Latest Interviews
Showing 1–15 of 19 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute36 min
Michael Milken in Conversation with HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak | Middle East & Africa Summit
Michael Milken, HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Sarah Sandler, His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak
Building on early foundational investments like the 2017 creation of a federal AI ministry and MBZ AI University, the UAE is accelerating its strategic pivot with the US-backed Stargate project, a massive 19-square-kilometer AI cluster scheduled for operational status by late 2025. This infrastructure initiative, which integrates 35,000 NVIDIA H100 chips and involves major partners like OpenAI and Microsoft, serves as the backbone for broader domestic AI integration across government services via the "Tem" platform and corporate strategies such as Mubadala's "Maya" decision-making system. These concerted efforts aim to sustain the nation's top global rankings in entrepreneurship and competitiveness while driving projected wealth migration and economic diversification beyond oil.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker | Middle East & Africa Summit 2025
Matthew Whitaker, Michael Milken, Matt Winokur, Mike
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Winokur outlines a strategic pivot toward equalizing allied defense spending and accelerating the adoption of autonomous, low-cost warfare systems to counter escalating threats from Russia, China, and North Korea. He emphasizes a shift from high-cost legacy platforms to scalable drone technology and calls for a societal readiness model inspired by Nordic nations to manage volatility in the Arctic and the volatile Sahel region. Looking ahead, Winokur frames President Trump's agenda as a bid for "durable peace" driven by "peace through strength," aiming to end the Ukraine conflict while establishing free trade and dialogue with historic adversaries.
- Milken Institute31 min
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya Conversation | Future of Health Summit 2025
Jay Bhattacharya, Michael Milken
NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya addresses a critical loss of public trust and stagnant U.S. life expectancy by restructuring the agency toward a venture capital investment model that prioritizes young researchers and publishes negative results to resolve the replication crisis. While navigating geopolitical tensions with China and correcting misconceptions about budget cuts, the administration leverages bipartisan congressional support to maintain leadership through open talent attraction rather than isolation. A new communication strategy, including a weekly podcast, aims to depoliticize scientific discourse and demonstrate how biomedical advances translate into tangible economic growth and public health improvements.
- Milken Institute28 min
A Conversation with Carlos Slim Domit | Global Investors' Symposium Mexico City 2025
Carlos Slim Domit, Michael Milken
A strategic analysis highlights Mexico's unique investment case, driven by a young demographic, robust STEM workforce, and geographic proximity to the U.S. market to boost infrastructure and manufacturing capacity. This growth is underpinned by a national goal to raise the investment-to-GDP ratio to 28% while leveraging telecommunications networks to foster digital inclusion and a digital-first philanthropic model. Together, these factors position North America as a dominant global economic bloc, merging U.S. technological innovation with Mexico's demographic vitality for long-term stability and expansion.
- Milken Institute38 min
A Conversation with US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent | Global Conference 2025
Scott Bessent, Richard Ditizio, Michael Milken
The 28th annual Milken Institute Global Conference convened 1,000 speakers under the theme "Toward a Flourishing Future" to address critical resource gaps in health, connectivity, and global wealth distribution while urging for inclusive coalitions to bridge societal divides. Concurrently, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined the Trump administration's economic agenda, which prioritizes trade tariffs to boost domestic manufacturing, a "big beautiful bill" of tax cuts and deregulation, and an aggressive strategy to lower the federal deficit by 1% annually. The administration further signaled a shift toward "safe, sound, and smart" financial regulation, strategic partnerships with Ukraine, and a focus on maintaining U.S. dominance in AI and quantum computing to foster a "new golden age" of prosperity.
- Milken Institute30 min
A Conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang | Global Conference 2025
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang frames AI as a $100 trillion industrial revolution that creates "AI factories" to automate labor and reintegrate millions of workers into the global economy. Operating as an end-to-end infrastructure provider, the company builds massive, gigawatt-scale systems while arguing that unrestricted global chip trade is essential for establishing dominant U.S. standards. Through a culture of perpetual resilience and a focus on "Physical AI," NVIDIA aims to close the technology divide and drive GDP growth across healthcare, manufacturing, and robotics sectors.
- Milken Institute45 min
Global Investment Outlook | Asia Summit 2023
Laura Deal Lacey, Michael Milken, Haslinda Amin, Lim Chow Kiat, Steffen Meister
A fragmented discussion addressed speculative topics ranging from unverified energy transition goals to undefined geopolitical strategies involving the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. Participants mentioned broad concepts like artificial intelligence, fiscal accountability, and market volatility without establishing concrete data, specific timelines, or actionable policy outcomes. The session concluded with general acknowledgments but failed to produce a coherent narrative, leaving the stated objectives regarding value capture and supply chain dynamics unresolved.
- Milken Institute34 min
Harnessing the Power of David Beckham’s Global Brand | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024
David Beckham, Jamie Salter, Michael Milken
Authentic Brands Group has solidified its status as a global leader in brand management by expanding its portfolio to include high-profile estates and the David Beckham partnership, while simultaneously driving a 25% revenue share from its new entertainment division, Studio 99. This strategic collaboration, finalized in 2022 after a decade of negotiations, leverages Beckham's 164 million social followers to accelerate content production and support Inter Miami CF's rise in Major League Soccer through the strategic acquisition of Lionel Messi. Looking ahead, the partnership aims to capitalize on the 2026 World Cup to establish soccer as the United States' premier sport, with ABG targeting substantial growth in its asset-light media model over the next five years.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with Mark Cuban
Amid a crisis that erased 22% of U.S. micro-businesses, the discussion highlighted the urgent need for "Infrastructure 2.0" investments in robotics and AI to reshape manufacturing, alongside entrepreneurial pivots toward ambient voice technology. Comprehensive reform proposals were presented to address economic disparity, including a "Sick Bank" system and a means-tested "10 Plan" for healthcare, while the sports sector emphasized community-focused initiatives to confront systemic racism. The dialogue concluded with strategic advice for workforce agility, urging job seekers to acquire technical skills and relocate to secure opportunities in a rapidly evolving global economy.
- Milken Institute34 min
Opening Plenary | Part 1: A Conversation with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
Kristalina Georgieva, Michael Milken
Governments, the IMF, and the private sector engaged in unprecedented collaboration to deploy $17 trillion in fiscal and monetary support, providing financial lifelines to 70 nations and establishing a debt moratorium for the world's poorest countries. Despite this rapid crisis response, the IMF warns that economic recovery will be slower than anticipated, accompanied by record-high debt levels and risks of widening inequality unless investments prioritize sustainability and social inclusion. Policymakers are urged to maintain agile strategies to address non-banking financial vulnerabilities and prevent complacency, ensuring the rebuilding of an inclusive, low-carbon global economy.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with SoftBank Vision Fund CEO Rajeev Misra
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a global digital transformation that fundamentally reshaped supply chains, finance, healthcare, and education by replacing physical infrastructure with data-driven alternatives like dark kitchens and telemedicine. This shift empowered small businesses and consumers through frictionless digital payments, democratized access to credit and education, and forced a strategic pivot toward regional self-sufficiency in manufacturing and technology. As major firms like SoftBank curtailed experimentation to focus on survival, the event highlighted a geopolitical realignment where East-to-West technology transfer and national infrastructure security now supersede global scale.
- Milken Institute23 min
Lunch Program | Part 1: A Conversation with Alex Azar, Secretary, US Department HHS
The HHS, led by Secretary Alex Azar, outlined a 2017 healthcare strategy prioritizing affordability, patient choice, and quality through three pillars: financing reform, value-based payments, and targeted interventions. Key initiatives include a 5% decline in opioid overdose deaths driven by the $400 million Healing Communities Initiative, a shift from center-based to home dialysis via the KidneyX program, and a Medicare risk-sharing pilot affecting one-quarter of beneficiaries. Despite noting progress in reducing ACA premiums and expanding plan availability, the administration maintains that systemic flaws persist, aiming to replace fee-for-service models with incentives focused on prevention and long-term outcomes for the entire US population.
- Milken Institute39 min
A Conversation with Rajeev Misra
SoftBank's Vision Fund and Vision Fund 2 manage a diversified global portfolio of 88 investments, with recent strategic pivots toward Life Sciences and Financial Services utilizing AI to reduce healthcare costs and disrupt regulated lending. The firm distinguishes its value proposition through mid-stage capital, extensive ecosystem synergies like cross-selling between Grab and Ping, and operational support derived from SoftBank Mobile, which drove a portfolio valuation surge from $240 billion to approximately $300 billion. As the funds mature, the team has shifted focus to 75% portfolio management, celebrating eight IPOs and major exits including Uber and Flipkart while preparing for the economic impact of 5G adoption via the Sprint-Deutsche Telekom merger.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with Strive Masiyiwa and Michael Milken
Strive Masiyiwa, Michael Milken
With Africa's population projected to reach 4 billion by 2100 and 12 million young entrants joining the workforce annually, the continent faces a critical imperative to modernize its fragmented economy and address high unemployment rates like the 29% in South Africa. Global tech giants and investors are capitalizing on unique innovations such as mobile money and blockchain to unify 54 currencies, while infrastructure projects connect the continent from Cape Town to Cairo alongside rapid 5G deployment. Strategic partnerships led by figures like Strive Maseiwa aim to train government leaders and expand private enterprise networks, positioning Africa as a primary future market despite capital shortages and the need to replace nearly 500 million traditional jobs.
- 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.