Think about your org chart. Now imagine it features both your current colleagues—humans, if you’re like most of us—and AI agents. That’s not science fiction; it’s happening. And it’s happening relatively quickly, according to McKinsey Senior Partner Jorge Amar. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, originally broadcast on McKinsey Talks Talent, Jorge joins McKinsey talent leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to talk about what these AI agents are, how they’re being used, and how leaders can prepare now for the workforce of the not-too-distant future. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
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35:02
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35:02
A conversation about valuation
Don’t lose sight of the long term. It’s a core message from the eighth edition of Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, McKinsey’s seminal guide for corporate-finance professionals. It also describes the unique investment approach of the legendary investor Warren Buffett, who will step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, we hear an excerpt from our Author Talks series featuring Valuation coauthor and McKinsey Partner Tim Koller and Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro. They talk about what’s changed in the business world since the first edition of Valuation was published, some 35 years ago. He also touches on Buffett’s approach to investing, including why it worked and whether it can be replicated. Articles/pieces mentioned: Tariffs and trade: Preparing for the unpredictable Confronting the affordable-housing crisis Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
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25:00
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25:00
What the latest trends in sporting goods mean for brands
Pickleball, padel—yes, they’re hot. Nevertheless, a third of the world’s adults are inactive—and among youth, inactivity is even more pronounced, according to McKinsey Partner Alexander Thiel. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Alexander joins Global Editorial Director and Deputy Publisher Lucia Rahilly to discuss this year’s whipsawing consumer trends, as well as what sporting goods leaders can do to harness them to combat slowing growth. Articles/pieces mentioned: Can Bloomingdale’s bring the magic back to department stores? McKinsey's 2025 annual book recommendations Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
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26:48
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26:48
Tariffs and trade: Preparing for the unpredictable
As geopolitical tensions persist, global trade dynamics are becoming increasingly complex—and many leaders find themselves on tenterhooks. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Cindy Levy and Shubham Singhal, two global coleaders of McKinsey’s geopolitics work, join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss how to move forward amid rapidly reconfiguring trade relationships—regardless of the way current tariff talks play out. This conversation has been adapted from our McKinsey Live series. Articles mentioned: The ‘attention equation’: Winning the right battles for consumer attention State of the Consumer 2025: When disruption becomes permanent Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
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28:29
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28:29
Confronting the affordable-housing crisis
The US housing crunch is bad—and it’s getting worse. Wider access to safe, affordable homes is vital to enabling economic mobility for all Americans—and to harnessing what McKinsey Partner JP Julien, a leader of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, calls a “massive” untapped economic opportunity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, JP joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss what’s causing the crisis in affordable housing, who’s most affected, and what both public- and private-sector leaders can do to effect fast but lasting change. Articles mentioned: The State of Aviation 2025 Global Private Markets Report 2025: Braced for shifting weather Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
The McKinsey Podcast, our new flagship podcast series, takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.
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