What if a product’s journey didn’t end after its first use? Remanufacturing—restoring preowned parts to perform like new—is transforming automotives, electronics, and other industries. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Inga Maurer and Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro explore how this practice reduces waste while creating more value for companies.

Articles Mentioned:

One year of agentic AI: Six lessons from the people doing the work

The infrastructure moment

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Most leaders set out to be the best—but few make that Mount Everest–like ascent successfully. What do the world’s most iconic CEOs do differently? McKinsey Senior Partners Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, Scott Keller, and Vik Malhotra break it down in their new book A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership (Scribner/Simon & Schuster, October 2025), based on research and interviews with executives ranking among the top 200 CEOs across the globe. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, the four coauthors join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss some of the more surprising lessons they learned—and what they’ve changed about their own leadership as a result.

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

There is no single definition of “rural America.” It comprises agricultural hubs, manufacturing centers, and fast-growing regions—each a regional archetypes with its own distinct challenges and opportunities. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Nora Gardner joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss these archetypes and new research that can help leaders better understand rural communities.

In our second segment, McKinsey Partner Sarah Tucker-Ray speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about how rural K–12 education can equip students with the skills needed for advanced manufacturing—and why partnerships with industry matter for the future of rural America.

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Global competition has intensified, and the demand for energy and computing power is growing exponentially as companies embed AI, robotics, and other technologies into their everyday business processes. McKinsey’s annual outlook on technology trends points to 13 “frontier” trends that can help companies get a handle on these and other challenges. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast McKinsey Senior Partners Lareina Yee, Roger Roberts, and Sven Smit share the latest data and their insights on digital innovation, implementation, infrastructure, and trust with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly.

Articles Mentioned:

How CEOs are responding to geopolitical uncertainty

A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Chief marketing officers are vital to strategic decision-making, but increasingly, they’re being left out of the discussions that matter most—to the detriment of both customers and growth. “Kelsey and I are on a singular mission to bring CMOs back,” McKinsey Senior Partner Shelley Stewart III said recently, referring to Senior Partner Kelsey Robinson. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Shelley and Kelsey join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss new research on worsening disconnects in the C-suite, as well as how strengthening alignment between CMOs, CEOs, and CFOs can make a meaningful and sustainable difference in organizational performance. This conversation originally aired as a McKinsey Live webinar following the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information