From its inception, Panera Bread helped pioneer fast-casual dining. Born as Au Bon Pain in the early 1980’s, founder and former CEO Ron Shaich built the Panera bakery-café concept into a behemoth with over 2,000 locations. The author of the new book, KNOW WHAT MATTERS: Lessons from a Lifetime of ...

Mathias Döpfner, Chairman and CEO of Axel Springer, whose audacious acquisitions of Insider, Morning Brew and now POLITICO, have made the German company a major player in American media, is just getting started. He sees global trends of weakened democracies and eroded freedoms continuing without ...

When you hear the term “like a girl,” certain stereotypes often come to mind. Marketing executive Dalia Feldheim is out to change the narrative surrounding the term. In her book, DARE TO LEAD LIKE A GIRL, Feldheim shares stories from her corporate career and talks about her journey to end the “li...

It seems a perfect ending for Jessica Sibley to conclude her first full year as TIME CEO by recognizing the incomparable Taylor Swift as the 2023 Person of the Year. Jess goes Inside the ICE House to provide a fly-on-the-wall perspective on the year-long selection process and to unpack the power ...

Semafor co-founder and editor-in-chief Ben Smith, after writing miles worth of news articles and columns, has published his first book: TRAFFIC: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. Our ICE House conversation takes listeners on a drive from the nascent days of onl...

Alan McKim, Founder, Executive Chairman & CTO of Clean Harbors (NYSE: CLH) is out with his new book Doing the Doing: How a 4-Person Startup Grew Into a 20,000 Employee Company by Creating a Cleaner Environment. Alan’s career spans over forty years creating a business protecting the environment an...

David McCormick, author of SUPERPOWER IN PERIL: A Battle Plan to Renew America, has spent his life at the nexus of Wall Street, Main Street, and Government. His book combines lessons learned leading soldiers as a West Point Graduate and leading businesses, among them Bridgewater Associates, where...

Michael McFall, co-CEO and co-founder of Biggby Coffee, joins the podcast to discuss “Grow: Take Your Business From Chaos to Calm.” In his second book, Mike continues the story of his career arc from minimum wage barista to cofounder to organizational leader. The pages reveal the core learnings h...

National Magazine Award winner Lance Morrow, heralded chronicler of the American Century, keeps the ‘Wolf of Insignificance’ at bay by rising early each day to write. His words have distilled the impact of world-changing events over a career that spans the 1960s to 9/11 and beyond. In a conversat...

Liz Hoffman, Semafor’s Business & Finance Editor, chronicles the business leaders that navigated COVID-19 in Crash Landing: The Inside Story of How the World’s Biggest Companies Survived an Economy on the Brink. The book, out now from Crown, reveals the machinations between the public and private...

The legendary battles of World War II have been well-documented, but America’s behind-the-scenes economic warfare against Nazi Germany remains a lesser-known triumph. In his new novel, “The Wealth of Shadows,” author and Academy Award winner Graham Moore shines a light on these forgotten financia...

Shot down during on a covert CIA mission over China in 1952, Jack Downey endured over two decades of imprisonment in Communist hands. Through consistent routines and mental discipline that enhanced his value to his captors, Downey maintained hope and optimism that he would one day be liberated. E...

On June 5, 1944, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower addressed 150,000 soldiers boldly poised to invade France and liberate Europe. “The eyes of the world are upon you,” the general intoned. Eighty years later, Michel Paradis’ new book, “THE LIGHT OF BATTLE: Eisenhower, D-Day, and the Birt...

A product of the Los Angeles foster care system, Rob Henderson’s life starkly contrasted with the upper-class upbringing that many of his classmates at Yale University had. After enlisting in the military and attending Yale, Rob observed that his privileged peers often championed causes that serv...

Driven by a desire to explore the ties that bind and the divides that separate 330 million Americans, Frank Barry embarked on a seven-month, 10,000-mile journey across the Lincoln Highway, witnessing firsthand the resilience and fragility of our democracy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Four years ...

With Lacrosse poised for its Olympic return at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, engagement with the sport has reached new heights. Leading the surge is Premier Lacrosse League Founder & President Paul Rabil, spearheading growth in PLL attendance, revenue, and excitement. Paul's journey from college...

Drawing from an expertise in launching billion-dollar, NYSE-listed enterprises like United Rentals, RXO, Inc. and GXO Logistics, entrepreneur Brad Jacobs is a master at identifying untapped industries and propelling businesses to extraordinary heights. The author of the new book, “How to Make a F...

Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, and Elliot Ackerman, a five-tour Marine combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, both had successful second careers as writers. When they teamed up to write novels meditating on an uncertain future, first with 2034 and now with 2054...

Driven away from family disgrace and toward pursuit of wealth, Arthur Cutten grew fortunes as stocks doubled, tripled, and quadrupled in the Roaring 20’s, even as his market manipulations sowed the seeds for the 1929 crash. Robert Stephens, author of “TO MAKE A KILLING: Arthur Cutten, The Man Who...

From its roots as New Amsterdam to its status as a global metropolis, New York City’s 400-year evolution has transformed the one-time Dutch colony into the beating heart of capitalism. To commemorate the Big Apple’s 400th year, Columbia University’s eminent Professor Kenneth T. Jackson graces us ...