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Masters of ScaleHow The Atlantic went from losing $20 million a year to profitable (CEO Nicholas Thompson)
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Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- January 15, 2026
- Duration
- 42m
- Channel
- Masters of Scale
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
When Nicholas Thompson took over as CEO of The Atlantic five years ago, the business was in financial trouble. Now, its profitable and growing. Thompson joins host Jeff Berman to talk about the impressive turnaround, how media companies can weather AI disruption, and lessons from the world of long distance running. His new memoir is The Running Ground: A father, a son, and the simplest of sports: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678434/the-running-ground-by-nicholas-thompson Chapters: 00:00 Introducing Nick Thompson 01:33 Why Nick Thompson joined The Atlantic 05:30 The opportunities Nick Thompson identified early at The Atlantic 09:23 Inside The Atlantic's turnaround 12:23 The Atlantic's licensing deal with OpenAI 19:59 Nick Thompson on whether CEOs should have personal brands 25:45 How The Atlantic competes with Substack and independent media 28:41 Nick Thompson on lessons from his father 34:40 What running has unlocked for Nick Thompson 📫 THE MASTERS OF SCALE NEWSLETTER 35,000+ read our free weekly newsletter packed with insights from the world’s most iconic business leaders. Sign up: https://hubs.la/Q01RPQH-0 🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://mastersofscale.com/ApplePodcasts Spotify: https://mastersofscale.com/Spotify 💻 LEARN MORE Our website: https://mastersofscale.com 🚀 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/showcase/11096326 Facebook: https://facebook.com/mastersofscale Instagram: https://instagram.com/mastersofscale X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mastersofscale TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mastersofscale 💡ABOUT US On Masters of Scale, iconic business leaders share lessons and strategies that have helped them grow the world's most fascinating companies. Founders, CEOs, and dynamic innovators (from companies like Uber, Airbnb, Apple, and Disney) join candid conversations about their triumphs and challenges with a set of luminary hosts, including founding host Reid Hoffman — LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner. From navigating early prototypes to expanding brands globally, Masters of Scale provides priceless insights to help anyone grow their dream enterprise. #mastersofscale #leadership #leadershiplessons #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #tech #technology #ai #artificialintelligence #artificialintelligencetechnology #theatlantic #openai #magazine #nickthompson #nicholasthompson #turnaround #business #businessleaders #businessstrategy #media #mediastrategy #medialeadership
SPEAKERS
Nick Thompson
guestCEO of The Atlantic and author of the memoir The Running Ground.
Jeff Berman
hostHost/interviewer on Masters of Scale.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Masters of Scale, featuring Nick Thompson and Jeff Berman, How The Atlantic went from losing $20 million a year to profitable (CEO Nicholas Thompson) explores Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson on Turnaround, AI Deals, and Running Nick Thompson took the Atlantic CEO job in 2020 because he believed his comparative advantage was building business models for serious journalism, and the magazine's journalism was already excellent.
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