Business Casual: Recent Episodes
Morning Brew
Join Morning Brew to get the unexpected business story behind everything! Journalist Nora Ali and comedian Scott Rogowsky bring you conversations with creators, thinkers, and innovators who can tell you what it all means, and why you should care. Episodes drop every Monday and Thursday.
Episode 146: Neal and Toby list off all the exciting tidbits from Apple's big product event, including the iPhone 15 reveal. Next, how a covid-era government program is affecting poverty rates in America. Plus, quick relief from a cold may be gone as FDA declares a key ingredient in cold medicines ineffective. Then, the UFC & WWE merger debuts at the NYSE and promotions are doing the opposite of what employers want. Lastly, surge pricing is coming for your booze. Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow
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Episode 145: Neal and Toby discuss the huge shifts in the packaged foods industry with the latest Smucker's acquisition of Hostess Brands. Will this mean a PB&J Twinkie?? Next, the juiciest parts of Elon Musk's biography that paint a more complicated person than we thought. Plus, North Korea's Kim Jong Un's obsession with an armor-plated bulletproof train that has an interior of a cruise ship. Then, a 'budget Ozempic' that might not be as miraculous as the real one. Finally, two releases that are equally important and market-changing: the iPhone 15 and a Catan Cookbook. Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow
Excited about entrepreneurship? Check out our other podcast, Founder’s Journal: https://link.chtbl.com/founders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 142: Neal and Toby share why experts say cars are the worst at keeping your private data secure. Plus, the Pentagon has plans for AI drones to keep up with China's rapidly expanding military. And the Rolling Stones keep on working and how is ABBA making millions off avatar concerts? Neal shares his favorite numbers and the guys explain why Olive Oil is hard to come by these days. And finally, the drink at the US Open that is raking in almost $10 million. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 137: Neal and Toby explain how Floridians are planning to recover from the multibillion $$$ cost of Hurricane Idalia. Plus, how easing marijuana restrictions would impact the cannabis market and Narcan becomes the first overdose treatment to be sold on drug store shelves. Neal shares his favorite numbers from the week Amazon and Google pair up in a JBL speaker collab. And finally, why do people who live in 'Blue Zones' have the highest life expectancy. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Founder's Journal Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-founders-journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 136: Neal and Toby discuss which 10 drugs President Biden is looking to slash prices of with his Medicare cost cuts. Plus, Bitcoin is up after a court ruling that sides with Grayscale over the SEC and 3M reaches a $6 billion settlement over earplugs. Also, Eminem takes legal action over Vivek Ramaswamy rapping his music and AI written sports articles about high school football are not nearly as accurate as you think. And finally, the lawsuit against Burger King over the size of the Whopper. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Founder's Journal Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-founders-journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 135: Neal and Toby discuss the Silicon Valley investors that are putting hundreds of millions of dollars into developing an urban utopia for tech's brightest minds in California. Plus, the World Cup kiss that is turning the Spanish soccer world upside down and the Chinese card game that is beloved by their bankers. Toby shares his favorite trends and Google unveils a new feature that will get you the best deal on your holiday flights. Finally, what is the strategy that can help you win 'The Price is Right'. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Founder's Journal Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-founders-journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 134: Neal and Toby discuss why Instacart is filing for an IPO after raking in more than $240 million in the first half of 2023. Plus, UAW workers have authorized a strike at GM, Ford and Stellantis and why are music's biggest stars parting ways with manager Scooter Braun? Also, why has the dwindling demand for French wine cost millions. Finally, the guys share their winners of the weekend and what we are watching this week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Founder's Journal Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-founders-journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 133: Neal and Toby discuss how former President Donald Trump's mug shot took over the internet on Thursday evening and how Etsy sellers are making money off of the merch. They also explain why the DOJ is suing SpaceX over discriminatory hiring practices and what a weekend in Jackson Hole looks like for the Federal Reserve. Plus, Subway sells to a private equity firm and which companies are the stock and dog of the week. Finally, this weekend could be your chance to look for the Loch Ness Monster. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Money with Katie Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-money-with-katie-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 132: Neal and Toby start Thursday with a deep dive into Nvidia's earnings report where they raked in billions in the second quarter thanks to their focus on artificial intelligence. They also discuss India's historic moon landing and why Starbucks is betting your next Pumpkin Spice Latte will be iced. Neal shares his favorite numbers and Bored Ape investors sue NFT companies. Finally, Fyre Festival 2 tickets went on sale and almost immediately sold out. Did you get your hands on one? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Money with Katie Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-money-with-katie-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 131: Neal and Toby circle back and update some stories Morning Brew Daily has been following the last couple of weeks. Including Biden's plan to help student loan borrowers, Meta is launching 'Threads' on desktop, teamsters ratifying their new deal with UPS, and a South Korea power plant releasing radioactive water. Plus, Ikea goes all in on San Francisco and why America's homes are shrinking despite getting pricer. Finally, a cargo ship that runs on wind power sets sail and IBM is selling the weather channel. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Money with Katie Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-money-with-katie-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 130: Neal and Toby explain why malls in the United States may not be going completely under just yet. Plus, why there is only one car left that costs under $20k and what is the average salary Americans are asking for when applying for new jobs? Also, Toby gets trendy and explains why Gen Z loves pickles and Ozempic is controlling the economy in Denmark. And finally which voice actors are raking it in. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Money with Katie Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-money-with-katie-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 129: Happy Birthday Neal! The guys jump into Monday and discuss the international space race to get back to the moon. They also explain how Meta's news ban in Canada is impacting how people are sharing information on wildfires. Plus, Robotaxis in San Francisco have been getting in too many accidents and the guys get into their winners of the weekend. Finally super market sushi has never been bigger and a preview of the week ahead. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to Money with Katie Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-money-with-katie-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 128: Neal and Toby dive right in and discuss what has sent mortgage rates to the highest they have been in over 20 years and how US Treasury Yields are closing in on a 16-year high. They also discuss the debate in Hawaii of whether tourism could help or hurt Maui as the island recovers from devastating wild fires. Also, if you're investing your 401k properly you could be a millionaire by the time retirement comes around. The guys share their stock and dog of the week and James Harden sells 10,000 bottles of his wine on a Chinese livestream. Finally what high schools are investing millions into dining options and football fields. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to the Our Future Podcast Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/our-future-looking-beyond-with-michael-sikand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 127: Neal and Toby discuss Target's latest earnings report and explain why the retailer struggled last quarter. Also, record labels are not producing pop starts like they used to and people are heading to restaurants more and more to pick up their own food. Neal shares his favorite numbers and global wealth rises while inequality falls. And would you buy a... pink pineapple? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to the Our Future Podcast Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/our-future-looking-beyond-with-michael-sikand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 126: It's been a year since the Inflation Reduction Act has been passed, and Neal and Toby discuss exactly what the bill has done with billions of investments into clean energy and jobs, and and what it is still expected to do. Plus, Argentina's insane interest rates and why Warren Buffett is going all in on the US Housing Market. Also, the maker of Bazooka bubblegum and the underwear brand 'Parade' were purchased for hundreds of millions of dollars. And finally, how the drought in the Panama Canal is impacting the global shipping industry and the Australian Supermarket poisonous mushroom mystery. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to the Our Future Podcast Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/our-future-looking-beyond-with-michael-sikand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 125: Neal and Toby break down the details of former President Donald Trump being indicted for the fourth time in Georgia on Monday night. The guys also discuss Michael Oher's petition that he was not compensated for his life story that was portrayed in the movie 'The Blind Side'. Plus, the historic climate case win for kids in Montana and children in Illinois can now make money off influencer deals. Toby shares his favorite trend of the week and what AI job will pay you $900k? Finally the guys take a look at Dunkin' Donuts' boozy new drinks. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Listen to the Our Future Podcast Here: https://chartable.com/podcasts/our-future-looking-beyond-with-michael-sikand
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Episode 124: Neal and Toby discuss the Hawaiian wildfires and the billions of dollars it will cost the economy to recover from the disaster. They also explain why America has poor quality sunscreen compared to the rest of the world and a how a totaled Tesla came back online in... the Ukraine? Plus, the winners of the weekend and a deep dive into the Iowa State Fair. And finally, a look ahead at what we are watching this week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 123: Kyle Hagge joins the show! Kyle and Toby discuss the wildfires in Maui and how an iPhone feature has been saving the lives of people without cell phone service. Plus, the parent company Coach strikes a deal to purchase Michael Kors and Versace for $8.5 billion. And surprise, Manhattan rent has hit a new record... again. The guys also get into the latest inflation report and stock and dog of the week. And finally why colleges spend so much money. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 122: Neal and Toby discuss the writer's strike hitting 100 days and why Jeopardy is recycling answers. Plus, Bob Iger tries to right the Disney ship by increasing streaming prices and hinting at a password crackdown in the company's latest earnings call. Also, what China slipping into deflation could mean for the global economy and Neal shares his favorite numbers from the week. Finally the first mother and daughter duo are set to launch into space. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 121: Neal and Toby discuss ESPN's $2 billion deal with Penn Entertainment to launch a betting app. The guys also get into why Penn Entertainment sold Barstool Sports back to Dave Portnoy and just exactly what the details of that agreement look like. Plus, for the first time ever credit card debt in the US tops $1 trillion and the weight-loss drug that can also stop heart attacks. Also, how one Jersey show town is fighting back against wind turbines and what the future of WeWork looks like. And finally Fortnite has a museum dedicated to teaching about the Holocaust. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 120: Neal and Toby explain why Paypal is entering the Stablecoin game and what that could mean for their crypto business. Plus, Berkshire Hathaway shares have never been higher and LA workers are preparing for a strike that could highly impact the city. Also, Campbell's Soup acquires Rao's for $2.7 billion and Paramount sells Simon & Schuster to a private equity firm. Toby shares his favorite trends and why big oil having trouble attracting young talent. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 119: Neal and Toby are back from the weekend and are breaking down the college conference realignment that is costing millions in television deals. Plus, remote work is officially dead as Zoom wants workers to return to office. 'X' is once again making headlines commandeering account handles and Mark Zuckerberg has his doubts on whether the platform can handle the stream of a cage match against Elon Musk. Also, the winners of the weekend and why Hank Green says we have been Geoengineering on purpose. And finally the guys share what we are watching for this week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 118: Neal and Toby celebrate Friday by diving into Apple and Amazon earnings reports, including Amazon's blowout profit and why Apple is struggling with sales... But customers have over $10 billion deposited in their savings accounts. Plus, why gas prices are the highest they have been this year and why Airlines want you to travel domestically. Also the guys share their stock and dog of the week and how AI can help you write your dating profile. Finally how scientists in South Korea are trying to recreate the superconductor. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 117: Neal and Toby discuss Bank of America economists scrapping their recession forecast and what it could mean on a larger scale. The guys also get into why Amazon is overhauling their grocery stores and how drug makers are navigating the Adderall and Penicillin shortage. Neal shares his favorite numbers, including statistics that explain why married people are happier. Plus, the billion dollar sports memorabilia business and how NASA lost a space craft almost 13 billion lightyears away. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 116: Neal and Toby discuss Fitch downgrading the US debt rating from AAA to AA+, citing how close Congress was to defaulting on the debt ceiling as well as the insurrection. The guys also go through their biggest takeaways from yesterday's earnings reports and get into how Uber is finally making money. Plus, which independent film has raked in more money than Mission Impossible and MrBeast is taking legal action against the company making his burgers. And finally the medical lawsuit that reached settlement after more than 70 years. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 115: Neal and Toby discuss President Biden's new student loan plan that could cost borrowers... $0 a month? Plus, the first ever Nuclear reactor that was built from scratch and how it went $31 billion over budget. And Palantir stock has never been hotter and the guys get into how the AI company is shaping the warfare landscape. Also, Birkenstocks plan for IPO and Toby explains how to play Pokemon Sleep. Finally, why Americans are taking more vacation than ever this summer. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 114: Neal and Kyle discuss the research published over the weekend that says Facebook algorithms are not responsible for political polarization. which comes on the tails of Meta's strong earnings report last week. Also, Mastercard says you can't use their debit cards to make cannabis purchases. And why even a $700 million bailout could not save the trucking giant 'Yellow'. The guys also share their winners and losers of the weekend and explain why the 'X' logo in San Francisco may be in line with some permit violations. Finally, what we are watching for this upcoming week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 113: Neal and Kyle explain why this July is set to be the hottest month in Earth's history and what the economic fallout is from the sky high temperatures. Plus. McDonald's Grimace campaign sends the company to new heights, and what is the stock and dog of the week? Also why are adults in China being paid to be 'full-time' children and what is a 'lazy girl job?'? Finally the Paris Olympics are a year away and how one woman on TikTok is stopping pickpockets in Italy. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 112: Neal and Toby discuss the Federal Reserve's decision to approve a hike in interest rates to combat inflation that brought them to 5.25-5.5%, which is the highest in 22 years. The guys also recap the Congressional UFO hearing and explain why automakers are banning together to build a electric vehicle charging network to compete with Tesla's. Plus, why one British billionaire was charged with insider trading and Neal shares his favorite numbers. Finally the physics discovery that could change the the landscape of energy. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 111: Neal and Toby dive into the earnings reports from Microsoft and Alphabet and explain why big tech is ready to spend big on AI. Also, UPS Workers agree on a deal worth $30 billion to avoid a strike. And why did Twitter's rebrand to 'X' cost the company almost $20 billion in brand value? And how the UN is stepping in to stop a massive oil spill from a decaying tanker. Finally, why Americans don't feel guilty spending cold hard cash and some parents are spending thousands on... sorority consultants. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 110: Neal and Toby discuss Sam Altman's newest crypto project that requires users to verify their identity by scanning their eyeballs. Plus, the guys break down new research that shows why the wealthiest are much more likely to be admitted to the nation's top colleges. Also, an update on the strikes going on in Israel and why Neopets are finally making a comeback. Finally, why Spotify is upping their price and which soccer superstar is being offered a 1-year deal for... a billion dollars. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 108: Neal and Toby explain why Elon Musk has decided to rebrand Twitter as, 'X'. Plus it looks like 'Barbenheimer' surpassed expectations after making history at the box office, raking in over $230 million. Also, how power grids across the country are holding up against record hot temperatures and who won the weekend? Finally, what to expect from the Nasdaq rebalance and what Neal and Toby are watching this week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 108: Kelsey Sutton joins the show! Kelsey is the Deputy Editor of Marketing Brew and lends her expertise as she and Neal break down all of the hype surrounding the opening weekend for blockbusters 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer'. Plus, Kim Kardashian's 'Skims' valued at a whopping $4 billion, stocks of the week, and how one family won a $800,000 lawsuit over... chicken nuggets? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 107: Neal and Toby discuss the biggest earnings reports from Wednesday, including Tesla's record Q2 revenue, Netflix's major growth in subscribers and Goldman Sachs drop in profits. Also the guys explain why the President of FIFA is asking people in New Zealand to buy tickets to the World Cup. Neal shares his favorite numbers and Wesleyan University has stopped accepting legacy admissions. Finally the latest TikTok trend that is making some creators almost $7,000 a day. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 106: Toby and Neal discuss the record temperatures over in Europe during peak travel season. Plus, how will influencers take advantage of the SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood and Meta introducers Llama 2 for commercial use and Microsoft is offering a $30 subscription to incorporate AI into Microsoft 365. And why SHEIN is in the midst of a Rico lawsuit and what parallels that has with... the mafia? Finally what is the workday dead zone and apparently Apple Maps is the new wave. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 105: Neal and Toby explain why Americans currently have the most cash in the bank since before the pandemic. Plus, why wages are finally starting to outpace inflation but for Europeans, the story isn't necessarily the same. Meanwhile Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's drug that could change the game waits for FDA approval and why a typo sent millions of US Military emails to the wrong country. Toby explains why an aging filter on TikTok is going viral, and also, how passengers are 'skiplagging' to take advantage of airlines pricey travel. And finally if you won the lottery what kind of payout is the smartest to take? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 104: Neal and Toby explain how Ron DeSantis spend $7.9 million in his first six weeks of his Presidential campaign and how other candidates are spending and fundraising comparatively. Plus, why the actor and UPS strikes could cost billions, and after two long years Tesla's Cybertruck is finally here. Also, United pilots get paid and Lionel Messi loves Publix. The guys also want to wish a happy 'World Emoji Day' to you and yours and they take a look ahead to what we are watching this week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 103: Kyle Hagge joins the show! Kyle and Toby discuss all of the headlines swirling around the FTC right now; including their investigation of OpenAI, the clash between Chair Lina Khan and Congress and why Twitter is asking a federal court to drop a settlement from 2022. Plus, for the first time birth control will be available over the counter - what does this mean for insurance companies? Also Bob Iger says Disney is considering selling off traditional TV assets among taking other cost-cutting measures. The guys then share the stock and dog of the week, explain why cricket may be the new wave and how a new white paint developed by scientists could... slow global warming? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 102: Neal and Toby discuss why writers and actors in Hollywood could be striking at the same time for the first time in over 60 years. Plus wages are finally rising faster than inflation as it falls to 3%, and Domino's and Uber Eats are partnering to change the pizza game. Then Neal shares his favorite numbers, which includes Burger King Thailand's 'Real Cheeseburger' which is just... 20 slices of cheese. Finally the largest cruise ship in the entire world is getting ready to set sail and Shopify is letting employees know how much their meetings ACTUALLY cost. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 101: Neal and Toby discuss a judge ruling that Microsoft can complete its $69 billion deal to purchase Activision Blizzard despite an injuction from the FTC. Plus, historic flooding in the Northeast that is costing billions and Bank of America is on the hook for $250 million after opening fake accounts and charging customers illegal junk fees. And what is Anthropocene? And why can we only talk about it every 13,000 years? Also thanks to a national shortage, a bottle of sriracha is going for a pretty penny these days while farmers are so inundated with milk they are pouring excess down sewers. And finally, where does Sun Valley rank in the list of annual conferences filled with billionaires? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 100: Happy 100th episode! Neal and Toby celebrate by explaining what the Federal Reserve's new instant payment service is and how it could impact you. Plus, why there is a sea salt shortage in South Korea as people are preparing for Japan's release of treated radioactive water. The guys also discuss the drama surrounding Aretha Franklin's handwritten wills and why her sons are heading to court. And Disney hasn't been this empty in a long time - the guys explain why executives aren't surprised the Mouse isn't pulling in visitors this summer. Finally Toby shares his favorite trends and why the Toronto Zoo wants you to stop showing one of their gorillas videos on your phone. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 99: Neal and Toby explain why safe street activists in San Francisco are disabling robotaxis with traffic cones. Plus, the telecom companies that have left behind a network of toxic lead cables strewn across America and Senators call for the FDA to investigate Logan Paul's Prime Energy Drink because it has the caffeine equivalent of... Eight Coca-Colas!? Then the guys share their winners of the weekend and explain why the NBA is adopting a midseason tournament. Finally we look forward to a huge week ahead which includes the return of earnings season and President Biden's NATO trip. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 98: It seems like everywhere you look, people are talking about Threads. Luckily, Neal and Toby are here to break it all down and talk about the biggest moments since its launch. Plus, early data shows the US labor market is strong and thriving. So then why is Wall Street backing away? Then, Las Vegas unveils its roundest entertainment center — a 366-foot-tall LED sphere. Meanwhile, the heat is getting turned up on the celebrities tied up in the FTX collapse saga. Lastly, a banned substance found in the White House that Secret Service couldn’t prevent from entering…for the last 70 years. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 97: Neal and Toby discuss the latest legal troubles for AI and whether ChatGPT's first decline in growth is a telling sign. Plus, the US auto industry is alive & well with soaring sales from major automakers, which could be a turning point for the economy. Then, a look at why retirees are investing into the stock market as if they're millennials, why Gen-Z is taking over golf, and what 3 straight record-breaking hot days could mean for the Winter. Lastly, Subway will start cutting deli meats in front of you and Japan Airline wants you to ditch the baggage and dress you up for your big trip. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 96: Neal and Toby are back after a refreshing long weekend with lots of news to get to! Meta is coming for Twitter as it's set to launch Threads on Thursday but is it innovative enough to take down the already struggling social outlet? Plus, a judge ordered President Biden and his administration to limit contact with social media companies as the US is wrapped up in a tit-for-tat battle with China over semiconductors and solar panels. The guys also declare their winners of the long weekend and why they involve lots of EV's and hot dogs. And finally have you heard about the flying cars that are about to get a test flight? Don't worry we got you covered!
Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 95: On this special holiday edition of Morning Brew Daily, Neal and Toby sit down with Morning Brew Co-Founder Alex Lieberman. The guys discuss Alex's journey in building the Brew with now CEO Austin Rief while they were both in college at Michigan and why Alex almost didn't hire Neal as MB's third ever full-time employee. Alex also explains how his mental health took a hit when he shifted from CEO to Executive Chairman in 2021 and how he has navigated a shift in responsibilities over the last few years. As Alex dives back into entrepreneurship and helping founders, he has relaunched his podcast "Founder's Journal" where he gives you an insider’s look into building businesses. Alex explores the founder’s journey, from the painful demands of 0-to-1 to the powerful frameworks that help you scale to millions in revenue and other emotional challenges founders endure. Listen to Founder’s Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder’s Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal Follow Alex on Twitter: https://twitter.com/businessbarista Follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlieb/ Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 94: Neal and Toby chat with the face of Morning Brew's social media, Dan Toomey, on this special Holiday edition of Morning Brew Daily. Dan recently launched his own franchise called 'Good Work' after having been with Morning Brew for the past few years. Dan discusses how how he arrived at MB, how he manages his mental health as a creator, his future aspirations and even what his go-to Dunkin Donuts order is. Watch Good Work Here: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodWorkMB Follow Good Work Here: https://www.instagram.com/goodworkmb/ Follow Dan Here: https://www.instagram.com/dhtoomey/ Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 93: Neal and Toby unpack the momentous Supreme Court decision to reject the consideration of race in university admissions. Then, a leaked report shows a common artificial sweetener used in sugar-free products could be carcinogenic to humans. Plus, Virgin Galactic launches it's first commercial flight into space while the spotlight is on extreme tourism. Also, the 80s are cool again. Not the decade, but the age. Why 80 year olds are choosing to work vs. retirement. Lastly, an organization is looking to start the "Enhanced Games," meant to contrast the Olympics and allow performance-enhanced athletes. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 92: Neal and Toby cover the multiple reasons why air travel this Summer is in shambles and continues to struggle. Plus, a trip to China goes horribly wrong as social media unleashes its fury towards the traveling Shein influencers. Also, Costco takes a page out of Netflix's playbook and starts cracking down on shoppers sharing membership cards, and is Airbnb on its way towards a collapse? The numbers may surprise you. Lastly, Ireland is looking to pay homebuyers to fix-up their homes. Sounds too good to be true? That's because there's some caveats. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 91: Neal and Toby explain why Lordstown Motors has filed for bankruptcy and is suing Foxconn for $170 million. Plus, how the 'Barbie' marketing team has taken over the world with a sea of pink and product collabs. Also, Ryan Seacrest is your new host of 'Wheel of Fortune' after Pat Sajack steps down following more than four decades on the show, and which company is offering interns $120 an hour. Finally, there is only one state left where you legally can't pump your own gas and... The lawsuit involving a fridge, a cleaning crew and the loss of 25 years of research worth over a million dollars. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 90: Neal and Toby break down New York City's adoption of a congestion toll that would charge vehicles for driving in Manhattan, and why it could be setting a precedent for other cities around the country. They also explain why a possible weight-loss pill from Eli Lily has investors on Wall Street salivating. Plus, SCOTUS hears a case that could block plans to tax the rich. Toby gets trendy and explains why Gen-Z loves cottage cheese and why insurance companies are not pickleball fans. And finally why Jell-O Shots are taking over the.... College World Series? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 89: Neal and Toby explain what is going on in Russia; who is the Wagner Group and how has the civil unrest in Moscow impacted the global economy? They also break down the not-so-peachy crop crisis happening in Florida and Georgia and why wild weather is to blame and did you know that Elton John has the highest-grossing tour of all-time!? Plus, Congress is proposing a decrease in training hours for commercial pilots to combat the national pilot shortage. Then Neal and Toby share their winners of the weekend and what else we are watching for this week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 88: Neal and Toby have the latest on the 'catastrophic implosion' that destroyed the Titan submersible. They also explain why inflation rates continue to rise around the world and how Overstock.com would find any value in purchasing Bed Bath & Beyond's IP for over $20 million. Plus, why Dominoes is up and Disney is down. And following last night's NBA Draft, European athletes are having their moment in major American sports. Finally the guys look ahead to the Gamestop meme stock movie, 'Dumb Money'. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 87: Did you hear? Mark Zuckerberg has challenged Elon Musk to a cage match brawl. Neal and Toby place their bets. Plus, the FTC sues Amazon over tricking millions of customers into subscribing to Prime. Also, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, visits the US and meets with President Biden and other top business leaders. And finally why Lab-Grown meat is now FDA approved and how DC bars got approval to stay open for 24 hours this summer. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 86: Toby is back! The guys dive into the search for the missing submersible en route to explore the Titanic shipwreck. They have the latest on 'banging' heard in the ocean and discuss a 2018 lawsuit against the company OceanGate Expeditions. Plus, why there is a boom in homebuilding and how it has impacted the housing nation-wide shortage. Oh, and if you haven't heard - student loan payments are officially set to restart in the fall. Also the Paris Olympic headquarters were searched in a corruption probe and Toby shares his top trend of the week. And finally why trucking companies are trying to hire through... video games? Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 85: Neal and Kyle get right back into the swing of things after the long weekend and discuss how Canada's population explosion has kept them in the race for labor. Plus, why UPS workers have voted to strike and how could it impact your packages. Also, a submersible on an expedition to see the Titanic shipwreck has gone missing in a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean, and rescuers are on a time crunch to help the five people aboard. The guys also give their winners of the weekend and why Spotify execs are calling Harry and Meghan 'grifters'. And finally they share what we can look forward to this week. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 84: On this episode of Morning Brew Daily, Katie Gatti Tassin from 'Money With Katie' joins the show and reflects on her journey as a personal finance creator. She also shares her best personal finance advice with Neal and Toby. Her wisdom includes:
How to pick a high-yield savings account
Is it possible to be saving too much?
What is the best credit card for you?
Is it more important to invest or save?
How to maximize your money
Listen to Money With Katie Here: https://link.chtbl.com/XytSlKpN Watch Money With Katie Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MoneywithKatie Follow Katie on Social Media: @MoneyWithKatie Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about Juneteenth:
Juneteenth: The History of a Holiday - New York Times
Juneteenth: Why financial literacy needs to be part of the holiday celebration - CNBC
How to properly celebrate Juneteenth in the age of commercialization - NPR
Juneteenth and its implications for the economy and generational wealth - ABC
Juneteenth, a Day for Celebration and Frustration - Bloomberg
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 83: Not Toby set his alarm extra early and has made his return. Welcome back Kyle Hagge! He and Neal get into Cava's monstrous IPO debut after their stock doubled on Thursday. Plus, with Pixar's newest movie "Elemental" coming out, can the studio recover from some of their recent struggles? And President Biden makes Ticketmaster get honest with fees and the guys share their stock and dog of the week. Finally, why Vegas is trying to become the new sports mecca and a manager at the Harvard Morgue was selling... body parts? Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 82: Toby got up extra early in the Pacific North West coast to join us this morning! We are bi-coastal baby. The guys break down the Federal Reserve finally pausing rate hikes and what it could mean for you. Plus, there's a new top beer in the US and which labor sector will be most impacted by AI in the year 2027? Senators are probing the deal between LIV and the PGA and Neal shares his favorite numbers. Plus, Beyonce why Beyonce is being blamed for high inflation in Sweden. Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 81: Neal and Toby take a look at the CPI Data and explain why the inflation rate is at the lowest it's been in two years and what that means for you, and eggs. Plus, the retail exodus from San Francisco and the maker of Instant Pot has filed for Chapter 11. Also, how one four week old AI startup raised over $110 million and Japan has a... Pokemon crime problem? And finally, Paul McCartney explains why AI could give us one more never before heard Beatles Song. Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 80: Neal and Toby explain why the S&P 500 is absolutely ripping, as it jumps to it's highest level in over a year. Plus, how the youths in Montana are taking charge in the climate change crisis and food delivery workers in New York City just got a raise. Is London the new crypto hub? And finally the pasta protests that have Italy sauced up. Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 79: Neal and Toby explain the drama that has led thousands of Subreddits to go dark on Monday. Plus, how the collapse of a portion of 95 in Philadelphia impacts travel and business and how Netflix subscriber numbers have skyrocketed after their password sharing lockdown. Also, which billionaire has handed over his empire to his son? Finally, why this person spent 100 days under water and what we are watching for this week. Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 78: Neal and Toby discuss why GM is adapting their electric vehicles to be able to use Tesla Superchargers and what it means for EV industry standards. Plus N95 masks are in everyone's Amazon carts and why Carvana shares are up and Gamestop fired their CEO. They also get into the money required to climb Mt. Everest and why one man is under fire for thanking his sponsors and not the sherpa who saves his life. And how fast do you have to go to get a speeding ticket that's over... $100k? Learn more about our sponsor, Fidelity: https://fidelity.com/stocksbytheslice Learn more about Brex: brex.com/morningbrew Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 77: Neal and Toby discuss the economic fallout from the Canadian wildfire smoke that has stunted the Northeast the past two days. They also break down soccer superstar Lionel Messi's historic deal with MLS team Inter Miami how Apple and Adidas share deals factored into his arrival to the US. Plus, why Martha Stewart says everyone should return to the office. Neal shares his favorite numbers from the week and there's a mystery person in Ohio who has found themselves in a sh**** situation. Learn more about our sponsor, Fidelity: https://fidelity.com/stocksbytheslice Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 76: Neal and Toby discuss the historic billion dollar golf merger between LIV and the PGA that seemingly came out of nowhere on Thursday. How did it happen and what does it mean for the sport and Saudi Arabia's 'sportswashing'? Also, they rip through headlines you should know including why 100 million people were impacted by poor air quality along the east coast and why the SEC is going after Coinbase. Plus, the alien whistleblower, Mr. Bean is out on electric vehicles and the media's obsession with Succession. Learn more about our sponsor, Fidelity: https://fidelity.com/stocksbytheslice Learn more about Brex: brex.com/morningbrew Listen Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The wedding business is one of the oldest industries that’s now worth billions. Nora talks with two entrepreneurs who have found the money in matrimony. Jen Glantz is the founder of Bridesmaid For Hire, the world’s first professional bridesmaid company. She found a market that demonstrates not every bridal party has to be filled with close friends. Then, Zola co-founder and CEO Shan-Lyn Ma, the online wedding planning service, unveils which emerging wedding trends are here to stay. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com. Host: Nora AliProducer: Raymond Luu Video Editors: Sebastian Vega and Evan Frolov Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus & Rosemary Minkler Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster CylinderFact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine MilsopFull transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora speaks with Airbnb co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk. He shared his insights on the current chaotic climate in Silicon Valley, revealed how the company bounced back from pandemic layoffs and why trust remains at the core of their business. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Raymond Luu Video Editors: Sebastian Vega and Evan Frolov Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus & Rosemary Minkler Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Ever wonder whether that old box of toys is worth thousands of dollars? Nora explores the world of collectibles and the lucrative business behind it. Steve Glew, the collector featured in a new documentary called “The Pez Outlaw” along with director Bryan Storkel, reveal the secret world of Pez (yes, those candy dispensers) and how the collectibles community changed their lives. Then, producer Brian Volk-Weiss, creator of the Netflix docuseries “The Toys That Made Us”, explains what makes a toy valuable and what drives collectors to seek these prized possessions. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Raymond Luu Video Editors: Sebastian Vega and Evan Frolov Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus & Rosemary Minkler Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
LIVE from the Vegas Strip at Money 20/20, the fintech industry’s biggest conference, Nora goes inside the world of casino payments with Andrew Crowe, the SVP of Business Development for Sightline Payments. He explains why they’re working to digitize casinos and sports betting, an industry that is still mostly cash-based, and an industry that, according to Sightline, is projected to grow to more than $150 billion in the next few years. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Ecommerce has forever changed the way we spend our money. Nora chats with Bolt CEO Maju Kuruvilla about what today’s online shopping experience is lacking, and how they plan to improve it. As a former VP of Global Logistics for Amazon, Maju explains why he thinks one-click checkout will solve the biggest problem for merchants. Ahead of the holidays, he tells us what to expect on Black Friday, and what supply chain issues we can expect this season. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Everyone has heard of YouTube, but what actually goes on there? Nora investigates the business behind YouTube with Bloomberg business and technology reporter Mark Bergen, author of Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube's Chaotic Rise to World Domination. As he tells it, "It is the story of a business that transformed from a money pit into a raging commercial success, a pillar of the internet that made Google one of the world’s most profitable and powerful companies." For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Esports is a rapidly growing industry that has an impact on your life, even if you’re not a gamer. Nora sits down with FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink who makes the case that esports is the future of the entertainment industry. FaZe Clan started as an esports team and has become a multi-million dollar brand that ecompasses entertainment, commerce and culture. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Olivia Meade and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora finds out why air travel got so bad, and what you can do to make flying less annoying for yourself, and how to save money. Michelle Baran, senior travel news editor at AFAR magazine, who covers the travel business discusses the airline industry's rocky pandemic recovery. Travel expert and journalist Dayvee Sutton shares ways you can save money on your upcoming travel plans, including which credit cards offer the best travel points and perks. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Olivia Meade and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Benoni Tagoe launched Raedio with legendary actor, writer, producer, and comedian Issa Rae in 2019, and together they've set up an all-encompassing audio business that offers a music label, publishing, music supervision and music library services. Benoni, president of Raedio, talks about what it means to create an entire business around sounds, and why Raedio bills itself as "an audio everywhere company." For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out https://purple.com.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Olivia Meade and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
What is the future of our economy? Nora talks with William Lee, Chief Economist at the Milken Institute about the possibility of a recession, why he thinks it will be a “white collar recession” and how it will affect jobs. Then, Julia Pollak, Chief Economist at ZipRecruiter, gives a status update on the labor market, which industries are aggressively hiring, and how to take advantage of what she calls “best job seekers market of all time.”
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Bella Hutchins and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
What do you absolutely need to know when starting your own business or building a brand? Nora speaks with V Spehar, creator and host of the podcast V Interesting and Under the Desk News on TikTok about when it’s time to hire an accountant and why it’s okay to get help from a lawyer when it comes to contracts. Then, Victoria Bachan, managing director at Whalar Talent, a creator commerce company, shares insights from her work launching brands, events, tours, and careers for some of the industry’s biggest names.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Bella Hutchins and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Scott Galloway, NYU Stern professor, podcast host and bestselling author, stops by to discuss his new book Adrift: America in 100 Charts, which makes the case that America is at a crossroads and on the brink of massive change. Along the way, he and Nora talk about everything from remote work and the benefits of the office, to the power of big tech. Plus, why Scott doesn’t argue with strangers online anymore.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Olivia Meade and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora speaks with entrepreneur Vinit Bharara, the co-founder and CEO of Mojo, the first ever licensed sports stock market which lets fans invest in an athletes’ on-field performance like a stock with real-time price changes and instant liquidity. He talks about why he believes Mojo is taking sports betting to the next level and how it enables fans to leverage their passion and use their sports knowledge to make money.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Olivia Meade and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora speaks with bestselling author and former professional poker player Annie Duke about her new book Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away. She details why quitting is actually an important decision-making skill that’s worth developing, and offers tips on how to get good at quitting and what red flags to look for when it comes to decisive moments in your career and personal life. Source for the game: TIME’s Top 10 Quitters.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Olivia Meade and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Welcome to the FIRST EPISODE of The Crazy Ones, hosted by fellow friends, founders, and builders, Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji). Today, we talk about the rise and the insane $700M evaluation of Liquid Death, then we get into how to make your pitch deck UNDENIABLE to investors, and finally the truths that you need to know when you’re a tech entrepreneur.
Links Referenced:
Liquid Death’s Evaluation | Bloomberg
Martha Stewart’s Liquid Death Collab
Jesse Pujji’s Tweet Thread on Kahani’s Deck
Sophia Amoruso’s Business Class
Here’s a guide to understanding all-things crypto. First, Nora breaks down some crypto basics with Morning Brew’s own Jamie Wilde, who writes the Brew’s Incrypto newsletter (https://www.morningbrew.com/incrypto/subscribe). Then, we’ll find out how to navigate the crypto winter (and what that even means) with Raoul Pal, founder and CEO of Global Macro Investor and Real Vision. Host: Nora Ali Producers: Olivia Meade and Raymond Luu Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora speaks with entrepreneur and investor Jesse Pujji, the founder & CEO of Kahani and Gateway X and Executive Chairman of Ampush and MySubscriptionAddiction.com about the future of ecommerce, growth marketing strategies and how to build a successful DTC business. Jesse also talks about his mission to help other founders as co-host of The Crazy Ones, a new podcast from Morning Brew! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and follow on YouTube.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora speaks with Maëlle Gavet, the CEO of Techstars, a global investment business that provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, and programming for early-stage entrepreneurs in the form of accelerators. She's also the author of the book Trampled by Unicorns: Big Tech's Empathy Problem and How to Fix It.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora speaks with Steve Case, co-founder of AOL and the venture capital firm Revolution, about his new book The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream. He discusses his initiative to accelerate the growth of tech startups across the country – even for people who live outside the major coastal tech hubs – and renew communities in the process.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora discusses the shifting venture capital landscape and the future of digital security with media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg and entrepreneur Hari Ravichandran, the founder and CEO of Aura, a digital security company. Katzenberg’s venture capital firm, WndrCo, backed Aura, which last fall reportedly raised $200 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Ben Lamm, founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, a company that is focused on using genomics and synthetic biology to prevent, and in some cases, reverse extinction. Ben discusses Colossal’s keystone projects – bringing back the woolly mammoth and the thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Eric Ryan, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Method, OLLY, Welly and Cast about building brands and disrupting DTC industries that are perceived as overly complicated or stagnant. He shares the successes and failures in building three billion-dollar businesses, and his approach to leveraging design and creativity. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Faisal Galaria, CEO of Blippar, a company that has been called an “augmented reality pioneer” by TechCrunch. Bippar productizes augmented reality and builds tools to allow companies and individuals to create AR for any environment. Their new platform has enabled brands including Pepsi, Rockstar, Hulu, and General Mills to bridge the physical and digital worlds. Faisal tells us why believes that AR will be essential to what he calls “the real world metaverse.” For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Eddie Hearn, the President of Matchroom Boxing. What began as a family business, Matchroom Sport now has an estimated valuation of over $800 million. Eddie explains why storytelling is at the core of his business, and why he believes that “sales is a transfer of emotion.” Source for the game: Atlas Obscura’s 18 Obscure Sports That Are Well Worth Rooting For. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Alex Ma, the CEO and co-founder at Poparazzi, an app that allows you to build your friends’ profile pages instead of your own… in other words, be your friends’ paparazzi. Alex talks about how his obsession with connection on social media led him and his brother, Austen Ma, to create something more authentic than Instagram. Poparazzi hit 5m+ downloads one year after it launched in June 2021 and shot to number 1 in the app store. This article from Exploding Topics served as some of the source material for the list of social media apps in "Bullish or Bearish." For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Market uncertainty is on everyone’s mind. Given rising interest rates, inflation, the crypto crash, and other economic trends (hello, recession?), we talk about what this current climate means in the long term for beginner and seasoned investors alike.
Custom music by Davis Jones.
Nora chats with Corey Thomas, CEO of the cybersecurity company Rapid7. He talks about why nearly every company is a software company (whether they’re ready for it or not) and why we’re seeing so much investment in the cybersecurity industry right now. Plus: A breakdown of the booming hacker economy, and why it’s a lot like an Oceans 11-heist, but on the internet. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Toni Ko, the founder of NYX Cosmetics, about how she built her company from the ground up in 1999 at age 25. Toni shares marketing and sales insights from decades in the beauty industry, and talks about her decision to sell NYX to L'Oreal in 2014 for a reported $500 million. She also details why she made the decision to return to the industry in 2019 with the launch of Bespoke Beauty Brands. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus, Griffin Jennings Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Rich Barton, the co-founder and CEO of Zillow. He offers potential solutions to the housing crisis, and his view on the future of real estate and home-buying. We’ll also hear about why Zillow has adopted what it calls a “Cloud-HQ” model, where employees are all able to work remotely. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus, Griffin Jennings Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with entrepreneur Eric Ly, a co-founder of LinkedIn who started a company called KarmaCheck, which uses AI to make the background check process easier for hiring managers. He details why KarmaCheck and the technology it uses is a big deal – not only for LinkedIn – but also when it comes to fighting misinformation all over the internet… even on dating profiles. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
We’re kicking off a new bonus series called CEO Shorts! Nora chats with marshmallow entrepreneur Mike Tierney, founder and CEO of Stuffed Puffs, fluffy vanilla marshmallows filled with chocolate. Mike spent his early career working in the kitchens of restaurants including The French Laundry and Eleven Madison, and has since gone on to launch two brands over the last six years. Stuffed Puffs are currently sold in 33,000 retail locations nationwide. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Bella Hutchins, Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Elan Lee, game designer and the co-founder and CEO of Exploding Kittens, a card game that became the #1 most-backed project in Kickstarter history and has sold over 11 million games. Elan talks about creating the game with co-founder Matt Inman, creator of The Oatmeal, and how they turned a single piece of intellectual property -- a game about cats exploding -- into a multi-platform entertainment brand. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Bella Hutchins, Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Katie Gatti Tassin, creator of Money with Katie and host of The Money with Katie Show, about how she turned her side hustle into a lucrative full-time gig, and why she thinks having a bunch of side hustles in this hustle-culture environment may not always be the best decision for your happiness. She also explains how to start budgeting in your own life and how to set yourself up for success, even in the event of a recession. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Bella Hutchins, Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
The venture capital fundraising landscape is shifting, and entrepreneurs looking for fundraising avenues outside of venture might want to consider crowdfunding. Nora chats with Becky Center, the new CEO of Indiegogo, one of the OG crowdfunding platforms which has hosted over 925,000 funding campaigns since its launch in 2008. They discuss the new opportunities she wants to make for the company, how Indiegogo has evolved and how crowdfunding fits into the creator economy. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producers: Bella Hutchins, Olivia Meade Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
The CBD market is expected to soar to $19.5 billion in 2025, according to a forecast made last summer by the cannabis market research firm BDSA, and a lot of companies are looking to cash in on a trendy product. But CBD company Prospect Farms wants to bring standards and transparency to the space. CEO Brad Tipper and Chief Brand Officer Brooke Shields talk about why Prospect Fars is focused on the safety, sustainability and efficacy in all of their products. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Jenn Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway, about how the company emerged from the pandemic as a broader and stronger business while making major changes that have paved the way for the company’s long term profitability. Plus, why Jenn says that entrepreneurs should “talk to the people who are most likely to hate your idea.” For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editor: Sebastian Vega Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Crunchbase CEO Jager McConnell about the increasingly difficult funding environment for late stage startups, and why some companies who raised at massive valuations last year are running into trouble. Jager also offers insight into the industries that are taking a beating in the startup world, and explains why biotech and cybersecurity are thriving. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with NYU psychology professor Tessa West about her book Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them, and offers strategies on how to deal with difficult people at work (from co-workers to managers), and communication tips that go beyond confrontation, to knowing how and when to speak up. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Snigdha Sur, the founder & CEO of The Juggernaut, a media company focused on telling smart South Asian stories and news. In the U.S. alone, South Asians have half a trillion dollars of spending power, are the fastest growing demographic, and became the world’s largest diaspora in 2010… about 52 million people strong. Snigdha offers career insights as the founder of a media company, and details how The Juggernaut succeeded by sharing narratives that have been missing until now, and that mainstream media has gotten wrong. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay about his latest venture, Made By Nacho, a line of premium cat food and treats inspired by his beloved maine coon, Nacho Flay. Bobby also shares his approach to creating new restaurant concepts while managing a diverse business portfolio, and offers tips for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Senegalese chef and entrepreneur Pierre Thiam is on a mission to break into the Western-dominated grain market with an ancient grain called fonio. He built his company, Yolele Foods, in 2017 with the intention of creating economic opportunities for farmers who grow grains like fonio, and his success could have a huge impact on African countries by alleviating poverty and hunger for millions of people. Pierre tells us about his strategy to break into a global market that obsesses over wheat, rice, corn, and soy. And so far, it's working. Yolele's packaged fonio is flying off the shelves at Whole Foods locations all across the country. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual. Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Angie Nwandu started The Shade Room in 2014 with nothing but an Instagram account and a love of celebrity gossip. Today, The Shade Room is a media empire that covers culture, politics, investigative stories, television and more across a host of platforms. And that Instagram account now has over 26 million followers. She tells Nora about how she bootstrapped the business, why she decided to only take one singular VC investment, and how she monetizes the business. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual. Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with bestselling author Susan Cain. Fast Company named her one of its Most Creative People in Business, and her record-smashing TED Talk has been viewed over 30 million times on TED.com and YouTube combined. Susan’s latest bestseller called Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Just two years ago, Alex Warren was sleeping in friends’ cars and working non-stop making videos for TikTok and YouTube. Now, the 21-year-old content creator has over 20 million cumulative followers and recently released his single "Remember Me Happy.” Nora chats with Alex about how he mastered the algorithm, his newfound wealth, and the hard lessons he learned about personal finance. His new podcast is called "Locked In With Alex Warren." For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
What does it mean to be a “multi-hyphenate” and how do you make it all work? Nora finds out with Hitha Palepu, an entrepreneur and the CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals, who also runs a fund focused on investing in women-founded companies and is a published author. Her latest book is “We’re Speaking: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris.” For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with musician singer/songwriter, actor and entrepreneur Christina Milian for a special bonus episode! She co-founded Beignet Box in 2019 starting with a pop-up location in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Beignet Box has since expanded with two brick and mortar locations in California and two food trucks. Christina talks about her partnership with the California Strawberry Commission, her pivot to entrepreneurship, future business goals and how she deals with burnout.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with musician Tai Verdes, who rose to fame on TikTok in 2020, about songwriting, the importance of having a plan, the myth of overnight success and how his approach to playing the long game in the music business is to write songs that he likes. Tai’s forthcoming album “HDTV” is due out later this year, and he’s currently on a 22-city HDTV Headline Tour. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Join Morning Brew’s Business Casual host Nora for a deep dive as she finds out how creators can best prepare themselves to survive the long haul. She speaks with experts in monetization, marketing, strategy, and a successful longtime creator. This episode features conversations with Wes Kao, the founder of Maven, Tisha Alyn, a creator who specializes as a golf media personality, and Patreon co-founder Sam Yam. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out realvision.com/businesscasual.
Host: Nora Ali Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Scott shares some big news! Then, Nora and Scott chat with Mike Kirban, co-founder and executive chairman of Vita Coco, the world’s largest coconut water company. Mike reveals how Vita Coco won the coconut water wars, and shares marketing strategies and tips on how to connect with consumers in an authentic way. Plus: Why he rejected an acquisition offer from Pepsi and kept Vita Coco independent. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out grayscale.com/businesscasual
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: McKenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Anna Fabrega who was recently appointed CEO of Freshly, the leading fresh, chef-prepared meal delivery service in the U.S. She offers insight into brand/marketing strategies, distribution, e-commerce, physical retail and tech. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out grayscale.com/businesscasual
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Rachel Carlson, the founder & CEO of Guild Education, a company that partners with employers including Target, Walmart, Disney and Chipotle, to provide debt-free college degrees to employees. According to a profile in Forbes published last summer, the 32-year-old founder raised money for her company at a $3.75 billion valuation in June, boosting her net worth — and landing her on Forbes’ new list of America’s most successful self-made women. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out grayscale.com/businesscasual.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott speak with Sarah Kate Ellis, the CEO of GLAAD, about how the non-profit is working to shape the media narrative around LGBTQ issues. Then, Ellie Parsons, director of mobile engineering at Ovia Health, shares her personal transition story and details how businesses, employers and colleagues can actually be supportive and offer resources to LGBTQ+ folks. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out grayscale.com/businesscasual
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with independent concert promoter and music entrepreneur Peter Shapiro. He talks about his career as the founder and operator of several historic venues including Brooklyn Bowl, The Capitol Theatre, Garcia’s and Wetlands Preserve. Peter’s new book titled, “The Music Never Stops: What Putting on 10,000 Shows Has Taught Me About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Magic” will be published by Hachette Books on August 2. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out grayscale.com/businesscasual
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with entrepreneur and angel investor Candace Nelson, the founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, which launched in 2005 as the world's first cupcake-only bakery. Candace parlayed Sprinkles' success into becoming a television personality, serving as a judge on “Cupcake Wars” and “Sugar Rush.” Her latest food venture is Pizzana, a chain of Neo-Neapolitan pizzerias. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out grayscale.com/businesscasual
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot about his new documentary "If You Have: The Untold Story of UNICEF" along with executive producer, UNICEF ambassador, actor and singer Sofia Carson. They dive into the 75-year history and business behind one world's largest humanitarian organizations that operates in over 190 countries and territories, and responds to an average of 300 emergencies a year. For more info on our presenting sponsor, check out grayscale.com/businesscasual
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Kate Brandt Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Nora and Scott chat with Sabeena Ladha, the founder and CEO of Deux, a vegan and gluten-free cookie dough that can be eaten raw or baked. Sabeena talks about her upbringing as a first-generation immigrant of Pakistani and Indian descent, and why she was inspired to make a healthier alternative to junk food. She also spills the tea about her experience on Shark Tank, and her decision to respond to critics. Presented by Grayscale.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Holly Van Leuven Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Rob Richardson, the founder of Disrupt Art, a curated NFT marketplace that aims to curate an interactive space for artists, collectors, and activists to create NFTs of their work. Disrupt Art is the first black-owned NFT marketplace, and also the first full-scale marketplace built on the Flow Blockchain. Rob talks about why he created Disrupt Art, and why he believes that NFTs are a generational wealth opportunity and how equity can be built into the blockchain economy. Presented by Grayscale.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Holly Van Leuven Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora chats with Jerry Won, founder of Just Like Media and host of the "Dear Asian Americans" podcast, along with Simi Shah, founder and host of the "South Asian Trailblazers" podcast and Chief of Staff to the former CEO and Chairperson of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi for a special AAPI Heritage Month episode. Presented by Grayscale.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Holly Van Leuven Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott speak with Ben Kohn, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director at PLBY Group, Inc, about the future of Playboy, where the brand is headed and its current development into spaces like NFTs, and an offering called Centerfold (which has been compared to OnlyFans) and more. Presented by Grayscale.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Fact Checker: Holly Van Leuven Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Reggie Fils-Aimé, who served as President & COO of Nintendo for 16 years. During his tenure, Reggie helped bring the Nintendo DS, the Wii, and the Nintendo Switch to the global marketplace. He discusses why he doesn’t attribute his success to luck, his business methodology that made waves at Nintendo, and how he leaned into his identity as the first American and African American President and COO for the Japanese company. Reggie also just published a book titled, DISRUPTING THE GAME: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo. Presented by Grayscale.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Fact Checker: Holly Van Leuven Producer: Bella Hutchins Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Bing Chen, an impact founder, investor, and entrepreneur. Bing is the President and Co-Founder of Gold House, a non profit collective of 1K of the top API leaders that aims to enhance the successes of API folks across creative and business industries. Previously, he served as YouTube’s Global Head of Creator Development And Management, where he led the buildout of the influencer ecosystem that we know today. Bing discusses how his “impact” title guides the projects he works on, why he took a chance on everyday YouTube creators early on, and the four major goals that guide Gold House’s work. Presented by Policygenius.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Fact Checker: Holly Van Leuven Video Editors: Mckenzie Marshall and Christie Muldoon Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with George Resch, better known as Tank Sinatra. He started one of the earliest major meme accounts, TankSinatra, and since then has launched two additional accounts, Influencers in the Wild and Tanks Good News. He discusses breaking into the market early, the evolution of memes and monetizing his humor. Presented by Policygenius.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Caroline Spiegel, founder and CEO of Quinn, audio erotica for women, and host of the podcast The Quinn Show, about building an audio erotica app, finding community on TikTok and recruiting the best creators and vocal talent in the biz. Presented by Policygenius.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Travel is back! Nora and Scott sit down with industry expert and entrepreneur Bruce Poon Tip, best known for founding the travel company, G Adventures and author of the bestselling book Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business. Bruce also produced a new documentary called “The Last Tourist.”
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Hollywood business manager Kristin Lee, founder of the accounting firm KLBM, who manages the finances for high-level celebrities with personal net worths in the millions. She details how she built her career, manages relationships with her clients and navigates thorny conversation around overspending.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott take a ride with Peloton star and Nike athlete Tunde Oyeneyin, who instructs up to 20,000 riders through her motivational and community oriented classes. She reveals how she grew her team following, built a brand and talks about her new book called Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott sit down with Kit Gray, president and co-founder of PodcastOne, the nation’s largest advertiser-supported podcast network and home to more than 200 celebrities, athletes, and podcast stars. He talks about building a successful media company, how to adapt in a rapidly changing industry, and why he thinks we’re still in the early innings of the podcast game.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
What does it take to create the “Disneyland” of supermarkets? Scott and Nora sit down with Stew Leonard Jr., President and CEO of Stew Leonard’s, and find out what it takes to execute a vision, grow a brand and sustain a business that welcomes over 20 million visitors a year and has annual sales exceeding $500 million. For additional reading on the idea that "boring retail is dead" check out the work of Steve Dennis, and his article in Forbes.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott are covering all things cybersecurity and password management. Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1Password, details the ins and outs of running a cybersecurity business today. Then, Patrick Austin, IT Brew Editor, on why people are reluctant to use password managers, even though we know they work.
Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Scott and Nora are talkin’ tech with CNBC’s Lauren Feiner, who has been reporting on antitrust legislation against companies like Meta, Apple and Microsoft, and details how they might adversely affect startups and smaller companies that rely on big tech's services. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott discuss diversity and leadership in the beauty industry with Priyanka Ganjoo, founder and CEO of Kulfi Beauty, about why she created Kulfi Beauty, and how the brand is leading a wave of change in the industry. Then, we'll hear from Allison Collins, senior beauty editor at WWD, about why there aren’t more women leaders in the beauty industry, and what that ultimately means for products and consumers. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott explore the weird and wild world of celebrity NFTs, and find out why it seems like more stars are getting into the crypto business. Elizabeth Lopatto, Deputy Editor at The Verge, guides us through the murky behind-the-scenes financial relationships, and looks at how regulators are responding to a booming industry. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Scott and Nora take a coffee break with entrepreneur and activist Sahra Nguyen, the founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply, the first specialty Vietnamese coffee company importing directly from the source and roasting in Brooklyn. Sahra talks about her experiences as a first-generation entrepreneur-activist, and how she founded the company in 2018 with the mission to increase economic advancement for Vietnamese farmers through specialty coffee production. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott take a trip to the mall and visit two millennial teen staples, Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria Secret. Journalist Jessica Goldstein tells us how Abercrombie made a comeback with the help of TikTok. Then, go behind the scenes at Victoria’s Secret, from the models to the company’s rebrand, with Vanessa Grigoriadis, writer, host and executive producer of “Fallen Angel.” Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Spring is usually peak season for home buying, but there’s a chance that low housing inventories and rising mortgage rates will cool down the market. So what does this mean for housing prices? Nora and Scott chat with Annie Lowrey, staff writer for The Atlantic and the author of the book Give People Money, for some insight on the volatile, rapidly changing housing market. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott take a look at innovation and breakthroughs in the blood testing industry in the wake of the Theranos scandal with Washington Post reporter Rachel Lerman. Her recent article is titled: "Theranos failed, but other blood-tech companies are still trying to make testing faster and easier". Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
In a special bonus interview, Nora sits down with Indra Nooyi, the trailblazing executive who served as chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo for 12 years, and became the first South Asian woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. You can read more about Indra Nooyi's journey in her bestselling memoir My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future. Host: Nora Ali Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Kyle Buchanan, also known as The Projectionist, the awards season columnist at The New York Times. They break down all things showbiz ahead of the Oscars on Sunday, including the Academy’s response to declining viewership, the business model behind the telecast and the future of awards shows. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott speak with Sheena Allen, the founder and CEO of fintech company and neobank CapWay, which provides bank services and financial education via a mobile app. They discuss bootstrapping vs VC funding, what it means to be financially underserved in the U.S. today, and the importance of building generational wealth. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Psychedelic drugs are a billion dollar business. But there are currently a number of key people and for-profit organizations looking to control and profit from it. Nora and Scott speak with VICE senior staff writer Shayla Love, who reports on the psychedelic drug industry. She is also the co-producer of the VICE documentary "The Battle Over Psychedelic Therapy's Future.” Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott take a closer look at how instant delivery services like GoPuff operate with reporter Tom Dotan, who covers Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, and the gig economy for Business Insider. Tom has been reporting on GoPuff for several months, and one of his recent investigations uncovers the company’s food waste: How Gopuff's operational chaos left pallets of food to spoil outside warehouses around the country. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Hey BC listeners, we are so excited to share the latest episode from a new member of the Morning Brew family: The Money with Katie Show! Give it a listen, and if you want more great personal finance advice, follow the show on your favorite podcast platform.
The healthcare marketplace in the United States is confusing, complex, and expensive. Why is it the way it is? Has it always been this way? Is it this way everywhere? These were my questions when I began this deep dive. After reading a couple books, going on a week-long internet deep dive, and interviewing a healthcare consultant, I felt ready to bring some of my initial findings to you. Big thanks to Taylor, a healthcare consultant, for being interviewed for this episode, and Kaleigh, for sharing her experience giving birth to her daughter. Snag a copy of Taylor's TEMPLATE FOR DENIED INSURANCE CLAIMS. Since this is a relatively fact-filled episode, sources are listed below by claim. Follow along
Blog
Claims & more resources
Any claim that doesn’t have a URL attached came from the book The Healing of America by T. R. Reid.
“Of the 11 richest countries in the world, America’s healthcare system ranks 11th. The judgment metrics are as follows: Access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity, and healthcare outcomes. The U.S. ranked last in four of the five criteria, with the exception of “care process,” for which we ranked second.
Historical deep dive resource
“The U.S. spends roughly the same amount as a percentage of GDP on Medicare and Medicaid alone that the rest of the rich countries spend insuring their entire populations, and the private sector spends even more.”
“Estonia, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Korea, Israel… all of these countries have lower infant mortality rates than the United States.”
“And pharmaceutical companies do spend, on average, around 20% of their total revenues on R&D.”
“The U.S. actually ranks sixth in the World Index of Healthcare Innovation, behind Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands.”
“A new analysis from insurance giant Humana itself and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that between $760 billion and $935 billion—or about a quarter of all U.S. healthcare spending—is considered “waste.””
Comments about Sweden’s economy and benefits
Nora and Scott are getting down to the nitty gritty of social media monetization and the business behind influencers…specifically, how creators monetize their content, especially when they first begin to build an audience. Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent for Vox, discusses her article, “You go viral overnight. Now how do you get rich?” Nora and Scott also chat with Ryan Broderick, who covers social media monetization in his newsletter, Garbage Day. And we’ll hear from three influencers: Connor Wood (AKA Fibula), AJ Rafael, and Talia Lichtstein. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott get the lowdown on the latest autonomous vehicle tech news with Morning Brew Emerging Tech reporter Hayden Field. Then, we’ll take a look at how that technology is currently being used in the long-haul trucking industry with Alex Rodrigues, co-founder and CEO of Embark Trucks. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott are talking about the world of EVs. We’ll find out about sourcing materials that make a key component of EVs—batteries—and how the lithium shortage could affect the EV market with Emerging Tech Brew reporter Grace Donnelly. Then, Frank Reig, co-founder and CEO of Revel reveals how the company plans to electrify transportation through EV charging hubs, mopeds, e-bikes, and Tesla ride-sharing services. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Dan Runcie, founder of Trapital, a weekly newsletter about the hip-hop industry, and look at how trends and strategies that start in hip-hop influence the rest of the business world. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Streaming now accounts for 84% of music revenue, according to a report from RIAA. Scott and Nora dive into the business of audio streaming with George Howard, associate professor of music business/management at Berklee College of Music, who details how music streaming services make money from music, how artists are (and aren't) profiting. Then, a look at how podcasts fit into the equation with Ashley Carman, senior reporter at The Verge and lead writer for Hot Pod. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
The global video game industry is almost a $200 billion market, exceeding the revenue of the global movie industry and North American sports industry combined. Nora unpacks the latest gaming business news with Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, author of Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry. Then, Scott and Nora chat with Erin Ashley Simon, video game influencer, host and co-owner of the esports organization XSET about how the industry is changing and the role she plays in it. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Amanda Hoover, a reporter covering tech at Morning Brew, who stopped by to talk about her feature story titled: “Just like supporting a bro,” about the women NFT artists who are looking to bring equity to Web3. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Welcome to the first episode of Morning Brew's new podcast Imposters! Drinking and alcohol are well-documented in the world of tech/startup culture, and for Twitch cofounder Justin Kan it was no different. Justin tells host Alex Liberman about his unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and how after 23 years, getting sober was the best thing for him personally, as well as his career. To hear another episode of Imposters with TV's Carson Daly RIGHT NOW, click here to follow/subscribe on your favorite platform. Full transcripts for all Imposters episodes available at https://imposters.morningbrew.com
Nora and Scott find out why the legal marijuana market in California is on the verge of collapse with Vice News correspondent Keegan Hamilton. He talks about his piece, How Legal Weed Sparked a Boom for Outlaw Growers in California. Then, we’ll hear from Darren Story, founder of Strong Agronomy, a California cannabis farm, who shares his perspective as a local industry dealing with illegal market competition. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott sit down with Bloomberg senior writer Claire Suddath who explains why childcare in the U.S. is the "rare example of an almost entirely private market in which the service offered is too expensive for both consumers and the businesses that provide it." Her investigation for Bloomberg Businessweek is called "How Child Care Became the Most Broken Business in America.” Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott speak with Away CMO Melissa Weiss about her strategy for the future of the travel brand and how the company is thinking about growth in the new year. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Ever had a sandwich the Ocky Way? Nora and Scott chat with New York Times food reporter and author Priya Krishna about her new YouTube series "On the Job" which takes us behind the scenes to meet the people in the restaurant industry whose work we take for granted. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott sit down with the one and only Gary Vaynerchuk, serial entrepreneur, investor and friend of the pod. Topics include: The Great Resignation, NFTs and the gift of self-awareness. He also has a new book called Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott chat with Ethan Brown, the founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, one of the leading companies in the plant-based meat industry, about the cultural shift around eating meat, and how to navigate the growing plant-based meat industry. Source note: Scott references this Business Insider article about “the world’s first modern vegetarians” in the quiz. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott are talking about whistleblowing in the tech biz with Shirin Ghaffary, a tech reporter for Recode/Vox, who published an investigation titled, Big Tech’s employees are one of the biggest checks on its power. She covers the growing internal whistleblower movement against big tech companies, reveals how it's shaping the tech business and what it means for industry regulation. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
What it means to be a manager at work has fundamentally changed. Nora and Scott chat with Morning Brew’s own GM of Education Karen Hebert-Maccaro about how leadership is changing post-pandemic, in the midst of The Great Resignation. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
In 2020, just 3% of the $147.6 billion invested in venture capital went to Black-founded companies, according to the U.S. Census [from Forbes]. Kathryn Finney, entrepreneur, investor and author chats with Nora and Scott about her latest project called Genius Guild, which combines an incubator, venture studio and fund that supports Black entrepreneurs. Check out Kathryn Finney’s podcast Build the Damn Thing. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Pour yourself a tall glass of celery juice and join Scott and Nora as they break down the wellness industry with Amanda Mull, a staff writer for The Atlantic. She details its history, meteoric rise, clever marketing strategies, and lack of regulation. Check out some of Amanda’s reporting on Goop and Instagram wellness fads. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Pia Thompson, founder and CEO of Sweet Digs, tells Scott and Nora about her path to becoming a creative entrepreneur (including the pivot from her career as an attorney), and how she runs her home/life organizing business, Sweet Digs. Plus: Tips on starting fresh, organizing and decluttering to kick off the new year. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott are talking about burnout and how to end it in the new year. Writer Jonathan Malesic explains why the forces driving burnout are all part of our cultural obsession with work, and why self-help books and articles aren't much help. His new book is called The End Of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives. Hosts: Nora Ali & Scott Rogowsky Producer: Bella Hutchins Production, Mixing & Sound Design: Daniel Markus Music: Daniel Markus & Breakmaster Cylinder Senior Producer: Katherine Milsop Director of Audio: Alan Haburchak VP, Head of Multimedia: Sarah Singer Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Melissa Bridgeford, co-founder & CEO of Wizard Commerce, talks with Scott and Nora about her AI-driven conversational commerce startup and the future of retail. Plus: A look at the emergence of text-based and voice-based shopping, and the AI technology behind it. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Morning Brew managing editor Neal Freyman stops by to chat with Nora and Scott about the stories that dominated the newsletter in 2021. Check them out here:
NFTs: Frequently Asked Questions
Inside Growing Calls to Boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Traditional IPO vs SPAC: Everything You Need to Know About Taking Your Company Public
Hot Rod Charlie and His Five Best Human Friends Have Big Kentucky Derby Dreams
How to Write a Cover Letter and Not Hate the Process
Morning Brew's Work Horror Stories,
Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
In this bonus show, Morning Brew Co-Founder Alex Lieberman talks about the framework he uses to get his shit together and stay organized. Find more episodes of Founder's Journal on your favorite podcast platform here: https://link.chtbl.com/founders-journal Full transcripts for all Founder's Journal episodes available at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com
We’re celebrating the end of 2021 with a very special Business Casual clip show, featuring highlights from Nora and Scott’s conversations with author Stacey Vanek Smith about her new book Machiavelli for Women, entrepreneur Marc Lore and NFL champion and investor Ndamukong Suh. Click here for the full conversation with Stacey Vanek Smith Or click here for the entire chat with Marc Lore Or click here to listen to the complete Ndaumkong Suh episode. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Gift cards may be the big winners of a holiday season plagued by supply chain issues, so Nora and Scott dive into the business behind a classic last minute gift. Bloomberg reporter Amelia Pollard discusses the economics of gift cards and her recent piece, Supply-Chain Crisis Is Bad for IPhones, Great for Gift Cards. Then, Amanda Yeo, Mashable writer and podcast host makes her case for why gift cards suck. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Special bonus ep from our sister show Founder's Journal! In this episode, Morning Brew Co-Founder Alex Lieberman discusses the steps you should take to properly set yourself up at work before taking time off. As mentioned in the episode, check out two of my previous episodes, How to Unplug From Work and How To Get Your Shit Together, for more helpful tools related to PTO. And you can find even more episodes of Founder's Journal on your favorite podcast platform here: https://link.chtbl.com/founders-journal Full transcripts for all Founder's Journal episodes available at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com
Pull up a chair at the Noodle Bar with Nora and Scott as they chat with Momofuku CEO Marguerite Zabar Mariscal about running a restaurant empire with David Chang at age 31, just 10 years after joining Momofuku as an intern in 2011. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
The used car market is on fire right now, thanks in large part to the global chip shortage. Scott and Nora get the scoop on the semiconductor business from Jeanne Whalen, global business reporter for The Washington Post. Then, Kayla Reynolds, a manager of economic and industry intelligence at Cox Automotive, sheds some light on the current car shopping experience. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott dive into the business of love just in time for cuffing season. First, Talia Goldstein, President & Founder of Three Day Rule, talks about building an exclusive matchmaking company that sets singles up with their own matchmaker. Then, Logan Ury, Director of Relationship Science at Hinge, talks about the psychology behind the ever-evolving online dating business. And Nora and Scott share their results from Logan’s Three Dating Tendencies quiz. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Nora and Scott dive into the music business, present and future. Alyssa Bereznak, a writer and podcaster covering tech and culture at The Ringer tells Nora how TikTok transformed the industry. Then, Kate Lindsay, a writer, editor and cofounder of Embedded, a newsletter all about the internet and influencers, talks to Scott about what’s next for artists in the digital space. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Putting our knowledge of options into practice: we go over how to think about options in your portfolio relative to other assets, and how to make sure you don’t get carried away. Visit Fidelity for more information and resources. Check out the latest Fresh Invest episodes here. Custom music by Davis Jones. This podcast was created on behalf of Fidelity Investments by the Morning Brew Creative Studio, and does not reflect the opinions or point of view of the Morning Brew editorial team. Sources are provided for informational and reference purposes only. They are not an endorsement of Fidelity Investments or Fidelity Investments’ products.
James Reinhart, co-founder and CEO of thredUP, chats with Nora and Scott about building and managing the online consignment and thrift store, and taking it public. They also talk about how cultural attitudes towards thrifting have shifted in recent years, and the environmental impact of thrifting vs. buying new. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Scott and Nora dive into the Great Resignation and find out why so many workers are quitting now and why that may not be such a bad thing. Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the podcast, Plain English on the Ringer Network stops by to discuss. Full transcripts for all Business Casual episodes available at https://businesscasual.fm
Matt Weiss is the founder and CEO of RIND Snacks, a company that makes dried fruit snacks using upcycled whole fruits, including the peel. Since RIND’s launch in 2017, they’ve grown significantly with an estimated 3,500 distribution points. RIND also recently raised over $6 million in series A funding. Matt spoke with Scott and Nora about his inspiration for launching Rind, how he scaled the business so quickly and how they’re tackling food waste in the US.
After navigating the pandemic, restaurants are now facing supply and sourcing issues, labor shortages and entitled customers. Food & Wine restaurant editor Khushbu Shah chats with Nora and Scott about the business of restaurants, and introduces us to the chefs who are doing things differently. Bonus: Here’s a handy guide on how to be a better restaurant customer.
Eliza Blank, founder and CEO of The Sill, the first direct-to-consumer houseplant brand, launched her company with a Kickstarter in 2012, and grew it into a thriving VC funded business. She chats with Scott and Nora about her journey as an entrepreneur, how to survive a co-founder break-up and why plants make people happy.
Tom Pallini, aviation reporter for Business Insider, recently wrote about his experience living at "the best airport in the world." He chats with Scott and Nora about the business of airports including how airports operate and make money, why many U.S. airports look like decaying malls, and what’s being done to improve them.
Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud chats with Scott and Nora about her path from serving as head of marketing at Vimeo, to becoming CEO in 2017, and details how she transformed the company from a $40 million company, to a publicly traded company worth over $5 billion. She also reveals why she took a risk and pitched her big idea for Vimeo’s redirection, helping it become a software platform for businesses at every stage.
It’s Veterans Day, so Scott and Nora take a look at a growing non-profit called Veterans Community Project which builds state-of-the-art tiny home communities for veterans. Chris Haxel, a senior producer for the investigative podcast Verified who previously covered military and veterans issues for KCUR in Kansas City, talks about his reporting. Plus, we’ll find out what it really takes to run a veteran-owned business, and hear from two experts with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, Rosalinda V. Maury, Director of Applied Research and Analytics and Misty Stutsman Fox, Director of the Entrepreneurship and Small Business portfolio.
If you want to be an active trader—not a passive investor—there are a few things you should know. We talk about what those are, and how to create a disciplined plan for your trades. Visit Fidelity for more information and resources. Check out the latest Fresh Invest episodes here. Custom music by Davis Jones. This podcast was created on behalf of Fidelity Investments by the Morning Brew Creative Studio, and does not reflect the opinions or point of view of the Morning Brew editorial team. Sources are provided for informational and reference purposes only. They are not an endorsement of Fidelity Investments or Fidelity Investments’ products.
Super Bowl champion and investor Ndamukong Suh joins Scott and Nora to talk about his football career and his other passions including a partnership with Stash, a virtual banking company that provides financial literacy in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
Nora and Scott get the story behind the e-cigarette maker Juul, exploring the company’s rise as a Silicon valley startup and the decisions that led to its current relationship with Altria, the tobacco giant behind Marlboro cigarettes. New York Times reporter Sheila Kaplan discusses her reporting on Juul and the documentary Move Fast & Vape Things, along with her investigation "How Juul Hooked a Generation on Nicotine."
Deena Bahri is the first ever Chief Marketing Officer of StockX, the online marketplace for buying and selling trendy collectibles including sneakers, streetwear and trading cards. StockX authenticates its products at a 99.95% accuracy rate, thanks to their very in-depth process...which includes 100+ steps, because for Gen Z, authenticity is everything. Deena is telling us all about the company's first-class authentication team, the increased popularity of investing in StockX’s products as alternative assets, and StockX’s recent expansion into new markets.
Molly Wood is reporter and host for several long-running shows for Marketplace, from American Public Media, including Marketplace Tech and Make Me Smart, as well as the independent podcast It’s a Thing. Molly recently launched her newest Marketplace podcast, How We Survive, which breaks down technology and business solutions to help navigate the climate crisis. She joins Scott and Nora to talk about our current global energy crisis, the mad rush for lithium (one of the primary materials needed to make batteries), and the business behind climate-crisis technology. You can also read more about electrification as a solution for the climate crisis in this story from Morning Brew's Grace Donnelly: 5 charts explaining the future of EV batteries
Serial entrepreneur, investor and NBA owner Marc Lore chats with Nora and Scott about his dream of building a sustainable city in the desert, plus, basketball and his big plans for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.
Brandon Katz, senior entertainment reporter for Observer, chats with Nora and Scott about the business of streaming, from the latest “Squid Game” Netflix stats, to the looming threat of HBOMax... and predicts what the end of the streaming wars might look like.
Writer, comedian, and producer Phoebe Robinson joins Nora and Scott to talk about show biz, creating her HBO special 2 Dope Queens, her production company Tiny Reparations, time management, self-care, and why breaking out in comedy takes longer than you might think. Also, you gotta check out Phoebe’s fancy Gucci sneaks.
Journalist Stacey Vanek Smith, co-host of NPR’s The Indicator from Planet Money, joins Nora and Scott to discuss her new book, Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace, and applies a modern twist on principles from Machiavelli's writings. She also offers practical, real-life advice on how women can shatter the proverbial glass ceiling.
CEO Jasmine Crowe joins Scott and Nora to discuss Goodr, her startup that fights food insecurity and waste by rerouting surplus food from local businesses and delivering it to nonprofits, which distribute it to hungry communities. She also reveals how Goodr uses blockchain technology to make it all happen, and talks through her personal journey to found and build the company.
Terry Nguyen, a reporter for The Goods at Vox, joins Nora and Scott to talk about Shein’s takeover of the fast-fashion industry. Drawing on research from her recent article, “Shein is the future of fast fashion. Is that a good thing?,” Nguyen discusses Shein’s ubiquity on social media, its supply chain and production processes, and the ethical concerns surrounding the brand.
Serial entrepreneur, executive and angel investor Kim Perell joins Nora and Scott to talk about the many ups and downs of her career, including how you can take risks and make changes in your own life. She draws on her experience as a digital marketing technology CEO who scaled companies from $0 to $1B in revenue, and led thousands of employees worldwide. Her new book Jump: Dare to Do What Scares You in Business and Life is out on November 2.
Enjoy this preview of the all-new Business Casual, from Morning Brew! We're so excited to bring you conversations with movers and shakers from today's business world, exploring how business shapes our culture and transforms our daily lives. But, we're not just talking to CEOs—we're also chatting it up with folks behind the scenes, innovators, journalists and experts. We're asking the questions you'd want to ask, so come on down, but keep it... casual. ALSO, if you have amazing stories or outstanding personalities from the world of business that we should know about, send them our way! You can write to us at businesscasual@morningbrew.com, DM on Twitter @bizcasualpod or give us a call +1 (862) 295-1135
It’s time, we’re finally able to announce and introduce you to our new co-hosts: Nora Ali and Scott Rogowsky! Nora and Scott are delighted to be here vibing with each other, and even more excited about all the amazing guests and business stories they’re going to bring you soon! If you want to suggest a specific guest or learn about a certain industry, let us know! Reach out via email to businesscasual@morningbrew.com, DM us on Twitter @bizcasualpod, or give us a call (862) 295-1135.
Today, we’re taking you behind the scenes to meet the new audio team behind Business Casual’s relaunch. We’re also filling you in about some exciting new changes to come this fall. If you want to hear from a specific guest or about a certain industry, let us know! Reach out via email at businesscasual@morningbrew.com or DM @bizcasualpod.
An update from the Business Casual Crew on the show's return to regular episodes (coming in October), plus listener emails - woo! If you want to send us a guest who you'd like to hear us interview, our email is businesscasual@morningbrew.com, or leave a voice message on our website: businesscasual.fm For more great business-builder insights from Alex Lieberman (now and into the future) follow Alex on Twitter or subscribe to the Founder's Journal podcast.
In honor of business guru and super-builder Elon Musk's 50th birthday, please enjoy one more dip into host Alex Lieberman's other show: Founder's Journal. On two special episodes of that show, Alex goes deep on the thought processes Elon uses to see what we can all learn from the self-styled Technoking of Tesla. If you want more great builders' lessons like these, please subscribe to Founder's Journal wherever you listen to your pods.
Founder of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman joins us today to talk all about scaling businesses quickly and effectively. Through his experience scaling PayPal and LinkedIn and investing in companies like Airbnb, Reid has formulated a bulletproof scaling strategy. Today, we dive into unexpected lessons in scaling, monopolizing the market, and the importance of network effects. Reid draws on concrete examples from leaders of the most successfully scaled companies who have made appearances on his podcast, Masters of Scale.
James Ledbetter, the Chief Content Officer at Clarim Media, joins us today to point out some of the challenges and pitfalls of the bitcoin bull case. James discusses government regulation, environmental concerns, and the hurdles in place that will make it difficult for bitcoin to become a mainstream currency. He also delves into his stance on bitcoin as a store of value and how it compares to other assets like gold.
On a very special episode of Alex's other podcast The Founder's Journal, he talks about 4 timeless lessons from Jeff Bezos's 1997 letter to Amazon shareholders, which established the principles for building an e-commerce empire. Click here for more info and more episodes of Founder's Journal
Michael Saylor, Co-Founder and CEO of MicroStrategy, joins us today to break down the bitcoin bull case. Saylor, well known on Twitter for his bullish attitude towards bitcoin, led MicroStrategy to transition from holding cash to bitcoin. To date, the company has acquired nearly $3 billion in bitcoin. Today, Saylor breaks down why bitcoin is better than gold, what makes bitcoin the most successful tech of our generation, and the environmental concerns tied to bitcoin.
EDM DJ 3LAU joins us today to discuss the intersection of blockchain technology and the music industry, breaking down the positive impact for both artists and fans. 3LAU first began to explore blockchain's potential role in the industry in 2018, when he launched the first ever blockchain-powered music festival, called Our Music Festival (OMF). Beginning in 2020, 3LAU began to experiment with selling his work as NFTs. In March of this year, he hosted an NFT auction of unreleased music and experiences, netting over $11 million from the sale. Drawing on these experiences, 3LAU tells us how blockchain technology allows artists to protect their work and has the potential to more directly involve fans in music festival curation, artists' creative processes, and more.
On this episode of The Founder's Journal, Alex breaks down 7 rules for building authentic connections in the business world of 2021. Click here for more info and more episodes of Founder's Journal
Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, joins us to discuss how the e-commerce platform behind many of your favorite stores has democratized entrepreneurship and sparked a digital shift in retail. Harley breaks down Shopify’s role in the e-commerce boom, diving into how consumers’ values inform their purchases, why retail isn't dead, and the importance of curation and personalization for a brand. We had to talk a bit about Rihanna moving Fenty Beauty to Shopify, too.
Legendary financial advisor Downtown Josh Brown joins us to discuss the radical change in investing behavior between boomers and millennials/Gen Z and how that change has shaped today’s stock market. Gone are the days of bonds, Warren Buffet’s advice, and saving for retirement. Drawing on insights from his recent Fortune 500 article, “Your father’s stock market isn’t coming back,” Josh walks us through the new investing landscape. He dives into the cultural momentum of memes, high risk tolerance, crypto, and more.
Looking for an appetizer for Business Casual? Check out Alex Lieberman's other business pod, Founder's Journal.
Jonathan Neman, the Co-Founder and CEO of sweetgreen, joins us today to discuss how the brand’s mission — to inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food — drives each step of its growth. We dive into sweetgreen's decision not to franchise, their strict sourcing criteria, and how they build intimacy with customers at scale.
….and it’s having an even worse decade. Today we’re breaking down why that matters.
Last week, Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund infamous for buying local newspapers and slashing their budgets, closed its $633 million purchase of Tribune Publishing, promptly ousting the Chicago Tribune CEO. Elahe Izadi, a reporter for The Washington Post, joins us today to discuss the specs of the deal, why the local news business model is broken, and the consequences we will face if we let local news die.
Looking for an appetizer for Business Casual? Check out Alex's other business pod, Founder's Journal.
The podcast world has seen tons of big money moves in the past month. From Apple and Spotify releasing in-app paid subscriptions, to Facebook building its own podcast player, to media giants buying the rights to big name shows.
Today, we’re doing a temperature check on the podcasting industry with Nick Quah, the writer of Hot Pod newsletter. Nick is telling us his takes on how new podcast platforms compare to Patreon, the influx of celebrities in the space, and the companies who are controlling the majority of the industry’s capital.
We’ve seen some pretty great rebrands over the past few years, from Oatly moving from niche Swedish brand to the American dairy industry's rival, to Drunk' dropping the "donuts" in its name. Today, we dig into the strategies, considerations, and challenges of rebranding with Arianna Davis, the Senior Director of Editorial & Strategy of Oprah’s recently relaunched lifestyle brand, Oprah Daily.
Oprah’s brand began as O, the Oprah Magazine, and with the help of Arianna, launched a digital extension in 2018 that became the fastest growing website launch in Hearst history. This year, Arianna led a relaunch of the entire brand, now called Oprah Daily. All the while, she also penned What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly.
MSCHF, the company behind the infamous Lil Nas X Satan Shoes (you know, the ones that incited a lawsuit from Nike) knows a thing or two about going viral. MSCHF is a counterculture art collective that releases its products exclusively via drops, almost all of which go viral instantly. From Birkenstock shoes made out of cut up Birkin bags, to a laptop loaded with malware programs, MSCHF knows no bounds. Going viral might be the cheapest, most effective marketing tool...but it usually happens by accident, and sometimes not for good reason. Today, Daniel Greenberg, founding team member and CRO of MSCHF, joins us to explain how MSCHF has mastered going viral on purpose and why it embraces the bad publicity as much as the good. He'll break down the importance of evoking a reaction, why there's a story behind each drop, and how MSCHF engages with its competitors.
The term Black Wall Street refers to a flourishing community of Black-owned small businesses in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 20th century. The area was destroyed in the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, and along with it, all of the Black wealth in the area.
Today, author Hannibal Johnson joins us to unpack the history of Tulsa's Black Wall Street. He helps paint a picture of the entrepreneurial spirit of Black Wall Street at its peak, despite the crushing prevalence of Jim Crow Laws throughout the country at the time. Johnson also walks us through the devastating impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre on the area. He emphasizes the massacre, which is often left out of history books, as one of many disruptions of Black businesses and wealth throughout history that have contributed to the Black-white wealth gap in America.
If you want to read more about the history of Black Wall Street, check out these articles by:
History
The Wall Street Journal
CNN
PBS
In 2020, only about 3% of VC funding across the US went to Black founders. Our guest today, Jarrid Tingle, is determined to change that stat. Jarrid is the Founder and Managing Partner of Harlem Capital Partners, a VC firm dedicated to closing the funding gap for female and minority founders. The firm’s goal is to invest in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years, and they’re well on their way. Jarrid believes the funding disparity for Black founders stems from the lack of diversity of VC investors and partners. Today, we dive into how his VC firm is tackling the issue from the inside out, the role that brand storytelling plays in furthering its mission, and what young people in business today can do to help close the gap.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Brandon Copeland takes personal finance as seriously as he takes his NFL career. Off the football field, beyond his own money management, Copeland serves as a financial advisor and teaches a financial literacy course at The University of Pennsylvania. Cope joins us today to tell us about his strict saving habits, the importance of making financial literacy your own responsibility, and the role that discipline plays in both football and finance.
The transition from the athlete world to the business world is not historically an easy one. Today, MLB legend Alex Rodriguez joins us to break down how he so successfully transferred his skills from the ball field to the boardroom to build his company, A-Rod Corp. He’s telling us about the importance of accountability, building long term relationships with mentors, and surrounding yourself with the right team.
Brand storytelling is one of the most powerful marketing tools, serving as a bridge between a business and its consumers. A well-crafted narrative can make even the most unsexy companies seem compelling. On this episode, we’re talking to Kerstin Emhoff, the CEO of award-winning production companies PRETTYBIRD and Ventureland. You may recognize their viral commercials for Uber and Facebook, among others. Today, she’s telling us about the impact of strong storytelling, how to craft an authentic brand narrative, and what makes commercials go viral. She’ll also be telling us about her efforts to support underrepresented talent in the entertainment industry.
Drop culture, streetwear, and livestream video shopping—three things we may not be cool enough to break down for you ourselves. That’s why Aaron Levant, the CEO of NTWRK, is joining us today. He’ll be telling us about the effectiveness of drops as a marketing tool, why he thinks the current retail industry is dying, and how he’s changing the online shopping game by incorporating livestream video into the experience. P.S. Didn’t you hear? Vowels aren’t cool anymore.
Purchasing artwork by the likes of Picasso, Warhol, or Monet has traditionally been reserved for the same people adding truffles to all of their meals. But that’s beginning to change with the launch of MasterWorks, an investing platform that allows you to buy shares of famous artwork. We know what you’re thinking: how does one own a piece of a Picasso? Today, Scott Lynn, CEO of MasterWorks, joins us to break it down. He’ll be telling us about the history of art as an asset class, how art differs from other alternative investments, and the similarities and differences between physical art and NFTs.
For most people, wealth management sounds like something that’s only for the uber rich—like private planes and 'add truffles.' Today, Kristin Lemkau, CEO of Wealth Management at JP Morgan Chase, joins the show to dispel that myth. She’s breaking down the ins and outs of wealth management, why it’s right for everyone, and the industry changes she’s seen throughout her 22 years at the company. She’s also sharing her thoughts on retail investing apps and their gamification of the space.
The barrier for entry to being a creator has never been lower, so the amount of people looking to be full time creators has never been higher. Every successful creator’s path to “making it” is different, but the creator economy makes room for all of them. Here to tell us about all the moving parts behind being a full time creator is YouTuber Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD. Marques tells us about how he distinguished himself on his platform, his experience building his audience, and how he delegates to scale his business.
Orange is the new black and the passion economy is the new gig economy. But what really is the passion economy? How is it so different from the gig economy? Can you benefit from it even if you’re not an influencer? How will it change what people think of as “work” in the future? Here to answer all of those questions for us today is Li Jin, the founder of Atelier Ventures, a VC firm that invests in platforms that enhance the passion economy.
As big name publishing houses continue to consolidate, their influence on which books become bestsellers only grows stronger. The ‘chosen’ books are consistently written by authors in privileged positions, leaving underrepresented authors, including women, people of color, and noncelebrities, off the bookshelves (and Kindles). Some authors have had enough, and they're finding new avenues through which to get themselves published. Join us today as publisher and writing coach Brooke Warner walks us through the exclusivity of publication and explains how hybrid publishing companies can support underrepresented authors.
The growth of new reading platforms in the past decade drove a ton of growth in the publishing industry, leading to the consolidation of some of the biggest names in the business. While that might be good news for publishers…it’s not so great for authors, editors, and readers. Fewer publication houses means fewer books being promoted, fewer authors being discovered, and fewer stories being read. Today, Cindy Spiegel, the CEO of independent publishing house Spiegel & Grow, joins us to discuss the implications of this consolidation and the importance of indie publishing houses for the future of the industry.
The first wave of the ed-tech revolution was pretty simple. Take school as you know it, and put that online. But to get people excited about lifelong learning, does that work? If you wanted to build a new platform where people would want to learn, and do so in the longterm, what would that look like? MasterClass, maybe. On this episode, we're going to consider that question alongside the company's founder and CEO, David Rogier.
AI, technology, and automation are changing the skills workers need to find success. Meanwhile, the people involved in driving that change—tech workers—are disproportionately white and male. How can we change that?
Ruben Harris wants to find out. As CEO of CareerKarma, an online platform that matches workers with coding bootcamps and skills training programs, Ruben leads the company that fancies itself the "front door" to the tech industry. In this episode, Ruben tells us about his journey as a founder, his goal to reach a billion people, and his thoughts on the future of work.
Right now, it feels like the entire world is talking about NFTs, or nonfungible tokens. I'm sure you've seen the tweets and the headlines about NFTs and wondered — what the heck are these? We're finding out from Roham Gharegozlou, the CEO of Dapper Labs. Dapper Labs is the blockchain based entertainment company behind NBA Top Shot, which is one of the most popular and hyped NFT series out there.
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are... complicated. That's why we have Sheila Warren, head of blockchain and data policy and member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum, to help us break down. Sheila will walk us through all the basics: What is an NFT? What exactly do you own when you buy an NFT? Is it a good investment?
One year into wide-spread WFH, do you ever end your video call and ask yourself, 'Why are we still using Zoom?' In 2020, our work style changed. A lot. But our tools have not. Xiaoyin Qu, founder and CEO of a platform called Run The World, explains how to bring the right tech to virtual gatherings. She’ll offer some much-needed clarity as to technology’s role in our maybe-remote, maybe-IRL future, and predict what large-scale conferences will look like post-pandemic.
One year and about 1,000 Zoom happy hours into widespread WFH, here we are...still remote. The business world has changed because of our collective shift to a remote work model. And while we're doing our best to get work done and connect with the world around us, there is lots of room for improvement. Priya Parker, a facilitator, strategic advisor and author, joins Business Casual to explore the new world of remote gathering and effective communication.
We know a few things in life to be unavoidable: death, taxes, and the failure of traditional venture capital to fairly fund a diverse array of entrepreneurs. Equity crowdfunding might be able to solve one of those, and it’s not death or taxes. Today on Business Casual, we’re exploring the ways a more democratic system of fundraising for private-sector businesses (read: equity crowdfunding) might empower more founders from diverse backgrounds. And we’re doing it with Max Tuchman, the CEO of Caribu who’s seen fundraising from all angles—traditional VC and equity crowdfunding included. Get ready for an entrepreneurial story that’s unmissable.
It’s possible, thanks to the advent of a relatively new financial tool called equity crowdfunding. It’s opening up venture capital—and venture capital returns—to everyone, regardless of how much they make or where they are. Consider this another step toward a fully democratized financial world. Sounds good, right? Absolutely...but where equity crowdfunding goes, change and its fallout inevitably follow. How might the role of the venture capitalist change if anyone can add “investor” to their Twitter bio? And what might a crowdfunded future mean for eager entrepreneurs? Today, we’re finding out with Ken Nguyen, cofounder and CEO of the equity crowdfunding platform Republic. Don’t miss it.
For decades, the music industry has existed pretty much absent of innovation. But as the creator economy enables musical talent to take their careers into their own hands...it begs the question: Can record labels survive? Or will independent creators control the future of this enormous and enormously influential industry? We’re considering that very question today with independent musician Flawless Real Talk, a rapper, producer, entrepreneur, and runner-up on Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow hip hop competition series.
So you think you might be the next big thing...how do you get from bedroom pop covers on YouTube to headlining this weekend’s Grammy Awards? Historically speaking, it’s because you signed to the right label. But as music follows the rest of the economy online and onto social media, that paradigm is shifting. Today on Business Casual, we explore the role of the modern record label in a music industry in flux with Chris Zarou, founder and president of Visionary Music Group.
We know small businesses are struggling. But what can we as individuals and consumers do to ensure they make it through to the other side of this pandemic? There are plentiful options—smart legislation, effective regulation, and consumer choice, to name a few—but today on Business Casual, we’re diving deep into one strategy geared toward insulating small businesses from the chill of globalization and multinational competition. That strategy: local currencies, or alternative forms of money that can only be used in particular regions. We’re taking the show up to the Berkshires in Massachusetts, where a local currency has kept a small business economy thriving despite...everything.
Small businesses account for 48% of American jobs and 44% of American GDP. What would our economy look like without them? Unfortunately, we might soon find out. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the year of lockdown that came with it, a vast share of our small business economy has been cornered into financial distress. How did we get here, and, more importantly, how do we bounce back? Today on Business Casual, Freakonomics co-creator Steven Levitt explains how vital small businesses are to the US economy and what action we can’t afford not to take to keep them afloat. Don’t miss it.
What makes a bankrupt brand worth saving? Is it something financial, like EBITDA or debt load? Or is it something more intangible, like legacy or brand association? Today, we’re finding out. Because bankruptcies happen all the time...and they don’t always end in flames. Some brands—plenty you’ve supported—have filed for bankruptcy only to come back stronger when partnered up with the right buyer. I’m bringing in Authentic Brands Group President and CMO Nick Woodhouse to explain when bankrupt = broke and when bankrupt = buy of the century. If you’ve ever felt nostalgic for a bankrupt brand of yesteryear...this episode is for you. Grab your Juicy tracksuit and press play.
What comes to mind when you think about bankruptcy? Sears? Liquidation sales? The sleepy Zzz emoji? Look, I get it—unless you’re a lawyer or a CFO, bankruptcy probably isn’t something you consider very sexy. Or consider at all. But chances are, you’re not thinking about bankruptcy in the way you should be. It’s not a last ditch effort for a failure in capitalism. It’s a financial tool rife with opportunity. And as we (eventually) move into the post-Covid world, financial tools like bankruptcy used to unlock potential are going to be the actual new normal. It’s time we understood what bankruptcy is, why it matters so much in corporate America, and how it fits into our evolving economy. Today, get a masterclass on a topic you never knew you needed to know about...bankruptcy. I’m bringing in law professor and bankruptcy expert Jared Ellias to school all of us on the B word.
Over the last month, GameStop’s run and the memes that inspired it have peeled back layers of the stock market few among us had considered. We’ve had a front-row seat to the action, watching as social media irrevocably changes investing. But one big question remains: Was this really a realignment of the inherent power of the market toward individual investors, or is this a blip on the radar for entrenched institutional investors? And whose job is it to make sure both are protected? Today on Business Casual, Morning Brew Managing Editor Neal Freyman explains what GameStop and its social roots mean for the future of Wall Street. Don’t miss this one.
It’s time. We’re talking about GameStop, AMC, and the meme stocks that got the entire country watching the stock market this winter. How did we get here, where do we go next, and how might trading platforms like Robinhood and Public play a role in answering both of those questions? That’s what we’re tackling today on Business Casual with Public’s co-CEO Jannick Malling. Because whether you invested in $GME or not, the intense shift in power dynamics on Wall Street and Main Street impact us all. It’s time to learn what increased access means for the future of the stock market—and, importantly, to whom it belongs.
We’re told all the time that there are lessons in failure. But when was the last time you allowed yourself to fail spectacularly—to fail so badly and so openly that you really did learn something? Today on Business Casual, we continue our exploration of moonshot ideas with a founder who’s openly done just that...failed. She’s also succeeded, and she’s opening up about the lessons both experiences taught her. Kathy Hannun is the cofounder and president of Dandelion, a home geothermal company that spun out of Alphabet's X moonshot factory in 2017. She was a Product Manager on the Rapid Evaluation team at X before turning to Dandelion full-time. So yeah. She knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed and fail spectacularly in moonshots...and anywhere else.
Moonshots are ideas so big, they’re considered impossible. They require big picture thinking. They require human ingenuity. And they require money. Today on Business Casual, we’re discovering just how vital these one-in-a-million moonshot ideas are to the future of our economy and humanity writ large. How do we create a world in which moonshot thinking happens regularly? How do we make sure moonshots get the backing they need, both in production and in market? And what might be the next moonshot idea to change the world as we know it? Get answers to all of those questions and so many more with Josh Wolfe, cofounder and managing partner at moonshot investing firm Lux Capital.
Applying technology-forward principles to the world around us has moved humanity forward in so many ways. But also...it has repercussions and ramifications, many of which are irreversible. We need to heal an ailing and outdated health industry, but is it possible to find a happy medium of Big Tech applications for our digital healthcare future? Sure, Big Tech giants like Amazon and Google and Facebook have the tech know-how to solve problems beyond just social networking on online search or two-day shipping...but can we trust them with something as intimately personal as our own healthcare? That’s what we’ll consider today with Erin Brodwin, a Stat News reporter covering the intersection of tech and healthcare. It’s daunting, it’s intriguing, it’s a little scary...it’s an unmissable conversation.
Healthcare is 20 years behind every other modern industry in terms of technological innovation. Today, we’re going to learn how we fix that. Because, as unwilling participants in a deeply flawed healthcare system, it’s high time we considered the means by which healthcare could improve patient outcomes, increase access, and reduce astronomical prices—technology. It’s worked as a great accelerant and consumer empowerer for every other sector...why not health, too? Join us in conversation with Bessemer’s Steve Kraus as we determine how to reset the healthcare system’s very out of date and very broken bones.
No one watches professional sports the way they used to. Could legalized, regulated sports betting solve that problem? The answer remains to be seen, but the question remains worth asking. Because at the end of the day, we live and work and spend our money in an attention economy. We’re short on time and quick to duck out if the media in front of us can’t keep us engaged. That has spelled disaster for professional sports leagues, rife with cash but low on innovative thinking. What if, though, sports betting could speed up the pace of traditional sports competitions, get us re-engaged with league content, and even bring in a new swath of fans never before seen in the stands at an NFL game? It might be possible. But then again it might not be, explains today’s guest, sports business expert Darren Rovell. Don’t miss this episode if you’ve ever wondered about the ways innovation inches through business strategy.
That is the multi-billion dollar question. After the Supreme Court paved the way for states to legalize sports betting starting in 2018, many have done just that in a bid to stir up tax revenue on business that’s long thrived in a robust but illegal market. But can legalization be the panacea so many states and hopeful entrepreneurs have billed it as? The answer might surprise you. Today, FanDuel CEO Matt King explains the honest impact of state-by-state legalization on industry, legislators, and, most importantly, you—the fan. Don’t miss this episode.
Let Pomp help you decide. Today on Business Casual, bitcoin expert and thought leader Anthony Pompliano (aka Pomp) is diving into the reasons for and against cryptocurrency investing. Because you know bitcoin is a big deal...but is it the big deal for you? Time to find out. We’re talking about the recent price rally, whether it has staying power, and how bitcoin might figure into the future of finance.
You know bitcoin as the asset that ate the internet in 2017. It’s back at it again, and this time the cryptocurrency has set its sights on more than just headlines. If its evangelists are to be believed, bitcoin is the future—digital gold, the world’s unassailable reserve currency, and our next generational wealth builder. But what if they’re wrong? They might be. But they might also be right… So today, we’re finding out what our modern economy looks like in the digital future of bitcoin with Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. You don’t want to miss it.
The NFL and NBA have enjoyed their position atop sports league standings for far too long. Now, there’s a new kind of league coming for their crown...esports. With that competitive gap shrinking by the second, esports leagues have made good on a record year for viewership by 1) borrowing strategies that work for traditional sports leagues and 2) eschewing strategies that are woefully outdated. Taken together, that one-two punch means enormous potential for esports to outperform traditional leagues in the future. To explain how that might happen, I brought in Johanna Faries, commissioner of Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty league and former 12-year NFL exec. She’s seen it all, and she’s sharing it all with you. Don’t miss out.
All signs point to yes. After nearing the mainstream jackpot this year, competitive video gaming is hitting its stride...and coming for traditional sports in a major way. But how have esports made the jump from fringe timesuck to mainstream entertainment in a matter of years? Who really holds the power in the new frontier of competitive gaming? And what does esports’ newfound muscle mean for more traditional sports? Today, we’re finding out with John Robinson, president and COO of gaming org and lifestyle brand 100 Thieves. Listen to this episode for 1) a good time 2) a look at what mainstream attention means for a fledgling business and 3) an idea of how the wide world of sports is changing every single day.
The fitness industry has experienced irreversible change over the last year or so. It’s become abundantly clear that digital offerings are the future—we’ve gotten used to working out at home and guess what...we even like it. But before Peloton sold its first bike or Equinox launched its first app, there was a cohort of fitness business leaders making enormous bets on at-home exercise: digital fitness influencers. Today on Business Casual, we’re bringing in one of the OGs of the fitness influencer economy, Cassey Ho—the genius behind the Blogilates empire and its millions of devout followers. You don’t want to miss it.
If you ask fitness’s most preeminent leaders what the future of the industry holds, they’ll probably use the word omnichannel. But is omnichannel fitness—a cohesive blend of physical and digital offerings—really possible? If Covid-19 taught us anything, it’s that the answer remains largely unknown. But that doesn’t mean more traditional fitness businesses aren’t going to try catching up to the Pelotons of the world. Today on Business Casual, Harvey Spevak, executive chairman and managing partner of Equinox Group, the company behind Equinox gyms, SoulCycle, and more, weighs in. He’ll explain how a company rooted in bricks and mortar can compete with digital upstarts, how personality-driven fitness reigns supreme, and, finally, how adaptability makes it all happen. And trust me—these lessons are applicable for far more than just the fitness industry.
Happy New Year! I’m your Business Casual host, Kinsey Grant, and I’m popping in with a quick update on your favorite podcast (this one). 2020 was a year of changes for the Business Casual team, much like I’m sure it was for all of you. We went from 1 to 2 episodes a week, we started recording remotely with guests in far flung European cities, I launched a column, and you can now engage with us all over the socials. 2021 is bringing a few more major changes (for the better) to Business Casual. Listen to this update for more.
Imagine an industry lacking broadscale innovation for 100+ years. Your first thought is probably WTF and your second is probably ‘whoever can nail the first truly innovative business model is about to strike gold.’ The time has come for a gold strike in the booze industry, a space that’s been bereft of innovation since Prohibition was lifted. Today on Business Casual, Helena Price Hambrecht, co-founder of the virally popular DTC aperitif brand Haus, explains how innovation in booze happens, who’s responsible, and why it matters. Don’t miss it.
How do you know the alcoholic beverage industry is broken? When it leaves enture swaths of potential drinkers out to dry. According to digital marketing expert and wine entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, that’s exactly what’s happening in alcohol as we speak—inaccessible prices, rampant information gatekeeping, and a lack of connection to younger customers has created a potentially lethal combination for an enormous booze industry. So what comes next? That’s what we’re talking about this week on Business Casual—how the alcoholic beverage space evolves and innovates to serve all customers, not just rich ones. Don’t miss Gary V’s impressive and impassioned insight on an industry desperate for just that. Listen now.
What have creator-first platforms like OnlyFans done to the porn industry? Today, we’re going to find out. And we’re doing it with Holly Randall, an erotic photographer, director, producer, and podcast host—one of the most influential people in the adult entertainment industry. Holly will explain how creators, from actors to producers and everyone in between, have fared as the adult entertainment industry has shifted. We know there have been major changes...but has talent been able to cash in? Find out in this episode. Want more Business Casual? Check out my weekly op-ed column. Sign up here and read my thoughts on the porn industry here.
There’s a lot of money to be made in adult entertainment...but not everyone can make it. Today, let’s take a deeper look at pitfalls and possibilities of becoming a porn entrepreneur. Sextech entrepreneur and MakeLoveNotPorn founder Cindy Gallop explains what’s broken in adult entertainment, plus how we fix it. It’s a stirring conversation that addresses the monetization of something most of us think about regularly (...sex) and speaks to the enormous challenges of solving porn’s biggest problems including exploitation, talent mistreatment, and more. Don’t miss this one. Want more Business Casual? Check out my weekly op-ed column. Sign up here and read my thoughts on the porn industry here.
Last episode, we got a deeper understanding of fast fashion’s unfathomably negative impacts on the environment and supply chains across the globe. That was step 1—identifying the problem. In this episode, we get step 2—understanding what we can do about it. I’m bringing in Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert to speak about his experience leading a company steadfastly committed to environmental stewardship and worker protections...and still making money. Because despite what fast fashion empires might suggest, there is a role for business to play in mitigating the negative impacts of consumerism. Don’t miss this one. Want more Business Casual? Check out my weekly op-ed column. Sign up here and read my thoughts on fast fashion here.
We need clothing like we need food and shelter—it’s a basic necessity. But what if you knew that basic necessity was destroying the planet and failing to meet the needs of workers all over the world? Would you feel different about the way you buy clothes? Listen to this episode for an honest look at the ways fast fashion—pumping out a near endless supply of inexpensive clothing that isn’t exactly built to last—has destroyed the way clothing is made, sold, and digested by the Earth. It’s not pretty...but it’s worth knowing. And our guest, style writer Dana Thomas, has all the insight you need. You might never think of the apparel industry the same way again. Fair warning. Want more Business Casual? Check out my weekly op-ed column. Sign up here and read my thoughts on fast fashion here.
We know they’re good for the environment, good for automakers hoping to turn a healthy profit, and good for consumers looking to save money...but where are they? If electric vehicles are so promising...how come there isn’t one in every driveway? That’s what we’re taking on today on Business Casual with Wall Street Journal autos reporter Ben Foldy. We’ll parse through the many literal and figurative speedbumps to widespread electric vehicle adoption, from infrastructure concerns to misaligned government incentive programs. If our last episode was an optimistic nod to the future of transportation with General Motors CEO Mary Barra...this episode is the realistic accounting of when and how that future pans out. Want more Business Casual? Check out my weekly op-ed column. Sign up here and read my thoughts on the electric vehicle space here.
Do multi-billion-dollar investments from legacy players mean anything? Will consumers follow the lead of Detroit’s top brass? Can anyone take on Tesla? The future of transportation is unequivocally electric...but there are more questions about what that future looks like than there are answers. Let’s see what we can do about that. Today on Business Casual, hear from General Motors CEO Mary Barra about the profitability, competitive pressures, and uncertain future of the electric vehicle industry. This is an episode you don’t want to miss. Quick note: We recorded with Mary on November 20, 2020, just before General Motors released a flurry of news about its electric strategy. Still, the episode is as relevant as they come. GM’s last couple weeks are plenty proof. Want more Business Casual? Check out my weekly op-ed column. Sign up here and read my thoughts on the electric vehicle space here.
At what point does “participating in a new format” turn into “stealing an idea?” In the world of Big Tech, the line is incredibly fine. And given that we’ve deemed Big Tech the arbiters of morality in the modern business world, their decisions to borrow, steal, or innovate are incredibly impactful. What happens to entrepreneurship and innovation in a world that rarely gives credit where it’s due? That’s what we’re getting to the bottom of today with Casey Newton, writer of the Platformer newsletter and expert on the intersection of Big Tech and democracy. This is an important episode—Big Tech steals ideas from smaller upstarts in part as a means of insulation from competitive threats...because Facebook, as influential as it might be, has no guarantee of immortality. Don’t miss Casey’s insights.
You know I’m right—a Story on Snap is acutely different from one on Instagram or a Fleet on Twitter. If you post a story on Facebook, you’re due for a wellness check. And don’t even get me started on LinkedIn’s bid for ephemeral content. The “story” format is one all of Big Tech has tried in some way or another since Snap pioneered it back in 2013...and it’s the perfect example of Big Tech propensity for ripping off small competitors’ winning features to insulate themselves from future threats. But how is all of this knocking-off legal? Why don’t our antitrust regulators keep it from happening? And what does it mean for startup innovation if Big Tech just steals an idea as soon as it catches on? That’s what we’re talking about today with Patrick Spence, CEO of cult-favorite smart speaker company Sonos. He knows a thing or two (especially since he’s actively in a legal battle with Google over its alleged infringement on Sonos’s patents). Listen now for a look at Big Tech like you’ve never seen it before.
We’ve applied long-held principles of technology startups to industries across the board, from adult entertainment to transportation to retail. How come we can’t take the best the tech world has to offer and use it to improve our mental healthcare system? It’s high time we do just that. Today, get an in-depth understanding of the roles entrepreneurship, cutting-edge technology, and user experience can play in disrupting our deeply broken mental healthcare system in the U.S. And do it with Ariela Safira, founder and CEO of therapy startup Real. She’ll explain the impact the coronavirus has had on our mental health and why we can’t waste any time rethinking our traditional expectations of therapy in a post-Covid world. If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health, we encourage you to seek out professional help or find resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Young companies attempting to address our crippling mental health epidemic face a barrage of hurdles businesses with more traditional pursuits don’t—namely mass stigmatization and a serious lack of education around the core pain point they’re solving for: mental health issues. But where there’s white space, there are founders seeking to fill it. And investors seeking to arm them with the most tools possible. Mental health and addiction recovery are no exception. Today on Business Casual, get a better understanding of mental health as both an industry and a journey from Stephen Hays, founder of What If Ventures (a fund focused on investing in early stage mental health and addiction recovery startups). If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health, we encourage you to seek out professional help or find resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
It’s easy to buy something in a store—all it takes is the tap of a smartphone and you’re done. How come, then, buying things online is still such a clunky experience? Today on Business Casual, we’re investigating why online retail has been so slow to innovate with Domm Holland, co-founder and CEO of Fast (aka “world’s fastest online login and checkout platform”). Because unless retailers can learn to try new tech things, they’ll lose customers to the dreaded cart abandonment. And that has major repercussions. Listen to this episode to understand why. Check out more about Remote Works
For an economy that’s almost constantly buying things, we sure have a lot of struggling retailers. That’s due to a confluence of factors, not the least of which are a saturated field of competitors and a finicky consumer. Recently, though, retail has landed in something of a promised land with e-commerce. Our propensity to shop online has been the saving grace for IRL sellers put out by Covid-19 shutdowns. But can our inclination toward online shopping stick around? That’s what we’re asking this week on Business Casual in a deep dive into e-commerce: how the industry’s biggest players are innovating, why it matters for our economy as a whole, and what comes next in an uncertain holiday shopping season. Today’s guest: Etsy CEO Josh Silverman.
Check out the first episode of Morning Brew's podcast with Fidelity, Fresh Invest. Morning Brew’s CEO, Alex Lieberman, is many things: A founder, a media mogul (his words), and as of late, a young investor with a lot of questions. So he’s sitting down with the best and brightest from Fidelity to tackle some of the biggest questions on the minds of young investors today. From market shifts to the future of work, these conversations break down the current financial climate, what it means to you as an investor, and actionable steps you can take when it comes to managing your money.
You might not know it, but the video gaming industry has long been the harbinger of life-changing, widespread tech we almost always take for granted. Now that the gaming industry has gone all in on metaverses—the alternate realities built online complete with social experiences and their own economies—what does it mean for the future of consumer tech? If you’ve ever pondered a future in which your online life is just as rich and fulfilled as your IRL one...which it probably will be in due time...listen to this episode with gaming expert and consumer tech investor Ethan Kurzweil, partner at Bessemer. This is a good one. Don’t miss it. Check out more about Remote Works
By some estimates, there will be about 3 billion gamers worldwide by 2023. For comparison, Netflix has 170 million subscribers globally. It’s clear: Gaming is the streaming wars winner we’re not talking about. In our attention economy, video games have virtually endless potential to keep us enraptured. But the business models and tech standards that have long governed the gaming world are in flux. Listen to today’s episode with Larry Hryb, Director of Programming for Microsoft’s Xbox Live, for a complete picture of how the gaming space has shifted with its consumers, why competition matters and doesn’t matter, and when next-gen tech will start infiltrating your life, gamer or not.
Like any gold rush opportunity, legal marijuana will have fewer success stories than it will tales of failure. So how do we determine which entrepreneurs might come out on top? That’s one of the questions we’re answering on this episode of Business Casual with Bruce Linton, ex-CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation and one of the most widely regarded cannabis entrepreneurs around. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the importance of marijuana regulation for consumers and entrepreneurs, decipher what makes a good or bad cannabis business opportunity, or—stick with us here—understand how the nascent marijuana industry isn’t all that different from Amazon...this episode is for you. Plus, you’ll hear what Bruce considers the “single worst economic advantage provided to U.S. entrepreneurs in the last hundred years.” Check out more about Remote Works
We’re all but certain that recreational adult-use marijuana will become legal in all 50 states at some point. We’re not sure when...but we are sure there’s money to be made on the inevitable. Who makes that money, though, is another question entirely. Will it be small marijuana startups that have cornered one small, specific part of the market? Will it be major multinational corporations that got in on cannabis early with paradigm-shifting investments? Will it be both? That’s what we’re taking on in this episode with Karan Wadhera, managing partner at Casa Verde Capital. If you’re seeking an insightful guide to the legal weed world, chock full of predictions for profitability, look no further. We’ve got you.
Rethinking the entire economic paradigm of any country would be almost impossibly difficult. Try to do it in the midst of a dual recession and pandemic, and you’re facing unbeatable odds. But the truth of the matter is that we’re inching closer to thinking the deficit actually doesn’t matter each day here in the U.S., especially after Congress passed enormous stimulus to keep Americans afloat with alarmingly few chirps of “who pays for it.” Last episode, we learned about the effort to debunk the deficit myth. This time around, we’re talking about how realistic or unrealistic that mindset shift really is with Kai Ryssdal, famed radio journalist and host of Marketplace and Make Me Smart. Listen if you want an honest conversation about inflation, a jobs guarantee, monetary vs. fiscal policy, wealth inequality...and how only some economic indicators matter in a year as unprecedented as this one.
Who pays for it? It’s a question you hear all the time, especially when we’re talking about trillions of dollars in government spending. And with the U.S. government operating at a $3.1 trillion deficit in 2020, it’s an especially relevant question. But more and more, economists are beginning to wonder if it’s worth asking. Since the U.S. issues its own currency, does it need to bother thinking about who foots the bill? That’s what we’re exploring today on the show with Stephanie Kelton, professor, economist, author of The Deficit Myth, and face of the modern monetary theory movement. You might not agree with what Stephanie has to say...but she’ll certainly give you some food for thought. Listen now.
We know there’s an ungodly amount of money tied up in politics, much of it collected in the campaign finance stage. What we often don’t know is where it comes from and what its aims are. What if we could shift the way we interpret and regulate campaign spending? That kind of shift might just root out deep-seated corruption in our electoral process...according, at least, to today’s guest: Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard Law professor who ran for president in 2016 on a campaign finance reform platform. You don’t want to miss this one. You might not agree with Lessig’s unorthodox ideas of campaign finance reform...but I guarantee his views will make you think differently.
How often do you think the biggest spender wins the election here in the U.S.? Would you be surprised to find out it’s 88.5% of the time in the House and 82.9% of the time in the Senate? Far more often than not, the best fundraiser wins. As a result, campaign finance stateside has exploded in recent years to records we could scarcely imagine. Where does the money come from, where is it going, and how has it impacted our democratic process? That’s what we’re answering today with Sheila Krumholz, executive director for the Center for Responsive Politics, the organization behind OpenSecrets. Listen for an honest, nonpartisan account of how money begets influence in politics. There’s never been a better time to learn about the relationship than now.
For decades, we’ve assumed geographic proximity to other innovators was a prerequisite for innovation—to change the world, you need to be in a coastal tech hub like NYC or Silicon Valley. You know what happens when we assume. Today on Business Casual, you’ll hear from Steve Case, the co-founder and former CEO of AOL who cofounded the investment firm Revolution, which funds startups from non-coastal states. Case, who’s practically entrepreneurial royalty in the tech industry, argues that funding innovators outside our coastal hubs begets more economic success for more people. Listen for an insightful and analytical temperature check of the ways our assumptions hold us back and an honest proposition for how we change them.
You’re going to need more than a good idea to become the next Jeff Bezos. It takes resources, information, connections, talent, and so much more to win...and even just to survive year one.
So where do those resources come from? And who gets access to them? That’s what we’re talking about today on Business Casual with Michael Seibel, partner at Y Combinator and CEO of the YC startup accelerator program. Aka principal of Silicon Valley’s unicorn finishing school.
If you want 1) an honest look at how the cards are stacked in entrepreneurship and 2) the tl;dr on what it takes to catch the eye of the wealthiest backers in tech and beyond, listen to this episode.
Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
By the end of April of this year, women’s job losses had erased a decade of employment gains...in a matter of months. The numbers for people of color are no less disheartening. But why? How did we end up in a recession so deeply skewed against already marginalized groups? Let’s figure it out with Dr. C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. If you’re wondering 1) how we created an economic system capable of discrimination 2) why marginalized groups are suffering most right now and 3) what this all means for efforts to shrink gender and racial pay gaps...listen to this episode. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
Every recession causes its economic fractures in different ways. This one has disproportionately wrecked the service economy...and along with it, the young workers, women, and people of color who make it tick. Listen to today’s episode with NYT econ reporter Eduardo Porter for an honest understanding of how we ended up in this recession, who stands to lose the most, and how we stage a recovery. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
Technology in its endless forms has given us so much—fire to make food, language to communicate feelings, and iPhones to look at in the bathroom. But for each of these technology-enabled pros, there’s a technology-enabled con. So how do we make sure that technology is used more for good than for bad? For starters, we focus on the ways the public and private sectors are working to ensure inevitable bad actors are kept in check. It’s a joint effort, and it has to be—especially as high tech like artificial intelligence learns to mimic and outperform human decision making. To help us get to the bottom of a complicated, interesting, nuanced idea, I’m welcoming to Business Casual Kevin Roose, tech columnist for the New York Times. Kevin brings up a lot of mind-boggling questions...but he’s quick with an answer, too. Some thought starters from the interview:
Where’s the real danger in tech? It might be a little less apocalyptic and a little more pedestrian than you think.
What would our biggest tech firms look like if they’d been created in China, Myanmar, Brazil, or anywhere else in the world? Different.
Listen now. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
He’s not punching in at the DMV or collecting litter on a roadside. He’s helping the U.S. to develop responsible technology that can both ensure equitable access to the tools that will enable our future and win our government rulemaking rights over high tech like artificial intelligence and facial recognition. If that sounds a little intense, that’s because it is. But if anyone’s up for the job…? It’s Eric Schmidt, former CEO and executive chairman of Google. He’s seen the best and worst of both the public and private sectors. Now, he’s talking about the intersection of the two—how they improve one another, accelerate one another...and occasionally butt heads with one another. There are countless reasons why we’re having this conversation right now, but to name a few:
The 2020 presidential election is a few short weeks away, and it’s a huge test for Big Tech’s supposed efforts to protect our democratic process.
Our economy is getting more automated each day—who gets to make the calls as the robots roll out?
China. Tech war. Enough said.
Seems like everyone, from Big Tech in Silicon Valley to lawmakers in D.C., has an interest in owning the tools of the next generation. Listen now to understand it all.
Want to hear Eric ask the questions on his own podcast? Check out Reimagine. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
A year ago, we hit upload on the very first episode of Business Casual—a deep dive on tech antitrust with Scott Galloway. As far as we could tell, breaking up Big Tech would be the biggest conversation of the year. Turns out the world had a few surprises in store for us. Twelve months, 85 episodes and 5 million listens later, we're celebrating Business Casual with a little reflection. The biggest learning of all? We couldn't do it without our listeners. Thank you for supporting our show, bearing with us as we expand, and never failing to write in with feedback. We're so grateful for each and every one of you. Cheers to the next year and all it’ll teach us. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
Whether it’s a crisis or not (check out our last episode for the answer), the student debt load in the U.S. is something worth addressing. After all, we didn’t reach $1.6 trillion in debt overnight. It’s a systemic problem, and it’s one that needs solving sooner rather than later. Today on Business Casual, we’re attempting to do just that—solve a $1.6 trillion problem. Our guest is Jeff Selingo, a higher ed expert who’s written about the student debt load for as long as some of today’s borrowers have been alive. That gives him loads of insight into the student debt situation. On our journey to a solution for the debt load problem, we’ll walk through everything from the groups most impacted by borrowing deficiencies to the roles of higher education institutions. And we’ll get a final answer on the age-old question: is college still worth it? Jeff’s proposals aren’t exactly orthodox or old school by any stretch of the imagination, but he’ll give you plenty to think about. One example to whet your appetite: should college students get more or less in student loans based on their majors? Listen now. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
The amount of student debt here in the U.S. is some $1.6 trillion, roughly the size of Russia’s economy. That sounds like a crisis...right? Maybe not. Today on Business Casual, we’re exploring student debt and the narratives that got us where we are today. It’s pretty obvious that 1.6 trillion anything is a lot—but some experts think that debt load is but a number in this case. One such expert is our guest—Dr. Beth Akers, an economist with the Manhattan Institute who makes talking about remittance and interest rates and tuition costs feel way more fun than you’d expect.
As Dr. Akers and her cohort see it, student debt isn’t all that bad. Repayment rates are high, the benefits of borrowing usually outweigh the costs, and college is still considered a ticket to a better life. The real crisis, then? The narrative of crippling debt hamstringing an entire generation. Let’s debunk some myths. Listen now. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
A lot...in fact, money is probably the most important factor in deciding to have a baby. When we have more money, we feel better about bringing new life into the world. But “more money” hasn’t exactly been a defining quality of 2020. We’re in a recession and a global health crisis...having babies isn’t high on the priority list for many Americans. You know what that means for the economy if you listened to our last episode. Now, get a better understanding of why money impacts the decision to start or grow a family. This episode with Modern Fertility CEO and Robinhood of reproductive health Afton Vechery will give you the answers you need to comprehend what factors influence the decision to have children, especially during these very weird times. Understanding the motivations for delaying or entirely canceling plans to have kids? It might give us a whole new paradigm for discerning how fertility and GDP are entwined...it’s not just money in the economy, it’s money in your personal bank accounts. Listen now. Want to keep up with Kinsey over email? Sign up here: businesscasual.fm/signup.
We’re on track to experience up to 500,000 fewer births than usual in the U.S. next year, according to economists from the Brookings Institute. You can blame two things—surely you’ve gotten pretty good at it by now: it’s because of Covid-19 and the ensuing recession. Turns out, birth rates and the economy are deeply intertwined. We have more children when the economy grows. But when it shrinks (like it is now)...the opposite happens. Today on Business Casual, Dr. Melissa Kearney will explain how we got here, what it means, and how we move forward. She’s the econ professor you’ll actually want to listen to. If you...1) want a peek at what our economy might look like in the coming decades 2) want to understand why birth rates are the root of all problems and all solutions in our economy and 3) want to learn where the government factors into our decisions to make babies... Listen now. My perspective? If we want to avoid an economic crisis, prioritize working parents.
Competition, content, and culture. They’re the three Cs of Netflix’s unbeatable strategy in these so-called “streaming wars.” And you can tell Disney I said unbeatable. But how did the company come to dominate each facet of that strategy? That’s what we’ve set out to learn in this episode of Business Casual with Recode senior correspondent and bona fide Netflix expert Peter Kafka.
Peter also co-hosted season 2 of Land of the Giants—it’s a seven-part podcast about Netflix and the impact it’s had on Hollywood and the world.
Hosting the podcast on it > writing the book on it
There’s clearly a lot to unpack with Netflix—and with market entrants including Apple TV+, Disney+, Peacock, HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime (to name a few) attempting to unseat it at the head of the video streaming table, Netflix has been left no choice but to dig some deep moats. Thanks to some fortuitous timing as the earliest of early movers in the new era of streaming, a huge multi-billion dollar content budget, and a penchant for treating employees like professional athletes, Netflix did just that. Listen to this episode for the inside scoop on how it all went down—and what goes down next.
After you listen, read my column to find out why I disagree with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings: https://column.businesscasual.fm/timing-beats-culture
I’m not going to bury the lede here, and that’s mostly because I need to get back to my Ozark binge: This episode of Business Casual features Reed Hastings, cofounder, chairman, and co-CEO of Netflix. There’s a lot to unpack with Reed. Because companies don’t just become cultural cornerstones overnight. It takes luck, hard work, and, as it turns out, a very distinct corporate strategy. After all, what you watch on Netflix says a lot about you...how you run Netflix might say more. The ways Reed runs Netflix might surprise you. In this interview, he gets candid about his triumphs and failures and gives us the state of play in these so-called streaming wars. Spoiler alert: Netflix is winning. Reed gives an inside look at what makes Netflix tick—and how it became a $200 billion company with more than 190 million subscribers worldwide...some 3x the subscriber count of its biggest competitor. And most importantly, Reed predicts how Netflix might meet its demise. Because for every Netflix, there’s a Blockbuster. And someday Netflix will be the Blockbuster. After you listen, read my column to find out why I disagree with Reed: https://column.businesscasual.fm/timing-beats-culture
In a lot of ways, starting a business is like having a baby—there’s never a perfect time to do it. But there are times that are better than others. Believe it or not, a recession like the one we’re in right now might very well be one of those times. Of course, the decision to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams is highly situational, but the economic fundamentals of a recession make for a strong case to get going:
Interest rates are low.
The labor market is ripe with talent.
And innovators have the chance to unseat struggling multinational corps.
All that said...there are enormous risks, too. During recessions, venture capitalists hold their checkbooks tight, and the chance of your business failing in the first year balloon beyond the typical 20% likelihood of going belly up in good economic times. There are plenty of variables here. So how do you know if a recession is the right time to start a company? You ask the expert: David Cancel, entrepreneur, investor, and serial founder. He’s started and sold four companies over the last two decades, and now he is the CEO of marketing and sales platform Drift. Today on Business Casual, David explains the pros and cons of starting a business in each stage of the economic cycle—we’re covering everything from hiring and fundraising to creating products for the next generation’s needs. Listen now.
Pick your metaphor: It’s always darkest before dawn? The greater the storm the brighter the rainbow? Every cloud has a silver lining? Anything goes, and that’s because we’ve conditioned ourselves to believe that the best businesses are founded during and in the wake of major recessions and bear markets here in the U.S. It’s a startup trope as common as “down for the cause”—recessions breed good businesses. Uber, Airbnb, and several others serve as evidence. But is it all just circumstantial? That’s what we’re digging into today on Business Casual. Given that we’re in a pandemic-induced recession that started, by some accounts, in February, it’s high time we started thinking about what the next Uber or Airbnb might be. To help us determine 1) whether recessions really do coincide with strong startup prospects and 2) why that is, I’m talking to Christine Tsai. Christine is the CEO and Founding Partner of 500 Startups, which is an early-stage venture fund and seed accelerator founded in 2010. She’ll lay all the groundwork you could ever need to understand the ways businesses, both new and old, navigate economic downswings. And just as importantly, she’ll explain what being founded during a recession means for a business’s future prospects. We’re also talking historical precedent from the last recession, the deeply unique qualities of this economic moment in time, and how the relationship between entrepreneurs and investors might evolve post-COVID. Don’t miss out. You never know when you’re sitting on the next Airbnb. Listen now.
Every week on this podcast, I talk to the brightest minds in business. In my new Sunday column, I'll give you my take on the business theme we’re tackling—from the streaming wars to the future of work. Sign up here.
Here in the United States, bail can be an enormous deciding factor on who goes to prison and who doesn’t. And for how long they go or don’t go...regardless of guilt or not. But do you know how the bail system really works? Who profits from it? Who is put at a detriment because of it? Likely not. So we’re dissecting the bail system—and getting real about its inherent, systemic issues. Today on Business Casual, I’m interviewing Adam Foss, a widely respected criminal justice reform advocate and an advisor to the Bail Project. He’ll explain precisely how the bail system fits into the broader private prison ecosystem in the United States. A small taste?
Did you know the concept of bail dates back to feudal England? And really hasn’t been meaningfully rethought since serfs were a thing?
Or that some bail funds pick and choose which incarcerated people to help, while others take an “anything goes” approach, regardless of alleged offense?
There’s so much more to learn. And after a summer of reading the words “donate to bail funds” over and over again, it’s high time you get an idea of what bail funds actually do...and why they want to be put out of business. Listen now.
Is your favorite business employing what could easily be described as contemporary slavery to cut costs and push product? Would you even know if the answer were yes? The truth is, you probably wouldn’t. That’s because the prison-industrial complex in the United States is deeply entrenched in just about every sector of the economy, from military manufacturing to apple picking. And more often than not, that prison-industrial complex is rigged against low-income Americans and people of color. So what do we do about it? That’s what we’re covering today on Business Casual with Ashish Prashar, a widely respected justice reform advocate and former young offender. Ashish explains the importance of prison labor for both corporations and state economies, the necessity of prison-industrial reform, and the hard truth of America’s incarceration problem. But first, he masterfully provides the historical context for prison labor as it exists today—a system which relies on a Reconstruction era loophole essentially allowing for modern day slavery.
This is a tough conversation to have...when was the last time you were forced to reconcile your modern beliefs with a Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865? But it’s way past time to have the conversation. Ashish offers a remarkable starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about the prison-industrial complex—I hope you’ll listen now. + While we’re here: I drew on my conversation with Ashish to write about the prison-industrial complex in my new Business Casual column. Read that piece here and subscribe to the weekly newsletter here.
If it’s true that what matters not is the grades you make but the hands you shake...the business world could have a major reckoning headed our way. Networking, fostering, and building relationships is key to success in corporate America and beyond...so how does doing all that change when we’re working from home, often with no office return date in sight ’til 2021? Today on Business Casual, we’re figuring it out with Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and an expert in the art and science of maximizing potential for people in organizations and companies. As Laura explains in the episode, building relationships, boosting morale, and creating culture are paramount to succeeding in business and attracting top talent. Just about none of those things happen easily in a remote work environment. There’s also the individual toll of remote work—we get lonelier more quickly than in an office, and creativity can lag. So what are we to do to ensure business as usual stays as usual in this very unusual time? Laura has some tips, tricks, and ideas. Listen now to level up.
The work from home revolution has arrived...but is that a good or bad thing for the business world? Let’s walk through the pros and cons.
Pros: The ability to work from wherever means more opportunity in previously underserved and non-coastal cities. Less commuting means less pollution. Three words—work from bed.
Cons: A fully distributed workforce can be tough to scale. It’s harder to build both company culture and innovation remotely. No office snacks.
Today on Business Casual, we’re putting all of that in context with Matt Mullenweg. Matt is the founder and CEO of Automattic, which is the parent company of WordPress.com. He built Automattic to have a completely distributed workforce—1,200+ employees working from 77 countries and no HQ. As Matt sees it, “the sun never sets on Automattic.” He’s adamant that the environment, the economy, and distribution of opportunity could all meaningfully change for the better in a widespread remote workforce world. So it works for Matt and his team, but can it work for everyone? We’re about to find out. Matt thinks the companies like Google and Facebook that have announced WFH through the rest of the year will find it hard to go back to in-office work. So is this the new normal? And can it change corporate America for the better? Listen to find out.
Sign up for Kinsey's column I’m not entirely ruling IPOs out quite yet, but the case for their competitor in public market access—direct listings—is growing by the second. Here’s why. When we consider what makes systems of capitalism work, it’s hard not to think about access for both individual investors seeking to purchase stakes and individual corporations seeking their money. Often, the equilibrium between the two is decided by a very small group of very wealthy investors participating in an initial public offering. A direct listing, on the other hand, removes the underwriters from the equation. Shares are listed outright on exchanges with no real price guarantee. Which do you think serves as a better example of granting access to participants in a capitalist society? I know my answer. And so does today’s Business Casual guest, Barry McCarthy. He’s the architect of the modern direct listing, and he was also the CFO of Netflix from 1999 to 2010 and CFO of Spotify from 2015 to 2020—a tenure during which the music streamer went public via a direct listing. Barry sees the process of tapping into public markets like this: The so-called “modern” IPO hasn’t changed much at all since 1971, aside from the fact the interns on the roadshow are fetching iced oat milk cappuccinos instead of black coffees. It’s a supremely outdated process. So what can be done instead? Direct listings...maybe. Barry will be the first to point out that they’re not for everyone. Listen to the episode now to hear why.
The fate of the U.S. economy comes down to one thing: access. If every individual who wants it and every company that needs it can’t access capital markets, both wealth and job creation skid to a stop—and with them, so too does the power behind the U.S. economy. By and large, we’re pretty okay and handing access to those looking for it—any old fool could download an app and begin trading stocks. But like a first attempt at homemade croissants, things could always be better. We’re facing a gaping wealth disparity problem and a pressing inequality of basic education. The first step in increasing access to public capital markets is solving for those...not an easy feat. Adena Friedman—president and CEO of Nasdaq, the first woman to lead a global stock exchange, and today’s Business Casual guest—hasn’t let it deter her. Adena’s been helming Nasdaq since January 2017, and during her tenure, she’s focused intently on issues of access—access for companies, access for investors, and access in general to capital markets. In this episode, Adena will explain how we increase access in the right and healthiest ways. To her, allowing more companies and people to tap into public capital markets will necessarily level the playing field for individual and institutional investors. But whose responsibility is it to ensure that increase in access happens? Listen to find out.
By now, you know the higher education system in the United States is broken. You didn’t need COVID-19 to prove it. Because even before the postsecondary education industry was forced to pivot to remote learning en masse, a caste system was rapidly bubbling up within its ranks:
The best of the best go to Harvard and become the ruling class…
While everyone else perishes in a middle-ground limboland that’s left entire swaths of the population—often low income and often minorities—robbed of the opportunity for upward mobility.
It sucks that students can’t go back to campus to do things like learn and network and party in person. But that’s not the real tragedy. This caste system is, according to today’s guest and NYU Stern professor Scott Galloway. As Scott sees it, the system has enabled us to completely lose sight of the importance of unremarkable students—those who might not be MIT material, but deserve a shot at college (aka the ticket to improving your socioeconomic standing). In this episode, Scott tears apart that system (and almost every other system, for that matter) in a wide-ranging conversation about the future of higher education. Some buzzy sneak peeks:
Scott: “Harvard is a streaming video platform that costs $58,000 a year.”
He also says we’re headed toward a hybrid model of online and offline education that’ll bring with it a culling of the middle class of higher ed.
Is there a chance big tech saves higher ed...?
You don’t want to miss this episode. Listen now.
Text me! +1 (917) 540-3402 Most years, this time in August is a boom for Target’s dorm décor section and purveyors of shower caddies and anyone selling that John Belushi Animal House poster. But 2020 isn’t like most years. This year, higher education across the country will take place online, as COVID-19 has laughed in the face of the traditional residential college model. For anyone hoping to win back the beer pong championship belt, that’s devastating. For everyone else...it isn’t. Moving to online, tech-forward education for the masses could be a net good for students—it makes degrees more flexible, more specialized, and more accessible, according to today’s guest: Dan Rosensweig, the president and CEO of Chegg. But Dan thinks making higher education truly work for all means doing more than just sticking with online learning post-coronavirus. College degrees remain a fast-track ticket to upward mobility—in order to meet the needs of all who want them, we need a total reset of the industry. But how do you reset an industry worth $700 billion a year in the U.S. alone? It won’t be easy. And not all institutions will survive. Listen now to hear how we move forward.
Text me! +1 (917) 540-3402 Olympic athletes are people, too. So how come the current business model of the Olympic Games, a commercial feat that would be entirely impossible without said athletes, fails to take them into account? In this episode of Business Casual, we’re talking about the intersection of finance and elite athletics with Lauryn Williams, a four-time Olympian, three-time Olympic medalist, and the first American woman to earn a medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. Oh, and also she’s a certified financial planner. As Lauryn told me, “The business model has needed overhaul for quite some time. I think that it's one of those things that it just started and began to snowball and nobody really knows how to undo something and start from the ground up.” That might be where COVID can play superhero. Given an extra year between now and the postponed Tokyo Summer Games, the International Olympic Committee has the chance to rethink the support it offers athletes—many of whom are now forced to put off lucrative brand deals and pay for an extra year’s worth of intense training. And even in normal, non-coronavirus circumstances, the cards can be stacked against them. There are countless variables that go into the viability of professional sports as a career—where you’re from, what your event is, and whose attention you get can be financial make it or break it moments.
If you make it, you’re Michael Phelps.
If you break it, you’re stuck crowdfunding your way to competitions, working multiple jobs on top of training to be the best in the world in your sport, and even going into serious debt.
Lauryn explains it all in this episode. Don’t miss it.
Text me! +1 (917) 540-3402 The Olympics as we know them have been around for 124 years. A lot has evolved since 1896, but it seems the business model of the Games is one thing not even time can’t change. With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics being postponed to next year (for now), it’s time to take the interim 12 months to reevaluate the economics of the Games. Because they don’t always make complete sense…
Hosting the Olympics is more often than not a money-losing endeavor. Did you know that it took Montreal until 2006 to pay off the last of its debt from the 1976 Games?
Tourism for host cities actually takes a hit when they welcome the Games.
I learned that (and a whole lot more) from Andrew Zimbalist, today’s guest on Business Casual. Andrew is the best of the best in the field attempting to understand the economics of sport. He’s taught econ at Smith College for decades, specializing in the Olympics and the impacts the Games have on host cities and their economies. In this episode, Andrew helps me tear apart the Olympics business model, taking into account the perspectives of host cities, athletes, the International Olympic Committee, and more. In addition to understanding what’s broken, we’ll talk about how we fix it. (Hint: Anyone at the IOC listening? We’ve got some thoughts.) And most importantly: We’ll also parse out the causes, effects, and impacts of postponing Tokyo 2020 due to the coronavirus. You don’t want to miss this one. Listen now.
Text me! +1 (917) 540-3402 Use the internet like you’re part of Gen Z. That means both learning TikTok dances and valuing customization and personalization over a false sense of privacy. This week on Business Casual, we’re talking about data—how our data is gathered online, where it gets bought and sold, and why we might be entitled to some of the money it makes Big Tech. The conversation started with a teardown of former 2020 hopeful Andrew Yang’s proposed data dividend project. On today’s episode, we’re asking some important follow-up questions: Does the next generation of tech users even care about their data, where it’s used, and whether they get paid for it? The short answer is no—because 1) the activist generation has larger concerns than getting a dividend from Big Tech and 2) “People tend to not care about data privacy until they are personally affected.” That’s according to our guest today, Tiffany Zhong, the cofounder and CEO of Zebra IQ and the young entrepreneur once dubbed the Mary Meeker of Gen Z.
Zhong says the ways Gen Z grew up—in a mobile-first world—shapes their approach to content consumption, communication, and privacy.
Plus, they’re more concerned with things like dismantling systems of racial oppression than they are taking Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos to task.
Many in Gen Z think this way: The value of the content they get from Big Tech and social platforms is greater than the value of their data—some in Gen Z feel that they’re getting the good end of the bargain. But does that give Big Tech free reign over their data? This is a nuanced conversation about young people and their relationships with data privacy. Check it out now.
Text me! +1 (917) 540-3402 Big Tech has made billions of dollars using personal data. Your personal data. When was the last time you got paid for playing your part in the tech ecosystem? Probably never. Andrew Yang, ex-2020 presidential candidate and today’s Business Casual guest, wants to change that. And that’s why he’s pioneering the Data Dividend Project. In his words: “The Data Dividend Project is an organization that is trying to get us paid for our data. And our data now is worth tens of billions, even hundreds of billions of dollars a year in value that we are not seeing a dime of.” The merits of the DDP, as Yang and his fervent followers call it, appear to be many. The project would realign incentives for tech entrepreneurs, advertisers, and platform users such that everyone could walk away satisfied. And sustained, direct payments to American people sound great...but there’s always a but.
Yang’s concept would mean that, for Facebook, Google, and its ilk, “some of the money that they're making will be made more responsibly,” per Yang. That’s politician for “top line revenue could shrink.”
And the likelihood of all the right parties buying into something like the DDP is slim.
But Yang remains steadfast in his efforts to keep American tech users from “getting cheated.” Listen to this episode for an inside look at how a data dividend would work, how it wouldn’t, and what happens when you put $1,000 in Jeff Bezos’s bank account every month.
Text me! +1 (917) 540-3402 If not, he’s definitely the future of marketing on the internet. With 18 million YouTube subscribers, 20 million TikTok followers, and the world’s most interesting laugh, Dobrik has become the case study for innovative influencer marketing. And the man who helped him get there is Ian Borthwick, aka Ian from SeatGeek. His real title is senior director of influencer marketing at SeatGeek—he made influencer marketing a hugely lucrative channel for the company by taking a risk on the sometimes very not-brand-safe Dobrik...and he’s the guest on this episode of Business Casual. You know what influencer marketing looks like. But what does it really do that more traditional marketing channels don’t or can’t? That’s what Ian from SeatGeek expertly explains in this episode. And now’s the time to talk about it—if video-centric social commerce is the future of consumer tech, influencer marketing will be the quickest way to get to that future. There’s a lot going on in this episode (in a fun way). Ian FaceTimes David Dobrik, we get to the bottom of the recent trend of giving away luxury cars as marketing, and we unpack the impacts COVID-19 has had on influencers and their $8+ billion/year industry. Oh, and we talk a lot about TikTok. Don’t miss it—listen now.
Text me! +1 (917) 540-3402 For as long as there’s been consumer tech to talk about, we’ve framed it as a winner-takes-all battle between the U.S. and China. But is that really fair? Many argue it’s not. One of those many is Connie Chan, general partner at famed VC firm Andreessen Horowitz and this week’s guest on Business Casual. Chan is an expert in the relationship between China and Silicon Valley, and she’s spilling Sand Hill secrets. Her biggest bet is on the video-centric future of consumer tech and e-commerce. Because nothing sells goods and services or breeds engagement like watching good video. But who’s positioned to win in a social commerce economy? In the episode, Chan answers that question and so many more, including what TikTok’s uncertain future might look like, plus…
Why super apps that can do it all (like WeChat in China) are becoming the rage
What both social commerce and super apps mean for regulation, innovation, competition, and integration
And when and how we choose convenience over perceived morals
As Chan sees it, whatever happens in consumer tech in China will make its way to the U.S. in about 3–5 years. The best way to be 3–5 years ahead of the curve? Listen to this episode. + Keep in mind: In our next episode, we’re talking about the possible TikTok ban and what it means for creators. Subscribe wherever you’re reading this so you don’t miss it.
Traditional banking has 100% failed small businesses. At least, that’s what our guest for this episode of Business Casual thinks. That guest, Fintech Today founder Ian Kar, names names and doles out hot takes re: the fintech space in our interview—which is itself an in-depth look at how fintech startups are stepping in where big banks have missed the mark in distributing Paycheck Protection Program funding.
If you listened to our last episode with the Aspen Institute’s Joyce Klein, you know that “missed the mark” is a generous way of putting what happened.
This time around, we’re exploring the disruptors that took the reins for traditional banking, especially in the small business economy.
Kar explains that big banks have systematically failed to market to or serve small businesses and their owners. So what makes fintech different...and more capable?
A focus on relationships and a willingness to lend small
Deeply rooted and mutually beneficial partnerships with community banks
An appreciation for the “tech” half of fintech
But it’s not all roses and loan forgiveness in the fintech space. There are plenty of risks, both regulatory and otherwise. You bet we’ll cover them all. Listen now.
Many economists have suggested that the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, failed Americans on at least one major front: prioritizing lending to business owners in underserved markets. The Small Business Administration’s inspector general admitted as much back in May. The question now is why. Why did just 12% of Black and Latinx business owners who applied for PPP loans report getting what they asked for? Why does the Center for Responsible Lending estimate upwards of 90% of businesses owned by people of color have been or will be shut out of the PPP? The answer is complicated, systemic, and deeply rooted in a norm of occupational segregation that’s plagued American capitalism for centuries. But if there’s anyone who can speak to the PPP’s intersection with economic and racial justice, it’s Joyce Klein, director of the Business Ownership Initiative at the Aspen Institute. Today on Business Casual, Klein explains the hurdles to accessing capital and achieving economic mobility for minority groups, from racial to gender. If you want to understand…
How traditional banks are failing small businesses in the U.S.
Why future stimulus spending from Congress needs different design
When we might face a systemic failure of small businesses…
Listen to this episode now.
On the last episode of Business Casual, media exec and general baller-at-large Joanna Coles explained the implications of ad dollars moving from local newsrooms to social media and Big Tech platforms. The general consensus? We’ve got a serious scale problem. And an even bigger misinformation problem. So what does all of that mean for the future of media? In this episode, we’re figuring it out with Delia Cai, growth and trends editor at Buzzfeed and author of the Deez Links newsletter (which is described as “a dailyish link to cool shit happening in & around the media industry”). As someone who both 1) grew up extremely online and 2) has a front row seat to the constant evolution of media, Delia offers honest insight about…
What we lose when we lose local newsrooms
How much money it would take for smaller media outlets to compete with Big Tech
Why social media has tangled our collective psychologies beyond recognition
Listen to the episode now.
This summer, a group of nearly 100 brands from Patagonia to Coca-Cola are boycotting highly targeted ad machines on social media platforms like Facebook. It’s an effort to put their money where their PR statements are—by withholding ad spend on Facebook, these brands are attempting to force Mark Zuckerberg’s hand to do something about his platform’s highly contentious fact-checking and hate speech standards.
The question remains...will it work? If you ask CNN, “It would likely take tens of thousands of them, acting over a significant period of time, to put a big dent in Facebook's bottom line.” But what if, instead of focusing on dollar value efficacy, we consider that the medium might be the message here? Sure, those 100+ brands might not dent Zuck’s retirement account. But they’ve brought important attention to the fact that we’re slaves to the big tech ad targeting machine. That’s why this week on Business Casual, we’re navigating the intricate movement of ad dollars from local news outlets to social media and big tech platforms...plus taking stock of how, exactly, the everyday media consumer is suffering. And we’re doing it with someone who’s seen it all in the media world—Joanna Coles. She’s been an executive, a producer, an editor...basically everything from heading up Cosmo to sitting on Snap’s board. In this episode, Joanna explains the importance of local journalism, why it evaporates when big tech wins ad dollars, and how conglomerization widens the access gap to good, fact-checked journalism. And arguably most importantly? Joanna helps us understand what there is to be done to fix today’s misinformation problem—a problem of incredible scale. Listen now.
Anything is possible if you just believe...and create multi-channel diversified revenue streams while avoiding the many trappings of venture capital. Right? Right. Just ask Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief, Morning Brew’s cofounders. That’s what we’re doing on this episode of Business Casual—taking an introspective look at the last quarter in business through the eyes of a small but growing startup. In the episode, Alex and Austin walk us through the ins and outs of surviving (maybe even thriving…?) as a bootstrapped company in the midst of a recession. You’ll get the inside scoop on how Morning Brew’s strategizes on the daily, plus…
You’ll hear Alex and Austin’s biggest predictions for the startup community next quarter and beyond. Take a sip every time you hear the words “subscription” or “community.”
You’ll understand the pillars of innovation that a recession like this one builds.
And you’ll get two founders’ perspectives on whether we’re closer to the end or the beginning of this recession.
And since no conversation about Morning Brew is complete without a mug... we're giving away five of them. Follow @bizcasualpod on Twitter, email a screenshot with proof you follow to businesscasual@morningbrew.com and you'll be entered in the giveaway. Ends 7/1.
Listen now if you’re curious about what comes next.
Have you also aged three decades since April 1, 2020? The last three months have brought us some of the craziest business news imaginable. The second quarter was a cornucopia of unpredictability—from COVID-19 doing its worst to the economy to widespread protests serving a reckoning for America’s conversations about race. So how do you make it all make sense? You make a podcast about it. Today on Business Casual, we’re taking a look back at the biggest themes of the second quarter, from innovation and accountability and leadership to...failure. And we’re doing it by bringing some of the best guests this show has ever seen back up to bat, from Arianna Huffington and Mark Cuban to Ian Bremmer and Ray Dalio. Because as we head into the third quarter of this year, you have to ask yourself: Would you ever, ever have seen these headlines coming just six months ago? I sure wouldn’t have. Let us help make sense of today’s headlines. Listen now.
On the last episode of Business Casual, I spoke with HR legend and former head of Goldman Sachs human capital management, Edith Cooper. Edith explained in no uncertain terms just how important diversity and inclusion are in corporate America—from both moral and financial perspectives. But to my team and me, that’s just scratching the surface of the conversation about equity of opportunity, racial gaps, and workplace culture. So today, we’re digging even deeper. Edith gave you the 10,000-foot view. How about experiencing first-hand how policies that make the workplace work for all are actually created? On this episode of Business Casual, say hello to Morning Brew’s own head of people operations, Kate Noel. Kate’s giving us an honest account of what it’s like to build a culture at a startup—and it’s about way, way more than serving snacks and offering unlimited PTO.
In the episode, Kate explains the urgency of fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces, plus gives a master class on things like tokenism and code switching. If you don’t know what those are, you need to listen to this episode. At the end of the day, people are more motivated to do good work for a company that allows them to be their full selves. And we all know that hasn’t always been the case. From hiring to promoting to continuing education, Kate walks us through exactly what makes work work for all. Don’t miss this episode—you’re going to love Kate as much as we at Morning Brew do within the first minute.
If you’re a business decision maker...diversity matters. If you’re an entry level employee...diversity matters. If you haven’t even entered the workforce yet...diversity matters. Because companies that prioritize diversity do better. According to McKinsey, in 2019, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity financially outperformed those in the bottom quartile for diversity by 36%. But how do we put that 36% in context? And how do we, as individuals, make sure we’re holding corporations accountable for diversity and inclusion efforts? This week on Business Casual, I speak with Edith Cooper to figure it out. Edith, who our producer Marilyn aptly called a “corporate badass,” is the former head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs, a board director at both Etsy and Slack, and cofounder of personal and professional development startup Medley. Also? Edith was named to Black Enterprise’s 2017 “300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America” list, among many other awards and honors. Edith’s candor and insight will push you to think differently and ask more questions about diversity in the workplace, like...
If you want to stay relevant as a corporation today, you need to open doors for everyone—not just for prospective employees who look like you. Young consumers notice when businesses aren’t woke, and they’re voting in a new guard with their ballooning purchasing power.
If you had the opportunity to become excellent right now, immediately—why would you turn it down? When corporations don’t hire from diverse backgrounds and promote Black workers, they’re doing just that...leaving excellence on the table, as Edith puts it.
What other aspect of a business’s success would be okay to sidestep for this long? Not even the most promising of startups could put off something like a path to profitability forever. So how come we’ve allowed corporate leaders to put off diversity—something we know contributes to long-term financial success—for centuries?
Edith begins to offer answers, but the truth of the matter is that this has to be an ongoing conversation. How are you going to make sure that this time, it’s different? Listen now to get started.
They might not fall for anything, but they definitely won’t win over consumers who are presently armed with more information than ever before. The big picture: Today, it’s not enough for brands—from fledgling startups to multinational corporations—to just sell goods and services for a profit. They have to take a stand, from supporting Black Lives Matter to championing frontline health workers to saving the world from climate change. You know exactly what I’m talking about. How many times have you heard a brand tell you it’s “there for you” in the last three months? For me, it’s 7 billion, give or take.
While we might perceive an overload of marketing emails touting donations made and support lent, it makes sense from the brands’ perspectives to speak out (sometimes).
Because today more than ever, we’re being faced with a serious proposition: voting with our dollars, even before we can vote with our ballots. And no one should vote uninformed.
So today on Business Casual, I’m speaking with the undisputed branding wizards of the startup scene, Red Antler co-founders Emily Heyward and JB Osborne. Their firm is behind the design and go-to-market strategies for the kinds of companies synonymous with “strong brand,” from Allbirds to Casper. Emily and JB bring a unique perspective to the branding conversation, one typically dominated by pie-in-the-sky musings on consumer psychology and nonsensical acronyms. Their POV? It’s not about playing by rules—it’s about playing by values. And when a brand takes on values and purpose beyond being in the black next quarter, the dollars we feed it take on far more meaning than just lining the pockets of startup founders. So...if you’ve ever thought picking a font and a color scheme was the extent of building a brand, you need to listen to this episode. Check it out now.
Imagine it: Your doctor tells you, “Take a magic mushroom and call me in the morning.” It’s...probably not all that realistic. But the promise of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy? Definitely realistic. And definitely an intriguing business prospect. That’s why this week on Business Casual, we’re talking to the preeminent expert in the controlled use of psychedelic drugs: Dr. Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (aka MAPS). Rick has spent nearly four decades at MAPS championing the uses of psychedelics and marijuana in clinical settings. The treatment possibilities, as he sees them, range from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression to addiction. Sounds promising—but there’s always a but. The larger pharmaceuticals, biotech, and insurance industries aren’t quite ready to wholly buy into psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Or psychotherapy of any kind, for that matter. Along with earning a spot in the regulatory good graces of U.S. officials, educating business decision makers presents a challenge for Rick and his peers in the psychedelics space. But if the trend of microdosing (ahem, Silicon Valley) is any indication, interest is growing from both venture capital and consumer POVs.
Money, though, is harder to come by—in the episode, Rick shares the experience of fundraising as a nonprofit.
The tl;dr? It’s really, really hard.
Listen now to expand your mind. Rick generously offered to answer other business-related questions. Get in touch with him at rick@maps.org.
Every first Friday morning of every month at 8:30am ET, we partake in a long honored tradition—poring over one very specific set of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That data is the monthly jobs report, and it’s become an essential part of our assessment of the U.S. economy.
Because having a job means supporting yourself and your family, a basic human need just like clothing and shelter and food. But right now, millions of Americans are without that basic human need.
40 million to be exact. That’s how many people have filed for unemployment since the pandemic began. But how are we to put a number that enormous in context? And how are we to understand who bears its impacts the most? And how are we to determine when 40 million shrinks to zero?
This week on Business Casual, we’re doing our best to answer those questions with Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at LinkedIn and labor market expert. Hearing her masterfully simple explanation of the U.S. labor market is like seeing Bigfoot...you’ve always wanted to experience it, but you weren’t sure it ever existed.
Karin also illustrates the stark disparity at play in the labor market at any given moment...and why this particular moment is exacerbating those disparities.
One race issue: Unemployment has been widespread during the pandemic and economic crisis, but minorities including black and Latino Americans have carried the burden of the downturn more than any other group...and that’s not helping today’s unrest. Per Karin, “I think here you're seeing people feel like they went overnight from feeling like they had a lot of promise and opportunity to having nothing.”
One gender issue: With most schools and summer programs closed, unemployment is affecting women at a considerably higher rate than men.
The big picture: As Karin sees it, unemployment and hiring rates are the best metrics for understanding when the economy can get back on its feet. And that’s a question we’d all like an answer to.
Listen to our episode with Karin now and let us know what you think.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics’s May jobs report comes out the day after this episode hits the wires. We’re pregaming already. Start your own pregame with these stats:
April jobs report—unemployment rate surged to a record 14.7% and payrolls dropped by a historic 20.5 million workers
May jobs report expectations, per Refinitiv—unemployment rate of 19.8% with about 8.5 million jobs lost
Place your bets now.
Today, instead of listening to our usual 45-minute episode, we’re asking you to take that time to listen, read, or watch content that elevates black voices, black stories, and black-owned businesses.
Podcasts:
The 1619 Project from the New York Times Magazine is a multimedia initiative that began last August to mark the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It reframes American history by exploring the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans. Check out the entire project on the Times’s site, and listen to the podcast portion, simply called 1619.
We’re also huge fans of NPR’s Code Switch. The podcast covers what they call “overlapping themes of race, ethnicity and culture, how they play out in our lives and communities, and how all of this is shifting.”
The Ringer’s show Higher Learning has an episode titled “The Importance of the Nationwide Protests Over George Floyd’s Death.” If you want insight on where we go from here, this has it.
Books:
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo has been recommended online endlessly over the last several days, and there’s a reason for that. The book explores why white people feel so uncomfortable talking about race.
For a better understanding of the historical challenges of being black and doing business, read Hannibal Johnson’s Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District.
Read some of the classics by black authors including Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou.
Videos:
Rachel Cargle’s YouTube video titled “Public Address On Revolution: Revolution Now” is a moving assessment of today’s reality.
On Netflix, check out 13th from Ava Duvernay to understand the U.S. prison system’s history of racial inequality.
You can also support black businesses. Find great compilations of those businesses on WeBuyBlack, The Black Wallet, and Official Black Wall Street.
Finally, if you’re in the position to give, consider donating to one of the many reputable organizations helping further anti-racism causes.
For more information about anti-racism or resources for further learning, look here, here, and here.
We get it. Custom made meals served in biodegradable bowls and ordered through an app or over a sneeze guard are really good and really convenient.
And plenty sell each year—the fast casual sector posted an 8% sales gain in 2018, and traffic jumped 3% in the space despite the fact that total U.S. foodservice traffic was flat as a board. You can thank a confluence of factors from the ’08 financial crisis to rising rents for the industry’s recent ascent.
But not even the fast casual space, home to relatively fast, relatively cheap, and relatively healthy food we’ve seamlessly integrated into our lives and diets, is safe from COVID-19. The sector, much like fine dining and the rest of the hospitality space, has been brought to its knees by shutdowns designed to keep us all safe...and at home.
So today on Business Casual, we’re exploring what makes fast casual tick, what’s changed since the coronavirus set in, and what comes next for the Chipotles of the world. Most importantly? We’re pinpointing exactly what it is that helped fast casual thrive through the last recession—and determining which of those lessons can help us get through today.
This episode features two entrepreneurs in different stages of building their businesses: Nicolas Jammet of famed salad company Sweetgreen and Chef JJ Johnson of Harlem’s new(ish) rice bowl shop Fieldtrip.
We decided to bring in not one, but two experts to show differing perspectives on building moats around a business.
For Nicolas and Sweetgreen, the biggest competitive advantage is white label tech that’s made the chain the envy of both fast casual restaurants and Silicon Valley alike.
For JJ and Filedtrip, the biggest competitive advantage is a tight-knit community that’s served as the best marketing tool imaginable.
The insight the two bring...to the table...is unbeatable. They’re operating and more importantly adapting during an unimaginably difficult time for business and in a sector notorious for razor-thin margins.
Listen now to get their perspectives.
- FYI, this is Part II of our two-part exploration of the restaurant industry in a post-COVID world. If you want to hear Part I, go check it out. It features fine dining czar Chef Marcus Samuelsson and tackles issues like government funding, small business, furloughs, and so much more.
COVID-19 makes it easy to do just that. Sure, we’d be a lot more capable with a paring knife or a turkey baster. But at what cost?
Restaurants are the backbone of small business in communities across the country. Without decent spots to grab a bite or celebrate an accomplishment, what good are barber shops or clothing retailers? If restaurants flounder, so too do the small businesses they help bolster.
That’s the world according to Marcus Samuelsson, famed restaurateur, Iron Chef competitor, Chopped judge, and owner of more than a handful of restaurants around the world.
This week on Business Casual, we spoke with Chef Marcus about his experience operating restaurants and strategizing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The long story short? It’s been really, really hard.
Restaurants have been suckerpunched by the coronavirus and the requisite shutdowns robbing them of business. And that means big changes for a lot of people:
According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry employs 15.6 million people in the U.S. and was on track to do $899 billion in sales for 2020.
The sad reality is that an enormous chunk of those 15.6 million people are now being furloughed or laid off. In NYC, restaurant spending dipped 90% in late March compared to a year earlier.
But businesspeople like Chef Marcus don’t just stop when things get tough. They pivot—to delivery, to making meals for frontline workers, to lobbying on behalf of the industry at large. Because as far as Chef Marcus sees it, the government is going to step in and give his business the help it needs.
In this episode, we explore exactly how COVID has expedited those strategic shifts, plus what they mean for the broader hospitality industry. Listen now.
And tune in to Business Casual’s next episode to hear Part II of our exploration of the restaurant space in the COVID-19 world. We’re tackling fast casuals with two of the brightest minds in the industry. Subscribe so you don’t miss out.
“I don’t think we’ll ever go back to what we had before.” That’s what Barbara Corcoran thinks of commercial real estate’s future. In Part II of Business Casual’s interview with the star of ABC’s Shark Tank and real estate mogul, she makes several bold predictions about the ways commercial real estate come out of today’s pandemic and recession. Chief among them? Compromise is the new open floor plan. Barabara says that today’s widespread WFH will illustrate the futility of giant office spaces, while also highlighting some of the difficulties of remote employment. That puts a few lucky commercial real estate players in pole position. What else does Barbarba see in her crystal ball? Fewer bank foreclosures than you might think. A renewed appreciation for the layers upon layers of leverage in the commercial real estate market. Some unpleasant ripple effects of rent forgiveness. Retail’s death knell. If you want to understand all of that, plus the important role the commercial real estate market plays in the broader economy... Listen now. And FYI: This is the second part of a two-part interview. Go check out Part I, which centered on the residential real estate market, if you haven’t already.
So much of business is clinical, scientific even—balance sheets either add up or they don’t. But in the housing market, emotions are as important as 1s and 0s. And today, many of us are walking an emotional tightrope made all the tighter by the fact that we’re staring down the barrel of a recession. So how do we understand what comes next for the residential real estate industry—a space characterized by physical, in-person dealings—when we’re mostly homebound and mostly short on disposable income? This week on Business Casual, we get the answer from Barbara Corcoran—star of ABC’s Shark Tank, real estate icon, and (apparently) budding philosopher. In Part I of our interview with Barbara, she walks us through the intricacies of the housing market today, from buyer to seller to broker. Curious about prices? Wondering what virtual home tours are like? Barbara’s got you. And she’s serving up the insight in several flavors:
The optimist’s case: The spring buying spree residential real estate typically enjoys isn’t canceled, but rather postponed. Once we get better COVID-19 testing mechanisms in place, we’ll come out of hibernation to what Barbara expects to be a “vibrant” midsummer market.
And the pessimist’s case: For the housing market, it doesn’t matter how many trillions of dollars the U.S. government passes in stimulus and relief bills. Can you think of anyone who would spend their unemployment benefits, no matter how expanded, on a new home?
Listen now. We’ll cover the commercial market in depth (yes, we’ll talk about WeWork) with Barbara in Part II of the interview, out next from Business Casual. Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it.
Not too long ago, Complex CEO Rich Antoniello tweeted this—what he considers the formula for success in publishing. Seems pretty straightforward, but... It got the Business Casual team thinking: Does such a formula really exist? And if Rich is right in saying that it does, how can lessons he espouses from the publishing world apply to every other sector? This week on Business Casual, we get an answer straight from the media CEO’s mouth. Rich answers every burning question about his formula for success, from what matters most to how differently things would’ve gone if he’d just invented YouTube. There’s a reason we’re talking about this right now. It’s because now more than ever, success in publishing is hard to come by. In an industry known for its thin margins and stubborn resistance to change, a pandemic and recession have accelerated hardships already being played out. We recorded this episode on March 31 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take a stranglehold on the economy. The lessons have aged better than we could’ve ever expected: One look at this list of newsroom layoffs paints the picture better than any episode description could—layoffs have come for everyone, from old media to new. Understanding how to insulate your business (whether it’s in publishing or not) from having to make those hard decisions to let your people go? That’s important today and will be important tomorrow.
And FWIW, Rich’s wisdom spans far more than just the youth culture his Complex team is so devoutly dedicated to. Here’s a small sample of his pep-talk-but-realistic vibe: “There is no excuse not to evaluate yourself, every word, every story, every video, every social post, every campaign that you’ve created. There's always ways to get better. And you have to be pushing yourself and you have to go not to do more of it. Like this is not a more thing. It's a how do we do it better?” Listen now.
For those of us lucky enough to have jobs that allow it, working from home has laid bare many uncomfortable truths—like the fact that productivity and the presence of pajamas are inversely correlated...or that fact that cybersecurity is a pillow fort when it should be Fort Knox. After all, we’re in the midst of a global health crisis that’s forced us to adopt a new normal. And that crisis has sent us barreling toward dependence on digital tools to both keep us informed and help us do our jobs. But with that, how should our approaches to cybersecurity change? This week on Business Casual, we’re getting the answers from Nicole Eagan, CEO of cybersecurity company Darktrace, the first to develop an AI system to thwart cyber threats. Nicole explains why we need to shift our mindsets surrounding cybersecurity from 1s and 0s to a more holistic view.
Because as far as she’s concerned, hacks happen. No system is impenetrable.
But what we need to think about now is how wide open our home setups are leaving corporations across the board. Face it, we don’t always use the VPN we’re told to.
Plus, Nicole adeptly illustrates how this pandemic, unpredictable and painful as it might be, is preparing us to adopt useful tech at a faster (read: better) pace than ever before. Just don’t expect AI to write these descriptions anytime soon.
We’ve read enough about Elon Musk to know that CEOs are as much a liability as they are an advantage. Just this month, Musk tweeted that Tesla’s stock price was “too high.” Tesla’s stock price responded in kind by tanking some 10%. I’m sure investors loved that. And Musk is just one example of many. So why aren’t investors and reporters thinking more about leadership and its tangible effects on a company’s bottom line? If change starts at the top, why aren’t we talking about effective leadership in SEC documents instead of woo-woo weekend retreats? To find out, I spoke with Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, CEO of Thrive Global, author of 15 books, and general expert in what it means to lead effectively. Arianna delved into the “obvious consequences” of widespread burnout within top corporate brass—the kind of burnout she’s repeatedly claimed drives someone like Elon Musk to tweet something like “funding secured.” And there’s a reason we’re talking about it right now. As far as Arianna is concerned, being a leader throughout a crisis like today’s is like stepping into the eye of a hurricane. It’s never been 1) harder and 2) more important to prioritize strong leadership, from both a human and a business perspective. But that’s easier said than done. Listen now to find out why.
Part I of our interview with outspoken venture capitalist and entrepreneur Chamath Palihapitiya ruffled some feathers...consider that the pregame to today’s Part II. In this episode, Chamath argues his thesis that “zombie companies” need to go six feet under for the rest of the economy to stay alive and well—especially in the middle of today’s pandemic and recession. He explains...
Why stock buybacks and monetary mismanagement deserve more than a slap on the wrist
How the government needs to reconsider the incentives it offers companies to create a more sustainable version of capitalism
And while he’s at it, Chamath draws apt connections between luck and hard work. Come for the deep analysis of government intervention in companies deemed too big to fail, stay for Chamath’s assertion that the U.S. economy needs billionaires like the NBA needs LeBron James. Listen now and let us know what you think. And if you missed Part I, go check that out, too.
American capitalism is kind of like apple pie. We know it’s supposed to be a quintessential component of our culture, but we’re not really sure how to make it from scratch without leaving a bad taste in someone’s mouth. This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, the provocative and recently very viral venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya argues that today’s recipe for capitalism isn’t working. Palihapitiya’s case against this “perversion” of capitalism looks a little like this:
We’ve strayed tremendously from the free market system that allowed all entities, wealthy or poor, to move together in unison.
To Palihapitiya, that’s resulted in a massive zero sum game between resilience and efficiency. If we want to have both, we need to make some changes.
You might not agree with Palihapitiya. But this episode is full of thought starters guaranteed to provoke even the least civically inclined of your group chat. And just wait for Part II coming out next… Go listen to Part I now. + And if you want to check out the viral interview we reference in the episode, find that here.
He’s not running. But if he were? The hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist says he would put bipartisanship above all else. Sounds great, Ray, but is it realistic? On this episode of Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast and part two of our interview with Ray Dalio, we try our best to figure it out. Dalio expertly describes the intersection of markets and politics in today’s crisis, making the intricacies of Fed policy, Wall Street psychology, debt cycles, and more make perfect sense. Plus, Dalio gives a master class in...
What’s wrong with capitalism (there are some strong contenders for best pie metaphor of the year in that part)
How we should interpret the markets which constitute our broader economy as machines that sometimes need tune-ups
If you missed part one of our conversation with Dalio, go check it out. In this second part, he expands on his thesis that students of history could’ve seen this pandemic coming. Are you sold? Listen now and let us know.
Ray Dalio, billionaire philanthropist and hedge fund demigod, thinks we can utilize historical precedent to insulate ourselves from the inevitable pain points life throws at us. Do you? Part I of our two-part interview with Dalio will help you make a decision. In this episode of Business Casual, Ray makes a case for becoming a voracious student of history. And yes, Ray thinks we could have seen today’s global health and economic crisis coming—he even goes as far in the episode as to divulge what he would have done differently if he’d paid a little more attention to the history books. Because as far as he sees it, there is such a thing as a formula for success. He shared that formula, plus tips for…
Learning how to make decisions even when armed with imperfect information at best
Positioning yourself to take advantage of your weaknesses as much as you do your strengths
Understanding what the role of the billionaire class should be in times of global panic
Listen to the episode now. And make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss Part II of the interview, up next from Business Casual.
Today we’re flipping the script on Business Casual… and the host becomes the interview subject. That’s right. Our guest for this episode is our very own Kinsey Grant, Morning Brew business editor and the host of this podcast. She’s the one constant voice on this show, and we want you, dear listeners, to get to know her better. Kinsey breaks down how she uses razor sharp questioning and an impressive roster of guests to answer some of the biggest questions in business. But what exactly makes something a “big question in business”? Reformed markets reporter, newsletter writer, and early bird Kinsey Grant and Morning Brew audio produce Marilyn Haigh get to the bottom of it. Want to get in touch? Email Marilyn at marilyn@morningbrew.com and Kinsey at kinsey@morningbrew.com.
April 22 is Earth Day. Do you know if your favorite corporate behemoth is observing the holiday? Chances are...they aren’t. Spoiler alert: That’s a terrible decision. By letting climate concerns simmer quietly on the back burner, companies are not only opening themselves up to unmitigated risk but also leaving returns on the table. That’s according to Brian Deese, global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock (yes that BlackRock—the world’s largest money manager). This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, Deese (who was also an architect of the Paris Climate Agreement following a stint in the Obama White House) explains why investing with the climate in mind leads to stronger returns. Deese also illustrates the important roles both 1) big data and 2) the federal government play in determining how and when corporate America prioritizes sustainability. Because all those returns we were talking about up there? They won’t matter if the world’s on fire in 30 years. And unlike some investors focused on sustainability, Brian’s about more than just good press. Listen now to hear for yourself.
Things we learned in school: 1) always guess C and 2) never underestimate the importance of highly intricate supply chain economics and their trickle down effects on business. This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, Geoffrey Garrett, dean of UPenn’s prestigious Wharton School, explains what’s at stake for our globalized economy in the wake of COVID-19. We called in the best in the Ivy League for this one, since there are a lot of moving parts:
First, we were concerned about supply as China’s countless manufacturing facilities went offline to observe social distancing and slow COVID’s spread.
Then, we got worried about demand as Western countries shuttered entire economies and consumer spending hit a wall.
So...now what should we furrow our brows over? Dean Garrett has all the answers. It’s like getting a degree from Wharton, but without the rich mahogany smell. Listen now and let us know what you think.
The thought of getting a $1,200 check in the mail from the government was nothing short of crazy just six months ago. Ask Andrew Yang. But now, that once impossible idea is reality—most Americans will receive a little somethin’ something’ from Uncle Sam as part of the government’s $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package. But what should you do with that money? If your groceries and basic necessities are already covered, should you splurge your Trump Bucks or save them? And what kind of boost—if any—will this program give the U.S. economy? This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, we’re diving deep into personal finance in the COVID-19 age with money expert and author of I Will Teach You to Be Rich Ramit Sethi. In the episode, Sethi covers…
Why you need an emergency fund and what you should do if you’re in an emergency but low on the funds
How and where we can find opportunity (read: earning potential) in the depths of a painful recession
Whether it’s harder or easier to get rich today when compared to our last recession a decade ago
Listen now and learn more about how your personal finance situation could change.
You’ve read about the couple stuck in the Maldives. You’ve obsessively stalked ticket prices for Amsterdam in the fall. You’ve heard the cruise industry’s weary pleas for forgiveness. Now, it’s time to understand how—and if—the travel sector emerges from the pandemic that’s brought it to its knees. Today on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, Rafat Ali, founder and CEO of travel media and research company Skift, explains what’s at stake for the global travel sector, plus why the rest of the economy is finally recognizing just how impactful the travel industry is. Ali breaks down what’s at stake for airlines, cruise lines, hotels, and one particular Silicon Valley home rental platform in this new norm—a norm that’s proving we can survive in a socially distant, vacation-free, remote-work world. Ali will also give you the final answer to the question you’re all wondering: When is the right time to buy plane tickets? Listen now to find out.
Today, the world gets its first glimpse of Quibi, the short-form mobile video platform as famous for its high-octane leadership as it is for its $1.75 billion in pre-launch venture funding. Also today? Business Casual listeners get an exclusive interview with Quibi CEO Meg Whitman. In this conversation chock-full of insight, Whitman explains how Quibi is straddling the line between competition for time and competition for dollars. As a veteran tech leader (and the former CEO of both eBay and HP), she has plenty of inside-baseball analysis about playing into the trend of our dwindling attention spans instead of resisting it. Whitman also explains to Business Casual…
What it’s like to launch a consumer product in the middle of a pandemic and likely recession
What it takes to raise $1.75 billion in funding without showing investors your product
How to attract the finest talent from both Hollywood and Silicon Valley
Plus, Whitman defends her claim that Quibi, a video streaming service, is not entering the streaming wars. Want to understand that one? Listen now.
Like 4chan found a Bloomberg terminal. That’s the motto on the subreddit r/WallStreetBets, where 1 million members share the most horrifyingly risky stock market strategies imaginable. And in these volatile times, those bets are riskier and bigger than ever. So this week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, we spoke with r/WallStreetBets founder Jaime Rogozinski to understand the new norms in market psychology. Rogozinski, a serial entrepreneur who takes almost no responsibility for the fortunes both won and lost on the subreddit he created, explains…
Why millennials are approaching investing differently during the COVID-19 pandemic
How a fundamental lack of trust in the investing system impacts markets across the board
When bear vs. bull markets are nothing but a social construct
Listen to the episode now.
You could use some good news. Today on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, we’re delivering just that—a conversation on the business of giving back with charity: water founder Scott Harrison. Charity: water’s not your average nonprofit. Harrison has made the organization’s business model famous in the finance world for his focus on almost radical transparency and a nontraditional banking setup. In this episode, Harrison goes deep on how that works...and justifies the highly unique, heavily Silicon Valley-influenced (and sometimes criticized) model. Plus, Harrison—who’s a former nightclub promoter—has something of an unorthodox approach to marketing that sheds light on more than just the nonprofit community. Small taste? He’s more concerned with what Nike or Apple is doing than what his direct competitor is doing. This episode might make you feel better in a downer of a news cycle, but that doesn’t mean we’re holding back on the business analysis. America’s 1+ million charities raked in $427.7 billion in contributions in 2018—meaning charitable giving is big business. Listen now and let us know what you think.
You’ve read every guide to improving productivity while working from home. You can list every country by confirmed COVID-19 cases in both ascending and descending order. Your Andrew Cuomo impression is getting scary good. But now you’re wondering...how does this all end? And what are the world’s leaders doing to hasten that ending? To find out, Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast spoke with geopolitical whiz Ian Bremmer (he’s also a celebrated political scientist and the president/founder of the political risk consulting firm Eurasia Group and GZERO Media). Bremmer offers an honest assessment of the many ways government responses to COVID-19 differ, both for better and for worse. Plus...
Who wins and who loses if the free world’s leadership scheme shifts
How world leaders prioritize both human lives and economic livelihoods
Why the possibility of a cold war between the U.S. and China has some experts concerned
Listen now for answers.
What would you do if you were in the room negotiating a stimulus deal with D.C.’s top brass? Do you know what you’d say? And what you’d lobby for? Mark Cuban does. This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, Cuban—owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Shark Tank investor, and media exec—does just that...and explains why perfection is the enemy of progress. As Cuban sees it, the longer lawmakers hem, haw, and split hairs over the appropriate response to COVID-19, the more they hurt American taxpayers. Right now, aching businesses big and small need leadership, but the government can only do so much. Cuban explains…
Why we have no choice but to make decisions with imperfect information
How bailouts should be structured to benefit more than just the corporate elite
When perspective matters more than profit
And because he’s Mark Cuban...he gives plenty of entrepreneurial advice. Don’t miss this episode—listen now.
The economy is hurtling toward a likely recession every day. And just like you can rely on your roommate eating all the good WFH snacks on day two, you can rely on markets experts to wonder...is the government going to do anything here? For its part, the Federal Reserve is doing something. Several things, in fact, from last-minute emergency rate cuts to major loans for big banks. But what does the Fed’s rapid fire monetary policy mean for your day to day, from getting a mortgage to choosing a bank? And will it even work? This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, the Brew’s Kinsey Grant interviews her college Econ professor to get those answers. Washington & Lee University’s Professor Art Goldsmith gives a master class in how Fed policy works, why it exists in the first place, and what we can expect from central bankers as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on business. Because when “explain it to me like I’m five” fails, there’s always “explain it to me like I’m 19.”
We hold these WFH truths to be self-evident: that we’ll always wear pajama pants no matter how many times we promise to get dressed, and that we’re spending way more time than usual scrolling through social media. About that second one...social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become lifelines for human contact and important headlines in the era of #socialdistancing, putting pressure on Big Tech to clamp down on falsehoods and potentially harmful viral cure-alls. But can Zuck & Co. handle it? Are they stepping up to the plate to root out dangerous misinformation? Can we trust anything we see on social media anymore? In this special episode of Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, Bloomberg social media reporter Sarah Frier explains how tech c-suites are navigating what, for many, has become the most uncertain periods of their existence...and how those business decisions impact society. Listen now and let us know what you think.
Back before the stock market was breaking all the wrong kinds of records and the global economy was teetering on the edge, Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast learned a well-timed lesson in resilience. Our teacher? ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman. The fitness subscription startup he leads became 2020’s first unicorn before 2020 was even a week old. But getting to that point— and building the kind of business that can survive today’s uncertainty-riddled economic environment — took time. And several different business models. This week on Business Casual, Fritz goes deep on the importance of owning your mistakes and keeping yourself honest, even when it’s hard. Because reversing the way you make money? Not easy. Plus, Fritz explains…
Why some marketplace businesses fail (looking at you, MoviePass)
When it makes sense to lose customers on purpose
How sustainability matters more than virality
After 11 long years and countless satisfied 401(k)s, the longest-ever bull market in stocks has ended (at least for the Dow). Investors, ravaged by coronavirus fears and unsure of who should step in when, are licking wounds and reevaluating allocations. But what’s actually happening beneath all the doomsday headlines and major S&P 500 point losses? When will all this no good very bad sentiment hit the economy? And is a recession on the way? We’ve got the answers. In this special episode of Business Casual, host and recovering markets reporter Kinsey Grant talks with expert financial adviser Downtown Josh Brown to get to the bottom of how the coronavirus is impacting markets...and what you can do about it. FYI: We recorded this episode midday Wednesday. Before the Dow technically fell into bear territory. And President Trump restricted travel from Europe for 30 days. And the NBA suspended its season. And Tom Hanks announced he tested positive for coronavirus. News comes at you fast. Listen now for a more informed conversation.
You know that feeling when you change the toilet paper roll? Or fill the office Brita? Or say “it’ll come out in the wash” instead of Venmo requesting your friends? Being a B Corp feels like all of that at once. B Corp companies tick off a long list of boxes, from sustainability to community, to “balance purpose and profit.” Like Bombas, the digitally native sock company with a cult following and a give-back model. This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual, Bombas CEO Dave Heath explains why missions to “do good” can coexist with those to “do profit.” Plus why…
Authenticity is more convincing than viral marketing
Starbucks ought to write the book on product-market fit
Venture capital sets any non-tech investment up for failure
About that last one...Heath poses some of the hottest VC takes Business Casual has seen. As far as he’s concerned, “there is no silver bullet” for direct-to-consumer retail success...but VCs like to pretend there is. Listen and decide for yourself. While you’re at it...got feedback? Want to advertise with Business Casual? Email us at businesscasual@morningbrew.com.
What do Madonna, Mark Zuckerberg, and Mike Bloomberg have in common? They’re richer than you They all get name-dropped by social media personality The Fat Jewish the second you ask him to talk about the influencer economy. This week on Business Casual, we did just that. The Fat Jewish (real name: Josh Ostrovsky) takes us on a roller coaster ride of content, from selling his Babe wine brand to AB InBev to Mike Bloomberg’s meme campaign for the White House. And in this unpredictable election cycle, Bloomberg’s social strategy matters. Josh breaks an NDA with Bloomberg’s camp to explain exactly how those fake DMs will play out. Want to know how it ends? Go listen. If that’s not enough to convince you, this episode also features Josh...
ID’ing when the influencer marketing bubble will pop
Explaining how to reverse engineer your audience into an R&D flywheel
Giving tangible examples of “cutting through the noise” that don’t sound like they came straight from a self-help book for entrepreneurs
If you survived the 2019 IPO season, you learned two things: 1) Morning Brew’s tailgates rivaled D3’s finest and 2) the only guaranteed win was investing in software as a service (aka SaaS) companies.
This week on Business Casual, we speak to Squarespace founder and CEO Anthony Casalena to figure out why SaaS companies are doing so well right now...and what it’ll take to nip all that forward momentum in the bud. We also cover...
How businesses build “sticky” models
Why the relationship between customer acquisition and customer value matters so much
When it’s better to buy than build
Because in the last few years, we’ve seen a boom in “plug-and-play” models—businesses whose divine purpose is to make creating a subsequent business as easy as possible. Why now, and what comes next?
Did you have yesterday off from work? If you didn’t, we’re sorry. But even if you did, chances are you still answered a few emails, checked a few Slacks, and furrowed your brow thinking about all the things you’ve got to catch up on this morning. But what if work...didn’t have to be like that? This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, we tear apart how work came to rule our lives—and what some in the business world are doing to fix it. Basecamp CEO, remote work enthusiast, and Bezos-approved founder Jason Fried explains why today’s idea of a work/life balance isn’t doing us any favors. Plus…
How Silicon Valley’s ideas of “move fast and break things” broke the wrong things
How venture capital puts companies in “pressure cookers”
And how tech could change the notion of 9–5
Listen and let us know what you think.
For corporations, not everything about getting together is Russell Stover chocolates and long-stemmed roses. So to celebrate the Brew’s Merger Week (keep reading for today’s big piece)...
Today on Business Casual: Axios Business Editor and author of the Pro Rata newsletter Dan Primack explains why mergers and acquisitions happen...and why they don’t.
In addition to figuring out what today’s M&A means for bull market health, in the episode we...
Navigate where the biggest red flags are for today’s megadeals, from unpredictable antitrust regulation to political nationalism to the 2020 election
Determine the next big space for consolidation
Parse out the logistics of some of the most outlandish deals the internet’s dreamt up (looking at you, Apple/Tesla)
Plus, Primack explains what options are left for Harry’s now that the FTC sued to block Edgewell’s acquisition of the razor maker—and then called off the deal. (FYI, this was recorded riiiight before Edgewell pulled the plug.)
Maybe you’re the kind of person who holds your plank an extra 15 seconds during 6am HIIT class (showoff). Maybe you need a full day to recover from 20 minutes on the elliptical.
Either way, this one likely applies to you: tech obsession. The zeitgeist’s current fixation with new-wave, at-home, tech-enabled fitness is changing the way we define success, both in terms of personal health goals and in terms of happy business endings (read: IPOs).
This week on Business Casual, we talk to Mirror CEO Brynn Putnam to understand exactly how tech’s influence on today’s fitness startups is impacting the business world. Brynn explains…
What about the at-home fitness business model works
How good tech and smart engineering can scale the unscalable
Why every company is fighting for a tech valuation, even if it doesn’t deserve one
One parting idea: Putnam thinks in-home fitness streaming devices can become the next iPhone. Do you?
In five short days on Super Bowl Sunday, Americans will split into two distinct categories: those of us watching for the commercials and liars.
Half kidding. But whatever your reason for tuning in, you’re supporting a massive revenue generating business when you watch the Super Bowl—ads during this year’s game sold out in November for prices up to $5.6 million per 30-second spot. And the Patriots aren’t even playing.
This week on Morning Brew’s weekly Business Casual podcast, we tackle the massive business beast that is the National Football League. Famed NFL analyst and exec Michael Lombardi explains the ins and outs of the NFL as a business, including…
Super Bowl hype sustainability
International expansion
Legalized sports betting
And the biggest threats to profitability
Even if you didn’t play Pop Warner, you went to a D3 school, or you’re really only watching the Super Bowl so you can eat 13 wings without being judged, you’ll learn something from Lombardi’s episode.
Look—we all have goals. For some of us, that goal is not lying when we tell the dentist we floss 2x a week. For others, it’s getting a 183-year-old consumer goods giant to buy our 2.5-year-old company for $100 million.
Moiz Ali belongs in the “others” category. As the founder of natural personal care (read: deodorant) brand Native, he brokered the kind of deal young startups only dream of when Procter & Gamble bought his company. But once the ink dried on the contract, the hard work began.
This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, Moiz takes us on a guided tour of the acquisition process—how to stand out, how to keep your head down, and how to make a graceful exit.
Even if you aren’t shopping your growing business for billionaire buyers, this episode has something for you:
How to communicate any message with the right audience (and not blow your $$)
How to persevere when the odds are stacked against you
And a whole lot more
FYI: When you make it to the end of the episode, you’ll be looking for a very specific link pertaining to Moiz’s daily routine. Here’s that link.
FYI x2: Make sure you subscribe to Business Casual and leave us a rating + review on your platform of choice.
You know what happens when you assume: you make an investment mistake. So why are so many startup founders and everyday investors assuming today’s endless well of venture capital is...actually endless?
This week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast, Business Casual, Union Square Ventures managing partner Rebecca Kaden explains that, even though venture as a whole is armed with more capital than ever before, “nerves are spiking and we know change is coming.”
But what does that change look like? When the change does come, where’s the opportunity in a venture-funded world packed with potential WeWorks? And what are the long-term implications of today’s multibillion-dollar private check-writing?
In this episode, Kaden explains. Plus, we...
Determine why the inherent risk of venture capital is so misconceived by the market
Explain why recessions are good for venture capitalists and bad for you
Compare and contrast our economic predictions with those of Juicy J.
Don’t miss it. While you’re here, subscribe to Business Casual and leave us a rating and review.
“Best always wins. But first is a great place to be.”
“Build brand and bring value. And you basically karma and guilt people into doing business with you.”
“If you’re a winner, you’re unemotional about where you market.”
There’s only one person who would say all of that in the span of a half-hour: Gary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneur, branding expert, and serial angel investor.
And this week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast Business Casual, Gary V opens up about everything, from brand building (both personally and for your business) to managing an unwarranted reputation to cherry picking the next big thing in marketing. Plus...
How exactly some companies are “putting dollars in the trash”
What the next “most underpriced asset in the world” is (hint: it’s not traded on any exchange)
And how even the worst internet trolls add value
Some people call Gary V an inspiration. Some people call Gary V a snake oil salesman.
This week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast, Business Casual, we explore the inner workings of direct-to-consumer (DTC) retail with two of the best in the business: Zak Normandin, CEO of Iris Nova, and Nik Sharma, the strategist dubbed “The DTC Bro.”
But this episode is about so much more than every suitcase, toothbrush, and mattress company’s effort to become a “lifestyle” brand (even though we cover that, too).
We dive deep into the idea of conversational commerce—aka utilizing text messaging to create a more sincere 1-1 relationship with the consumer.
Zak and Nik explain how an influx of venture capital funding in DTC retail can be a net negative on the space.
We explain what “cutting out the middleman” actually means for retailers and for customers.
After all, DTC accounts for 40% of e-commerce sales growth in consumer goods. So...safe to say this movement is going anywhere. Don’t you want to know the ins and outs from the brightest in the business?
Want to text Nik? You can reach him at 917-905-2340.
Where were you 10 years ago? Morning Brew’s managing editor, Neal Freyman, was trolling Duke basketball players as a college freshman at the University of Maryland. But oh, how times have changed.
This week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast Business Casual, Neal joins host and fellow Brew editorial team member Kinsey Grant to discuss a decade’s worth of trends, themes, and breaking news in the business world.
And after years of writing your daily Brew newsletter, Neal has seen a thing or two. In the episode, Neal covers...
The rise of tech and how it’s impacted our interpersonal relationships, from Facebook to Fortnite.
Amazon’s stealth mode world takeover.
How his bar mitzvah money is doing in the longest ever U.S. bull market.
You don’t want to miss this episode, especially if you’ve ever wanted a peek inside how the Brew covers everything in business, from the student loan crisis to Beyoncé’s greatest hits.
Check out the rest of our decade in review coverage here.
What was the first thing you looked at when you woke up this morning? Chances are, it was a product from Facebook, Twitter, Google, or Apple. But who makes the rules for the very exclusive Big Tech club running our lives, from how we eat to when we travel to what we buy?
This week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast, Business Casual, we figure it out. Kara Swisher, who co-founded Recode and has been covering tech for as long as there’s been tech to cover, sits down in a wide-ranging conversation on tech ethics, futurism, and more.
Some highlights:
What company wins the title of “rapacious data thief”
Elon Musk and the future of the mad scientist CEO
Why Uber’s top leadership might be misunderstood
As Silicon Valley’s resident kingmaker, Swisher ranks as one of Business Casual’s most outspoken guests yet, and she pulls no punches explaining just how cleverly Big Tech fooled us when they said they’d do no evil.
Check out the answer to this week's trivia here.
Like building something from Ikea or responding to an “are you in the right headspace to receive information that could possibly hurt you” text, getting insurance can be complicated. But does it need to be?
This week on Business Casual, we hear the argument that it does not. Lemonade CEO Daniel Schreiber suggests the traditional broker-based insurance business model is “fundamentally and structurally” flawed.
Because when there exists a misalignment of incentives that egregious (insurer and insuree fighting for the same dollar), we’ve got no choice but to fire off those “it’s so ducking annoying” messages to the group chat after making a claim. Schreiber wants to reinstate insurance in the realm of social goods. To do that, he’s leaning hard into technology, behavioral economics, and 100x the data of traditional insurers.
Hear Schreiber’s theses on the promise of the insurance sector, the future of the IPO market for tech startups, and what it’s like to know Masayoshi Son on a first-name basis.
P.S. Did you stick around to the end? This week’s trivia: Rank these insurance types by market size—health insurance, auto insurance, home and renter’s insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance. Check for the answer today on my Twitter.
A few weeks back, Apple came under fire for allegedly deploying biased algorithms to determine credit limits for its Apple Card. Some women were given lower spending limits than male counterparts (counterparts who made less money or even had worse credit).
We don’t have to be the ones to tell you that’s a problem, but...that’s a problem. There is a gender gap in tech, and that gender gap leads to worse products for everyone. So...
This week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast Business Casual, we pick apart how that gender gap came to be, how it’s affecting the bottom line, and why the whole of society should care. To explain it all, Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code.
Boiling it down: You’ve read the stories of gender bias, sexual harassment, and more at companies like Google, Uber, etc. And those stories tend to sink stock prices. So even if you’re not a woman, your Robinhood account could suffer if tech companies don’t get their diversity initiatives in check.
Let’s face it, no matter how many times you’ve unsuccessfully explained to your mom what bitcoin is, you probably don’t even really know yourself. Throw words like distributed ledger technology, initial coin offering, and blockchain in? Yeah, no.
So this week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast, Business Casual, we’re breaking down everything crypto—from bitcoin’s $20,000 ride to Facebook’s misadventures in “reinventing money and transforming the global economy.”
Because crypto memes are big, but crypto’s lasting impacts on the future of the worldwide financial system could be bigger.
Is bitcoin really the favored currency of the black market, and if so...does that matter?
Can Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook deliver on their promises of a new digital currency with the Libra project, and if so...can we trust it?
Is “blockchain tech” really just overhype, and if so...why do we still fall for the headline every time?
To answer it all, Business Casual speaks with Arianna Simpson of Autonomous Partners, an investment fund focused on crypto and digital assets.
Follow @KinseyGrant and @AriannaSimpson on Twitter
It’s been a big week for TikTok. The social video app reportedly passed 1.5 billion downloads worldwide, putting it ahead of both Facebook and Instagram. It started testing online shopping in the U.S. It’s under the microscope in D.C. as a Chinese-owned entity.
And now, it’s getting the Business Casual treatment. This week on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast, we attempt to understand TikTok—what makes it work, why it blew up, and how companies are making money off of it.
Because TikTok isn’t like Facebook or Google, the de facto demigods of social media advertising. According to viral TikTok superstar Spencer X (follower count: 9.8 million), TikTok’s got a few competitive advantages that have Zuck shaking.
Spencer X tells us...a) how TikTok has made live streaming work in both theory and practice b) what brands are best suited to monetize TikTok and c) why influencer marketing is a force to be reckoned with.
Int. Morning Brew office, content team weekly check-in:
[Writer 1] Question: What kind of streaming service is best? [Writer 2] That’s a ridiculous question. [Writer 1] False. Black bear.
Any fan of The Office recognizes that reference. And any fan of business news knows the streaming wars are in the process of fundamentally changing the way you get your Dunder Mifflin fix, or any other media for that matter.
Today on Morning Brew’s weekly podcast, Business Casual, we’re picking apart precisely what’s made the streaming wars just that—wars, from Disney to Netflix, Apple to Amazon.
How do subscriber counts, ad dollars, and content spend equate to small, individual battles, each with winners and losers? Matt Ball, verified media guru and former global head of strategy for Amazon Studios, has the answers. Plus...
How Amazon has impacted the media landscape.
When we’ll be able to declare who owns the future of streaming.
Why Netflix is still the streamer to beat.
What would you do if you’d just raised a $100 million investment fund? If you’re Ben Sun, co-founder and general partner at NY-based Primary Venture Partners, you don’t hop a Blade whenever you’re craving an iced coffee from the Golden Pear in Easthampton. You make sure small startups with big ideas get the money they need to succeed. This week on Business Casual, Sun explains the ins and outs of venture capital—and how exactly the U.S. VC scene has managed to do $100 billion in investing this year. What’s that? You want an idea of what Sun talks about in the episode? Because he’s had a crazy successful career in serial entrepreneurship and investing? Fine…
Why profitability only matters sometimes. Hint: Jeff Bezos.
The SoftBank effect. Has Masayoshi Son put a chill on venture capital, or has he been the rising tide that lifts all ships?
How venture capital thrives in a recession. It has a lot to do with weeding out the weaklings.
Don’t wait another minute. Listen to the episode now.
Follow me on Twitter @KinseyGrant
You knew it was coming. It’s time for Morning Brew’s weekly podcast, Business Casual, to jump right into the belly of the beast: the U.S.-China trade war.
What we know: So far, the U.S. has imposed tariffs on about $360 billion worth of Chinese imports, while China has put levies on about $110 billion worth of U.S. goods.
What we don’t know: Everything else.
That’s why this week, we’re bringing in the Chairman of the Twitter Federal Reserve and CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, Josh Brown. Remember all those piping hot takes about Big Tech a few episodes back? Josh is bringing even more heat this episode.
A small sampling of what you’ll get re: the U.S.-China trade war this episode...Finally, an answer to the age old question: what came first, the trade war headline or the stock market meltdown? A real-world example to show who pays for tariffs, really. An explanation for how President Trump and Jerome Powell became oil and water. And so much more.
You know what the right thing to do is...but can you act on it? Today on Morning Brew’s podcast Business Casual, Ellevest co-founder and CEO Sallie Krawcheck is tackling one of the biggest questions in business: workplace diversity.
As Krawcheck sees it, we’ve read enough studies proving a more diverse workplace yields higher returns for investors (15% higher, per recent reports). Now, it’s time to do something about the pay gaps, investing gaps, savings gaps, and more that hold top talent back.
In this episode of Business Casual, Krawcheck also explains…
What companies and CEOs are doing things right
Why women-founded startups (think The Wing, Outdoor Voices, Glossier) are thriving
Why impact investing doesn’t mean sacrificing returns
She knows what she’s talking about: Prior to building Ellevest, Krawcheck was CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, CEO of Citi Wealth Management, and CEO at Smith Barney.
While MySpace was busy ruining friendships in the early aughts, Facebook was readying to upend life as we know it. Knotel CEO Amol Sarva thinks his flexible workspace platform is the Facebook to WeWork’s MySpace.
This week on Business Casual, we’re getting into the nitty gritty of flexible space and the future of work. Sarva isn’t afraid to name names...and cast doubt on WeWork’s financials.
More high points from the conversation:
Sarva explains the difficulties of cauterizing “ethical rot” vs. “financial rot.”.
He makes a case for celebrating the coming recession. Sarva argues that despite how capital intensive real estate is, flexible office space will thrive when things go south.
For anyone looking to optimize your life—Sarva’s point about why we don’t build our own iPhones is for you.
In addition to out-Zuckerberging WeWork, Sarva 1) got his Ph.D. in cognitive science at Stanford 2) co-founded Virgin Mobile USA and 3) uses both “Faustian” and “schadenfreude” in the interview...so you know you’re going to learn something.
Trends come and go, but lunch is forever. Unless you’re Samantha Wasser, founder of the plant-based and vegan restaurant chain by CHLOE. In that case, trends are forever, too. This week on Business Casual, Wasser explains exactly how making the most of food trends and taking the “polar opposite” approach of most vegan restaurants helped her fledgling salad shop grow to an international chain with an enviable Instagram following. And really good tempeh patties. But this is Business Casual, and Business Casual is about more than tempeh patties. Wasser explains why a boom in business for plant-based meats like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods is good for all restaurateurs hoping to get more sustainable. What else is on tap in this episode? Tips and tricks to optimize your phone eats first attitude. An argument in favor of sweating the small stuff. How to pitch venture capital on the long-shunned restaurant space, massive capital investments and all. And three letters: CBD. Sign up for Morning Brew here: https://www.morningbrew.com/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast-Episode3
Newsflash: By 2022, about $4.6 trillion will be managed by roboadvisors—super smart algorithms telling you when and what to invest. But can we trust the robots? Betterment CEO Jon Stein thinks yes—but there are limitations.
This week on Business Casual, Stein explains 1) why computers make better money managers than Uncle Rob’s neighbor’s sister 2) where the big banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are failing everyday people and 3) why good advice typically has a price tag. He also masterfully tackles the democratization of financial tools in under five minutes (could be a world record).
And because he was feeling generous, Stein clues you in on the single worst thing you can do with your money.
Sign up for Morning Brew here: https://www.morningbrew.com/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast-Episode2
Breaking up Big Tech: everyone’s talking about it, but is anyone actually doing anything about it? Scott Galloway—NYU professor, NYT bestselling author, owner of the world’s most colorful vocabulary—has some ideas. Galloway argues on Business Casual that Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple are “invasive species”—species robbing the everyday consumer of everything from a functioning democracy to their mental health. And forget about seed funding or innovation if you’re an entrepreneur. As Galloway sees it, the DOJ and FTC need to step in. Because after all, if Tom Brady (or Mark Zuckerberg) is allowed to cheat...he will. Plus, Scott makes a bold prediction about Morning Brew’s future and offers “the only investment advice you ever need.” Sign up for Morning Brew at: https://www.morningbrew.com/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast-Episode1