Latest Interviews
Showing 31–45 of 113 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute52 min
Inside a Blockbuster Franchise: "Avengers: Endgame"
Julia Boorstin, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, David Levinson, John McCutchan
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo leveraged a unique back-to-back production strategy and a global day-and-date release to propel *Avengers: Endgame* to a record-breaking $1.2 billion opening weekend. Their collaborative "mastermind" approach, which integrated scientific consultation and disciplined ensemble management, transformed the film into a universal cultural phenomenon while reaffirming the distinct value of the theatrical experience. Building on this success, the Russo brothers are now expanding their AGBO production company to champion artist ownership and emerging talent with projects like *Cherry*, all while maintaining a format-agnostic commitment to both streaming and cinema.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Investing with Vision: A Conversation With SoftBank's Rajeev Misra
Rajeev Misra, Mike Milken, Michael Milken
SoftBank Vision Fund has deployed $80 billion across 80 portfolio companies to aggregate fragmented markets through AI-driven platforms and preferential debt financing. Led by Rajiv Mehta, the fund targets 30% long-term returns by applying a minority stake strategy to "fearless" founders while leveraging SoftBank's ecosystem for global expansion. With a second fund planned for immediate launch, the organization aims to capitalize on the transition from internet growth to an AI revolution that restructures industries like transportation and hospitality.
- Milken Institute1h 6m
Part 1: A Conversation With John Hickenlooper | Part 2: A Conversation with Seth Moulton
John Hickenlooper, Seth Moulton, Jerry Baker, Christina Bellantoni
The Milken Institute Global Conference featured two presidential conversations with Democratic candidates Governor John Hickenlooper and Representative Seth Moulton, who focused on unifying the party to defeat President Trump. Hickenlooper emphasized restoring middle-class economic stability through antitrust enforcement, tax reforms on wealth, and state-led social policies, while Moulton advocated for a generational shift in leadership driven by veteran healthcare reform, green infrastructure investment, and constitutional impeachment debates. Both candidates addressed critical national challenges including climate change, gun control, and economic restructuring, aiming to present a cohesive platform that addresses deep national divisions.
- Milken Institute51 min
Sir Richard Branson and Michael Milken in Conversation with Kevin O'Leary
Sir Richard Branson, Michael Milken, Kevin O'Leary, Richard Branson
Speakers Richard and Michael analyze a sharp decline in Western faith in free enterprise driven by student debt, stagnant real estate returns, and wealth inequality, while contrasting this with optimism in emerging markets like Vietnam and China. They argue that successful entrepreneurship now relies on balancing visionary leadership with operational management to navigate deregulation, tax competitiveness, and global capital flows, noting that SMEs have become the primary engines of job creation. Furthermore, the discussion outlines solutions for systemic challenges, including a universal carbon tax to address climate change and for-profit space exploration to ensure both environmental sustainability and human survival.
- Milken Institute1h 30m
A Conversation with Howard Marks: Mastering the Market Cycle
Investment strategist Howard Marks emphasizes that historical market cycles and human psychology consistently drive asset pricing, challenging the "this time is different" narrative while highlighting the critical importance of valuation over asset quality. His analysis of structural shifts, from the evolution of bond covenants to the rise of passive investing, underscores that risk is cyclically determined by investor sentiment and liquidity rather than economic fundamentals alone. Ultimately, Marks argues that successful capital allocation requires recognizing probabilistic outcomes and maintaining sufficient resources to exploit the extreme fear and pricing inefficiencies that arise during inevitable downturns.
- Milken Institute1h 4m
Town Hall | Media and Partisanship in the Brexit Hour
Frank Luntz, James Harding, Nick Robinson, Matthew, Zach, Seema, Ingrid
James Harding and Nick Robinson discuss the fractured trust in UK media and democracy against the backdrop of the 2016 Brexit referendum, arguing that both the press and political parties have lost their connection to the public through a shift toward emotional, identity-based politics. Contrasting the regulated British model with the fragmented, partisan landscape of the US, the speakers contend that media failure stems not from overt bias but from an inability to validate voters' lived anxieties or effectively challenge false claims like the "£350 million to the EU" poster. They conclude that preserving the concept of impartiality as a shared factual foundation requires actively educating the public on its necessity to prevent a descent into polarized echo chambers.
- Milken Institute58 min
Conversations With Congress. Pt. 1: Kevin McCarthy & Pt. 2: Chuck Schumer
Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, Frank Luntz, Richard Sandler
U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer addressed a deeply polarized political landscape, with McCarthy highlighting record-low unemployment and bipartisan legislative successes while Schumer outlined Democratic strategies to address economic stagnation and restore the American Dream. Both leaders emphasized the necessity of bridging ideological divides, citing personal relationships across the aisle and proposing concrete policy solutions such as infrastructure investment and structural reforms for Social Security to overcome gridlock. Despite acknowledging significant national challenges ranging from military readiness to international diplomacy, they each framed their respective parties' upcoming midterm goals around achieving tangible economic growth and restoring faith in government efficacy.
- Milken Institute57 min
MIc'd Up | A Conversation With Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer, Michael Milken, Stephen Ballmer, Mike Milken
Former Microsoft CEO Stephen Ballmer leveraged his corporate success to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, where he now champions a dedicated arena and implements a player development program focused on life skills and emotional maturity. Concurrently, he and his wife founded the Ballmer Group to drive economic mobility through early childhood education initiatives and the data transparency project USA Facts, which aggregates government financial records to counteract declining social prospects. Drawing on his background as a first-generation American and tech executive, Ballmer argues that investing in pre-K yields superior long-term returns compared to later educational interventions while advocating for AI's potential to lift all societal boats despite short-term displacement concerns.
- Milken Institute1h 23m
Part 1: Conversation With David Petraeus | Part 2: Conversation With Steven Mnuchin
David Petraeus, Steven Mnuchin, Maria Bartiromo, Michael Milken, Tony Blair
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, General David Petraeus, and former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin convened to analyze the resurgent competition between authoritarian and liberal democratic systems shaping the 21st century. The panelists addressed critical geopolitical flashpoints including the strategic rivalry with China, the destabilizing role of Russia, and the potential for an Israel-Arab alliance to secure Middle East stability. Simultaneously, they discussed domestic economic priorities, ranging from the impacts of tax reform and trade negotiations to the necessity of robust governance in Africa and the Middle East to counter extremism and promote prosperity.
- Milken Institute58 min
Checking In With Stephen Cloobeck
Stephen Cloobeck, Jared Carney
In his book *Checking In*, hospitality executive Dan Klubeck outlines a management philosophy centered on extreme employee protection, reciprocal trust, and the view that dyslexia serves as an entrepreneurial asset. The narrative details his aggressive crisis management during the 2008 financial downturn, where he secured company survival through strict cash-based operations, personal salary cuts, and the strategic acquisition of distressed competitors. Beyond business operations, Klubeck leverages public stunts from his *Undercover Boss* appearances and political advocacy to demonstrate that reputation and human connection ultimately drive sustainable growth more effectively than traditional branding or technology.
- Milken Institute58 min
The Future of Higher Education
Jeffrey Selingo, Bill Achtmeyer, Rafael Bras, Mitch Daniels, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Candace Thille
Facing record tuition discount rates and a growing skills gap where 89% of employers find graduates unprepared, higher education is pivoting from a traditional four-year degree model to a "100-year lifetime" framework of recurrent, skills-based learning. Leaders at institutions like Georgia Tech and Purdue, notably Mitch Daniels, are driving this transformation through aggressive online expansion, AI integration, and financial innovations like Income Share Agreements to ensure affordability and relevance. As smaller schools face potential closure, the sector is consolidating around agile, market-driven models that treat credentials as dynamic data sets of verified competencies rather than static diplomas.
- Milken Institute55 min
A Conversation With "Crazy Rich Asians" Author Kevin Kwan
Kevin Kwan, Curtis S. Chin, Rich Green, Maria Amor, Ram, Josh Barrow, LC, Helena, JD Gladden, Amanda Bressler, Susan Lee, Jim Quick, David Sangali
Kevin Kwan, recently named to Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list for his *Crazy Rich Asians* trilogy, discusses the creation of his first novel and its adaptation into the first Hollywood studio film in 26 years to feature an all-Asian cast. Produced with a team committed to authentic details and shot entirely in Singapore and Malaysia, the film faced casting resistance before securing a release that highlighted the economic rise of Asia and complex family dynamics across three continents. Kwan and his agents leveraged the project's commercial success to advocate for future Asian-led storytelling, aiming to dismantle Hollywood exclusion and inspire a new generation of diverse creators through upcoming television initiatives and expanded global narratives.
- Milken Institute1h 7m
De-Risking Emerging Markets Investments
Aron Betru, Jeremy Carter, Michael Eckhart, Keiko Honda, Catherine McCarthy, Jukka Pihlman, Kate McCarthy, Mike Eckhart, David Rockefeller Jr., Kate Ballard, David Freeman, Anne-Marie Slainmann, Cathy O, Jeremy Walker, Michael L, David Batts, Jeremy Standiffer, Rodney Ferguson, Aryeh Green, Ambassador Kobi Krimson
Despite a $2.5 trillion annual funding gap for the Sustainable Development Goals, global financial institutions are constrained by Basel III capital reserves and regulatory misalignments that penalize local currency lending and partial guarantees. Multilaterals like MIGA are increasingly deploying political risk insurance to catalyze private capital, yet structural inefficiencies in credit enhancement and a scarcity of bankable projects continue to hinder the flow of the $250 trillion available in global markets. Industry leaders are now pushing for streamlined credit enhancement mechanisms and regulatory reforms to convert public guarantees into effective tools that address the actual, rather than perceived, risks in emerging markets.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Mr. Speaker: A Conversation With Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan, Conrad Kiechel, Brian Sullivan
Concluding the Milken Institute Global Conference, House Speaker Paul Ryan addressed political polarization, the structural hurdles of the Senate filibuster, and the administration's "Better Way" economic agenda centered on tax reform and infrastructure. While declining to run for president again to prioritize his family, Ryan detailed legislative successes in aviation and veterans' affairs while warning that a split government following the 2018 midterms would result in dangerous gridlock. The interview further highlighted his strategies for addressing entitlement costs, labor market mismatches, and trade uncertainties, emphasizing that securing economic security is the most effective remedy for identity-based division.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
A Conversation With Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall, Brian Sheth, Melissa Stevens
Jane Goodall and Brian Sheth discuss the convergence of private equity capital and global conservation through Goodall's Jane Goodall Institute and Sheth's leadership of Global Wildlife Conservation. They detail the expansion of Goodall's Roots & Shoots program to 150,000 youth groups and the institute's use of satellite technology to protect chimpanzee populations in Gombe and the Republic of Congo. The dialogue concludes with a strategic emphasis on integrating scientific rigor into policy-making and leveraging financial markets to sustain long-term environmental resilience.