Bold Names

• Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card

  Bilt Rewards founder and CEO Ankur Jain took inspiration from American Express’s rewards programs when his company began offering people loyalty points for paying monthly rent. Now, he wants to add homeowners to his customer base by allowing them to get rewards points for their mortgage payments. What does that mean for Bilt’s business, and for its relationship with Wells Fargo over their co-branded credit card? And how could it affect the customers who’ve flocked to the card to earn points? Jain spea ks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks'  Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’  Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling  The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs  Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected] Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  28:37
• Introducing: Bold Names

  Every day, Wall Street Journal reporters talk with the most powerful, influential and interesting people. Now, we’re bringing some of those conversations directly to you. Introducing Bold Names, a new interview series where we hear directly from the leaders behind bold name companies. Hosted by WSJ columnists Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims. The new season starts Friday, February 14. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  2:58
• The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs

  Cloud storage used to be a sleepy part of the computing world but, with artificial intelligence becoming cheaper than ever, the companies collecting and protecting that data are now a hot investment. That includes cloud storage company Box, which has seen its stock climb nearly 40% this year. Its customers include most of the Fortune 500, including movie studios, automakers, consumer electronics giants, marketing firms and the Pentagon. Box CEO Aaron Levie says AI is getting better at piecing through 90% of companies’ data that previously was an intractable mess, and is doing some tasks better than humans – from processing invoices and parsing contracts to building marketing campaigns. So why does he think that could actually lead to more jobs for humans? Plus, why his company plans to stay “model agnostic” and continue to work with all the major artificial intelligence models, including OpenAI ’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. He speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode four of our interview series Bold Names. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected] Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Further Reading Amazon Invests an Additional $4 Billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI Rival  How to Make AI Less of a Power Guzzler   What Is AI Best at Now? Improving Products You Already Own   Elon Musk vs. Everyone: The New Fight in AI  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  29:44
• Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling

  JB Straubel was Elon Musk’s battery guy. Now he’s trying to turn what some see as trash into power for the electric vehicle revolution. Straubel was there at the earliest days of Tesla, and in his 15 years with the electric vehicle company, he played an integral role: he developed the battery pack used in the first Tesla vehicle, was the company’s Chief Technology Officer, and now sits on the board of directors. But his day job is running the battery-recycling startup Redwood Materials, and he envisions a future where recycled batteries power our cars, cell phones and power tools. So could companies like his one day replace the oil giants who fueled the last century? Why does he think humans have room to work harder? And can the Tesla board manage Musk as he takes on a growing role in U.S. politics, including advising the Trump administration? Straubel speaks to WSJ’s Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims in episode three of our interview series Bold Names. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected] Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Further Reading In the Desert With an EV Entrepreneur Who Insists Trump Will Be Good for Business  The Boom in Battery Metals for EVs Is Turning to Bust  Cost-Cutting Lessons From Musk World for DOGE  What Americans Get Wrong About Electric Cars  One of the Brains Behind Tesla May Have a New Way to Make Electric Cars Cheaper   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  28:12
• Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’

  Marc Benioff is one of the most outspoken names in tech. The billionaire co-founder of customer relationship software company Salesforce has been pivoting the company’s focus to artificial intelligence agents to help its clients manage customer service and other needs. But he has some strong opinions about how others are promoting AI, from how Microsoft is selling its Copilot feature to companies like Amazon buying up nuclear power contracts for their data centers. And yet he says he’s as excited about AI as he was the day that Apple’s Steve Jobs sent him one of the first iPhones. So what can AI actually do, and what’s a ‘fantasy’? Benioff speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode two of our interview series Bold Names. Further Reading The Secret Weapon Helping Businesses Get Results From AI: Humans Salesforce Darkens the Skies for Cloud Software as AI Threat Looms  Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Makes $150 Million Donation to Hawaii Hospitals  At Marc Benioff’s Salesforce, It’s One Big Family—Until Trouble Hits  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  24:57

More Technology podcasts

Trending Technology podcasts

About Bold Names

Bold Names: Podcasts in Family