Leadership Next

Fortune's 2023 Brainstorm Tech Conference took place over three days last week, and it was one of our buzziest conferences yet. CEOs, a former Vice President, investors, founders, journalists and entrepreneurs gathered in Park City, UT, our first year hosting BST in the "Silicon Slopes," to discuss what's happening in the tech industry.In this episode of Leadership Next, host Michal Lev-Ram is joined by guest co-host Deputy Tech Editor Alexei Oreskovic to recap the conference's highlights alongside its most controversial moments. We hear from four Utah-based CEOs on the advantages and challenges of doing business in the burgeoning tech hub. Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez and Keith Rabois of the Founders Fund also discuss how the political situation in Florida is affecting tech workers' inclination to relocate to the state. Lev-Ram recaps her conversation with former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann about what he learned from his experience as the embattled founder and leader of the co-working giant and about his new venture, Flow.Later in the episode, the hosts dig into the tech topic on everyone's mind- A.I. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei discusses the short term, medium term and long term risks of generative A.I. and Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, shares her thoughts on what a national strategy for A.I. regulation could look like. Then, Meredith Whittaker, the president of encrypted messaging app Signal, shares why it is imperative to address the privacy issues in tech and what Signal is doing about it.Finally, Vice President Al Gore shares his view of what is happening in green tech, his thoughts on President Biden's climate legislation and the potential technology has to save the planet.You can find more Fortune conference coverage here.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

When Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz took over the toymaker in 2018, he was the company's fourth CEO in four years. Mattel's internal culture was rigid and top down, and operating income was at a $343 million loss. Kreiz implemented cost saving and restructuring measures, which included laying off almost 2,000 people and closing five Mattel factories. In 2021, the company recorded $730 million in profit. Mattel is now betting big on using its beloved toy brands as IP in other media, starting with the much anticipated Barbie movie, in theaters on July 21st. Mattel currently has 14 films in various stages of production, each centering on an iconic toy like Hot Wheels and the Magic 8 Ball.In this episode of Leadership Next, Kreiz joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to talk about his experience of joining Mattel at one of the company's lowest points and his strategy for turning it around. He also explains why he thinks Mattel's toy brands hold so much promise as larger franchises beyond the toy aisle, so expect a lot of conversation about the Barbie movie. Kreiz talks about how he expects the movie to affect the perception of Barbie and what he thinks of Will Ferrell's portrayal of Mattel CEO. Additionally, he shares more about how his experience as a media exec prepared him for this role and Mattel's plans for more diverse and inclusive toys - and how he deals with political blowback for creating those toys.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

The changing public expectations for how corporations should honor Pride month has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride over the past decade. Pressure from both the public and from employees to support the LGBTQ+ community has been vocalized and well documented. That pressure was followed by some corporate missteps and accusations of pinkwashing, but this year’s corporate pride celebrations have been the most conflicted in recent memory.Right-wing backlash led Target to pull its Pride merchandise from stores and AB InBev to yank ads featuring a transgender influencer. Those companies have made a lot of headlines, but they are not alone in facing backlash and needing to figure out how to respond. These responses have impacted both the public perception of companies and their bottom lines.In this episode of Leadership Next, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss how the country's political atmosphere has impacted this year's Pride, and why it feels different from previous years. She shares advice and guidance for companies in supporting the LGBTQ+ community and explains what happens when CEOs listen to the needs and desires of both shareholders and stakeholders to guide these sorts of decisions. Ellis also talks more about GLAAD's transformation under her leadership from a media watchdog to a consultant and advisor to media, advertising, social media and business industries on representation and support of LGBTQ+ people.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

Dave Calhoun took over as the CEO of Boeing in January 2020 in the midst of two major crises: the crash of two of Boeing's 737 Max aircrafts that led to the grounding of the fleet and an abysmal internal culture that was being discussed in the press and throughout the industry. Calhoun has led the company through a notable turnaround in the past three years, as reflected in the company's earnings and increased demand for its aircrafts. Boeing's Q1 earnings for 2023 grew 30% year over year.In this episode of Leadership Next, Calhoun joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss leading Boeing through a difficult and complicated period in its history. He shares what he chose to prioritize in his turnaround efforts and why, including initiating a safety overhaul for Boeing's aircrafts and emphasizing transparency throughout the company. He also discusses how supply chain issues are impacting Boeing and the aerospace industry at large in the face of unprecedented demand, along with his predictions for when the problem may resolve. Additionally, Calhoun shares how working with Jack Welch at G.E. influenced his leadership style, the needs of both Boeing's military and commercial arms, and producing more sustainable aircraft.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

Over 30 million Americans suffer from some form of kidney disease, and roughly 600,000 people have their kidneys fail. It's a chronic disease that requires chronic treatment, and there is a Fortune 500 healthcare company dedicated to supporting people living with it. DaVita, an Italian phrase meaning "give life", is number 357 on this year's 500. It runs almost 3,000 outpatient dialysis centers across the country and is working to transform from a dialysis company into a holistic kidney care company. Javier Rodriguez took over as CEO of DaVita in 2019, after 21 years with the company.In today's episode of Leadership Next, Rodriguez joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss the scale of the kidney disease crisis and how DaVita is addressing it. He explains DaVita's plans to shift from a fee for service to a value based model with the goal of providing care to people earlier in life before their kidneys begin to fail, and how this change will affect business. Rodriguez also discusses navigating the healthcare staffing shortage, Berkshire Hathaway's investment in DaVita and tech innovations in healthcare. He also shares his personal story of immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico and his decision to turn down $250 million in government pandemic relief funding back in 2020.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

Delta Air Lines soared twenty-eight spots up the 2023 Fortune 500 to reach number eighty-five. Demand for air travel is bouncing back to and beyond pre-pandemic levels, and Delta's earnings are bouncing back along with it. Delta reported $51 billion in revenue in 2022, a 69% jump from the previous year. This is not the first time CEO Ed Bastian is leading Delta through a period of bouncing back. Bastian took over as CEO in 2016, but he has been in the airline's leadership ranks for twenty-five years. This means he has led the company through some seriously tough times, including 9/11, Delta's 2007 bankruptcy declaration and the COVID-19 pandemic.In this episode of Leadership Next, Bastian joined hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram for an in-person recording in Fortune's studio. Bastian shares which crisis he found the hardest to lead through and how Delta is planning to meet this summer's unprecedented demand for air travel, which he refers to as "revenge travel." He also explains why the airline has done away with change fees and what Delta is doing to bring free WiFi onboard every flight. Additionally he shares his thoughts on the pushback against "woke ceos" - a label that's been attached to him in the past. We also hear from Bastian on developing more fuel-efficient aircraft, how Delta is using A.I., pilot and flight attendant shortages.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

Emma Walmsley, who became CEO of drug giant GSK in 2017 after 17 years at L'Oreal, has led the company through several challenges: disappointing COVID-19 vaccine candidates, noise from activist investors, and Europe's largest demerger in two decades when the company spun out its consumer healthcare business. But according to Walmsley this all comes with the job. And, she also has a lot to celebrate. Shortly before she visited the Leadership Next studio, GSK announced its RSV vaccine was one of two recommended for approval by the FDA for older adults.In this episode of Leadership Next, Walmsley talks to hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram about the potential impact of that approval and the other aspects of GSK's infectious disease portfolio including innovation in H.I.V. treatment and prevention. She also shares her thoughts on the opportunities for data tech in healthcare, leading in the face of pushback from activist investors, and being the only woman CEO in big pharma.Explore more of Fortune! Use the promo code LN25 to get 25% off an annual subscription at fortune.com/subscribe.Leadership Next is Powered by Deloitte.

Reid Hoffman might be best known as the cofounder of LinkedIn. He’s also a partner at the VC firm Greylock and was an early investor in OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT. He's been investing in and writing about A.I. for several years, and recently he put the technology's capabilities to the test. In March 2023, he released his book Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity With A.I. , co-written by GPT-4.In this episode of Leadership Next, Hoffman joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss what it was like to write a book using generative A.I. Hoffman also discusses how he thinks A.I. will change the job market, and why all of us might soon have a "co-pilot" to help us do our jobs. He also has some thoughts on how both tech and non-tech CEOs can talk about A.I. with their employees. Finally, Hoffman shares his perspective on the creative opportunities for A.I., and what its limitations are.Explore more of Fortune! Use the promo code LN25 to get 25% off an annual subscription at fortune.com/subscribe.Leadership Next is Powered by Deloitte.

When Brian Cornell became Target's CEO in 2014, the company was in desperate need of a turnaround. The retailer was plagued by supply chain problems, trying to recover from a major data hack and struggling to compete with e-commerce giants like Amazon.In today's episode of Leadership Next, Cornell talks about some of the key decisions he's made that have led Target to now be ranked number 32 on the Fortune 500, including a particularly unpopular announcement in 2017 that the company would spend $7 billion to rehab Target stores across the country. In the age of Amazon, investors were doubtful that spending money to improve brick and mortar was worthwhile. But today it's clear that investment has paid off. And as Cornell tells hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram, despite the rise of online shopping, 73% of retail sales last year took place in physical stores.In today's conversation, Cornell details how consumer spending has changed since the height of the pandemic, and how shoppers seem to be responding to the current economy. He explains why he feels it's so important for Target to improve wages and benefits for store associates. And, he talks about the importance of culture to the company's success.Also in today's episode hear from Fortune Senior Writer Phil Wahba who has been reporting on Target for nearly a decade. Wahba fills us in on the state of Target when Cornell took over and how the CEO's leadership has transformed the company.Explore more of Fortune! Use the promo code LN25 to get 25% off an annual subscription at fortune.com/subscribe.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

May 12th is National Childcare Provider Appreciation day. To show our appreciation for the workers who take care of our kids, Leadership Next is bringing you an episode of Where's My Village? Fortune's podcast about America's childcare crisis and the people who are trying to fix it. You can listen and subscribe to the entire series here.In this episode of Where's My Village?, Fortune senior writer Megan Leonhardt digs deeper into the opportunity for and pros and cons of private investment in childcare.Private investment in childcare companies doubled between 2020 and 2021, and the range of apps, software, products and services investors can put their money into is growing. Many think private dollars have the potential to transform the childcare industry, others think involving private investors is a risky endeavor.Shruthi Jayaram of Dalberg Advisors and Jess Lee of Sequoia Capital talk through why investors have been skeptical of investing in care in the past and what's changed in the past few years.Chris Bennett, the CEO of Wonderschool. discusses his decision to focus on in home providers, how many providers on the Wonderschool platform earn almost triple the national average and his vision for the company's future. Wonderschool is a childcare management platform that works with home-based providers to streamline and grow their businesses.We also hear from home-based providers about the realities of their professions and experts in the field on their concerns about private investment in childcare.