Latest Interviews

Alex Blumberg of Gimlet Media

Alex Blumberg, Craig Cannon

Gimlet Media acquires podcast talent by prioritizing visionary founders and magnetic hosts with at least 100,000 independent downloads, offering the human capital and marketing infrastructure needed to scale content quality. The company cultivates a non-partisan culture that values empathy and editorial execution, using practical hiring assessments to build teams capable of representing underrepresented voices. Driven by a strategy that leverages YouTube clips for discovery and adapts successful formats like true crime, Gimlet transforms independent audio concepts into sustainable, mainstream productions.

Echoes of Fourier

The event explains how complex numbers and the Discrete Fourier Transform decompose audio signals into frequency components to enable the $O(n \log n)$ Fast Fourier Transform algorithm. It further details how the Convolution Theorem applies these principles to efficiently model acoustic environments and audio effects like reverb through multiplication in the frequency domain. Finally, the presentation addresses the numerical challenges of reversing these processes via deconvolution for applications such as echo removal and digital room correction.

Leah Culver of Breaker and Tom Sparks of YC Answer Your Questions About Security and Podcasting

Leah Culver, Tom Sparks, Craig Cannon

This event examines the intersection of government surveillance, device security, and startup culture, highlighting Apple's resistance to backdoors while detailing best practices for developers to protect sensitive data through iOS Keychains and robust multi-factor authentication. Speakers contrast the convenience of biometrics with their permanent compromise risks, advising users to combine passcodes with strong passcode habits to mitigate law enforcement access. The discussion concludes by outlining Breaker's vision to transform podcasting into a serialized content platform and identifying emerging opportunities in IoT security and passive bio-sensing technologies.

Tim Urban of Wait But Why

Tim Urban, Andrew Finn, Craig Cannon

Author and researcher Tim Urban leverages his *Wait But Why* blog to catalyze a cultural shift that encourages high-intelligence individuals to pursue careers in artificial intelligence and technology as a strategic response to humanity's imminent existential challenges. By framing the "Page 500" moment—a critical transition where human survival depends on mastering AI safety and overcoming the Fermi paradox's great filter—Urban argues that redirecting top talent toward these fields offers the most effective multiplier for global well-being. This perspective is grounded in a rigorous, multi-source research methodology designed to synthesize complex topics like CRISPR, VR, and space exploration into actionable insights for both creators and future tech workers.

Be Wary of Solving a Small, Rare Problem - Des Traynor of Intercom

Des Traynor

Des Traynor and Owen McCabe transitioned from a rejected academic study on code proficiency to founding the chat and messaging platform Intercom after discovering that in-app notifications drove superior customer engagement compared to legacy error-tracking tools. The company accelerated its growth by prioritizing timeless content marketing, manual onboarding, and a unified brand philosophy that aligned product features with the core mission of making internet business personal. Today, Intercom continues to evolve by shifting its messaging toward explicit ROI for enterprise clients while expanding into new sectors like soccer technology and financial simplification based on Traynor's insights into solving large, frequent problems.

Wake Up, Europe! Stories That Frame the Future

Jeremy Coller, Sylvia Earle, Lord Michael Hastings CBE, Baron Hastings of Scarisbrick, Jay Shetty, Jayne Van Hoen

Industry leaders Jeremy Collar, Sylvia Earle, Lord Hastings, and Jay Shetty present a unified framework for addressing global systemic risks by integrating sustainable investing, ocean conservation, pragmatic execution of the SDGs, and mental health education. Their collective analysis highlights how factory farming drives antimicrobial resistance, overfishing depletes critical ecosystems, and a lack of self-awareness exacerbates socioeconomic inequality, while offering specific pathways for capital reallocation and corporate reform. By mobilizing $4 trillion in assets and deploying audit skills in developing communities, these figures advocate for a transition from profit-centric models to strategies that prioritize ecological resilience and human well-being.

Expanding the European Economy: The Role of Capital Markets

Michael Milken, Robert Kricheff, Damian Lillicrap, Giuseppe Naglieri, Grace Peters, Mike Clowden, Mike Milken, Damien, Bob

At the 2017 Milken Institute Capital Markets Summit in London, moderator Mike Milken and a panel of financial leaders from J.P. Morgan, QSuper, and Shankman Capital analyzed the structural failures of Europe's bank-centric finance model, which they argue stifles SME growth and fuels political instability. The group contrasted this with the U.S. market's reliance on capital markets and the Australian pension system, advocating for regulatory reforms to diversify funding sources and encourage private equity and fintech to drive job creation. The panel concluded that addressing these capital access gaps through a Capital Markets Union and targeted investments in Latin America and Africa is critical to restoring middle-class prosperity and preventing democratic backsliding.

What's Driving the Asset Management Industry Today?

Karen Tso, Michael Freno, Michele Gesualdi, Rick Lacaille, Gregory Williamson, Greg Williamson, Rick Lakai

A panel of industry leaders including Michael Frino, Michele Gesualdi, Rick Lakai, and Greg Williamson analyzed the structural shift toward passive investing, warning that reduced capital for contrarian bets may create "autopilot" selling during corrections while active managers must prove net alpha to survive fee compression. The group projects an 18-to-24-month bull market supported by massive central bank liquidity injections, though inflation and geopolitical instability remain key risks that could trigger a regime change in global financial accommodation. Furthermore, experts predicted significant technological disruption from AI and blockchain that will force a bifurcation of the asset management industry, driving capital from public to private markets and reshaping fee structures as beta becomes a near-free commodity.

Lessons in Leadership: Women Breaking Barriers and Battling Bias

Asya, Rachel, Asli, Yomi, Jackie Cooper, Lynn Franks, Brenda Trinodan

A panel of executives and advocates, including Asli Efe and Asya Koussy, highlighted how exclusionary corporate structures and historical biases continue to impede gender equity despite evidence linking diverse leadership to superior financial returns. The discussion outlined strategic interventions such as mandatory sponsorship programs, temporary hiring quotas, and rigorous language audits, alongside personal testimonies illustrating the resilience required to navigate systemic barriers. Consensus among the speakers emphasized that achieving tangible change requires top-down cultural shifts anchored in measurable KPIs rather than voluntary initiatives.

A Continental Wake up Call: Challenges and Opportunities for a Post Brexit Europe

Stephanie Flanders, Michael O'Sullivan, Tina Fordham, Mark Wilson

The Milken Institute London Summit convened roughly 1,000 global leaders to address the intersection of Brexit uncertainties, Eurozone growth dynamics, and rising political populism across Europe. Panelists including Mario Draghi, Peter Mandelson, and Michael O'Sullivan warned that economic fragility could trigger a political instability loop, particularly in Italy and regarding the UK's potential WTO exit. Strategic recommendations emphasized diversifying into "Global Britain" models reliant on intangible infrastructure, accelerating regional mergers, and securing external trade partnerships to counterbalance internal fragmentation risks.

Cybersecurity and the Ransomware Wave: How to Keep Europe Safe

Michael Rogers, Rik Ferguson, Maryam Hussain, Dave Palmer, Raj Samani

This analysis details the explosive growth of the ransomware economy, where criminal enterprises now leverage cryptocurrencies and AI to automate attacks and eliminate profit-sharing middlemen. The discussion further highlights how evolving threats targeting IoT, autonomous vehicles, and industrial systems are complicated by conflicting regulatory obligations that adversaries exploit to maximize extortion payouts. Finally, the summary examines the maturation of the cybercrime ecosystem into a "service" model alongside critical challenges in law enforcement prosecution, cyber insurance viability, and the need to shift organizational culture from fear-based compliance to empowered skepticism.

U.S. Overview: Big Markets, Big Politics

Philippa Thomas, Jonathan Blair, Ross DeVol, Tony Fratto, Steve Krouskos, William Lee, Trevor Custle, John Jones

A panel of five experts, including Bill Lee of the Milken Institute and Steve Kruskos of EY, assessed the current U.S. economy with high optimism while highlighting a paradox between strong macroeconomic indicators and low public trust. The discussion covered the structural impacts of a $1.5 trillion tax bill, the risks of reduced regulatory burdens, and shifting investment trends driven by Brexit and tightening U.S.-China trade relations. Despite consensus on robust growth potential, speakers warned of underlying vulnerabilities such as income inequality, a slowdown in new business formation, and potential asset price distortions caused by monetary policy uncertainty.

A Glance through the Global Trade Window: Like the View?

Adrian Wooldridge, Ailish Campbell, Ian Goldin, William Lee, Rhonda Schmidtlein, David Walker

Panelists including Eilish Campbell, Bill Lee, Rhonda Smichline, and Ian Goldin examined the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement's role in establishing a template for future deals while debating how globalization's uneven economic impacts fuel political populism. The discussion highlighted that while trade has driven global wealth, its benefits were not adequately redistributed to domestic losers, leading experts to reject Universal Basic Income in favor of policies prioritizing labor mobility and adaptable education systems. Furthermore, the group analyzed the risks of protectionism and financial instability, concluding that prudent regulatory frameworks and open data flows remain essential for maintaining economic resilience against emerging technological disruptions.

A Continental Wake-up Call: Challenges and Opportunities for a Post-Brexit Europe

Michael Klowden, Stephanie Flanders, Tina Fordham, Michał Krupiński, Lord Mandelson, Michael O'Sullivan, Mark Wilson

The Milken Institute's 7th London Summit convened approximately 1,000 global leaders to analyze Europe's resilience against political fragmentation and economic uncertainty, featuring critical discussions on the stalled Brexit negotiations and divergent growth trajectories between Western and Central Eastern European markets. Experts from institutions including Credit Suisse, Citi, and Aviva warned that while short-term growth has improved, structural risks such as a default on trade deals, the ECB's upcoming policy shifts, and the rise of populist "Insider vs. Outsider" dynamics threaten to undermine institutional stability. The event concluded with strategic recommendations for Franco-German leadership to accelerate banking and capital market integration, emphasizing that Europe must look externally to compete with the US and China rather than remaining paralyzed by internal regulatory disputes.

Immigration, Workforce and the New Europe

Sophia, Robert Guest, Elizabeth Collett, Paul Collier, August Hanning, Syed Kamall, Parag Khanna

Former German intelligence chief August Hanning, economist Paul Collier, and other experts convened to analyze the political and economic repercussions of the 2015 European migration crisis, which triggered polarization, Brexit, and trust deficits across the continent. The panelists distinguished between refugees and economic migrants while debating the efficacy of closed borders versus systems modeled after Singapore or Gulf states, ultimately highlighting that true stability requires addressing root causes through foreign aid and regional development. Despite consensus on the need for pragmatic integration strategies and philosophical shifts in national identity, the group concluded that a lack of political will and poor governance in origin countries currently impedes the implementation of these long-term solutions.