This has been a defining year for Big Tech and media. Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to explore the dominance of companies like NVIDIA and Apple, the personalities shaping tech — from Sam Altman to Elon Musk — and the shifting landscape of AI and innovation. Nick also shares what it’s like to lead The Atlantic during a time of heightened media disruption and skepticism.

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We’ve rounded up the most definitive business lessons of 2024, as heard on Rapid Response. Drawn from standout guests like will.i.am, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, and more, these moments not only offer takeaways from tech to entertainment, they provide a roadmap for challenges ahead in 2025. Our curated collection of insights in leadership and creative problem-solving is drawn from a half-dozen of our favorite conversations, with lasting lessons to navigate uncertainty and drive success. 

Watch the interviews featured in today's episode:

Will.i.am: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XBPgrfiDo

Dara Treseder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bazq03QNkQ

Janice Min: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwK3FkAufU8

Marc Benioff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CgjKMRMURc

Joanna Strober: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXEHeCPuBI8

Brian Chesky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvhh4U2_EFE

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It’s been a wild year in sports business, with the surge in popularity for women’s sports to the eye-watering deals in NBA broadcasting rights. Sports journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre, host of Pablo Torre Finds Out, joins Rapid Response to look back at the year that was across many of the major sports leagues. Pablo explores the impact of notable athletes like Caitlin Clark and Juan Soto, how private equity is poised to alter the NFL, and why the sports industry is the biggest house of cards left standing.

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Millions of users have joined social media platform Bluesky in recent weeks, as an alternative to Elon Musk's X. It’s sparking new opportunities and challenges for Bluesky's tiny 20-person team, and COO Rose Wang joins Rapid Response to discuss a major shift underway in social media. As dissatisfaction with the big platforms grows, she explains why the open network of Bluesky isn't just X by another name, nor a liberal refuge, but instead part of a new decentralized social web that prioritizes closer personal connections, data privacy, and democratization.

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The energy industry – from fossil fuels to clean power – is poised for major change. From US president-elect Donald Trump’s support for oil and gas to Big Tech’s rising support for nuclear power to the recent UN talks on climate change in Baku, Azerbaijan, Cipher News executive editor and longtime energy reporter Amy Harder joins Rapid Response to cut through the noise, breaking down the most important lessons and insights. Plus: how AI really impacts energy use, Elon Musk’s evolving role in EV adoption, China’s clean-energy priorities, and more. 

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With the help of co-founder Mark Cuban, Cost Plus Drugs CEO Alex Oshmyansky is radically re-engineering the pharma marketplace and dramatically cutting the price for many prescription drugs. Oshmyansky joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to share his amazing journey — from struggling as an immigrant in primary school to starting college at age 13, how medical practice led to entrepreneurship, plus reimagining his original plan on advice from the legendary incubator Y Combinator. Oshmyansky explains how Cost Plus Drugs stumbled into success, turning adversaries into allies and harnessing patience as a superpower.

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Apple defies gravity, and AI is Divine. That’s how Guy Kawasaki, who worked closely with Steve Jobs and is now chief evangelist at Canva and host of the podcast Remarkable People, describes the state of tech now. Guy argues that Jobs would thrive in today’s business climate, muses about Tim Cook’s limitations, and explains what he means when he says “AI is God.” Plus unconventional advice about what it means to be remarkable in modern life, and why entrepreneurship is like surfing in the ocean.

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Potential tariff wars, market movements, allies in big tech … About two months out from Trump’s return to office, there’s rampant speculation about the new administration’s impact on the business world. To cut through the noise, Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer joins Rapid Response to share what he’s hearing from individuals in global governments and boardrooms. Bremmer reveals which industries are poised to thrive under a second Trump term, how China is strategizing trade and investment in the US, and what Elon Musk’s new role says about the eroding free market economy. 

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Rapper and musician Iggy Azalea wants you to know that her crypto token $MOTHER isn’t just another ‘pump and dump’ celebrity crypto play. She believes in the future of cryptocurrency and the potential for fostering a new engaged community of followers — or ‘stans’ as she calls them. Azalea sits down with Rapid Response host Bob Safian to reveal why she retired from music and made the pivot into cryptocurrency, as well as founding an online gifting platform and telecommunication company. For any business looking to strengthen their brand around human connection, Iggy shares valuable advice for taking advantage of this digital age.

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Gender equity suddenly cuts both ways in 2024: Some argue that men are being unfairly demonized, while data shows a continuing gap in opportunity for women. Live from the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, Jessi Hempel, host of the Hello Monday podcast, leads a thought-provoking panel with the CEO of Lean In, Rachel Thomas; the chief diversity officer at Meta, Maxine Williams; and the founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First, Reshma Saujani. They get real on meritocracy in the workplace and who gets ahead, whether it’s truly harder to be a white man in 2024, and more, offering a sobering reality check on corporate diversity programs.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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