Bold Names podcast

Bold Names

The Wall Street Journal

WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims speak to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond.

297 Episodes

McDonald's CEO on Going Viral, the Big Arch and the Fast-Food Value War
4/10/2026
25:25
When McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski took a small bite out of a big burger on camera, the internet—and his rivals—pounced. But in an era where CEOs are the face of the brand, is there such a thing as bad publicity? In this episode of Bold Names, WSJ’s Tim Higgins sits down with Kempczinski at McDonald's Chicago headquarters to discuss the fallout of his viral moment. Plus, they dive deep into the fast food giant’s strategy to compete by balancing a premium half-pound burger against the urgent need for meal deals in an economy where many customers are concerned with affordability. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: Roses, Revenue, and Retention: Hinge’s Strategy for a $1 Billion Year Southwest’s $1 Billion Pivot: CEO Bob Jordan on Bag Fees And Other Changes The Five Step “Algorithm” Driving Tesla’s Success How Athletic Brewing Sells Beer for a Post-Alcohol Generation Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Roses, Revenue, and Retention: Hinge’s Strategy for a $1 Billion Year
4/3/2026
27:04
For years, dating app Hinge’s slogan has been “Designed to be Deleted” — a bold mission for a company on track to hit $1 billion in annual revenue in the coming years. In this episode of Bold Names, WSJ’s Tim Higgins sits down with Hinge’s new CEO, Jackie Jantos, to discuss the high-stakes evolution of digital romance. How is the company working to remain relevant with Gen Z? Is the rise of AI companions changing real-life dating? And what does the future hold for Hinge’s “Roses”? To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: The Five Step “Algorithm” Driving Tesla’s Success Southwest’s $1 Billion Pivot: CEO Bob Jordan on Bag Fees And Other Changes Can Zillow’s 'Super App' Fix a Broken Housing Market? ‘We Sell Scarcity:’ How Lamborghini Continues to Stay So Cool Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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The Five Step 'Algorithm' Driving Tesla’s Success
3/27/2026
26:53
What is the trick behind the Elon Musk school of management? In this episode of Bold Names, host Tim Higgins sits down with Jon McNeill, the former president of Tesla and current GM board member, to deconstruct the operating system that powered Tesla’s growth during his tenure. McNeill explains why he thinks automation should always come last, how to inject urgency into a corporate culture, and whether companies need an Elon Musk to reach the heights of innovation. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling ‘We Sell Scarcity:’ How Lamborghini Continues to Stay So Cool How Uber Plans to Win the Self-Driving Car Race Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Southwest’s $1 Billion Pivot: CEO Bob Jordan on Bag Fees And Other Changes
3/20/2026
25:33
Southwest Airlines was built on three pillars: low fares, friendly service, and a quirky "sit anywhere" policy. But in a post-pandemic market, the rules are changing. On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, CEO Bob Jordan joins host Tim Higgins to discuss one of the airline’s most transformational periods in its 60-year history. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: How SAP's CEO Is Remaking the European Tech Giant For The Age Of AI How Corning Is Using Trump’s Tariffs To Its Advantage How Athletic Brewing Sells Beer for a Post-Alcohol Generation McLaren CEO Zak Brown On F1 And Business Strategy At 200 Miles Per Hour Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The SEAL Turned CEO: Brandon Tseng on the AI-Powered Future of War
3/13/2026
28:39
Former Navy SEAL and Shield AI co-founder Brandon Tseng is building the autonomous drones that are redefining global defense.This week on Bold Names, WSJ’s Tim Higgins sits down with Tseng to discuss how Shield AI’s Hivemind software is currently overcoming GPS jamming in Ukraine, and why the future of the U.S. military depends on a mix of elite manned assets and swarms of affordable, autonomous drones. Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded before the war with Iran. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication The AI Agent in Your Pocket: Qualcomm’s CEO on the Future of Mobile Condoleezza Rice on Beating China in the Tech Race: 'Run Hard and Run Fast' This CEO Says Global Trade Is Broken. What Comes Next? Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The AI Agent in Your Pocket: Qualcomm’s CEO on the Future of Mobile
3/6/2026
24:57
The smartphone is everywhere, but its next evolution won’t look like the apps we use today. In this episode of Bold Names, WSJ’s Tim Higgins sits down with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon to discuss the seismic shift from apps to AI agents – and why this transition could reshape everything from your phone to your glasses. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: How SAP's CEO Is Remaking the European Tech Giant For The Age Of AI How Corning Is Using Trump’s Tariffs To Its Advantage This Tech Founder's $1.3 Billion Company Is Taking On Apple and Samsung Biden’s Antitrust Architect on How Big Tech Threatens U.S. Prosperity Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Can Zillow’s 'Super App' Fix a Broken Housing Market?
2/27/2026
26:14
"Depressed." That’s how Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman describes the current state of the U.S. housing market. With sales hitting 30-year lows and a deficit of nearly 5 million homes, the American dream of homeownership feels further away than ever for many. On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, Wacksman joins WSJ’s Tim Higgins to discuss how Zillow is pivoting to become a "housing super app" and why he believes the solution to affordability is a local supply revolution. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: Why Cigna’s CEO Is Confident We Can Fix American Healthcare How SAP's CEO Is Remaking the European Tech Giant For The Age Of AI Affirm’s Max Levchin: Why ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Beats Credit Cards Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Why Cigna’s CEO Is Confident We Can Fix American Healthcare
2/20/2026
23:07
How do we fix the American healthcare system? On this episode of Bold Names, we ask David Cordani, the chairman and CEO of one of America’s biggest health insurers – the Cigna Group. He says rising healthcare costs are driven by two powerful forces: growing demand for care and increasingly expensive new drugs and treatments. But Cordani is still optimistic. He joins WSJ’s Tim Higgins and David Wainer to explain what role insurers play in bringing down costs and how the U.S. can make healthcare more affordable. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: Inside Visa’s Tech-Charged Future: From Crypto to AI This Company Has a Plan to Beat Neuralink at the Brain-Computer Interface Game What This Former USAID Head Had to Say About Elon Musk and DOGE Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Read David Wainer's column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Encore: Can IBM Beat Microsoft and Google in the Quantum Computing Race?
2/13/2026
33:12
IBM has made a comeback in the past six years under the leadership of CEO Arvind Krishna. That's thanks to success in its hybrid cloud business and consulting services. But even as the company is reinventing itself again for the AI era, Krishna is already betting that quantum computing is the next big thing. Will Big Blue succeed against rivals like Microsoft and Google who are racing to make their own quantum breakthroughs? And how is the company learning from its past mistakes with Watson AI? Krishna joins the WSJ's Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. To watch the video version of this episode of Bold Names, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: This CEO Says Global Trade Is Broken. What Comes Next? What This Former USAID Head Had to Say About Elon Musk and DOGE ‘Businesses Don’t Like Uncertainty’: How Cisco Is Navigating AI and Trump 2.0 Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected] Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Christopher Mims’s Keywords column. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
‘We Sell Scarcity:’ How Lamborghini Continues to Stay So Cool
2/6/2026
23:16
Lamborghinis dominate pop culture – from rap lyrics to blockbuster movies – but the reality is few people actually own them. Every year, the luxury carmaker delivers around 10,000 vehicles worldwide. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says that scarcity is central to the brand’s appeal. On Bold Names, Winkelmann joins WSJ’s Tim Higgins to explain how the company leans into exclusivity, why it’s choosing hybrids over a fully electric future, and how tariffs and global trade pressures are challenging the business. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: How SAP's CEO Is Remaking the European Tech Giant For The Age Of AI Affirm’s Max Levchin: Why ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Beats Credit Cards How Athletic Brewing Sells Beer for a Post-Alcohol Generation Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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