Leadership traits of successful CEOs

Elizabeth McBride and Seth Levine return to discuss the ideas behind their book Capital Evolution and the shifts they see across capitalism, innovation, and work. They describe conversations with young people who believe "socialism is the right answer," and explain why "nearly half of people under forty now don't think that capitalism works." They share experiences from a World Bank launch event where one attendee "jumped in his car and raced to get there" because he was "so engaged in entrepreneurship and this idea of we need to build things really rapidly."

Elizabeth explains that the book argues, "capitalism is a flawed system" and that "we need to always be working on making it better," while Seth adds that history shows socialism "has literally, and I mean literally like never in a single instance, actually worked." They describe how disillusionment arises when people "don't have a stake in the market system," and why "we want more people… to have a stake in the system."

They also highlight stories of communities and leaders returning to fundamentals: "jobs are really key," and building businesses is "an incredibly hard thing." They note how polarization and "black and white thinking" have distorted conversations around business, leadership, and community. At the same time, people around the world remain energized by free markets and opportunity.

The discussion turns to AI, where Elizabeth sees "a big labor market disruption" and Seth describes himself as "a techno optimist," emphasizing that disruption must be understood within larger economic cycles. Both agree that new forms of the ownership economy may "cushion the blow" as productivity rises.

They offer guidance for individuals navigating job insecurity: becoming "really, really scrappy," embracing "face-to-face interactions," being willing to adapt, and "leaning into AI" instead of treating it as the enemy. They emphasize that new businesses remain essential, because startups "have always been somewhere between a hundred percent and a hundred and ten percent of job creation."

They close by reflecting on interviews with CEOs and innovators who are "circumspect," optimistic, and focused on navigating "this incredibly difficult political environment." The leaders who succeed tend to rely on teams, tell stories centered on others, and consistently "put yourself in other people's shoes."

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