Utopia or dystopia? Between the promises of powerful new technologies like AI and the challenges of major problems like climate change, disinformation at scale, and wealth concentration, how we get to the future we want is a question I spend a lot of time thinking about these days. It’s also the subject of Eric Lander’s…
Adaptation During the Age of the Inconceivable
One of the hottest topics in the technology and finance world right now is an old idea that has suddenly found new life, the special purpose acquisition company or “SPAC.” SPACs, which are sometimes referred to as blank check companies, are entities that go public and raise money from investors so that the IPO proceeds…
How Decisive Reinvention Built Iconic Companies
Network Building, Market Re-Evaluation and Strategy Refinement During Covid
So often people talk about the Democratic Party as the party of pluralist, pie-in-the-sky idealism and the Republican Party as the party of practical, results-driven business. At last night’s Democratic National Convention, though, one of the world’s most successful, results-driven business leaders, Michael Bloomberg, made some key points. Bloomberg, of course, is not just a great…
The word ritual probably doesn’t conjure images of board meetings or product reviews. But effective business leaders create rituals for their organizations that can focus, clarify, and inspire. In the latest Masters of Scale episode, I discuss the power of ritual with Shishir Mehrotra, who tapped the power of rituals to grow YouTube, and now runs Coda.io,…
Why Understanding Failure Can Lead to Success
When, How and Why CEOs Should Speak Out
Since taking office in 2017, Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted he’s on the verge of replacing the extremely popular Affordable Care Act with “something so much better.” Usually, he claims the timetable for unveiling his healthcare plan is “about two weeks.” Last month Trump was at it again. “We’re signing a health-care plan within two weeks, a full and complete…
What VCs look for when investing in an early stage company
How to Evaluate, Mitigate, and Leverage Risk
Building strategic value for any outcome
Partnering and investing during the pandemic
One of the top questions I’m asked these days is, “Are you still investing during the Covid-19 pandemic?” The answer, of course, is “Yes,” but the details are important enough that I thought it was worthwhile to explore them in greater depth and share them with entrepreneurs who are raising money, or thinking about doing so.…