Rapid Response

When you inherit a business in crisis, what decisions can a leader make to steady the ship and drive a positive change? Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, The Honest Company CEO Carla Vernón and National Women’s Soccer League Commissioner Jessica Berman join Bob Safian to riff on counterintuitive methods for gaining employee trust after public scandals and to share practical advice on reframing ...

In these volatile times, how do we navigate the intersection between values and commerce? Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert and Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya join the New York Times’ David Gelles on stage at Masters of Scale Summit to reveal their different strategies for dealing with an activist White House, the pressure for what David calls "anticipatory compliance," and how they grow their businesses while also prioritizing causes...

AI is radically changing the future of the workplace — from redefining jobs to fueling the rise of so-called “work slop.” Live on stage at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, host Bob Safian is joined by Box CEO Aaron Levie, LinkedIn’s Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman, and Meta’s Head of Business AI Clara Shih to share their insider perspectives on AI optimism, uncertainty, and navigating this unpr...

From attacks by President Trump to active lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI, The New York Times is engaged in a fierce fight to preserve the future of independent journalism. It also keeps building a multi-faceted, excellence-obsessed brand with more users for games, recipes and podcasts than ever before. President and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien joins Bob Safian live on stage at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Franci...

The Federal Reserve’s influence on the economy is immense, and often misunderstood. President of the San Francisco Fed Mary Daly joins Rapid Response to give us an exclusive, firsthand look into the central bank’s daily decision-making. She explains how the Fed’s policies, at the regional and national level, ripple through society. From housing prices to immigration’s impact on labor, Daly weighs the major factors shaping ...

Amid dramatic disruption, what role should business play in building the future? Recorded live at the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky shares his candid perspective on business, politics, creativity, and AI — taking listeners from Airbnb’s humble beginnings to bold plans for the company’s future. Through a designer’s lens, Chesky also reveals the single question leaders ...

On a recent episode of Reid Hoffman’s Possible podcast, he and Aria talk with comedian Stephen Colbert. They discuss how J.R.R. Tolkien helps The Late Show host make sense of AI, whether technology will ever be able to replicate the ‘micronutrients’ of human interaction, and more. 

You can find this episode and more on the Possible podcast feed: https://play.megaphone.fm/awr0uaskrl6m7mfdaaeb0w

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In this encore episode of Rapid Response, we chart OLIPOP’s surging popularity. As Gen Z and millennials ditch sugary sodas, OLIPOP is leading the prebiotic beverage trend, sparking the likes of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to enter the fray. OLIPOP’s co-founder, CEO, and formulator, Ben Goodwin, shares how the brand is navigating the turbulence of rapid growth and rising competition, what leadership lessons he's had to embrace a...

Headwinds across the business world challenge any leader striving to make an impact beyond shareholder value. Few know this struggle better than The B Team, born out of Sir Richard Branson’s drive to elevate the role and responsibility of business in society. CEO Leah Seligmann joins Rapid Response to share why some leaders are pulling back, where others are pressing forward, and which actions can have the greatest impact ...

Figma burst into the public eye in 2022 after Adobe was blocked from buying the design startup for $20 billion. This chapter set the stage for an even bigger milestone at Figma: a splashy IPO this summer at nearly double that valuation. Dylan Field, Figma’s co-founder and CEO, joins Rapid Response to share what distinguishes Figma from competitors, and why design is increasingly at the center of every industry in today’s s...

Meta is once again at a crossroads, navigating the rise of AI, a shifting political and cultural climate, and evolving debates over speech online. Few executives have had a closer view of the company’s evolution than Alex Schultz, Meta’s Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Analytics, who joined Facebook back in 2007. Schultz joins Rapid Response to reflect on the creativity and science behind digital marketing, why the curre...

For an organization built around responding to crises around the globe, Mercy Corps now finds itself at the center of its own trauma. Following the Trump administration’s aid cuts, two-thirds of Mercy Corps’ US-funded programs have been rescinded. CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna joins Rapid Response to share how she’s leading her team amid immense pressure—scrambling to find new ways to help those in need, even as she resorts to ...

After eight years at the helm of Ingka Group, the operating entity behind home-furnishing giant IKEA, CEO Jesper Brodin is stepping down. Brodin joins Rapid Response to explain why now was the right time to make the move, and shares how he’s steered IKEA through a whirlwind of changes, from rising tariffs to shifting public sentiments around DEI and ESG, as well as an evolving relationship between global business and gover...

As the fashion world navigates an unprecedented wave of turnover from Chanel to Dior, WSJ. Magazine’s Editor in Chief, Sarah Ball joins Rapid Response to explore the most closely watched New York Fashion Week in years — what she calls "a September to remember." Ball also shares insights about how Vogue is poised to take shape post-Anna Wintour, the shockwaves from Georgio Armani's recent passing, AI's impact on fashio...

Crypto companies have a much friendlier regulatory environment in 2025, and many are scaling. The fintech firm Circle is fresh off a splashy IPO in June. Circle’s co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire joins Rapid Response to share why the company’s stablecoin is creating such a stir, and what people misunderstand about how digital assets are changing the financial system. Allaire offers a clear guide to blockchain-based financ...

Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards shone a light on some of the biggest storylines in the music business today – from the TikTokification of newly minted stars, to the evolving relationship between artists and brands. Music journalist and author Sowmya Krishnamurthy joins Rapid Response to break down business and cultural lessons from the show and what it reveals about the state of the industry. Krishnamurthy also explores Ta...

The US sports with the largest audiences are back in action: the NFL and college football. Plus we have finals of the US Open, the WNBA and MLB playoffs coming, and a raft of big sports media deals to digest. Andrew Marchand, Senior Sports Media Columnist at The Athletic, joins Rapid Response to break down the biggest storylines — from ESPN's high-stakes equity deal with the NFL, to streamers like Amazon and Netflix battli...

Grab is a rideshare service-turned superapp, not available in the US but rapidly growing in Southeast Asia. It’s even outmaneuvered global players like Uber to reach a valuation north of $20 billion. Grab’s co-founder and CEO Anthony Tan joins Rapid Response to share how the platform has successfully expanded into food delivery and fintech, while also investing in the future of electric vehicles and autonomous driving. For...

It’s back-to-school season and questions about AI’s impact on the classroom are top of mind for parents, students, and teachers. In this episode of Pioneers of AI, host Dr. Rana el Kaliouby sits down with Sal Khan, founder of online education platform Khan Academy. As a leading voice in the conversation about how AI is shaping education, Khan discusses how AI can help teachers to connect deeper with their students, how per...