

Rapid Response
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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

Jun 3, 2025 • 35min
Sports biz at a crossroads, from the WNBA to the NCAA to ESPN, with Sarah Spain of Good Game
Sports business has never had higher stakes—for every league, every team, every streaming service, and every player. Sarah Spain, host of the podcast Good Game with Sarah Spain, longtime ESPN personality and sports journalist, joins Rapid Response to unpack the complexities behind the WNBA’s mainstream moment, the future of ESPN’s streaming, and the looming legal settlement that could transform college athletics forever. She argues that the men’s playbook isn’t the way forward for pro women’s leagues and breaks down how culture is key to any winning strategy—from the locker room to the C-suite.You can find Sarah’s new book Runs in the Family here.Visit 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.

May 30, 2025 • 28min
Hollywood eyes big business at the box office, with The Ankler’s Janice Min
Fresh off a successful Memorial Day weekend, fuelled by excitement around Mission Impossible and Lilo & Stitch, Hollywood anticipates a season of surprising blockbusters and bold bets from studios hungry for a hit. The Ankler’s CEO Janice Min returns to Rapid Response to peel back the curtain on Disney’s gripe with Youtube, Netflix’s revamped homepage, and Google’s jaw-dropping AI video creator. Plus, Min explores the mounting pressure plaguing Warner Brothers Discovery – from Trump’s attacks on 60 Minutes and CBS News, to a rebranding U-turn at HBO Max. Visit 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.

May 27, 2025 • 30min
OLIPOP’s gutsy play to dethrone Coke and Pepsi, with Ben Goodwin
OLIPOP’s surging popularity has taken the $60 billion soda industry by storm. As Gen Z and millennials ditch sugary sodas, OLIPOP is leading the pre-biotic beverage trend, sparking the likes of Coca Cola and PepsiCo to enter the fray. OLIPOP’s co-founder, CEO and formulator, Ben Goodwin, joins Rapid Response to share how the brand is navigating the turbulence of rapid growth and rising competition, what leadership lessons he's had to embrace along the way, and whether healthy soda is actually healthy or just a TikTok-fueled fad.Visit 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.

May 23, 2025 • 28min
The 2 million volunteers fixing immigration, with Welcome.US' Nazanin Ash
As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, Welcome.US has triggered a dramatic impact on US immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization’s co-founder and CEO, Nazanin Ash, joins Rapid Response to share how her team developed an effective and efficient model, unlocking a nonpartisan, corporate-backed community of 2 million volunteers. Welcome.US is a story of both business innovation and human inspiration.Visit 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.

May 20, 2025 • 34min
The enterprise AI revolution is underway, with Box’s Aaron Levie
The buzz in Silicon Valley around AI agents has many asking: What’s real and what’s hype? Box’s co-founder and CEO, Aaron Levie, joins Rapid Response to help decipher between fact and fiction, taking listeners inside the fast-paced evolution of agents and its impact on the future of enterprise AI. Plus, Levie unpacks how AI is really being adopted in the workplace, what it takes to legitimately build an AI-first organization, and what political leaders across both parties misunderstand about creating the best environment for technology to thrive.Visit 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.

May 16, 2025 • 31min
Inside Trump’s crackdown on colleges, with The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Evan Goldstein
Higher education is the latest victim of the culture wars. At prestigious institutions like Harvard and Columbia, the Trump administration is cracking down on research budgets amid accusations of antisemitism on campus. Evan Goldstein, managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education, joins Rapid Response to reveal what’s really driving the attacks — and why colleges have struggled to present a united defense. Goldstein unpacks the deeper political motives, the economic consequences for colleges, and what’s at stake for the future of education.Visit 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.

May 13, 2025 • 29min
The one trait every leader needs today, with General Stanley McChrystal
Amid polarization, AI disruption, and eroding trust in institutions, retired four-star general, Stanley McChrystal, argues that what leaders need now more than ever, is character. Head of the business consulting firm McChrystal Group, Gen. McChrystal returns to Rapid Response to discuss his new book on the subject of character. From AI ethics and modern warfare to hot-button issues like Signalgate and transgender service in the military, McChrystal explains why character is the foundation of lasting leadership. Drawing from decades of experience, he urges today’s leaders to start standing up for what matters and “be not afraid”.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/More details about On Character: Choices that Define a Life here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 9, 2025 • 33min
Lyft’s bold plan to overtake Uber in the race for rideshare’s future, with CEO David Risher
The rideshare market has reached a crossroads. Autonomous vehicles are on the rise, driver unrest is mounting, and customers are questioning everything from pricing to trust and safety. In the midst of it all, Lyft is mounting a comeback. CEO David Risher, who took over the wheel at Lyft two years ago, is pushing to reposition the company squarely against Uber — with faster execution, bold new programs, and Lyft’s biggest international acquisition to date. A former Amazon executive, Risher isn’t shy about calling out the “enshittification” of tech platforms, or borrowing a few lessons from Jeff Bezos. He joins Rapid Response to unpack his high-speed strategy and explain why Lyft’s comeback story is just getting started.Visit 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.

May 6, 2025 • 37min
Musk and DOGE: Inside 100 days of chaos, with WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond
When Elon Musk stepped into the White House spotlight and brought his DOGE chainsaw, no one was better poised to cover the fallout than WIRED. The tech journalism outlet knew Musk’s playbook from the get-go, from years of covering his companies and his takeover of Twitter. WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond joins Rapid Response to take us inside Musk’s transformative, head-spinning time at President Trump’s side thus far. Drummond weighs the lasting impact of DOGE’s efforts 100 days in, and says that even as Musk announces plans to step back from politics, we can still expect plenty more to come.Visit 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.

May 2, 2025 • 34min
The world’s largest drone delivery service comes for retail, with Zipline’s Keller Cliffton
News coverage about drones often focuses on warfare, but the impact of this evolving technology is far broader. Zipline’s co-founder and CEO Keller Cliffton joins Rapid Response to chart the company’s recent expansion from transporting blood for life-saving transfusions in Rwanda, to retail deliveries across eight countries — including high-profile partnerships with the likes of Walmart, Chipotle, Panera, and the Mayo Clinic. Zipline’s do-good health efforts and commercial deliveries are all part of Cliffton's vision for a radical, new transportation network. As we look to understand the societal impacts of AI and autonomy, Zipline is a case study in what's possible for a future of consumers hungry for accessibility and speed. Visit 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.