Milken Institute
Showing 1741–1755 of 2077 transcripts.
- 1h 8m
25 Years After the Berlin Wall: Making Democracy Work in the Rest of Europe
Conrad Kieschel, J.D. Bindenagel, Markus Meckel, Janusz Onoskiewicz, Michael Sedlacek
To commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, a panel of historians and policymakers analyzed the Central European revolutions that successfully overturned totalitarian regimes through internal civil society rather than Western intervention. The discussion detailed the divergent economic reforms in Poland, East Germany, and the Czech Republic, while extending the analysis to contemporary challenges such as Ukraine's structural corruption and Russia's strategic narratives. Experts concluded that future stability in the region depends on strengthening the rule of law, securing energy independence, and maintaining a unified transatlantic alliance to counter rising nationalism.
- 1h 0m
Disruptive FinTech: A Look at Markets in Five Years
John Carney, Doug Atkin, Arjun, Laura Roden, Dave McClure, David Tedden
A diverse panel of venture capitalists and financial executives convened to evaluate the transformative trajectory of digital assets, mobile infrastructure, and alternative lending models across both established and emerging markets. The discussion highlighted a strategic shift from carrier-led payment networks to software platform dominance, while debating the potential of cryptocurrencies as precursors to institutional digital currency adoption despite current valuation skepticism. Speakers projected that regulatory arbitrage and advanced data scoring will soon enable significant disruption in SMB financing and wealth accessibility over the next two to five years, driven by tech giants acquiring fintech capabilities rather than traditional banks building them internally.
- 59 min
Why Tomorrow Won't Look Like Today: Things that Will Blow Your Mind
Eric Anderson, John Kelly, Eric David, Richard, Michael, Dr. John Kelly III
Representatives from Planetary Resources, Organovo, and IBM outlined a synergistic future where autonomous asteroid mining provides raw materials, 3D bioprinting creates regenerative medical tissues, and cognitive computing manages the data complexity of both sectors. The panel highlighted specific milestones, including near-term propellant depot launches in 2016, commercial drug-testing liver models, and AI systems designed to personalize cancer treatments. Validated by major investors like Larry Page and Richard Branson, these converging technologies aim to fundamentally transform global resource availability, healthcare outcomes, and the economics of deep-space exploration.
- 1h 1m
The 21st Century Workplace
Tammy Erickson, Beth Brooker, Raghu Krishnamoorthy, Lauren, Maynard
This event examines critical workforce demographic shifts, including gender parity and an aging population, which expose a paradox of high unemployment alongside four million unfillable jobs due to skills mismatches. Experts advocate replacing rigid hierarchical structures with inclusive leadership and continuous "feedforward" performance models to address systemic biases that undervalue diverse perspectives. The discussion concludes with strategic advice for organizations to build talent ecosystems that prioritize purpose-driven roles and for professionals to practice self-sponsorship and cross-generational connection to navigate a rapidly evolving global economy.
- 1h 0m
175 Years of Photography: The Impact of Images
Jim, Joe Tree, Tom Monroe, Linda Henkel, Mark Lubel, Mark Volpe
The event analyzes the exponential growth of global digital photography, noting that projected photo volumes will triple as smartphone adoption expands, creating unprecedented storage challenges for platforms like Facebook and Instagram. It examines how this surge has triggered cognitive side effects, such as the "photo-taking impairment effect," while simultaneously disrupting traditional journalism and archival standards through unverified user-generated content. Ultimately, the discussion highlights an emerging cultural split between disposable sharing and intentional preservation, urging a shift toward curated narratives and automated data management to mitigate the loss of historical and personal memory.
- 59 min
Crosscurrents in Latin American Business
Kate Ambrose, Angelica Fuentes, Eduardo Lins Enrique, Luis Valdez, Luis Carlos Villegas
Panelists from the Pacific Alliance and major financial institutions outlined a regional investment strategy shifting from opportunistic trading to long-term stakes in sectors like healthcare, infrastructure, and technology, driven by a middle class that has grown to 30% of the population. While countries such as Mexico, Chile, and Colombia offer extraordinary growth potential through market integration and institutional maturity, speakers warned that Argentina and Venezuela remain high-risk due to populist cycles and that Brazil faces a necessary correction to resolve economic imbalances. Key figures including Luis Valdez, Kate Ambrose, and Ambassador Villegas emphasized that successful capital allocation requires deep localization and a focus on bridging citizen inequality in services like education and security rather than merely chasing short-term gains.
- 59 min
The Highs - and Lows - of the Cannabis Economy
Mike Zaplin, Todd Denkin, Craig Ellens, Sue Rouchet, Michael Kraft, Doug Praw, Deepak Chopra, Peter Janssen, Tommy Lasorda, Chief Justice Roberts, Greg
A panel of industry leaders and public health advocates argues that the cannabis sector is transitioning from an unregulated "pirate" economy to "Cannabis 2.0," a professionalized model led by scientific innovation and standardized regulation. Speakers including Mike Zaplin, Craig Ellens, and Todd Denkin emphasize the urgent need for sterile cultivation technologies, comprehensive lab testing, and trade schools to replace the current 98% THC-only testing landscape, while public health expert Sue Rouchet warns of severe risks regarding adolescent brain development and future addiction costs. As federal enforcement priorities clarify banking access and international markets like Canada offer uniform frameworks, the consensus calls for a "medicine-first" approach to prevent legal liabilities and ensure the industry evolves into a compliant, brand-centric pharmaceutical standard.
- 1h 1m
The Future of Higher Education
President Obama, Secretary Duncan, Steve, Janet, Joe, Rob, Barry, Gene
Panelists from George Washington University, the University of California, and Northeastern University discussed a shifting higher education landscape defined by $80 million public health investments, a reversal of state funding reliance, and the adoption of output-based success models. The discussion highlighted critical systemic challenges, including stagnant graduation rates, a reliance on adjunct faculty, and the risk that low-income students face a "reverse digital divide" while facing restrictive new regulations. Experts concluded that to avoid obsolescence, institutions must disrupt traditional vertical integration by decoupling research, teaching, and credentialing while advocating for a unified response to federal policy changes that threaten the viability of public higher education.
- 1h 3m
The Data Science Revolution
Tim O'Reilly, Frank Adante, Tim Donke, Keith Collins, Michael Woods
At the 2014 O'Reilly Strata conference, industry leaders from Rubicon Project, eBay, SAS, and IASDI discussed how big data is shifting from simple volume analysis to complex, real-time applications across sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and advertising. The panel highlighted a technical pivot toward in-memory computing and algorithmic cross-pollination to operationalize insights while addressing critical challenges in data privacy, security, and the distinction between correlation and causality. Ultimately, the event concluded that the future of data science relies on enterprises owning their processing while trusting "black box" algorithms to drive predictive maintenance, precision medicine, and automated decision-making.
- 1h 0m
Aging: The Next Global Investing Opportunity
Roger Baumgart, John Beard, Katherine Collinson, Michael Hoden, Paul Irving
As the global population rapidly ages, a $7.1 trillion U.S. Longevity Economy is emerging to challenge traditional retirement models and workforce structures. Industry leaders, venture capitalists, and policymakers are increasingly rebranding older consumers as a dynamic market segment, driving innovation in digital health, age-friendly infrastructure, and extended-career opportunities. This demographic shift is compelling corporations to redesign benefits and products for inclusive use, transforming aging from a perceived burden into a primary engine for future economic growth.
- 1h 4m
The Road to Profit in Alternative Fuels
Joel Kurtzman, James Cameron, Yossi Hollander, Chris Hostetter, Andrew Littlefair, Paul Tellis, Zan Dubin-Scott, Tanner Krause, Rajiv Nair, Ahmed Heikal
A panel of industry leaders from the Milken Institute, Toyota, and Clean Energy Fuels evaluated the strategic investment potential and infrastructure needs for a diversified portfolio of alternative transportation fuels. Speakers detailed specific roadmaps, including Toyota's 2015 hydrogen fuel cell vehicle launch and Clean Energy Fuels' expansion into the heavy-duty trucking sector, while advocates for the Fuel Freedom Foundation emphasized the economic advantages of multi-fuel options like ethanol and methanol. The group concluded that policy frameworks must evolve to support a non-monopolistic market where regional resources dictate the adoption of hydrogen, natural gas, or liquid fuel blends rather than a single universal technology.
- 53 min
Inventing the Impossible
Ken Rakowski, Akon, Elan Lee, Ralph Simon, Sasha Strauss
Hosted at the Milken Global Conference, the "Inventing the Impossible" panel featured Ken Rakowski, Elan Lee, Ralph Simon, Sasha Strauss, and Akon to demonstrate how rapid technological advancement and creative storytelling have transformed previously unachievable feats into global realities. The discussion highlighted transformative outcomes such as the democratization of finance through M-Pesa in Africa, the merging of physical and digital narratives to drive civic engagement, and the emergence of low-cost medical diagnostics and cryptocurrency that bypass traditional infrastructure. Ultimately, the speakers concluded that by prioritizing accessibility, leveraging crowdsourcing, and accelerating the speed of iteration, innovators are shrinking the timeline for breakthroughs while fundamentally altering human behavior and societal systems.
- 55 min
Entertainment: The Big Picture
Janice Min, Jeff Schell, Nancy Dubuque, Bobby Kotick
Industry leaders including CBS's Les Moonves, Universal's Jeff Schell, and Activision Blizzard's Bobby Kotick affirmed robust growth prospects for entertainment, citing surging international demand, digital expansion, and the strategic necessity of owning original intellectual property. Executives outlined concrete shifts in business models such as A&E's pivot to scripted ownership, CBS's replacement of David Letterman with Stephen Colbert, and Disney's $500 million acquisition of Maker Studios to secure YouTube distribution rights. Despite regulatory battles over digital rights and concerns about content saturation, panelists maintained that high-quality storytelling and diverse portfolios drive value across theatrical, streaming, and interactive platforms.
- 1h 1m
Russia: A Business Opportunity Wrapped in a Mystery?
Alex Kolor, Stephen Hellman, Sean Glodek, Jim Gansinger, Michael Kuchment, Dima Kovacharovskyi
Moderated by Alex Kolor, this panel featured Credit Suisse's Stephen Hellman, RDIF's Sean Glodek, and industry leaders like Subway's Jim Gansinger and MVideo's Michael Kuchment to evaluate Russia's economic resilience following new sanctions. Despite market volatility and potential blowback from Visa and MasterCard withdrawals, participants argued that depressed asset prices and a shift toward Asian capital create distinct investment opportunities for private equity and retail sectors. The discussion highlighted specific strategies for navigating currency devaluation and geopolitical friction while positioning Russia as a future global consumer market despite short-term contractions.
- 55 min
The View from Institutional Investors: Where Will Returns Come From?
Christopher Ellman, Jane Modelo, Kei-Ping Ling, Seesma Hingorani, Jerry Albright, Michael Sabian
Representing approximately $1.5 trillion in combined institutional assets, major funds including Harvard, the China Investment Corporation, and various public pension plans discussed portfolio strategies to balance long-term horizons against short-term performance pressures. Speakers detailed diverse approaches to direct investing, highlighting Harvard's internal natural resource initiatives, the China Investment Corporation's reliance on co-investments, and the specific constraints faced by New York City and Texas in acquiring talent and accessing alternative assets. The panel concluded by identifying fixed income challenges, European distressed opportunities, and emerging market valuations as critical forward-looking themes for these global investors.