Rapid Response

Latest Episodes:

Be relentless, so your team can be fearless, w/Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

Faced with long odds, how do you keep your team motivated and moving forward? As a leader, Alexis McGill Johnson is focused on building hope. As the president of Planned Parenthood, Johnson is preparing for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. But in the meantime, she’s modeling a sense of relentlessness for her team – so they can be fearless and unapologetic. Since she took over at Planned Parenthood, she’s faced both internal and external challenges. Something she learned early: "You really need to drive it like you stole it,” she says. “And don't wait for permission to make the transformations that you need to see.” She’s chosen to speak boldly, emphasizing equity and addressing the organization’s legacies of racism head on. The lessons she offers can be focused as a refusal to shy away from disappointments – and impossible dreams.

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Lessons of Omicron, w/Wellcome Trust director Sir Jeremy Farrar Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

Sir Jeremy Farrar is UK’s pre-eminent scientific authority on Covid-19 and the chief executive at the research foundation Wellcome Trust. He joins Rapid Response to discuss the latest learnings of the Omicron variant – and offers a framework for reacting to the uncertainty. Farrar, whose research specializes in infectious diseases, also shares the two most important leadership lessons he’s learned during the pandemic: find time for yourself, and take warnings seriously. “Humanity often finds ways of going through some really bad periods to get to a good place. And I think we're going through a bad period at the moment,” Farrar says.

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How to decarbonize your business, w/Kleiner Perkins partner John Doerr Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

“Go for the megatons.” That’s John Doerr’s recommendation for how we need to combat the existential threat of climate change. Doerr, a venture capitalist and author of the new book Speed and Scale, joins host Bob Safian to discuss our decarbonization efforts, what he calls “the greatest economic opportunity of the next century.” The book quantifies the specific societal needs, in six discrete areas, to achieve a carbon-neutral world. John isn’t arguing that we all need to be vegan ascetics, but rather, the need for collective action – and the critical role that business plays in advancing that movement.

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How flexibility creates momentum, w/Crate & Barrel CEO Janet Hayes Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Crate & Barrel CEO Janet Hayes has been on a mission to modernize the home decor company since she took over as CEO in August, 2020. When she first joined the company, stores were closed and the future of retail was uncertain as Covid-19 put in-person experiences to a screeching halt. She’s responded by leaning into digital and sustainability for her brands, and flexibility for her employees. “As soon as I said, ‘It's a flexible workplace, and I'm going to value talent, collaboration, and results over location,’ everybody has been working faster and smarter than ever,” she says.

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How GoFundMe has facilitated $15 billion in giving, w/CEO Tim Cadogan Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

From the start of the pandemic, GoFundMe has served as a consistent global outlet for help. Since its inception, the for-profit crowdsourcing platform has facilitated $15 billion in giving through more than 200 million donations. It’s also attracted big names to the platform, including Taylor Swift, the Dalai Lama, and will_i_am. The key to the company’s success? According to CEO Tim Cadogan: "You need great people who are really ambitious in service of the mission.” Cadogan argues that the difference between GoFundMe and other businesses is that GoFundMe is about “people helping each other,” as opposed to commercial transactions. Asking for help, he says, unlocks more possibilities than people realize – a lesson for GoFundMe users, and for businesses overall.

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Re-founding Instacart, w/CEO Fidji Simo Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

This past summer, Fidji Simo departed from Facebook – where she stood among the highest-ranking female executives, serving as the head of their app – for the opportunity to become a first-time CEO at Instacart. She replaced founder Apoorva Mehta, who appeared on this show last spring to talk about Instacart’s incredible COVID-fueled growth. Since then, Fidji has emphasized an evolved company mission, diversifying the company’s leadership and focusing on providing the necessary technology to help grocery retailers best serve their customers. As you’ll hear Fidji mention in the episode, she was raised in a French-Sicilian family where food anchored their daily life. “To me, Instacart’s mission resonated deeply, and I saw a very big opportunity.”

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Metaverse mania, the great resignation, and more, w/Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

Reid Hoffman and Rapid Response host Bob Safian break down what you need to know right now about the most important issues and opportunities impacting entrepreneurs. The co-hosts dive into inflation reactions, Facebook quandaries, metaverse mania, AI & crypto trends, and lessons from the Great Resignation. Plus: why LinkedIn pulled back in China, and what pundits are missing in the big tech backlash. "We should be playing into the future with ambition, with heart, with soul, with speed," says Reid.

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How to turn intentions into action, w/15 Percent Pledge founder Aurora James Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

In May 2020, as companies began making promises about how they’d help Black-owned businesses in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, Aurora James launched the 15 Percent Pledge initiative with an Instagram post. Tagging major retailers, she declared that 15% of retail shelf space should belong to Black-owned businesses. And she's helped these companies turn promise into action, unlocking $10 billion in revenue for Black-owned businesses. It's a relatable story for any small business or team: the tactics and strategies that allow one small but dedicated effort to deliver outsized results.

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Run toward AI, w/former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, breaks down his deep insights around artificial intelligence on Rapid Response. Schmidt, co-author of the new book "The Age of AI: And Our Human Future," alongside Dr. Henry Kissinger and MIT’s Daniel Huttenlocher, says that we’re entering an unknown era with technology – one that requires extra vigilance to ensure that we amplify the positives and de-amplify the negatives. His advice to businesses: You need to be running as fast as you can toward AI applications. If your competitor gets there first, you'll be in trouble. Schmidt argues that AI will change business, society, and potentially humanity itself. "It's important that our systems not enable the worst of us, but instead promote the best of us,” he says.

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How Peloton keeps pushing through resistance, w/CEO John Foley Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Skepticism and doubt are no strangers to John Foley, the CEO of Peloton. As he says, it’s been part of the company’s DNA “since the first time I pitched the business to an investor back in 2012.” Last year, the company was supercharged by pandemic demand. However, in 2021, the company has faced a slew of new headwinds, from product-safety issues to investor skepticism. In the face of these challenges, Peloton has doubled down on innovation and ambition. Foley doesn’t see skepticism about Peloton as a sign of weakness. He expects it, and learns from it.

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