Latest Interviews
Showing 136–150 of 1,573 transcripts.
Clear all filtersInside the Factory Using Rocks & Sunlight to Fix AI's Power Problem | Exowatt
ExoWatt is developing a modular "solar backbone" called the ExaWatt P3 to provide dispatchable baseload power for AI data centers at a target cost of $0.01 per kilowatt-hour. The company utilizes Fresnel lenses to heat domestic materials to extreme temperatures, driving Stirling engines that eliminate reliance on imported minerals or unstable natural gas grids. Backed by $140 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sam Altman, ExoWatt currently holds a backlog exceeding 10 gigawatts while expanding its manufacturing and testing operations in Miami.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
Why Aren’t Investors More Worried?
Dominic Wilson, Allison Nathan
Despite a sharp market reversal triggered by news of a potential U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the S&P 500 has recovered toward pre-conflict levels as investors discount prolonged escalation risks in favor of a rapid negotiation timeline. Dominic Wilson highlights a critical divergence where equity markets price in economic tolerance while rates markets remain hawkish on inflation, prompting a strategic approach that combines selective long-risk exposure in technology and commodities with aggressive hedging against downside tail events. This cyclical strategy urges investors to capitalize on volatility-driven pullbacks by reinforcing core positions in favorable regions like Japan and Korea while maintaining protection against persistent energy supply disruptions.
- a16z29 min
Ben Horowitz on AI Anxiety, Big Tech Transitions & The Future of Startups | a16z
This analysis details a critical transition where AI development is being constrained by US infrastructure deficits in energy and memory rather than software or hardware capacity alone. Experts highlight a market paradigm shift where software moats erode rapidly and venture capital pivots from application-layer bets toward rebuilding physical industrial assets. The discussion further connects these challenges to a convergence of cryptography and AI, emphasizing how blockchain will enable machine-to-machine economies while verifying human identity against deepfakes.
- Goldman Sachs33 min
Holocaust Survivors on Hope, Survival, and the Responsibility to Remember
Bernie Schanzer, Sheara Fredman
Brothers Henry and Bernie Shanzer recount their survival of the Holocaust as hidden children in Belgium and France, relying on their mother and four French rescuers who sheltered them from arrest and deportation during World War II. Despite their father's death in Convoy 27 and initial betrayal by a caretaker, the boys were saved through a network of false documents and hidden on farms before reuniting with their family in 1945, earning posthumous "Righteous Among the Nations" recognition for their saviors. The speakers emphasize the ongoing relevance of their testimony by linking historical persecution to modern anti-Semitic violence, urging the audience to maintain active vigilance and moral courage to prevent future atrocities.
- Goldman Sachs31 min
Reimagining Biopharma: Precision Medicine, Patients, and Purpose with Takeda CEO-Elect
Takeda's Board unanimously appointed Julie Kim as the incoming President and CEO, effective June 2026, to steer the $30 billion pharmaceutical giant through a strategic overhaul centered on AI-driven discovery and organic growth. During her incoming tenure, Kim plans to leverage the company's Japanese headquarters for geopolitical flexibility while navigating complex regulatory hurdles regarding Chinese clinical data and U.S. pricing structures. Her leadership strategy emphasizes "market innovation" to improve patient access and utilizes a "giving people an A" philosophy to accelerate talent development within the organization.
- Goldman Sachs27 min
Iran Ceasefire: What’s next for markets?
Tony Pasquariello, Joshua Schiffrin, Dominic Wilson, Josh
Markets have transitioned into a post-ceasefire phase where equity drawdowns were capped near 10% and earnings growth remains robust, despite oil prices shifting to a permanent $78–$80 level that creates a new inflation baseline. Central banks now face a dual mandate dilemma that likely forces policy stasis, while hedge funds outperformed traditional portfolios by capitalizing on AI-driven CapEx and commodity-exposed emerging markets. Strategic allocations favor maintaining downside hedges and holding core assets like the Nasdaq and U.S. dollar as geopolitical realignments in the Gulf States and U.S.-China relations drive continued volatility through year-end.
- Goldman Sachs22 min
Sir Sadiq Khan on London’s Global Edge—and What Comes Next
Sir Sadiq Khan, Kunal Shah, Sadiq Khan
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan emphasizes the capital's economic dominance by highlighting its £42 billion annual contribution to the UK Treasury while advocating for strategic devolution of powers to foster non-zero-sum regional growth. His administration aggressively targets five frontier sectors including AI and quantum computing, simultaneously deploying an inclusive talent strategy to prepare residents for rapid technological disruption. These economic initiatives are supported by tangible achievements in infrastructure, such as expanded safe cycling networks and five years of frozen transport fares, alongside historic improvements in air quality and public safety that have surpassed international peers.
A Rare Look Inside Applied Intuition’s Physical AI Garage
Qasar Younis, Peter Ludwig, Molly O'Shea
Applied Intelligence deploys a unified end-to-end AI platform across six industrial sectors, serving 18 of the top 20 global automakers and the U.S. military with solutions for autonomous mining, trucking, and maritime operations. Led by CEO Peter Ruch, the company modernizes legacy infrastructure by consolidating disparate electronics into single compute units, leveraging dual-use hardware to address acute labor shortages and safety crises in defense and heavy industry. Operating from 18 global sites while excluding China due to IP concerns, Applied Intelligence is currently commercializing Gen 2 autonomous trucks in Japan and expanding its "Physical AI" footprint into the Middle East and Latin America.
How Applied Intuition Reached $15B (Without Spending $1B)
Qasar Younis, Peter Ludwig, Molly O'Shea
Over a decade after raising more than $1 billion in capital from investors like Marc Andreessen and Hemant Taneja while maintaining profitability through organic revenue, this company has pivoted from a low-profile "cult classic" to an active public strategy to recruit top-tier engineering talent. The firm transitioned in 2017 from software tooling to foundational physical AI, recently demonstrating its operational velocity by retrofitting autonomous systems onto military Humvees in just ten days and expanding into global sectors including defense and trucking. By leveraging a dense network of over 40 founder-type engineers and prioritizing long-term strategic partnerships over short-term financial metrics, the organization aims to dominate the slower-diffusion markets of physical robotics where stability and real-world judgment are critical.
- a16z30 min
OpenClaw, Claude Code, and the Future of Software | Peter Yang on The a16z Show
Peter Yang demonstrates a highly personalized OpenCLAW agent architecture where a voice-centric interface, supported by a custom three-layer memory system and direct access to personal files, redefines the agent as a human-like companion rather than a mere utility. He predicts this shift will trigger an "app die-off" for task-oriented software, replacing traditional SaaS workflows with autonomous agents that execute complex operations while simultaneously transforming organizational structures by enabling small human teams to scale through fleets of specialized AI tools. Ultimately, Yang anticipates a market evolution where direct payment models supersede ad-based revenue, as AI drives higher productivity and catalyzes a return to entrepreneurship rather than widespread unemployment.
- Y Combinator21 min
BillionToOne Is Solving One of Biotech’s Hardest Problems
Jared Friedman, David Tsao, Oguzhan Atay
Billion to One, founded by PhD students Oguzhan and David, leverages proprietary synthetic DNA methods to detect rare cell-free DNA variations for prenatal screening and cancer liquid biopsies. Since its public listing with a valuation over $4 billion, the company has scaled its automated facility to process 600,000 tests annually and launched North Star Select for late-stage cancer treatment guidance. The firm now executes a strategic roadmap to address early-stage cancers through a capital-efficient progression from commercial adoption to population-wide screening, aiming to significantly reduce cancer mortality rates.
- a16z42 min
How Bots, Deepfakes and AI Agents Are Forcing a New Internet Identity Layer | Alex Blania on a16z
Alex Blania, Ben Horowitz, Erik Torenberg
World ID is deploying its Orb hardware and cryptographic protocols to verify unique human individuals against the rising threat of autonomous AI agents and deepfakes. With a strategic pivot targeting the U.S. market contingent on the "Clarity Act," the company aims to scale its 18 million verified users through mobile distribution models and enterprise partnerships like Tinder. This infrastructure seeks to secure democratic processes, financial systems, and social welfare by distinguishing biological humans from algorithmic impersonators.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
AI Exchanges: Power Problems?
Brian Singer, Alison Nathan, George Lee
Goldman Sachs projects a 220% surge in global data center power demand by 2030 as hyperscalers commit over $300 billion to infrastructure, a trajectory comparable to adding the world's sixth-largest power consumer to the grid. This aggressive expansion faces severe bottlenecks in skilled labor and transmission supply, forcing a near-term reliance on natural gas simple-cycle generators while industry leaders navigate regulatory hurdles and "agentic" AI traffic growth. Despite the high capital intensity and a potential $40 per megawatt-hour premium for green energy, major technology firms maintain robust balance sheets to fund these transition costs while seeking to decouple their power expenses from consumer utility rates.
- a16z27 min
How to Reorg After AI Changes Everything | Block's Owen Jennings on the a16z Show
Block reduced its workforce by over 40% with a specific focus on engineering and product roles to transition from a hierarchical model to an agentic, squad-based structure. This strategic pivot leverages proprietary tools like the "Goose" harness and autonomous "Builder Bot" to achieve productivity gains of up to 100x while maintaining P0 reliability and an intact compliance team. The company aims to redefine its competitive moat through deep domain data expertise and generative UI, anticipating a market expansion that offsets the reduction in traditional development headcount.
- Y Combinator31 min
This Startup Catches Fraud at Scale
Jared Friedman, Karine Mellata
Variance has officially exited stealth mode following a $21 million Series A round to commercialize AI agents that automate trust and safety infrastructure for Fortune 500 clients like GoFundMe and IAC. Founded by ex-Apple engineers Karine and Michael, the 12-person team leverages a unique "agentic" architecture to solve complex unstructured data problems in fraud detection and compliance without manual rule updates. Despite a 2024 leadership injury that threatened operations, the company is scaling its full-stack decisioning platform to replace traditional human review workflows with adaptive, self-healing systems designed to trace sophisticated abuse graphs.