Leaders like Bill Gates, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, and Pixar’s Lindsey Collins shared big ideas at the first-ever Masters of Scale Summit in 2022. In this episode, host Jeff Berman guides you through the best scale lessons shared at the event. More blockbuster insights from iconic business leaders are coming in our 2024 Masters of Scale Summit, October 22-24 in San Francisco. You can check out the lineup and learn more about taking part: mastersofscale.com/summit Watch all the Summit 2022 seg...
Sep 26, 2024•23 min
While EA’s pursuit of 1 billion users may sound ambitious at first, once you hear CEO Andrew Wilson explain the developers’ strategy to get there, the 1 billion mark starts to almost sound conservative. Wilson returns to Rapid Response to shed light on EA’s recent announcements around a community-driven app, and plans to unleash new AI tools for creators and gamers alike. Wilson also shares the inside story behind the company’s high-stakes FIFA rebrand, how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu shapes his busines...
Sep 24, 2024•26 min
Host Reid Hoffman has always been impressed with the way Dr. Rana el Kaliouby thinks about AI. She’s an AI scientist, co-founder of Affectiva, an investor and author who has spent decades building toward more emotionally intelligent technology. Now, she’s joining the Masters of Scale podcast family with a new show: Pioneers of AI. In this episode, Reid gets to the heart of Rana’s core interests in AI and business. Then he passes the mic to Rana so she can ask Reid her biggest questions about whe...
Sep 19, 2024•34 min
While Shōgun, Hacks, and Baby Reindeer bask in their success at The Emmys, the awards reveal deeper lessons about TV’s future. Janice Min, co-founder and CEO of The Ankler, guides us through the key storylines, from Disney to HBO to Netflix. We also dig deep on Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris and what it says about the politics of celebrity in 2024 — for stars and for CEOs. For more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.com Watch this episode on YouTube: htt...
Sep 17, 2024•27 min
David Novak, co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, joins host Jeff Berman to share lessons from scaling one of the world’s largest restaurant companies. Hear how his focus on listening, team recognition, and taking big swings helped grow a fast food empire to a $32 billion market cap. He also reveals lessons from the infamous Crystal Pepsi campaign, how he came up with Cool Ranch Doritos, and what fuels his mission to develop the next generation of leaders. His latest book is: “ How Leaders ...
Sep 12, 2024•32 min
We are biologically wired to focus on the near-term, and that’s often a good thing. But in this moment — with global conflict, fast-evolving tech, and climate change dominating our present — we need to also prioritize long-term impacts. Futurist Ari Wallach joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to dive into our biological and business motivations around what he calls “futuring.” Host of the new PBS docuseries, A Brief History of the Future, Wallach shares lessons from the longest-standing corpora...
Sep 10, 2024•31 min
Drybar co-founder Alli Webb turned her side hustle as a hair stylist into a business concept now thriving nationwide. She talks with host Jeff Berman about scaling Drybar, launching and then selling a hair care product line, and how she thinks about franchising. Alli also reflects on getting personal in her memoir The Messy Truth , and why she’s doing things differently in her new endeavor, a massage concept called Squeeze. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subs...
Sep 05, 2024•31 min
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 wor...
Sep 03, 2024•30 min
Steve Huffman, co-founder and CEO of Reddit, joins host Reid Hoffman to share scale lessons from building one of the internet’s most influential platforms. It took nearly two decades for Reddit to reach its IPO, persevering through ownership changes, swings in popular sentiment, and shifts in the site’s identity. Steve guides Reddit with a deep belief in the power of online communities, and he dives into how he tackles challenges – like AI and misinformation – while staying true to Reddit’s valu...
Aug 29, 2024•37 min
With student loan debt at record highs, higher education is at a crossroads. Campus is an all-online community college that’s built a business model around competitive pricing, resources for students (like giving them a laptop and paying for home internet), and compensating professors well above the national average. The start-up also achieves high graduation rates, while maintaining an impressive bottom line. Campus founder and Chancellor Tade Oyerinde shares how he wooed investors like Sam Alt...
Aug 27, 2024•23 min
Fawn Weaver, founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, joins host Jeff Berman to share scale lessons from building one of the fastest-growing spirit brands in history. Hear how a photo in the newspaper inspired Fawn to uncover a forgotten legacy, break into the whiskey business, and craft a billion-dollar brand. Fawn’s book Love & Whiskey is available here: https://loveandwhiskeybook.com/ Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subscribe to the Masters of S...
Aug 22, 2024•34 min
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, a...
Aug 20, 2024•27 min
A pioneer in the gig economy, Leah Solivan joins host Jeff Berman to share scale lessons from founding Taskrabbit. Hear how a need for dog food on a snowy night grew into a global business acquired by IKEA. She also reveals how her experience as an entrepreneur is shaping her next act as an early-stage investor. Leah has a new podcast of her own in the works: Breaking Precedent Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter...
Aug 15, 2024•35 min
We were saddened to hear of the passing of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki last Friday, following her battle with lung cancer. In honor of this iconic Silicon Valley leader, host Reid Hoffman offers a remembrance and a chance for listeners to hear the wisdom she shared in her 2020 episode. She talked with Reid about how to establish your company’s true north – and stay the course even amid challenges. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subscribe to the Ma...
Aug 14, 2024•42 min
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. For more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.com Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBUbZOe0kkw See Privacy Policy at ...
Aug 13, 2024•25 min
Chairman of OpenAI, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and co-creator of Google Maps – those are just a few roles Bret Taylor has played in his Silicon Valley career. Reid Hoffman talks with Bret about OpenAI's world-shaping mission, why he founded Sierra and got back in the start-up game, and how business leaders should be using AI now. Synthetic voiceover of Reid Hoffman used in this episode was produced by Respeecher with full consent and permission. Read a transcript of this episode: https:/...
Aug 08, 2024•35 min
Women are losing sleep, falling behind at work, suffering pain, and struggling in their relationships — all because we don’t talk enough about menopause or treat its symptoms. Midi Health’s Joanna Strober founded her company to tap the vast underserved market for this area of women’s health, which is finally getting mainstream attention. Strober shares with Rapid Response host Bob Safian the stakes of ignoring perimenopause and menopause, how she endured bias in fundraising to eventually secure ...
Aug 06, 2024•27 min
In our fast-paced working life, how can we make networking more impactful? In this episode (first published August 2023) the acclaimed film and television producer Brian Grazer talks with host Reid Hoffman about the value of sustained, genuine curiosity. You’ll hear how Brian founded Imagine Entertainment with his longtime creative partner, Ron Howard, and how iconic names like Warren Beatty and Jay-Z were injected with Brian’s curiosity. Brian shares the unique practices that have helped him fi...
Aug 01, 2024•27 min
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...
Jul 30, 2024•31 min
From traveling the world opening restaurants as a teenager to pioneering new strategies at legacy brands, Kat Cole knows the importance of asking the right questions to forge a path to scale. Host Jeff Berman dives into Cole's fascinating career, exploring how she led teams at iconic brands like Hooters and Cinnabon, applying the lessons to steering the billion-dollar health supplement company Athletic Greens, where she’s just been named CEO. Plus, how her renowned Hot Shot Rule can change your ...
Jul 25, 2024•39 min
Reid Hoffman's support for Kamala Harris and other Democrats — and distaste for former President Trump — has plunged him into headlines, in opposition to Elon Musk and others. Reid joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to take us inside Silicon Valley’s reaction to Harris’s presidential bid, why some business leaders are embracing Trump, and what the Democratic Party is telling major donors like himself. Plus, Reid shares blitzscaling advice for the Harris campaign and explains why the number one...
Jul 24, 2024•26 min
With Kamala Harris suddenly poised to become the Democratic presidential nominee, expectations have been turned on their head for voters, fundraisers, and the business world. Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share what his sources have said behind the scenes about what drove Biden’s decision-making, the role of business leaders going forward, and how the Harris 2024 enterprise is going into startup mode. For more info, visit: www.rapidresp...
Jul 23, 2024•25 min
Silicon Valley investor Mike Maples Jr. is known for having a ‘Midas Touch.’ Think of a tech start-up that has changed your life in the last 20 years, and he was probably helping fuel its growth. Mike talks with host Reid Hoffman about the insights he’s gathered from decades of investing, which he shares in his new national bestseller book: Pattern Breakers. They also riff on how to build – and invest – in the AI revolution. Synthetic voiceover of Reid Hoffman used in this episode was prod...
Jul 18, 2024•35 min
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. For more...
Jul 16, 2024•26 min
Can drinking water look cool? That was the driving question behind Liquid Death founder Mike Cessario’s big business idea. Since launching its first tallboy cans of water in 2019, Liquid Death has used humor, design and smirk-worthy marketing to grow into a beverage company valued at $1.4 billion. Mike talks with host Jeff Berman about how he built the irreverent brand to help him escape his professional boredom. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subscribe to th...
Jul 11, 2024•35 min
With 346 events over 17 days at this summer’s Paris Olympics, how do we zero in on the most important events, storylines, and takeaways? CEO of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland, returns to Rapid Response to provide an insider’s guide, including a preview of Team USA’s strategy. Hirshland also talks about the latest Chinese doping scandal, how changes to the NCAA put the future of collegiate sport in jeopardy, and plans for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. For more ...
Jul 09, 2024•26 min
This week, Masters of Scale is bringing back one of our favorite episodes. It’s Reid Hoffman’s conversation with Ron Howard, the legendary director, producer, actor, and co-founder of Imagine Entertainment. In this episode, Ron shares how he manages the balance between staying true to his vision, while also embracing change. It’s a crucial topic for many reasons, but especially poignant as Hollywood encounters artificial intelligence. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofsca...
Jul 04, 2024•34 min
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. For more info, visit: www.rapi...
Jul 02, 2024•30 min
New AI products are rapidly changing the landscape for businesses. This is especially true for the writing tool Grammarly. The $13 billion dollar software company’s CEO Rahul Roy-Chowdhury has taken the helm in the midst of a profound disruption. Host Jeff Berman talks to Rahul about how his time at Google helped prepare him for this moment, why he’s doubling down on building trust with customers, and how he thinks AI will shape the future of work. Read a transcript of this episode: https:...
Jun 27, 2024•34 min
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...
Jun 25, 2024•23 min
