Masters of Scale

Whether you’re building a new product from scratch, growing your team, or trying to find product market fit, every part of scaling a business has one thing in common. It needs to be well designed. That’s why we’re headed back to school this week – and learning from Stanford d.school executive director Sarah Stein Greenberg. She reveals strategies for using human-centered design to improve everything from your product roadm...

As young people report feeling lonelier and less connected than ever, the dating app Hinge is driving its users into real life, human experiences. CEO Justin McLeod returns to Rapid Response to share how the platform is combating digital fatigue amongst users, as well as navigating the risks and opportunities of AI in online dating. McLeod also explores Hinge’s recent collaboration with renowned psychologist Esther Perel, ...

As we gear up for our 2025 Masters of Scale Summit, we’re revisiting one of the stellar on-stage conversations that happened at the 2024 event. Hear Rocket Companies’ Dan Gilbert and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan reveal how their unique public-private partnerships have transformed the struggling city into a growing hub for everything from tech companies to electric vehicle manufacturing. 

Note: this conversation was record...

From humble beginnings selling vacuums on late night informercials, SharkNinja has grown to a 6 billion dollar a year business. CEO Mark Barrocas joins host Jeff Berman to reveal how the company keeps coming up with hits like the Ninja Creami, why “educated consumers” are the backbone of their business, and how they’re navigating the shifting winds of tariffs.

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Zoom out from continuing tariff turmoil and Trump’s recent attacks on the Fed and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and you’ll see a broader new economic order is forming. Political economist and Brown University professor Mark Blyth joins Rapid Response to reveal why outdated models still underpin much of our economic understanding, and what we still misunderstand – and underestimate – about China. Blyth also shares why the...

When Rick Shadyac Jr. took over as CEO of the fundraising organization responsible for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, it was bringing in about 600 million a year. The recently retired leader joins host Jeff Berman to reveal how he built a fundraising machine that is now approaching 3 billion per year, and how that money will have a global impact on kids with cancer.

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As the Trump Administration ramps up mass deportations, the American Business Immigration Coalition is advocating for policy reform. Rebecca Shi leads the organization made up of 1,400 current and former CEOs, trade group leaders and more, who heavily rely on an immigrant workforce. Hear how uncertainty over immigration has disrupted daily business and hit the bottom line, as well as the carve-outs and clarity that big emp...

When Ross Martin and Kern Schireson blended their companies in 2020 to form Known, they knew they wanted to throw out the old rule book about how to succeed in marketing. Now, they’re scaling fast and producing jaw-dropping results for clients. They join host Jeff Berman to reveal how their success relies on innovative AI — and kind humans — working together in new ways. Plus, advice for how to get great results from marke...

Cloudflare recently made headlines with breakthrough technology that stops AI companies from scraping online content with impunity. That’s major impact, since the company is involved in more than 20 percent of all online traffic. Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince joins Rapid Response to share how the new tools are poised to dramatically impact AI firms, publishers, and the future of the internet. Prince also tak...

How do I learn to delegate? When is it time to expand? How can I find the right partners? Hear two iconic leaders – Sarah Robb O’Hagan and Elan Lee – take on real questions from early stage founders in our Masters of Scale Strategy Session. Robb O’Hagan has led iconic brands like Gatorade, Equinox and Exos. Lee is the founder and CEO of the game company Exploding Kittens.

Don’t miss our next free, virtual event on Aug 14 wi...

NYU Stern School of Business professor Suzy Welch has designed a framework – “Becoming You” – to help you figure out how to build a career that aligns with your values. She joins host Jeff Berman to dig into what happens when those values are in conflict and how to navigate the fundamental misalignment between Gen Z and the rest of the workforce.

To learn more about the “Becoming You” book and values quiz, go to https://lnk...

It’s been one of the most consequential weeks ever in the media business, from CBS’ Stephen Colbert cancellation, and Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, to Congress clawing back more than $1 billion in funding from PBS and NPR. Axios’ Media Correspondent Sara Fischer joins Rapid Response to cut through the conspiracy theories and unpack what it all means from here.

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The board game CATAN has sold 45 million copies worldwide since Klaus Teuber invented it 30 years ago. It’s Reid Hoffman’s favorite board game for business leaders. He sat down with brothers Benjamin and Guido Teuber, who now run the business of CATAN, to talk about how they’ve kept the game evolving, why its core philosophy of strategic collaboration still resonates, and what entrepreneurs can learn from trading sheep for...

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol made waves this week by announcing a new Return-to-Office mandate for corporate workers. It’s the latest in a string of changes the coffee company is making to restore its position in the US and global marketplace. Hear Niccol explain his revamped brand strategy in this conversation from February of 2025. He shares insights about evolving Starbucks’ business model, tackling the Chinese market, an...

After 16 years as Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review, Adi Ignatius is handing the role over to a new leader, and he joins Rapid Response for a more-than-an-exit interview. A longtime friend and colleague of host Bob Safian, Ignatius shares some of the most critical lessons he’s learned in decades of covering business and leadership, as well as dissecting the most hot button issues today — from Elon Musk’s conflicti...

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is one of the fastest growing dessert brands in the country. It’s known for its seriously delicious classic flavors and its wacky collaborations. (Kraft Mac and Cheese ice cream, anyone?) Co-founder and CEO Ben Van Leeuwen talks with Jeff Berman to reveal how it grew from his love of simple ingredients and driving an ice cream truck as a teenager into a rapidly scaling company with about 2,000 employe...

PBS President & CEO Paula Kerger joins Rapid Response to take us inside the organization’s financial reality if federal funding is stripped, and how she’s battling to protect iconic programming — from Frontline to Sesame Street. Kerger shares the role of corporate philanthropy in PBS’ future, its relationship with streamers like Netflix, and how she handles allegations of public media bias. Whether or not you're an avi...

Devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles at the start of 2025. Nonprofit Baby2Baby was on the ground leveraging its deep knowledge of how to respond to natural disasters to help families in need. Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof joined host Jeff Berman on stage to reflect on what it was like to use everything they’d learned scaling their nonprofit to help their hometown in a moment of crisis. 

Th...

For over a decade, Canva has made design and publishing more accessible than ever. Now, the company is wrestling with how to harness AI while staying true to its mission of empowering individual creators. Co-founder and COO Cliff Obrecht joins Rapid Response to reveal how Canva is navigating this shift—and why the stakes are so high when it comes to AI-adoption in the creative industry. He opens up about leading the compan...