Latest Interviews
Showing 1066–1080 of 1,549 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs24 min
Lord John Browne, Author of "Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization"
Lord John Browne, John Browne, David
Former BP CEO John Browning traces his career from Cambridge physics student to engineer, highlighting how his early fieldwork shaped a strategic shift toward climate accountability and measurable environmental goals despite industry isolation. He argues that oil and gas firms must address Scope 3 emissions while leveraging carbon capture and nuclear fission as near-term solutions, all underpinned by the belief that civilization relies on an engineering platform rather than humanities. Browning further contends that automation will evolve to prioritize human empathy, warns against reactive regulation regarding emerging technologies, and asserts that economies dependent on obsolete industries face extinction rather than redemption.
- 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.
- Milken Institute26 min
A Conversation with Robert Wilkie, Secretary, US Department of Veterans Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs leverages a legacy of six major medical breakthroughs and a 1.2 million patient network to transform veteran care through the transformative Mission Act and integrated digital health systems. By pioneering genomic research, artificial intelligence partnerships with institutions like Stanford, and a military-integrated nursing model, the agency addresses critical challenges such as prostate cancer and a daily suicide toll of 20 veterans. These efforts have elevated the VA's workforce ranking to sixth among federal departments while fostering broad public-private collaborations to expand access and improve long-term outcomes for the 10 million veterans receiving services.
- 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 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.
- Milken Institute25 min
Wednesday Lunch feat. Bill Cassidy
Bill Cassidy, Esther Krofa, Dan Diamond
At the Milken Institute's Future of Health Summit, Senator Bill Cassidy and Faster Cures' Esther Krofa discussed strategies to balance drug affordability with the financial incentives required for medical innovation. Cassidy defended the pharmaceutical industry against claims of excessive profitability while advocating for subscription-based pricing models and rejecting direct government negotiation as a threat to high-risk research. The dialogue highlighted specific legislative successes in closing rebate loopholes and ending gag clauses, concluding with a realistic assessment that a comprehensive drug pricing bill has a 60% probability of enactment by year-end.
- Milken Institute35 min
A Conversation with Chef José Andrés
World Central Kitchen, founded by José Andrés, deploys a decentralized network of over 44,000 volunteers to serve millions of meals globally by prioritizing immediate on-site adaptation over rigid bureaucratic planning. In crisis zones ranging from the Bahamas to Haiti, the organization utilizes local food systems and improvised logistics to deliver fresh nutrition while transitioning to economic recovery initiatives that support local micro-businesses. This model, funded primarily by small individual donations, explicitly challenges traditional aid structures by focusing on preventing health crises through nutrition rather than treating illness after the fact.
- Milken Institute23 min
Tuesday Lunch With Alex Azar, Secretary, US Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Azar outlined a unified healthcare strategy centered on three core promises of affordability, choice, and quality, executing this vision through value-based payment models and targeted initiatives for high-impact areas like the opioid crisis and chronic kidney disease. Specific progress includes a 5% drop in overdose deaths and a shift to risk-sharing primary care models that empower providers to address social determinants of health, alongside efforts to expand home dialysis and stabilize ACA premiums through state reinsurance pools. The administration's "protect what works, fix what is broken" approach seeks to safeguard coverage for 331 million Americans while redesigning payment structures to prioritize preventive care and long-term fiscal sustainability.
- Lex Fridman21 min
David Ferrucci: AI Understanding the World Through Shared Knowledge Frameworks | AI Podcast Clips
The speaker argues that encoding human shared knowledge into machines is achievable by embedding finite interpretative frameworks based on fundamental assumptions like survival, resource scarcity, and power dynamics. This approach proposes combining neural network pattern matching with symbolic logic to create AI systems that reason, explain, and predict using the same foundational logic humans employ, rather than operating as incomprehensible "alien intelligence." By decomposing arguments into primitive components, these future systems aim to clarify fundamental value disagreements in public discourse and facilitate a shared language of reasoning between humans and machines.
- 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.
- The Economist34 min
Brexit: Live Q&A with The Economist
After securing EU approval for his withdrawal deal, Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a parliamentary amendment backed by the DUP that delays the final vote pending new legislation, effectively blocking a no-deal exit. With Speaker John Bercow ruling against a repeat vote and analysts deeming the October 31 deadline improbable, the government is compelled to request an extension while navigating intense regional tensions over the new Irish Sea border arrangements. Although the political landscape points toward an early general election rather than a second referendum to break the deadlock, long-term economic forecasts warn of reduced investment and global trade friction regardless of the outcome.
- 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.