Fortune Reinvent

The meteoric rise in unemployment during the COVID-19 crisis has forced many to rethink what they do for a living. According to economists, a large share of the jobs lost to the pandemic are gone forever. Enter MOOCs, the Massively Open Online Courses, which have long promised to democratize education. In this episode, Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda argues that MOOCs are an indispensable tool for retraining the workforce for the digital jobs of tomorrow. Also in this episode: Dr. Annelies Goger of the Brookings Institution discusses how learning new digital skills, while important, is only part of what it takes to embark on a new career. Many of those rehired not only learned the right skills, they knew the right people. If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world.. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While COVID-19 has dealt the restaurant industry writ large a difficult hand, some are faring better than others. In September, McDonald’s reported the best month it’s had in a decade; in this episode of Reinvent, host Beth Kowitt speaks with CEO Chris Kempczinski about how McDonald’s finds itself in a surprisingly good spot, thanks to the premium customers are now placing on speed, efficiency, drive-thru, and delivery.  Also in this episode: Aaron Allen, founder and chief strategist of Aaron Allen & Associates, a global restaurant consultancy, discusses McDonald’s remarkable size and how the fast-food giant will capitalize on the competitive advantage the pandemic has awarded them.  If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, customers stripped grocery stores bare. While common products were uncharacteristically unavailable, farmers reportedly had to destroy crops because of kinks in their supply chains. Dairy farmers dumped millions of gallons of milk, right at what should have been the productive time of the year. Hosts Beth Kowitt and Adam Lashinsky discuss how the farmer-owned cooperative, Land O' Lakes, avoided dumping milk by pairing back its offerings and focusing on what its customers wanted most. Also in this episode: Scott McKenzie, of the Nielsen Intelligence Unit, speaks on consumer trends during the pandemic, and how all industries are rethinking how best to get products to market. If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world.. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ride-hailing company Lyft is no stranger to a challenge. As co-founder and president John Zimmer explains on this episode, Lyft has survived through hard times - and later flourished - by focusing on what it does best: Providing affordable and enjoyable transportation options to customers. But COVID-19 has dealt the company a punishing blow, forcing Lyft to lay off 17% of its workforce. Hosts Adam Lashinsky and Beth Kowitt discuss the company’s thinking on diversification, as well as its position on California’s Proposition 22 ballot initiative, which would exempt companies like Lyft and its behemoth rival, Uber, from classifying its drivers as employees. Also in this episode: Richard Ezike, a Senior Policy Associate at the Urban Institute, discusses the proper balance between the public and private sectors in an ideal transportation system. If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After shuttering in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA decided to move 22 teams this summer to Disney World in Orlando, Florida in an effort to salvage what remained of the 2019-2020 season. It built a closed campus with strict public health guidelines: Everyone received daily coronavirus tests and wore not just masks, but also sensors to enforce social distancing. The "NBA Bubble" as it's now known, cost the league $180 million, and in this episode, host Adam Lashinsky makes the case to co-host Beth Kowitt it was worth every penny. Drawing on interviews with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Andre Iguodala of the Miami Heat, and others, Lashinsky explains how the NBA navigated COVID-19, as well as a summer of social and political unrest, and still came out on the other side. Also in this episode: Mehdi Bentanfous of Kinexon explains how his company's SafeTags are used to help professional sports leagues complete their seasons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February, BP's new CEO, Bernard Looney, announced plans for the company to become carbon neutral by 2050. It will invest aggressively in renewable energy and move away from the oil and gas production that has fueled its success for over a century. Hosts Adam Lashinsky and Beth Kowitt are joined by Fortune's Vivenne Walt, a correspondent in Paris who spent months digging into Looney's announcement. As Big Oil reels from plummeting demand due to COVID-19, many questions still exist about BP's promises, especially considering the company's previous attempts at reinvention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2019, the U.S. restaurant industry generated over $850 billion. This year it's on track for its worst year ever thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. With restaurants shuttered and millions of jobs lost, it's no exaggeration to say the industry is in turmoil. But restaurateurs are not sitting idly by, waiting for a recovery. They are fighting to survive and finding innovative ways to do so. In this debut episode of Reinvent, hosts Beth Kowitt and Adam Lashinsky speak with Chef David Chang who opened a New York City ramen bar in 2004 and has grown it into an empire, complete with a Netflix series and a memoir. He lays out both the challenges facing restaurants and how he is tackling those challenges. Also in the episode, Melissa Wilson of advisory firm Technomics offers a peek at how the pandemic will likely change restaurants, impacting everything from how you read a menu to how food is prepared in the back of the house. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices