Masters of Scale

Will OpenAI’s new text-to-video tool Sora revolutionize content creation? In this episode of Masters of Scale, Reid Hoffman joins Bob Safian to discuss Sam Altman’s fundraising, Meta’s dramatic resurgence, and three catalysts driving the recent tech layoffs. In this rapidly evolving world, Reid makes a case for how AI is redefining the game of scale, and why entrepreneurs shouldn’t buy into the myth of a “right moment” to engage with a new opportunity or challenge. 

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Cyber war is raging, and the culprit is AI. Poppy Gustafsson, CEO of cybersecurity firm Darktrace shares new, proprietary info about how cybercrime has become professionalized across the Dark Web, and why deepfakes could soon find their way into your Slack or Zoom calls. But AI is also a powerful new weapon against attackers: Poppy tells Rapid Response host Bob Safian how to protect the most exposed areas of a business, why the unique digital DNA of an organization offers a shield, and how human factors are often more vulnerable than any software.

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Krista Tippett and our friends at On Being welcomed Masters of Scale host Reid Hoffman for an inspiring conversation about all things philosophy, AI, and technology’s impact on the human condition. We loved the episode so we’re sharing it with our listeners too. Reid opens up about his progressive upbringing and the power of friendship throughout his life. Plus, the pair experiment with Reid’s chatbot, Pi, and explore how being an AI optimist or pessimist will evolve the future of humanity. 

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The on-field Super Bowl went down to the wire, but the TV ads battle was a rout. That’s what one of the ad world’s most influential leaders, Autodesk chief marketing officer Dara Treseder, tells Rapid Response host Bob Safian, arguing that when brands spend $7 million for a 30-second slot, it’s winner-take-all. She also explains how the Super Bowl sets the tone for the year ahead in marketing, and outlines why three metrics — being memorable, ownable, and relevant — matter most in delivering a positive return on marketing. So… was the winner Bud Light, BMW, Doordash, Verizon, or someone else? Listen in!

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Some of the most vital and overlooked entrepreneurial resources might just be stored away in your family games cupboard… 

It’s no secret that host Reid Hoffman is a lifelong game fanatic. But this admiration extends beyond just a hobby. Games are one of the biggest influences on Reid as a business leader. 

In this special episode of Masters of Scale, Reid dissects five popular games and extracts the hidden entrepreneurial wisdom they contain. From strategic thinking in Settlers of Catan to the art of deception in Poker, Reid explores the underestimated power of games and what every leader can learn from their diverse mechanics. 

Join us for a game night like you’ve never seen.

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In the entrepreneurial journey, facing rejection is not just a possibility, but a certainty. However, it's the ability to perceive these rejections not as setbacks, but as stepping stones, that sets apart the most successful entrepreneurs. 

Each 'no' offers a unique opportunity to refine an idea, sharpen a pitch, and foster resilience. It can even be a sign that your idea is so contrarian that it could be truly transformative.

This is a theory we've explored before on Masters of Scale. And now we're revisiting it in this special "Remix" episode. We'll hear a range of scale leaders share their strategies for weathering the chorus of no's, and see how doing so was a vital part of their scale journeys.

Learn more about MacGyver: MacGyver.com

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President Biden is the first president to face the full force of the AI revolution. In this special episode, Reid Hoffman joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian for an exclusive inside look into the closed-door meeting between Reid and President Biden. From regulation and economic impact to the potential dangers of AI in the wrong hands, Reid and Biden’s wide-ranging conversation explored the complex challenges that come with this groundbreaking technology. Reid reveals his thoughts on the president’s understanding of AI, the potential impacts of government regulation, and the opportunities that the new technology will bring.

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The backlash against remote work is in full swing, with 90% of CEOs reportedly rewarding in-office workers with more promotions and raises. But to Scott Farquhar, co-CEO of Atlassian, that’s a big mistake — and in a just-released study, he’s got hard numbers to back him up. Scott talks with Rapid Response host Bob Safian about how the 10,000-person collaboration-software company — Australia’s premier tech startup — is defying the trend with a bold gambit called Team Anywhere. Adhering to an Atlassian core value (“no bullshit”), Scott shares insights about work flexibility, productivity, and the unexpected power of sporadic, but intentional gatherings. To prepare for the future of work, he says, business leaders need to take risks.

If you're interested in learning more from Atlassian and Scott be sure to check out "Lessons Learned," a report about how Atlassian has navigated distributed work at scale, including experiments they've run, data they've collected, and stories Atlassian employees have shared: https://www.atlassian.com/solutions/distributed/lessons-learned

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Telling a clear story about your product is a basic entrepreneurial skill. But to build enduring impact, you need to help amplify other stories — those that surround you in your community and your customers. 

Marcus Samuelsson has done just this with beloved restaurants such as Hav & Mar and Red Rooster, and through his media group that celebrates the richness of the world's cuisines and the stories embedded within them.

Marcus shares how embracing a diversity of stories has let him create spaces where every individual's narrative is valued, and has opened up new avenues of inspiration for him as an entrepreneur and award-winning chef. 

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One of the biggest strikes against the tech industry is too much noise and not enough signal. But does it always pay to "show, not tell," — even about the most innovative of products? Austin Russell of Luminar Technologies believes so. At just 17 years old, Austin created revolutionary tech that would unlock autonomous driving in the future, and make safer passenger cars today. Almost as startling is how he kept his breakthrough close to his chest for five years — carefully choosing trusted team members, mentors, and industry partners before revealing his tech to the wider world. In this special episode guest-hosted by master hype-ologist will.i.am, Austin sheds light on his quiet approach to scaling, and the importance of letting the technology speak for itself.

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As we settle into 2024, the Masters of Scale team reflect on their favorite moments from the past year during which host Reid Hoffman sat down with inspiring and iconic leaders across the business world. They explored numerous entrepreneurial lessons including how to make your networking more impactful, evolving your creative process, and keeping ideas simple and adaptable. Featuring guest appearances from Ron Howard, Daymond John, Reshma Saujani, and more.

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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).

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There’s no better way to prepare for 2024 than to look back at the year that was. 2023 offered a slew of challenges and opportunities, from AI mania to inflation to Taylor Swift obsession. In this special episode, Rapid Response host Bob Safian shares the most impactful business lessons from the year, exploring the importance of an experimentation mindset, empathy-driven leadership, and adapting to the modern workplace. Featuring guest appearances from Gary Vaynerchuk, Bozoma Saint-John, Rana el Kaliouby, Daniel Lubetzky, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud and more.

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The AI boom in 2023 left Intel chasing rival Nvidia, whose chips — and shares — have been in high demand. Like other laggards amid this year’s AI mania, Intel is now fighting back, announcing the first-ever AI PC. Intel’s CEO Pat Gelsinger sits down with Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss how the company is working to re-establish itself — and sharing lessons for leaders everywhere about the long-term trajectory of the AI wave and how to practically position yourself to ride it. Plus, Pat shares leadership insights from his unceremonious exit from Intel a decade ago, and how he’s applying those learnings now in his second tour of duty.

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What lessons can business leaders learn from the games industry? Elan Lee, co-founder of Exploding Kittens Inc., joins Reid Hoffman to discuss how Exploding Kittens became one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time. Elan shares how creativity and diverse expertise were essential for scaling a potential one-off success into a prolific games studio. And he reveals how he cultivated a community by transforming casual colleagues, partners and customers into key stakeholders.

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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 a dynamic and sustainable creative culture. Drawing on his experience as co-founder of celebrated animation studio Pixar, and president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Ed shares his hard-won insights from his career as a pioneering technologist, animator and storyteller.

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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 Google and enabling Web Summit’s signature event in Lisbon to draw 70,000 attendees. Plus, Maher shares lessons from her time at the helm of the Wikimedia Foundation and insight on how the world of politics and global events is increasingly intertwined with business.

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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 scale he's learned since.

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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 into huge new markets. With cameo appearances by Steve Spohn (AbleGamer) and Marissa Mayer (Google, Yahoo).

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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 insights in his interview from 2018 on how to build on the love of passionate customers to create world-shifting tools.

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