Latest Interviews

The IPO SPAC-Tacle

Allison Nathan, David Ludwig, Jay Ritter, Michael Klausner

The 2020–2021 IPO market defied pandemic headwinds to reach a $300 billion global record, driven by low interest rates and a surge in Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) activity that outnumbered traditional initial public offerings. While pre-merger SPAC investors enjoyed bond-like returns, experts like Michael Klausner warn that structural dilution and redemption risks are creating unsustainable losses for post-merger shareholders. Financial institutions project a market convergence where traditional IPOs and direct listings will evolve to address these inefficiencies, potentially replacing the current blank-check model.

Dr. Raphael Bostic, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Raphael Bostic, Dr. Rafael Bostic, John

During a recent address, Federal Reserve President Dr. Bostic outlined a distinct pandemic response strategy that leveraged real-time data and Fed infrastructure to stabilize markets while clarifying the separation between monetary and fiscal policy mandates. The presentation detailed significant long-term structural shifts, including permanent telehealth adoption and a necessary labor market restructuring, while explicitly addressing systemic racial inequities that have hindered wealth preservation and policy efficacy for marginalized communities. Looking forward, officials aim to guide the economy toward sustainable 2% inflation targets and an inclusive model that ensures systemic barriers are actively dismantled through coordinated efforts between policymakers and business leaders.

How can business survive climate change?

Lisa McKellie, Dan Petroski, Rich Sorkin, Gavin Schmidt, Chidiote Obihara, Nicolette Bartlett, Christopher Vanden Riche, Guy Scriven

Corporate leaders face escalating physical risks and mandatory litigation as climate change drives trillion-dollar asset threats while regulators shift from voluntary to enforced emissions reductions. Major enterprises like Microsoft, Amazon, and Ørsted are responding with accelerated decarbonization strategies and supply chain transparency to secure market value and avoid financial obsolescence. Experts warn that failing to adopt green technologies and disclose carbon footprints now will result in stranded assets and catastrophic economic loss as the window for effective adaptation rapidly closes.

Markets Update: 2021 Global Growth Outlook

Jan Hatzius, Jake Seward, Joe Wall

Goldman Sachs Chief Economist Jan Hatzias projects a 6.4% U.S. GDP growth for 2021, driven by a projected $750 billion stimulus package and a spring recovery accelerated by vaccinations. Global forecasts anticipate a robust 5-6% rebound in Europe and slightly below 8% growth in China, while central banks maintain a dovish stance with no interest rate hikes expected until 2024 or 2025. The analysis concludes that the crisis highlighted the efficacy of aggressive fiscal intervention and the adaptability of market economies despite persistent structural shifts in employment and productivity.

How many alien civilizations are out there?

Utilizing an eight-parameter expansion of the Drake equation that incorporates planetary rebirth cycles, the speaker calculates a statistical probability of 0.7 for communicating civilizations within the Milky Way but estimates 1.4 trillion across the observable universe. This analysis hinges on critical variables such as the likelihood of abiogenesis, the inevitability of technological communication, and a projected civilization lifespan of 10,000 years driven by the belief that human survival depends on transcending geopolitical conflicts. Ultimately, the framework suggests that while we may be isolated in our local galaxy, empirical milestones like AGI development and extraterrestrial life detection on Mars will serve as vital proof-of-concepts for resolving the mystery of intelligence in the cosmos.

Heather Hasson and Trina Spear, co-founders and co-CEOs of FIGS

Heather Hasson, Trina Spear, Katie Koch

Co-founders Heather Hassan and Trina Speer established FIGS to disrupt the commoditized healthcare apparel market by introducing performance fabrics and high-fashion silhouettes to medical professionals. The company overcame significant early challenges, including manufacturing errors and investor rejection, to build a brand centered on technical comfort and a mission of serving those who serve others. Today, FIGS continues its global expansion across multiple continents while leveraging its proprietary technology to eventually diversify into other uniform sectors.

Covid-19: why vaccine mistrust is growing

Professor Jonathan Heaney, Professor Heidi Larson, Dr Jonathan Kennedy, Kristin Urquiza, Neil Johnson, Fadi Kouran, Slavia Chankova

With over 20 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development, experts warn that failing to achieve 70% population uptake due to widespread hesitancy could necessitate indefinite social restrictions. This crisis of trust is driven by political polarization, the legacy of the retracted Andrew Wakefield study, and algorithmic amplification of misinformation on social media platforms that have disproportionately spread falsehoods from figures like President Trump. In response, health organizations and tech-savvy clinics are launching counter-misinformation campaigns to protect herd immunity goals against hostile narratives that link political populism with declining public confidence.

Joe Biden wins: what next for America?

Joe Biden, Sarah Collinson, Zannie Minton-Beddoes, John Prudhoe

Joe Biden secured the presidency with a decisive victory, winning the popular vote by approximately 4 million votes while facing a divided government as Republicans retain control of the Senate. Although legal challenges to the results lack traction due to Biden's substantial margins in key swing states, the election exposed significant polling errors and deep national divisions driven by mutual animosity. Looking forward, the incoming administration plans to govern through legislation and executive orders to reverse Trump-era policies, while the Republican Party prepares to shed Donald Trump's personal divisiveness to maintain its populist platform for future elections.

Michaël Jérémiasz, Paralympian and Former Professional Wheelchair Tennis Player

Michaël Jérémiasz, Marilyn Mertz

Former world number one wheelchair tennis player and 2024 Paris Olympic Games ambassador Michael Jeremias leverages his personal journey from a snowboarding-induced spinal cord injury to championing universal accessibility and systemic inclusion. Drawing on his experience as a two-time Paralympic medalist and his observations of media representation gaps, he advocates for a societal shift where disability is treated as a common human issue rather than a niche concern. Jeremias combines his athletic credentials with recent life reflections from the pandemic to promote a future where diversity is naturally integrated into infrastructure and culture.

Bernardine Evaristo, Author of "Girl, Woman, Other"

Bernardine Evaristo

Author Bernadine Averisto crafted the Booker Prize-winning novel *Girl, Woman, Other* over five years to highlight the scarcity of Black British women in adult fiction, employing her unique "fusion fiction" style to connect twelve diverse characters across a century-long narrative. Her historic victory, facilitated by a judging panel with significant female and minority representation, helped dismantle industry tokenism and coincided with the cultural shifts of the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements. Following the award, the publishing sector actively audited its exclusionary practices, leading to a surge in engagement with works on race and gender while elevating emerging voices like poet Derek Owusu and theatre directors Ola Ince and Lynette Linton.

Howard Schultz, Chairman Emeritus of Starbucks Coffee

Howard Schultz

Under Howard Schultz's leadership, Starbucks transformed from an 11-store startup into a global entity spanning 77 countries while pioneering comprehensive healthcare and equity ownership for all employees. Facing a 2008 insolvency crisis, Schultz rejected shareholder demands to cut benefits, instead investing in manager training and community service to restore financial stability and brand equity. This turnaround established a unique corporate culture where strategic decisions are governed by customer and employee impact, resulting in a company with a 21,000% stock appreciation since its 1992 IPO.

Anne Applebaum, Author of "Twilight of Democracy"

Anne Applebaum, Jake Siewert

Author Anne Applebaum analyzes how the professionalization of politics and the shift to digital fragmentation have fueled radical far-right movements in Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States to hollow out democratic institutions. She details specific strategies employed by leaders like Poland's Law and Justice Party and the U.S. Republican Party under Donald Trump, which rely on rejecting opposition legitimacy and manufacturing societal chaos to maintain power. While forecasting divergent 2024 outcomes that could either entrench authoritarianism or force a traditional center-right reformation, Applebaum highlights rising grassroots engagement among younger generations as a critical bulwark against democratic decline.

Clarissa Ward, Author of "On All Fronts"

Clarissa Ward, John

ABC News correspondent Clarissa Ward recounts her evolution from a novice reporting on the hunt for Saddam Hussein to a seasoned war correspondent in Syria and Beijing, highlighting the lethal realities of conflict zones and the tactical advantages of gender in conservative regions. She outlines her professional philosophy of bearing witness without activism, arguing that journalists must illuminate human stories while avoiding the trap of assuming responsibility for resolving geopolitical conflicts. Ward concludes by warning of the precarious U.S.-China relations under President Xi Jinping and offering advice to aspiring journalists that only those with immense passion can withstand the career's significant personal sacrifices.

Mike Tirico, NBC Sports Host

Mike Tirico, Jeffrey Scruggs

Over a 25-year tenure spanning ESPN and NBC, broadcaster Mike Tirico emphasizes storytelling as the core currency of sports media, a philosophy tested by the unique isolation of the pandemic and the geopolitical unity of the Pyeongchang Winter Games. He projects severe economic consequences for both professional and collegiate athletics, warning that prolonged revenue losses could force salary cap adjustments and even eliminate university sports programs reliant on football and basketball subsidies. While acknowledging that remote production technologies may permanently alter industry logistics, Tirico remains committed to preserving the emotional connection between athletes and audiences despite reduced access to players and the heightened platform for racial justice activism.

Clock Synchronization with Chris Perl

Chris Perl, Ron Minsky

Responding to MIFID 2 regulations, Jane Street engineered a hybrid time synchronization system that combines GPS-driven Precision Time Protocol with Linux-based NTP Interleaved Mode to achieve sub-100-microsecond accuracy across its infrastructure. By leveraging hardware timestamping at the network interface and cross-verifying local and distant time sources, the architecture mitigates standard PTP vulnerabilities while maintaining a simple, inspectable network topology. This design successfully reduces worst-case synchronization errors to approximately 35 microseconds, effectively balancing regulatory compliance with robust fault tolerance.