oceans — encouraging that the future of humanity lies not in the stars, but much closer to home. 

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Sports gambling is on track to grow into a $40 billion industry in the U.S., with FanDuel the lead player. CEO Amy Howe explains why the Super Bowl is so important to the company’s aspirations, even as it expands into wider gaming options and broader sports leagues. Leveraging its first-mover advantage, FanDuel is seeking to build an iconic brand around responsible gaming. With so much on the line, Super Bowl week is as make-or-break for Howe as it is for the two teams on the field.

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Is this the craziest non-pandemic summer travel season ever? The Points Guy’s Brian Kelly joins Rapid Response to talk about how Boeing’s safety issues are impacting flying habits, the CrowdStrike outage and Delta’s response, Southwest’s major pivot, and more. Plus: the airline industry's best-kept secrets and insider deals right now. 

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Can you blitzscale when the world grinds to a halt? How do you do right by your team AND your investors? What will the entrepreneurial world look like on the other side of this? In this special episode, Reid Hoffman, sits on the other side of the mic with Rapid Response host Bob Safian — contextualizing the crisis and offering a hopeful viewpoint.

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In this special holiday replay, we share a standout conversation of 2024 featuring ex-CEO of Barstool and current head of Food52, Erika Ayers Badan. She shares with Rapid Response why she made a dramatic career pivot — taking over Food52 — and why running Barstool was like “a heart attack every day.” She also explores lessons around cultivating a community of fans, and why, as a leader, “no” is often a better answer than “yes.”

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Can nuclear energy, solar and wind farms, and carbon capture scale fast enough to save the planet? GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian on stage at the Climatech conference in Boston to detail how green energy is evolving in 2024. GE Vernova is a new company spun out from General Electric, and helps power around a quarter of the world’s electricity. Strazik explains how today’s electrical grid limits renewable energy’s potential, and why it desperately needs a “new brain.”

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcZfnUX1BrQ

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Google search may be the world’s most powerful public health platform. Dr Karen DeSalvo, Google's chief health officer, has built a team of doctors, scientists and clinicians who – alongside engineers and designers – determine what information and advice shows up when we search for answers about Covid-19, the pandemic, vaccines, and more. She also heads Google’s employee health-safety efforts and leads external in-the-field efforts to broaden vaccine access in the U.S. and across the globe. Her message to businesses is that we all have a role to play in combating the virus – and that, when it comes to return-to-work, our own personal risk assessment can’t be discounted.

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As we live and work longer, leaders need to redefine how they think about attracting and developing intergenerational talent. Modern Elder Academy's Chip Conley is at the forefront of this mindset shift, explaining why “wisdom workers” will take the place of “knowledge workers.” A close mentor to Airbnb founder Brian Chesky, Chip stresses that those in mid-career face both more angst and more opportunity than ever. He provides a roadmap for reframing midlife from crisis to calling, and argues that five generations in the workplace requires a new generational compact.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. In the US, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Here is a list of globally available resources: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

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The carbon-capture industry notched a breakthrough in early 2023, when Climeworks became the first company to be third-party certified for taking carbon out of the air and mineralizing it underground. Climeworks co-founder and co-CEO Christoph Gebald is now racing to scale this new potential, from Iceland to Oman to the United States, by convincing investors, corporate partners, and governments to support a new pillar in the quest for net-zero goals. Christoph points to both serendipity and learning from mistakes as key in helping Climeworks navigate the steep path required in addressing climate-crisis.

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The on-field Super Bowl went down to the wire, but the TV ads battle was a rout. That’s what one of the ad world’s most influential leaders, Autodesk chief marketing officer Dara Treseder, tells Rapid Response host Bob Safian, arguing that when brands spend $7 million for a 30-second slot, it’s winner-take-all. She also explains how the Super Bowl sets the tone for the year ahead in marketing, and outlines why three metrics — being memorable, ownable, and relevant — matter most in delivering a positive return on marketing. So… was the winner Bud Light, BMW, Doordash, Verizon, or someone else? Listen in!

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As the global chip shortage unfolded last year, Qualcomm’s engineers quickly redesigned their products – an effort that tapped into “every possible capacity we could find,” says CEO Cristiano Amon. Their story is a great lesson in how an established company can and must move with the speed of a startup. One key to moving at speed, says Amon: aligning the entire organization around a single strategy. But along with an all-hands effort, he insists, must also come time to rest. “Everything's new, everything's always changing, we have to move fast, but at the end of the day, we also need time for ourselves and our family,” he reminds us.

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With the help of co-founder Mark Cuban, Cost Plus Drugs CEO Alex Oshmyansky is radically re-engineering the pharma marketplace and dramatically cutting the price for many prescription drugs. Oshmyansky joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share his amazing journey — from struggling as an immigrant in primary school to starting college at age 13, how medical practice led to entrepreneurship, plus reimagining his original plan on advice from the legendary incubator Y Combinator. Oshmyansky explains how Cost Plus Drugs stumbled into success, turning adversaries into allies and harnessing patience as a superpower.

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As Google’s high-profile antitrust trial reaches the end of week three, the future of its gargantuan ad business is in flux. Check My Ads’ Arielle Garcia has been in every court session to cover the DOJ’s arguments and Google’s defense. As head of intelligence for the digital ads watchdog and an ad industry veteran, she joins Rapid Response to share how the trial is poised to not only disrupt the digital ad landscape, but to affect democracy and journalism as we know it.

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Chris Urmson has had to take a different approach in building his company Aurora, which develops self-driving technology. As opposed to creating and iterating a product with a handful of people, and then building a company around that product, Urmson says he’s had to do the opposite. “Given the scale of the problem we're trying to solve and the complexity and breadth of it, we really had to build the company almost ahead of the product,” he says in this interview with Rapid Response host and editor-at-large Bob Safian. Urmson is determined to transform transportation as it is today – a goal that has and will continue to require a great amount of energy and investment upfront, he says. However, if he’s able to pull it off, “the benefit and impact that we'll have socially and economically will be profound.”

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The ocean is deep, dark, and largely overlooked in discussions of climate change. Philippe Cousteau Jr., grandson of the legendary ocean restorationist, inventor, and documentarian, Jacques Cousteau explains the immense impact of carbon in our seas. Cousteau joins Rapid Response to talk about missteps that plague the climate movement, lessons he learned from his grandfather that could reverse those errors, and why we need to leverage market dynamics to accelerate progress. Cousteau is a compelling storyteller, who balances pragmatism–about our fatigue over polar bears and coral reefs–with optimistic solutions to help us envision a better future for our planet.

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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DREyqun37bc

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In anticipation of Monday’s presidential inauguration, businesses around the world are crafting their response and gearing up for four years of change. Barby Siegel, CEO of global communications agency Zeno Group, joins Rapid Response to explore how leaders should assess what issues are right for their business to speak out on, and how the new administration impacts the already evolving state of DEI, a polarized workforce, and more. While many executives feel intimidated by the increased societal pressure on businesses, Barby encourages listeners to instead embrace this new era as a hidden opportunity. 

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Airbnb’s charitable arm, Airbnb.org, has committed to offer free, temporary housing for up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia joins Rapid Response to discuss how the company is deploying business tools for humanitarian benefit. He also shares how Airbnb’s platform has become a surprising tool to transfer money directly to individual Ukrainians, already generating $15 million. Along with co-founders Brian Chesky and Nate Blecharczyk, Joe is a fierce believer that companies should be responsible to “participate in the world around us” and the importance, as leaders, to ask: What would make us proud?

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Call him the unofficial U.S. ambassador to Silicon Valley. As director of the Defense Innovation Unit within the U.S. Department of Defense, Mike Brown is tasked with bridging the gap between technology innovators and the U.S. government. Formerly CEO of Symantec, Brown knows the significant opportunity public-private partnerships can offer entrepreneurs – if structured for speed not bureaucracy – and he's been setting up new ones at a rapid clip. He also knows the intense need to keep the U.S. government on the leading edge of tech, for cost reasons and competitive ones. Brown has a keen eye on China’s tech-and-government efforts, and the potential impact on U.S. companies and U.S. national security. Bringing the best of commercial tech into the government, Brown says, isn’t just a nice to have but a need to have.

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How do you nurture human talent in today’s AI-obsessed, pressure-cooker business climate? Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive and Huffington Post, and Padmasree Warrior, founder of Fable and former chief strategy officer at Cisco, offer actionable advice on avoiding burnout—for yourself and your teams. Arianna and Padma explain how productivity and positive business outcomes are directly linked to employees’ health and wellbeing. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, they share with host Bob Safian their personal experiences with burnout as well as simple tips, including how even a brief 60-second break can be a powerful tool to de-stress.

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Skepticism and doubt are no strangers to John Foley, the CEO of Peloton. As he says, it’s been part of the company’s DNA “since the first time I pitched the business to an investor back in 2012.” Last year, the company was supercharged by pandemic demand. However, in 2021, the company has faced a slew of new headwinds, from product-safety issues to investor skepticism. In the face of these challenges, Peloton has doubled down on innovation and ambition. Foley doesn’t see skepticism about Peloton as a sign of weakness. He expects it, and learns from it.

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It’s easy to have a grand idea; putting that plan into action is not. Victoria Yampolsky conceived of a global concert in support of Ukraine. Without any experience in entertainment or international aid, she shares how she didn’t accept “no” for an answer in her quest to book big-name guests like Pink Floyd and negotiate a streaming deal — to pursue a fundraising goal of $10 million.

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While many plant-based food brands have struggled recently, Pinky Cole’s fast food chain Slutty Vegan keeps growing, with new restaurants across the U.S. Pinky sits down with Rapid Response host Bob Safian to explain how she’s scaling the brand despite lawsuits, social media attacks and a flurry of vegan restaurant competitor closures. Pinky also shares the story behind her recent keynote at Savannah State University, where she gifted the HBCU grads almost $9 million in entrepreneurial tools and training. 

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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBsC8YqcUCM

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In tackling our own moonshots, few businesses can offer inspiration like Intuitive Machines. When the company’s Odysseus lander touched down on the moon on February 22, Intuitive Machines became the first private enterprise ever to reach the moon — and the first U.S. presence on the surface in 52 years. CEO Steve Altemus joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share how his team navigated multiple last-minute challenges, with lessons about both meticulous planning and swift adaptability. From autonomous vehicles and 3-D printed engines to leveraging software and AI, Altemus explains how commercial space exploration is leaving the realm of science fiction to become a real industry.

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The first day of school doesn't look the way it used to – in some cases, it might not be happening at all. As schools across the country start a new year, we're kicking off a new season with Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy, a charter school network that serves 20,000 kids across New York City. In the spring, Success Academy pivoted to remote learning days before the City shut down schools and as they start a new semester, Success Academy is pivoting to "Remote Learning 2.0." Though Eva runs charter schools, any leader or entrepreneur can learn from her experience: how and when to make decisions in an uncertain environment, how and why to communicate with constituents, why to celebrate remote work – and who we should all prioritize.

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Entering 2025, AI is poised to continue disrupting, redefining and supercharging the business world. AI expert and Pioneers of AI host, Rana El Kaliouby, joins Rapid Response to share five bold AI predictions for the year ahead – from technological advancements to societal impact to investing. Whether you’re looking for AI to further enhance your work, portfolio, or personal productivity, Rana’s insights are the ideal primer for harnessing all the opportunity and potential at your disposal this year.

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Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/

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AI is changing our lives every single day. To help you keep up, AI scientist, entrepreneur, and investor Dr. Rana el Kaliouby offers a definitive guide to the forefront of this transformative technology with her new podcast, Pioneers of AI. To mark the show’s launch, Bob Safian welcomes Rana back to Rapid Response. We introduce the first episode of Pioneers of AI, featuring Dr. Joy Buolamwini, an expert in AI and algorithmic bias, who shares the story behind founding the Algorithmic Justice League and donning the moniker, “the poet of code”.

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Jobless claims are in the millions and climbing by the week. As businesses close indefinitely, the workforce—and especially hourly workers — face an astounding level of financial instability. At Boston’s Cue Ball Group, Tony Tjan’s portfolio includes companies that employ hundreds of nail care workers, cooks, and servers. For some of their businesses revenue has fallen to zero. And Tony's asking: How can we protect hourly workers and help them prepare for an uncertain future? And how can we plan for the long term, when the daily keeps changing?

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As demand declines for EVs, and Tesla’s Elon Musk wields power in the new Trump administration, electric automaker Rivian is taking this time to adapt its business and expand its brand. Rivian’s founder and CEO RJ Scaringe joins Rapid Response to share how the company is moving beyond the luxury SUV space — introducing a raft of new challenges and opportunities. RJ explores Rivian's recent $5.8 billion partnership with Volkswagen, the ongoing risk assessment for self-driving features, and how Rivian's AI-enabled 'technological plumbing' can accelerate the brand beyond incumbent manufacturers.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Stripe — empowering businesses around the world to make progress.

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Facing off with the FTC isn't for the timid. But when your mission and your business model are aligned, the hard decisions – about risk, about investment, about priorities – become clearer. Francis deSouza is CEO of Illumina, the world’s dominant maker of gene sequencing technology. After playing a key role in the creation of Covid vaccines, Illumina is trying to acquire a company with a breakthrough cancer screening test, over the FTC's objections. DeSouza offers a personal reflection on the lessons and reality of grappling with regulators, highlighting levers that can help to accelerate scale. What underscores his entrepreneurial efforts is a passion for Illumina’s mission: improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome.

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How will the return of meme stocks like GameStop and day trading influencers like Roaring Kitty alter the fintech landscape? Robinhood’s co-founder and CEO Vlad Tenev, who was a lightning rod for controversy when meme stocks first surged in 2021, joins Rapid Response to explain what’s the same and what’s different this time around. Tenev also shares how his family’s struggles in 1990s Bulgaria shapes his view of the U.S. financial markets today, and whether trading on Robinhood is like using a sports gambling app. 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pChXgKIemw

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“It’s not about fixing women. It’s about fixing the system,” says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code and Marshall Plan for Moms. As the author of the new book Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work, Reshma calls out corporate feminism and society’s assumption that women have to solve the problems of workplace achievement on their own. She argues that childcare is an economic issue that should be subsidized by employers, and that the discourse around the “future of work” needs to move beyond employees’ return to the workplace. Reshma also takes Silicon Valley to task for not diversifying their tech force.

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It’s no longer just start-ups and indie creators raising funds on Kickstarter. The site is now attracting big brands like L’Oreal looking to directly engage a vibrant community of fans. Kickstarter’s CEO Everette Taylor returns to Rapid Response to open up about the company’s recent evolution — from replacing his leadership team and expanding the platform’s ambitions, to launching a host of tools to win over new users and reengage old ones. Everette also reveals the hidden benefits behind Kickstarter’s four day work week, takes issue with the backlash against corporate DEI, and argues why making progress requires doing things in a new, riskier way.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Stripe — empowering businesses around the world to make progress.

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Every day in a pandemic is different, and that’s true for people and for corporations. CEO Brian Cornell has promised Target will keep its doors open. To do that, Target is becoming "a good student," says Brian, listening to experts, collaborating with CEOs, staying flexible, and meeting daily to make decisions on an ever changing list of priorities, the first of which is to keep both the team and the guests safe. To date, they’ve made a $300 million investment in pay and benefits, back up childcare, elder care, enhanced store cleanings, and more. No one knows what will happen, says Brian, but he believes that by putting his team first, he is putting the customer first – and serving the larger community.

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Cyber war is raging, and the culprit is AI. Poppy Gustafsson, CEO of cybersecurity firm Darktrace shares new, proprietary info about how cybercrime has become professionalized across the Dark Web, and why deepfakes could soon find their way into your Slack or Zoom calls. But AI is also a powerful new weapon against attackers: Poppy tells Rapid Response host Bob Safian how to protect the most exposed areas of a business, why the unique digital DNA of an organization offers a shield, and how human factors are often more vulnerable than any software.

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Learn the 5 mindsets that will reshape the way you hire, train, and retain — to build the team of superheroes that will power your business to scale. Hear real-world advice and great stories from Reid, Bob, and legendary leaders like PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi, GoFundMe’s Tim Cadogan, Burberry and Apple’s Angela Ahrendts, and Vanderbilt basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse. 

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As early voting begins in the US presidential election, there is a nascent movement afoot that would reshuffle future contests from local school boards to Washington DC – and it revolves around our smartphones. Venture capitalist and political strategist Bradley Tusk has invested $20 million in building what he says is a safe, secure app that would allow mobile voting, which he’s bankrolled pilots for in 20 jurisdictions across 7 states. Tusk outlines what he believes makes mobile voting a powerful antidote to political dysfunction and how he’s battling entrenched power brokers content with the status quo. 

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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j4PyLc6U-0

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What do NBA fans want? A phone charger in every seat? This fall, the LA Clippers will welcome guests to their new home: the Intuit Dome. Team owner, Steve Ballmer, joins AT&T CEO John Stankey to talk with host Bob Safian about how tech can amplify the live, in-game experience. Screens, cameras, and mobile devices are an integral part of their vision, whether it’s replays or fan-cams or real-time data. Ballmer and Stankey are an engaging buddy act as they trade ideas about innovation, community, and forecasting what fans will want next.

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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqpWYp7X8hM

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How do you evolve your greatest obstacle into your greatest superpower? Shellye Archambeau, Ellevest’s Sallie Krawcheck, and Calendly’s Tope Awotona discuss the hidden advantages of strategizing like an entrepreneurial outsider. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, they sit down with host Bob Safian to share lessons about questioning the status quo, maintaining confidence in the face of criticism, and orchestrating a cultural turnaround. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or firmly established in the C-suite, the outsider’s mindset has the power to inject counterintuitive creativity and dynamism into your leadership.

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Keeping calm in a crisis is essential — and extremely difficult. In this special Rapid Response, we hear what it’s like right now in the Gaza Strip. Mercy Corps’s Arnaud Quemin talks with Bob Safian from Amman, Jordan about how his team in Gaza is coping, sharing first-hand accounts from those on the ground. As director of the humanitarian organization’s Middle East operations, Arnaud himself had to relocate from Beirut due to the crisis. He shares how he’s trying to help his team and others in need. Despite high emotions, he says, there’s an imperative to stay neutral, to enable eventual progress. 

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Harry's took a one-two punch in 2020 – right on the chin. First, the federal government blocked a $1.37 billion acquisition of the shaving and consumer products company; then Covid-19 lockdowns hit. Rather than reeling from the abrupt change in plans, though, Harry's kept its balance. Co-founder and co-CEO Andy Katz-Mayfield explains how the team launched new brands amid the pandemic, tapped into unexpected pockets of demand, and, most recently, raised fresh capital at a valuation well above the blocked merger deal. Now, with a war chest at their disposal, Andy and co-founder and co-CEO Jeff Raider, are looking to acquire brands, having switched from seller to buyer. It is a classic entrepreneurial feat, finding strength and new opportunities out of disappointment and disruption.

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Expectations for solar are high under a Biden administration, says Lynn Jurich, CEO of the solar power company Sunrun. While Sunrun's stock price has quadrupled in the past year, Jurich faces not only high-profile competition but the complexities of a new-style energy utility and the vagaries of politics and policy in the most partisan environment in generations. Her touchstone – in a key lesson for entrepreneurs – is to focus on long-term trends that she believes are favorable. In the teeth of the pandemic, she spent $3 billion to buy up one of the other key industry players, doubling down on her commitment, and extending a scale advantage. From Sunrun's internal culture to the undulating energy marketplace, Jurich is both pivoting in search of opportunity and holding fast to central principles.

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Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian sit down once more to discuss how today’s hot-button stories are impacting business. And right now, there's no hotter topic than ChatGPT and the race to bring transformative AI tools into the mainstream. So in this special AI deep-dive, Reid and Bob discuss how ChatGPT has reignited the search engine wars, how we can expect AI to transform our work and leisure, ways to see through the hype, and how business leaders should get the jump on the AI inflection point.

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Plant-based food companies were on the rise, when Impossible Foods’ Peter McGuinness first appeared on Rapid Response in 2022. Today, meat alternatives like Impossible are struggling on sales. McGuinness tells host Bob Safian where plant-based brands made big missteps, and why the industry’s marketing should evolve – potentially away from climate change messaging. McGuinness also shares how Impossible leverages retail partners like Starbucks and Burger King, lessons he learned from scaling oat milk for Chobani, and why Impossible see’s other plant-based players less as competitors and more as collaborative “frenemies.” 

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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVqiYUb6Vjc

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As the Democratic National Convention gets underway, CNN’s Van Jones still can’t quite believe Vice President Harris’s glow-up from “cringe” to a Beyonce-like star. The political analyst and entrepreneur joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss his new initiative, Dream Machine, which aims to make AI more accessible for multicultural communities. Jones also shares his thoughts on the evolution of Elon Musk, the vital issues that he believes are being neglected in the campaign maelstrom, and why this may be the most significant year in US history since 1968. 

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW3ZqASGq7c

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Why leave a storied tech icon to lead a troubled brand? As the pandemic deepened this summer, Peggy Johnson left a safe perch at Microsoft to take the helm of one-time startup darling Magic Leap, which had just barely avoided bankruptcy. Yet with CEO roles for women in tech still unfortunately rare, Johnson felt compelled to take a risk. Now she's betting that the accelerated tech adoption prompted by Covid-19 will boost emerging areas like Magic Leap's AR. All entrepreneurs face moments when the bar seems impossibly high. But even in difficult times, Johnson knows, we can make our own opportunities.

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Has Gopuff cracked the code of instant delivery — a field where even Amazon has struggled? Co-founder Yakir Gola talks about the challenge of owning the customer journey from app to warehouse to doorstep, and the reasons why being outside Silicon Valley is giving Gopuff a big advantage as it expands across the United States and around the world. Yakir talks with host Bob Safian about why moving fast is only one piece of the growth puzzle.

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"We have to reignite the energy and the fire and the love," says CEO Libby Wadle of J.Crew Group, which launched Madewell Forever this week, a dynamic bet on sustainability. The resale platform, in partnership with ThredUp, is part of a "purpose-led" pivot that Wadle first sparked as head of Madewell. Wadle takes us inside that journey, looking back to J.Crew's heyday – when she ran that brand – and forward to the opportunities that she says more circularity in apparel can unlock. From a visit to a "fair trade" factory in Vietnam to new insights on in-store versus online, Wadle says, "I've never felt more inspired and excited and invigorated."

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In the midst of conflict and turmoil, Hello Heart CEO Maayan Cohen leads her team with compassion, resilience, and a commitment to justice. In this special episode of Masters of Scale Rapid Response, Cohen describes navigating the unprecedented challenges of running a business in Israel while the country is at war, all while prioritizing the safety and well-being of her employees and their families. This episode does contain descriptions of specific acts of violence that may be disturbing. Please take appropriate care.

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Pet adoptions have soared during the coronavirus lockdown, as people seek companionship and solace. For Chewy, the pet-supply company, that’s driving unprecedented demand. Ultra-rapid growth has its own set of challenges that CEO Sumit Singh is responding to by: hiring (at 13,000 employees, with plans to add another 6,000 to 10,000 by end of year.); setting up a COVID task team that meets daily; instituting health and safety checks; rolling out customer-facing innovations in a weekend, and more. Why? Because a leader's job during a crisis, Singh says, is to first communicate with the team, and then innovate for a post-pandemic world. 

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Fashion became secondary amid Covid lockdowns. Sweatpants-only life pressed apparel-subscription service Rent the Runway into layoffs and furloughs. But as co-founder and CEO Jenn Hyman explains, the business saw a surprising rebound early this year, fueled by new customers in unexpected places – and by a renewed consumer focus on sustainability. Building a “closet in the cloud,” as Jenn describes Rent the Runway, may not have been an essential pandemic service, but as we move into the next phase, her experience illuminates how accelerated change is remaking the marketplace.

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"It's 12 months of no meaningful revenue," says Alamo Drafthouse CEO Shelli Taylor. "And then last weekend was phenomenal." Taylor returns to the podcast to explain why the hip, culture-forward movie theater chain recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, even as movie-goers began to return back to theaters, plus the unexpected lessons she learned about the process – and why she still sees great hope and opportunity ahead for the business. Read the transcript at mastersofscale.com.

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Apple defies gravity, and AI is Divine. That’s how Guy Kawasaki, who worked closely with Steve Jobs and is now chief evangelist at Canva and host of the podcast Remarkable People, describes the state of tech now. Guy argues that Jobs would thrive in today’s business climate, muses about Tim Cook’s limitations, and explains what he means when he says “AI is God.” Plus unconventional advice about what it means to be remarkable in modern life, and why entrepreneurship is like surfing in the ocean.

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Rapid Response brings you a special episode from Fixable with Francis Frei and Anne Morriss. In this featured conversation, Francis and Anne sit down with James Rhee—entrepreneur, author, and impact investor—who led the remarkable turnaround of Ashley Stewart, a retail brand serving Black, moderate-income, plus-size women.

As a first-time CEO and private equity investor, James took an unconventional approach, proving that deep respect for employees—combined with strategic financial discipline—can drive unprecedented success. Hear how he applied radical kindness and data-driven decision-making to revive a struggling company and uncover valuable insights for any leader navigating crisis or change.

About Fixable

Frances Frei is a Harvard Business professor. Anne Morriss is a CEO and best-selling author. Anne and Frances are two of the top leadership coaches in the world. Oh, did we mention they're also married to each other? Together, Anne and Frances move fast and fix stuff by talking to guest callers about their workplace issues and solving their problems – in 30 minutes or less. Both listeners and guests will receive actionable insights to create meaningful change in the workplace – regardless of their position on the company ladder.

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Rapid Response with Bob Safian: After an infamous fall, MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes is back to try again, applying hard-earned lessons and a revamped model to meet the same goal: make theater-going a habit for a new generation. As a passionate Black entrepreneur, Stacy shares the hidden powers of being an outsider and how anyone can re-take control of their narrative to spark a new and exciting chapter.  

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Volunteering and service are muscles that can close America’s divides and push social change. Speaking live at the 2022 Social Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C., AmeriCorps’ new CEO, Michael Smith, shares a vision for healing sociopolitical divides through partnerships and on-the-ground experiences. When it comes to tackling natural and social crises, he’s prioritizing impact over volume.

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We’ve rounded up the most definitive business lessons of 2024, as heard on Rapid Response. Drawn from standout guests like will.i.am, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, and more, these moments not only offer takeaways from tech to entertainment, they provide a roadmap for challenges ahead in 2025. Our curated collection of insights in leadership and creative problem-solving is drawn from a half-dozen of our favorite conversations, with lasting lessons to navigate uncertainty and drive success. 

Watch the interviews featured in today's episode:

Will.i.am: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XBPgrfiDo

Dara Treseder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bazq03QNkQ

Janice Min: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwK3FkAufU8

Marc Benioff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CgjKMRMURc

Joanna Strober: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXEHeCPuBI8

Brian Chesky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvhh4U2_EFE

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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"Until this problem gets fixed, all the other things that I care about, that you care about, are on hold.” In this must-hear interview, Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO (and now co-founder of Schmidt Futures) shares why he's 100% focused on addressing the challenges of Covid-19. From vaccines and testing protocols to best practices for businesses, Schmidt shares a clear-eyed roadmap for moving toward a healthy, just, and economically vibrant post-pandemic world.

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The backlash against remote work is in full swing, with 90% of CEOs reportedly rewarding in-office workers with more promotions and raises. But to Scott Farquhar, co-CEO of Atlassian, that’s a big mistake — and in a just-released study, he’s got hard numbers to back him up. Scott talks with Rapid Response host Bob Safian about how the 10,000-person collaboration-software company — Australia’s premier tech startup — is defying the trend with a bold gambit called Team Anywhere. Adhering to an Atlassian core value (“no bullshit”), Scott shares insights about work flexibility, productivity, and the unexpected power of sporadic, but intentional gatherings. To prepare for the future of work, he says, business leaders need to take risks.

If you're interested in learning more from Atlassian and Scott be sure to check out "Lessons Learned," a report about how Atlassian has navigated distributed work at scale, including experiments they've run, data they've collected, and stories Atlassian employees have shared: https://www.atlassian.com/solutions/distributed/lessons-learned

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To compete against bigger players, you need a special edge. Sridhar Ramaswamy, who led Google’s huge ad business, is now going head-to head against his former employer with an ad-free subscription-based search engine called Neeva. Ramaswamy became disillusioned by Google’s priorities and practices and argues that big platforms – including Facebook and Amazon – have failed to scale responsibly. Sharing inside stories of how big tech makes decisions, and his own experiences with a startup, Ramaswamy offers lessons on growth, monopolistic threats, and why challenging even great companies is necessary right now. “I’m a tech optimist,” he says, “but we need to be conscious of the good and bad.” A renewed focus on responsible tech scaling is right for the businesses and for society.

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As we grapple with pandemic-charged change in business and as a society, we’ve become more fractured, more divisive, and more vulnerable. Adam Grant, best-selling author and professor at the Wharton School, argues that recognizing what we don't know is the key step on the road to insight, competitive advantage, and community peace. In his new book, "Think Again," Grant illuminates why taking a fresh look at our assumptions, about others and about ourselves, is such a powerful tool. His in-the-trenches research – from Silicon Valley's halls of power to the beliefs of anti-vaxxers – provides actionable advice for all of us.

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Legendary ad agency Wieden+Kennedy pioneered some of the most successful campaigns in history. But 2020 has raised the stakes for companies—and fundamentally changed how advertising works, W+K President Colleen DeCourcy tells us. Even as her own business adapts to financial and cultural strains, DeCourcy and her team have been guiding brands from Nike to Coca-Cola to Uber in selecting the right messages in a turbulent world. Meshing an economic goal with an emotional message has never demanded more creativity. Brands should take a stand, she argues, but not on everything.

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Despite only 8% of Fortune 500 companies with women CEOs, women leaders more often utilize leadership skills that are perfectly suited for the current business climate. Julia Boorstin, who created CNBC’s Disruptor 50 platform, argues in her new book When Women Lead that counterintuitive approaches used by women leaders can have a great impact on business, and can be learned by anyone. Julia, as a senior tech and media reporter, also offers her in-depth knowledge on big tech from Twitter, Meta, and TikTok. 

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Hollywood may build stars, but gaming is "the biggest, fastest-growing entertainment medium in the world," says CEO Andrew Wilson of Electronic Arts. That's why businesses from Netflix to Disney to Facebook are eyeing the space, along with creators and startups eager to tap into the entrepreneurial opportunities posed by the still-evolving "metaverse." Wilson, who oversees franchises from Apex Legends to FIFA to The Sims, explains how he's playing in this ever-changing field – and how an industry-wide cultural referendum on harassment keeps him up at night.

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General Motors’ Gerald Johnson shares the process and progress of trying to accomplish two daunting goals: an all-electric vehicle future, and to become the world’s most inclusive company. One thing that Johnson, the Executive Vice President of manufacturing and sustainability, has learned: “If you're not making mistakes, you're not making progress.” He adds that progress requires us to embrace being uncomfortable — and to learn from it. Johnson, who is a pastor as well, also discusses why he believes work-life integration is more realistic than work-life balance.

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Following Donald Trump’s victory in this week’s US presidential election, Reid Hoffman (a major donor to Vice President Harris’ campaign) is figuring out where business, tech, and his own energy go from here. Hoffman joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share his reaction to the election and what the outcome means for Silicon Valley, the overall economy, and more. Despite being a vocal critic of Trump, Hoffman is committed to driving US prosperity over the next four years, assuring “we’re all in this boat together”.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS4zI-LvQig

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Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, the CEO of Mercy Corps, an NGO on the front lines of the Ukrainian crisis, provides an inside look on how they’re helping address the needs of refugees. Mercy Corps began scenario planning well in advance of Russia’s aggression, and they’re now deploying food, cash, and social services to those in need. She also cautions about potential negative impacts elsewhere, as troubles in Ukraine pull resources from other struggling populations.

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