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

27 Aug 2026
35m
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The U.S. economy currently faces a period of profound uncertainty characterized by conflicting signals, such as low hiring and firing rates, alongside persistent inflationary pressures. Austan Goolsbee, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, emphasizes that the Fed’s primary mandate remains stabilizing price...

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

25 Aug 2026
28m
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The automotive industry faces a pivotal transformation driven by intense global competition and the rapid shift toward electrification. Ford CEO Jim Farley identifies Chinese manufacturers, with their massive production capacity and significant government subsidies, as an existential competitive threat that necessitate...

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How Barnes & Noble made a comeback, with CEO James Daunt

20 Aug 2026
32m
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Revitalizing iconic bookstore chains like Waterstones and Barnes & Noble requires rejecting data-heavy central control in favor of empowering local booksellers. Success stems from treating bookstores as curated, community-focused spaces where staff have the autonomy to tailor inventory and presentation to their specifi...

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What the jobs report isn't telling you about AI & the workforce, with Upwork’s Hayden Brown

18 Aug 2026
30m
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The integration of artificial intelligence into the workforce is fundamentally reshaping labor dynamics, shifting the focus from full-time employment toward fractional and freelance models. Hayden Brown, CEO of Upwork, notes that while AI creates significant disruption, it also drives demand for human experts who can e...

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Pioneers of AI: Why AI conversations are always one-sided

15 Aug 2026
39m
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Human connection relies on aligning conversation types—practical, emotional, or social—to ensure participants operate on the same neurological wavelength. When these modes mismatch, such as offering practical advice during an emotional venting session, communication fails. High-quality interaction triggers "neural entr...

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Know which rules to break, with MTV co-founder Tom Freston

13 Aug 2026
31m
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Tom Freston, co-founder of MTV and former CEO of Viacom, details the strategies required to build and scale insurgent brands in shifting markets. Success stems from hiring outsiders who lack traditional industry experience, forcing teams to innovate through necessity rather than relying on established playbooks. While ...

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Rapid Recap: Google’s exodus, Spider-Man’s odyssey, Taco “Hell”, and more

11 Aug 2026
29m
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Uncertainty defines the current business landscape, requiring leaders to embrace discomfort as a permanent fixture rather than a temporary challenge. Geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, continue to disrupt energy markets, while AI has shifted from a singular headline to a pervasive, complex del...

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