Anyone can build wealth, argues Codie Sanchez, investor and founder of Contrarian Thinking: You’ve just got to play the game the right way. Sanchez has built a massive following across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram by offering unconventional financial advice, particularly to younger people. Codie joins Rapid Response to break down the biggest misconceptions about personal finance, the pitfalls of get-rich-quick schemes, and what she admires—and critiques—about billionaires. Outlining a...

Leonardo da Vinci is a thoroughly modern figure, even if he lived hundreds of years ago. So says Ken Burns, the legendary documentary filmmaker on topics from the Civil War to Muhammad Ali. Burns joins Rapid Response to talk about his new, upcoming project on da Vinci and what leaders in 2024 can learn from his interdisciplinary approach. Burns also opens up about the challenges of creative integrity in a world influenced by AI, the advantages of avoiding shortcuts, and how studying history...

How much should we tip? Legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer returns to Rapid Response to assess an inflection point in customer expectations and experiences around that and other questions. The founder of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack shares his hard-earned lessons from unsuccessfully challenging the tipping norm, plus why he sees right now as a golden age for new restaurants. Hear how AI is poised to redefine hospitality–and his best advice for securing a reservation at that...

Wikipedia is among the top ten most-visited websites in the world, and it’s been a pillar of online knowledge for more than 20 years. The site’s parent nonprofit, Wikimedia Foundation, wants it to stay that way. CEO Maryana Iskander joins Rapid Response to discuss how Wikipedia is navigating AI-generated misinformation, why debates around truth and neutrality will only intensify, and threats to the platform from authoritarian governments. Iskander shares how human-edited Wikipedia is holding...

Salesforce is launching a new fleet of tools for AI agents called Agentforce, and CEO Marc Benioff contends it will change the business world forever. Benioff joins Rapid Response to take us inside Salesforce’s pivot—and to slag on Microsoft’s competing CoPilot AI. He says that there’s a ‘fantasyland’ to today’s AI narrative. Benioff also shares stories about his ownership of TIME magazine, how core values have shifted Salesforce from what he calls “a bro company,” and why he’s considering...

As early voting begins in the US presidential election, there is a nascent movement afoot that would reshuffle future contests from local school boards to Washington DC – and it revolves around our smartphones. Venture capitalist and political strategist Bradley Tusk has invested $20 million in building what he says is a safe, secure app that would allow mobile voting, which he’s bankrolled pilots for in 20 jurisdictions across 7 states. Tusk outlines what he believes makes mobile voting a...

Epidemic levels of loneliness can increase cases of anxiety and depression, and Carter Barnhart, founder of the virtual mental health platform Charlie Health, says the problem defies simple explanations like overuse of social media. Barnhart is on a mission to improve access to mental health services like group therapy, and to prevent suicides in particular. With Charlie operating in more than 30 states, hers is a hopeful outlook toward a future with more treatment options for all. Note:...

The Black List has reshaped Hollywood by identifying overlooked screenplays from Argo to The King’s Speech that have become commercial and artistic successes. Now, founder Franklin Leonard is opening The Black List’s successful model to the book industry. He shares what Hollywood and publishing have in common: a bottleneck in talent discovery, and billions in missed revenue from untapped audiences. Leonard is already linking novelists to Hollywood’s ever-growing appetite for adaptations. His...

As Google’s high-profile antitrust trial reaches the end of week three, the future of its gargantuan ad business is in flux. Check My Ads’ Arielle Garcia has been in every court session to cover the DOJ’s arguments and Google’s defense. As head of intelligence for the digital ads watchdog and an ad industry veteran, she joins Rapid Response to share how the trial is poised to not only disrupt the digital ad landscape, but to affect democracy and journalism as we know it. Visit the Rapid...

While EA’s pursuit of 1 billion users may sound ambitious at first, once you hear CEO Andrew Wilson explain the developers’ strategy to get there, the 1 billion mark starts to almost sound conservative. Wilson returns to Rapid Response to shed light on EA’s recent announcements around a community-driven app, and plans to unleash new AI tools for creators and gamers alike. Wilson also shares the inside story behind the company’s high-stakes FIFA rebrand, how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu shapes his...

AI is changing our lives every single day. To help you keep up, AI scientist, entrepreneur, and investor Dr. Rana el Kaliouby offers a definitive guide to the forefront of this transformative technology with her new podcast, Pioneers of AI. To mark the show’s launch, Bob Safian welcomes Rana back to Rapid Response. We introduce the first episode of Pioneers of AI, featuring Dr. Joy Buolamwini, an expert in AI and algorithmic bias, who shares the story behind founding the Algorithmic Justice...

While Shōgun, Hacks, and Baby Reindeer bask in their success at The Emmys, the awards reveal deeper lessons about TV’s future. Janice Min, co-founder and CEO of The Ankler, guides us through the key storylines, from Disney to HBO to Netflix. We also dig deep on Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris and what it says about the politics of celebrity in 2024 — for stars and for CEOs.   Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube:...

Next week, TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, will appear in court as the U.S. government moves to force the Chinese company to shutter or sell its wildly popular social platform. Investor and former LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is preparing a consortium bid to buy the app — and access to its 170 million users. McCourt joins Rapid Response to explain the national security case against Bytedance, take us inside the story of his TikTok bid, and reveal how he would use the platform to address...

We are biologically wired to focus on the near-term, and that’s often a good thing. But in this moment — with global conflict, fast-evolving tech, and climate change dominating our present — we need to also prioritize long-term impacts. Futurist Ari Wallach joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to dive into our biological and business motivations around what he calls “futuring.” Host of the new PBS docuseries, A Brief History of the Future, Wallach shares lessons from the longest-standing...

noplace, a new social media app for Gen Z, rocketed to the top of the app download charts this summer. Founder Tiffany Zhong (or “TZ” as she calls herself) joins Rapid Response to share what has gotten young users so excited. As a longtime advisor to brands on Gen Z trends and habits, TZ offers valuable insight about what authentic, no-BS business leadership looks like in 2024. TZ also shares the story behind her moniker “The World’s Youngest VC,” how she used Twitter to land early support...

While some artists complain that AI uses their music as training data, Will.i.am argues that it’s no different than Prince and Michael Jackson taking inspiration from James Brown. Will joins Rapid Response to talk about his investments in the “dawn of intelligent media,” including his new app RAiDIO.fyi — AI technology that he contends will be pre-installed in every car of the future. Will shares surprising lessons from his MBA studies at Harvard, why developers are like rappers, how he works...

Non-alcoholic beer is booming, boosted by a cultural shift in Gen Z drinking habits and a pivot to healthy living. Athletic Brewing has become the biggest non-alcoholic beer brand in the US, fueling the buzz. Co-founder & CEO Bill Shufelt joins Rapid Response to share how Athletic is approaching a critical crossroad. After securing endorsements from JJ Watt to Karlie Kloss as well as a partnership with Arsenal Football Club, Athletic now faces a flurry of beer industry titans flooding...

With student loan debt at record highs, higher education is at a crossroads. Campus is an all-online community college that’s built a business model around competitive pricing, resources for students (like giving them a laptop and paying for home internet), and compensating professors well above the national average. The start-up also achieves high graduation rates, while maintaining an impressive bottom line. Campus founder and Chancellor Tade Oyerinde shares how he wooed investors like Sam...

How will NBC’s Peacock keep up the momentum from a buzzy summer of Olympic glory and Love Island drama? Peacock President Kelly Campbell joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share her strategy for the streaming wars, the role of NFL games and other live sports, and the interplay between NBC's plans and Peacock's future. From Gen Z viewing habits to Emmy nominations, Campbell lays out a vision so expansive that it might remind you of a cable TV bundle. Visit the Rapid Response website...

As the Democratic National Convention gets underway, CNN’s Van Jones still can’t quite believe Vice President Harris’s glow-up from “cringe” to a Beyonce-like star. The political analyst and entrepreneur joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss his new initiative, Dream Machine, which aims to make AI more accessible for multicultural communities. Jones also shares his thoughts on the evolution of Elon Musk, the vital issues that he believes are being neglected in the campaign...

Deepfake technology and the malevolent use of AI is causing widespread anxiety, especially as we approach November’s U.S. election. Adobe’s Scott Belsky joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to explain how deepfakes are actually created, and how developers like Adobe are pioneering new ways to verify human-generated content for everyday consumers. Belsky also shares valuable insights about how AI could usher in an era of prosperity for small businesses — plus how it will inevitably shift our...

Is this the craziest non-pandemic summer travel season ever? The Points Guy’s Brian Kelly joins Rapid Response to talk about how Boeing’s safety issues are impacting flying habits, the CrowdStrike outage and Delta’s response, Southwest’s major pivot, and more. Plus: the airline industry's best-kept secrets and insider deals right now.  Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBUbZOe0kkw See...

Plant-based food companies were on the rise, when Impossible Foods’ Peter McGuinness first appeared on Rapid Response in 2022. Today, meat alternatives like Impossible are struggling on sales. McGuinness tells host Bob Safian where plant-based brands made big missteps, and why the industry’s marketing should evolve – potentially away from climate change messaging. McGuinness also shares how Impossible leverages retail partners like Starbucks and Burger King, lessons he learned from scaling...

Women are losing sleep, falling behind at work, suffering pain, and struggling in their relationships — all because we don’t talk enough about menopause or treat its symptoms. Midi Health’s Joanna Strober founded her company to tap the vast underserved market for this area of women’s health, which is finally getting mainstream attention. Strober shares with Rapid Response host Bob Safian the stakes of ignoring perimenopause and menopause, how she endured bias in fundraising to eventually...