© 2024 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Secret Life of CEOs

WNYC

"The Secret Life of CEOs"
A Four Episode Series From 
Freakonomics Radio starting March 10, 2018

Host Stephen J. Dubner takes listeners behind the scenes of some of the most powerful companies in the world, interviewing these current and former CEOs (some of whom rarely give interviews this extensive):

Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Richard Branson (Virgin), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo), Jack Welch (General Electric), Ellen Pao (Reddit), Carol Bartz (Yahoo!), Ray Dalio (Bridgewater Associates), and David Rubenstein (The Carlyle Group)

Dubner, his CEO guests, and academic experts explore the empirical evidence behind what makes an effective leader. They look at how a CEO's background figures into the likelihood of success, and what the data shows about how a leader can best manage crises. They explore the “glass cliff” notion of women being appointed CEO when a company is in trouble, and how executives have transitioned to life after the corner office. They even drill down into a very basic question: What does a CEO actually do all day?

"Most of us hear about CEOs only when something very bad or very good happens," Dubner says about the series. "We wanted to know what’s going on the other 99.9% of the time. We also wanted to know how they got where they are, whether they deserve those gigantic paychecks, and if it’s lonely at the top. Fortunately, it turns out that CEOs aren't shy, so we learned a lot more than we even hoped."

Tune into KWGS Public Radio 89.5 on Saturdays in March at 3:00 p.m. LISTEN LIVE

Episodes
March 10
What Does a C.E.O. Actually Do? And How Do You Become One?
They’re paid a fortune — but for what, exactly? What makes a good C.E.O. — and how can you even tell? Is “leadership science” a real thing — or just airport-bookstore mumbo jumbo? And how the leaders of Facebook, G.E., Yahoo!, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Virgin, the Carlyle Group, Reddit, and Bridgewater Associates made it to the top.

March 17
C.E.O. interview: Indra Nooyi 
Indra Nooyi became C.E.O. of PepsiCo just in time for a global financial meltdown. She also had a portfolio full of junk food just as the world decided that junk food is borderline toxic. Here’s the story of how she overhauled that portfolio, stared down activist investors, and learned to “leave the crown in the garage.”

March 24
After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff 
Women are much more likely to be appointed C.E.O. to companies that are faltering. This is also true for women in leadership positions in politics and education.

March 31
Crisis Mode
If you’re a C.E.O. your problems aren’t small: the market crashes, consumer preferences change, new technology disrupts your whole business model. So what are you going to do about it? First-hand stories of disaster (and triumph) from Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Ballmer, Satya Nadella, Jack Welch, Ellen Pao, Richard Branson, and more.