Latest Interviews
Showing 151–165 of 212 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs29 min
Samarth Kulkarni, CEO, CRISPR Therapeutics
Samarth Kulkarni, Dr. Sam Kulkarni
Dr. Sam Kulkarni of CRISPR Therapeutics outlines a pivotal industry shift where the convergence of delivery systems and genome-editing technology enables a transition from chronic symptom management to one-time curative procedures for rare and common diseases. By leveraging a highly specific RNA passcode to mitigate off-target risks, the company is advancing both ex vivo and in vivo therapies, successfully treating blood disorders while expanding into metabolic conditions and sustainable agriculture. This strategic execution has allowed CRISPR Therapeutics to raise $3.5 billion and maintain an aggressive R&D focus despite a broader biotech market correction, positioning the firm to deliver the first wave of permanent genetic cures within the next decade.
- a16z40 min
Unlocking Creativity with Prompt Engineering
Guy Parsons and other experts describe prompt engineering as a rapidly evolving creative discipline where users must master natural language mapping to guide AI models trained on vast image archives. While tools like Dolly and Midjourney offer distinct capabilities for generating commercial assets and exploring novel aesthetics, practitioners face stochastic variability and technical limitations such as hand generation failures that require iterative refinement or post-processing in traditional software. The field is poised to bifurcate into generalist users and specialist "10x" experts who craft hidden, complex prompts to unlock high-fidelity outputs for enterprise applications ranging from e-commerce to game development.
- The Economist26 min
Putin's hidden war: the Russians fighting back
Following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin intensified its transition to complete tyranny by systematically purging dissent, blocking 250 media channels, and neutralizing opposition figures like Alexei Navalny. In response to this repression and a subsequent partial military mobilization that prompted 750,000 citizens to flee, activists shifted from mass protests to individual acts of defiance and digital resistance while abroad. As the regime maintains internal control despite conflicting casualty estimates, analysts and activists such as Marina Litvinovich argue that political change will likely depend on a future shift in public perception driven by battlefield losses rather than domestic unrest.
- Goldman Sachs31 min
What’s ahead for economies and markets in 2023?
Jan Hatzius, Dominic Wilson, Alison Nathan
Goldman Sachs projects a 35% probability of a U.S. recession in 2023 despite a baseline forecast for positive growth driven by cooling inflation and a labor market correction via reduced job openings. The firm anticipates Federal Reserve funds rates peaking between 5% and 5.25% by May, followed by a pause and potential cuts in late 2024 as inflation targets 3%. While U.S. equity valuations remain constrained by tight labor and rich pricing, emerging markets and Europe offer deeper discounts supported by anticipated global growth recovery and a structurally weakening dollar.
- Y Combinator29 min
The Secrets To Setting Smarter Goals
Michael Seibel, Dalton Caldwell, Michael Saibo
Founders who establish goals lacking strategic substance or rely on vanity metrics often incur "stupid prizes" such as loss of control, unsustainable burn rates, and irreversible reputational damage. The event details how aggressive targets, fake success narratives, and unethical shortcuts lead to catastrophic outcomes including board intervention, mass layoffs, and customer fraud. Conversely, the analysis emphasizes that disciplined, reality-based goal setting transforms founders into effective execution machines while fostering a culture of genuine organizational growth.
- The Economist20 min
The World Ahead 2023: five stories to watch out for
Tom Standage, John Lubecki, Silvia Wardrobes, Inotye Ogbebo
India surpassed China to become the world's most populous nation in April 2023, presenting a potential demographic dividend that relies on resolving structural issues like low female labor participation and inadequate worker training. Simultaneously, the global medical and financial sectors face significant shifts as three psychedelic drugs advance toward regulatory approval for mental health conditions while the Bank of Japan's unconventional monetary policy creates risks for worldwide market stability. Major developments in 2023 also include the fashion industry's pivot toward circular economy practices to reduce textile waste and a surge in international efforts to repatriate colonial artifacts, such as the Benin bronzes and the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
- The Economist21 min
How will businesses use the metaverse?
The metaverse has evolved from a sci-fi concept into a multi-billion dollar industry driven by corporate investments from entities like Meta and NVIDIA, while industrial leaders such as ILM and Lockheed Martin leverage virtual production and digital twin technologies to revolutionize film, manufacturing, and military operations. Despite massive capital flows totaling over $120 billion in early 2022, the ecosystem faces a critical hurdle in establishing universal interoperability standards like Pixar's Universal Scene Description to connect disparate virtual worlds. As platforms like Roblox demonstrate the potential for decentralized economic creation, the technology continues to mature through advancements in real-time rendering and computing power, promising to reshape global interaction while replicating existing societal challenges.
- Goldman Sachs25 min
Central bank tightening: what could break?
Allison Nathan, Jeremy Stein, Vítor Constâncio
Former Federal Reserve officials Jeremy Stein and Lyle Brainard, alongside ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio, assert that the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank must prioritize fighting inflation over preemptive financial stability measures while navigating Quantitative Tightening risks. These experts warn that structural fragilities, including sovereign bond liquidity shortages in the US and complex energy-driven inflation in Europe, could trigger market instability if central banks fail to adapt tools like standing repo facilities or manage open-end fund vulnerabilities. Despite acknowledging that tightening cycles are expected to peak at 5% for the Fed and 3% for the ECB, the panelists caution that the absence of 2020-era fiscal backstops may amplify the impact of future credit events.
- Goldman Sachs33 min
Fernando Garcia, Co-Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta & Founder/Creative Director of Monse
Former Oscar de la Renta principal designer Fernando Garcia and partner Laura Fernández founded the gender-neutral label Monse in 2016, leveraging a deconstructed aesthetic and social media strategy to fill a market void before García returned to Oscar de la Renta as co-creative director while retaining ownership of his separate brand. Since the 2014 announcement of his departure, the duo has cultivated a global clientele through a hybrid business model that balances 50% commercial safety with experimental risk, notably driving high-profile celebrity moments like Billie Eilish's viral Met Gala appearance. Their current approach prioritizes cultural adaptability and organic creative evolution, using a melting pot of diverse influences to disrupt traditional luxury norms and guide the brand's shift toward braver, individualistic dressing in the post-pandemic era.
- a16z39 min
Two-Sided Networks in Healthcare - a Founder's Playbook
Vineeta Agarwala, Jay Rughani, Vinita, Arif Nthu, Andrew Adams, Iman Abouzeid, Thomas Closel, Doug Hirsch
This event explores the architecture of two-sided healthcare networks that connect the "five P's" of the industry to bridge fragmented data silos and create self-reinforcing value loops. Founders and investors detail specific go-to-market strategies, such as prioritizing demand or supply first, while emphasizing the critical need for early trust-building and the rejection of vanity metrics in favor of qualitative product validation. The discussion further outlines frameworks for scaling to a second side, maintaining network neutrality to prevent disintermediation, and evaluating defensibility against direct transactions as healthcare data infrastructure expands.
- Y Combinator23 min
Critiquing Startup Websites With Instacart's First Designer
This review analysis evaluates the landing page performance of three startups—Hokale, Requestly, and Verdun—identifying specific friction points in user experience, messaging clarity, and visual design. The assessment highlights critical issues such as distracting pop-ups at Hokale, technical jargon cluttering Requestly's interface, and vague headlines obscuring Verdun's value proposition. Strategic recommendations include replacing abstract animations with social proof, consolidating feature lists into solution-oriented narratives, and rewriting headlines to directly address customer pain points for improved conversion.
- Goldman Sachs28 min
Is (De)globalization Ahead?
Adam Posen, Dani Rodrik, Jim O'Neill, Alison Nathan, Danny Roderick
At a recent economic symposium, Adam Posen, Danny Rodrick, and Jim O'Neill debated whether the post-Cold War era of globalization is facing a reversal or merely a structural shift driven by the Ukraine war and pandemic. While Posen and Rodrick warn that geopolitical friction is fragmenting the global economy into U.S. and Chinese blocs that may reinforce secular stagnation, O'Neill counters that trade growth has recently accelerated and argues for profit-focused reforms to address inequality. The consensus suggests that future economic stability will depend less on international trade frameworks and more on domestic policies prioritizing labor rights, technology dissemination, and the mitigation of inequality.
- Goldman Sachs28 min
The Road to 2050: Balancing Climate Goals with Energy Security
Kara Mangone, John Goldstein, Allison Nathan
Amidst geopolitical shifts and energy security concerns, the global financial sector is transitioning ESG from a broad screening metric to a core investment strategy focused on nuanced company analysis and resilience. Major asset owners maintain their net-zero commitments despite market volatility, driving nearly 90% of global GDP into climate-aligned frameworks while capital discipline prioritizes prudent investment timing over divestment. To address critical funding gaps, institutions like Goldman Sachs are leveraging public-private partnerships to mobilize private capital, supported by a strategic pivot toward standardized progress metrics and "EBITDA of decarbonization" that track execution over lagged emissions data.
- Goldman Sachs25 min
Europe’s Digital Economy: What’s Driving Europe’s Tech Acceleration
Lisa Yang, Alexander Duval, Alison Nathan
Driven by supportive policies and pandemic-induced acceleration, Europe's digital economy has doubled its number of tech unicorns and tripled venture capital funding to nearly $92 billion while legacy firms like L'Oréal and SAP pivot to Direct-to-Consumer strategies. Amidst a significant correction in public markets, investor focus has shifted toward profitability, yet private valuations remain robust for early-stage companies as the European Chips Act mobilizes €40 billion to address semiconductor bottlenecks. With geopolitical tensions reshaping supply chain priorities and niche sectors like online education showing low penetration, the region continues to leverage its global leadership in hardware and B2B verticals to capture substantial future growth.
- The Economist25 min
Gene editing: should you be worried?
James Dale, Isla Mirada, Natalie Kofler, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudna, Josh Lehrer, Denis Rebrikov, Theresa Blankmeyer-Burke, He Zhongkui, George Church
Recent advancements in CRISPR and gene editing have accelerated scientific capabilities for curing terminal diseases, securing food supplies against extinction events like the banana fungus TR4, and controlling disease vectors, yet these tools introduce significant ethical risks regarding bio-warfare, social inequality, and the potential for designer humans. While regulatory frameworks vary globally between the strict bans in Europe and the more permissive approaches in the US and Japan, controversies persist over transparency in field trials and the morality of germline editing, as highlighted by critiques from bioethicists regarding community consent and the normalization of de-extinction projects. Ultimately, experts warn that without robust, transparent governance to balance rapid innovation with safety, humanity risks undermining public trust while failing to leverage these essential technologies to mitigate climate change and ensure future food security.