Your local community can be the power behind an epic scale story — because smart community investment always maximizes returns. No one knows this like Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder and CEO of Chobani. He turned a small Upstate New York town into an epicenter of Greek yogurt by mobilizing a community to revive a mothballed dairy plant. In creating opportunities for new jobs, he created opportunities for massive scale. This story repeats over and over as the company grows, building communities with a...
Apr 05, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions that followed, have radically impacted supply chains around the world. Jennifer Bisceglie, CEO of Interos, a risk-management firm focused on supply chains, has seen her company’s risk dashboards light up in new and far-reaching ways. Many businesses are more exposed than they realize, she says, with tech businesses surprisingly facing some of the highest risk. Driven by this disruption, a more sophisticated supply chain is coming together in real-t...
Apr 02, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 co...
Mar 31, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Onboarding isn't just about employees. The often overlooked step-by-step process — to join a product or company — lays the foundation for everything that follows. No one knows this better than Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva. From the moment she started the Australia-based graphic design platform, she knew she had to engage newcomers with simplicity and speed. It took a series of steps: onboard users to her product, one-by-one; onboard investors to help her build; onboard employees ...
Mar 29, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast “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 b...
Mar 24, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Good partnerships transcend the transactional. In Part 2 of our two-part series featuring Daymond John, founder of FUBU and one of the original “sharks” on ABC’s Shark Tank, Daymond shows how aligning your mission with partners builds trust that can take your scale to a new level. Featuring stories about Shark Tank, the Kardashians, Coogi, Pharrell Williams, Trainual and more, Daymond delivers lessons on unexpected and unconventional partnerships that continue to fuel his personal brand and defi...
Mar 22, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Watching the news out of Ukraine, Tokunbo Koiki saw alarming reports of African and Caribbean students struggling because of racism to flee the country. The news both outraged and inspired her to take action — fast. Tokunbo, an entrepreneur and social worker, shares the real-time story of how she linked up with two strangers, Patricia Daley and Korrine Sky, to build a full-fledged aid organization for Black refugees, in a single weekend. Using only the tools and networks at their disposal, Black...
Mar 19, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast “My big call to action would be to support existing organizations,” says Susy Schöneberg, the founder and head of Flexport.org, the nonprofit arm of the logistics firm Flexport. Schöneberg and her team are organizing complex shipments of relief goods to Ukrainian refugee sites across Eastern Europe; she breaks down how her organization has been safely managing the flow of goods toward displaced refugees and the best way you can get involved — as a citizen or company. She leaves us with a lesson ...
Mar 17, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you create authentic partnerships to build scale? In Part 1 of our two-part series featuring Daymond John, founder of FUBU and one of the original “sharks” on ABC’s Shark Tank, Daymond shares lessons from FUBU’s earliest days in Queens, where he partnered with bouncers, bodegas, his neighbor LL Cool J, and his earliest collaborator and investor (his mom) to turn a great idea into a billion-dollar urban wear brand. Coming in Part 2: Transcending the transactional with Shark Tank, the Karda...
Mar 15, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast “We have to assume that cyberattacks will happen,” says Bipul Sinha, CEO of the cybersecurity firm Rubrik. He joins Rapid Response to discuss the dramatic escalation of cyberthreats in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Bipul explains how state-sponsored actors and cybercriminals are both heightened threats, and how traditional cybersecurity approaches are adjusting to counter them. He also shares what we can do to protect ourselves — from basic cyber hygiene to recovery strategies. Read ...
Mar 14, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presents a new level of disruption to an already fragile global trade system. Sara Menker, the CEO of Gro Intelligence, a data research firm with deep insights on global supply and demand, joins Rapid Response for the second time to discuss these disruptions. While her biggest focus is agriculture, Sara’s insights provide a window into how things are shifting across all parts of the economy. She also discusses what we need to understand about Russia’s trade with Chin...
Mar 12, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Learn more about Mercy Corps: https://...
Mar 10, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast For some entrepreneurs, risk is just part of the game. But for the reluctant entrepreneur, whose endeavors come as a response to a need they've identified, risk can feel more like a necessary evil. That’s why you need to learn to harness risk. Stacey Abrams, an entrepreneur and scale leader both in and outside of politics, is a perfect example of how harnessing risk can be key to your success. Outside of politics, she’s started three companies with her business partner, Lara Hodgs...
Mar 08, 2022•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 be...
Mar 03, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast “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 transpare...
Mar 01, 2022•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast It may appear off-brand for Betterment, a digital investment adviser, to acquire a cryptocurrency investing platform. But CEO Sarah Levy explains that Betterment, positioned around its long-term diversification philosophy, has approached this volatile space with their tried-and-true principles top of mind. “Once we believe that an asset class is here to stay,” she says, “the question is: how do we responsibly incorporate that alongside a traditional investment strategy?” Levy, who became CEO in ...
Feb 24, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Go to summit.mastersofscale.com to learn how to join a pantheon of scale leaders gathering in San Francisco Oct. 18-20, 2022 at the Masters of Scale Summit. The early confirmed stage program includes the likes of Bill Gates, Tyra Banks, Satya Nadella, Arianna Huffington, Ted Sarandos, Mellody Hobson, and more. The event is uniquely designed for both executives in the room and their teams back home — offering a beautifully filmed, hosted livestream that will empower your team to bring...
Feb 23, 2022•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ken Frazier, the longtime CEO of pharmaceutical giant Merck, was one of the few Black CEOs at the top of Corporate America. Now as an adviser at General Catalyst and co-founder of the social impact organization OneTen, he’s re-shaping how business addresses racial and health equity. He joins host Bob Safian to discuss crisis adjustment, the positive side of fear, and the importance of vulnerability. Plus, he addresses the rising divisiveness in American culture, and the important role that busin...
Feb 17, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this special edition of Strategy Session, Reid Hoffman answers five burning questions from our Masters of Scale Members. Each asks Reid a critical question about the business challenges that they’re facing right now – from how to best prepare yourself for entrepreneurship to growth metrics and name changes. Featuring Members Antoni Gruca (HEC-42 Launchpad), Krystal Lucado, Tudor Mihailescu (SpeechifAI, Inc.), Hoda Mehr (Stock Card), and Shamini Dhana (D/Sphere). Do you want to submit your que...
Feb 15, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, e...
Feb 10, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast To survive your entrepreneurial journey, you have to learn to recharge. Knowing when to turn the lights out may be the only way to keep the lights on. Few know this better than Arianna Huffington, who dramatically scaled the Huffington Post – and then experienced profound physical burnout. Her venture, Thrive Global, scales the idea of balance across an organization. With cameo appearances from Chris Yeh (co-author, Blitzscaling ) and Dr. Matt Walker (author of Why We Sleep ). Read a...
Feb 08, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast With their eyes fixed on what’s next, the Drone Racing League has established a fresh fanbase, previously left untapped by professional sports. President Rachel Jacobson, formerly an NBA executive, refers to this audience as “techsetters” – young, enthusiastic, tech-driven fans who are “invested in what the future looks like.” It’s a new demographic that could have only emerged from the league’s unique positioning that intersects sports, entertainment, and technology. As Rachel says, the compani...
Feb 03, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast You’ve had a glimpse into the future, and you’re sitting on an idea that could change the world. Now what? Well, prepare for layers of resistance, and be ready to spring into action. Throughout her career, Natalie Massenet has proved her ability to spot – and act on – a trend, first as a fashion journalist and then as founder of the luxury e-commerce site Net-a-Porter, which pioneered online shopping for high fashion. Now, she’s at the helm of the new fund Imaginary Ventures, with $1 billion und...
Feb 01, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Faced with long odds, how do you keep your team motivated and moving forward? As a leader, Alexis McGill Johnson is focused on building hope. As the president of Planned Parenthood, Johnson is preparing for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. But in the meantime, she’s modeling a sense of relentlessness for her team – so they can be fearless and unapologetic. Since she took over at Planned Parenthood, she’s faced both internal and external challenges. Something she learned early: "Yo...
Jan 27, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast To survive a crisis, you have to double down on who you already are as a company. This is something Ellen Kullman knows, having led DuPont through the 2008-2009 financial crisis, and taken the CEO role at 3D-printing unicorn Carbon only weeks before Covid hit. Through her years as a leader, Ellen has developed four crisis principles that allowed her to lead teams and thrive through pandemic, economic meltdown, and beyond. The key? Practicing the principles in calmer times, before crisis hits. Be...
Jan 25, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sir Jeremy Farrar is UK’s pre-eminent scientific authority on Covid-19 and the chief executive at the research foundation Wellcome Trust. He joins Rapid Response to discuss the latest learnings of the Omicron variant – and offers a framework for reacting to the uncertainty. Farrar, whose research specializes in infectious diseases, also shares the two most important leadership lessons he’s learned during the pandemic: find time for yourself, and take warnings seriously. “Humanity often finds way...
Jan 20, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The more your business scales, the more tempting it is to delegate your company’s recruiting efforts. Resist that urge! You should always be recruiting. Featuring Paul English, co-founder of travel search platform Kayak, this episode guides us through five critical lessons for the hiring journey. English is passionate and relentless about the subject of recruiting – and the scale of the stakes: “The first 10 people you hire set the tone for the next thousand people you hire." Read a transcript o...
Jan 18, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast What’s harder about entrepreneurship than most people realize? How do you overcome your own doubts? Can you really trust your team? In this special episode, Reid Hoffman and Masters of Scale executive producer June Cohen gather five of their favorite guests – Brian Chesky, Tyra Banks, Angela Ahrendts, Sallie Krawcheck, and Franklin Leonard — for a raw, honest, open dialogue filled with nonstop insights on those questions and many more. Sharing personal confessions and in-the-trenches s...
Jan 15, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Go for the megatons.” That’s John Doerr’s recommendation for how we need to combat the existential threat of climate change. Doerr, a venture capitalist and author of the new book Speed and Scale, joins host Bob Safian to discuss our decarbonization efforts, what he calls “the greatest economic opportunity of the next century.” The book quantifies the specific societal needs, in six discrete areas, to achieve a carbon-neutral world. John isn’t arguing that we all need t...
Jan 13, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Marc Lore is all too familiar with leaping into the unknown. He’s made leaps of faith as the founder of Diapers.com, Jet.com, the CEO of Walmart U.S. e-commerce, and now, as a part owner of NBA/WNBA teams, along with Telosa, a city that he’s announced he’s building from scratch. One thing he’s learned from all of these audacious endeavors: you can’t leap alone. You need to convince your team, and more importantly, your customers to leap with you. As you’ll hear in this episode, Lore’s many leaps...
Jan 11, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
