Latest Interviews
Showing 106–120 of 121 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute40 min
Women Leaders’ Summit:A Conversation with Al Gore: How to Inspire a Movement
At a Milken Institute Women's Summit, former Vice President Al Gore discussed his 2000 election concession, his journey into climate advocacy, and the urgent drivers of the current ecological crisis during the screening of *An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power*. Gore highlighted how rapid technological cost reductions and shifting investor priorities are accelerating a global transition toward electrification and renewables in major economies like India and China, while emphasizing that diverse perspectives and authentic passion are critical for effective communication. The event concluded with a call to action for the investor community to leverage capital and inclusive leadership to secure a sustainable future against the backdrop of a rapidly warming planet.
- Milken Institute28 min
MIc'd Up | Part 1: A Conversation with Norman Lear and Ava DuVernay
Norman Lear, Ava DuVernay, Alex Witt
Hosted by Alex Witt, legendary television producer Norman Lear and filmmaker Ava DuVernay discussed the role of entertainment as a catalyst for radical justice and the enduring reality of systemic oppression. Lear detailed his strategy for centering Black life through sitcoms like *The Jeffersons* and his recent Latin American adaptation of *One Day at a Time*, while DuVernay explained her vision for Array as a long-term institution challenging Hollywood's distribution barriers with her upcoming film *A Wrinkle in Time*. The speakers concluded that true progress requires moving beyond symbolic milestones, such as the Obama presidency, to actively dismantle intersecting privileges and hold society accountable for equal opportunity.
- Milken Institute35 min
MIc'd Up | Part 2: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Conversation with Katie Couric
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Katie Couric
In an upcoming podcast episode scheduled for May, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recounts his 1985 NBA championship victory over the Celtics, discusses his friendship with John Wooden, and details his 2009 leukemia diagnosis which has intensified his advocacy for social justice. He critically analyzes the Trump administration's tax and travel policies, attributes Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss to Electoral College mechanics, and argues that visual documentation of police brutality is shifting the national dialogue on race. The conversation, which also covers his religious conversion to Islam and the evolution of the NBA, was highlighted by President Obama awarding Abdul-Jabbar the Presidential Medal of Freedom for overcoming systemic biases in basketball.
- Milken Institute22 min
A Conversation with Jamie Dimon
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon argues that U.S. economic stagnation stems from bipartisan policy failures and structural issues like low labor participation and crumbling infrastructure, urging corporate leaders to prioritize national interests over parochial self-gain. He endorses the Trump administration's strategic focus on corporate tax reform, deregulation, and infrastructure investment as essential tools to reverse capital flight and stimulate job creation. While dismissing the prospect of seeking elected office, Dimon highlights JPMorgan Chase's rapid progress in diversity, noting that women and LGBT employees already comprise significant portions of its leadership pipeline.
- Milken Institute37 min
MIc'd Up | Part 2: A Conversation with Ernest Moniz
Ernest Moniz, Alan Schwartz, Alan M., David Sanger, Alan Magnuson
Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz outlines the strategic logic behind the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, emphasizing its unprecedented verification mechanisms and the administration's successful monofocus on nuclear containment despite broader regional tensions. Simultaneously, he details the Nuclear Threat Initiative's urgent efforts to secure high-enriched uranium and research reactors across the former Soviet bloc and Africa to prevent terrorist acquisition. These security measures are paired with a proposal to leverage the global energy transition, utilizing carbon capture and advanced storage technologies to create economic opportunities while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
- Milken Institute26 min
MIc'd Up | Part 1: A Conversation with John S. Watson
John S. Watson, Brian Sullivan
Chevron CEO John Watson warns that California's aggressive regulatory framework has driven up energy costs, decimated manufacturing, and eroded the middle class, urging a return to free-market mechanisms to stabilize the industry. Despite these domestic headwinds, Watson outlines Chevron's aggressive global expansion strategy, which includes quadrupling Permian Basin output through capital generated by massive LNG investments in Australia and a joint venture with Exxon in Kazakhstan. While noting that OPEC's influence has waned in favor of shale producers and resilient Russian exports, the executive emphasizes that technological advancements are offsetting high exploration risks and driving wage growth in key U.S. energy hubs.
- Milken Institute21 min
Lunch Program | Part 1: A Conversation with Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who originally opposed Donald Trump during the Taj Mahal bankruptcy proceedings before offering his support, now leads the Department of Commerce with a mandate to prioritize bilateral trade agreements over multilateral ones. Under Ross's direction, the administration secured a 100-day window with China for specific deliverables while imposing tariffs on Canadian lumber, positioning these actions alongside expectations for 2% to 2.5% GDP growth once tax reforms and regulatory rollbacks are enacted. Despite facing a fragmented Republican Party and united Democratic opposition that slow legislative progress, Ross maintains that high-quality personnel and strong market sentiment will drive the administration's economic agenda.
- Milken Institute31 min
MIc'd Up | Part 2: A Conversation with Elizabeth Blackburn
Salk Institute President Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn discusses the biological mechanisms of aging and telomere maintenance with host Jun Yun, framing the extended human lifespan as an opportunity to maximize health span rather than a inevitable decline. The dialogue details how specific lifestyle interventions—including brisk daily exercise, seven hours of sleep, and cognitive reframing of stress—directly influence telomere length to mitigate risks of chronic diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes. By integrating molecular biology with health psychology, Blackburn argues that dynamic gene expression allows individuals to actively shape their cellular health and extend their years of vitality.
- Milken Institute31 min
MIc'd Up | Part 1: Jeb Bush in Conversation with Terry Duffy
Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter announced their joint acquisition of the Miami Marlins, a venture designed to leverage data analytics and market growth while avoiding the financial pitfalls of high-salary player acquisition. The former Florida governor simultaneously urged for comprehensive federal reforms to resolve bureaucratic gridlock, advocating for tax code simplification, term limits, and a shift toward an economy-driven immigration system. While expressing cautious support for the current administration's foreign policy coherence, Bush emphasized the urgent need to address workforce displacement caused by automation through 21st-century educational overhauls.
- Milken Institute30 min
MIc'd Up | Part 2: Pedro Domingos in Conversation with Eric Schmidt
Led by industry leaders like Bill Gates and Pedro Domingos, the event examines how converging advances in algorithms, data, and computing are shifting machine learning from rule-based programming to generalized intelligence. The presentation details critical hurdles in generalization and the urgent global talent shortage, while outlining transformative economic shifts where traditional hardware models face commoditization and new crowdsourced learning ecosystems emerge. Looking five to ten years ahead, the discussion predicts a workforce evolution where humans act as strategic captains alongside AI systems, enabling universal programming capabilities that could unlock a $5 trillion new world economy.
- Milken Institute29 min
MIc'd Up | Part 1: A Conversation with John Chambers and Ken Griffin
John Chambers, Ken Griffin, Gillian Tett
Ken Griffin and John Chambers evaluate the early regulatory shifts of the new administration while advocating for a three-to-five-year strategic horizon to assess tax reform, healthcare restructuring, and a "fair trade" agenda. The leaders emphasize that prioritizing digital infrastructure, retaining high-skilled immigrant talent, and reforming K-12 education are critical for sparking innovation and overcoming stagnation in the U.S. IPO market. Despite these opportunities, both figures warn that a lack of a unified national strategy, combined with limited fiscal tools and potential geopolitical trade conflicts, could derail the economy's path toward sustained 4% growth.
- Milken Institute28 min
MIc'd Up | Part 1: A Conversation with Angela Ahrendts
Angela Ahrens is redefining Apple Retail as a global community hub by transforming physical locations into "hardware" designed for social connection rather than mere sales transactions. This strategic shift introduces the "Today at Apple" curriculum and "Creative Pros" roles across 500 stores to teach public classes in coding and arts, aiming to combat social isolation while leveraging the fact that half of recent Genius Bar visits were for education. By prioritizing human connection and meaningful work, the initiative has driven employee retention to 82% and positions the company to set new standards for corporate social responsibility through free lifelong learning opportunities.
- Milken Institute31 min
A Conversation With Indra Nooyi and Mike Milken
Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi championed the "Performance with Purpose" strategy to secure generational longevity by aligning financial growth with human, environmental, and workforce sustainability. She countered investor skepticism regarding short-term restructuring charges by restructuring the product portfolio and engaging directly as a global statesman to navigate complex regulatory and implementation challenges. Nooyi further advocated for systemic workforce retention solutions, including mandatory family support systems, while driving regional gender inclusion strategies to leverage the purchasing power of women.
- Milken Institute42 min
A Fireside Chat with Serge Pun Building Myanmar
Serge Pun, Staci Warden, Mike Milken, Mahendra Lama, Minseok Lee, Dickey Yuhuiko, Brad Gordon
Expanding from a private interview to a public forum, the Milken Institute session featured Serge Poon and Mike Milken discussing Myanmar's shifting economic landscape following the removal of US sanctions. Poon detailed his forty-year journey from displacement to rebuilding a private banking empire through strict anti-corruption practices, while outlining a strategy prioritizing long-term infrastructure investment over short-term gains. The dialogue concluded with an optimistic five-year forecast for nation-building, emphasizing regional connectivity and the need for investors to support foundational "trunk" projects despite lingering political risks.
- Milken Institute39 min
A Conversation with Jacob J. Lew, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew characterizes Puerto Rico's $70 billion debt crisis as an immediate emergency requiring legislative authority to establish an independent oversight board and prevent a chaotic restructuring that would harm 3.5 million residents and U.S. municipal bond markets. Simultaneously, Lew advocates for comprehensive federal reforms to overhaul the housing finance system, close corporate inversion loopholes, and implement a revenue-generating tax code that addresses broken incentives without relying on revenue neutrality. Complementing these economic measures, the administration announced a redesign of U.S. currency featuring Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill to better reflect American history, while urging bipartisan cooperation to overcome modern political divisiveness.