Masters of Scale

Latest Episodes:

Bonus: 10 New Rules for Big Career Changes (The Graduation Episode) w/Jordan Harbinger Jun 21, 2019

Show notes

On Masters of Scale, we talk a lot about how businesses grow. But we also talk about how people grow: How key decisions (and happy accidents) can shape your future, and how your setbacks can actually set you up for success. On this special Graduation Episode, guest host Jordan Harbinger teams up with Reid Hoffman to share advice that will help you navigate choices in your career, with insights from Instagram's Kevin Systrom, Yahoo's Marissa Mayer, Spotify's Daniel Ek, and more.

Get more from Jordan Harbinger: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com

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Bringing a culture back from the brink, w/Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi Jun 05, 2019

Show notes

Early-stage startups are a lot like pirate ships – they need a buccaneering spirit to survive. But every startup needs to shed its pirate nature at some point, and evolve into something more akin to a navy – no less heroic, but more disciplined. As the new CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi took on the most extreme pirate-to-navy transition in startup history. Though Uber blitzscaled to become the most valuable startup in the world, it was also notorious for its toxic culture. Dara turned the company around. His method? Truth-telling and doing the right thing. Cameo appearances: Arianna Huffington (Thrive Global) and Ben Chestnut (Mailchimp).

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/dara-khosrowshahi-how-pirates-become-the-navy/

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The case for bootstrapping, w/Mailchimp's Ben Chestnut May 21, 2019

Show notes

You can bootstrap your business to scale, but you'll have to make your own luck. Nobody knows this better than Mailchimp's Ben Chestnut. He used a DIY ethos to grow a $600M company without ever raising a dollar of outside funding. The Mailchimp story is the exception to Reid's rule (always raise more money than you think you need!). The episode explores a range of options for those who don't fit the VC-funding mold. Cameo appearances: LeVar Burton (Star Trek, Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton Reads), Don MacKinnon (Milq), Karen Cahn (iFundWomen).

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/ben-chestnut-the-case-for-bootstrapping/

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Open or closed? The answer is both, w/Joi Ito Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

No organization that’s entirely closed — or entirely open — can scale as successfully as an organization that combines both. Yes, it invites a bit of chaos – but chaos breeds innovation. Joi Ito has spent his career championing radically open systems, from Creative Commons to cyber currency. As a past director of the famed MIT Media Lab, he focused on facilitating conversations that keep pace with the shifting challenges we face in our companies, institutions and societies. Cameo appearance: Megan Smith (former U.S. Chief Technology Officer).

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Take bigger risks, w/Shellye Archambeau Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

If you try to avoid risk, you actually risk total failure. Or worse: mediocrity. Take it from Shellye Archambeau. She led the most stunning Silicon Valley turnaround you’ve never heard of. She took the role of CEO for a failing tech company, months from bankruptcy. Through a series of calculated risks, she led it through a complex merger, a head-spinning pivot, and grew it into MetricStream, which now boasts 1,200 employees and a valuation in the hundreds of millions. How? Clear goals and big risks — the same principles that have defined her career. With a cameo appearance by poker champion Liv Boeree.

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/shellye-archambeau-take-bigger-risks/

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Check your blindspot, w/Sallie Krawcheck (Ellevest) Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

If your company's dominated by one type of person, you run the risk of tunnel vision. You might move fast — but you'll often drive straight into traps. Truly scalable companies need a diverse portfolio of viewpoints to see the opportunities others miss. Sallie Krawcheck knows this well. She rose through the ranks of Wall Street and saw firsthand the challenges a lack of diversity brings. After serving as CEO of Sanford Bernstein, Smith Barney, Citi's Wealth Management and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Sallie went on to found Ellevest, an investment platform aimed at women. Her straight talk — and hilarious asides — create the clear business case for diversity of all kinds. Cameo appearance: Steven Johnson

Read Stephen Johnson's book Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions That Matter the Most

Learn more about Stephen's books and podcasts at https://stevenberlinjohnson.com/

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/sallie-krawcheck-check-your-blindspot/

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The Reid Hoffman Story (Part 2): Make everyone a hero Feb 26, 2019

Show notes

We’re back with Part 2 of our special turn-the-tables episode with Reid Hoffman. In this episode, we follow Reid through PayPal, LinkedIn, the Microsoft acquisition, his angel investments, Greylock, and his hosting of Masters of Scale — all the while proving our theory that you can chart an epic journey to scale if you make everyone you enlist a hero — in their OWN story and not just yours. Guest host: June Cohen, the executive producer of Masters of Scale and the cofounder of WaitWhat, the company behind it). Cameo appearances: Arianna Huffington (Thrive Global) and Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn).

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/reid-hoffman-make-everyone-a-hero-part-two/

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The Reid Hoffman Story (Part 1): Make everyone a hero Jan 22, 2019

Show notes

In this special episode, we turn the tables on host Reid Hoffman. He’s the guest and we tell his story, while proving a theory that’s perfect for Reid: You can chart an epic journey to scale, if you make everyone a hero along the way. Our guest host is June Cohen, executive producer of Masters of Scale, CEO of WaitWhat, and former executive producer of TED Talks. Cameo: Matthew Mercer, host of the web series Critical Role.

Listen to Critical Role: https://critrole.com/

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/reid-hoffman-make-everyone-a-hero/

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Let your customers be your scouts, w/Eventbrite's Julia Hartz Jan 08, 2019

Show notes

That constant roar of customer feedback? Be thankful for it. It holds all the secrets to your success, if you learn how to read the signs. Listen to what users say, sure. But also watch what they do and interpret what they need. Eventbrite's Julia Hartz embodies this principle. She believes passionately in learning from her customers, and has made rapid response to user feedback the driving force behind Eventbrite’s strategy — as it grew from a simple ticketing app to a full-service platform for event creators, offering everything from ticket sales to custom RFID readers.

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/julia-hartz-let-your-customers-be-your-scouts/

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To scale, you must master the skill of storytelling, w/Charity: Water's Scott Harrison Dec 18, 2018

Show notes

You need a great story to build a great company. And great stories are unwaveringly true. No one embodies this principle more fully than Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water. A master storyteller, Scott built his nonprofit on 3 radical principles: (1) 100% of donations would go to water projects (not overhead). (2) Progress reports would be utterly transparent, sharing victories, defeats and even GPS coordinates of water wells. (3) The brand’s storytelling would lead with hope instead of guilt, inspiring joyful participation without sacrificing honesty.

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/scott-harrison-to-scale-you-must-master-the-art-of-storytelling/

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