Latest Interviews
Showing 226–240 of 1,630 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute46 min
AI Ahead and the Future of Innovation | Global Investors' Symposium 2026
Annabelle Droulers, Winston Cheng, Ben Dawson, Sung Kim, Yifan "David" Li, Rui Li
Lenovo CFO Winston Wu and other industry leaders addressed the "perfect storm" of geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, while highlighting a strategic shift toward sovereign AI and localized data infrastructure. Speakers from Upstage, Hasai, and VITA Technologies detailed a transition from digital models to "Physical AI," driven by advancements in low-cost LiDAR, tactile sensing, and the imminent emergence of general-purpose robots. The consensus forecasts a 2024–2025 market pivot where hyperscalers accelerate hardware procurement for edge computing, enabling autonomous agents to navigate global complexities through hybrid compliance strategies and self-improving capabilities.
- 80,000 Hours1h 16m
A Ukraine ceasefire could accidentally set Europe up for wider war
Samuel Tarab argues that a Ukrainian ceasefire carries a higher risk of accidental NATO-Russia conflict due to eroded security channels and a militarized European landscape where miscalculation could trigger escalation. To mitigate these dangers, Tarab proposes a phased ceasefire framework utilizing "snapback" security guarantees and defensive-only aid to deter violations while prioritizing non-alignment over territorial disputes. The analysis concludes that effective deterrence relies on maintaining credible uncertainty and rejecting spheres of influence rather than ceding to Russian pressure or relying on fragile "fait accompli" strategies.
- Sequoia Capital58 min
How Autonomous Labs Will Transform Scientific Research: Ginkgo Bioworks’ Jason Kelly
Jason Kelly, Sonya Huang, Pat Grady, Anya
Ginkgo Bioworks is executing a strategic pivot from traditional biological design to AI-driven autonomous laboratories, partnering with OpenAI to demonstrate that reasoning models can conduct high-volume experiments with 40% greater efficiency than current state-of-the-art benchmarks. Founder Jason Kelly argues that this shift addresses critical inefficiencies in global science by replacing costly human overhead with 24/7 robotic operations, a move he views as a national security imperative to compete with China's rapidly scaling biotech sector. By transitioning to a cloud-based, usage-pricing model and leveraging specialized robotics over humanoids, the company aims to democratize access to experimental science while fundamentally altering the economics of drug discovery and industrial biotechnology.
99% of Drone Companies Will Die & Why Anduril’s Products Aren’t an Ethics Debate | Matthew Steckman
Matthew Steckman, Harry Stebbings
Angoro has secured a $20 billion credit-structured contract with the U.S. military, leveraging its Lattice software platform and Barracuda missile systems to establish a scalable presence in the defense sector. The company attributes this success to an intact founding team, including Palmer Luckey, which utilizes an IRAD-funded "tiger team" strategy to validate solutions with government champions before securing revenue. Despite projecting $2 billion in annual revenue, Angoro plans to pursue an IPO in the 2025-2026 window to enhance its credibility rather than pursuing early acquisitions, aiming to dominate the middle ground in space domain operations.
- All-In Podcast1h 17m
How Matt Mahan Thinks He Can Save California
Matt Mahan, Chamath, Jason, Friedberg, David
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan entered the California gubernatorial race to challenge the state's fiscal dysfunction by contrasting his record of managing local budgets with the revenue-focused strategies of opponents like Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer. His platform centers on shifting from process-driven spending to outcomes-based governance, proposing zero-based budgeting to address a $35 billion deficit, reforming pension liabilities to curb long-term costs, and implementing supply-side solutions to resolve the housing affordability crisis. Mahan argues that California's high taxes and regulatory environment have failed to improve key metrics in safety and housing, positioning his administration as a pragmatic alternative that utilizes data dashboards and specific operational reforms to restore economic competitiveness.
This is why I don't believe in sales quotas | Figma CRO
Shaunt Voskanian, Harry Stebbings, Sean Bosganian
Figma's Chief Revenue Officer Sean Bosganian outlines a strategic pivot from self-service to a sales-led motion that prioritizes prescriptive selling and expansion within existing accounts rather than new logo acquisition. This shift is supported by a specialized organizational restructuring, a credit-based AI monetization model, and a hiring philosophy that favors growth mindset and deal experience over deep industry knowledge. These initiatives aim to drive net retention growth and deepen strategic customer engagement despite broader market efficiency trends.
- Dwarkesh Patel1h 24m
Terence Tao – How the world’s top mathematician uses AI
Johannes Kepler's transition from flawed geometric models to elliptical laws illustrates how high-quality data can overturn established theories, a dynamic that Terence Tao compares to modern AI generating hypotheses against verified datasets. As artificial intelligence drives the cost of idea generation to near zero, the scientific bottleneck has shifted from hypothesis creation to the verification and evaluation of results, necessitating new systems to distinguish genuine breakthroughs from algorithmic noise. While current AI excels at breadth by solving thousands of routine problems, human experts will increasingly focus on deep conceptual understanding and the development of new frameworks to ensure mathematical progress remains insightful rather than purely procedural.
- a16z54 min
Palantir CTO on The SaaS Apocalypse & Preventing The Next World War | a16z
Shyam Sankar, Katherine Boyle, Erik Torenberg
The speaker, now serving as a senior advisor to the U.S. Army alongside executives from OpenAI and Meta, argues that national security requires a return to FDR-style industrial mobilization to counter the post-Cold War consolidation that has left the defense sector vulnerable to internal cultural decay. By contrasting the historical success of "heretical" innovators like Hyman Rickover with today's financialized monopsony, the presentation advocates for direct government commissions of private-sector talent and a cultural shift toward optimistic storytelling to rebuild American competitive advantage against China. This reform strategy emphasizes co-locating R&D with production and leveraging AI for hardware and infrastructure rather than standardized software to prevent economic "suicide" and restore strategic deterrence.
How Reddit Went From $12M to $2.2B + Cracked Social Media Monetization
Steve Huffman, Molly O'Shea, Rich Barton
In March 2024, Reddit successfully completed its IPO at $34 per share, leveraging a record-breaking Directed Share Program to achieve immediate GAAP profitability despite an initial valuation lower than previous private rounds. CEO Steve Huffman and executive leadership have driven a 69% year-over-year revenue increase to $2.2 billion by capitalizing on the platform's unique "human-first" ad model and its role as a primary data source for AI training. The company's strategy prioritizes community authenticity over algorithmic engagement, a philosophy credited with sustaining 60% growth for five consecutive quarters while navigating challenges from the API controversy and the integration of generative AI tools.
- a16z47 min
The New Media Playbook with Marc Andreessen & Ben Horowitz
Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Erik Torenberg
The firm fundamentally redefines media strategy by replacing the defensive posture of traditional journalism with an offense-oriented approach that prioritizes speed, founder-led personal branding, and content saturation to control narratives within a 24-hour cycle. By treating viral posts as the primary medium and leveraging an OODA loop of rapid observation and action, the organization enables portfolio companies to generate immediate engagement through direct CEO communication rather than abstract corporate messaging. This ecosystem now functions as a comprehensive launch service and talent development pipeline, positioning the firm as the definitive standard for "New Media" roles while advising leaders to embrace controversy as a necessary signal of power in a landscape where old media acts only as a lagging indicator.
- All-In Podcast45 min
John Fetterman: 'I'm the Only Democrat in Congress Saying This'
John Fetterman, David Friedberg
Senator John Fetterman positions himself as a fiscally conservative Democrat who rejects the party's progressive label and current leadership while maintaining full support for recent military strikes against Iran and strict voter ID measures. He argues for prioritizing national security over partisan loyalty, citing concerns over non-citizen voting and the need to counter China's technological rise, though he simultaneously criticizes his party's base for adopting policies that alienate working-class voters. Despite acknowledging internal party dysfunction, Fetterman remains open to a future presidential run as he seeks to bridge ideological divides on issues ranging from immigration enforcement to AI development.
- a16z47 min
Why Scale Will Not Solve AGI | Vishal Misra - The a16z Show
Researchers have mathematically validated that Large Language Models function as "Bayesian wind tunnels," where in-context learning precisely updates token probability distributions in real-time rather than relying solely on statistical correlation. Despite demonstrating this capability through the open-sourced "TokenProbe" tool and reproducing results across transformer architectures, current models remain fundamentally limited by their frozen weights and inability to perform causal reasoning or discard established axioms. Bridging the gap toward Artificial General Intelligence therefore requires a new architectural approach to implement true continual learning and move from association to simulation, as identified in recent work comparing LLM behavior to Judea Pearl's causal hierarchy.
Deel Hits $1.4B+ in ARR | CEO Alex Bouaziz Shares Growth Playbook
Alex Bouaziz, Molly O'Shea, Shuo Wang, Micky Malka
Deel, co-founded by Alex and Shuo, has grown its annual recurring revenue from $800 million to over $1.4 billion, securing a $17 billion valuation through a funding round led by Rivet Capital. This fully remote organization now serves over 40,000 global clients by providing integrated HR infrastructure across 120 countries while maintaining profitability and raising minimal external capital prior to its Series A. With a strategic focus on IPO readiness, a $100 billion valuation target, and the productization of internal AI tools, the company continues to expand its ecosystem through specialized acquisitions and brand partnerships.
- All-In Podcast1h 16m
Two Legendary Founders: Travis Kalanick & Michael Dell Live from Austin, Texas
Travis Kalanick, Michael Dell, Friedberg, Brad Gerstner
At the All-In Summit, Travis Kalanick officially ended the seven-year stealth phase of his new physical AI venture, Adams, by unveiling a platform that treats atoms like bits to revolutionize food production and mining automation. Concurrently, Michael Dell detailed the explosive growth of his AI infrastructure business and championed the bipartisan Invest America Act, a capital account initiative designed to seed $1,000 for every U.S. child to foster broad-based ownership. Both leaders emphasized a strategic pivot toward Texas as a pro-growth hub for industrial scaling while advocating for aggressive AI integration and open-source collaboration to drive future economic abundance.
Gokul Rajaram on the 8 Moats Companies Need & Why Dropouts are "AI Maxing" the World
Gokul Rajaram, Harry Stebbings
Gokul Rajaram introduces an "Eight Modes" framework to evaluate software defensibility, arguing that companies must transcend single-product models to survive the AI-driven commoditization of basic coding and data portability. He forecasts a market correction driven by the obsolescence of traditional brand moats, urging investors to prioritize net revenue retention and physical or scale-based advantages over mere top-line growth. Rajaram concludes that future winners will emerge from founders with deep industry experience who target non-consumption markets and full-stack operational control rather than relying on incremental software improvements.