Goldman Sachs
Showing 976–990 of 1297 transcripts.
- 17 min
Leda Braga, CEO of Systematica Investments
Leida built a career spanning engineering, investment banking, and venture capital before founding Systematica, a quantitative trading firm that currently employs over 100 staff across five offices. The firm is actively converting discretionary strategies into systematic models to improve risk measurement while addressing gender diversity gaps through cultural reforms and flexible trading approaches. Looking ahead, leadership prioritizes succession planning to ensure the institution can operate independently of the founder as the industry navigates challenging market conditions.
- 30 min
Dr. Mark Esper, US Secretary of Defense
Mark Esper, the 27th U.S. Secretary of Defense, prioritizes reforming the Department of Defense to eliminate bureaucratic inertia while directing strategic focus against China, Russia, and Iran. Under his leadership, the department manages a $738 billion budget and a global force of 2.3 million personnel, balancing military operations like the elimination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi with a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran and growing great power competition. Esper's leadership philosophy rejects consensus-driven decision-making in favor of soliciting minority views, aiming to leverage military skills for private sector efficiency while maintaining vigilance against authoritarian regimes and cyber threats.
- 32 min
Rick Atkinson, Author of "The British Are Coming"
Fredrik Logevall is launching *The British Are Coming*, the first volume of a projected three-part history of the American Revolution that recontextualizes the conflict through newly accessed Georgian archives and a detailed examination of George Washington's strategic, rather than tactical, leadership. The narrative challenges traditional assumptions by detailing the brutal reality of the war, including the catastrophic British underestimation of colonial sentiment, the high mortality rates on prison ships, and the pivotal role of Benedict Arnold's delayed campaign in securing French intervention. This 15-year project aims to demonstrate that American independence was a contingent outcome reliant on specific geopolitical circumstances and Washington's unique ability to unify a fractured population under civilian military command.
- 17 min
Stuart J. Russell, Author of "Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control"
Stuart J. Russell, Jo Hannaford
Stuart Russell, a co-head of the Engineering Division in Europe and veteran computer science professor at UC Berkeley, outlines the trajectory of artificial intelligence from early computational limitations to modern achievements in speech recognition and autonomous driving. He argues that while AI systems now rival human performance in specific tasks, their integration necessitates solving complex value alignment challenges to balance individual preferences against societal well-being without imposing universal moral frameworks. Russell proposes a design philosophy where AI models billions of distinct human preferences while explicitly excluding negative altruism, ultimately aiming to guide long-term human welfare without overriding external stakeholders or fundamental human agency.
- 28 min
Eric Foner, Historian and Author of "The Second Founding"
Historian Eric Foner characterizes the Reconstruction era as a "second founding" where the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments fundamentally transformed the Constitution by establishing birthright citizenship, national equality, and federal protection of individual rights. Although modern scholarship rejects the early 20th-century "Dunning School" view that framed this period as a failed experiment, Foner argues that contemporary interpretations of these amendments continue to reflect evolving societal values regarding voting and civil rights. While the Supreme Court eventually eviscerated these protections to legitimize segregation, historical records from the era show that Black leaders and politicians consistently advocated for a robust federal role in safeguarding the new democratic framework.
- 30 min
Former Ambassador Susan Rice, Author of "Tough Love"
Former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice discusses the strategic implications of al-Baghdadi's death, the trauma of the Benghazi crisis, and her leadership of the Obama administration's all-female National Security Council team. She details how her childhood resilience and early career decisions shaped a management style that balanced aggressive security actions with diplomatic nuance. The discussion concludes with her assessment of U.S.-China relations, where she warns that America risks losing a long-term strategic endurance contest against Beijing without a radical shift in American resolve.
- 24 min
Kirsten Green, Founding Partner of Forerunner Ventures
Forerunner Ventures founder Kirsten Green leveraged early wins like Dollar Shave Club and earlyjoints.com to build a strategy focused on identifying founders who address consumer friction through digital agility and ethical branding. Concurrently, she co-founded All Raise to combat systemic disparities in the industry by increasing the representation of female general partners and supporting diverse entrepreneurs through mentorship and capital allocation advocacy. Green's approach emphasizes operational transparency and the necessity of adapting to a saturated market by backing leaders who can compel stakeholders to join their vision before securing funding.
- 18 min
Koby Altman, General Manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Starting in the 2017–2018 season, former Middlebury College basketball player Kobe Bryant assumed the role of General Manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers to oversee a data-driven rebuild led by owner Dan Gilbert. Bryant prioritized a cultural mandate centered on work ethic and location commitment while embedding analytics specialists into the coaching staff and implementing rigorous youth development protocols to maximize player potential. Facing a roster without star power, Bryant is utilizing the team's rebuilding phase to execute a 35-year vision that focuses on sustainable growth, innovative hiring practices including the franchise's first female assistant coach, and the creation of a high-performance ecosystem for all staff.
- 29 min
Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia
Bob Pittman transformed media by pioneering data-driven radio programming, securing the capital to launch MTV as the first profitable basic cable network, and later revolutionizing iHeartMedia through a companionship-focused digital strategy that now leads the commercial podcasting sector. His leadership methodology integrates behavioral economics with a culture of "welcoming dissent" to foster innovation, drawing on crisis management lessons from Six Flags to navigate complex operational challenges across AOL, Time Warner, and modern digital platforms. Today, Pittman continues to bridge the gap between analytics and creative storytelling through his podcast *Math and Magic*, applying these principles to build resilient, data-centric organizations.
- 19 min
Julia Hartz, Co-Founder and CEO of Eventbrite
Following a two-year bootstrapped inception, Eventbrite co-founders Julia and Kevin Hartz scaled a self-service event platform that powered four million global events and sold over 300 million tickets. The company secured Sequoia Capital investment in 2009 after navigating initial funding rejections, eventually transitioning to a public listing that clarified its mission and distributed operational model. Today, the leadership team maintains rigorous customer engagement and investor transparency to navigate public market volatility while sustaining a diverse, globally inclusive workforce.
- 25 min
Episode 140: Why Startups Shouldn’t All Be Pitched As “Tech Companies”
Jake Siewert, Gregg Lemkau, Brynn Putnam, Ryan Petersen
At the Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators Conference, over 100 global entrepreneurs, including Mirror CEO Bryn Putnam and Flexport COO Ryan Peterson, presented strategies for scaling high-growth businesses in an investment climate focused on total addressable market and long-term profitability. Putnam outlined Mirror's pivot toward a SaaS and media valuation model to diversify beyond hardware, while Peterson detailed Flexport's transition from aggressive expansion to unit economics profitability within the sclerotic global logistics sector. Participants and panelists emphasized that future success depends on rigorous fundraising discipline, the ability to navigate complex regulatory environments, and a founder mindset driven by market frustration rather than wealth accumulation.
- 18 min
Gwyneth Paltrow, Founder and CEO of goop
Gwyneth Paltross founded Goop in 2008, evolving the business from a London newsletter into a sustainable global organization with 250 employees that prioritizes organic growth over venture capital pressure. The brand has historically pioneered wellness trends like the gluten-free market while correcting early validation errors to ensure clean, efficacious products that empower individual consumer choice. Paltross now leverages mentorship and a decentralized leadership culture to guide the company's future strategy in contextual commerce while actively supporting female entrepreneurs who face capital allocation disparities.
- 26 min
Patrick Radden Keefe, Author of "Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland"
Author Patrick Radenkeef's book investigates the abduction and murder of Jean McConville in 1972, tracing the involvement of IRA paramilitaries Dolours Price and Gerry Adams through the lens of the Boston College oral history controversy. The narrative details how Adams utilized strategic denial to facilitate the Good Friday Agreement while former foot soldiers like Price felt alienated by the resulting power-sharing compromise that halted the push for unification. With Brexit reigniting physical border tensions, the account concludes that despite the end of the thirty-year Troubles, the unresolved nature of past crimes and renewed geopolitical friction suggest the current peace remains fragile.
- 28 min
Scott Kupor, Managing Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz was founded to reshape the venture capital landscape by providing extensive post-investment support that preserves founder-CEO leadership rather than merely offering capital. The firm leverages a specialized 66-person support network to connect startups with corporate decision-makers, accelerate talent acquisition, and drive marketing visibility, resulting in a portfolio that disproportionately contributes to U.S. R&D and job creation. While acknowledging structural shifts such as deflated startup costs and the elongation of private market tenures, the firm maintains a high-risk investment strategy focused on massive scale potential while actively addressing diversity gaps through targeted funding initiatives and board partnerships.
- 31 min
Adam Rippon, Author of "Beautiful on the Outside"
Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon released his memoir, *Beautiful on the Outside*, to document his journey from a physically undersized child to a 2018 team medalist who redefined athletic success through radical authenticity. The narrative details his evolution from a youth ostracized in team sports to a 2018 competitor who leveraged vulnerability during the Games to support teammates and challenge industry norms regarding LGBTQ+ representation. Rippon ultimately transitioned from defining himself by podium finishes to embracing his identity as a media personality and entertainer.