When Covid-19 hit GM’s radar in early 2020, GM’s CEO Mary Barra knew she had to move. Over the course of a few months, she closed plants, instituted austerity measures and, incredibly, changed from making cars to making ventilators. As an “action-oriented” leader, she’s always moved fast. But this was different. And when George Floyd’s death sparked a movement, Barra put GM on the forefront, setting a goal of making GM “the most inclusive company in the world.” She talks to Daniel Roth, LinkedIn’s Editor in Chief, about how GM made the changes and how she holds herself accountable. 

Derrick Jones — better known as DJ D-Nice — has become famous (again) for his Instagram Live “parties.” Standing in his living room, he spins feel-good music that has attracted hundreds of thousands, from Rhianna to Mark Zuckerberg. None of this happened by accident. Since starting in hip-hop with legendary group Boogie Down Productions, D-Nice has pivoted his way through career after career: DJ, producer, web designer, photographer — and now back to DJ. He has an amazing attitude about skill development: he can do it. Just shy of 50, D-Nice is back in the spotlight. He talks here about how he grabbed it — and how others can do the same.

Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario has always embraced her activist voice, focused mostly on climate change. During the covid-19 pandemic, she’s expanded her calls to action, demanding that we build a true social safety net, particularly for working families. In this rare interview with Rose, she talks about the tough calls she’s had to make at Patagonia, like closures and furloughs, and the not so tough ones, like continuing to pay Patagonia’s "1% for the Planet."

Retired astronaut Scott Kelly set the record for the most time spent in space on a single mission by an American astronaut - nearly a year. Over his career, he logged four long missions totaling 520 days. In this episode of This is Working, he offers tips and guidance on how to tackle burnout during the long “mission” of quarantine, and shares his thoughts on building resilience.

Sara Blakely, the founder and CEO of Spanx, is the definition of “self-made.” She took $5,000, which she’d earned selling fax machines door to door, and parlayed it into a company that women around the world now depend on. It made her a billionaire. Sara and her family are riding out the pandemic in an RV. They pulled over “somewhere in Florida” so she could chat with LinkedIn Editor in Chief Daniel Roth on This is Working. They discussed Spanx’s origins, how Sara is pivoting the company to respond to the current crisis, and why she is personally investing $5M to help women entrepreneurs hurt by the pandemic. 

Airbnb was born in a recession, but it has never experienced a crisis like this. The short-term rental site saw its business dry up in mid-March when the pandemic froze worldwide travel. That’s bad for Airbnb — it’s disastrous for the economy it invented: Hosts have earned $100 billion through rentals and more than 50% of them rely on that cash to pay mortgages or avoid evictions. Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky joins LinkedIn Editor in Chief Daniel Roth for a frank conversation about the state of the industry, the state of Airbnb and the future of post-pandemic travel.

In 1975, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates. Today, it’s the world’s largest hedge fund firm with more than $150bn in assets under management. Dalio is also the NYT #1 Bestselling author of Principles, and the forthcoming The Changing World Order. Lately, he’s been training his sights on our turbulent times. In this episode, Ray Dalio joins This is Working host and LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth to put perspective around what’s happening now and how it mirrors what the world has experienced before. He also shares his optimistic vision of what’s to come.

Rebecca Minkoff is constantly iterating. Her fashion collections mirror where she is in her life. This approach has taken her from the launch of the “morning after bag” in her 20s, through her line of clothing designed for professional women, to Little Minkoff, for children. Her tech-embracing approach to being a “milestone moments” brand has landed her designs in closets across the globe. In this last episode recorded from our office (remember those?) and before the pandemic hit all companies hard — including hers — Dan and Rebecca discuss how she came to embrace the business side of the business and what she’s hoping to do for other women.

In 2015, Gates delivered a TED Talk declaring that we had to act and invest fast to prepare for a pandemic. His title: "The next outbreak? We’re not ready.” Now, in this second live episode of This is Working, LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth sits down with Gates, who, via the Gates Foundation, is funding work that’s speeding up testing, treatment and tracking for COVID-19. They talk about how the world might return to a steady state after this pandemic, and what needs to change so we can more effectively beat the next one.

As This is Working transitions to its new live format in the age of COVID-19, Dan Roth sits down with entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban for a frank conversation on things small business owners, entrepreneurs, students and workers should be doing right now to stay afloat during this difficult time.