Cold Call

Shunyuan Zhang, Harvard Business School professor studying machine learning for marketing, and Iav Bojinov, HBS professor researching AI product integration, discuss Microsoft’s rollout of Copilot and autonomous sales agents. They explore why Copilot initially stalled, how experimentation and learning curves drove later adoption, the levers that changed sales work, and the limits and governance questions raised by agentic AI.

Dimitri Papalexopoulos, longtime leader who globalized and digitized TITAN Cement. George Serafeim, Harvard professor on sustainability and purpose-driven firms. They discuss leadership succession at a family firm. They explore AI pilots in cement, shifting to low-carbon products, balancing central control with local autonomy, and the tensions of rapid innovation versus organizational capacity.

Dr. Shannon Yee, an engineer from Georgia Tech who led development of the Single User Reinvented Toilet (SURT). Maria Roche, a Harvard Business School professor who studies innovation and scaling. They discuss SURT’s technical readiness, tradeoffs from funder constraints, pricing and public-health spillovers, market entry options like military or licensing, partner alignment, and behavioral and municipal barriers to scaling.

Lou Shipley, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and author of Unlikely Entrepreneurs, explores go-to-market strategy for a fast-growing cloud storage company. He breaks down when founders should shift a winning sales motion to channels. Short takes cover channel partner risks, avoiding conflict, international anchor deals, OEM embedding, and how founders earn the right to scale.

Mark Roberge, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and former Head of Global Sales at HubSpot, discusses scaling choices for startups. He breaks down when to hire sales versus invest in marketing. He covers measuring product-market fit by customer value, paced hiring, retention signals, and how AI will reshape sales. Practical frameworks for aligning founders and investors are highlighted.

Leslie John, Harvard Business School behavioral scientist and author known for research on decision-making and disclosure. She explores the Commonwealth Bank’s choice to reveal credit-card downsides to customers. Short takes cover why revealing feels risky, how to design honest disclosures without sounding manipulative, and when openness helps or harms organizations.

The U.S. Men’s Olympic speed skating team devised a new approach to the team pursuit event following their disappointing performance in the 2018 Winter Olympics. The team saw promising initial results from their innovations, but they faced a decision about whether to reveal their new techniques. The U.S. Team’s strategy was easily imitated if competitors witnessed it in a race, but it was a risk not to test it in competition before the Olympics. And, were there possible upsides to imitation if it improved the entire sport? Should they share their techniques, and if so, when? Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Rebecca Karp joins Brian Kenny to discuss the case, “A Winning Strategy: Innovation in Olympic Speed Skating.” They explore whether and when to launch a novel idea, product, or service, and what are the consequences—good and bad—to being imitated.

David Rosenthal, co-founder known for deep historical research, and Ben Gilbert, co-founder and long-form storytelling specialist, join Harvard Business School professor Shane Greenstein, who studies internet markets. They discuss Acquired’s slow-growth, high-quality approach, trade-offs of scaling, selective sponsorships, audio’s passive power, AI’s production role, and when to preserve craft versus expand.

In this conversation, Harvard Business School professor Juan Alcacer and entrepreneur Alexandre Daillance delve into the unique world of Golden Goose, the Italian luxury brand renowned for its unconventional sneakers. They discuss how the brand defies traditional luxury through its embrace of 'perfect imperfection.' The duo also explores the brand's unexpected growth trajectory, the importance of customer co-creation, and the intricate balance between scaling and maintaining craftsmanship. Their insights map out potential pathways for Golden Goose's next chapter, emphasizing strategic geographic expansion.

Mark Pearson, President and CEO of Equitable Holdings, leads a team aiming for cultural transformation in a 163-year-old firm. Joined by Das Narayandas, a Harvard Business School professor, and COO Jeff Hurd, they discuss how the 2018 IPO sparked a need for innovation and faster adaptation. They explore building organizational muscle, breaking down silos through boot camps, and the importance of internal ownership for lasting change. The conversation highlights balancing respect for history with a future-focused approach, and the ongoing evolution of their New Ways of Working initiative.