Access and Reinvention: A Conversation with Rob Lowe | Dreamforce 2025

Please welcome Chief Accessibility Officer, Salesforce Katherine Nichols. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here. I have the pleasure of introducing today's guest. He's a Hollywood icon, actor, producer, director, New York Times bestselling author, and a philanthropist. His career has spanned across more than four decades, and he has starred in unforgettable projects like the Outsiders, the West Wing, Parks and Recreation,911, Lone Star, and hosts a hit podcast, beyond the Spotlight. He has been open about his journey, whether it's his three. Three decades of sobriety, navigating life with an invisible disability, or his advocacy for more inclusive communities. And I think that ties in perfectly to what we're talking about today, which is accessibility, inclusion, and allowing people to show up as their authentic selves. So please join me in welcoming Rob Lowe.

Hi, everybody. Come on, let's go. Fucking go. Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, good to be here.

Is this your first?

Super excited. This is the super bowl of tech conferences.

They tell me it really is.

So I'm psyched.

Is it your first Dream Force?

It is.

Welcome.

Thank you. As long as I'm better than Matthew McConaughey, that's all I'm. That's all I care about.

Well, this is my 19th, so if you need a tour, I'd be happy to show you around.

Fantastic. I am. I would love that. That's great.

Great. So something about you that not a lot of people know about, I didn't know about it until recently, is that you are deaf in one ear.

Stone deaf.

Stone deaf.

Stone deaf in my right ear. Have been since I was born. I mean. Well, they think I had the mump. Undiagnosed mumps. That's like having scurvy. It's like a pirate thing. It's like mumps. Who gets it? And so I have no hearing on this side, which is why I was super focused on where we would be sitting.

Yes.

Because I always need to be on this. So, like, in movies and TV shows, I always have to be on certain sides of people when I'm walking. Like, I put that phone up to my ear because I never put the phone up to this ear. I'll miss my ear. It's, like, really insane. It's totally stuff that goes on, but I've just figured out how to live with it and I don't know any differently, so that's the blessing of it.

Right. That makes sense.

Yeah. I just wish for once I could hear Dark side of the Moon with headphones on. Just one night.

Switches.

Yeah. Dammit. They say it's great.

They say you'll never know. So sad. Have you ever used any assistive technology to help bridge gaps for accessibility?

Of course, my vanity and narcissism have prevented me from ever wearing a hearing aid. No, but that won't work for me, actually, because it's nerve dense. So the hearing aid would only make this, which I apparently have super hearing on this side. They tell me. But yeah, I use. I host a show now called the Floor, which is a big game show on Fox, but Floor fans, super fun. Right. I love it. It's such an addictive game. But when I do that, because it's kind of like being an air traffic controller, you have to pay attention to the gameplay, who's made what money, you know, how much time they have. All that stuff's being fed into with an earwig. And so that's super helpful, but it's really, really kind of having people in your head where you're trying to do your thing is a challenge.

Yeah, I can imagine. It's a little chaotic.

It's very chaotic. Yeah.

So I listened to your podcast.

Thank you.

Literally, with Palo.

Thank you. I think my wife is on this week.

Oh, cool.

Which is, by the way, the audience favorite.

Yeah.

I'm like, really?

Yeah. That's.

Everybody. Everybody. They want Cheryl.

O. Great.

I can do that. She's a very cheap guest. Cost a lot.

Yeah, that's true. I love the name, by the way. I'm a huge Parks and Rec fan.

Thank you.

I binged watched it with my older daughter during COVID So you brought a lot of joy to that time.

Thank you. I'm very proud of Parks and Rec and I. Yeah, thank you.

It's huge.

Thank you. It was a great, great, great group of people. Everybody loved each other and it was like you'd come home at the end of a long day and go, I didn't do anything today. I just hung out with my buddies and had fun.

Yeah, it was great. Had a good laugh.

Yeah.

That's awesome. So with your podcast, you strike me as someone who is really curious about how the world changes and adapts. And when you look back, are there examples how technology has evolved over the years to better support you or others in the industry?

Well, we're all living, obviously, in a world where technology is advancing so quickly and everybody is trying to find their place in it. And one of the things that I find myself being really interested in and wanting to help in whatever way I can is preparing people for what AI is going to mean to their lives. And in leading with hope and optimism as opposed to confusion and fear. And I have. My sons are both early 30s. They're established. Ish. So it'll be whatever it's going to be for them. But then I have nieces and nephews, and their. Their world will be unrecognizable to ours. And. And I just believe that it is. The shakeout we all know is going to be really challenging, but there are always going to be winners. Always, always, always, always. And if I had known early on in my acting career, when I started what the odds were, I don't know how I would have coped, what I would have done, but I had the sense of like, well, somebody's got to do it. Why not me? And that's kind of what I feel about where we're going in terms of technology, is that there are going to be new opportunities, new businesses, things unimagined. And if you come to it in a faithful place, as opposed to a fearful place, you're going to be way ahead of everybody else. So that's sort of what I actually spent a lot of time thinking about because things are changing so much, they're so fast. Yeah.

Well, you've really approached reinvention throughout your career, and you seem to me to be someone who embraces change.

Right.

How did you go about the reinvention through each stage?

Well, my business is very fickle, and it just chews people up and can spit them out. And I think that longevity is something I'm the most. One of the things I'm most proud of. And I think I'm fundamentally have tools that are fundamental to who I am. So I would say curiosity, like being curious, remaining open to new information, new ways of doing things.

Yes.

I would say the ability to pivot.

Yeah.

And the ability to stay in your lane in terms of what others are doing in recovery. I've been sober a long, long time, like 35 years, but who's counting? I am. Thanks. But in recovery, there's a great phrase, never compare your insides to someone else's outsides. So for me, what that is is when I did the West Wing, for example, that was 1999, and it was a time where it was still considered down market to come from movies and be on television. Hard to believe now because everybody's on television. But it was a thing, a real thing. And I'm just not a person that was like, oh, well, that means I'm not a movie star anymore. And what's that gonna mean? And what are they. And what if Martin Scorsese is casting a movie? He's not gonna wanna and get caught up in what others are thinking. So those things are absolute must haves to adapting and being able to reinvent yourself. There's probably other stuff too, but those are the main ones. At least for me. They have been.

Yeah. I think that's really helpful, is kind of staying true to yourself and your core abilities and then moving through the changes.

And also, I also think a lot about, you know, there are a lot of great actors, there are a lot of great authors, there are a lot of great podcasters. So a lot of guys and gals can do what I do, but I try to think of what are the things that only I can do do. And so it's. The phrase I use is don't just do what you can do, do what only you can do. And I spent a lot of time thinking about that as well. And when I come to places like this, I always try to sort of think about what I've been through, what I'm thinking about, where I want to go and how that could be actionable.

Yeah.

For people who aren't in my business.

Yeah. You're very versatile, too.

I try.

Yeah.

Curiosity.

Curiosity.

Yes. Well, the game shows, a perfect idea. I mean, there is a world where, like, if you were on a game show, you were out of the business, man. I mean, there is a little bit. I got to be honest, there's a little bit of that now where, like, if I ran into, I don't know if I'm sitting talking to, you know, Leonardo DiCaprio. Yeah. I'm working for Christopher Nolan, man. I'm like, oh, great. What are you doing, Rob? I'm like, ah, You see my game.

Show.

But it's like, I dig it and I learn on it. I get to interact with people. I get to change people's lives with the money. And the real thing I love is that in a world where your kids are playing Roblox and you're watching something on Netflix, families watch the floor together. And that's a real rarity. And I love that so much.

That's great. And speaking of Netflix, I recently watched Inside the Mind of a Dog, and it's a documentary about the scientific and emotional insights of our beloved dogs, including service dogs. And my father was paraplegic and he had. He utilized a wheelchair and had service animals throughout his life. Service dogs. And so to watch this and see the science and the rigor behind that training was so cool, wasn't that amazing.

The service dog training?

Yes.

I mean, of course they have training, but it never occurred to me until I did this documentary what that's like. And now some of them don't make it.

I know my dad had one that didn't make it.

Really?

And he was so sad.

You wanna see sad? When they tell the service dog, sorry, didn't make it. You didn't make it.

What drew you to doing this project?

I love dogs. I've got six of them.

Wow.

Apparently, don't tell anybody. I'm breaking a California statute. If you have more than five. You have to have a kennel license, apparently.

Really?

I didn't know that. Yes, I have six dogs. Love my dogs. And again, curiosity. You know, I was super interested in the. I love documentaries and I was really interested in the. In the area when they. When they came to me. And it's. It's performed really well. People like it.

Yeah, it's really fascinating. It is fun. And you've also been involved with the Global Down Syndrome foundations, Be Bold or Be Beautiful, Be Yourself fashion show.

Yeah.

What drew you to that and what did that experience mean to you?

First of all, they know how to walk the Runway. I mean, that. That was the best. And I've worked a lot over the years with charities for people with intellectual disabilities. Whether it's Best Buddies is a big one for me. I've been an ambassador for them for forever. And that's through my relationship with Maria Shriver, who's going to be in one of these chairs tomorrow. And, you know, being able to give back. And again, it's. Everybody says giving back and we all love. That's great. The part of it for me is the connection with people that I might not otherwise come across. And being able to. To be inspired by the courage of people who face a kind of adversity that would be unimaginable to me. And so I always come away so much more pumped up and so much more full that I'm the one who gets everything out of it. I feel like.

Gives you a totally different perspective.

Yeah, 100%.

Yeah. And then you mentioned this before, but speaking of causes you've been connected to, you've been open about being sober and having 30 plus years of sobriety. Yes.

Again, thank you. I'll take the applause.

Why not?

I'm not too proud.

Yeah. I'm also sober and we have a community here at Salesforce. It's a subset of Abilityforce.

Oh, wow, that's great. Awesome.

Yep. Sober force. And it provides Community and connection for those who are sober. Sober communities.

That's amazing. That's great.

Yeah.

Next year I gotta come to that.

That would be wonderful.

Yes.

You have a sober mix and mingle. Yeah, 100%. What do you do to help foster connection and community in your own life or for others who are.

It's my favorite thing to do is to talk to folks who are interested in struggling with drug, alcohol, any type of addiction because it's all the same. Addiction is the same regardless of whether it's gambling, sex, food, alcohol, it's all the same. And I again, no matter what walk of life, what you do, what you've accomplished, where you live, the minute you get in a community like that, you're just like everybody else. And you know, today was so much out there that wants to divide us or does divide us. Anything that brings people together I'm a big fan of. So. But I particularly like working with adolescents because my days of parenting are kind of over and so anytime I get my hands on like a 16 year old is, you know, starting. Because the other thing is those kids all have to figure out their relationships with drugs and alcohol. That's part of growing up. And everybody is gonna fall and do too much and it doesn't mean you have a problem. But like, and I'm not talking outta school, my son is very open about it. My son has got almost eight years sober now. But I knew he was one of us at the time. I was like, oh yeah buddy, uh huh, yeah, sure. He'd just be like, oh, go, go, go, go. And so being able to talk to other parents about it because it's hard, you know, it's really, really, really hard to raise teenagers.

It's really hard.

Male, female, doesn't make any difference. Towards the end of it I was like, you ever see those like running backs who get an open field and they're just ripping and they get, they, you know, they weave their way through the field and finally they get to the five yard line and they almost fall over. That's what I felt like raising kids. I was like, like I was like, it's almost at the end zone.

Yeah.

And I was like, uncle, I give yes.

Because they just, I got three teenage daughters so I hear you, I hear you very loud and clear. I'm not sure I'm going to make it.

It's a siege.

Yeah.

But now of course that it's over, I miss it. So anytime I can help, I can help adolescents. I love being able to do that.

That's Wonderful. Yeah. I appreciate it.

Because it's the best life ever. Being in recovery.

Yeah. Agree.

Because the very things that make us. What's the word I'm looking for. Great addicts can also make you great in recovery. And I'm a big believer that our flaws are also our superpowers.

Yeah.

If they're harnessed in the right direction. And that's really true in recovery because I'm selfish. I'm competitive selfish. Self centered is the same thing. Right. Because I get a lot of that. So. Yeah.

Doubling up on it.

Yeah. Double. I got it. Double barrels. So that kind of thinking keep. Keeps me sober. Like I'm not giving up my days for anybody.

I can relate to that.

Right. So, yeah, it's. It's. It's all about how you manage your. Your flaws.

Yes. Into your superpowers. Yeah, I love that. So overall, looking across your career, you've navigated this invisible disability, embracing emerging technologies. You explore various genres and platforms, and how have these experiences shaped your views on inclusion, empathy, and the power of storytelling.

Listen, it's our greatest gift as humans is the. The ability to communicate and tell stories. And I will always say that storytelling is the most important thing ever. Because, you know, the first caveman that said, hey, you know, that lake's got a crocodile in it, or whatever, that was a very important story for his tribe. And those who didn't know how to tell that story paid the consequence. It's over there. It's kind of that other thing. And then the other guy told the story in a great way. When you really think about it, it's funny, it's true. And more than ever, because we're able to tell stories on so many different platforms and in so many different ways with so much outreach, it's more important than ever. So I feel like it's a huge honor to be a storyteller. I do it in my books, I do it in the podcasts, I do it in things like this. And I try to embolden people to follow their own superpower. And I'm a big believer in apprenticeship and I'm a big believer in finding people that you admire and shadowing, being near them, listening to them, learning from them. So much is now. I mean, it's a great. It's like, if you could. If I could, like, spend an hour learning from chat GBT and an hour learning from a human being, like, that would be the ideal day from Both. For both. Oh, yeah. Both. Oh, yeah. Both.

Okay.

100%.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Relatable Yeah.

I think you need. You need both. And that's why bringing young folks up and having them be in your orbit to teach them is really important.

Yeah, that's great. Who would you want to. Who's your. If you're the Apprentice, who's.

Oh, wow. I mean, again, I'm super interested in this world that you all are living in. So I've been really blessed to have some great mentors that I get to learn from, whether it's Marc Andreessen or, you know, folks like that. You know, Super. And Mark's one of my great. He's been on the podcast, I think, twice now. Yeah, he's amazing. And it's a world I come. I came to with absolutely no knowledge, but with a huge amount of curiosity, and it's changed my life. And I want to be a part very much of where the world is going, because storytelling is going to be a huge part of it.

Huge part.

And so, yeah, mentors are important no matter where or who you are.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. So as AI continues to transform entertainment, what excites you most about its potential to expand, either, like, inclusion or for the audience?

Well, the inclusion element is amazing because when I started out, when I was a little kid, we made backyard movies, and it was 8 millimeter films, which was expensive. We had to edit them in camera because there was no editing equipment. So now, obviously, anybody can. There's no excuse for a filmmaker to not make their own movie. Make it now. You can make it now. Anybody, no matter where you're from. All over the world, new filmmakers and storytellers have entree that is unimaginable. And that's the greatest advantage of the new technology for, like, traditional Hollywood. Everybody's dying. They are so scared and trying to figure it out. And it's this tsunami. And I would honestly say that 75% of the legacy movie and TV industry are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic because it's worked for them, and they're gonna milk the last few miles out of that Edmund Fitzgerald before that thing sinks, because why not? As opposed to take a couple of steps back and reinvent and do all that hard work when they're gonna be out of it in five years anyway. So it's amazing the amount of unnecessary pushback in my industry. But there's also, obviously, a lot of things that we have to figure out. The rights issues, the licensing, amino. All of that stuff needs to be figured out. But there are folks who are just like, no, as Opposed to. No, no, no, no. Sora can use me, but they're going to pay me. X, Y. You know what I'm saying? There needs to be. It's like anything else. Why can't we just have dialogues? People have to be so entrenched in their camp. Right. And there very much is an anti AI tech bias in the artistic community. And it's like, listen, painters were worried when photography happened. You think about. Were they? And they go, oh, they were. And it's just going to be something new.

Yeah. So curiosity again.

Curiosity. And don't be fearful.

Don't be fearful.

Yeah. And no, someone's going to win. Might as well be you.

Yeah. Could be me.

Could be you. Could actually be you. Or you. Or you or you.

So what's something that you're working on or excited about putting out next? And I did see something about the Secret Satisfaction Service.

Yeah, I've been. It's funny. I've never been busier in my. In my entire. I've had a. I've had a. I've had a show on the air every year since 1999, uninterrupted. Crazy, right? I mean, it's like, that's incredible. I know. It's like I have a Secret Service show that I'm developing. I like to do things that I want to watch. Like, I want to watch. Where's that Jack Bauer Secret Service show? I'm so down. Like, I know I'll make it. So I have that. I have a. A show about the Coast Guard, about Coast Guard introductions. And I've never seen a show about the Coast Guard.

No.

And then I have a comedy where I would play like a. I love sports. So I play like a sportscaster who, you know now because of, you know, all of the new social media platforms, is maybe a little behind the times and has to re up his game. That's a comedy. And I'm finishing my third book called what Do I Know, A Guide to Living. But it's cool. It's literally everything from, like, how to take a good picture. You have no idea. People are like, can I take a picture? I'm like, yeah, why don't we turn towards the light? Right. So it's everything from, like, really tiny, actionable stuff like that. You're like, of course. To, you know, marriage and kids and sobriety. And so I'm overdue for my deadline, but I'm going to get it done.

I can't wait.

Yeah, it'll be fun.

Well, thank you so much for being here. Thank you. This has been amazing for me. The best highlight out of all the 19 years. I'm like, really appreciate your time. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you. You guys are awesome.

Thank.

You.