The Button That Broke the Internet (and Built It Too)

The like button is more than a symbol — it’s a case study in how innovation really happens. Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute and co-author of Like: The Button That Changed the World, unpacks the messy, social, and often surprising process behind major breakthroughs — and what leaders can learn from it as they navigate the AI era. 

Learn More:  

Martin Reeves: https://on.bcg.com/4pWlAph 

Like: The Button That Changed the World: https://www.amazon.com/Like-Button-That-Changed-World/dp/B0D8XM8GZT 

What the Like Button Can Teach Us About Innovation: https://on.bcg.com/48MmONK 

Vote for Georgie Here: https://vote.lovieawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/features/best-hosts

Chapters: 

00:00-01:18 Introduction 

01:19-02:50 The Story of ‘Like’ 

02:51-03:42 Was the like button an invention? 

03:43-05:00 Why do we like to ‘like’? 

05:01-05:31 Is online liking the same as real world liking? 

05:32-06:38 What has been the economic impact? 

06:39-08:01 How to get innovation right 

08:02-08:28 How do you foster an innovative environment? 

08:29-09:33 What role does storytelling play? 

09:34-12:10 The like button and regulation  

12:11-13:21 What lessons can be applied to new tech? 

13:22-14:31 The structure of the book

14:32-16:44 Surprises when researching for the book 

16:45-17:57 The business of thought leadership 

17:58-18:46 What is the future of thought leadership? 

18:47-19:34 What is next for innovation? 

19:35-20:01 Outro 

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp