{"podcast":{"title":"Communication Breakdown","slug":"communication-breakdown-7019931","podcast_index_feed_id":7019931,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6301456/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://ocrnetwork.com/podcasts/communication-breakdown","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/bb1654c4c2ff3f77a3c1f292f51b3d52.jpg","author":"Observatory on Corporate Reputation LLC","episode_count":86,"summary":"Communication Breakdown is a postgame show for PR pros. In each episode, hosts Craig Carroll (Founder of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation, Editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation, Lecturer at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business) and Steve Dowling (former head of communications at OpenAI and Apple) discuss the strategies and tactics companies are using in high-visibility crises and PR initiatives, giving listeners unique insight into how key decisions are made. The podcast offers two unique perspectives on communications theory and practice, drawing on Craig’s research and teaching on reputation at USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill, and universities worldwide, and Steve’s two decades of experience as a comms leader at some of the world’s most influential companies. Whether you’re a PR professional, marketing executive, or just curious about how companies make key communications decisions, you’ll find these discussions insightful and valuable.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-05T04:21:27.467075+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"Chief Exposure Officer","slug":"chief-exposure-officer","published_at":"2026-04-24T13:00:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/chief-exposure-officer","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/chief-exposure-officer--71602661","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71602661/ep_80_chief_exposure_officer.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine two very different versions of executive exposure: Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s 22-point manifesto and the renewed push to put CEOs directly in front of customers. They unpack how Palantir created a reputational problem by publishing a sweeping ideological statement loaded with contradictions, especially for a company dependent on government contracts across multiple countries. Then they turn to CEO-led customer engagement, from Burger King’s president giving out his phone number to older examples like Frank Perdue, Victor Kiam, and Lee Iacocca. The throughline is clear: visibility can build credibility when backed by reality, but it can also expose gaps between message, operations, values, and stakeholder expectations. Takeaways Companies can create reputational risk when they publish values statements without a clear audience, objective, or strategic purpose. Palantir’s manifesto gave critics a ready-made framework for testing contradictions between what the company says and what it does. Nationalist messaging can create international business exposure when a company depends on government contracts outside its home market. . Topics Mentioned Palantir, Alex Karp, CEO communication, corporate reputation, manifesto messaging, narrative governance, stakeholder scrutiny, government contracts, international reputation risk, pluralism, populism, CEO visibility, customer engagement, Burger King, executive advertising, authenticity, accountability, two-way communication, authority under exposure, crisis communication, brand trust, operational alignmen t Companies Mentioned Palantir, Twitter, Burger King, The New York Times, Axios, McDonald’s, Reddit, Sonos, Perdue, Laker Airways, Remington, Chrysl…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine two very different versions of executive exposure: Palantir CEO Alex K…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1787,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/chief-exposure-officer/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/chief-exposure-officer.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}