Best Bob Safian Podcasts (2023)

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Masters of Scale

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137. Pixar’s Ed Catmull: Throw out your rules 47:29

2d ago47:29

47:29

There's no perfect process for achieving your goals. Accepting that the rules you play by need to be constantly tweaked, hacked or reinvented will open you up to new ways of innovating. Instilling this attitude throughout your organization will help you be boldly differential in your experimentation. Ed Catmull literally wrote the book on creating …

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Masters of Scale

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Navigating a leadership crisis, w/Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher 26:58

7d ago26:58

26:58

How do you restore confidence after a high-profile leadership uproar? Web Summit’s new CEO Katherine Maher joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss taking over after the sudden, forced resignation of founding CEO Paddy Cosgrave. With echoes of the drama at OpenAI, Maher describes how she navigated the tumult, calming partners like Amazon and…

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Masters of Scale

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Remix: Scott Harrison & charity: water, 5 years later 30:11

2d ago30:11

30:11

In the five years since Scott Harrison’s first appearance on Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman, the nonprofit organization he founded, charity: water, has scaled 5 times over. In this episode, he and host Bob Safian reflect on that journey by revisiting some of the stories and lessons from his original episode, and Scott shares new lessons of scal…

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Masters of Scale

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42. Bumble’s Whitney Wolfe Herd: Small changes with big impact 39:09

16d ago39:09

39:09

Often a small tweak, a rethink of a feature, is what helps your product break out of the pack. Just ask the founder of the Bumble dating app, Whitney Wolfe Herd. She rebounded from one dating app start-up (that you may have heard of) with a brilliant idea for a whole new way of connecting. Hear how the small tweaks along the way helped her move int…

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Masters of Scale

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17. Sam Altman: Customer love is all you need 40:09

17d ago40:09

40:09

The true seed of scale is customer love, which you can’t buy, hack, or game. Sam Altman, former president of Y Combinator, scaled countless start-ups by focusing on this one idea: Finding 100 users who love you is better than 1 million who kinda like you. As CEO of OpenAI, Sam leads the creation of genuinely useful AI products. He shares timeless i…

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Masters of Scale

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GaryVee wants your attention, w/VaynerMedia’s Gary Vaynerchuk 33:20

13d ago33:20

33:20

In our attention economy, what does it take to capture the cultural zeitgeist? VaynerMedia’s Gary Vaynerchuk – or GaryVee – joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to preach the need for widespread empathy and fearless leadership, and he uncovers the secrets to his new platform’s unconventional scale. Plus, Vaynerchuk shares why he is the only person …

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Masters of Scale

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136. Tap into collective genius, w/Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code & Moms First 36:04

15d ago36:04

36:04

What happens when you tap into the collective genius of a diverse group? Does the cross-pollination of ideas let you create something greater than the sum of its parts? The real magic happens when you create a network of changemakers: people united by a common cause who will drive impact and innovation. Doing this will vastly improve your odds of f…

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Masters of Scale

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Your pandemic business takeaways are wrong, with co-authors Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean 23:20

20d ago23:20

23:20

Kick the conventional wisdom. In this episode of Rapid Response, Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera sit down with Bob Safian to discuss their book, The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind. The pair faced blowback for their damning investigation of business leadership in the wake of COVID. They share h…

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Masters of Scale

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Reid Hoffman confronts the AI critics, w/WaitWhat CEO Jeff Berman 23:36

22d ago23:36

23:36

Are AI’s harshest critics causing irreversible harm to humanity? How far should leaders lean into AI? And just what would Reid sound like speaking Chinese with a British accent? Reid Hoffman sits down with CEO of WaitWhat and longtime friend Jeff Berman to tackle these pressing questions and more. Join them in an unguarded exploration of how the AI…

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Masters of Scale

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AI + You | 5 ways to ethically build — and use — AI 40:46

1M ago40:46

40:46

In this installment of our series, AI + You, we dissect the ethical concerns that builders and users of AI must keep in focus. As the AI rollout continues at dizzying pace, we all have a part to play in ensuring human wellbeing is the bedrock principle. To guide you, host Reid Hoffman speaks with Stanford HAI’s Fei-Fei Li, Inflection’s Mustafa Sule…

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Masters of Scale

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Gaza in crisis, w/Mercy Corps’ Arnaud Quemin 22:56

1M ago22:56

22:56

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 organiza…

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Masters of Scale

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Supporting Palestinian builders versus destroyers, w/Kind’s Daniel Lubetzky 23:57

1M ago23:57

23:57

Can you foster peace between Palestinians and Israelis through business engagement? That’s been a priority of Daniel Lubetzky, founder of Kind Snacks, who has worked with entrepreneurs across the region for decades. Lubetzky joins Bob Safian for this special episode of Rapid Response to draw a distinction between Palestinians and Hamas, and to call…

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Masters of Scale

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On the ground in Israel, w/Hello Heart's Maayan Cohen 25:22

2M ago25:22

25:22

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…

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Masters of Scale

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AI + You | 4 ways to scale your personal growth 33:40

2M ago33:40

33:40

In part two of our 3-part series on AI + You, we offer an actionable playbook on how AI can help us scale ourselves personally. Personal scale is all about broadening your skill set and strengthening your human relationships. To guide you, host Reid Hoffman speaks to Stanford HAI’s Fei-Fei Li, Inflection’s Mustafa Suleyman, tech-centric artist Holl…

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Masters of Scale

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Under Armour’s pivot to growth, w/CEO Stephanie Linnartz 22:03

2M ago22:03

22:03

Can you reinvigorate a beloved but troubled brand by applying lessons from a different industry? Under Armour CEO Stephanie Linnartz firmly believes so — and earlier this year made the leap from Marriott to become the first woman to helm a major sports apparel brand. She joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to talk about how her 25 years with Marri…

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Masters of Scale

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AI + You | 5 steps for impactful experimentation 41:09

2M ago41:09

41:09

AI can be overwhelming. In this 3-part series, we offer business leaders an actionable playbook to best implement AI. Part one: To unleash AI’s true power of scale, you must dive headfirst into ongoing experimentation. To guide you, host Reid Hoffman speaks to Stanford HAI’s Fei-Fei Li, Inflection’s Mustafa Suleyman, Adept’s David Luan, and more AI…

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Masters of Scale

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How to revive collaboration at work, with WPP’s Mark Read 25:17

2M ago25:17

25:17

With companies wrestling with the question of returning to the office or to continue working from home, there are so many questions around the future of work. How do you maximize your team’s creative output and entice them to want to come back to the office, while navigating the opportunities and challenges of working with AI? WPP CEO Mark Read bel…

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Masters of Scale

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Confronting Elon Musk, w/ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt 29:39

2M ago29:39

29:39

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,…

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Masters of Scale

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Mustafa Suleyman: Empathy in AI 46:06

2M ago46:06

46:06

The buzz about AI focuses on how we can bolster our skills, knowledge and efficiency. But what role can AI play in enriching our lives as social beings with feelings, relationships and dreams? In this special interview, Mustafa Suleyman and Reid Hoffman — co-founders of Inflection AI, and two of the leading AI minds today — sit down to discuss the …

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Masters of Scale

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4 strategies for tackling the toughest challenges 32:55

2M ago32:55

32:55

The boldest of entrepreneurs take on the impossible. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit, four scale leaders in Bjarke Ingels, Aurora James, Kathryn Finney, and Scott Harrison offer their strategies and ideas around taking on society’s most complex and tough challenges. In this episode, you’ll hear how each entrepreneur embraces a unique c…

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Masters of Scale

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Stacey Abrams: How to harness risk 43:29

3M ago43:29

43:29

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 h…

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Masters of Scale

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135. Eileen Fisher: Keep it simple to make it timeless 35:07

3M ago35:07

35:07

Simplicity is notoriously difficult, but it’s key to iterating successfully — and staying relevant. Featuring cameos from entrepreneur superstar Daymond John, and Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom, this episode shares lessons from the timeless clothing brand, and its namesake creator, Eileen Fisher. During her 40 years at the helm, the company has…

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Masters of Scale

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134. Brian Grazer: Scale your curiosity 33:04

3M ago33:04

33:04

Amidst the fast pace of entrepreneurial life, how can we make our networking more impactful? The acclaimed film and television producer Brian Grazer argues that curiosity is the elixir for deeper human connection and cultivating a healthy network that serves as an ever-flowing well of inspiration. Brian joins Reid to share the unique practice that …

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Masters of Scale

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Think like an outsider, w/Shellye Archambeau, Ellevest’s Sallie Krawcheck, and Calendly’s Tope Awotona 25:16

4M ago25:16

25:16

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 …

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Masters of Scale

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133. Ron Howard: Evolve your vision 36:15

4M ago36:15

36:15

How do you stay true to your vision for your company amid constant, unpredictable change? And how do you stay true to a singular vision, while also letting it evolve? These are questions every leader needs to consider as they rally people, resources and opportunities to make their vision a reality. Celebrated filmmaker Ron Howard has a remarkable a…

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Masters of Scale

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How great cultures are built and rebuilt, w/Eric Schmidt, Angela Ahrendts, & Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi 32:17

4M ago32:17

32:17

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 a…

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Masters of Scale

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Leading in an age of burnout, w/Arianna Huffington & Padmasree Warrior 22:45

4M ago22:45

22:45

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 a…

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Masters of Scale

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96. Focus on the scale that your customers can’t see, w/Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford 31:17

4M ago31:17

31:17

Too often, companies only focus on the type of scale that’s visible: massive campuses, thousands of workers, offices around the globe. But as Land O’Lakes proves, there are less conspicuous ways to scale – ways that supply your business with structural integrity. This is something CEO Beth Ford knows well. She’s strategically scaled Land O’Lakes – …

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Masters of Scale

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Prepare for where AI is headed next, w/Reid Hoffman & Bob Safian 26:50

5M ago26:50

26:50

Need to Know: AI’s risks and opportunities; why Reid launched his own AI chatbot; and what Elon Musk and Sam Altman aren’t telling you. Reid Hoffman joins Bob Safian to explore how leaders everywhere should prepare for the AI revolution. Plus, Reid shares the inspiration and strategy behind co-founding his company, Inflection AI. If you’re unsure h…

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Masters of Scale

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Re-skill for AI, w/PwC’s Tim Ryan 20:43

5M ago20:43

20:43

Rapid Response with Bob Safian: How do you re-skill a 65,000-strong workforce to prepare for the AI revolution? PwC recently invested $1 billion into AI, hoping to unleash never-before-seen potential for employees and clients. US chief Tim Ryan explains why and how the money will be spent, plus shares what he’s advising fellow CEOs about which indu…

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Masters of Scale

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132. Build your culture like a product, w/HubSpot's Dharmesh Shah 27:45

5M ago27:45

27:45

Your company's culture is the bedrock of everything you do. So you can't afford to just let your culture emerge — you need to build it with the deliberate approach of a product designer. Then you need to bring that culture to life by winning buy-in from your team. This is exactly what Dharmesh Shah did at HubSpot — as laid out in the famed HubSpot …

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Masters of Scale

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4 secrets to building your network 30:45

5M ago30:45

30:45

Human beings are social creatures, with a critical need to connect with others. This drive gives shape and meaning to our personal and professional lives. For entrepreneurs and business leaders, the path to success relies on strong, human-centered networks. In this special episode, we revisit the Masters of Scale Summit to hear from leaders, includ…

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Masters of Scale

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Prioritize principles in crisis, w/Upwork’s Hayden Brown and Merck’s Ken Frazier 25:23

5M ago25:23

25:23

Navigate today’s uncertain climate with a steadfast resolve. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, former Merck CEO Ken Frazier and Upwork CEO Hayden Brown talk with host Bob Safian about how leaders should trust their values when faced with social, political, and economic challenges. Brown shares how leading through the ch…

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Masters of Scale

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131. Better metrics for better culture, part 2, with Kapor Capital’s Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein 31:05

5M ago31:05

31:05

In part 2 of this episode with veteran founders and investors Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein, we get into the data of building human-centered cultures. In part one, we heard how Mitch and Freada went all-in on investing their values, committing 100% of new investments in “gap-closing” companies that aim to improve society, even as they aim fo…

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Masters of Scale

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How to inject AI into your core business, w/Smart Eye’s Rana el Kaliouby 23:07

6M ago23:07

23:07

Rapid Response with Bob Safian: Should you begin incorporating AI now or wait to see how it shakes-out for early adopters? AI pioneer Rana el Kaliouby urges business leaders to embrace their exploration mindset in order to accelerate faster. El Kaliouby takes us inside her own AI shop, Smart Eye, where she serves as deputy CEO, to share their proce…

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Masters of Scale

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130. Better metrics for better culture, part 1, with Kapor Capital’s Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein 33:32

6M ago33:32

33:32

Can you build with conscience and still succeed? Mitch Kapor & Dr. Freada Kapor Klein certainly think so. As tech industry veteran founders and investors, Mitch and Freada have long embraced non-traditional metrics that put humans at the center. Mitch co-founded Lotus, the 1980s software giant, and hired Freada to help make the company “the most pr…

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Masters of Scale

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To be first to the future, be stubbornly nimble 19:29

6M ago19:29

19:29

How do you balance saving capital versus taking advantage of current opportunities? How do investors and founders evaluate risk differently? And how do you embrace disruptive new technology without sending the message that you’re replacing humans with robots? Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian answer these questions and more, all posed in a special live S…

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Masters of Scale

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Tyler Perry and Netflix's Ted Sarandos: Amplify the untapped audience 24:48

6M ago24:48

24:48

To achieve true cultural impact, follow authentic storytelling and spot untapped consumer needs. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, filmmaker and entrepreneur Tyler Perry and Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos talk with host Reid Hoffman about redefining culture, evaluating the playing field, and ignoring conventional wisdom.…

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Masters of Scale

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Make AI your co-pilot, w/Microsoft VP of Design & AI, John Maeda 25:46

6M ago25:46

25:46

Rapid Response with Bob Safian: Can you truly take advantage of AI before speaking its language? Microsoft’s VP of Design and AI, Dr. John Maeda discusses AI’s common misconceptions and its misunderstood opportunities. A veteran of AI development, John shares valuable insights for entrepreneurs about how to engage with the new technology — from ove…

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Masters of Scale

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129. Jimmy Iovine: Harness fear to drive innovation, part 2 30:52

6M ago30:52

30:52

With guest host Angela Ahrendts (Burberry, Apple). To innovate, you need to build an instinct to smash through barriers — especially the ones that terrify you. Music industry legend Jimmy Iovine has done this throughout his career working with legendary artists like John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Dr. Dre, working in innovative tech like Beats …

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Masters of Scale

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128. Jimmy Iovine: Harness fear to drive innovation, part 1 27:34

6M ago27:34

27:34

With guest host Angela Ahrendts (Burberry, Apple). To innovate, you need to build an instinct to smash through barriers — especially the ones that terrify you. Music industry legend Jimmy Iovine has done this throughout his career working with legendary artists like John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Dr. Dre, working in innovative tech like Beats …

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Masters of Scale

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Using failure as a launchpad, w/MoviePass’s Stacy Spikes 23:09

7M ago23:09

23:09

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 c…

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Masters of Scale

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How the word "no" inspires change, w/Princess Reema 20:39

7M ago20:39

20:39

To change the status quo, we need to lean into whatever advantages we have. Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has privileges that many do not: She is a member of the royal family and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States. But she is also a woman in a traditional culture who has encountered many obstacles — as an entreprene…

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Masters of Scale

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How great leaders respond in a crisis, w/Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky 23:58

7M ago23:58

23:58

After guiding the company through a near-death experience, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky talks with Rapid Response host Bob Safian about what he learned and how responding to a crisis both reveals your character and teaches you what’s most important. Recorded live on stage at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. Read a transcript of this episode: …

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Masters of Scale

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Lessons from the demise of BuzzFeed News, w/CEO Jonah Peretti 25:53

7M ago25:53

25:53

Rapid Response with Bob Safian: If the most prestigious aspect of your business isn’t paying dividends, should you leave it in the past? BuzzFeed’s co-founder and CEO, Jonah Peretti discusses the surprising decision to shutter the Pulitzer Prize-winning BuzzFeed News, and how the company seeks to re-anchor toward the bright future of media. In his …

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Masters of Scale

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ALL-STAR EP: Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi — Bringing a culture back from the brink 43:47

7M ago43:47

43:47

Early-stage startups are a lot like pirate ships — they need a buccaneering spirit to survive. But every startup needs to shed its pirate nature at some point, and evolve into something more akin to a navy — no less heroic, but more disciplined. Dara Khosrowshahi, as Uber CEO, took on the most extreme pirate-to-navy transition in startup history. T…

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Masters of Scale

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ALL-STAR EP: Taskrabbit’s Stacy Brown-Philpot — Keep humans in the equation 36:00

8M ago36:00

36:00

You may think that to scale you need to cut humans out of the equation. The opposite is true. You can harness the power of the “human cloud” to solve almost any problem — as long as you keep the word “human” in the equation. That’s what former TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot champions for this community of people who work with each other, teach …

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Masters of Scale

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ALL-STAR EP: Shark Tank and FUBU’s Daymond John — How to partner like a shark 36:11

8M ago36:11

36:11

How do you create authentic partnerships to build scale? Daymond John, founder of FUBU and one of the original “sharks” on ABC’s Shark Tank, 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-d…

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Masters of Scale

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ALL-STAR EP: Google's Eric Schmidt — Innovation is managed chaos 30:18

8M ago30:18

30:18

Google doesn’t tell its employees how to innovate; it manages their inventive chaos. Their secret? Mix free-flowing ideas with disciplined decision-making. In this week's All-Star Episode, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt shares his strategies to manage chaos. CEO of Google from 2001-2015, and now the co-founder of Schmidt Futures, Schmidt reveals th…

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Masters of Scale

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ALL-STAR EP: Burberry & Apple’s Angela Ahrendts — How to unite a team 32:02

8M ago32:02

32:02

The Apple logo. The iconic Burberry check. These images inspire loyalty of customers and employees alike. But it takes more than a beloved brand to power a company and motivate a team. No one knows this better than Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of retail at Apple, and the former CEO of Burberry. Angela has spent most of her career learning how to imb…

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