Latest Interviews
Showing 436–450 of 541 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Y Combinator40 min
How to Apply and Succeed at Y Combinator by Dalton Caldwell
The event details how applying to Y Combinator serves as a critical strategic exercise that forces founders to clarify business fundamentals while systematically dismantling common misconceptions regarding timing, industry fit, and team requirements. It outlines a rigorous application protocol where completeness, concise storytelling, and demonstrable execution capability outweigh prior experience or networks, emphasizing that the process itself builds skills transferable to scaling the venture. Furthermore, the discussion highlights that the partnership interview functions as a collaborative verification of these metrics rather than a trivia quiz, providing specific feedback loops that encourage strategic re-application based on tangible progress.
- The Economist25 min
Tony Blair on the future of liberalism
Marking the 175th anniversary of *The Economist* and the 21st anniversary of New Labour, former Prime Minister Tony Blair reflects on the 1998, 2003, and 2004 policy decisions that contributed to modern societal fractures while outlining a renewal strategy for liberalism. Blair proposes addressing root causes of polarization through strict immigration controls without prejudice, a proactive technological policy agenda, and a return to positive-sum economic growth to counter the rise of populism. Urging the restoration of a rational political center, he suggests resolving the Brexit impasse via a second referendum and warns that without a centrist platform, the UK risks perpetual political paralysis between the extremes.
- Goldman Sachs45 min
Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger: Making Footwear Sustainable, Comfortable and Cool
Tim Brown, Joey Zwillinger, Kathy Elsesser
Founded in 2016 by Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger, Allbirds operates as a certified B Corp that disrupts the footwear industry by prioritizing sustainable material science through its direct-to-consumer model. The company leverages a co-CEO leadership structure and a rigorous "one product at a time" philosophy to rapidly iterate designs based on direct customer feedback, successfully launching innovations like the Wool Runner and eucalyptus fiber while maintaining a flat price point. With plans to expand internationally and open physical retail locations for tactile testing, Allbirds aims to normalize sustainable manufacturing standards across the fashion sector.
- Y Combinator27 min
Jessica Livingston Shares 9 Things She Learned From Founding YC
Founded in 2005 by Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston, Y Combinator revolutionized early-stage funding by implementing a batch model that supported over 1,800 startups through small equity stakes and an intentional "asshole-free" culture. Livingston, acting as the organization's social radar, prioritized founder dynamics and well-being over technical prowess, a strategy that facilitated unique successes like Reddit and Twitch while establishing a global network free from traditional investor pressure. Their complementary partnership, defined by Graham's technical vision and Livingston's focus on logistics and culture, created a resilient ecosystem that advises founders to pursue non-traditional paths rather than conforming to stereotypical success metrics.
- Y Combinator20 min
Fireside Chat with Kat Mañalac, Kathryn Minshew, and Alex Cavoulacos
Kathryn Minshew, Alex Cavoulacos, Kat Minialek, Catherine Minshew, Alex Kamalakis
The Muse, a Y Combinator-backed career platform serving over 50 million users, leverages strict ethical standards and value-based hiring to cultivate an inclusive culture that rejects superficial "culture fit" in favor of diversity and mutual respect. Founders successfully navigated critical challenges including early missteps in sales recruitment, the dismissal of a co-founder candidate, and the termination of a corrupt investor term sheet to secure new funding. By maintaining a "no assholes" policy and enforcing shared values with partners, the company has established a reputation for integrity that attracts aligned talent and major clients like Facebook and Goldman Sachs.
- Y Combinator26 min
Announcing Work at a Startup
Jared Friedman, Matt Long, Craig Cannon
Scheduled for July, the Work at a Startup conference reunites Y Combinator partners Justin Kahn and Sam Altman with over 80% of the accelerator's hiring companies for a scaled event featuring 35 pitches across software, robotics, and deep tech. Attendees will engage directly with startups ranging from unicorns like Instacart to early-stage hardware firms offering roles in AI, DevOps, and co-founder positions, while also viewing live hardware demonstrations from entities such as Starsky Robotics. The gathering addresses critical market trends including remote work expansion, equity transparency, and the shifting definition of startup engineering to counter traditional compensation gaps.
- Y Combinator28 min
Kieran Snyder of Textio at the Seattle Female Founders Conference
Founded in 2014 by linguists and Microsoft veterans Kieran Snyder and Jensen Harris, Textio has developed a machine-learning platform that analyzes 350 million job postings to predict engagement and reduce bias. The company recently pivoted its pricing to a flat-fee enterprise model and formed data partnerships with major clients like Amazon and Johnson & Johnson to accelerate revenue growth. With a workforce that is 50% female or non-binary, Textio aims to expand its "augmented writing" capabilities beyond HR to eventually challenge major office software providers in a planned IPO within seven years.
- Y Combinator29 min
Avni Patel Thompson at the Seattle Female Founders Conference
Seattle-based startup Poppy, founded by Avni Patel-Thompson, connects families with vetted caregivers to recreate a modern village safety net for childcare following the failure of her previous subscription box venture. After validating the concept through a low-cost pilot and recruiting a technical co-founder, the company secured Y Combinator acceptance and over $2 million in seed funding by pivoting from a membership model to a transaction fee structure. Now in a rapid growth phase with a team of ten, Poppy prioritizes mission-driven hiring and founder sustainability while aiming to help hundreds of other entrepreneurs reach validated market traction.
- Goldman Sachs25 min
Amy Chua: Political Tribalism and American Foreign Policy
Yale Law professor Amy Chua analyzes global and domestic group dynamics through her concept of the "supergroup," contrasting the United States' unique ability to balance national unity with subgroup flourishing against the assimilationist models of France and China. She attributes rising U.S. political polarization to demographic shifts that have created defensive tribalism between coastal elites and the white majority, a division she attributes to a rhetorical shift from universalism to identity politics. Chua concludes by proposing practical remedies such as a national service "gap year" to foster intergroup interaction and arguing that allowing controversial speech prevents extremism from festering in epistemological silos.
- Y Combinator31 min
Ron Conway - Startup Investor School Day 4
SV Angel co-founder Ron Conway outlines a robust angel investing framework that prioritizes founder character over ideas and mandates diversifying capital across five to ten startups to mitigate a 40% to 60% industry failure rate. He emphasizes post-investment value through active team building, enforcing rapid execution to combat founder procrastination, and utilizing rigorous screening to avoid co-founder friction, while also highlighting the transformative potential of Web 3.0 and the critical need for ecosystem transparency. The session concludes by connecting investor integrity to civic engagement and detailing Y Combinator's efforts to refine financial instruments like SAFEs to prevent unintended consequences in startup financing.
- Y Combinator28 min
Michael Seibel - Startup Investor School Day 2
Outgoing Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel shares investment lessons from his 4.5-year angel career, highlighting that 50 checks resulted in 12 post-Series A companies and a billion-dollar exit despite his dual role as a YC partner. He advises investors to write larger checks with speed and minimal friction while avoiding the hype trap of Demo Day in favor of evaluating cap tables and founder potential. The session concludes by defining top-tier investors by their willingness to act quickly and noting that luck plays a significant role in success.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
Talks at GS – Alex Blumberg & Jacob Weisberg: The Power of Podcasting
Gimlet Media founder Alex Blumberg and Slate executive Jacob Weisberg chart the industry's evolution from legacy radio constraints to a decentralized audio ecosystem where *Serial* and *Start-Up* catalyzed a cultural shift toward intimate, on-demand storytelling. By prioritizing emotional connection over rigid formats and separating editorial integrity from branded content through transparent business models, these leaders established a framework that allows political and narrative podcasts to flourish without traditional FCC limitations. As the medium matures into a second golden age characterized by genre diversification and normalized consumption among younger demographics, their collaboration underscores the necessity of blending creative journalism with sustainable entrepreneurial strategy.
- Milken Institute38 min
Smart Cities and the Future of Urban Infrastructure
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Lukasz Gadowski, Karl Magnus Olsson, Hamed Zaghw, Lukas, Magnus, Hamid, Fahad Al-Sharikh
A high-level panel led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and industry leaders like Volocopter founder Alex Zosimov redefined smart cities as ecosystems prioritizing citizen happiness through integrated big data, transportation-as-a-service, and electric urban air mobility. The discussion highlighted Dubai's rapid execution of these concepts, contrasting its centralized regulatory efficiency with the bureaucratic hurdles faced in European cities, while detailing successful localized mobility initiatives like Kareem in the Gulf. Participants concluded that scaling such infrastructure requires visionary government leadership to establish safety standards and open data frameworks alongside updated engineering education to support innovations like platooning.
- Milken Institute35 min
Creating a 21st Century Workforce: Entrepreneurship, Apprenticeship and Lifelong Learning
Michael Moe, Christine Gulbranson, Badr Jafar, Maysa Jalbout, Abbas Kazmi, Jonathan Sokoloff, Mike Moe, John Sokoloff
A panel of experts and regional leaders convened to address the critical mismatch between the MENA region's young, rapidly growing demographic and its persistently high youth unemployment rates exacerbated by global automation trends. Speakers highlighted strategic pivots toward continuous learning, e-commerce expansion, and women's workforce inclusion, while citing specific initiatives like the Abdallah Al-Ghorair Foundation's support for underserved youth and the University of California System's venture capital pipeline as models for economic transformation. The discussion concluded that overcoming cultural stigmas around failure and integrating corporate governance frameworks are essential to fostering a resilient startup ecosystem capable of generating the net new jobs required for future prosperity.
- Milken Institute38 min
A Conversation with David Miliband
David Miliband, Jayne Van Hoen, Adam Boulton
At a recent event, International Rescue Committee leader David Miliband outlined the global displacement crisis involving 65 million people while detailing the organization's $100 million initiative to treat child trauma in the Middle East. Miliband sharply critiqued the Trump administration's withdrawal from international agreements and the UK's hard Brexit as destabilizing forces that exacerbate conflict and hinder effective humanitarian aid. He concluded by urging private sector engagement to shift refugee support from emergency relief to sustainable economic integration, arguing that displacement driven by fragile states and climate change will define the 21st century.