Masters of Scale

“Over the last 10 years, we have been building bridges. And sadly wars burn bridges. My question is, are we back at square one?” A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. It was an exquisite event. But one panel hasn't left my mind. The question above was posted by a Palestinian businessman, reflecting on the work he’s done over the past decade to create bonds across the Middle East. The room of 800 was silent as he offered his question to the esteemed panelists - Daniel Lubetzky from KIND, Erin Gore from World Central Kitchen, and Bob Safian host of Rapid Response. Daniel started by grounding in a ‘builders vs. destroyers’ framing. “There are many many forces contributing to toxic polarization that are winning right now. If you look at the past year, all of us are being impacted by that. And everyone recognizes there is a problem on the other side, but we don’t recognize it happening to us or our groups. Our social media feeds are only telling us what we want to hear, not what we need to hear. Each side only sees the worst of the other side, they don’t understand the pain of the other side. We’re just losing empathy and an appreciation for a little more nuance and context. It’s going to be harder for us as builders to overcome these divisions if we allow that.” Erin, who I came to know well during the conference and admire even more than I did before, was nearly jumping off her seat. I found her response poetic and emblematic of her personal, and organizational, deep belief in humanity: “One of the beauties of how we do our work is through people in communities. We go so far as to say that ‘communities are our superpower’. We come in contact with people in all walks of life that are literally just trying to live their life. It’s not political. And I don’t think we’re starting from square one - not when it comes to the community and to the people, their hearts, and their passion. I don’t think all hope is lost by any means.” There are two beliefs I try to hold close these days as I look across the world and within the US:? #1 - The majority of us are more alike than we are different. #2 - There are people and systems bigger than most of us that are actively preventing us from believing in #1. They often get muddled. But one of these beliefs gives me hope. The other helps me to redirect my energy toward root causes, the symptoms. As I look to the coming years, I’m reflecting on a few questions in my family, community, and work: ? How can I ground in the needs we share in common, before focusing on the beliefs we misalign on?? ? How can I listen with more nuance to the stories and beliefs different from my own? And how can I be more deliberate in sharing my own? ? How can I dampen the extreme voices and systems that seek to polarize me from those different than me? ? How can I better galvanize people against problems, not one another? Full panel recording linked in comments.

What do windmills, EVs, and fuschia ?? have in common? They're all calling cards for Octopus Energy, a company revolutionizing how we approach renewable resources. This week, Jeff Berman interviews Greg Jackson, CEO and founder of Octopus Energy. If you're into protecting the environment (who isn't?), you won't want to miss this one. ??: linktr.ee/mastersofscale

We’re thrilled to announce Masters of Scale has won FIVE Signal Awards! ?????????? Thank you for your votes! Here’s to another year of inspiring entrepreneurs everywhere ??

Prepping for a job interview? Here’s your sign to ask for more ?? Tell them Lean In co-founder and CEO Rachel Schall Thomas sent you (and the data backs her up!). Masters of Scale Summit is presented in alliance with Capital One Business.

Kara Nortman knew stats and spreadsheets wouldn’t be enough to convince Julie Uhrman to become a co-founder of Angel City Football Club. Instead, she took Julie to a game to feel the raw energy and passion of the fans firsthand. That experience sparked a partnership that has become the world’s most valuable women’s sports franchise. Angel City was recently honored as a 2024 Masters of Scale Business Award winner at Summit. Check out all the winners and insights behind their business prowess in this week’s edition of Scale Stories.

Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, believes to fully understand AI's potential impact on our world and mitigate it accordingly, we must change how we view it. Watch his full conversation with Reid Hoffman at the link in the comments. #artificialintelligence #microsoft #mustafasuleyman #technology #MoSsummit

If you’re afraid of something, is that a warning sign or a sign of opportunity? This has been a lifelong struggle for me: risks to take versus risks to avoid. I’m not much of a daredevil. But some of my proudest moments have required taking a leap: getting married, having kids, and, yes, sticking my neck out professionally. Last week, I stood in front of a packed audience to talk about Gaza, Israel, violence and death, hate and hope. I knew not everyone in that crowd would embrace the topic or the points raised. I just didn’t think it could be ignored. I wasn’t alone. I had two business leaders with me, Erin Gore, the CEO of World Central Kitchen, and Daniel Lubetzky of KIND and OneVoice Movement. Erin got emotional talking about team members killed by Israeli rockets. Daniel critiqued Netanyahu but drew a distinction between him and Hamas. We touched on many difficult nuances. We didn’t come up with any secret answers. But we tried. We tried. I’m nervous about writing this post. I was nervous when our conversation was posted yesterday as an episode on my Rapid Response podcast. You just don’t know how people are going to react, what words and phrases are going to mean something inflammatory to someone, who you might inadvertently insult or hurt. It’s a recipe for withdrawal and silence. But I hope in broaching this, it helps others take the leap, to break down our silos and regain our compassion for and trust in each other. Thanks to those in the audience at the Masters of Scale Summit for their patience and openness last week. If you do listen to Erin, Daniel and me on the podcast (with a cameo from Palestinian businessman Ezzeldeen Masri), please be kind and forgiving—the spirit of our dialogue is about helping and healing. Thank you. https://lnkd.in/g_WXWYUu

Congratulations to WaitWhat on being named a 2024 Signal Awards winner! ??? Across its slate of podcasts, WaitWhat was recognized in the following categories: Masters of Scale Best Conversation Starter, Businesspeople & Entrepreneurs Shaping Culture, Creativity & Marketing, Best Guest, and Best Business Show Rapid Response News & Politics and Best Business Show Offsite Adventures: Best Trailer and Best Business Limited Series Check out the full list of winners here: https://bit.ly/3YPOhsl??

What does it mean to be a techno-optimist? Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures considers himself one, but not without a few adjustments. #technooptimism #artificialintelligence #MoSsummit #mastersofscale

In this week’s edition of?Scale Stories, we dive into why Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman believes we're facing a “transition moment” with AI — a time to found companies, scale businesses, or even pivot careers. “This is the moment to really pay attention,” Suleyman said on stage at the Masters of Scale Summit with Reid Hoffman. “Because in 2050, the train will have left the station. This is a moment where we really do have a chance collectively to shape and influence things.” Discover why Suleyman sees emotional intelligence as essential for AI and how smaller, specialized models could unlock new opportunities for start-ups.