logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2019
25m 4s

A Theoretical Physicist (and Entrepreneu...

Harvard Business Review
About this episode
Safi Bahcall, a former biotech CEO, began his career as a theoretical physicist before joining the business world. He compares the moment that innovative companies become complacent ones to a glass of water freezing, becoming ice. The elements are the same, but the structure of the company has changed. Bahcall offers ways for growing companies to avoid these ... Show More
Up next
Jan 2020
How to Capture All the Advantages of Open Innovation
23m 57s
Jan 2020
Revisiting “Jobs To Be Done” with Clayton Christensen
25m 46s
Jul 16
Leadership Summit 2026: AT&T CEO John Stankey on Developing Technology and Talent in the AI Era
How do you reinvigorate a legacy company without losing what made it great? In this special episode, as part of the recent HBR Leadership Summit 2026, AT&T CEO John Stankey shares how he refocused AT&T's strategy on connectivity and simultaneously transformed its culture. He expl ... Show More
31m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
Safi Bahcall: Take Your Loonshot
<p>Join physicist, entrepreneur, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Safi Bahcall for a conversation about nurturing crazy ideas that win wars, cure diseases, and transform industries. Safi outlines the five laws of Loonshots, including Mind the False Fail, Listen to the S ... Show More
42m 22s
Aug 2023
Companies Going on Offense
Most companies find success in different ways, but there’s a secret sauce to ones that are leading innovators.  Behnam Tabrizi is a transformation expert and a faculty member in Stanford University’s executive program. His book is  “Going on Offense: A Leader’s Playbook for Perp ... Show More
30m 54s
Aug 2024
How to Make Better Decisions, According to Science
Entrepreneurs make a mistake: They often think of decisions as binary, where one answer is definitely right and the other is definitely wrong. Astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter says there's a better way to approach decisions — and it's with "probabilistic thinking," a concept that's ... Show More
19m 9s
Jul 2018
Encore: The Startup Mindset: Innovation for Sale
The buzz: Congratulations! How do you know when your tech startup is a success? A big enterprise answers your call. What’s in it for them? Your disruptive products and solutions deliver the innovation they cannot develop on their own due to cost, change-resistant culture, lack of ... Show More
57m 4s
Feb 2020
Not Throwing Away My Shot
Eric Schultz was working as an executive chairman for a tech company, and on his way home from a fundraising presentation at a venture firm when he had an epiphany. A longtime executive with a personal interest in history, he had been struggling with how to frame a new book he wa ... Show More
17m 49s
May 2024
What’s Behind the Success of Some Tech Start-Ups?
The secret to success for many Silicon Valley tech companies isn’t necessarily that they’re ultra-nimble startups, or that they’re led by tech-savvy geniuses. Andy McAfee says their success often has more to do with a specific type of corporate culture that focuses on finding unc ... Show More
32m 37s
Dec 2015
Building Vision — the Physics and Engineering Principles of Building Great Companies
Building Vision — the Physics and Engineering Principles of Building Great Companies 
3m 34s
Jul 2024
A Sea Change of Mass Cognition
Mike Maples is a co-founding partner at the venture capital firm, Floodgate. He’s also the author of the new book, “Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future.” Alex Friedman caught up with Maples for a conversation about: How to spot true visionaries. Missing out o ... Show More
26m 9s