I spend a lot of time talking to big thinkers about their ideas. Now proud today to throw one out.
Standing on the flagship TED stage was a challenge: develop something new, make the complex simple/engaging – and do it without a net (no notes, teleprompter, etc). But the topic justified the effort.
Grateful to the awesome teams at @ted and Forbes – look forwardto seeing if this can put a positive dent onto the world.
@sabrinalane_ is studying in Istanbul this semester, so we decided that, since the Orient Express doesn’t run in winter, we’d DIY it, from Soviet-era sleeper trains to famous Alpine passes. The itinerary:
* Switzerland (Zurich + St. Moritz)
* Italy (Tirano + Venice)
* Slovenia (Ljubljana + Bled)
* Austria (Villach + Vienna)
* Romania (Transylvania + Bucharest)
And then Istanbul…
Days: 8
Pounds of luggage: 120
Bad meals had: 0
Memories created: ♾️
Got her to the right place, the right way❤️
The @wef at Davos is my favorite (non-Forbes) event of the year because it brings together a large dose of doers, strands them together in a hard-to-get-to place, and then layers on insane costs that limit entourages and maximize motivation to get things done. It’s ultimately about people: I always meet a couple great ones, and reconnect with many others. A sampling from 5 days with big goals and little sleep...
For decades, Forbes has been called “legacy media.”
But @randall.lane doesn’t run it like a legacy company.
At Media Summit NYC 2025, we sat down with the Editor-in-Chief & Chief Content Officer of @forbes to unpack how a 100+ year-old brand is still growing while so many media companies are shrinking.
In this conversation, Randall breaks down:
• Why @forbes isn’t betting on one revenue stream, but many
• How diversified income helped them survive Covid without layoffs
• Why AI isn’t a product, but a layer across everything
• How Forbes became a cultural symbol of success (yes, including hip-hop)
• Why entrepreneurship — not “business news” — is the real Forbes DNA
• How creators, founders, and journalists are starting to look a lot alike
This isn’t a media nostalgia talk.
It’s a masterclass in how to evolve without losing your identity.
🎧 Watch the full conversation from Media Summit NYC 2025.
Saw #JaneGoodall last week (with a second legend, Harrison Ford, no less🤯) — she was in great form, so today is a shock. They say “don’t meet your heroes.” That’s quite wrong, based on so many memorable moments over the past decade.
Five lessons directly from her I’ll always keep with me:
* There’s no such thing as jet lag - it’s whatever time the clock says it is, wherever you are (that’s how she traveled 300 days a year - yes, she really did —well into her 90s..) * Eye contact is everything (the anthropologist knows, and she insisted on it)
* If you really want something, never give up (her mother told her that, and she told that to my daughter)
* Totems matter (including her longtime companion, the stuffed Mr. H)
* A little whiskey never hurts
I’ll be lifting a dram tonight to this friend, icon, inspiration…a life incredibly lived…
Today is World Press Freedom Day, and the #onefreepresscoalition, encompassing media outlets with a collective audience of 2 billion, has published - and stands with - the 10 Must Urgent cases of imprisoned journalists. So appreciate the @morningjoe appearance, the full-page @washingtonpost ad, and all 20 outlets who backed us, and made sure on this day that these 10 hero truth-tellers, in the face of global dictatorships, are protected.
Wow, wow, wow. Yearned to see the Northern Lights my whole life...stared up for hours from the tar sands of Alberta, a cruise ship in Alaska, the highlands of Scotland. Nothing, for decades. Last night, on a flight from Chicago to Colorado, in a window seat on the lucky side of the plane, they waved at me above Nebraska for 30 minutes of purity.
No one else on the plane seemed to notice — sometimes, life is just looking out the window. #bucketlist #unfiltered #northernlights
We lost a great one today. Such a true privilege to become friends with Dikembe Mutombo over the past 10 years. His heart as big as his presence, his soul as deep as his voice. Humbling to comprehend how even someone that strong in so many ways can be rendered mortal by the scourge of brain cancer. Inspiring that after he relayed the diagnosis last year, and we awarded him @Forbes ’ highest honor for social impact, NBA commish Adam Silver insisted he’d personally accept it on his behalf. RIP big guy. Wherever you are right now, I’m quite sure you’re building them a hospital. #DikembeMutombo #legend
Well, that was a week: 3 events, 7 stage interviews, 4 outfits, 3 hats, 2 (1 present, 1 future) Nobel Peace Prize winners, 1 head of state, 1 Gold Medalist, 1 Hollywood superstar, twin influencers, and so on. @Forbes has the greatest team executing live journalism, and it’s a privilege to work on a platform that can put a positive dent in the Earth. That’s ultimately why we’re all here, right?
Gut punch this morning. Dr. Ruth was one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met: a legitimate genius, unshakable optimist and so, so wise, on things way past sex and relationships. She became the de facto grandmother of the Forbes 30 Under 30 community, and she reveled in it, from all night raves (at 90!) in the Judean desert to dancing with this fool at Fenway Park. RIP to a true iconoclast and legend who will be deeply missed. #drruth
Annnnd, we’re off for the @ntlracing second season, with million-dollar races, new teams and owners, including the great and brilliant @juliuserving and killer race weekends across the country. Want a country music weekend in Nashville with @thetanyatucker ? Cheer on the Philly Stallions with Dr. J? Horse around Phoenix on Fiesta Bowl weekend? Come join us!
Six months ago last weekend, I broke my hip in a freak bike accident. The low point came that night, as the surgeon prepped me for the knife the following day. I told him my goals were to come back full-strength, including winter skiing and summer softball. “I’m sorry,” he replied. “You’ll never do either of those things again.”
It was a gut punch. So I punched back. At 2am, I switched hospitals and switched surgeons. On the operating table the next day, we had an aggressive (and largely untested) new plan. Rebuild, don’t replace. Rehab, don’t complain.
On the 6 month anniversary, I found myself atop the Alps. A week before that, I’d already hit the blacks with my #1 ski buddy.
Scary journey, but what doesn’t kill you makes your stronger. And more appreciative. Appreciate all of you who were there with kind deeds and encouragement. More skiing afoot, and pitchers and catchers in four months! #goodasnew #thankful
