S8E5: Lisa Su Is Still Curious About How Things Work
Lisa Su, the chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), leads one of the world’s most influential technology companies, a pioneer in high-performance computing and designer of chips that power everything from cellphones to supercomputers.On this episode of View From The Top: The Podcast, Su joins Michael Liu, MBA ’25, to talk about what it takes to stay on the cutting edge of technology, the tremendous potential of artificial intelligence, and why her superpower may be her commitment to learning.“Careers are very much by chance,” Su says. “The nice thing about my early career is I was lucky enough to have bosses who asked me all the time, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And I was like, ‘I don't know. Let me think about [it]...what I like to believe is the ability to learn at each step was what really helped me in my career.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S8E4: Doug McMillon Is Thinking Fifty Years Ahead
Doug McMillon began his career unloading trucks. Forty years later, he’s Walmart’s president and CEO, a role he’s held for more than a decade. On this episode of View From The Top: The Podcast, McMillon joins Aislin Roth, MBA ’25, to talk about what it takes to lead one of the world’s largest companies, from navigating billion-dollar decisions to modeling the retailer’s core values every day. McMillon also explains why trust, speed, and culture matter more than ever, shares how a botched product launch nearly derailed his career, and reflects on lessons learned during the COVID pandemic. “I think my job — and the job of people like me who are given the opportunity to lead some of these great companies — is to change the company in a way that it's relevant for the future,” he says. “So, the only thing I really think about is: How are we making decisions and getting things done such that Walmart is succeeding and creating value 50 years from now?”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S8E3: Darren Walker on Finding Clarity and Purpose
For more than a decade, Darren Walker has led the Ford Foundation — and has been singularly focused on inequality. Why? “Because I want little boys and girls, wherever they are, if they're living in housing projects in the Bronx and they're Black or brown or they're living in rural towns that have been ravaged by opioids, I want them to be able to dream, and to feel as I did, that America wants you to succeed,” he says. On this episode of View From The Top: The Podcast, Walker joins Kailash Sundaram, MBA ’25, to discuss his approach to grantmaking, why character trumps credentials, and what philanthropy can do — and what it can’t.From actionable insights — “start with a clear vision, mission, and strategy” — to the how of making big career pivots before the golden handcuffs tighten, Walker shares what he’s learned about identifying your purpose, leading without losing yourself, and carrying humility into every room you enter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S8E2: Leena Nair Refuses to Be the Last
Leena Nair doesn’t just talk about leadership — she redefines it. In a wide-ranging conversation with Ayesha Karnik, MBA ’25, Nair reflects on her journey from a factory floor in India to the corporate office in London, and ultimately, to Chanel’s C-suite. With humor and heart, Nair describes how she approaches leading a global luxury brand, shares insights about risk and resilience, and explains what it means to “lift as you climb.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S8E1: Roelof Botha Doesn’t Believe in “the Top”
In a candid conversation with Kailash Sundaram, MBA ’25, Roelof Botha, MBA ’00 — leader of one of the most influential venture capital firms in the world — reflects on his journey from South Africa to Sequoia Capital. From meeting his wife and partner Huifen Chan, MBA '00, at Stanford Graduate School of Business, to lessons about ambition and failure, Botha reflects on his life and career so far — and why he believes he’s still “not at the top."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Prominent leaders from around the world join MBA students for conversations on effective leadership, core values, and lessons learned throughout their careers. View From The Top, the podcast, is based on the dean’s speaker series at Stanford Graduate School of Business.