Fortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry

For over 40 years, Qualcomm technology has powered some of the world’s most transformational technological advancements. Today, the company is moving beyond smartphones, building a future with wearable AI, humanoid robots, and a 6G cellular network. In this episode, Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell speaks with Qualcomm’s President and CEO Cristiano Amon to discuss the company’s commitment to constant reinvention and why Amon is optimistic about the AI revolution. 00:00 Introduction 02:55 Intro to Qualcomm 04:36 Current state of AI 07:38 Amon and 6G 13:30 New relationships with smart devices 20:19 What will be the next smartphone 25:49 Diversifying Qualcomm’s business 30:44 Qualcomm’s culture of reinvention 32:08 Qualcomm’s move into data centers 38:17 Qualcomm robotics 42:51 Trust in AI 46:19 Amon’s techno-optimism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From one of the largest bankruptcies in U.S. history to leading the industry in market capitalization and premium customer satisfaction, Delta Air Lines has rewritten the business of flying in the last two decades.  In this episode, Fortune's Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sits down with CEO Ed Bastian at Delta’s Atlanta headquarters to discuss the strategic maneuvers behind the airline’s resurgence. Bastian details his 'people-first' leadership philosophy, the evolution of the lucrative American Express partnership, and his vision for the future of travel, from AI-powered concierge services to the launch of flying taxis. 00:00 Intro 01:36 Advertisement 03:05 Bastian’s personal background 04:21 Executive training at Pepsi 06:14 Uncovering fraud at J. Walter Thompson 07:23 Delta files for bankruptcy 8:08 Bastian’s return to Delta 09:43 Delta’s turnaround playbook 11:37 Delta’s post-bankruptcy restructuring 13:55 Billion-dollar profit-sharing program 15:36 Sharing wealth with employees 16:21 Bastian’s people-first commitment 16:48 Becoming a CEO 17:45 Transitioning from CFO to CEO 19:04 Becoming comfortable as a CEO 19:45 Shifting communication styles as CEO 21:40 Staying in the know 22:13 Leading employees through down times 24:32 Bastian’s no-furlough strategy 26:06 Delta / AMEX partnership 29:14 Credit card interest rates 30:25 Creating brand trust and loyalty 33:39 Delta’s next 100 years 34:14 Balancing AI with people 36:56 Staying updated on AI 38:13 AI’s impact on air travel 39:15 Sustainable travel 40:08 Flying taxis 40:57 Delta’s five-to-ten year strategy 42:04 Bastian’s leadership advice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if AI made your paycheck optional? Vinod Khosla, one of the world's greatest venture capitalists and an early backer of AI, believes the technology will take over 80% of labor, freeing humans to live on passion instead.His track record backs up the boldness, as early bets on OpenAI, DoorDash, Instacart, and Square have made him one of the most consequential investors of our time.In this episode of Titans, Khosla sits down with Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell to unpack his abundant vision for the AI future, what government policy should tackle for a more equitable 2040, and what the U.S. needs to do to win the global AI race.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google DeepMind founder and CEO Sir Demis Hassabis is a master chess player, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and - as of 2024 - a Knight. Today, as a leader within Google’s booming AI team, Hassabis wants to make AI the “engine” driving the entire company.In this episode of Fortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry, Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sits down with Hassabis at the World Economic Forum in Davos to talk about how he and his companies are using AI to cure cancer, build universal agents, and move the world towards a future of “radical abundance.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Albert Bourla became Pfizer’s CEO months before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the US. Under his leadership, Pfizer manufactured 3 billion doses of the first FDA-approved vaccine in the first year, which led to record-breaking earnings. Yet over the past few years, post-pandemic sales slumps, patent cliffs and vaccine skepticism have driven down Pfizer’s earnings. In this episode of Fortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry, Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sits down with Bourla to talk about how he is answering this new set of challenges with science, innovation and optimistic leadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been one year since Vice President Kamala Harris and then-Democratic nominee was coming down to her final days of the 2024 presidential campaign against Donald Trump. She spent 107 days on the road in a bid to earn their vote, but it wasn’t enough. Almost one year later, she’s had time to reflect. In a wide-ranging conversation at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit, Harris joined Fortune’s Editor in Chief Alyson Shontell at the Washington National Cathedral to discuss the growing divides between Republicans and Democrats, how the government is not meeting Americans’ basic needs, and why not inviting Elon Musk to the White House was a “mistake”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has led the nation's largest financial institution through times of disruption for two decades. As Dimon navigates today's world of generative AI, President Trump's policies, and the effects on the global economy, Dimon sat down with Fortune's Editor-in-Chief, Alyson Shontell, to discuss these topics at the Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C. Dimon shares his thoughts on Washington, as the government is currently shut down, and Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist leading polls in the New York City mayoral race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ramp CEO Eric Glyman has helped build one of fintech’s fastest-growing startups — hitting $1 billion in annualized revenue, serving 45,000 businesses, and soaring to a $22.5 billion valuation in just 2,367 days. In this episode of Fortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry, he sits down with Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell to break down Ramp’s meteoric rise, the business model flipping corporate cards on their head, and why he believes speed and focus are the keys to scaling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI is rewriting the rules of business — and Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says reinvention is the only way Fortune 500s will survive. In the debut episode of Fortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry, Sweet sits down with Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell to reveal how she’s nearly doubled Accenture’s value, grown its workforce to 770,000, and kept the company thriving through disruption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices