Rapid Response

Robotaxis are multiplying across American cities… But are consumers actually ready to trust them? Zoox CEO Aicha Evans joins Rapid Response to talk about the company’s strategy as an Amazon subsidiary, its intensifying rivalry with Waymo, and why a new partnership with Uber could be the key to getting autonomous rides from novelty to scale. Evans also reveals why she recruits what she calls an “invisible army of rebels” inside Zoox, and what Marie Curie and Nelson Mandela have to do with leading through uncertainty.
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Oscar-nominated producer and Arcellx CEO Rami Elghandour was supposed to deliver an address to Rutgers University engineering graduates this week. But days before the ceremony, the school canceled his appearance after student objections to his social media posts around Palestine. Elghandour joins Rapid Response to speak out about free speech on campus, the personal cost of conviction, and what it really means to lead with your values when you run a public company. He also opens up about why the recent $8 billion acquisition of Arcellx by Gilead Sciences left him surprisingly cold, and his case for kindness and empathy as a competitive advantage — despite what Elon Musk says.
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When Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn sent an internal memo about AI last year, he didn't expect it to go viral — or to ignite a firestorm about the future of work. Now he joins Rapid Response to unpack what he got right, what he got wrong, and what the backlash taught him about the real limitations of AI. Von Ahn also reveals why he's made a deliberate pivot in 2026: chasing users, not revenue — and what that bet says about how big Duolingo can get before ads become inevitable. It's a candid reckoning with hype, growth, and the surprisingly complicated promise of technology in education.
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The Strait of Hormuz crisis is reshaping energy markets in real time. But what's a short-term shock and what's a lasting structural shift? Amy Harder, National Energy Correspondent for Axios, returns to Rapid Response to map the true scale of the oil disruption, why demand destruction may be closer for American consumers than most realize, and why the strait may never fully reopen the way it was. Plus, how the AI data center boom is rewriting electricity demand, what it means for nuclear and renewables, and why the collision of energy, geopolitics, and technology is forcing both leaders and everyday people to pay attention in ways they never have before.
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does a former skydiver have to say about getting started with AI? Go ahead and jump! While Maia Josebachvili doesn’t spend her free time leaping out of airplanes these days, she still is a firm believer in taking calculated risks. It's a mindset that's followed her to her role as Chief Revenue Officer of AI at Stripe, a financial services platform at the forefront of agentic commerce. On this Pioneers of AI episode, Josebachvili makes the case for AI chat-enabled shopping, examines the risks of commodification in an AI-driven future, and explains how agentic commerce can unlock new customers for merchants of every size.
Check out Pioneers of AI: https://swap.fm/l/pioneersofai
Visit the Rapid Response website: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.