Steve Madden has gone viral for his recent, no-holds-barred interview on "The Cutting Room Floor" podcast — and in the days following, the footwear company's stock price has also seen a bump.

Why it matters: Long-form interviews can be a risky public relations move, but when done right, they can attract new customers and generate business.

Catch up quick: Madden sat down with fashion podcaster Recho Omondi to discuss the shoe empire he founded, his time in prison for securities fraud, his penchant for "dupes," the impact President Trump's trade policies could have on the fashion industry and more.

Between the lines: For most executives, many of the topics Madden covered would be off-limits. However, Madden's unfiltered approach paid off by spotlighting his personal brand and offering insight into how the business runs.

• The interview is "a case study in how brands should just be themselves," Omondi said in a TikTok video. "They should just own everything, flaws and all, all their blemishes. So often, brands are so scared. You can't have a single real conversation with anybody from their brand."
• She called the Madden interview "refreshing" and an example of how important it is for brands to have personalities.

Yes, but: The interview, which is behind a paywalled Patreon account, had a chance to go viral because Omondi offers video clips she posts across social.

• The interview clips have garnered about 24.6 million views on TikTok and thousands of views on YouTube as of Tuesday, with Gen Z podcast listeners flocking to watch them.
• A recent Edison Research report found 76% of Gen Z listeners say they discover podcasts through clips on social media.
• More than 600 media stories have been written about Steve Madden since the interview first dropped on May 21, per Muck Rack data, which likely caught the attention of an even broader consumer base.

The big picture: Podcasts have become a preferred channel for executives and politicians to reach and appeal to specific audiences.

• During the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris joined "Call Her Daddy" and "All the Smoke," while Trump has joined Joe Rogan, Lex Friedman and Theo Von.
• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg followed a similar playbook to Trump, while Elon Musk has also hit the same podcast circuit.
• Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi have each joined "Masters of Scale," while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser and SAP CEO Christian Klein recently appeared on "In Good Company."

What they're saying: "Steve Madden's interview shows how podcasts have become the proving ground for public figures," says Andrew Vontz, founder of One Real Voice, a podcast coaching consultancy.

• "Talking-point robots are headed for the scrapyard. Madden clearly thought deeply about these topics and didn't duck and cover — he owned his story, and that's exactly what broke through."

💭 Eleanor's thought bubble: I'm not ashamed to admit I bought The Row dupes after watching this interview — because Omondi is right, $790 for jelly shoes is outrageous.

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Elon Musk has pivoted to damage control in his final days as a "special government employee," publicly recommitting to Mars, cars and robots after a bruising year in the political limelight.

Why it matters: Musk is seeking to claw back the credibility he torched during his toxic tenure in Washington.

Yes, but: That won't be easy.

• SpaceX and Tesla saw their brand reputations crater over the past year, with the latter enduring violent protests and a steep drop in sales as a result of Musk's activism.

Driving the news: Musk's media blitz has functioned as part exit interview, part image rehab — an attempt to reassert his identity as an engineering visionary after a year mired in political scrutiny.

• Musk told CBS News he's "disappointed" by the "massive spending bill" passed by the House last week, arguing it "undermines" the work of his DOGE team.
• In an interview with the Washington Post, Musk conceded DOGE's efforts to slash the federal bureaucracy — including an original goal of $2 trillion in savings — proved far more challenging than he expected.
• He complained DOGE had become "the whipping boy for everything," defending its mission while lamenting the impact it had on his companies.
• And in an interview with Ars Technica, he went deep on detail — waxing poetic about SpaceX's long-term goals before admitting he "probably did spend a bit too much time on politics."

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After a brief and informal search process, the Washington Post has decided not to replace its departed communications chief Kathy Baird, a source told Axios' Sara Fischer.

• Why it matters: Under the Post's new management team, which has been in place for over a year, the company has pushed to overhaul its communications strategy by focusing more on organic media coverage of its talent and products rather than relying on public relations.

The big picture: The lack of a comms lead under CEO Will Lewis serves as a stark departure from the outlet's previous management, in which a C-suite official managing communications and events reported directly to the CEO.

Zoom in: While the outlet's two remaining communications officials still do proactive story pitching in addition to communications strategy work, the idea is to shift its communications strategy to focus more on highlighting new talent, product and partnership deals that underscore the Post's transformation.

• That shift has left the paper with fewer resources to handle critical stories as it manages massive changes, including layoffs and buyouts.

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Companies that maintained their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion saw reputation scores rise in this year's Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings.

Why it matters: Unclear corporate values or a lack of conviction — most recently seen through mass DEI walk-backs — can hinder reputation.

By the numbers: Across all 100 companies, corporate reputation declined by an average of 2.34 points in 2025.

• However, the companies that held firm on their DEI commitments saw scores rise by an average of 1.5 points.

The big picture: Several companies have scaled back their DEI benchmarking goals amid concerns of legal exposure after the Trump administration's calls to dismantle DEI programs within corporate America.

• Yes, but: According to a recent Pew Research study, a majority of U.S. workers say increasing DEI at work is mainly a good thing.

Zoom in: Reputation scores are tabulated based on trust, culture, ethics, citizenship, vision, growth, and products and services.

• Patagonia and Costco rank within the top three in character, culture and citizenship.
• Microsoft, which saw one of the largest score increases since last year, ranked "excellent" across the categories of trust, culture and vision, among others.

Meanwhile, most companies that saw a decline in reputation in the past year also rolled back or revised their DEI policies.

• AB InBev — which ranked "poor" across the reputation categories of ethics, citizenship and character — has seen its reputation decline more than 10 points since 2021.
• The Walt Disney Company has seen a 7-point slide since 2021 and Target's score declined by 5 points. Both fall in the bottom 25% in terms of ethics.

Of note, Google revised its DEI policies but still saw a significant increase in score (+2.3 points) due to its "excellent" score for products and services and "very good" ranking for trajectory, vision and growth.

What to watch: Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Constellation Brands are warning investors about potential customer backlash following changes to DEI programs, according to a CNN report.

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The average polarization score — the gap between how Republicans and Democrats view a brand's reputation — dropped to 2.55 points among the 10 highest-rated companies in this year's Axios Harris Poll 100 rankings,, down from 3.4 a year ago.

Zoom in: Chick-fil-A, John Deere and Arizona Beverage are seen by Republicans as the most reputable companies, while Democrats give Costco, Unilever (which includes Ben & Jerry's ice cream) and Patagonia top billing.

• Ben & Jerry's (+16.4 D), Pfizer (+13.3 D) and the Walt Disney Company (+12.3 D) skew the most toward Democratic consumers in terms of reputational perceptions.
• Even bigger gaps are seen for the companies that most skew toward Republicans: Elon Musk-brands Tesla (+32.3 R), X (+29.5 R) and Space X (+28.7 R); and the Trump Organization (+45.3 R). The common thread is alignment with President Trump.
• Of note, the most polarizing brands that lean Republican are near the bottom for overall reputation (Nos. 86, 95, 98 and 99). The most polarizing brands that lean Democrat fare better (Nos. 24, 61 and 76).

What we're watching: 8 in 10 consumers tell The Harris Poll that they care more about how brands can keep prices down than their politics.

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While the tech industry floors the pedal on AI, the U.S. public would be happy to hit the brakes.

Stunning stat: More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) want companies to create AI slowly and get it right the first time, even if that delays breakthroughs, the 2025 Axios Harris Poll 100 found.

• Only 23% of Americans want companies to develop AI quickly to speed up breakthroughs, even if it means making mistakes along the way.

Why it matters: CEOs, investors and tech companies have pushed the narrative of a do-or-die AI race — but most people would rather get AI right than get it first.

Between the lines: This finding is consistent across generational lines, but the margins vary.

• 91% of Boomers and 77% of Gen X favor slower AI.
• That number drops to 63% for millennials — but rises again to 74% for Gen Z, the youngest and most "digital native."

Yes, but: All this racing has spurred investment and development, but the public hasn't yet bought into the narrative.

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I was in San Francisco last week when the OpenAI-Jony Ive news dropped, and every tech communicator I spoke with had a different take on how the deal was announced.

The intrigue: I asked ChatGPT what Sam Altman and Ive wanted audiences to take away from the video.

• The goal was to share "their vision for a new era of human-computer interaction, aiming to transcend traditional interfaces like screens and keyboards," per ChatGPT.
• "Overall, the video conveys their hope that audiences will embrace a future where technology serves as a more harmonious and empowering presence in human life."

❓Did it work? What do you think of the video and press rollout? Email me.