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Imagine This...

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Apr 2, 2025 • 36min

Bringing Zombie Cities Back to Life

Cities have been struggling since the pandemic. In some—including Los Angeles and San Francisco—office high-rises have become “zombie buildings,” with vacancy rates of 50% or more. But many people still want to live in cities and be part of a vibrant community. BCG’s Santiago Ferrer explores how new forms of transit, from modular pods to self-driving cars, can help reinvigorate moribund downtowns by making them easier to reach and navigate. As part of this transformation, cities will find innovative uses for zombie buildings, turning them into everything from residential units to community art hubs. Learn More: Santiago Ferrer: https://on.bcg.com/4iXe2Po Accelerating the Shift to Sustainable Transport: https://on.bcg.com/3Y8ScQo Cities of the Future: https://on.bcg.com/43Ttw2f BCG’s Latest Thinking on Public Sector: https://on.bcg.com/4le9qWn This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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Mar 19, 2025 • 27min

When Layoffs Are a Thing of the Past

Even the most nimble and successful companies are sometimes forced to replace huge swaths of their workforce when business strategy changes. But layoffs come with costs: hiring and firing workers is expensive. Letting workers go can also damage an institution’s reputation and demoralize the employees who remain. BCG’s Kevin Kelley explains how companies can reduce the need for layoffs by creating teams that are flexible enough to pivot as priorities shift. The key is to avoid turning teams into silos that know how to do only one thing and thus become obsolete when priorities change. Learn More: Kevin Kelley: https://on.bcg.com/4kSmNLN Resetting the Organization to Improve Cost and Enhance Effectiveness: https://on.bcg.com/3ReXxla BCG’s Latest Thinking on Cost Excellence: https://on.bcg.com/4irJBjB BCG’s Latest Thinking on People Strategy: https://on.bcg.com/43Mo2WI BCG on Organization Design: https://on.bcg.com/4krU0gW This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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Mar 5, 2025 • 31min

When Indian Consumers Shape Global Trends

India has been experiencing a rapid transformation over the past decade. The government has made massive investments in physical and digital public infrastructure, and its share of affluent consumers has grown considerably. It’s also young – over half of India’s 1.4 billion people are under the age of 30. In this episode, BCG’s Kanika Sanghi imagines how India’s rising consumer class could change the global economy, from setting trends to pioneering new business models. Sanghi's advice is that business leaders across industries should start planning now to capitalize on India’s growth story. Learn More: Kanika Sanghi: https://on.bcg.com/3D2ZI8i BCG on Customer Insights: https://on.bcg.com/4h5FUPw The CEO’s Guide to India: https://on.bcg.com/3EZP9U0 The $2 Trillion Opportunity: How Gen Z is Shaping the New India: https://on.bcg.com/3QH83lg This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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Feb 19, 2025 • 33min

When Traditional Advertising Is Dead

It’s no secret the media business, which has long relied on advertising revenue, is in crisis. It’s not a stretch to imagine that few if any of the major TV networks, newspapers and magazines - the old guard bedrocks of U.S. media - will survive into the next decade. BCG’s Neal Zuckerman imagines a world where every business has a Chief Content Officer. From health insurers to snack-food companies, companies are creating their own content to entertain and educate their customers. Zuckerman also explores the future of on-demand streaming and how the news business could survive and even thrive.  Learn More: Neal Zuckerman: https://on.bcg.com/4k6uj5i BCG Media and Entertainment Industry: https://on.bcg.com/3QoGKfi Why Video Streamers Need to Rebundle: https://on.bcg.com/415I5fJ Content Creation Is Key to Marketing Success https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=475zs6pf8nIThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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Feb 5, 2025 • 34min

Sustainable and Affordable: When Housing Is No Longer in Crisis (First Aired: October 30, 2024)

How will advances in sustainable materials and modular construction change how homes are designed and built? And how will these innovations address the urgent need for affordable housing? BCG’s Matthias Tauber suggests ways to solve the housing crisis through changes in design, manufacturing, materials, permitting, and financing. Homes of the future will provide more alternatives, often by reimagining shared spaces and resources in flexible ways that allow for custom designs. The one no-regret move? Tauber says: invest in technology.  Learn More: Matthias Tauber: https://on.bcg.com/4fh2mo2 Building Materials Industry: https://on.bcg.com/3Ultz19 GenAI on GenAI: https://link.chtbl.com/bcg-genai-on-genai?sid=IT CEO Digest: https://link.chtbl.com/ceo-digest-bcg-show?sid=IT CEO Moments of Truth: https://on.bcg.com/ITMoT This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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Jan 28, 2025 • 18min

Bonus Davos Episode: Highlights from BCG’s Global Chair & GENE

Rich Lesser, BCG's Global Chair, shares profound insights from the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos. He discusses the pivotal role of AI in business, emphasizing starting with manageable projects for success. The conversation delves into Europe's energy transition amid geopolitical tensions, underscoring the importance of actionable solutions. Lesser also highlights the need for standards in AI governance to prevent misuse, while reflecting on how leaders are navigating complex challenges and fostering optimism for future innovations.
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Jan 8, 2025 • 32min

When AI Comes for Knowledge Workers (First Aired: May 28, 2024)

Matthew Sinclair, a BCG partner and vice president of engineering at BCGX, discusses the evolving relationship between AI and knowledge workers. He explores the possibility of AI bots surpassing human capabilities in generating ideas, emphasizing the risks of losing creativity and human touch. Sinclair highlights the importance of collaboration between humans and AI to enrich creativity, warns against the monotony of autonomous machines, and advocates for ethical frameworks in AI integration to safeguard against biases and repetitive outcomes.
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Dec 25, 2024 • 34min

Seeing the World Through AI Glasses (First Aired: September 17, 2024)

What becomes possible when your AI-enabled headset is as light and comfortable as an ordinary pair of glasses? BCG’s Kristi Woolsey imagines a world with an AI third eye, where your glasses can instantly provide information, warnings or advice. This new generation of smart glasses could also help you learn new skills, whether cooking at home or mastering technical aspects of your job. But Woolsey also warns that we’ll need to put limits on the technology– these new glasses might also be able to reveal things about other people that are better left private.  Learn More: Kristi Woolsey: https://on.bcg.com/4cWZxXK BCG on Augmented and Virtual Reality: https://on.bcg.com/4d3LFva GenAI on GenAI: https://link.chtbl.com/bcg-genai-on-genai?sid=IT CEO Digest: https://link.chtbl.com/ceo-digest-bcg-show?sid=IT This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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Dec 11, 2024 • 33min

The Restaurant of the Future: Burgers with a Side of AI

BCG’s Mary Martin imagines a future where restaurants will harness advances in artificial intelligence, data management, and robotics to create a better experience for both customers and staff. This could involve using AI to personalize dining or deploying robots in the kitchen to help the chef with certain repetitive tasks. While these advances will usher in a unique customer experience, restaurants will still need a human touch.   Learn More: Mary Martin: https://on.bcg.com/3Bo1mjM Menu for One: GenAI Lets Restaurants Get Personal: https://on.bcg.com/3BbO3mH Where’s the Value in AI?: https://on.bcg.com/3OV7lzD CEO Moments of Truth: https://on.bcg.com/ITMoT GenAI on GenAI: https://link.chtbl.com/bcg-genai-on-genai?sid=IT CEO Digest: https://link.chtbl.com/ceo-digest-bcg-show?sid=IT This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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Nov 27, 2024 • 34min

Preparing for an Uncertain Future…in the Future

By the year 2035, we will likely be able to utilize AI to crunch complex data sets and produce far more accurate predictions of the future, for everything from stock market fluctuations to consumer trends. Already, meteorologists are using AI to improve weather forecasting—for instance, by more accurately predicting when a hurricane will make landfall. But BCG’s Alan Iny says this does not mean that business leaders will be able to dispense with planning for multiple scenarios. Predictions will never be perfect—and everyone will have access to the same tools—so strategic planning will remain critical even as it evolves in new ways.  Learn More: Alan Iny: https://on.bcg.com/4fCNDo5 Are Leaders as Prepared for Strategic Risks as They Think They Are?: https://on.bcg.com/3AXqw8J BCG on Corporate Finance and Strategy: https://on.bcg.com/496c3Ek CEO Moments of Truth: https://on.bcg.com/ITMoT GenAI on GenAI: https://lnk.to/bcg-genai-on-genai-series-link04CEO Digest: https://lnk.to/ceo-digest-general-series-link04This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

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