Latest Interviews
Showing 1846–1860 of 1,991 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute1h 13m
Demystifying the Mortgage Meltdown: What It Means for Main Street, and the U.S. Financial System
This presentation dissects the 2008 mortgage meltdown by attributing the crisis to unsustainable debt levels, rampant securitization, and a fragmented regulatory environment that failed to manage systemic risks. Speakers detail how high leverage at institutions like Lehman Brothers and AIG, combined with rating agency failures, precipitated a severe liquidity freeze and a housing market correction that wiped out trillions in equity. The analysis concludes that current policy interventions, including TARP, offer only temporary relief and that lasting stability requires comprehensive regulatory reform to increase capital reserves and eliminate opacity in complex financial products.
- Milken Institute1h 13m
Revolution of Hope: The Life, Faith and Dreams of a Mexican President
Vicente Fox, Mike Milken, Governor Davis
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox joined Milken Institute Chairman Mike Milken for an exclusive dialogue on U.S.-Mexico strategic partnerships, highlighting Mexico's demographic surge, trade achievements under NAFTA, and the economic impact of the region's growing workforce. Fox detailed his administration's record of stabilizing inflation and boosting the stock market while advocating for comprehensive immigration reform and contrasting his cooperative leadership style with isolationist or force-based policies. Looking toward the future, the discussion projected Mexico's rise to become a top-five global economy by 2040 and urged deeper binational integration to counterbalance emerging Asian powers while addressing ongoing security challenges.
- Milken Institute1h 28m
Sam Wyly: 1,000 Dollars & an Idea
Sam Wyly, Milken, Mike Clouden
The Milken Institute hosts a December series of private breakfasts featuring former White House Chief of Staff Mac McLarty and new Los Angeles Times editor Russ Stanton, while scheduling a January forum on stem cell research with Allen Tronson. Concurrently, the organization promotes its 2009 Global Conference for April 27–29, noting that capped attendance is expected to sell out. These upcoming events follow a broader narrative highlighted by Sam Wiley's extensive business history, ranging from his tenure at IBM and the founding of Sterling Software to his recent leadership of Green Mountain Energy.
- Milken Institute1h 22m
The Future of Biofuels: Can This Green Energy Pay Off - and Save the Planet?
Roger Conway, Daniel Gardenswartz, Richard Hamilton, Glenn Yago, Joel
The Milken Institute's Capital Studies program convened experts from the USDA and private sector to analyze the technical and economic realities of three biofuel generations, emphasizing advanced cellulosic and algal technologies. Panelists highlighted that while government programs like the Biomass Crop Assistance Program are addressing the critical funding gap between research and commercialization, economic parity with fossil fuels is projected within two to three years as yields improve and costs decline. The discussion concluded that a diversified energy portfolio is essential, countering concerns about food security by demonstrating how genetically enhanced crops can sequester carbon and utilize marginal land without displacing food production.
- Milken Institute1h 21m
MI Forum: Safe At Home With Joe Torre
Joe Torre, Jocelyn Toner, Jeff Klewer, Judith Lynn
The Milken Institute hosted an invitation-only forum where legendary baseball manager Joe Torre and his wife Allie announced the expansion of their Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation to address domestic violence through new school-based "Margaret's Place" safe rooms in Los Angeles. Leveraging a golf tournament fundraiser and an upcoming honorary event for Torre and Sandy Koufax, the initiative aims to scale its peer-support model nationally following a decade of work in New York. The session also featured Torre's reflection on the cultural shift toward media scrutiny in modern sports and his advocacy for accountability regarding the steroid era as he transitions his legacy from four World Series championships to social advocacy.
- Milken Institute59 min
Mid-Market Private Equity (updated)
Lauren Leichtman, Brian Reynolds, Ted Virtue, Barry Volpert, Kneeland Youngblood, Adam Sokoloff
Industry leaders including Lauren Leichman, Ted Virtue, and Barry Volpert convened to analyze the current middle-market landscape, highlighting a surge in refinancing activity and secondary buyouts driven by abundant capital and favorable credit conditions. While mega-funds compete on lower IRR mandates, mid-market firms leverage operational expertise and lower leverage to target distinct valuation gaps, particularly in the $200 million to $1 billion enterprise value range. The panel concluded that despite LP demands for concentration and compliance, the sector is poised for sustained growth through strategic carve-outs, cross-border expansion, and a predicted "harvesting wave" of exits over the next five years.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Leaning In or Pushed Out: Where Are the Senior Women in Business?
Richard Ditizio, Margery Kraus, Sallie Krawcheck, Lauren Leichtman, Liz Claman, Marjorie Kraus, Michelle Kidley, Jeff, Manjuka Nariwala
Despite women comprising over half of college graduates, their representation in senior financial leadership remains stagnant at roughly 16%, a regression driven by systemic biases like the "intellectual honesty" trap and the double-bind of perceived aggression. Panelists highlighted that while diverse management teams generate over 30% higher returns, institutional inertia persists due to regressive maternity policies and a flexibility paradox that sidelines working mothers. To address this, experts recommend leveraging investor pressure through shareholder voting, utilizing regulatory CAMEL ratings to penalize homogenous boards, and fostering mandatory male inclusion to dismantle the status quo.
- Milken Institute57 min
Copy of In Tech We Trust? A Debate with Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen
Peter Thiel argues that the US is experiencing a "computer rust belt" of stagnation in physical infrastructure and productivity despite massive R&D spending, attributing this decline to cultural risk aversion and excessive regulation. Mark Andreessen counters that innovation is actively progressing in sectors like social media, electric vehicles, and clean energy, viewing current skepticism as a recurring historical pattern where transformative technologies are initially dismissed. Both speakers agree that entrenched government monopolies and rigid regulatory frameworks are the primary barriers to accelerating living standards, though they differ on whether the decline is driven by a genuine lack of invention or merely a failure to recognize modern breakthroughs.
- Milken Institute54 min
Inventing the Impossible
Nolan Bushnell, Pablos Holman, Salim Ismail, Marco Tempest, Ken Rutkowski
This event convenes leading experts to analyze how exponential technology trends are disrupting linear industries like education and healthcare while accelerating global innovation. Speakers detail Singularity University's strategy for training diverse cohorts to solve billion-person problems and showcase transformative solutions ranging from nuclear waste-fueled reactors to personalized AI-driven learning models. The proceedings further highlight how crowdfunding has democratized capital access, enabling rapid prototyping and shifting the focus of human space exploration toward robotics and bioengineering.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Global Opportunities in Commercial Real Estate (mobile v2)
Peter Lowy, William McMorrow, Nicholas Schorsch, Barry Sternlicht, Sam Zell, Lewis Feldman, Lou Feldman, Bill McMorrow
Prominent industry figures including Sam Zell, Barry Sternlich, and Bill McMorrow analyze a global real estate landscape characterized by $320 billion in capital flows and a strategic shift away from high-leverage speculation toward stable, yield-focused asset classes. The discussion highlights distinct regional opportunities such as Irish and Latin American growth against European recession, while addressing operational challenges like rising security costs and the integration of physical retail with digital channels. Ultimately, the panel concludes that the United States offers the superior risk-adjusted returns for the coming year, driven by currency stability and disciplined underwriting in staple sectors like multi-family housing and net lease properties.
- Milken Institute1h 15m
Impact Investing in Israel Roundtable
Lorin Fife, Alan Hoffmann, Carl Kaplan, Yaron Neudorfer, Izzy Tapoohi, Davida Lachman-Messer, Shari Birenbach
This panel featured industry leaders including Didi Lachman, Lorraine Alexander, and Alan Hoffman, who advocated for impact investing as a necessary vehicle to scale social funding in Israel by leveraging the 95% of foundation assets not required for annual grants. Key speakers presented diverse financial instruments ranging from social impact bonds and social venture funds to earmarked Israel Bonds, projecting that these mechanisms could generate the required 7% returns while addressing inequalities among underserved populations. The discussion concluded with a roadmap for establishing a social investment bank and standardizing impact measurements to overcome institutional conservatism and mobilize public-private partnerships.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Value and Values: Building a High-Performance Company (updated)
Marc Benioff, Ken Hicks, Jay Rasulo, Walter Robb, Tom Wyatt, Willow Bay
CEOs from Salesforce, Whole Foods, Disney, Foot Locker, and Knowledge Universe convened to outline strategies where integrating core values with business performance drives long-term success. The panel highlighted specific operational shifts, such as Salesforce's 1-1-1 philanthropy model, Whole Foods' rapid transparency on supply chain issues, and Foot Locker's move toward distributed decision-making, all designed to build trust with millennials and investors. Executives concluded that in an era of accelerated competition, organizational culture and ethical accountability have become the primary differentiators for attracting talent and sustaining growth.
- Milken Institute54 min
Magic Johnson and David Ho: Winning the Battle Against AIDS (updated)
Magic Johnson, David Ho, Earvin (Magic) Johnson, Al Michaels
In 1938, President Roosevelt launched a campaign against polio that, following the 1955 introduction of the Salk vaccine and strategic public endorsements, reduced US cases by 99.9% and annual costs from $100 billion to $100 million by the turn of the millennium. Decades later, the HIV/AIDS epidemic reshaped global health through pivotal moments such as Magic Johnson's 1991 retirement announcement and Dr. David Ho's development of HAART therapy, which transformed the disease from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition for many. Today, despite significant advances in treatment and the efforts of advocates like Bill Gates and Dr. Ho, the disease remains a critical global challenge affecting millions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and among specific US demographics, necessitating continued research for a vaccine and cure.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Global Opportunities in Commercial Real Estate (mobile)
Lou Feldman, Peter Loewy, Bill McMorrow, Nicholas Gorsch, Barry Sternlich, Sam Zell
Prominent real estate executives including Sam Zell, Barry Sternlich, and Peter Loewy convened to analyze a global capital shift where $320 billion in direct real estate investment returned to 2013 levels, driven primarily by U.S. and secondary European markets. While investors pivoted toward risk-adjusted yields and debt structures in stable environments like the United States and Colombia, they identified significant headwinds in Brazil and Europe alongside evolving retail strategies that prioritize omnichannel integration and larger showroom formats. The discussion also highlighted critical security challenges and the impact of terrorism insurance expirations on capital flow, underscoring a broader trend of institutional consolidation amidst a fragmented regulatory landscape.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
A Conversation with Barry Diller (updated)
Barry Diller outlines a strategic vision for the media industry that prioritizes disintermediation and open internet ecosystems to dismantle closed cable bundles and legacy publishing models. Through specific assessments of companies like Aereo, Netflix, and Google, he predicts that disruptive innovation will shift market power from incumbents resisting change to agile, consumer-centric platforms. Diller identifies critical leaders such as Rupert Murdoch and Jack Welch as exemplars of risk-taking and bureaucratic agility necessary to survive in this evolving landscape.