Masters of Scale

Latest Episodes:

Rapid Response: Hourly workers are a ‘hero class’ w/Cue Ball’s Tony Tjan Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

Hourly workers are the 'hero class,' says VC Tony Tjan. And the pandemic is wreaking havoc on their financial stability. At Boston’s Cue Ball Group, Tony’s portfolio includes companies that employ hundreds of nail care workers, cooks and servers, and he's asking: How can we protect hourly workers and help them prepare for an uncertain future? And how can we plan for the long term, when the daily keeps changing? Co-hosted by Masters of Scale editor-at-large Bob Safian.

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

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Rapid Response: First, be human – Thoughts on the crisis from Reid Hoffman Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Can you blitzscale when the world grinds to a halt? How do you do right by your team AND your investors? What will the entrepreneurial world look like on the other side of this? In this special episode, our host Reid Hoffman, sits on the other side of the mic, contextualizing the crisis and offering a hopeful viewpoint. Interviewed by editor Bob Safian.

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

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Rapid Response: Danny Meyer on the wrenching decision to do layoffs Mar 24, 2020

Show notes

Last week, Danny Meyer laid off 2,000 people – that's 80 percent of staff at Union Square Hospitality Group, representing 20+ restaurants across the country. It was a heartbreaking decision made with full understanding of the impacts, short and long-term – or as much as can possibly be known in this volatile time. In this special episode, Danny returns to the show to share why and how he acted so quickly, the process he and his team used to make this decision, the impact of the layoff, and what comes next for his industry. Interviewed by editor Bob Safian.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/danny-meyer-layoffs/

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Rapid Response: Remote teams, w/WordPress/Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

The first in a series of special episodes with tools you need RIGHT NOW | Suddenly, many of us are remote workers. As companies radically reimagine their day-to-day in response to the pandemic, we all need to know what Matt Mullenweg has learned: How to thrive as a successful remote team. As founder of Automattic (creators of WordPress etc.), Matt runs a 1,000-person team that’s almost entirely remote. How do they do it? Matt shares his best practices here. It won't sound like our typical episodes. This is just Reid and Matt, sharing insights on how to run fully distributed teams that build culture and trust — and succeed.

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

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How to start a revolution, w/Bitcoin pioneer Wences Casares (Xapo) Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

What if your idea is so radical that people have trouble grasping what it is — or even believing it won't harm them? Every founder believes their product is revolutionary – and the more revolutionary their product, the more reassuring they’ll need to be to get consumers on board. No one knows this better than Wences Casares, the trailblazing entrepreneur credited with bringing crypto to Silicon Valley (and convincing Reid himself). With his unicorn startup Xapo, a Bitcoin wallet, Wences aims to reassure the masses that Bitcoin isn’t as different or as dangerous as they may think. Cameo appearances: Linda Rottenberg (Endeavor), Anne Wojcicki (23andMe).

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/wences-casares-how-to-start-a-revolution/

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Strategy Session: When to replace the founder, how to be a learn-it-all, when to take the "venture bet," w/questions from Endeavor Outliers and co-host Bob Safian, editor-at-large Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

Growth vs. innovation, scale vs. stability, founders vs, CEOs? Entrepreneurs want to know! In this month's Strategy Session, high-performing scale-ups from around the world ask Reid their most urgent strategic questions. This episode features Endeavor's "Outliers" – the fastest-growing, highest-performing entrepreneurs from this global incubator. They want to know: What do they do next?

Co-hosted by Bob Safian, the host of our sister podcast, Masters of Scale: Rapid Response, and the former editor-in-chief at Fast Company magazine.

Read a transcript of Strategy Session 3 at: https://mastersofscale.com/strategy-session-endeavor-outliers/

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Be a platform, w/Shopify's Tobi Lütke Feb 13, 2020

Show notes

The secret to massive scale? Be a platform. Build a virtuous cycle where everyone wins, and you’ll emerge the biggest winner of all. This is what Tobi Lütke did when he built Shopify – and then opened it up to the world. Cameo appearances by: Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt (Google), Julia Hartz (Eventbrite), and Gustav Söderström (Spotify).

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/tobi-lutke-be-a-platform/

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Netflix’s Reed Hastings: Why culture matters Feb 06, 2020

Show notes

Classic episode: You need a strong culture to build a company that will scale beyond the early days of start up. And strong company cultures only emerge when every employee feels they own the culture from day one. Here's how Reed Hastings did it – and made Netflix culture (and its “culture deck”) famous in the process. Cameo appearances: Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn), Aneel Bhusri (Workday), Margaret Heffernan (entrepreneur), Tristan Walker (Walker & Co.), Mariam Naficy (Minted).

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When to zoom in, when to zoom out, w/Josh Silverman (Etsy/eBay/Skype/Evite) Jan 23, 2020

Show notes

When do you see the forest? And when do you see the trees? Building a company to scale requires a delicate balance of macro and micro focus – and the skill to know where to focus when. Josh Silverman has built that skill in leadership roles at Evite, eBay, Skype, and now Etsy. What he’s learned: Success isn’t just about zooming in on the details or taking the long view – but about knowing when to switch between perspectives.

Read Nik Money's book The Selfish Ape: Human Nature and Our Path to Extinction.

Watch Scott Suko topple dominoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IuUp-rI0VU&feature=youtu.be

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/josh-silverman-when-to-zoom-in-when-to-zoom-out/

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Strategy Session: When not to blitzscale, how to persuade your board to let you slow down, and: Are you in a Glengarry Glen Ross market? w/questions from Endeavor and co-host Youngme Moon of HBS Jan 17, 2020

Show notes

When's the right time for hypergrowth? Should you take investment when you don’t need the money? How do you deal with an exhausted team? Global entrepreneurs facing hyperfast growth ask Reid their questions about raising capital, pivoting their product, bootstrapping vs. blitzscaling and more. Featuring six entrepreneurs from Endeavor, and cohosted by Harvard professor Youngme Moon, of the great HBS podcast After Hours.

Youngme Moon is the Donald K. David Professor of Business at Harvard Business School; the author of the bestselling book Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd; and co-host of After Hours, presented by Harvard Business Review.

Read a transcript of Strategy Session 2 at: https://mastersofscale.com/global-strategy-session/

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