Office Hours with Spencer Rascoff

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Sheryl Sandberg: COO of Facebook May 11, 2017

Show notes

Dubbed Silicon Valley's "oddest couple" by The New York Times, together Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg have driven Facebook's astronomical growth and supported one another along the way. The keys to their successful COO-CEO partnership: open communication, commitment to their relationship and shared values.

General David Petraeus Apr 20, 2017

Show notes

With a storied career that includes leading coalition forces and counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus definitely knows a thing or two about leadership. According to Petraeus, effective leaders don't dictate the tactics; they establish the mission, boundaries and direction, then empower the team to determine the best route. Great leaders also understand that, sometimes, big ideas need to evolve — whether they're running a military operation or private-sector company.

Brad Tilden: CEO of Alaska Airlines Apr 06, 2017

Show notes

Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden is in the midst of his "what's next" agenda following the company's successful acquisition of Virgin America. Acquisitions, no matter how well executed, are almost always tough on companies. But the commonalities between Alaska and Virgin - their focus on customers and building alignment among employees - lays the foundation for the former competitors to work together and adopt the best features of both airlines as they move forward under a single brand.

Kevin Demoff: COO of the Los Angeles Rams Mar 23, 2017

Show notes

With managing a relocation, a mammoth real estate development and significant leadership changes on the coaching staff, L.A. Rams COO Kevin Demoff has a had a tumultuous couple of years. So how does he measure his organization's success? It's all about confidence in the coaching leadership - from the players, the front office and the fans.

Brandon Beck: CEO of Riot Games Mar 09, 2017

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Gaming is big business - a fact that perhaps no one knows better than Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games. Riot's League of Legends is an eSports juggernaut and ushered in a new era of competitive gaming where events draw tens of thousands of spectators and hundreds of thousands more via streaming. Riot hires exclusively gamers, something Brandon admits can be a pain point, but a policy that's essential in understanding League's audience and creating a product that will keep players entertained and challenged over the long term.

Jared Grusd: CEO of The Huffington Post Feb 14, 2017

Show notes

Nearly a year and a half ago, The Huffington Post's legendary founder Arianna Huffington recruited Jared Grusd from his role as head of strategy at Spotify to lead Huff Post as she transitioned to her newest business venture. Jared spent an entire year with Arianna learning the ins and outs of her vision for Huff Post and unpacking its core identity and the key drivers of its success. Jared's role, as he put it, was to "figure out the next chapter."

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Dec 16, 2016

Show notes

During her 27 years in the private sector, Secretary Penny Pritzker started five companies, led dozens of businesses and served on the boards of big corporations like Hyatt Hotels, LaSalle National Bank and the William Wrigley Company. When she answered President Obama's call to serve her country, Pritzker's arena switched from private to public, but her objectives and challenges as a leader didn't change.

Christa Quarles: CEO of OpenTable Nov 16, 2016

Show notes

About this episode's guest: CEO of OpenTable, which was founded nearly 20 years ago Previously CFO of Playdom, which was acquired by Disney in 2010 Left "armchair quarterbacking" on Wall Street for the gaming industry Topics covered in this episode: Broadening the scope of possibilities through technology Balancing a simultaneously mature and entrepreneurial environment Being an innovator in a traditional industry

Aaron Levie: CEO of Box Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

About this episode's guest: Founded Box at age 20 with three friends from high school. Prolific user of social media, with 678,000+ followers. Known for wearing bright-colored sneakers. Topics covered in this episode: Why Levie chooses to be outspoken politically. How the future of work is changing. Which types of companies will and won't be disrupted -- and why. The benefits of being a publicly traded company. Differences between the San Francisco and Seattle tech and venture capital scenes.

Sallie Krawcheck: CEO of Ellevest Sep 07, 2016

Show notes

With her longstanding Wall Street career (Citigroup, Merrill Lynch) and unique perspective as a woman in a predominantly male industry, Sallie Krawcheck is tackling a question that has mystified investment banks for decades: how to successfully market wealth management services to women. As CEO of digital financial investment platform Ellevest, she sees diversity as the greatest advantage in cracking the code. Krawcheck encourages each employee to bring their "whole self" to work, and emphasizes hiring the best fit for the team, which in some cases could be a different choice than the person who traditionally would be considered the best fit for the role.