Masters of Scale

Latest Episodes:

You could start a company this weekend, w/Noah Kagan Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

Entrepreneur Noah Kagan wants everyone to feel empowered to start a business. That’s the core message of his new book, Million Dollar Weekend. He’s founded multiple companies worth at least a million dollars, including AppSumo. That’s his software marketplace worth more than $80 million. Noah shares lessons from his scale journey, and from the early flameouts at high-profile start-ups (like being employee number 30 at Facebook and an early staffer at Mint) that fueled a desire to prove himself.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

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Check out Million Dollar Weekend here: https://noahkagan.com/mdwbook/

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Rapid Response: Power moves for the planet, w/GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik Jun 18, 2024

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Can nuclear energy, solar and wind farms, and carbon capture scale fast enough to save the planet? GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian on stage at the Climatech conference in Boston to detail how green energy is evolving in 2024. GE Vernova is a new company spun out from General Electric, and helps power around a quarter of the world’s electricity. Strazik explains how today’s electrical grid limits renewable energy’s potential, and why it desperately needs a “new brain.”

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcZfnUX1BrQ

For more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.com

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Don’t stop learning: How Cornerstone kept scaling, w/Adam Miller Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

Founded at the dawn of the dot-com era, entrepreneur Adam Miller’s original concept for Cornerstone was a kind of Netflix for adult education: training courses through CD-ROMs. Migrating to online offerings for major corporate clients, Adam steered the company through tough times that included an encounter with a loan shark, markets collapsing, and global crises. By the time he sold the company two decades later – for more than $5.2 billion – Adam learned essential lessons about how to scale during uncertainty.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

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The Sequoia “RIP: Good Times” presentation: https://articles.sequoiacap.com/rip-good-times

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Rapid Response: Taking over when tragedy strikes, w/Guild's Bijal Shah Jun 11, 2024

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After Guild’s founding CEO suffered a stroke at the age of just 34, Bijal Shah was tapped to take the helm. Shah joins Rapid Response to share the story behind the emotional leadership change, and how she wrestled with the immense responsibility of shepherding a company out of crisis. Shah also discusses how Taylor Swift inspires her leadership, and why Guild recently partnered with Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4jc66RXjvk

For more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tinker your way to scale: James Dyson Jun 06, 2024

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James Dyson's journey to building a global invention enterprise began with a simple goal: to build a better vacuum. After 5,000+ prototypes and years of precise tinkering, his innovative bagless vacuum was ready. But none of the big brand names wanted it. So he started the Dyson company, betting that customers would be swayed by new technology, better performance, and distinctive design. Today the Dyson Corporation commands $9 billion in annual revenue, and — driven by engineering curiosity — develops products from air purifiers to hair dryers, even making a big bet on an electric car (that never hit the market). James Dyson’s inspiring story of scale involves challenging experts at every turn, relentless iteration, and a resilient view of failure as a stepping stone to the next breakthrough.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

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Rapid Response: Crypto’s new chapter, w/Crypto Council for Innovation’s Sheila Warren Jun 04, 2024

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For anyone skeptical about crypto hype, Sheila Warren explains why it is here to stay, and what you might be overlooking. As CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, Warren joins Rapid Response to take us inside today’s crypto resurgence, in which 1 out of 5 Americans hold crypto in some fashion. Warren shares the story behind Congress’ recent bipartisan crypto bill, and how the industry is cracking down on bad actors and get-rich-quick schemes. Plus, how crypto is part of the underlying tech behind a “new internet.”

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MBe203ko2Q

For more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bonus: Angela Duckworth’s “No Stupid Questions” Podcast Jun 01, 2024

Show notes

Masters of Scale guest, psychologist, and “Grit” author Angela Duckworth also hosts the podcast “No Stupid Questions.” With her co-host, entrepreneur and executive Mike Maughn, she takes up questions on deep issues like purpose and productivity. In this episode called “Do You Need a Routine?” Angela and Mike share notes from their personal lives, colleagues, and experts about value of habit formation.

Check out No Stupid Questions website: https://freakonomics.com/series/nsq/

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QuestBridge: Scaling College Access with Ana Rowena Mallari May 30, 2024

Show notes

Imagine all the highly motivated, high-achieving students who can excel at the most challenging colleges but lack the financial resources to attend. Matching this type of talent with full funding from top-tier schools is the mission of QuestBridge. CEO Ana Rowena Mallari recounts the organization’s 30-year scale journey, during which the program has fostered $5 billion in scholarships and helped 100,000 students. Co-founded by Mallari and Michael McCullough as a summer program at Stanford, QuestBridge now partners with more than 50 schools, transforming how colleges across the U.S. evaluate and admit their incoming classes.

Synthetic voiceover of Reid Hoffman used in this episode was produced by Respeecher with full consent and permission.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rapid Response: Robinhood confronts a GameStop sequel, w/CEO Vlad Tenev May 28, 2024

Show notes

How will the return of meme stocks like GameStop and day trading influencers like Roaring Kitty alter the fintech landscape? Robinhood’s co-founder and CEO Vlad Tenev, who was a lightning rod for controversy when meme stocks first surged in 2021, joins Rapid Response to explain what’s the same and what’s different this time around. Tenev also shares how his family’s struggles in 1990s Bulgaria shapes his view of the U.S. financial markets today, and whether trading on Robinhood is like using a sports gambling app.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pChXgKIemw

For more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meet “Reid-ish”: The Story of Cloning Reid Hoffman’s Voice May 23, 2024

Show notes

Masters of Scale goes under the hood of powerful AI in audio, unveiling a full vocal clone for founding host Reid Hoffman. Our CEO Jeff Berman, the Masters of Scale staff, and Reid himself tell the story of creating a synthetic voice we call “Reid-ish.” The company Respeecher is behind the technology, and its CEO Alex Serdiuk walks us through the speech replication process. Through “Reid-ish” we grapple with authenticity, disclosure, labor, and evolving norms around AI in media. Reid ponders what’s possible for greater sharing and learning through this audio technology, as well as what listeners should know about its use.

For more on our team’s principles and practices, go to mastersofscale.com/pledge for our proposed Listener’s Bill of Rights in the Age of AI.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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