Answering Calls for Help: Business Is Pivoting to Battle COVID-19

During World War II, American industry mobilized to support the military - reconfiguring assembly lines to produce things like airplane engines and tanks. Seventy-five years later, the world finds itself in a different type of war: the battle against COVID-19. And once again, business is responding to calls for help.   On today’s Leadership Next, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt speak with two CEOs whose companies have pivoted to fight the pandemic. KR Sridhar is founder and CEO of Bloom Energy, a clean energy company based in San Jose, CA. Responding to a call from California governor Gavin Newsom, Bloom quickly figured out how to refurbish ventilators.  Jane Mosbacher Morris is founder and CEO of To the Market, a for-profit social enterprise that connects artisans from all over the world with businesses looking for products. Morris has redirected many in her network to begin producing hospital-grade masks. This work landed her on Fortune’s 2020 World’s Greatest Leaders list.  While Sridhar and Morris run very different companies, they share something important: the belief that now, more than ever, they have a responsibility to put their companies to work for the greater good.