Latest Interviews
Showing 436–450 of 573 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs30 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.
- Goldman Sachs32 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.
- Goldman Sachs28 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.
- Goldman Sachs30 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.
- Goldman Sachs24 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.
- Goldman Sachs29 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.
- Goldman Sachs25 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.
- Goldman Sachs26 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.
- Goldman Sachs28 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.
- Goldman Sachs31 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.
- Goldman Sachs37 min
Mitt Romney, US Senator from Utah
Former Governor Mitt Romney outlines a leadership philosophy rooted in data-driven decision-making and operational empathy, while characterizing the U.S. Senate as a collegial body essential for cooling political volatility through bipartisan agreement. He details his fiscal hawkish stance, warning that surging national debt interest payments threaten future budgets and advocating for structural reforms to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. Furthermore, Romney addresses critical domestic and international challenges, from reforming the Affordable Care Act via state block grants to confronting climate change through global innovation partnerships and maintaining a unified allied front against China and Iran.
- Goldman Sachs25 min
Richard A. Clarke, National Security Expert and Author
Richard A. Clarke, Andy Osment, Dick Clark
Former President's Counterterrorist Coordinator Dick Clark and co-authors analyze the realized threat landscape in their 2023 sequel *The Fifth Domain*, highlighting how the global NotPetya attack demonstrated that cyber operations intended for Ukraine can devastate U.S. infrastructure and the economy. Despite significant spending, the Defense Science Board and Government Accountability Office have identified critical vulnerabilities in the F-35 fighter jet and supply chains, while Russian information operations continue to exploit fragmented voting systems to suppress turnout ahead of the 2020 elections. Clark argues that stabilizing this critical instability requires sustained investment in defensive technologies like network segmentation and deception to outpace offensive capabilities and prevent accidental escalation into kinetic warfare.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
James Grant, Founder of "Grant’s Interest Rate Observer"
Jim Grant's presentation of his new biography, *Bagehot*, examines the Victorian financial journalist's legacy while critiquing modern central banking through the lens of negative yields and the Fed's dual roles as "arsonist and fireman." Grant warns that thirty-eight years of bond bull market muscle memory and artificial suppression of interest rates have created global debt anomalies where $14.5 trillion in bonds yield less than zero, effectively socializing risk for investors. BlackRock's Rick Reeder contextualizes these findings within the "Monetary Policy Endgame," though the firm clarifies that their stance remains nuanced rather than strictly bearish on fixed income.
- Goldman Sachs33 min
Kewsong Lee, Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group
In late 2018, Kyu-Song Lee assumed the co-CEO role at The Carlyle Group to lead the firm's transition from a partnership to a corporate structure, addressing a portfolio of 300 companies employing nearly one million people globally. Under Lee's strategic direction, Carlyle is integrating diverse leadership teams, where women now lead half of the firm's $250 billion in assets, while adopting a "every deal is a tech deal" mantra to navigate digital disruption. Looking ahead, Lee anticipates a low-growth macroeconomic environment and shifting U.S.-China trade dynamics, prompting the firm to expand private credit investments and prioritize operational improvements over financial engineering to ensure long-term resilience.
- Goldman Sachs39 min
Dr. Denis Mukwege, Nobel Laureate and Founder of Panzi Hospital
Denis Mukwege, Dr. Dennis Mukwege
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege operates Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a comprehensive four-pillar model has treated over 50,000 sexual violence victims through integrated surgical, psychological, economic, and legal interventions. Facing systematic warfare tactics designed to dismantle community structures and the complicity of local authorities in mineral-fueling militia crimes, Mukwege has pivoted from exclusive clinical care to prominent global advocacy following a 2012 assassination attempt. By empowering survivors to transition from victims to activists through economic reintegration and the pursuit of non-retributive justice, the hospital challenges impunity while Dr. Mukwege continues to demand international action against the silence perpetuating these atrocities.