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WaitWhat · Business

Masters of Scale

On Masters of Scale, iconic business leaders share lessons and strategies that have helped them grow the world's most fascinating companies. Founders, CEOs, and dynamic innovators join candid conversations about their triumphs and challenges with a set of luminary hosts, including founding host Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner). From navigating early prototypes to expanding brands globally, Masters of Scale provides priceless insights to help anyone grow their dream enterprise.

Episodes

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Reid Hoffman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar on where AI goes from here

22 Oct 2026
28m
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The "Age of AI" represents a transformative era comparable to the industrial revolution, shifting from simple chatbot interactions to proactive, agentic workflows that empower individuals with virtual coworkers. OpenAI balances rapid innovation with safety by "pacing the frontier," intentionally delaying powerful model...

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REI’s secrets to sustaining a beloved brand and touching grass

20 Oct 2026
28m
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REI CEO Mary Beth Laughton navigates the challenges of maintaining a mission-driven consumer cooperative in a volatile retail landscape. By prioritizing long-term sustainability over short-term quarterly gains, the company leverages its unique structure to foster deep member loyalty and advocate for public land protect...

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Rich Roll’s ‘crash course’ in entrepreneurship

15 Oct 2026
35m
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Building a media career and podcast network requires prioritizing personal integrity over the short-term incentives of the algorithmic "outrage machine." Rich Roll, a veteran podcaster, demonstrates this by eschewing viral-focused content in favor of deep, emotionally resonant conversations that foster genuine audience...

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The AI race to save American science and reshape medicine forever

13 Oct 2026
27m
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Scientific progress faces significant bottlenecks as critical "magic hands"—the tacit, embodied knowledge of expert researchers—remain largely undocumented and difficult to scale. Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, former founding director of ARPA-H and co-founder of Transfyr, argues that current research practices are fragile and ove...

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Pioneers of AI: OpenAI’s Tibo Sottiaux doesn’t want humans to be an ‘afterthought’

10 Oct 2026
37m
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OpenAI’s product lead, Thibaut Sottiaux, details the company’s approach to building and deploying frontier AI models like Astra and the new "Dots" agent suite. The discussion centers on integrating safety and alignment into the product development lifecycle, emphasizing that rigorous testing and human-in-the-loop overs...

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Building a marketplace from scratch, with Hipcamp founder Alyssa Ravasio

08 Oct 2026
32m
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Hipcamp founder and CEO Alyssa Ravasio scales outdoor recreation by transforming fragmented, scarce camping access into a thriving marketplace. Initially a search engine for public campgrounds, the platform pivoted to private land after discovering that existing infrastructure could not meet demand and that users were ...

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Kalshi vs. Everyone: Co-Founder Luana Lopes Lara on the lawsuits and the long game

06 Oct 2026
34m
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Prediction markets provide a mechanism to quantify future outcomes by incentivizing participants to trade on their theses, creating a real-time, data-driven forecast of events. Luana Lopes Lara, co-founder and president of Kalshi, details how these federally regulated exchanges differ from traditional sportsbooks by op...

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Don't be boring: KCRW's Jennifer Ferro on building a brand people love

01 Oct 2026
33m
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Public media institutions serve as essential community resources that prioritize information and public service over profit-driven data exploitation. Jennifer Ferro, President of KCRW, highlights the necessity of maintaining trusted spaces to counter the influence of algorithmic outrage machines that dominate modern me...

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Halloween meets GLP-1s: Hershey’s candy Super Bowl, with CEO Kirk Tanner

29 Sep 2026
27m
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Kirk Tanner, CEO of The Hershey Company, navigates the challenges of sustaining a century-old brand by prioritizing cultural relevance and operational agility. The "One Hershey" initiative integrates the company's salty and confectionery divisions, streamlining interactions with retail partners like Walmart and Target....

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Rapid Response: Stop creating businesses. Buy one instead, with Codie Sanchez

26 Sep 2026
33m
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Ownership serves as a critical mechanism for financial independence and personal agency, whether through building a business or acquiring an existing one. Rather than relying on speculative investments or traditional employment, individuals should prioritize profitable small businesses that offer tangible control over ...

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How to build a billion-dollar sports team from scratch, with Golden State Valkyries’ Jess Smith

24 Sep 2026
37m
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The rapid expansion of women's professional sports, exemplified by the Golden State Valkyries' growth from a $50 million expansion fee to a billion-dollar valuation, relies on a strategic combination of capital investment, intentional brand building, and community engagement. Success in this sector requires moving beyo...

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Rebranding in a war zone, with Prosper Global (formerly Mercy Corps)

22 Sep 2026
26m
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Prosper Global CEO Tjada McKenna advocates for a fundamental shift in humanitarian aid, moving beyond immediate survival to foster long-term prosperity and community resilience. This transition, marked by the organization's rebranding from Mercy Corps, prioritizes market-oriented solutions like seed insurance and ventu...

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

17 Sep 2026
22m
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Courageous leadership demands a deep commitment to self-awareness, discipline, and accountability, moving beyond mere slogans to become a consistent way of being. Brené Brown, author of Strong Ground, defines courage as a measurable skill set rooted in values alignment and the ability to navigate vulnerability without ...

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

15 Sep 2026
32m
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Navigating the accelerating velocity of an AI-driven world requires a disciplined "Confront, Delete, Amplify" framework to combat cognitive fatigue and organizational inertia. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei argues that individuals and businesses waste approximately 25% of their time on low-value habits and unnecessary meetings...

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

12 Sep 2026
27m
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On is redefining its market position by prioritizing innovation over traditional luxury scarcity. Co-founder and co-CEO David Allemann emphasizes that the brand targets the "movement class," a societal shift where sports and physical activity have become central to personal vitality and longevity. By leveraging radical...

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

10 Sep 2026
30m
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Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost details his evolution from a self-described troubled teenager to a corporate leader, emphasizing that personal and professional success stems from the people who provide necessary, often difficult, guidance. He advocates for a leadership ethos rooted in courage, scholarship, and empathy, ar...

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

08 Sep 2026
25m
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The NFL dominates the sports entertainment landscape, leveraging its massive revenue and cultural influence to navigate complex business challenges. Despite the league’s financial success, fragmentation across multiple streaming platforms complicates the fan experience, while the pursuit of new stadiums—such as the Chi...

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Angela Duckworth on why grit isn’t enough

03 Sep 2026
34m
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The environment and external circumstances play a critical role in shaping human behavior, often outweighing individual intentions or character. Angela Duckworth, co-director of the Penn Wharton Behavior Change for Good Institute, argues that achieving one's potential requires mastering both the "inside game" of mindse...

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

01 Sep 2026
29m
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Shopify COO Jess Hertz navigates the complexities of modern e-commerce by positioning the platform as a unified operating system that abstracts technical and market challenges for merchants. AI serves as a critical accelerant, with internal tools like River automating tasks and significantly reducing reliance on human ...

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

29 Aug 2026
44m
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Technological progress in AI necessitates a shift from individual company incentives to industry-wide coordination to prevent systemic harm. Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, emphasizes that engineers must move beyond "unintended consequences" to "unconsidered consequences," utilizing red and ...

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