
Rapid Response
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.
Latest episodes

Dec 14, 2023 • 21min
Inside Intel’s AI ambitions, w/CEO Pat Gelsinger
The AI boom in 2023 left Intel chasing rival Nvidia, whose chips — and shares — have been in high demand. Like other laggards amid this year’s AI mania, Intel is now fighting back, announcing the first-ever AI PC. Intel’s CEO Pat Gelsinger sits down with Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss how the company is working to re-establish itself — and sharing lessons for leaders everywhere about the long-term trajectory of the AI wave and how to practically position yourself to ride it. Plus, Pat shares leadership insights from his unceremonious exit from Intel a decade ago, and how he’s applying those learnings now in his second tour of duty.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 30, 2023 • 27min
Navigating a leadership crisis, w/Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher
How do you restore confidence after a high-profile leadership uproar? Web Summit’s new CEO Katherine Maher joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss taking over after the sudden, forced resignation of founding CEO Paddy Cosgrave. With echoes of the drama at OpenAI, Maher describes how she navigated the tumult, calming partners like Amazon and Google and enabling Web Summit’s signature event in Lisbon to draw 70,000 attendees. Plus, Maher shares lessons from her time at the helm of the Wikimedia Foundation and insight on how the world of politics and global events is increasingly intertwined with business.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 28, 2023 • 30min
Remix: Scott Harrison & charity: water, 5 years later
In the five years since Scott Harrison’s first appearance on Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman, the nonprofit organization he founded, charity: water, has scaled 5 times over. In this episode, he and host Bob Safian reflect on that journey by revisiting some of the stories and lessons from his original episode, and Scott shares new lessons of scale he's learned since.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 16, 2023 • 33min
GaryVee wants your attention, w/VaynerMedia’s Gary Vaynerchuk
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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 9, 2023 • 23min
Your pandemic business takeaways are wrong, w/authors Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean
Kick the conventional wisdom. In this episode of Rapid Response, Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera sit down with Bob Safian to discuss their book, The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind. The pair faced blowback for their damning investigation of business leadership in the wake of COVID. They share how lockdowns may have miscalculated risk versus reward, the pros and cons of a market-based society, and the era’s parallels to the Enron debacle. Plus, they share vital leadership lessons about adapting to new information instead of relying on precedent, and why no decision should be made out of panic.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 26, 2023 • 23min
Gaza in crisis, w/Mercy Corps’ Arnaud Quemin
Keeping calm in a crisis is essential — and extremely difficult. In this special Rapid Response, we hear what it’s like right now in the Gaza Strip. Mercy Corps’s Arnaud Quemin talks with Bob Safian from Amman, Jordan about how his team in Gaza is coping, sharing first-hand accounts from those on the ground. As director of the humanitarian organization’s Middle East operations, Arnaud himself had to relocate from Beirut due to the crisis. He shares how he’s trying to help his team and others in need. Despite high emotions, he says, there’s an imperative to stay neutral, to enable eventual progress. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 23, 2023 • 24min
Supporting Palestinian builders versus destroyers, w/Kind founder Daniel Lubetzky
Can you foster peace between Palestinians and Israelis through business engagement? That’s been a priority of Daniel Lubetzky, founder of Kind Snacks, who has worked with entrepreneurs across the region for decades. Lubetzky joins Bob Safian for this special episode of Rapid Response to draw a distinction between Palestinians and Hamas, and to call for support for what he calls "builders" versus "destroyers" on both sides of the conflict. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 18, 2023 • 25min
On the ground in Israel, w/Hello Heart CEO Maayan Cohen
In the midst of conflict and turmoil, Hello Heart CEO Maayan Cohen leads her team with compassion, resilience, and a commitment to justice. In this special episode of Masters of Scale Rapid Response, Cohen describes navigating the unprecedented challenges of running a business in Israel while the country is at war, all while prioritizing the safety and well-being of her employees and their families. This episode does contain descriptions of specific acts of violence that may be disturbing. Please take appropriate care.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 12, 2023 • 22min
Under Armour’s pivot to growth, w/CEO Stephanie Linnartz
Can you reinvigorate a beloved but troubled brand by applying lessons from a different industry? Under Armour CEO Stephanie Linnartz firmly believes so — and earlier this year made the leap from Marriott to become the first woman to helm a major sports apparel brand.She joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to talk about how her 25 years with Marriott is giving her unexpected insight as she works to pivot Under Armour back to growth by leaning into sports style, sharper product segmentation, and an amplified emphasis on women as customers.Stephanie shares why she hired fashion designer John Varvatos, the importance of the Taylor Swift phenomenon for all brands, and what trying every single item in Under Armour's female line taught her. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 5, 2023 • 25min
How to revive collaboration at work, w/WPP’s Mark Read
With companies wrestling with the question of returning to the office or to continue working from home, there are so many questions around the future of work. How do you maximize your team’s creative output and entice them to want to come back to the office, while navigating the opportunities and challenges of working with AI? WPP CEO Mark Read believes that working together in an office is better – for collaboration, for training new employees, and for company culture. In this episode of Rapid Response, host Bob Safian speaks with Mark about the hurdles companies face in bringing folks back to the office, adopting generative AI, and leading during an era of disruption.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.