Masters of Scale: Always be the challenger, with Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole

More from Rapid Response

1. 

   15 Sep 2026 · 33 min

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

   AI isn't simplifying your life… Yet. It's mass-producing more options, more decisions, and more noise. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei returns to Rapid Response to make the case that the antidote isn't a better productivity app, it's a ruthless, three-part system he calls Confront, Delete, Amplify. VandeHei shares what he's learned from running Axios by these principles, including calling a leadership meeting with the subject heading "Let's Kill S***," and why he shuttered the Axios app despite years of internal resistance. He also reveals his candid read on the midterms and what they mean for…

2. 

   11 Sep 2026 · 27 min

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

   On built a $4 billion sports brand in 16 years with a garden hose, a Roger Federer dinner in Zurich, and a young designer who watched a Halloween YouTube video. Co-founder and co-CEO David Allemann joins Rapid Response to explain why the defining decade for On is still ahead, and why being the most premium brand matters more than being the biggest. He breaks down the leadership shake-up that brought him back into a CEO role, and what the first-of-its-kind LightSpray robotic process says about On’s innovation philosophy. Allemann also makes the case for why the "movement class" is replacing…

3. 

   8 Sep 2026 · 25 min

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

   The NFL is the world's most valuable sports business, and it keeps growing. But is the growth sustainable? Sports journalist Michele Steele joins Rapid Response to kick off the 2026-2027 NFL season with a clear-eyed look at what's driving record franchise valuations, why quarterback salaries keep exploding, and what the league's dizzying array of streaming platforms means for the fans. She also breaks down the NFL's deliberate "Helmets Off" strategy to grow its female audience, the business calculus behind nine international games this season, and whether the Bears are really leaving…

4. 

   1 Sep 2026 · 30 min

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

   For decades, e-commerce rewarded the biggest brands that could buy their way to the top of search results. AI is changing that. Shopify COO Jess Hertz joins Rapid Response to share what Shopify's data reveals about the agentic shopping revolution in real time, and how the company is building the infrastructure layer that makes products discoverable and purchasable by AI. Plus, why Shopify's engineers can spend freely on AI tokens while the rest of the business world agonizes over ROI, and what it looks like when a company powering over 14% of online shopping decides to win the future or die…

5. 

   27 Aug 2026 · 36 min

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

   The economy is strong, prices are still too high, and the job market is sending mixed signals. The Federal Reserve is navigating all of it while fending off the most overt political pressure in its modern history. Austan Goolsbee, President of the Chicago Fed, joins Rapid Response ahead of the Central Bank’s highly-watched meeting in Jackson Hole, to give his most candid read on what's actually going on. He explains why tariffs, war in the Middle East, and six years above the 2% inflation target make this the most dangerous inflation environment he's seen, what Kevin Warsh's new leadership…

6. 

   25 Aug 2026 · 28 min

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

   This episode originally aired on Rapid Response in April 2026.With the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and fuel prices still elevated, few auto executives are feeling the pressure more acutely than Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley. He joins Rapid Response to give a candid account of what the turmoil means for the auto industry, and for an iconic American brand navigating one of the most turbulent moments in its history. Farley gets frank about the China threat reshaping the global auto business, and his frustration with Ford's own ingenuity. Plus, why Ford is back in Formula One,…

7. 

   9 Oct 2026 · 32 minNew

   Airbnb’s bet on an IRL future, with Brian Chesky

   This episode of Rapid Response first aired in 2025.Live on stage at Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky explores what role business could and should play in building the future. He shares his candid perspective on politics, creativity, and AI — taking listeners from Airbnb’s humble beginnings to bold plans for the company’s future. Through a designer’s lens, Chesky also reveals the single question leaders must ask themselves, and explores how best to make tricky decisions in a volatile climate. For more conversations like this, join us at this…

8. 

   6 Oct 2026 · 34 min

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

   Prediction markets incentivize truth. Everything else incentivizes clickbait. That's the core argument Luana Lopes Lara makes for Kalshi — the prediction market platform she co-founded that has gone from $5 billion to $22 billion in valuation in under a year, and is now being sued by New York's attorney general for $36 billion. Luana joins Rapid Response to make the case that Kalshi is fundamentally different from DraftKings — even though 75% of its volume is sports — explain why George Santos got banned for trying to trade on his own congressional attendance, and share what Kalshi's data…

9. 

   2 Oct 2026 · 29 min

   Meet Tilly Norwood and her creator: AI "actor," death threats, and new Hollywood

   What happens when you interview an AI? Bob Safian found out, and while it didn't break out into Cantonese, it was stranger than he expected. This episode is split in two: first, a conversation with Eline van der Velden, the Dutch actress-turned-tech-founder who created Tilly Norwood, the AI "actor" who sent Hollywood into a spiral. Then, Bob sits down with Tilly itself. Eline explains how a personal art project became one of the most controversial figures in entertainment — attracting talent agency interest, death threats, and a global debate about whether AI will kill acting or democratize…

10. 

    29 Sep 2026 · 27 min

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

    The second a brand like Hershey stops being culturally relevant, says its CEO Kirk Tanner, you should be worried. He joins Rapid Response to explain exactly what he's doing to make sure that never happens. Tanner also reveals why GLP-1 users are actually good for the candy business, how AI is now routing Hershey's sales force in real time through Target and Walmart, and why the Reese's Oreo collaboration (which generated $100 million in its first five months) is the model for how iconic brands find new energy. And with a major Hollywood film about Milton Hershey coming this fall, he talks…

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