Always be recruiting, w/Paul English, co-founder of KAYAK

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...

3h

Rapid Response: How to decarbonize your business, w/John Doerr, partner at Kleiner Perkins

“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...

5d

104. Leap before you look, w/Marc Lore (Jet.com)

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...

1w

Marc Andreessen: The 6 secrets of great timing

As an early internet founder and iconic venture capitalist, Marc Andreessen has thought deeply about the role timing plays in a startup's success. Timing is of vital importance to any business: when to launch that first product; when to ramp up scale; when to make the move into a new market; when to pivot. Getting the timing wrong on any of these can...

2w

87. President Barack Obama: When the moment chooses you, part 1

Politics and entrepreneurship have much in common: Both versions of scale leadership require strategic patience, hard work, a clear vision of a better future, an unshakable belief that you can bring that future to life – and the ideal opportunity to make it all come together. President Barack Obama sits down with Reid Hoffman in Part 1 of our two-part...

4w

Rapid Response: How flexibility creates momentum, w/Crate & Barrel CEO Janet Hayes

Crate & Barrel CEO Janet Hayes has been on a mission to modernize the home decor company since she took over as CEO in August, 2020. When she first joined the company, stores were closed and the future of retail was uncertain as Covid-19 put in-person experiences to a screeching halt. She’s responded by leaning into digital and sustainability for...

Dec 2021

104. Strategy Session LIVE!: How to protect yourself from copycat businesses? When should you seek funding? How to entice funders to invest in a niche business?

This special rendition of Strategy Session stars small business owners who Masters of Scale fans might recognize. That’s because a number of them have been featured in our signature three-act ads. You’ll hear them ask host Reid Hoffman critical questions for challenges they’re facing now. This Strategy Session was live, recorded remotely in-front of...

Dec 2021

Rapid Response: How GoFundMe has facilitated $15 billion in giving, w/CEO Tim Cadogan

From the start of the pandemic, GoFundMe has served as a consistent global outlet for help. Since its inception, the for-profit crowdsourcing platform has facilitated $15 billion in giving through more than 200 million donations. It’s also attracted big names to the platform, including Taylor Swift, the Dalai Lama, and will.i.am. The key to the company’s...

Dec 2021

103. How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman

When Paul Polman joined Unilever as CEO in 2009, the consumer goods company – home to 400-plus brands including Dove soap, Ben & Jerry’s, and Vaseline – had been stagnated with years of lackluster performance. His famous turnaround of the company centered around his ability to redraw the boundaries of Unilever’s mission to emphasize sustainability...

Dec 2021

Rapid Response: Re-founding Instacart, w/first-time CEO Fidji Simo

This past summer, Fidji Simo departed from Facebook – where she stood among the highest-ranking female executives, serving as the head of their app – for the opportunity to become a first-time CEO at Instacart. She replaced founder Apoorva Mehta, who appeared on this show last spring to talk about Instacart’s incredible COVID-fueled growth. Since then,...

Dec 2021