Skip to Content
Podcast: Episode 70: Masters of Scale

How to sell without selling

Nike’s Phil Knight
Great branding is about identity – and it’s about matchmaking too. No one knows this better than the legendary co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight. When he and his partner, Hall of Fame track coach Bill Bowerman, started the sneaker company, they never tried to force-feed customers a product just to drive up the bottom line. They focused on one thing: making an excellent product for people who believed in the edgy Nike ethos. Because they knew, when there’s a mismatch between product and market, the bottom usually drops out. Instead, they told the world who the are, and then did everything they could to find their ideal customers. And made history. Cameo appearance: Eddy Lu (GOAT).
Learn More
Podcast: Episode 68: Masters of Scale

To scale, find the right values

Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales
What's more important than product-market fit? Product-VALUE fit. If you choose the right values to drive product development, you'll draw the people, resources and speed you need. It’s true for for-profits and for nonprofits. And Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales knows this well. Since its launch in 2001, Wikipedia has famously stuck to its values of openness, neutrality, and remaining not-for-profit. But he arrived at those precise values through trial and error — on an earlier free encyclopedia project that stalled. Once he found the right product-value fit, Wikipedia rapidly scaled from a niche side project to one of the most valued treasures on the internet.
Learn More
Podcast: Episode 66: Masters of Scale

How to build authentic connection at scale

Brud’s Trevor McFedries
You might not know Trevor McFedries yet, but if you're on Instagram, you've probably met Miquela. She has millions of followers, hit singles and lucrative contracts with brands. But she’s not actually real. Miquela’s the creation of Trevor’s stealthy creative media studio Brud, and the delicate balance they strike between artificial and authentic is a master class for any scaling company. In this first-ever in-depth interview with Trevor, he shares his bold plan to create celebrity at massive, multilingual scale; his advice for entrepreneurs of color as they fundraise; and his guidance for anyone connecting at scale: That once you build that connection with your audience, they don't care HOW you made it. All they care about is how it makes them feel. Cameo: Alison Darcy (Woebot).
Learn More
Podcast: Bonus

In a crisis, steer toward the emerging opportunities: Reid’s 2020 Commencement Speech

Reid Hoffman
New graduates are like entrepreneurs — standing on the edge of that cliff, ready to build their own plane and fly. But what if the blue skies and calm winds disappear? In a commencement speech for 2020 graduates — and anyone embarking on something new — our host Reid Hoffman says: Be optimistic. Be bold. But most of all, steer toward the opportunities emerging in this new world. How do you find them? Cultivate a network of people smart, curious people. This network creates a map of the world. And at uncertain times like these, you’ll definitely need that map.
Learn More
Podcast: Episode 58: Masters of Scale

How to unite a team (Part 2)

Burberry & Apple’s Angela Ahrendts
In Part 2, Angela arrives at Apple, which feels like another planet after her years in fashion. In never-before heard stories, Angela shares how she learned the language of tech (the physical store is the ‘hardware’; the experience inside the ‘software’), then introduces innovations that change the face of Apple retail, from an app (The Loop) that let store managers collaborate to the landmark “Today at Apple” program, building community through free classes inside each Apple store. Throughout, Angela shows her team, through words and actions, that each person matters, and that they're all a part of something much bigger than themselves. Cameo: Eric Trigg (Trigg Ranch).
Learn More
Podcast: Episode 35: Masters of Scale

Make everyone a hero (Part 2)

Reid Hoffman
We’re back with season four — and part two of our turning the tables episode with Reid Hoffman. (If you missed part one, go listen now!) In this episode, we follow Reid through PayPal, LinkedIn (and Microsoft’s acquisition), and Greylock, and catch up him as host of Masters of Scale — all the while proving our theory that you can chart an epic journey to scale if you make everyone a heron along the way. Hosted by June Cohen, executive producer of Masters of Scale and CEO of WaitWhat.
Learn More
Podcast: Episode 27: Masters of Scale

How to build trust fast

Spotify’s Daniel Ek
Normally, trust = consistency + time. But when you're scaling fast, you must find shortcuts with your partners and your users. When Daniel Ek founded Spotify, he did what few disruptors had ever done before: He worked WITH the industry he was trying to reinvent. How did Ek build a relationship with a music industry wary of piracy? He found shortcuts to trust. And not just with the music industry, but users too.
Learn More
Podcast: Episode 9: Masters of Scale

What’s the next Silicon Valley?

Endeavor’s Linda Rottenberg
What’s Silicon Valley's secret? Can any other region nurture such a thriving startup scene? Linda Rottenberg, CEO of Endeavor, makes the case that a startup culture can be nurtured almost anywhere, so long as you have the raw ingredients — a few initial entrepreneurs with access to capital and a willingness to pay it forward. She shares the fledgling startup scenes that could ultimately give the Bay Area a run for its money.
Learn More