Latest Interviews

Town Hall | Will Technology Save or Subvert Civility and Society?

Frank Luntz, Fadi Chehadé, Tristan Harris, Gabriel Stricker

Tristan Harris and fellow panelists argue that algorithmic incentives and corporate business models have eroded digital civility, creating a landscape where polarization is monetized and public trust is critically low. To counter these systemic failures, the discussion proposes a "troika" governance structure involving governments, corporations, and citizens, alongside specific reforms like engineer oaths and fiduciary data laws to prioritize human well-being over engagement metrics. While challenges such as the slow pace of legislation and geopolitical digital divides persist, the speakers emphasize that immediate action through media literacy education and international cooperation is essential to restoring healthy democratic discourse.

The a16z Pitch Room: Sandbox VR

Steve Zhao, Siqi Chen, Andrew Chen, Frank Chen

Andreessen Horowitz led an investment in Sandbox VR to fund its scalable network of untethered, wireless virtual reality locations that address high churn rates in the traditional consumer VR market. General Partner Andrew Chen backed the strategy of positioning the company as a future content publisher and platform for third-party developers, rather than a simple hardware retailer, citing strong unit economics and near-unanimous customer satisfaction data from existing Asian markets. With a founding team combining AAA game development experience and hyperlocal growth expertise, the venture aims to expand from 14 to over 50 rooms while mitigating novelty risks through rapid content rotation and exclusive IP partnerships.

Psychedelics: Mind-Enhancing Methods to Well-Being

Tim Ferriss, Christian Angermayer, Robin Carhart-Harris, Matthew Johnson, Ayelet Waldman

In 1957, Katherine McCormick's pivotal funding enabled Gregory Pincus to develop the oral contraceptive, establishing a historical precedent for high-conviction scientific bets that now mirrors the current push to reclassify psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA from Schedule I to Schedule IV. Recent clinical trials demonstrate these substances' efficacy in treating treatment-resistant depression, anxiety in cancer patients, and addiction, with effects often lasting months after a single session compared to the temporary relief provided by conventional SSRIs. Supported by major funding from investors like Christian Angermeyer and research from institutions such as Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London, the movement aims to integrate these therapies into a regulated medical model to address the growing global mental health crisis.

Software Engineer Turned Youtuber - Jarvis Johnson

Jarvis Johnson, Craig Cannon, Nathan Allebach, Taylor

Engineering manager and content creator Jarvis Johnson transitioned from a full-time career at Patreon to independent YouTube production after a viral subscriber surge validated his strategy of balancing technical deep-dives with broader industry critique. Leveraging lessons from Silicon Valley and his time managing teams, Johnson now advocates for "clickbait with positivity" while warning against the rise of soulless content farms that threaten platform authenticity. His journey highlights a shift from grade-driven multitasking to focused, interest-driven learning, aiming to provide accessible role models for aspiring technologists navigating the software industry's evolving landscape.

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.

Town Hall - Will Technology Save or Subvert Civility and Society?

Frank Luntz, Gabe, Tristan

A panel of tech leaders and academics argues that social media platforms have fundamentally degraded American politics by algorithmically prioritizing engagement over civility, with data showing zero perceived positive impact among attendees. Speakers detail how predictive modeling and recommendation engines exploit human vulnerabilities to amplify polarization and misinformation across major sites like YouTube and Twitter, creating a toxic feedback loop that erodes social fabric. To address this crisis, the group proposes a multi-stakeholder "troika" governance model, legislative reforms to the Section 230 framework, and the integration of digital ethics into educational curricula to establish new norms for the industry.

The Hedge-Fund Shakeout

Eric Schatzker, Eddie Fishman, Jeremy Shipman, Gerald Beeson, John McCormick, Ilana Weinstein

Industry leaders emphasize that achieving sustainable returns now requires replacing individual skill with robust infrastructure and repeatable processes to navigate an increasingly efficient, zero-sum market environment. As structural alpha diminishes due to regulatory changes and market maturation, successful firms are converging quantitative and fundamental approaches while leveraging scale to aggregate data and talent. Looking ahead, the sector is trending toward consolidation where large multi-manager platforms and specialized boutiques coexist, demanding greater transparency and strategic partnerships with investors to maintain competitive advantages.

The Known Unknowns of Election 2020

Tanya Cushman, Peter van de Ven, Neera Tanden, Karl Rove, Mark Penn, Jim Messina

Global political fragmentation and economic anxiety are driving the rise of new parties worldwide, while US election dynamics are defined by a shrinking core of swing voters and a rapidly aging demographic. In the 2020 Democratic primary, over 700 candidates are competing under a front-loaded delegate system, yet the party remains overwhelmingly focused on electability to defeat a President Trump who suffers from low personal favorability despite high approval ratings. Ultimately, success in the upcoming election hinges on a dual strategy of base mobilization and persuading a skeptical electorate that the candidate can deliver economic improvement while uniting a divided nation.

LIVE: Corner Office: Leading Organizations in an Era of Change

David Faber, Todd Boehly, Charles Scharf, Igor Tulchinsky, Devin Wenig, Meg Whitman

Executives from WorldQuant, BNY Mellon, and the Los Angeles Dodgers convened to discuss the logarithmic pace of technological disruption and the strategic imperative for organizations to embrace extreme flexibility, high failure tolerance, and radical diversification. The panel highlighted how industry leaders are leveraging data-driven decision-making, global talent sourcing, and demographic shifts to navigate an asymmetric environment, with specific examples including algorithmic sports management, exponential alpha generation, and the evolution of legacy financial institutions. Furthermore, the discussion underscored the critical need for diverse workforces to anticipate market trends, the impending arrival of unified national privacy legislation, and the expansion of predictive analytics into new verticals ranging from healthcare to space exploration.

Artificial Intelligence Advances, and the Ethical Choices Ahead

Henry Blodgett, Vivian Ming, Pedro Domingos, John Kelly, James Field, Wade

Industry leaders including Pedro Domingos, Vivian Ming, James Field, and John Kelly convened to examine the economic and ethical implications of artificial intelligence, highlighting a shift where routine intellectual tasks face higher automation risks than complex physical labor. The panelists debated the potential for labor market bifurcation and the "Midas problem" of poorly defined AI goals, while acknowledging that hybrid human-machine collaboration currently outperforms standalone systems in fields ranging from chess to medical diagnostics. Addressing future bioethics and consciousness, the group argued that decentralized market forces will likely drive genetic enhancement trends despite ethical concerns, emphasizing the need for transparency and embedded ethical mechanisms rather than universal legislative frameworks.

A Conversation With Mick Mulvaney | Part 2: Perspectives on the US Economy

Mick Mulvaney, Maria Bartiromo, Alan Schwartz, Andrew Ullman, Aaron Klein

The White House prioritizes advancing the USMCA trade deal and finalizing a China agreement under strict conditions while warning against foreign intervention in Venezuela. Domestic policy focuses on overhauling regulatory approval pipelines to accelerate infrastructure spending, despite facing legislative gridlock driven by partisan disagreements on funding versus deregulation. Concurrently, the administration prepares for the 2020 election by leveraging recent economic indicators, such as declining drug prices and wage growth in Opportunity Zones, while experts in the accompanying panel debate solutions for widening income inequality and labor force participation.

Shifting Tides: How CEOs Navigate Today's Challenges

Andy Serwer, David Solomon, Barbara Humpton, Jeff Harmoning, Carmine Decibio, Bob Backus

CEOs from Goldman Sachs, Siemens, Viacom, General Mills, and EY discussed the strategic imperative of integrating diversity, sustainability, and technology into core business operations rather than treating them as peripheral issues. Leaders like David Solomon, Barbara Humpton, and Bob Backus highlighted specific initiatives ranging from carbon neutrality goals and digital transformation to talent retention and the rejection of creative mandates to align with evolving consumer values. The panel further addressed the necessity of adapting workforce development, communication strategies, and regulatory stances to navigate a shifting global landscape while maintaining organizational authenticity and growth.

LIVE: Part 1: A Conversation With Christine Lagarde | Part 2: The Investors' View

Christine Lagarde, Michael Klowden, Gerard Baker, Stephanie Flanders, Tom Finke, David Hunt, Scott Minerd, Ronald O'Hanley, Lara Warner

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and a panel of investors convened to address global economic fragility characterized by synchronized growth slowdowns, persistent low inflation, and rising sovereign and corporate debt risks. Discussions highlighted divergent regional trajectories with the US showing resilience while Europe faces structural vulnerabilities, alongside critical concerns regarding China's Belt and Road sustainability and the potential for a US-China trade agreement. The event concluded with urgent calls for structural reforms in infrastructure, labor participation, and digital investment to combat inequality, warning that future crisis response capacity is limited by high debt levels and political polarization.

Clippy: The Unauthorized Biography

Chloe Condon, Steven Sinofsky, Frank Chen, BillG

Led by engineer Sam Hobson, a Microsoft team developed the Office Assistant, or Clippy, to bridge the gap between complex 1990s software and home users by applying social actor theories and natural language processing. Despite consulting Disney animators and facing cultural localization hurdles, the feature generated significant user frustration through intrusive interruptions, leading to its official retirement in Office XP by 2001. Although the specific implementation failed, the project established a legacy of intent-based interaction models and remains a prominent cultural meme that highlights the ongoing challenge of designing usable intelligent agents.

MIT 6.S093: Introduction to Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The presentation argues that learning-based artificial intelligence will supersede optimization models but requires "machine teaching" and continuous human supervision to ensure safety, fairness, and explainability. Key strategies include active learning algorithms that minimize data requirements, reward engineering to align systems with societal values, and uncertainty signaling through ensemble disagreements to trigger human intervention in high-stakes domains. These human-AI collaborations aim to overcome persistent perception challenges in face and emotion recognition while scaling autonomous technologies to societal levels where safety and symbiosis are paramount.