Latest Interviews
Showing 901–915 of 1,573 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist22 min
Byte by byte: Iran and Israel’s escalating cyberwar
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Shashank Joshi, Simon Wright, Lizzie Pete
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted a US-backed ceasefire proposal pending Hamas's agreement, while cyber warfare between Israel and Iran intensifies through sophisticated attacks on critical infrastructure and psychological information campaigns. Simultaneously, the global aviation industry faces a supply squeeze caused by Boeing and Airbus production delays, opening niche opportunities for China's Comac despite significant regulatory barriers to entry. In the US housing sector, a shift toward affordability in inland cities contrasts with persistent high costs in coastal markets, driven by a Sunbelt construction boom and increased rental supply.
- The Economist23 min
Hail Harris: the Democratic convention begins
Hail Harris, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Daniel Franklin, Ainsley Johnston, Geoffrey Carr
Amid a volatile Democratic National Convention featuring speeches by former presidents and policy debates, Kamala Harris faces a statistical toss-up against Donald Trump in an election driven by swing states and shifting polling data. Concurrently, medical research indicates that female physicians significantly reduce mortality rates for older patients compared to male colleagues, a finding derived from a retrospective study of 1.5 million individuals that challenges current causal assumptions in healthcare. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has revealed that African elephants utilize distinct, frequency-based rumble patterns to identify one another, suggesting complex social cognition that remains undetected in non-human species due to historical underfunding of zoological research.
The Quiet Revolution in DNA Sequencing | Nucleus Genomics
Nucleus Genomics, backed by investors including Alexis Ohanian and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, has launched its $399 whole-genome sequencing service to build a trillion-dollar consumer healthcare platform that integrates genetic data with wearable and clinical inputs. Led by Kian Sadegi, the company differentiates itself from competitors by utilizing full genome sequencing rather than SNP-based chips to offer features like the Nucleus IQ polygenic score while maintaining strict data privacy controls. With a roadmap to sequence 500,000 samples within two years, Nucleus aims to disrupt the stagnant genomics market by providing direct consumer access to comprehensive health insights and expanding disease analysis from twenty to hundreds of conditions.
- The Economist27 min
Landing padded: the global-recession risk
Jason Palmer, Colin Williams, Holly Berman, Henrietta McFarlane, Erica Kaplan, Liam McGregor, Anne Rowe
The Economist's senior economics team argues that global recession fears are misplaced, citing robust corporate earnings, significant inflation correction, and labor market shifts that distinguish the current environment from historical recessionary patterns. Simultaneously, the dating industry is undergoing a structural pivot where stagnation in traditional app models drives a surge in high-end matchmaking services and organized offline social activities. Finally, the legacy of fell runner Joss Naylor is celebrated following his death at 88, marking a life defined by record-breaking mountain feats and a unique background in dry stone walling and sheep farming.
- Milken Institute31 min
Milken-Motsepe Prize Award Ceremony: Global Green Energy Winners | Global Conference 2024
Michael Milken, Patrice Motsepe, Emily Church, Randy Kabuya, Derick Nwasor, Diana Orembe, Jordan Oxley, Zoë Slattery, Jonathan Wilson, Mike Milken, Joy Egbe
Co-founded by Mike Milken and Patrice Motsepe, the Milken-Mozespe Innovation Prize Program has funded 45 companies across 20 nations to solve critical electricity and agricultural challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative recently awarded its inaugural Green Energy Grand Prize of $1 million to Aftrac for its sustainable solar tractor model, while runner-up Omnivat received $250,000 for its modular container-based power grid. Building on this momentum, the program has announced a new $2 million Fintech award cycle designed to continue bridging economic opportunities between the United States and the continent.
- The Economist24 min
One peace at a time: Gaza, Israel and Iran
Jason Palmer, Greg Karlstrom, Oliver Morton, Christian Garcia Mario, Claire McHugh, Alejandro Henao Perez, Alejandro Alvarez
Following high-profile assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, diplomatic mediation by the US, Egypt, and Qatar struggles to secure a Gaza ceasefire while Iran seeks a face-saving retaliation that balances deterrence with regional stability. Concurrently, NASA's InSight lander seismic data reveals a vast subsurface aquifer containing liquid water on Mars, offering the first strong evidence of a permanent liquid environment that could harbor surviving cryptic biosphere remnants. In a separate economic development, Colombia's Chocó region has emerged as a niche producer of genetically distinct vanilla beans, attracting luxury buyers despite significant infrastructure barriers that currently prevent the local harvest from meeting global export volumes.
- Milken Institute31 min
A Conversation with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jason Blum | Global Conference 2022
Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Blum, Kim Masters
Jamie Lee Curtis and Jason Blum reimagined the *Halloween* franchise in 2018 by restoring continuity to John Carpenter's original 1978 film, a collaborative effort that yielded a trilogy grossing $386 million. Expanding their creative partnership, the duo is producing the Amazon series *The Sticky* and developing Patricia Cornwell's *Scarpetta* novels, while Curtis has transitioned into producing and directing with her new venture, Comet Pictures. This synergy blends Blumhouse's profit-sharing business model with Curtis's production ambitions, allowing them to prioritize high-caliber talent and secure theatrical distribution despite shifting streaming industry trends.
- The Economist25 min
Bait the hook! Fishing in the global talent pool
Jason Palmer, Fedora Castellino, Robert Guest, John Priddo, Simon Rabinovich, Xavier Trocol, Tom Standage
A panel of economists and policy analysts critiques restrictive immigration frameworks in the U.S., Britain, and China while highlighting the success of rapid processing models in the UAE and Portugal to boost graduate populations. The discussion further examines structural shifts in the American service economy, where legally mandated low wages drive "tipflation" and prompt tax exemption proposals from both major presidential candidates. Concurrently, experts warn that divergent global regulations on facial recognition AI leave the U.S. vulnerable to law enforcement overuse and algorithmic bias, contrasting sharply with the EU's strict prohibitions on public surveillance.
- Goldman Sachs26 min
How a popular trade collapsed — and why it matters
Kamakshya Trivedi, Praneet Shah, Allison Nathan
Following a surge to record speculative highs in 2024, the yen carry trade unraveled after the Bank of Japan's rate hike and expectations of US Federal Reserve cuts narrowed the critical yield differential. This reversal triggered a negative feedback loop of forced liquidations across global markets, affecting currencies from the Mexican peso to the Chinese renminbi, while distinct dynamics emerged between the rapid unwinding of hedge fund positions and the slower rebalancing of institutional portfolios. Despite the immediate volatility, economists anticipate the trade could regain relevance by mid-November if US economic data supports the restoration of attractive global yield spreads.
- Y Combinator21 min
How Nothing Founder Carl Pei Built A Multi-Million Dollar Smartphone Brand In Just 2 Years
Nothing founder Carl Pei details the company's strategic pivot from a bankrupt partnership with a Chinese factory to achieving $600 million in annualized revenue by overcoming a 90% return rate on its "ear one" product. Pei advocates for hardware founders to prioritize operational stability over design innovation, utilizing a "two-second rule" for features like the Glyph Interface to mitigate screen addiction and build brand trust. This approach enabled the startup to successfully validate its supply chain with 600,000 units sold and establish a foundation for future smartphone ambitions in the highly competitive hardware sector.
- The Economist24 min
AIOU: what if the AI boom busts?
Jason Palmer, Guy, Moeka Iida, Kosugi Kunio, Max Norman
Global private equity and venture capital firms are committing $1.4 trillion to AI infrastructure over the next four years, a surge driven by NVIDIA's market dominance and massive capital expenditure from tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon despite rising concerns over energy shortages and uncertain returns on investment. Simultaneously, a diplomatic compromise facilitated UNESCO's designation of a gold mine on Japan's Sado Island as a World Heritage Site, requiring Japan to acknowledge the forced labor of 1,500 Korean workers even as critics argue the resolution fails to address historical transparency or the gold's role in wartime aggression. Finally, the nicotine pouch brand Zyn has emerged as a cultural symbol within the American political right, with figures like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene championing the product while public health officials warn of a potential pipeline for youth addiction amid limited evidence of its efficacy as a cessation tool.
- Sequoia Capital39 min
Fireworks Founder Lin Qiao on the Power of Small Models to Democratize AI Use Cases
Lin Qiao, Sonya Huang, Pat Grady, Lynn Tiao
Founded in 2022 by former Meta PyTorch leaders Lynn Diao and others, Fireworks is a SaaS platform dedicated to compressing AI model deployment timelines from years to days through a specialized, PyTorch-native infrastructure. The company automates complex optimization tasks like quantization and semantic caching using handwritten CUDA kernels to enable high-performance, low-latency inference for small model stacks and fine-tuned enterprise workloads. By targeting the gap between research and production, Fireworks facilitates the migration of startups and traditional enterprises away from generic experimentation toward scalable, cost-efficient custom models that compete with larger monolithic systems.
- The Economist25 min
The boot is on the other foot: Ukraine’s surprise incursion
Jason Palmer, Oliver Carroll, Sophie Pedder, Paul
Ukrainian forces under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sirsky have executed a secretive incursion deep into Russian territory, advancing forty kilometers toward Kursk to draw enemy troops away from the Donbass front. Concurrently, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games demonstrated a successful low-cost strategy that achieved a record medal haul for France while avoiding the construction of "white elephant" venues, a model now influencing the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 organizers. Finally, Envisix is introducing the first commercial three-dimensional holographic head-up displays for Cadillac vehicles later this year, a technological shift projected to grow the automotive HUD market to ten billion dollars by 2034.
- Milken Institute40 min
The Next Century of Health: Predictions on the Future of Health Care | Future of Health Summit 2023
Gregory Simon, Judy Faulkner, Hirsh Jain, Joyce Tung, Jared Watkin
Healthcare leaders from Epic, Palantir, 23andMe, and Abbott converge to diagnose the U.S. system's fragmentation as a human behavioral failure despite advances in curative care and data technology. By deploying interoperable platforms like Epic's Pair, Palantir's common ontologies, and 23andMe's lifelong genetic models, these executives aim to bridge the gap between fragmented providers, payers, and patients through real-time data integration and AI-driven decision support. Ultimately, the panel asserts that future health outcomes depend on aligning financial incentives with prevention strategies to ensure equitable access while treating public health as a critical national security imperative.
- Milken Institute37 min
A Conversation with Sergio Ermotti, Group CEO of UBS AG | Global Investors’ Symposium Hong Kong 2024
Sergio Ermotti, Richard Ditizio
UBS Group CEO Sergio Ermatti outlines the successful integration of Credit Suisse's 130,000 employees through a harmonized operating model and a strategic pivot toward "fungible" leadership capable of managing broad business complexity. Looking ahead, he projects a macroeconomic environment defined by persistently higher interest rates and a long-term growth trajectory centered on Asia, which aims to expand its share of the firm's $5.2 trillion asset base to 20% within six years. This forward-looking strategy prioritizes generational wealth transfer and sustainable infrastructure investment while navigating fragmented global regulations and the $10.5 trillion cost of cybercrime.