This Is Working with Daniel Roth

Eddie Huang has made a series of career leaps - corporate lawyer to restaurateur to memoirist to producer. Now, he makes the leap to director with his first feature film, Boogie. In this episode, he chats with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth about the unique mindset that has enabled his every move, and shares the importance of walking your own path.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is a lifelong business news phenom who began his storied career by writing for the New York Times while still in high school. Now, the author, Billions co-creator, co-host of CNBC’s Squawk Box, and author of NYT’s must-read DealBook newsletter visits LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth to share his insights and his experience using his platform to push corporations for social change and accountability.

NBA All Star Baron Davis spent a rare 13 years in pro sports, playing for the Hornets, the Warriors, the Clippers, and the Knicks. Unlike other players, Baron always had one eye on what he’d do after retirement. It’s been expansive: from investing to mentoring. This week, Baron sits down with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth to share tips from his business playbook, and his vision of a more equitable financial future for young entrepreneurs of color. (And what’s going on with that potential Reebok purchase.)

When billionaire investor and NYT bestselling author Ray Dalio last joined This is Working, COVID-19 had just shut down the economy. At that time, Ray shared with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth what he was looking for to determine if society would emerge stronger or weaker. Nearly a year later, he’s pessimistic about our progress so far. He explained why — and how he feels we can turn things around. He also gave some thoughts about how Gamestop and Bitcoin fit into the bigger picture.

Vernā Myers, Netflix’s VP of Inclusion Strategy, has dedicated her life to tackling bias in society and in the workplace. She sits down with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth for a candid conversation about her career journey, Netflix’s approach to inclusion, and the reason she believes a solid inclusion strategy sets the stage for excellence, period.

CEO Carol Tomé came out of retirement to lead UPS last June. Now Carol - the only woman CEO currently running a shipping or transportation company - is overseeing innovation and reinvention at the nearly 114-year-old UPS. Most notably, the company is tasked with delivering COVID-19 vaccines. Carol sits down with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth for a frank and enthusiastic conversation about her career and UPS’ mission.

If there was ever a year where we’ve felt vulnerable, this was the year. We wanted to put 2020 in context for our team, our LinkedIn members, and our podcast audience. So LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth sat down with research professor and author Brené Brown for a lively conversation about collective vulnerability, the power of empathy, and the way workplace conversations have evolved due to the dual pandemics of COVID and racial inequality.

The pandemic has been a health and economic disaster. This week, LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth talks to Dr. Jim Yong Kim, a leader who has been thinking through how to emerge from both. Until 2019, Kim was the head of the World Bank and before that, co-founded Partners in Health and conceived and ran the WHO's ambitious AIDS program. He explains what's needed to get vaccines out and what we still don't know.

Restaurateur David Chang has been a force in the industry since he launched Momofuku in 2004. He and his restaurant group have racked up awards as they’ve pushed boundaries around food and food-related entrepreneurism. Dave’s authored books, started a magazine, launched a podcast, and is a creative force behind the Netflix show, “Ugly Delicious.” He talks with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth about the rough state of the restaurant industry, and speaks frankly on what he’s learned through his own mental health journey.

Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Sir Richard Branson is no stranger to staying agile in business and in life. As he and the Virgin Group weather the storm of 2020, he joins LinkedIn Editor in Chief Daniel Roth for a conversation about comebacks and cutting losses.

Dean Erika James is a first among firsts: the first woman and the first person of color to serve as dean of the US’s first collegiate business school. Now she’s leading during the first pandemic of our generation. She talks with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth about how her experience and this climate are changing higher education and her students and faculty.

Reed Hastings created Netflix as an online DVD rental store, then transformed it into a dominant part of the entertainment industry — trouncing much bigger competitors. In this episode, Reed talks with LinkedIn Editor in Chief Dan Roth about his new book, No Rules Rules, and how his philosophy “on the edge of chaos” enabled Netflix to thrive.

Misty Copeland is arguably the world’s most famous ballet dancer. In this episode, she talks with LinkedIn Editor in Chief Daniel Roth about how she thinks ballet can come back, how it needs to do so as a more diverse and inclusive industry, and how she keeps her skills up in tough times like these.

When Covid-19 hit GM’s radar in early 2020, GM’s CEO Mary Barra knew she had to move. Over the course of a few months, she closed plants, instituted austerity measures and, incredibly, changed from making cars to making ventilators. As an “action-oriented” leader, she’s always moved fast. But this was different. And when George Floyd’s death sparked a movement, Barra put GM on the forefront, setting a goal of making GM “the most inclusive company in the world.” She talks to Daniel Roth, LinkedIn’s Editor in Chief, about how GM made the changes and how she holds herself accountable.

Derrick Jones — better known as DJ D-Nice — has become famous (again) for his Instagram Live “parties.” Standing in his living room, he spins feel-good music that has attracted hundreds of thousands, from Rhianna to Mark Zuckerberg. None of this happened by accident. Since starting in hip-hop with legendary group Boogie Down Productions, D-Nice has pivoted his way through career after career: DJ, producer, web designer, photographer — and now back to DJ. He has an amazing attitude about skill development: he can do it. Just shy of 50, D-Nice is back in the spotlight. He talks here about how he grabbed it — and how others can do the same.

Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario has always embraced her activist voice, focused mostly on climate change. During the covid-19 pandemic, she’s expanded her calls to action, demanding that we build a true social safety net, particularly for working families. In this rare interview with Rose, she talks about the tough calls she’s had to make at Patagonia, like closures and furloughs, and the not so tough ones, like continuing to pay Patagonia’s "1% for the Planet."

Retired astronaut Scott Kelly set the record for the most time spent in space on a single mission by an American astronaut - nearly a year. Over his career, he logged four long missions totaling 520 days. In this episode of This is Working, he offers tips and guidance on how to tackle burnout during the long “mission” of quarantine, and shares his thoughts on building resilience.

Sara Blakely, the founder and CEO of Spanx, is the definition of “self-made.” She took $5,000, which she’d earned selling fax machines door to door, and parlayed it into a company that women around the world now depend on. It made her a billionaire. Sara and her family are riding out the pandemic in an RV. They pulled over “somewhere in Florida” so she could chat with LinkedIn Editor in Chief Daniel Roth on This is Working. They discussed Spanx’s origins, how Sara is pivoting the company to respond to the current crisis, and why she is personally investing $5M to help women entrepreneurs hurt by the pandemic.

Airbnb was born in a recession, but it has never experienced a crisis like this. The short-term rental site saw its business dry up in mid-March when the pandemic froze worldwide travel. That’s bad for Airbnb — it’s disastrous for the economy it invented: Hosts have earned $100 billion through rentals and more than 50% of them rely on that cash to pay mortgages or avoid evictions. Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky joins LinkedIn Editor in Chief Daniel Roth for a frank conversation about the state of the industry, the state of Airbnb and the future of post-pandemic travel.

In 1975, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates. Today, it’s the world’s largest hedge fund firm with more than $150bn in assets under management. Dalio is also the NYT #1 Bestselling author of Principles, and the forthcoming The Changing World Order. Lately, he’s been training his sights on our turbulent times. In this episode, Ray Dalio joins This is Working host and LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth to put perspective around what’s happening now and how it mirrors what the world has experienced before. He also shares his optimistic vision of what’s to come.

Rebecca Minkoff is constantly iterating. Her fashion collections mirror where she is in her life. This approach has taken her from the launch of the “morning after bag” in her 20s, through her line of clothing designed for professional women, to Little Minkoff, for children. Her tech-embracing approach to being a “milestone moments” brand has landed her designs in closets across the globe. In this last episode recorded from our office (remember those?) and before the pandemic hit all companies hard — including hers — Dan and Rebecca discuss how she came to embrace the business side of the business and what she’s hoping to do for other women.

In 2015, Gates delivered a TED Talk declaring that we had to act and invest fast to prepare for a pandemic. His title: "The next outbreak? We’re not ready.” Now, in this second live episode of This is Working, LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth sits down with Gates, who, via the Gates Foundation, is funding work that’s speeding up testing, treatment and tracking for COVID-19. They talk about how the world might return to a steady state after this pandemic, and what needs to change so we can more effectively beat the next one.

As This is Working transitions to its new live format in the age of COVID-19, Dan Roth sits down with entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban for a frank conversation on things small business owners, entrepreneurs, students and workers should be doing right now to stay afloat during this difficult time.

When IKEA's CEO Jesper Brodin gets asked for career advice, he says, “Try to enjoy what you do, and don’t worry too much about the next step.” This easygoing answer explains a lot about the way Brodin is running IKEA. In this interview, Jesper talks about how he got to run the world’s largest furniture store, the ways he’s bringing sustainability into his business plans, and how he’s keeping up with customers’ changing demands.

Rent The Runway is in the news this week for a logistics snafu that has left the company unable to accept new customers. As we watch the situation, we bring back this interview from last year featuring the company’s CEO and co-founder, Jennifer Hyman. Hear Jenn as she talks about what it’s like to run a company that combines logistics and fashion, as well as what goes into creating a diverse and equitable workplace.

Last week, students across the world marched to urge leaders to take greater action toward climate change. Bill Gates presaged some of this energy when in 2016 he directed his agenda-setting annual letter — that year, entirely devoted to clean energy — to high schoolers. In this episode, hear Dan interview Bill Gates about clean energy, why climate is a bipartisan issue, and how high school students can tap into what Bill calls their “superpowers” for a greener future.

J.Lo is one of the most successful people in entertainment, an entrepreneur who flexes her muscles acting, singing, producing, composing and endorsing. In time for the release of her new movie, Hustlers, we're revisiting a 2018 interview with Dan where she talks about her strategy: how she makes her business decisions, which ones she wishes she could revisit and where she goes next. She also doles out advice on how to break into the scene.

Von Furstenberg has described her career in three phases: The American Dream, the Comeback Kid, and finally, the New Era. But there was a lot of drama behind the scenes, and things weren’t always easy after the early success of her iconic wrap dress. This episode, hear Dan Roth’s conversation with Diane as she walks him through her career and what she’s learned about business along the way.

Last week, Peloton started the run-up to its IPO; it's a debut that many investors never imagined would happen. "In my mind's eye [Peloton] was a guaranteed success, because I saw and we learned early that the consumers wanted it," Foley explains to Daniel Roth in this episode." Hear the full episode now.

Director Patty Jenkins is, almost any way you cut it, the most successful female director in Hollywood. Her latest film, Wonder Woman, earned over $820 million at the box office. And for the upcoming sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, Jenkins negotiated a salary that's unprecedented for a female director. Hear her conversation with LinkedIn's Daniel Roth as they discuss her start in Hollywood, how she's fighting for equal pay, and what her life is like on set.

As the founder of Shake Shack and Union Square Hospitality Group, Danny Meyer has built restaurants in ways that bucked industry norms. This episode, hear Dan Roth pay a visit to Union Square Cafe as the two discuss Meyer's career and some of the thinking behind his most controversial decisions.

Christine Lagarde has had a series of powerful positions, from French finance minister to head of the IMF. Now, as incoming head of the European Central Bank, she’ll be on her biggest stage yet. In this 2017 interview with LinkedIn Editor in Chief Daniel Roth, she talked about the global economy, corruption, finch, and gender equality.

Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott, has a massive impact on the travel industry and on business travelers. Following its 2016 purchase of Starwood for more than $13 billion, Marriott became the heavyweight of the hotel industry with 30 brands under its belt. This episode, listen as Daniel Roth, LinkedIn’s editor in chief, asks Arne about the state of the hotel industry, the advice he gives career climbers, and the weight of a CEO’s words.

Early in Judd Apatow’s career — before he produced Trainwreck, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, Anchorman or any of the other dozens of movies and TV shows destined to join the comedic canon — he was struggling with how to react to the pushback he received from studio execs. Then, a mentor gave him advice that’s guided his path ever since. Hear what he learned in the first episode of Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth’s new podcast, This Is Working. A production of the editorial team at

Coming to you this August from LinkedIn, hosted by Editor in Chief Daniel Roth