Masters of Scale
On Masters of Scale, iconic business leaders share lessons and strategies that have helped them grow the world's most fascinating companies. Founders, CEOs, and dynamic innovators join candid conversations about their triumphs and challenges with a set of luminary hosts, including founding host Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner). From navigating early prototypes to expanding brands globally, Masters of Scale provides priceless insights to help anyone grow their dream enterprise.
Filtered episodes(18)
- StandardSummaries onlyA first look at Samsung’s blueprint to win the AI era, with Mauro Porcini
Published Apr 21, 2026
Mauro PorciniAI redefining how products are both built and experienced, and Samsung is reimagining its place in the tech ecosystem. As Milan Design Week gets underway, Samsung's president and chief design officer Mauro Porcini pulls back the curtain on the company’s new design manifesto, and gets candid about their rivalry with Apple, the shift from hardware to human experience, and why a brand known for engineering dominance is now betting its future on something far harder to measure: how a product makes y
- StandardSummaries onlyHumanize AI before it dehumanizes us, with Dr. Rana el Kaliouby at SXSW
Published Apr 9, 2026
AI is moving fast. But are we really keeping humans at the center? In this special live Rapid Response, recorded on stage at South by Southwest, host Bob Safian sits down with AI scientist, founder of Affectiva, investor at Blue Tulip, and host of Pioneers of AI, Dr. Rana el Kaliouby. Rana makes the case that human-centric AI isn't just a safety guardrail; it's the key to thriving socially, economically, and emotionally. She also cuts through the noise on the buzziest AI myths, weighs in on AI i
- StandardSummaries onlyThe internet is breaking. So what’s next? with Cloudflare’s Matthew Prince
Published Mar 31, 2026
AI bots are on track to outnumber humans online by 2027. No one has a better line of sight into that shift than Matthew Prince — his company, Cloudflare, routes more than 20% of all internet traffic. Speaking live from SXSW, Prince reveals how AI is rewriting the economics of the web, how tech giants are scrambling to respond, and what it means for anyone running an online business. Plus, what it's like to be on the frontlines of Iranian cyberwarfare, and why Prince made the unexpected move to b
- StandardSummaries onlyHow Shantanu Narayen transformed Adobe
Published Mar 14, 2026
Shantanu Narayen announced this week that he will step down after nearly two decades as CEO of Adobe. In this conversation first published in early 2025, Narayen talked with host Reid Hoffman about how he led the transformation of Adobe’s creative tools like Photoshop to cloud-based subscriptions, how that unlocked faster innovation, and why those lessons are serving the company well in the new age of AI.Synthetic voiceover of Reid Hoffman used in this episode was produced by Respeecher with ful
- StandardSummaries onlyStop waiting for clarity. Unfreeze and act, with Accenture’s Julie Sweet
Published Mar 10, 2026
AI disruption and geopolitical upheaval are forcing business leaders to make high-stakes decisions — fast. Accenture CEO Julie Sweet joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share what she's hearing from her 9,000 clients and the hard-won advice she's giving them. Sweet reveals why AI proficiency is now a requirement for promotion at Accenture, why she's doubling down on entry-level hiring amid the automation wave, and why tension in the C-suite may be the most underrated leadership advantage rig
- StandardSummaries onlyUncovering the $7 trillion reputation economy
Published Feb 17, 2026
Corey duBrowa spent much of his career advising some of the world’s most scrutinized leaders — from Howard Schultz at Starbucks and Marc Benioff at Salesforce to Sundar Pichai at Google. Now, as CEO of global communications firm Burson, he’s helping executives navigate a charged marketplace shaped by AI disruption, ICE activity, and nonstop reputational risk. duBrowa explains why reputation remains one of the most powerful (and most misunderstood) assets in business, and how leaders should decid
- StandardSummaries onlyDraftKings’ next big bets, with CEO Jason Robins
Published Feb 12, 2026
Prediction markets. AI. Super Bowl ads. Hear how DraftKings co-founder and CEO Jason Robins is placing bets on the future. Robins talked with host Jeff Berman just ahead of the Super Bowl in San Francisco about how he stays focused, cultivates company culture, and navigates a tumultuous regulatory and competitive landscape. Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/newsletter/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/p
- StandardSummaries onlyReid Hoffman on AI’s new tune, Davos, and the need for CEO courage
Published Jan 27, 2026
As global leaders disperse from the World Economic Forum, LinkedIn co-founder and tech investor Reid Hoffman joins Rapid Response to break down the biggest challenges and opportunities facing business today, from political headwinds tied to immigration and geopolitics to AI’s real-time impact on industries like music and healthcare. Hoffman also explains why fears of a tech bubble aren’t shaping his investing, what it really means to be an AI-first organization, and why this moment calls for CEO
- StandardSummaries onlyReid Hoffman & Inflection AI’s Sean White on designing AI that makes us better humans
Published Jan 24, 2026
At Masters of Scale Summit in October of 2025, Reid Hoffman and Dr. Sean White, CEO of Inflection AI, discuss how to design responsible AI systems, build smarter AI-fueled businesses, and the potential for transforming everything from healthcare to education. This conversation is brought to you by Inflection AI.Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/newsletter/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c
- StandardSummaries onlyHow to save a magazine, with The Atlantic’s Nicholas Thompson
Published Jan 15, 2026
When Nicholas Thompson took over as CEO of The Atlantic five years ago, the iconic magazine was in financial trouble. Now, its profitable and subscriber and revenue numbers are growing. Thompson joins host Jeff Berman to talk about the impressive turnaround, how media companies can weather AI disruption, and lessons from the world of long distance running.His new memoir is The Running Ground: A father, a son, and the simplest of sports: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678434/the-running
- StandardSummaries onlyThe AI agents in your wallet, with Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach
Published Jan 13, 2026
What did the latest holiday shopping season reveal about consumer confidence as the year begins? Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach joins Rapid Response to unpack the signals he’s seeing across global spending — from shifting consumer sentiment to AI’s growing role in financial security. Miebach also explores how credit cards fit into a future shaped by crypto, digital wallets, and agent-driven commerce, and what it will take for businesses to stay competitive amid continued market disruption.Visit
- StandardSummaries onlyBusiness world predictions for 2026
Published Jan 6, 2026
As we turn from reflection to what’s ahead for a new year, Rapid Response presents host Bob Safian’s predictions for the most pressing issues business leaders could face in 2026. Join Bob and producer Alex Morris for a surprisingly hopeful conversation about what’s next – from an AI reality check to energy prices, immigration, and even the World Cup. Safian walks us through what might happen, and why being “right” matters less than sparking debate, testing assumptions, and taking a clear-headed
- StandardSummaries onlyPioneers of AI: Mark Cuban’s investment strategy in this new era of tech
Published Dec 30, 2025
Mark Cuban has spent decades as a serial entrepreneur and investor, with one of the best track records on the planet (including celebrity status on ABC’s Shark Tank). In this episode of Pioneers of AI, Cuban joins host Rana El Kaliouby for a wide-ranging conversation about whether we are in an AI bubble, how he’s applying his investment philosophy to AI, and why the AI world is tending to excite him less and less each day.Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/Visit the Rapid Resp
- StandardSummaries onlyMake the office a destination, not just an obligation
Published Dec 11, 2025
With over two billion in annual revenue and nearly 7,000 employees, Gensler has cemented itself as a global icon in architecture and design. Host Jeff Berman talks with co-CEO Elizabeth Brink and global co-chair Andy Cohen about why the company has doubled down on a collaborative leadership model, the ways AI is disrupting their industry, and how they’re designing for the future of work. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/newsletter/See Privacy Policy
- StandardSummaries onlyKara Swisher takes on big tech, from Apple to Nvidia
Published Dec 9, 2025
Can ChatGPT dethrone Gemini? Is Tim Cook capable of leading Apple into the next wave of AI? As 2025 winds down, journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher joins Rapid Response to cut through the noise and decode what’s really happening across OpenAI, Meta, Google, and more. Swisher also sizes up the state of Disney, Netflix, and the escalating bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. And in classic Swisher fashion, she doesn’t hold back — weighing in on Elon Musk’s eye-popping potential pay package
- StandardSummaries onlyBeyond the Parade: Macy’s navigates tariffs, turbulence and retail evolution
Published Nov 25, 2025
This Thursday marks the 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Macy’s Inc. chairman and CEO Tony Spring joins Rapid Response with a behind-the-scenes preview of what to expect. It’s been a tumultuous year for the legacy retailer, shaped by new tariffs, shifting consumer habits, and the constant flip between “wartime” and “peacetime” leadership. Spring shares why his team is now on “version twenty-seven of the plan,” how Macy’s is entering the AI era, and what it really means to court th
- StandardSummaries onlyHow to be 'fearless' in the AI age, with Fei-Fei Li and Reid Hoffman
Published Nov 20, 2025
The brilliant computer scientist Fei-Fei Li is often called the Godmother of AI. She talks with host Reid Hoffman about why scientists and entrepreneurs need to be fearless in the face of an uncertain future.Li was a founding director of the Human-Centered AI Institute at Stanford and is now an innovator in the area of spatial intelligence as co-founder and CEO of World Labs. This conversation was recorded live at the Presidio Theatre as part of the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit.Subscribe to the
- StandardSummaries onlyAI: The new frontier for mental health support?
Published Nov 18, 2025
In recent weeks, OpenAI faced seven lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT contributed to suicides or mental health breakdowns. To spotlight the controversial relationship between AI and mental health, host Bob Safian is joined on stage at Innovation@Brown Showcase by Brown University's Ellie Pavlick, director of a new institute dedicated to exploring AI and mental health, and Soraya Darabi of VC firm TMV, an early investor in mental health AI startups. Pavlick and Darabi weigh the pros and cons of appl