When Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya first arrived in the U.S., he had little money and no big plans. But combine his childhood growing up in a nomadic dairy-farming Kurdish family, some college-level business courses, and a lot of spunk, and his winding trajectory is a unique story of an entrepreneur finding his north star. Today, Adam asks Hamdi about his “anti-CEO playbook” and the business philosophies he leads with, which aim to prioritize people over profit. Hamdi also shares the work he is doing with refugees around the world, and why he invests in projects with adaptable plans and resilient people. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chobani founder, Hamdi Ulukaya, discusses prioritizing people over profit, his anti-CEO approach, and combating global inequality. He shares insights on building a successful business with inclusivity, empowerment of employees, and a human-centric approach to growth.

When Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya first arrived in the U.S., he had little money and no big plans. But combine his childhood growing up in a nomadic dairy-farming Kurdish family, some college-level business courses, and a lot of spunk, and his winding trajectory is a unique story of an entrepreneur finding his north star. Today, Adam asks Hamdi about his “anti-CEO playbook” and the business philosophies he leads with, which aim to prioritize people over profit. Hamdi also shares the work he is doing with refugees around the world, and why he invests in projects with adaptable plans and resilient people. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a newly arrived immigrant from Turkey, Hamdi Ulukaya learned to be resourceful, determined, and even stubborn when he needed to be. All those traits would serve him well as he began to navigate the hairpin turns of building a yogurt business from the ground up. In 2005, Hamdi was running a small feta cheese business in upstate New York when he happened upon a piece of junk mail that would change his life: an ad for an abandoned yogurt factory...$700K, as is. He knew if he could get his hands on it, he could bring a new kind of dairy product to the U.S.—the thick, creamy yogurt he’d grown up eating in the mountains of Turkey. With the help of a local bank, Hamdi bought the factory, and sales grew so quickly that he could barely keep up. A few years later, some bad business decisions nearly pushed the company into bankruptcy, but today, Chobani is one of the most popular yogurt brands in the U.S; and Greek-style yogurt has become a staple of the dairy aisle.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder and CEO of Chobani, shares his inspiring journey from immigrant to yogurt innovator. He emphasizes mission-driven entrepreneurship and maintaining core values amid rapid growth. The conversation covers his commitment to employee welfare, community support, and social responsibility, particularly in aiding refugees. Ulukaya also highlights the importance of strong relationships in entrepreneurship and discusses leadership challenges, including managing team dynamics while ensuring organizational success.