Whatever your business conundrum, there’s a TED Talk for that — whether you want to learn how to land that promotion, set smart goals, undo injustice at work, or unlock the next big innovation. Every Monday, host Modupe Akinola of Columbia Business School presents the most powerful and surprising ideas that illuminate the business world. After the talk, you'll get a mini-lesson from Modupe on how to apply the ideas in your own life — because business evolves every day, and our ideas about it should, too. Follow Modupe on Instagram at @mnakinola and on LinkedIn at @mnakinola Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The podcast explores the world of money and finance with Matt Levine, a financial journalist and author of the Money Stuff column. Levine clarifies complex financial concepts, such as commodities, by illustrating how abstract financial instruments connect (and sometimes disconnect) from the real world. He uses cocoa an...
The podcast explores the impact of AI on the future job market, particularly for young people. It addresses the anxieties surrounding AI-driven job displacement, contrasting it with historical technological advancements. Vlad Tenev draws parallels to past industrial revolutions, noting how previous job disruptions led ...
The podcast explores the concept of "win-win-win" as a universal ethical framework applicable to both business and personal life. John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods, details how a devastating flood early in the company's history led him to realize the importance of nurturing a network of relationships where all sta...
The podcast explores the question of why homes are demolished, particularly during a housing and climate crisis. It argues that real estate speculation, driven by the pursuit of profit, fuels a cycle of demolition and new construction, treating homes as commodities rather than considering their social and ecological va...
The podcast explores how capitalism can help solve climate change, addressing the conflict between capitalism and environmentalism. It highlights the hard truths that businesses are machines resistant to change and financial markets prioritize short-term profits. Long-term investors should focus on inclusive, resilient...
The podcast explores the importance of purpose and emotion in business, using the turnaround of Build-A-Bear as a case study. CEO Sharon Price John emphasizes that understanding a company's "heart" is crucial for success, recounting how she refocused the company on its mission of "adding a little more heart to life." T...
The podcast explores the concept of kindness as a valuable business advantage, shifting the focus from return on investment to return on kindness. Bonnie Hayden Cheng defines kind leadership as intentional actions that better the people under a leader's care, emphasizing generosity, humility, compassion, and empathy. K...
Miscommunication in teams is explored through the lens of a NASA mission failure and social science experiments. The Mars Climate Orbiter's demise is attributed to a failure to communicate about units of measurement, highlighting how easily teams can overlook seemingly obvious information. Research involving a hiring d...
Refilwe Ledwaba, the first black woman in South Africa to fly helicopters and founder of Girls Fly Africa, shares how proactive mentorship changed her life and how she applies it to her own teaching. Ledwaba recounts facing challenges during helicopter training due to a lack of early motor skill development. Her instru...
The podcast addresses the underrepresentation of women's sports in media and technology, perpetuated by algorithms trained on historically skewed data. Kate Johnson, a former Olympic rower and Google marketing manager, explains how these algorithms reinforce the invisibility of female athletes, leading to underinvestme...
The podcast explores themes of disability, identity, and resilience through a conversation between Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider and Dr. BJ Miller, a palliative care physician. Miller recounts the accident that led to his triple amputation and how it reshaped his perspective. He discusses the societal construct of disabilit...
The podcast addresses the increasing challenges in the insurance industry due to climate change and extreme weather events. It highlights how rising insurance premiums and the potential uninsurability of homes can destabilize the financial system, affecting mortgages, property values, and investments. Amy Barnes explai...
The podcast explores the effects of sudden wealth, particularly lottery winnings, on individuals' lives. It highlights that winning the lottery is a test of existing values rather than a guaranteed path to happiness. Financial advisor Matt Pitcher shares anecdotes of lottery winners, including a miserable man whose win...
The podcast episode, introduced by a TED staff member, delves into the history of credit cards, beginning with Frank McNamara's invention of the Diner's Club card in 1949 after forgetting his wallet. It traces the evolution from single-business credit to McNamara's revolutionary decentralized system, which allowed cred...
In this episode of TED Talks Daily, host Elise Hu moderates a discussion with Manoush Zomorodi (TED Radio Hour), Modupe Akinola (TED Business), and Sherrell Dorsey (TED Tech) to reflect on the past year (2025) and offer insights into 2026. The hosts share personal anecdotes, discuss impactful ideas related to technolog...
This episode of Design Matters features Debbie Millman interviewing Stephen J. Dubner, co-creator of Freakonomics, about his life, career, and the 20th anniversary of his influential book. Dubner recounts his childhood, including his early writing success and his family's conversion from Judaism to Catholicism, which l...
This podcast episode of TED Business, hosted by Modupe Akinola, features Jennifer Wallace discussing the importance of feeling valued and having the opportunity to add value, emphasizing that knowing we matter is essential for thriving. Wallace shares stories and research highlighting how feeling valued impacts individ...
This episode of TED Business features a talk by Sebastian Kind on how Argentina successfully transitioned to renewable energy in just six years. Kind emphasizes the importance of making renewable energy economically viable and convenient for both buyers and sellers by building trust and minimizing financial risks for i...
This episode of TED Business, hosted by Modupe Akinola, features Myriam Sidibe, founder of Brands on a Mission, discussing how to create real social impact through business models that prioritize people, planet, and profit. Sidibe shares her experiences at Unilever with the Lifebuoy soap brand, highlighting the importa...
This podcast episode features a TED Talk by economist Esther Duflo, who proposes taxing the world's wealthiest individuals and multinational corporations to fund climate damage reparations for low- and middle-income countries. Duflo argues that the current system of climate finance is inadequate and that a publicly fun...
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