The Crux of the Story

What happens when online conversation about a company, an industry or even an election isn’t quite what it seems? In this episode we sit down with Lisa Kaplan, founder and CEO of Alethea, to explore the rapidly evolving world of disinformation and coordinated influence operations. Among the topics discussed: how foreign actors are exploiting public concerns, why data centers and critical infrastructure have become targets, how generative AI is changing the threat landscape, and what CEOs and communications leaders can do to distinguish authentic public sentiment from deliberate manipulation – and how they might better manage the reputations of their brands and companies. It’s a timely conversation about business risk, trust and the increasingly difficult challenge of determining what’s real online – and, when it’s not, what can be done about it.

Few business leaders have had a career quite like Sol Trujillo’s. A technology pioneer and executive trailblazer, Sol was the youngest executive officer in AT&T history at just 32, he went on to lead major companies in the United States, Europe and Australia, and became the first U.S.-born Latino CEO of a Fortune 150 company. Today, his attention is focused on the future and on an economic story he believes American business leaders cannot afford to misunderstand: the growing influence of U.S. Latinos and what he calls America’s “New Mainstream Economy.” He is a co-founder of the Latino Donor Collaborative, L’ATTITUDE Ventures and Velocity, initiatives focused in different ways on Latino economic opportunity, entrepreneurship and growth. In this episode, Mike Fernandez sits down with his former boss, mentor and longtime friend for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership and breaking barriers; diversity and opportunity; immigration and economic growth; CEOs as communicators; representation and storytelling; and whether AI represents the beginning of another industrial revolution. We explore experiences that shaped Sol’s leadership, what he thinks CEOs still misunderstand about Latino consumers, workers and entrepreneurs, what he is learning from building Velocity with his daughter Andrea, and the legacy he hopes to leave for the generations that follow. It’s an unusually personal conversation between two people who have known one another for more than 30 years, and a provocative discussion about leadership, economic growth and what America may look like next.

Congressman James Clyburn reflects on the lessons of his early years in South Carolina, the civil rights movement, building coalitions across differences, communicating in a divided America, and making consequential decisions. He also discusses the historical lessons behind his book The First Eight and what today’s leaders can learn from those who came before them. In part it’s a conversation about politics, but even more, about the enduring power of credibility, courage and communication to create change.

Defyner co-founder, Will Fernandez, discusses the rise of agentic AI and how it will fundamentally reshape marketing and corporate communications. He sees AI integration as the next industrial revolution (which historically combined electricity with a rethinking of industrial engineering} – only the speed at which this one comes together may be faster, and the efficiency gains may be greater. We explore with him multi-agent systems, the future of agencies, AI governance and sovereignty, and what CMOs and CCOs should be doing now to prepare for a rapidly changing future.

Julie Hall, veteran public relations executive and author of Revolutionary Spin: How Public Relations Shaped America, joins The Crux of the Story to explore a provocative question: When it comes to the American Revolution was the pen mightier than the sword? Drawing on extensive historical research, Julie reveals how many of America's founders were master communicators who understood the power of narrative, persuasion, symbolism, and public engagement long before the profession of public relations formally existed. From the Boston Tea Party to the Federalist Papers and the Constitution’s ratification debate, she examines how strategic communication helped mobilize public opinion and shape a new nation. We discuss the lessons modern communicators can take from the Revolutionary era and why understanding the history of public relations offers important insights for leaders navigating today's fragmented media environment. A fascinating conversation about history, storytelling, influence, and the enduring power of communication to shape events, institutions, and societies.