''Masters of Scale'' is a business and finance podcast hosted by

Reid Hoffman Reid Garrett Hoffman (born August 5, 1967) is an American internet entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster, and author. Hoffman was the co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn, a business-oriented social network used primarily for prof ...

, the co-founder of

LinkedIn LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...

. The show is produced and owned by WaitWhat. In each episode, Hoffman introduces a theory on how successful businesses scale, and tests its validity by interviewing founders about their path to scale. Guests have included

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

founder & CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Starbucks founder and former CEO

Howard Schultz Howard D. Schultz (born July 19, 1953) is an American businessman and author who served as both chairman and CEO of Starbucks from 1986 to 2000, from 2008 to 2017, and as interim CEO since 2022. Schultz also owned the Seattle SuperSonics baske ...

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

founder and CEO

Reed Hastings Wilmot Reed Hastings Jr. (born October 8, 1960) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder, chairman, and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Netflix, and sits on a number of boards and non-profit organizations. A former member ...

, FCA and Exor Chairman

John Elkann John Philip Jacob Elkann (born 1 April 1976) is an Italian industrialist. In 1997, he became the chosen heir of his grandfather Gianni Agnelli, following the death of Gianni's nephew Giovanni Alberto Agnelli and since 2004 has been leading the A ...

and others. Episodes also feature brief "cameo" appearances from other founders and experts in different industries who build on Hoffman's theories. ''Masters of Scale'' was the first American media program to commit to a 50/50 gender balance for guests. Hoffman told Quartz: "Silicon Valley prides itself on being a meritocracy, but the data shows it's not. 'Masters of Scale''launched with and maintained our commitment to a 50/50 gender balance of guests on each season. It's important to not just talk about this topic, but to take action ... set an example."

History

Executive producers Deron Triff and June Cohen approached Hoffman with the idea for the podcast, pitching it as a way of "sharing his ideas on scale in a way that could, well, scale." The first episode of ''Masters of Scale,'' featuring

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...

CEO and cofounder

Brian Chesky Brian Joseph Chesky (born August 29, 1981) is an American businessman and industrial designer. He is the co-founder and CEO of the peer-to-peer lodging service Airbnb. Chesky was named one of ''Time'' "100 Most Influential People of 2015". Ear ...

, aired on May 3, 2017. In March 2018, the show completed its second season. In July 2018, the show launched its third season. In April 2020, a spinoff series ''Masters of Scale: Rapid Response'' was launched to cover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the business community.

Credits

According to the show credits, the show's executive producers are June Cohen and Deron Triff. The supervising producer is Jai Punjabi. The producers are Chris McLeod, Adam Skuse, Dan Kedmey, Jordan McLeod and Ben Manila. The show is produced with support from Jennie Cataldo. Original music and sound design are by Ryan Holladay.

Episodes

Format

Each episode of ''Masters of Scale'' is based around one of host Reid Hoffman's theories on how companies scale, which he sets out to prove, using the guest's life and experience, as well as other additional guests. Each episode is scored with an original soundtrack.

Guests

A typical episode of ''Masters of Scale'' features one primary guest, whose story is told in detail, and who helps explain the theory, and several cameo appearances by other guests. These guests have been drawn from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, and have included

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning economist Daniel Kahneman, Hall of Fame sportscaster Dick Stockton, National Geographic explorer Andrés Ruzo and Olympic runner Natasha Hastings.

Awards

In April 2018, ''Masters of Scale'' won the Webby People's Voice Award for Best Business Podcast. In 2020, ''Masters of Scale'' was short-listed for the Webby for both Best Business Podcast and Best Live Podcast Recording.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://mastersofscale.com/ Business and finance podcasts 2017 podcast debuts Audio podcasts Interview podcasts