Rapid Response

Latest Episodes:

In crisis, be more altruistic, w/DonorsChoose CEO Charles Best Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

People are altruistic – even more so in times of uncertainty. DonorsChoose CEO Charles Best has learned this through 20 years of leading his nonprofit through the terrorist attacks of 9/11, multiple recessions, and now a pandemic. Charles knows how to listen to what grantees really need – and donors really want — and how to pivot to address changing needs. In the last few weeks, DonorsChoose has completely reimagined how it connects grantees with the resources they need, and built a new platform to do it. Because the value of a donation, he says, goes far beyond what money can buy.

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Retail's fight to survive, w/Target CEO Brian Cornell Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

Every day in a pandemic is different, and that’s true for people and for corporations. CEO Brian Cornell has promised Target will keep its doors open. To do that, Target is becoming "a good student," says Brian, listening to experts, collaborating with CEOs, staying flexible, and meeting daily to make decisions on an ever changing list of priorities, the first of which is to keep both the team and the guests safe. To date, they’ve made a $300 million investment in pay and benefits, back up childcare, elder care, enhanced store cleanings, and more. No one knows what will happen, says Brian, but he believes that by putting his team first, he is putting the customer first – and serving the larger community.

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First, be human, w/Masters of Scale host Reid Hoffman Apr 19, 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, Reid Hoffman, sits on the other side of the mic with Rapid Response host Bob Safian — contextualizing the crisis and offering a hopeful viewpoint.

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“A pandemic doesn’t see money", w/TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot Apr 18, 2020

Show notes

TaskRabbit remains open for business, says CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot. As the magnitude and severity of the pandemic became clear – and as workers across the U.S. were furloughed and services cut – TaskRabbit leaned into the work they do: providing services to those who need them and empowering Taskers with new opportunities for income, including virtual tasks, and Tasks for Good, which connects vulnerable individuals in need with local volunteer Taskers. TaskRabbit was founded during the 2008 financial crisis and then and now, says Stacy, the business remains a necessity, for the community, and for the gig economy.

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Crisis data is the story of our times, w/Crisis Text Line founder Nancy Lublin Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

"Anxiety," "grief," "mom”: These are the words that matter at this extreme moment in time. That data comes from Crisis Text Line, whose online counselors are using both empathy and aggregated data to help people through this pandemic. Founder and former CEO Nancy Lublin makes the case for not losing sight of data — especially at extreme moments like this. Crisis Text Line provides free, confidential crisis counseling via text, 24/7 and to help counselors meet the moment, they anonymize and analyze real-time data on how their users are feeling. That data is telling us the story of right now.

Want to support Crisis Text Line?

Share the link. We want to help. Share CrisisTextLine.org
Suggest partners. We want more people to know we are here and 100% operational. Media partners, companies, influencers, hotlines. Find us at CrisisTextLine.org
Volunteer. People can be part of a solution, from their couch, in their jammies. CrisisTextLine.org/volunteer

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How to keep an essential business running, w/Lyft co-founder John Zimmer Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Everything starts with transportation, says John Zimmer, co-founder and president of Lyft. And even though ride sharing is sharply down, transportation remains key – for essential workers and for our supply chain. So Lyft is flexing some new muscles, says John. They recently launched a delivery service so they can help get supplies where they need to go – and put drivers on the road. They’ve also spent over a million dollars on protective equipment so that both drivers and riders can be protected; and began providing free and discounted rides to both essential workers and people in need of transportation. John’s hope is that by Lyft staying true to its mission, they’ll come out successful on the other side.

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

Hourly workers are a 'hero class', w/Cue Ball investor Tony Tjan Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

Jobless claims are in the millions and climbing by the week. As businesses close indefinitely, the workforce—and especially hourly workers — face an astounding level of financial instability. At Boston’s Cue Ball Group, Tony Tjan’s portfolio includes companies that employ hundreds of nail care workers, cooks, and servers. For some of their businesses revenue has fallen to zero. And Tony'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?

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A playbook for when there’s no playbook, w/Carbon CEO Ellen Kullman Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

How do you survive a crisis? You create your own trajectory, says Ellen Kullman. And she knows: In her former role, she became CEO of the chemical engineering giant DuPont in 2008, just ahead of the financial crisis. During those years of straight free fall, Ellen learned how to lead through what seemed like completely devastating circumstances and developed four crisis principles, forged through the fire of experience. She’s putting those to the test now, at the helm of 3D printing unicorn startup, Carbon. She took the role just five months ago – and then headed straight into the pandemic. At Carbon, she’s zeroing in on what she can control (from innovating manufacturing to restructuring supply chains to where the team works) and pivoting to create a new path to success.

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Crisis is pushing us back to our roots, w/Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

As the pandemic hit, Airbnb was preparing for an IPO. Within a matter of days, everything changed dramatically, as travel worldwide screamed to a halt. “I felt like I was captain of a ship and a torpedo hit the side,” says CEO Brian Chesky. Airbnb responded quickly, announcing that they'd override host rules and allow for guest cancellations. They went on to establish a relief fund for hosts, lobby the U.S. Congress to include hosts in the CARES stimulus package; open up a new business line of virtual experiences, and raise an astounding one billion dollars in new capital — all with the goal of both weathering the storm and laying the groundwork for the new era of travel that Chesky firmly believes will follow. Chesky takes our co-host Bob Safian through the last few weeks, shares what gives him hope and explains why he’s bringing Airbnb back to its roots as a scrappy, resilient startup that can adapt and evolve.

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The wrenching decision to layoff thousands, w/restauranteur Danny Meyer Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

In late March 2020, 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-term and long-term – or as much as can possibly be known in this volatile time. Danny shares 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.

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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