As the first woman to helm one of the big three Detroit automakers, GM CEO Mary Barra has learned a lot about creating a more diverse and equitable company. “The mindset people have to have is this is never done,” she says. “I look for the day when it doesn’t need special focus, but I think we’re a long way off from having leaders being very deliberate about creating diverse groups, diverse opportunities.” In this episode of Back to Biz with Katie and Boz, Mary Barra talks with co-hosts Katie Couric and Bozoma Saint John about the letter she wrote to her employees about George Floyd’s murder and the actions GM is taking to move the conversation forward. Barra also talks about the early successes of opening the GM facilities as well as the ways the pandemic has accelerated trends that may forever change the GM automobile. 

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On Monday, May 25, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, accused of using a counterfeit $20 at a deli, was killed in police custody. The next day video captured by bystanders, and spread widely on social media, revealed how brutal and inhumane Floyd’s arrest and last living moments — at the hands of a white cop — really were. Since that video’s release, protesters have taken to the streets in at least 140 cities, demanding justice not only for George Floyd, but also for Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all black lives. On this episode of Back to Biz with Katie and Boz, Katie Couric and Bozoma Saint John speak with Bishop T.D. Jakes, founder and senior pastor of The Potter’s House, and Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi about what that justice should look like. They discuss the desperate need to not only stop the harm against black people but also repair centuries of damage and why everyone has to step up and speak up for the benefit of all. “This is not a black people’s problem. This an American crisis,” Bishop T.D. Jakes says. “The choice you really have,” Opal Tometi says, “is to be a part of justice or know that you are impeding justice.”  

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How will the pandemic change the way we work, go to school, go out, travel, and experience the world? In this new limited series, co-hosts Katie Couric and Bozoma Saint John set out to understand how this unprecedented moment will change our future. In weekly episodes, Katie and Boz interview CEOs, innovators and thought leaders in industries from tech and media to education and entertainment to fashion and sports, to find out how they are adjusting to — and innovating in —this new world order. Back to Biz with Katie and Boz releases Thursdays during the summer of 2020 right here in the Next Question feed.

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Katie Couric still has questions. But right now they're mostly focused on the future of business. Considering this unprecedented economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, how will industries like tech, education, entertainment, travel, and fashion adjust and innovate to fit our new world order. Introducing "Back to Biz with Katie and Boz," a new interview series co-hosted by award-winning journalist Katie Couric and trailblazing marketing executive Bozoma Saint John. 

On the premiere episode of "Back to Biz with Katie and Boz," the co-hosts set the stage for their forward-looking series with their first guest, tech and media journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher who offers a big-picture look at the ways the shuttered economy has made Big Tech even bigger — for better and worse. "Any trends that were present have been accelerated and then helped by tech," Kara says. "You could go around from industry to industry. Look at streaming entertainment that people have been using. Look at Netflix — [it's] never had more usage." Katie, Boz and Kara discuss what it means to be an essential worker and why all businesses will have to reassess what "gig work" means. They also talk about the future of education, why TikTok is having more than a moment, and the innovations that are bubbling up in tech right now. Each episode of "Back to Biz with Katie and Boz" will run right here in the Next Question feed. 

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On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie interviews Bozoma Saint John, the Chief Marketing Officer at Endeavor and an all around trailblazing businesswoman who has broken glass ceiling after glass ceiling in Silicon Valley and beyond. Bozoma, who goes by Boz, and Katie talk about what makes brands and leaders authentic and how to help others during this trying time, even when you're feeling depleted yourself. Boz also shares the lessons she learned about overcoming adversity and her own personal crisis after her husband died and how she found her way back to her career and the things that bring her joy.  Bozoma Saint John is someone Next Question listeners will want to get to know because Katie and Boz are cooking up something exciting to be released in the Next Question feed very soon. Stay tuned for that, but in the meantime take a moment to learn a bit from Boz about how to excel by being your true self. 

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In this special bonus episode of Next Question, Katie takes a step back to consider what the bigger, global picture might look like in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. She speaks with Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who shares his belief that this crisis won’t so much change the basic direction of world history, but will “accelerate” it. He also talks about his new book, “The World: A Brief Introduction” and his hope for an informed citizenry in which all Americans are equipped with the “foundation of understanding” about our country and the larger world.

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Just a few months ago, restaurants were the places we chose to see friends, mark our milestones, celebrate our special occasions, or unwind after a stressful week. But today, in our social-distancing world, just imagining the typically crowded, intimate scene of a Friday night at your favorite neighborhood spot can send a shiver down your spine. Which is why the restaurant industry has been one of the hardest-hit by the pandemic so far, with more than 8 million employees laid off and a more than 80-billion sales loss. As we continue to explore what life will look like once we begin to get back to some sort of normal, Katie Couric turns to business leaders and entrepreneurs to find out how they see their industries re-emerging. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie speaks with restauranteur Danny Meyer and Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti to find out how the restaurant industry can get back to business.

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In this special bonus episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie shares her conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom, which was recorded as part of her ongoing video series with Time Magazine — 'TIME Reports with Katie Couric' — that shines a light on the heroes and newsmakers of this COVID moment. Governor Newsom has been praised for his leadership of California, which despite being among the first to report cases of the virus, has managed to avoid the catastrophic spread we've seen in other places. He shares with Katie the guiding principles that shaped his early response and considers the way forward for his state — and all of us. 

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With widespread shelter-in-place orders shutting down major cities and many states, the U.S. economy has come to an abrupt standstill. And after just five weeks, this COVID crisis has forced more than 26 million Americans to file for unemployment. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie talks to Victor Tan Chen, sociology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and author of “Cut Loose: Jobless and Hopeless in an Unfair Economy.” Chen explains what makes this unemployment crisis so unprecedented, why it’s underscoring pre-existing inequalities in the labor force and how the pandemic could change the job market — and who it could leave behind. Throughout the episode, we also hear from the people behind the unemployment statistics.

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As our loyal listeners know, Next Question with Katie Couric has been devoted to covering the coronavirus crisis from the moment this unprecedented pandemic began to upend virtually every facet of our daily lives. Now, with this special bonus episode, Katie begins a new chapter, exploring something most all of us are surely wondering -- what will “life after coronavirus” look like? First up, a conversation with one of the most respected and experienced authorities in public health today, Dr. Tom Frieden. Dr. Frieden is the former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (aka the CDC) and is currently President of the non-profit, Resolve to Save Lives, which aims to make the world safe from epidemics. He shares with Katie his plan to “box in” the coronavirus, so we can safely get the country up and running -- and, hopefully, begin to find and embrace our "new normal."

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