Ariel Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Navon, and Todd McKinnon, co-founder and CEO of Okta, dive into the tumultuous world of leading companies through crises. They share personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing rapid declines in revenue and the emotional toll on teams. The conversation highlights the importance of strategic pivots, such as developing innovative products during downtime, and the complexities of hiring motivated employees. Join them as they navigate resilience, adaptability, and leadership challenges in today's unpredictable business landscape.

Ariel Cohen, Co-founder and CEO of Navan, shares thrilling insights from his journey of scaling the travel management super-app during the pandemic. He argues that SAP and Salesforce will crumble due to innovation stagnation and reveals how startups can maintain their edge. Cohen discusses education's shortcomings, emphasizing the need for personal interest in learning. He also touches on the transformative role of AI in travel, predicting a rise in margins and efficiency. Listeners will gain valuable perspectives on resilience and the future of venture capital.

Guest: Ariel Cohen, CEO and co-founder of NavanAs a business travel-focused startup, Navan (previously known as TripActions) was heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020; after laying off 24% of the staff, CEO Ariel Cohen says he became a “wartime CEO,” spending three months in “complete denial and just executing.” By June, employees were leaving and he was depressed — but he still believed that business travel would come back. “You cannot just look at a moment and say that it will change everything,” he says. “... I disconnected from the news and from some of our investors and from ... negativity and started to lead the company again.” In a way, he explains, it was like a reset to the earliest days of the business, because the only people left were long-term believers like him.In this episode, Ariel and Joubin discuss “tier one” VCs, developing goodwill, company money vs. employee money, wartime CEOs, putting handcuffs on founders, staying dynamic, returning to the office, scuba diving, shared values, Macallan whisky, believing in startups, losing employees, in-person connections, secondary liquidity, and “deposits and withdrawals.”In this episode, we cover:Picking the right investors (01:22)Connecting to the Matrix (04:04)Obsessing over failure (10:29)Reflecting on an eight-year journey (14:56)The benefits of naïveté (17:50)Ariel’s entrepreneur father and early jobs (20:45)Older startup founders (23:03)Getting out of large companies (25:35)Personal burn rate (28:03)Becoming the big company (30:11)Pivoting into AI (32:44)Project Reset and personally resetting (34:12)Making controversial decisions (39:55)“What could I have done better?” (45:43)Ariel’s co-founder Ilan Twig (47:04)What makes a co-founder relationship work? (48:50)Running out of cash (51:18)Being a travel startup during COVID (55:53)The depression quarter (01:00:12)Long-term believers (01:02:54)Why Navan would go public (01:07:55)Startup advice and hard-charging CEOs (01:11:27)What “grit” means to Ariel and who Navan is hiring (01:15:24)Links:Connect with ArielLinkedInEmail: ariel@navan.comConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com Learn more about Kleiner PerkinsThis episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

This discussion features Thomas Peterffy, founder of Interactive Brokers, sharing insights on consumer trends and the role of election forecasting in trading. Mohamed El-Erian provides an optimistic view on a potential economic soft landing. CEOs Pedro Franceschi of Brex and Ariel Cohen of Navan reveal their new partnership aimed at streamlining business travel expenses. The talk also touches on the influence of AI in investments and the current market volatility, highlighting strategies for navigating these changes.

Bloomberg economist previews RBA interest rate decision; updates on Xi's Europe trip and meeting with Macron; discussion on Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks

Topics include Federal Reserve meeting, inflation metrics, market updates, Russian imperialism, cultural enrichment, surge pricing, and NBA expansion

Bloomberg journalist Annmarie Hordern and Dr. Ariel Cohen of the Atlantic Council discuss the death of Russian activist Alexey Navalny and the challenges of understanding Russia. They also explore the implications of Navalny's death for Putin and Russia, the escalating tensions between Russia and the West, and the need for restored deterrence in Europe.

Ariel Cohen, CEO of Navan, talks about how the company shifted towards AI, solving travel challenges, the impact of AI on company growth, building a global team, AI as a platform shift, and the future of AI at Navan.

Bloomberg Intelligence explores Black Friday data and Cyber Monday outlook, while discussing 'buy now, pay later' services. The cease-fire in Israel-Hamas conflict is analyzed by Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. Investing in diverse tech startups is discussed by Unconventional Ventures' Co-Founder. Drive to the Close with Chief Investment Officer at Frost Investment Advisors.

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Mick Mulroy, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council Dr. Ariel Cohen, Israel's former Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, Head of Macro Strategy at Academy Securities Peter Tchir, and Major General Mastin Robeson discuss the ongoing conflict in Israel, including the intelligence failure, potential involvement of Iran, and Israel's response. They explore Israel's strategy to dismantle the command structures of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the emotional stress faced by the people of Israel, and potential geopolitical responses and alliances.