Work travel is happening again, at least for me, with all available COVID precautions. I'm sending this from a flight to L.A. for the Code Conference, where I'll interview AMD CEO Lisa Su on stage with Kara Swisher and make a few more stops on the coast. Here's a look at some of what I learned last week:

Has the Sales Process Changed Forever? Outreach CEO Manny Medina on Working Lunch

Will sales ever go back to “normal”? Or has the pandemic forced new ways to connect with clients? Meet Outreach CEO Manny Medina in this week's edition of Working Lunch, on CNBC's Power Lunch:

Working Lunch is an offshoot of my Fortt Knox 1:1 series; I'm happy to say, I've finally figured out the right way to bring the personalities and insights from Fortt Knox founders and CEOs to CNBC in a consistent way. The pivotal factor was Power Lunch Executive Producer Maria Boden, who embraced the idea, gave it dimension, mobilized a team and made it happen.

This week's installment is drawn from my original interview with Manny last year ...

... and this Fortt Knox Update from a few days ago:

DoorDash CEO Tony Xu Launches Alcohol Delivery At Groceryshop in Vegas

I took a quick trip to Las Vegas to interview DoorDash CEO Tony Xu on stage at GroceryShop, a conference for the grocery and convenience industry. I also interviewed him live on CNBC about the launch of alcohol delivery on DoorDash.

TechCheck @CNBCTechCheck

"Alcohol really presents a win-win-win for all of our audiences," says @DoorDash Co-Founder & CEO @t_xu on the company's announcement today that it will be expanding alcohol delivery and pickup options in 20 states & D.C. Our @jonfortt sat down with him live in Las Vegas.

September 20th 2021

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For more about him, here's Part 2 of my first Fortt Knox interview with Tony back in March 2018:

Ampere CEO Renee James on Powering Through the Chip Industry in the Cloud Era

I had a refreshingly frank conversation with Renée James, founder and CEO of Ampere, and former president at Intel. She talked about the shape of today's chip market and her unique career trajectory:

Is Microsoft's Surface A Success? On the Other Hand

Is the Surface a success? A day after Microsoft took the wraps off the latest lineup, I argued both sides in the latest edition of On the Other Hand, on CNBC's Squawk Box:

Check out The Black Experience in America: The Course, an online educational resource I researched, designed and built. A free PDF download is available to bring the material to kids, and the online interactive experience is made for adults.