Masters of Scale

Recent Episodes

1. Brené Brown & Reid Hoffman on the skills every leader needs now

   Sep 17, 2026

   Brené Brown, author and research professor, joins Reid Hoffman at the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit to discuss courageous leadership and essential skills for modern leaders. Brown explores how courage is a teachable skill rooted in self-awareness, vulnerability, and understanding one's defensive mechanisms ("armor"). The conversation covers emotional granularity, systems thinking, compassion versus empathy, and the importance of strategic, anticipatory awareness in navigating AI disruption and rapid change.

2. Let’s Kill Sh*t: Axios CEO on simplifying your work-life in the AI era

   Sep 15, 2026

   Jim VandeHei, CEO of Axios and co-author of 'Simplify,' discusses how AI is accelerating change faster than humans can comprehend, creating complexity rather than simplicity. He presents a three-part framework—Confront, Delete, Amplify—for cutting through cognitive fatigue and reclaiming wasted time, sharing how Axios applies these principles operationally, including shuttering the Axios app despite years of resistance. VandeHei also explores the OpenAI content licensing deal, the unexpected toxicity of data center opposition, and how AI agents are transforming healthcare and local news.

3. Rapid Response: On's 16-year overnight success: Zendaya, Federer, and outrunning competition

   Sep 12, 2026

   David Allemann, co-founder and co-CEO of On, discusses the Swiss athletic footwear and apparel company's 16-year rise to a $4 billion valuation. He explains On's innovation-first strategy, celebrity partnerships with Roger Federer and Zendaya, and the LightSpray robotic manufacturing process. Allemann also introduces the concept of the "movement class" as a new consumer segment replacing the leisure class, and outlines the company's expansion into retail, apparel, and multiple sports beyond running.

4. From high school dropout to CEO, with Autodesk’s Andrew Anagnost

   Sep 10, 2026

   Andrew Anagnost, CEO of Autodesk, discusses his unlikely path from high school dropout to leading one of the world's largest design software companies. He shares how mentors and a near-fatal car accident redirected his life toward Stanford and eventually Autodesk, where he navigated a contentious co-CEO arrangement before becoming sole CEO. Anagnost outlines his strategy for transforming Autodesk through ruthless portfolio pruning, back-office modernization, and strategic acquisitions in construction automation, while emphasizing empathy-driven leadership and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in your mission.

5. NFL Kickoff: the science gets more damning, but the money keeps growing

   Sep 8, 2026

   Sports business journalist Michele Steele discusses the NFL's record valuations and revenue growth ahead of the 2026-2027 season, examining what's driving franchise values, quarterback salary explosions, and the league's complex streaming ecosystem. She analyzes the NFL's deliberate "Helmets Off" strategy to grow female viewership, the business case for nine international games, the Bears' stadium negotiations with Indiana, and addresses the uncomfortable question of whether recent player safety improvements are genuine or performative in light of new CTE research showing one in four deceased NFL players from 2016-2021 had the condition.

6. Angela Duckworth on why grit isn’t enough

   Sep 3, 2026

   Angela Duckworth, psychologist and author of "Grit" and the new book "Situated," discusses why effort and mindset alone are insufficient for achieving excellence. She argues that while grit matters, success also requires strategically positioning yourself in conducive environments and situations—the "outside game." Through examples like MIT graduate Cody Coleman and De La Salle High School's 151-game football winning streak, Duckworth explores how small, deliberate changes to one's situation, combined with peer accountability and community, drive sustainable achievement.

7. When AI agents do your shopping, everything changes, with Shopify’s Jess Hertz

   Sep 1, 2026

   Shopify COO Jess Hertz discusses how AI agents are transforming e-commerce and reducing barriers to entry for small merchants. She shares data on agentic shopping's real impact, Shopify's infrastructure-layer strategy for AI commerce, and how the company maintains merchant obsession while navigating tariffs and trade tensions. Hertz also explores her leadership philosophy around organizational agility, unsentimental decision-making, and the evolution from T-shaped to X-shaped employees in an AI-driven world.

8. Pioneers of AI: Designing AI for people and the planet, with Aza Raskin

   Aug 29, 2026

   Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and the Earth Species Project, discusses why AI development has largely failed to prioritize human experience and collective well-being. He reflects on his invention of infinite scroll, the predictable harms of engagement-driven technology, and his current work using AI to decode animal communication across species. Raskin argues that technology companies must red-team and yellow-team their innovations, and that coordination between AI leaders is essential to prevent a race to the bottom that mirrors social media's trajectory.

9. Chicago Fed President on inflation, recession, and Trump’s attacks

   Aug 27, 2026

   Austan Goolsbee, President of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, discusses the U.S. economy ahead of the Fed's Jackson Hole meeting, addressing inflation risks from tariffs and geopolitical tensions, the political pressure facing the Federal Reserve, and the overhyped versus actual impact of AI on productivity and employment. He explains why six years above the 2% inflation target creates a dangerous environment, what to expect from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's leadership, and offers business leaders practical guidance on monitoring inflation data rather than market sentiment.

10. Ford's Jim Farley on beating China, and the storm nobody sees coming

    Aug 25, 2026

    Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company, discusses the impact of Middle East tensions and the Strait of Hormuz on the auto industry, but emphasizes that China's dominance in EV manufacturing poses a far greater existential threat. Farley details Ford's strategic response, including the Universal EV (UEV) platform designed to compete on cost with BYD, and explains why the company is refocusing on affordable vehicles and the essential economy—blue-collar workers and trades facing a generational crisis.