Slate Careers

In this episode Seth Stevenson talks to Merrill Stubbs, co-founder and president of Food52. In their conversation, Stubbs talks about her time in cooking school, the interesting demographics of Food52’s customer base, and the balance of combining web content with web commerce. 

In this episode Seth Stevenson talks to Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo, co-founders of the satirical feminist website Reductress. In their conversation, Newell and Pappalardo poke fun at some of the tropes of internet writing and explain what it’s like to run a digital media company on a tight budget.

In this episode Seth Stevenson talks to Mick Onvural, CEO of the menswear brand Bonobos. In their conversation Onvural talks about the value of brick-and-mortar shops, the challenges of marketing to men, and why marketers make great chief executives.

In this episode Seth Stevenson talks to Shan-Lyn Ma and Nobu Nakaguchi, co-founders of the wedding planning and registry site, Zola. Ma and Nakaguchi started the company when they realized their friends’ wedding registries were difficult to navigate. Now they’re growing fast and hoping to eventually be the primary destination for all things wedding-related. 

In this episode, Seth Stevenson talks to Mario Schlosser CEO and co-founder of the health insurance company Oscar. In their discussion, Schlosser talks about what it’s like to start a business in a sector that’s rife with regulation and bureaucracy, about what really goes into setting insurance rates, and about his views on U.S. health care policy and how we can improve it. 

In this episode Seth Stevenson talks to Tim Chen, found and CEO of NerdWallet. During their conversation Chen talks about what inspired him to found the company, how millennials think about money choices, and what he thinks the U.S. government should be doing when it comes to consumer financial protection. 

Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan, co-founders of Merge Records, talk to Seth Stevenson about running a record label in the era of streaming music, the advantages of operating in Chapel Hill, NC, and what goes into a record contract with a band these days.  

Seth Stevenson talks to Andy Katz-Mayfield, co-founder and CEO of the razor and skincare company, Harry’s. In their conversation, Katz-Mayfield talks about some of his early business decisions, the ebb and flow of facial hair trends, and how he wants to promote a more progressive brand of masculinity.