

Rapid Response
WaitWhat
The pace of change in our culture is unprecedented and shows no signs of slowing. So what is most important to pay attention to when striving to innovate, create, and lead? From the team behind Masters of Scale, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today's top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company, Bob Safian.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 9, 2024 • 26min
Team USA’s bold plan for Paris, with US Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland
With 346 events over 17 days at this summer’s Paris Olympics, how do we zero in on the most important events, storylines, and takeaways? CEO of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland, returns to Rapid Response to provide an insider’s guide, including a preview of Team USA’s strategy. Hirshland also talks about the latest Chinese doping scandal, how changes to the NCAA put the future of collegiate sport in jeopardy, and plans for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghWrVGAo_P0See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jul 5, 2024 • 34min
GaryVee wants your attention, with VaynerMedia’s Gary Vaynerchuk (re-release)
We are excited to bring back one of our favorite episodes from the past year. In our attention economy, what does it take to capture the cultural zeitgeist? VaynerMedia’s Gary Vaynerchuk – or GaryVee – joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to preach the need for widespread empathy and fearless leadership, and he uncovers the secrets to his new platform’s unconventional scale. Plus, Vaynerchuk shares why he is the only person at his company with firing privileges, and why your happiness is worth fighting for above all else. In these trying times, it’s hard to not be inspired by Gary’s practical optimism.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL7xn-YwMkASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jul 2, 2024 • 30min
Why the fashion industry needs a makeover, with Imran Amed
The fashion world is at a sudden inflection point. Big luxury players are struggling, e-commerce markets are floundering, and ultra-fast players like Shein are disrupting. The Business of Fashion’s Imran Amed takes us inside the tumult, providing a framework to understand the trends and their larger economic impact. Plus: how manufacturers are adapting to new sustainability scrutiny, and the first year of Pharrell Williams’ tenure at Louis Vuitton. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V76MSWINFQ0See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 28, 2024 • 29min
Sea adventures that can save the planet, with Philippe Cousteau Jr.
The ocean is deep, dark, and largely overlooked in discussions of climate change. Philippe Cousteau Jr., grandson of the legendary ocean restorationist, inventor, and documentarian, Jacques Cousteau explains the immense impact of carbon in our seas. Cousteau joins Rapid Response to talk about missteps that plague the climate movement, lessons he learned from his grandfather that could reverse those errors, and why we need to leverage market dynamics to accelerate progress. Cousteau is a compelling storyteller, who balances pragmatism–about our fatigue over polar bears and coral reefs–with optimistic solutions to help us envision a better future for our planet.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DREyqun37bcSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 25, 2024 • 23min
Slutty Vegan wants to be the next Shake Shack, with founder Pinky Cole
While many plant-based food brands have struggled recently, Pinky Cole’s fast food chain Slutty Vegan keeps growing, with new restaurants across the U.S. Pinky sits down with Rapid Response host Bob Safian to explain how she’s scaling the brand despite lawsuits, social media attacks and a flurry of vegan restaurant competitor closures. Pinky also shares the story behind her recent keynote at Savannah State University, where she gifted the HBCU grads almost $9 million in entrepreneurial tools and training. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBsC8YqcUCMSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 21, 2024 • 23min
The inside buzz from Cannes Lions, w/Autodesk’s Dara Treseder
When Elon Musk, Karlie Kloss, Travis Kelce, and a who’s-who of media, branding, and tech execs all converge, there’s plenty of buzz. From the Cannes Lions festival in the south of France, Autodesk’s Dara Treseder talks with Bob Safian about the key themes, lessons, and intrigue that emerged. She explains why AI and women’s sports dominated much of the conversation, how the attention economy is giving way to the ‘intention economy,’ and why influencers don’t want you calling them “influencers” anymore. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bazq03QNkQSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 18, 2024 • 23min
Power moves for the planet, w/GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik
Can nuclear energy, solar and wind farms, and carbon capture scale fast enough to save the planet? GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian on stage at the Climatech conference in Boston to detail how green energy is evolving in 2024. GE Vernova is a new company spun out from General Electric, and helps power around a quarter of the world’s electricity. Strazik explains how today’s electrical grid limits renewable energy’s potential, and why it desperately needs a “new brain.”Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcZfnUX1BrQVisit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 14, 2024 • 20min
Inside Apple’s big week, w/Fast Company’s Yasmin Gagne
Apple used Monday’s keynote at the big annual WWDC event to unveil a roster of new software developments, product upgrades, and most importantly — their long-awaited AI play. Fast Company’s Yasmin Gagne joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss Apple’s new high-stakes partnership with OpenAI, implications for app-based businesses, and investors’ reactions to the week’s news. The pair also read the tea leaves on Tim Cook’s future successor, explore whether we’ve reached ‘peak Apple,’ and more.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKUNYVavHP8Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 11, 2024 • 24min
Taking over when tragedy strikes, w/Guild's Bijal Shah
After Guild’s founding CEO suffered a stroke at the age of just 34, Bijal Shah was tapped to take the helm. Shah joins Rapid Response to share the story behind the emotional leadership change, and how she wrestled with the immense responsibility of shepherding a company out of crisis. Shah also discusses how Taylor Swift inspires her leadership, and why Guild recently partnered with Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4jc66RXjvkVisit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 7, 2024 • 22min
Humanoid robots enter the workforce, w/Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson
In the era of AI, are Hollywood’s threatening sci-fi robots poised to come to life? Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility Robotics returns to Rapid Response to separate hype from reality, explaining how Agility’s humanoid robot, Digit, is entering the industrial workforce today. The former CEO of augmented reality startup Magic Leap, Johnson shares what makes robot tech more tangible than AR and explores the sensitive relationship between robotics and human-held jobs.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEN3pcQwt7kVisit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.