Latest Interviews

Bringing AI to the Masses with Adam D'Angelo, CEO of Quora

Adam D'Angelo, David George, Sarah Wang, Max Wiethe, Dan Morehead, Matt Rowe

Former Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo launched Poe as a multi-platform aggregator to navigate the shift from human-centric knowledge publishing to an instant, multi-model chat paradigm driven by generative AI. The platform differentiates itself by supporting diverse fine-tuned models and an open API that enables independent creators to deploy specialized tools while sharing revenue to offset high inference costs. D'Angelo anticipates a bifurcated market where Poe serves the downstream application layer of accessible AI, eventually evolving into a symbiotic network that complements Quora's human expertise with scalable automated agents.

Global transit & trade: in rough waters

Admiral James Stavridis, Tobias Meyer, Alison Nathan, James Stavridis

Admiral James Stavridis warns that maritime risks have reached unprecedented levels due to great power competition, state-sponsored terrorism, and vulnerabilities in undersea internet infrastructure, while Tobias Mayer analyzes supply chain shifts driven by regulatory complexity rather than physical disruptions. Despite Houthi attacks in the Red Sea causing a 10–20% rise in logistics costs, the global shipping fleet remains resilient enough to absorb reroutes without systemic failure as companies adopt omnishoring strategies to diversify assembly locations. Ultimately, the convergence of these geopolitical tensions and evolving trade patterns suggests a future where security coalitions must balance military deterrence against China and Russia while adapting commercial networks to manage increased operational costs and regulatory fragmentation.

Fannie Mae’s Priscilla Almodovar on strengthening the US housing system

Priscilla Almodovar, Megan Hogan

Fannie Mae leverages its $4.3 trillion balance sheet to advance equity and sustainability while navigating a market forecasted to shift from recession fears to slow growth as mortgage rates decline toward the sixes. The organization is addressing a critical inventory shortage driven by the "lock-in effect" and demographic shifts, simultaneously deploying credit innovations like rent-reporting pilots to close the 30% homeownership gap for Black and Latino households. Under the strategic leadership of board member Priscilla Ortiz, Fannie Mae also introduces a "Mission Index" to quantify social impact for investors and promotes green bond incentives for sustainable rental housing.

The best AI founders in the world are moving here

San Francisco has re-established its status as a global hub for artificial intelligence following the ChatGPT catalyst, which reversed the remote work exodus and concentrated major entities like OpenAI and Anthropic within a specific "Cerebral Valley" cluster. Y Combinator's strategic relocation to the Dog Patch further intensifies this agglomeration by physically co-locating hundreds of founders to maximize high-frequency networking and accelerate the current "boom loop." This renewed density is projected to drive a decade-long economic recovery, filling previously vacant downtown offices while fostering a techno-optimist society that reinvests tech wealth into housing, safety, and inclusive growth.

America Needs More Techno-Optimism, with Marc Andreessen and Tyler Cowen

Marc Andreessen, Tyler Cowen

The event analyzes the divergent generational adoption of AI, noting that while Large Language Models compress skill gaps by elevating lower-skilled workers, regulatory fragmentation and the shift to managerial capitalism currently stifle US economic dynamism. Key figures highlight the necessity of centralized nuclear energy infrastructure to power AI deployment and advocate for a "bourgeois" entrepreneurial approach where specific use-case regulations replace broad technology bans to foster innovation. Ultimately, the discussion frames the future as a bipolar global competition between American R&D and Chinese deployment, requiring agile defense strategies and open-source scrutiny to maintain national security.

High mortgage rates, limited inventory continue to challenge the US housing market

Roger Ashworth, Allison Nathan

Despite existing home sales collapsing to thirty-year lows due to severe affordability shocks and a borrower lock-in effect, institutional investors and persistent demographic demand are preventing a market correction. Goldman Sachs Research forecasts a 5% price appreciation in 2024 and declining mortgage rates by 2025, driven by tight inventory and a projected population boom among primary buying-age cohorts. While supply chain hurdles and macroeconomic risks like inflation threaten to delay recovery, historically low foreclosure rates and substantial homeowner equity provide a stable price floor.

David Weisburd, 10X Capital: Finding Alpha and LP Bias

David Weisburd, Molly O'Shea

David Weisberg, the strategy architect behind Tenex Capital's venture franchise, leverages his *Liquidity* podcast to dissect the structural tensions between General Partners and Limited Partners in today's AI-driven market. He argues that the sector operates as an access class defined by a critical misalignment between founder risk mitigation and the LP demand for concentrated power-law outcomes, a dynamic that creates volatility during conflicting economic cycles. Weisberg advises navigating this environment through time diversification, limiting portfolios to fifteen to twenty-five positions to optimize alpha, and utilizing early-stage secondary sales to return capital without relying solely on lagging DPI metrics.

What’s ahead for retail: how retail CEOs are navigating a more complex environment

Tim Ingrassia, Vishaal Rana, Ted Decker, Dave Kimbell, Allison Nathan

Goldman Sachs analysts and retail leaders including Home Depot's Ted Decker and Ulta Beauty's Dave Kimball characterize 2024 as a pivotal shift where micro-level corporate strategies outweigh macroeconomic trends in driving performance. Private equity firms are increasingly targeting defensive sectors like collision repair while navigating debt constraints, forcing a consolidation of single-banner models and a reevaluation of Direct-to-Consumer valuation models that have shed 97% of their 2021 peak value. As interest rates remain elevated and geopolitical risks introduce new logistics costs, the market is prioritizing sustainable profitability over revenue growth, with physical stores re-emerging as critical drivers of customer lifetime value compared to digital-only channels.

Epidemic Sound’s Oscar Höglund on the future of the music industry

Oscar Höglund, Clif Marriott, Oskar Haugland

Founded 15 years ago by Oskar Haugland, Epidemic Sound operates a B2B SaaS platform serving hundreds of thousands of customers by providing royalty-free music with 100% owned IP rights to cover approximately 20% of YouTube content. The company differentiates its economic model through a 50/50 revenue split with artists and utilizes a massive library of unencumbered data to train AI systems for track recommendation and adaptation, effectively democratizing production for creators ranging from individual influencers to Fortune 500 corporations. By leveraging daily feedback from 2.5 billion user interactions, the platform maintains a 92% gross margin while navigating industry shifts toward AI-driven content creation and converging media formats.

Collaborative Disruption at DoD

Kathleen Hicks

This briefing details the Department of Defense's strategic pivot from a historical government-led innovation model to a private-sector-driven approach, highlighted by a $145 billion R&D budget and the Replicator Initiative to rapidly deploy autonomous systems against People's Republic of China threats. Recent organizational restructuring, including the elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit and the appointment of private-sector technology leaders, aims to bridge critical development gaps that previously delayed capability delivery by up to a decade. To sustain this accelerated pace, the department urgently seeks congressional approval of 2024 appropriations while leveraging flexible acquisition pathways to integrate over $100 billion in private investment into national security operations.

Why America Must Lead in AI Investment

Senator Todd Young, Martin Casado

Senators led by Chuck Schumer convened a series of closed-door AI Insight Forums with industry experts to gather candid input on national security, innovation, and the economic implications of artificial intelligence. The resulting bipartisan consensus advocates for a technology-agnostic regulatory framework and significant federal investment in basic research, drawing direct strategic parallels to the CHIPS and Science Act. Policymakers aim to balance immediate security concerns with a "light touch" approach that avoids stifling U.S. leadership while embedding AI expertise within the White House to guide future legislation.

The Next Generation of Leadership: A Conversation with Governor Wes Moore

Wes Moore, Ben Horowitz

Governor Wes Moore applies a data-driven philosophy rooted in his background as a former military recruit to address Maryland's critical challenges in military recruitment, criminal justice reform, and economic development. His administration has implemented historic initiatives including a national service program to counter enlistment drops, revised laws to assist those with criminal records, and targeted education reforms designed to improve literacy and vocational readiness. These policies have contributed to significant early successes, including an eight-year reversal in rising homicide rates and strategic investments positioning the state as a national cyber capital.

Sharks Never Stop Swimming: A Conversation with Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban, David Ulevitch

Mark Cuban and Dr. Alex Oshmayansky have leveraged Cost Plus Drugs to expose pharmaceutical opacity by publishing exact medication costs with a fixed 15% markup, ultimately attracting Harvard and Vanderbilt researchers to project $3.6 billion in potential government savings. The company expanded its model to B2B wholesale and advocates for healthcare CFOs to negotiate rates at 80–100% of Medicare prices, challenging the three major Pharmacy Benefit Managers that currently dominate the market through rebate retention and regulatory capture. Beyond healthcare, Cuban utilizes these insights to critique rising tuition costs and *Shark Tank* dynamics, calling for structural reforms that prioritize middle-American entrepreneurs and eliminate non-transparent corporate contracts.

The China Threat: Silicon Valley and the Great Uncoupling

Mike Gallagher, Jake Auchincloss

Representative Gallagher identifies the collapse of deterrence in the Indo-Pacific as the primary strategic threat to U.S. security, arguing that failing to mass-produce long-range precision fire systems risks a catastrophic war with China on adversarial terms. He characterizes this rivalry as an ideological contest where 90% of the challenge rests on internal American reforms regarding education, immigration, and infrastructure rather than external actions alone. Addressing specific policy failures, Gallagher advocates for a forced sale of TikTok to mitigate cyber threats, critiques the current CHIPS Act for potentially increasing Taiwan's vulnerability, and urges the Department of Defense to adopt a more experimental, failure-tolerant procurement model to drive innovation.

Building Confidence In Yourself and Your Ideas

Dalton, Michael

This analysis warns founders against relying on superficial validation, such as cold outreach, which often leads to "pivotitis" and wasted resources driven by fear or false industry data. It emphasizes that success requires high internal conviction to withstand fundraising cycles and negative feedback, distinguishing between healthy strategic adjustments and random walks that deplete energy without generating experience. Ultimately, the event defines a true Minimum Viable Product as one that satisfies at least one user, urging teams to prioritize deep, iterative learning over rushed metrics.