• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Tech

Wisdom From Wrestling Royalty and Other Lessons From Brainstorm Tech

Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 25, 2017, 10:01 AM ET

Reverbs from last week’s Fortune Brainstorm Tech keep popping up. Going through notes from last week’s confab in Aspen, Colo., here are a few more lessons worth noting.

1: If you want to succeed in TV programming, hire Elisabeth Moss

This lesson came from Charlie Collier, president of both AMC and Sundance TV, and Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins. Moss—in case you’re not a fan of high-quality television—portrayed the long-suffering Peggy Olson in AMC’s hugely successful Mad Men series and more recently anchored Hulu’s breakthrough hit The Handmaid’s Tale.

Going back a few years, Moss also played Zoey Bartlet, daughter of President Josiah Bartlett (Martin Sheen) in NBC’s (NBC) The West Wing. She also got rave reviews for Sundance TV’s Top of the Lake crime series, directed by Jane Campion. Season two kicks off later this month.

Related: How Media Execs Navigate Changing Landscape

2: Learn from professional wrestlers

The WWE’s Pro-wrestling events may be fake, but they compress drama and conflicts between good and evil acted out by heroes and villains into a story line that plays out in the ring in a set amount of time. That has real appeal, said Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer for WWE. She and her husband, WWE executive vice president Paul Levesque, otherwise known by his wrestling moniker Triple H, also talked about the WWE’s ability to pivot, as evidenced by its jettisoning the term “diva” when it was no longer appropriate to women’s wrestling.

When reminded on stage that he married into an interesting family—his in-laws are Vince McMahon, the flamboyant CEO of WWE and Linda McMahon—the equally colorful former CEO, who now leads the U.S. Small Business Administration, Levesque shook his head, noting: “You don’t know the half of it.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

3: Don’t sweat cannibalization

The notion for a chewable ice maker option for freezers had been floated by the R&D unit at GE (GE) Appliances for a decade. But concerns that adding the option might hurt sales of existing freezers and confuse the sales channel meant it didn’t get traction, said Slava Rubin, co-founder and chief business officer of crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

Rubin knows this because GE decided, instead of making new freezers with the unit built-in, to first validate the idea by putting a standalone “chewable ice maker” on Indiegogo. The resulting Opal standalone ice maker raised nearly $2.8 million on the site, and GE Appliances now plans to offer chewable ice as an option in some freezer models going forward.

Related; Five Takeaways From Brainstorm Tech

4: Learn but don’t shrink from failure

Two years ago, Microsoft released its Tay chatbot in the U.S. only to find that the bot, which had done well in Asia, was quickly trained by users to make racist and sexist comments. It was a PR nightmare. But instead of slamming the Tay team, Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella encouraged them to keep working, said Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development for Microsoft.

Tay morphed into Zo, another chat bot that learns more about you via conversing—although presumably not about hate speech. Johnson said she converses with Zo quite often. “She’s my friend,” Johnson said.

5: Be self-aware

Members of a roundtable discussion on how to avoid toxic work environments, was chewing over recent sexual harassment scandals in the tech industry when one panelist stunned the room into silence by noting: “I thought this was supposed to be about diversity. Why are we talking about women?”

About the Author
Barb Darrow
By Barb Darrow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

SpaceX’s next-gen rocket is the key to its sky-high valuation, early investor says: ‘Starship also enables all kinds of frontier markets’
Startups & VentureElon Musk
SpaceX’s next-gen rocket is the key to its sky-high valuation, early investor says: ‘Starship also enables all kinds of frontier markets’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 24, 2026
6 hours ago
Dara Khosrowshahi speaks on stage and holds his palms in front of him, pressed together.
LifestyleUber Technologies
Uber CEO says rideshare ‘freed up’ his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he’s one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
By Sasha RogelbergMay 24, 2026
7 hours ago
bofa
AIProductivity
BofA says you’ll be 10x more productive with AI. Ignore the 0.1% result so far
By Nick LichtenbergMay 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Inside the ‘stealth wealth’ playbook: How Silicon Valley’s elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
Real EstateLuxury
Inside the ‘stealth wealth’ playbook: How Silicon Valley’s elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
By Sydney LakeMay 24, 2026
8 hours ago
David Bennahum
CommentaryMedia
I was one of the internet’s first influencers. AI just killed the whole category — and created something better
By David S. BennahumMay 24, 2026
9 hours ago
Someone leafs through titles stacked in a library
AIResearch
AI hallucinations are infiltrating expert work—and entering the permanent body of knowledge
By Tristan BoveMay 24, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
3 days ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
AI
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
By Jake AngeloMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
5 days ago
This 39-year-old quit his lineman job during the pandemic and built a $50 million company in his backyard
Success
This 39-year-old quit his lineman job during the pandemic and built a $50 million company in his backyard
By Nick LichtenbergMay 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.