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Thinkers & Ideas

BCG Institute
Artificial Intelligence
Leadership
Innovation
Behavioral Economics
Climate Change
Sustainability
Economics
The Unaccountability Machine
Social Status
Geopolitics
Capitalism
Permacrisis
Survive Reset Thrive
Uncertainty
Business Strategy
Business Ethics
Trust
Public Policy
Globalization
Technology

Inspiring and thought-provoking conversations with leading thinkers about influential ideas on business, technology, economics, and science. Hosted by Nikolaus Lang and Adam Job. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BCG INSTITUTE INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes151Founded7 years ago
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ManagementBusiness

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Latest Episodes

In Crisis Engineering: Time-Tested Tools for Turning Chaos Into Clarity, Matthew Weaver and Mikey Dickerson argue that organizational crises are not problems to be survived but are rare windows in which rapid, directed transformation becomes possible... more

In The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us, Benjamin Recht argues that the optimization and mathematical rationality we apply to every corner of modern life—from dieting to hiring to strategy—often fails when encount... more

In AI Needs You: How We Can Change AI’s Future and Save Our Own, Verity Harding argues that AI governance is too important to be left to technologists alone—and that the rest of us need to join the conversation to shape this technology’s future.

Har... more

In Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great, Eric Ries argues that mission-driven companies face an invisible pressure that pushes them toward short-termism and conformity, no matter the intentions of their stakehol... more

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Recent Guests

Matthew Weaver
Co-founder of Layer Aleph; previously helped establish SRE at Google
Layer Aleph
Episode: Crisis Engineering with Matthew Weaver and Mikey Dickerson
Mikey Dickerson
Co-founder of Layer Aleph; led Healthcare.gov rescue; founded US Digital Service
Layer Aleph
Episode: Crisis Engineering with Matthew Weaver and Mikey Dickerson
Benjamin Recht
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Episode: The Irrational Decision with Ben Recht
Verity Harding
Director of the AI and Geopolitics Project at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge; founder of Formation Advisory
University of Cambridge / Formation Advisory
Episode: AI Needs You with Verity Harding
Eric Ries
Best-selling author of The Lean Startup; founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange; startup advisor
Author, Entrepreneur, Advisor
Episode: Incorruptible with Eric Ries
David Epstein
Number one New York Times bestselling author, author of Inside the Box
Riverhead Books (publisher)
Episode: Inside the Box with David Epstein
Linda Hill
Professor at Harvard Business School and leading scholar on innovation and leadership
Harvard Business School
Episode: Genius at Scale with Linda A. Hill
Marcus Buckingham
Author and researcher on human performance
Gallup (former) / Harvard Business Review Press (book publisher)
Episode: Design Love In, with Marcus Buckingham
Rich Lesser
Global Chair of BCG
BCG
Episode: BHI Presents: Winning the Rest of the 20s

Hosts

Nikolaus Lang
Co-host and thinker at large; Global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, frequently guiding conversations on strategy, economics, and organizational design
Adam Job
Host of Thinkers & Ideas; Senior Director at the BCG Henderson Institute; leads episodes with senior executives and researchers

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 140 ratings
  • Get an education in business strategy

    This podcast is like taking a strategy class in a top business school, only better because you’re getting a huge variety of top thinkers to teach the class. Reeves, himself a top-rated strategy thinker and writer, gets the most out of his guests for a simple reasons that eludes many other podcasts: he actually reads the books before he interviews, and you can tell. For those interested in business strategy (and adjacent topics) this is probably the best podcast out there.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    strategistpcs
    United States2 years ago
  • One of the best

    This podcast is one of the best at addressing the biggest issues shaping businesses and the world. Low key approach but expertly done. Martin Reeves is a top notch interviewer.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Dastorino
    United States6 years ago
  • Audio Quality

    Contents are great, speakers audio quality not much.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    pacheco.hugo
    Brazil6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High-quality guests and well-read interview style.
Occasional audio quality issues noted by a few listeners.
Thoughtful, idea-rich conversations with top minds.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Crisis Engineering with Matthew Weaver and Mikey Dickerson
Q: What are three concrete steps leaders can take to prepare for crises before they happen?
Invest in adaptive capacity over narrow expertise; ensure the ability to bring people together physically on short notice; and create observable instrumentation and decision-lever protocols so policy and speed can be adjusted in real time without bureaucratic delay.
Crisis Engineering with Matthew Weaver and Mikey Dickerson
Q: What practical toolkit do you advocate for crisis response, and how does co-location fit in?
The toolkit includes physical co-location to maximize information flow and reduce ambiguous signals, rapid mapping of the system chart to reflect current realities, bracketing to define the crisis boundaries, and maintaining newly formed communication patterns after the crisis. Co-location is emphasized because it preserves nuanced cues like body language and tone that digital setups often miss, enabling faster, more accurate sense-making.
Crisis Engineering with Matthew Weaver and Mikey Dickerson
Q: What is sense-making and why is it so critical in crisis, with examples like Three Mile Island and Air France 447?
Sense-making is the unconscious, automatic process by which people extract relevant information and form a shared understanding. In crises, constrained inputs and altered incentives disrupt this process, making it easy to chase the wrong signals. In Three Mile Island and Air France 447, misdiagnosis and misplaced focus illustrate how poor sense-making can worsen outcomes, underscoring the need for aligned, rapid shared understanding.
Crisis Engineering with Matthew Weaver and Mikey Dickerson
Q: Could you explain what you mean by how a crisis can be engineered and what makes these moments opportunity rich?
A crisis occurs when several signals align—surprise, sense-making failures, disrupted core processes, high visibility, and tight deadlines—causing the organization to exit normal mode. When that happens, intentional actions and structured decision-making can steer the organization toward rapid, meaningful change rather than chaos, turning the crisis into a catalyst for transformation.
The Transformation Economy with B. Joseph Pine II
Q: Can you give a practical example of scaling transformation beyond an individual journey?
Develop a transformation platform or ecosystem that enables scale, such as education platforms that serve administrators, teachers, and learners with modular, linked components to drive outcomes.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Thinkers & Ideas

What is Thinkers & Ideas about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Thoughtful, high-level conversations with leading thinkers across business, economics, technology, and science. Guests span authors, professors, and policy experts, offering frameworks for innovation, leadership, globalization, and strategic thinking. Episodes frequently explore how organizations can manage complexity, scale good ideas, and navigate rapid change, often tying insights to real-world case studies and actionable takeaways for leaders and teams. The show stands out for its rigorous curiosity, expert guest roster, and ability to connect theory with practical business impact, making it valuable for listeners who want ideas they can apply in strategy, product, and leadership roles.

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Which podcasts are similar to Thinkers & Ideas?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Thinkers & Ideas:

1. The So What from BCG
2. The McKinsey Podcast
3. Inside the Strategy Room
4. Cold Call
5. HBR IdeaCast

How many episodes of Thinkers & Ideas are there?

Thinkers & Ideas launched 7 years ago and published 151 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Thinkers & Ideas?

Recent guests on Thinkers & Ideas include:

1. Matthew Weaver
2. Mikey Dickerson
3. Benjamin Recht
4. Verity Harding
5. Eric Ries
6. David Epstein
7. Linda Hill
8. Marcus Buckingham

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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