• At Business Insider's Long Play event, Noa Argamani described her optimistic outlook on life.
• Argamani was held in Hamas captivity for 246 days.
• She's now pursuing a career in venture capital to help Israeli founders and Israel.

Noa Argamani said she never doubted that she would return home alive when she was held hostage by Hamas.

That optimism was unwavering, she said in a conversation with editor in chief Jamie Heller at Business Insider's "The Long Play" event on Thursday, even as two friends died in captivity and she regularly heard rockets and bombs exploding.

"I was by myself in a tiny room," Argamani said.

She said she found something to be grateful for in the smallest of comforts, like half a liter of water, a sock, or a blanket.

"I said thank you for everything that I have at that moment," said Argamani, who was rescued after 246 days in captivity after being kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

She said optimism has become a defining part of how she moves through the world. Each morning, she said, "I see the cards that I have in my hand, and I play in the best way that I can."

Argamani said she has reflected on her special skills and resources and how they align with her goals. In the past several years, she said, she has improved her English and sharpened her public speaking skills, taking to the global stage to advocate for the release of the other Israeli hostages and share her experience.

At the time she was taken hostage, Argamani was studying AI in her third year of college, with the idea of becoming a software engineer or, eventually, maybe a founder. While in captivity, Argamani told herself she loved the life she was living and would finish her degree when she returned home.

But after that, so much changed, she said.

Following an internship this year, she joined venture capital firm Vine Ventures as head of platform. The company backs early-stage startups, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and defense tech. She's now working with Israeli founders and companies with the goal of helping them expand globally and strengthening Israel's security through economic success.

Argamani said she still has much to learn about VC. She joined Vine in part because of the relationship she developed with its founder and managing partner, Eric Reiner, who helped her advocate for the release of the remaining hostages.

For now, she said, she sees the role as her opportunity to build her career and help her country.

"Now I have the opportunity to be on this stage and talk about all of the things that I've been through, and also how I want to build the future," Argamani said.

Over nine years, Zach Reitano has repeatedly evolved Ro as patient needs and the healthcare market have changed, from its early direct-to-patient services to a leading platform for GLP-1 care.

During Business Insider's The Long Play, Reitano discussed the business decisions behind those shifts and how the company is positioning itself for the next era of consumer health.

As part of his conversation with Business Insider legal correspondent Melia Robinson, he also shared what he's learned as a founder leading in an era of quick and unrelenting change.

When John Santora became CEO of WeWork, the company was emerging from bankruptcy, saddled with one of the most notorious failures in business history. The longtime commercial real estate player is leading the company's next act: proving that flexible work can be a disciplined, profitable business.

As part of Business Insider's The Long Play, Santora shared what it takes to turn a damaged company into one built to last and offered insight into a real estate market being reshaped by how we work now.

He also talked about how AI is affecting real estate with Cadie Thompson, Business Insider's deputy news chief and executive editor.

After being held hostage by Hamas for 246 days following the October 7 attacks, Noa Argamani became one of the world's most recognizable advocates for those still in captivity.

Now, she's building a new path in venture capital at Vine Ventures, working with Israeli founders to scale their businesses in the US.

As part of Business Insider's The Long Play, Argamani opened up about the life and career she is building now, and how she plans to use her platform to support entrepreneurs in the region.

In a conversation with Business Insider editor in chief Jamie Heller titled "The Next Chapter," Argamani talked about how she chose venture capital as a career path, connecting with Michael Milken, and continuing her advocacy work.

Thirteen years since the last release of Grand Theft Auto, Strauss Zelnick is banking on the franchise to win back longtime fans while capturing an entirely new generation of players.

During Business Insider's The Long Play, Zelnick, the Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive, shared the secrets to keeping a decades-old franchise culturally and commercially dominant.

Sarah E. Needleman, Business Insider's senior leadership and workplace correspondent, interviewed Zelnick about his career in entertainment, his routine for aging well, and his thoughts on AI as a growth strategy.

Smartbird CEO Nadia Carlsten is driving one of the boldest moves out of the direct-to-consumer retail era: a pivot from selling footwear to AI infrastructure.

As part of Business Insider's The Long Play, Carlsten discussed why the company formerly known as Allbirds is now betting its future on AI and rebuilding its team.

"I think every company needs to reinvent itself every now and again," Carlsten told Ben Bergman, Business Insider's chief correspondent covering venture capital and startups.

She also shared how Smartbird is convincing customers and investors that its shift isn't a gimmick.

• Carolyn Tisch Blodgett said she sets an example for the brand by integrating her family and work.
• She said bringing her children to big games helps encourage working parents "to be their full selves."
• Blodgett spoke to Deputy Editor Nathan McAlone at Business Insider's The Long Play.

Attend a Gotham FC game, and you can expect to see Olympic gold medalists like Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnet, and Tierna Davidson in the spotlight.

What you may not expect is children taking over the pitch by 10 pm after each game.

"It's kind of like a Gotham daycare on the field," said the club's lead owner and governor, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, whose three kids are part of the crowd.

Under Blodgett's leadership, the club has become the reigning champion of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and one of the hottest brands in the rising tide of women's sports.

Bringing family to work is a key part of the brand's success, she said at Business Insider's "The Long Play" event on Thursday.

Blodgett is also the CEO and founder of Next 3 Ventures, a New York-based investment firm focused on sports, tech, and media. She is a member of the NWSL board and serves as chair of the executive committee.

Integrating work and family can help working parents "show up as their full selves," she told Deputy Editor Nathan McAlone.

That's why her husband and three children show up to all the big games — she said her six-year-old is obsessed with the team's goalie, and ran onto the field to celebrate when the team won the NSWL championship last year.

"You need to walk the walk. If I showed up to every game and pretended that my kids didn't exist, and no children were around, I think players might not feel as comfortable," she said.

The end goal is not only to build a winning team but to shape a brand that fans can connect with, increasing attendance, engagement, and ultimately, revenue.

Blodgett, formerly the global head of marketing at Peloton, said she takes a page straight from the Peloton playbook by focusing on players' personalities to cultivate fan loyalty.

"So much of people's relationship through their favorite sports team is through the players," she said.

For instance, one of the biggest stars in women's soccer, Alex Morgan — Olympian, World Cup Champ, and a mom — has more than 9 million Instagram followers. The San Diego Wave, her most recent club before retiring in 2025, has fewer than 1 million followers.

Morgan has also been outspoken about the challenges of being a working parent, advocating for more systemic support for athletes who become moms.

Balancing a career with parenthood isn't only a problem for athletes — it's also increasingly a point of friction for women in leadership roles across industries, including finance and tech.

But athletes can face specific challenges, such as navigating long seasons of travel and training at sports facilities that haven't historically offered childcare benefits.

Blodgett's bet is that everyone wins, from the players to brand leadership, if you build a culture of normalizing parenthood at work.

In July, the Gotham FC made history by playing before a sold-out Citi Field crowd of more than 40,000, a record-high attendance for a women's sporting event in New York City.

For Blodgett, business (and sports) has long been a family affair: her family has helped run the NY Giants since 1991. For most of that time, the vast majority of investment has gone toward male athletes, she said.

Her hope is to eventually bridge the gap until enthusiasm for women's sports becomes so pervasive that it won't be interesting to talk about.

"I think you'll have less panels like this saying, 'wow, let's talk about the future of women's sports' because women's sports will just be another chapter in all of sports," Blodgett said.

• I schmoozed with CEOs, founders, and investors at Business Insider's The Long Play in New York.
• Attendees heard from speakers ranging from Barry Diller to Ashley Graham — and spent a whole lot of time networking.
• Some attendees tried pitching deals. Others debated the future of work.

The New York venue was bustling with executives, some of whom governed companies with thousands of employees.

I met my first one within seconds of walking in.

On Thursday, I attended Business Insider's The Long Play event at Perelman Performing Arts Center. (Full disclosure: Business Insider is my employer, and you're probably reading this on its website.) I entered the event with a mission: to chat, network, and maybe learn a thing or two about my own career.

Mingling among the crowd, I chatted with the founders of AI startups and communications chiefs. They debated remote work, asked about management styles, and discussed working together. "I've got to work on my elevator pitch," one CEO told me.

I sat down for lunch with some attendees to discuss a question: Is workplace loyalty dead? Most said no, or that it was more complicated. One brave soul, the content creator Colin Rocker, said yes.

"I still think it's dead," he told me after the lunch chat. "But, I will say, I got more context that it's not necessarily working across the org chart."

He added: "That hurts managers, too."

Others at our table traded mentorship techniques and thoughts on leading an office. Nitzan Shapira said that, while working at Intel and Cisco, meetings were crucial. He has more flexibility while leading his AI startup, Harmony. "I'm kind of allergic to meetings," he said.

Munching on my plate of salmon, salad, and a caprese sandwich, I continued to chat with the crowd. Then came the dimming of the lights and the voice on the loudspeaker. The interviews were about to begin.

A who's who of the audience

You can tell a lot about the crowd from when people raise their hand — and when they don't.

I learned, for example, that much of the crowd had played "Grand Theft Auto." What better way to blow off some steam after a career-building conference than with some virtual vice? The attendees didn't consider themselves avid gamers, though; only a few hands shot up when Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick asked.

There were also a handful of investors in the crowd. Supermodel Ashley Graham asked for a show of hands, and I spotted three. During one of the breaks between talks, I talked shop with yet another venture capitalist.

As for GLP-1s, the crowd was less eager. Senior correspondent Melia Robinson asked while interviewing Ro CEO Zach Reitano, and she got only a few raised hands. (I bet, if we swapped the public hand-raising for a blind survey, that number would go up.)

The attendees around me were rapt. My seatmate, who worked for an AI startup, took notes with pen and paper. I saw some others jotting down learnings in the Notes app on their phones.

WeWork CEO John Santora described upping the once-freewheeling company's dress code. When he got there, Santora spotted pajamas and shorts; he now spots some salespeople in sport coats.

It prompted me to look around and check out what the audience was wearing. There were lots of blazers, button-ups, and slacks. A handful went more casual with their denim jackets and colorful blouses.

There were belly laughs, like when my talented colleague Sarah Needleman flubbed "how do you define success" with "how do you define sex" while interviewing Zelnick. He chuckled; the crowd joined in, and it bonded the audience.

And there were sobering moments, like when Noa Argamani described her drive to fund Israeli startups after spending 246 days in Hamas captivity.

The list goes on: There were chats with media mogul Barry Diller, banking entrepreneur Cristina Junqueira, and Nadia Carlsten, the CEO of the sneaker-company-turned-AI-infrastructure-provider Smartbird.

The event was really about meeting other people, though, and being inspired. I endlessly looped around the room, talking to C-suiters at startups and public relations agents. You could always hear the hum of new connections coming from the back of the room.

It ended with glasses of wine and hors d'oeuvres. After biting into a surprisingly delicious slider — Graham talked about pairing her wine with Korean barbecue and lasagna, and it made me hungry! — I had officially reached my schmoozing limit.

I ended the day with a full heart and a handful of new phone numbers. If you gave me yours, expect a text soon with plans to get coffee.

• John Santora took the helm of WeWork in 2024, shortly after it emerged from bankruptcy.
• Two years later, the company is making money.
• At Business Insider's Long Play Event, Santora told Executive Editor Cadie Thompson how he did it.

For WeWork's CEO, Fridays are for sneakers. Sometimes.

At Business Insider's The Long Play event on Thursday, John Santora told Deputy News Chief Cadie Thompson that he rebuilt WeWork in part by establishing a sense of trust and decorum among employees.

In pursuit of that goal, Santora instituted a dress code for employees, but also gave them one day a week to work from home.

"I didn't have the ability to go watch my son play a 3 o'clock baseball game," Santora said, adding, "We have to give our employees that flexibility to do all that."

Santora, formerly the chief operating officer at Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate firm, became WeWork's CEO in 2024 as the once-buzzy office startup emerged from a disastrous Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Santora had a short time to decide whether to join the faltering company, he recalled. And it wasn't exactly an easy choice.

"I was kind of at that point of, 'Should I retire?'" he said. "My daughter Nancy said, 'Dad, you know we love you, but when you have too much time on your hands, you're a pain in the ass.'"

Since those deeply red days in 2019 when WeWork's valuation plummeted from $47 billion to roughly $8 billion before it was bailed out, the company has stabilized. It posted eight quarters of EBITDA profitability and expects a fourth straight quarter of cash-flow profitability.

In 2025, it reported about $2.3 billion in revenue.

Though it hasn't hit the valuation it once had, the fact that the company could be revived at all is remarkable. WeWork, founded in 2010, rents out office space, spruces it up, and parcels it out to freelancers, startups, and other businesses.

Its first CEO and founder, Adam Neumann, made bold pronouncements that WeWork would "change the world" and "elevate the world's consciousness" by renting out office space to startups.

But after a bungled IPO, it became clear to the new stakeholders that a different type of leader was sorely needed.

As it turned out, Santora was that leader.

Having worked for 47 years at Cushman & Wakefield, Santora had the real estate experience that Neumann lacked, albeit without the magnetism of a Silicon Valley whiz kid.

"From a leadership standpoint, I'm a very structured, disciplined person," he said. "I'm a suit and tie, buttoned-up real estate person."

Santora recalled an early trip to one of the offices, where he discovered employees wearing jeans, pajamas, slippers, and shorts.

"I grabbed my head of HR," he said. "See that? I don't want to see it anymore."

Santora, who at one point described himself as an "old chubby guy from Staten Island," didn't just force employees to wear sports coats to important meetings. In his words, there was some "give and take."

"I don't look at what time they leave, what time they come in," he said of his employees. "As long as they're getting their work done and they're keeping their clients happy."

And Santora allows himself one exception to his suit-and-tie persona.

"Fridays, I'll actually sometimes wear sneakers, depending on what my schedule is," he said.

Ashley Graham is a model and entrepreneur who has spent her career challenging who is seen, heard, and marketed to, transforming that influence into a growing business.

Ten years after her "Sports Illustrated" cover, Graham took the stage at Business Insider's The Long Play to unpack how she has built a personal brand across fashion, beauty, entertainment, and consumer products without losing what's at the core of her identity.

Graham spoke about Lucci, her new venture in the wine business, and her longtime partnership with JCPenney during her interview with Business Insider's executive editor, Leena Rao.

During the conversation, titled "Breaking the Mold," Graham also said that getting lots of rejection early on in her career has made her into a better businessperson.

"If it's not for you, there's another thing for you. And you can't take it personally," Graham told Rao.