Latest Interviews
Showing 1–15 of 17 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute59 min
A Conversation with Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States | Global Conference 2024
Bill Clinton, William Jefferson Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea, Charlotte, Aidan, Jasper, George H.W. Bush, Mike Milken, Lori, Richard Ditizio, Alan Schwartz
At the Milken Institute Global Conference, executives and attendees emphasized cross-partisan collaboration to address global challenges, highlighting that women currently receive only 2% of global funding despite the critical need for inclusive partnerships. Former President Bill Clinton distinguished between divisive and inclusive tribalism while detailing successful initiatives such as the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which has saved 30 million lives and secured HIV treatment for 80% of children globally. Clinton further advocated for early childhood education strategies and public health reforms, arguing that maximizing generic drug production and leveraging corporate cooperation offer superior returns on investment compared to divisive nationalism or grievance-based politics.
- 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 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 6m
Priorities for the Next U.S. President
Jeff Green, Tillman Fertitta, Ellen Townsher, Frank Luntz, Mike Milken
Four former presidential candidates—Jeff Green, Tillman Fertitta, Ellen Townsher, and Frank Luntz—discussed hypothetical policy outcomes at the final session of the Milken Institute conference, moderated by Wolf Blitzer and Mike Milken. Each panelist detailed specific legislative achievements in their imagined administrations, ranging from Green's $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan and Guaranteed Minimum Income to Fertitta's elimination of corporate deficits and Luntz's failed VA reform efforts. The discussion highlighted divergent approaches to governance, with candidates sharing contrasting results on economic growth, foreign relations, and the practical challenges of implementing bold structural changes.
- Milken Institute1h 26m
Public Health Summit Dinner March 2, 2016
Mike Milken, Tom Frieden, Rob Califf, Fred Upton, Nancy Pelosi, Francis Collins
This event featured key figures including Francis Collins, FDA Commissioner Rob Califf, and CDC Director Tom Frieden discussing critical public health challenges such as the implementation gap between knowledge and action, rising opioid overdose deaths, and the threat of a post-antibiotic era. The proceedings highlighted specific policy responses ranging from Mexico's successful food taxes and "health stops" to the U.S. House passing the 21st Century Cures Act and funding the Brain Initiative, alongside clinical breakthroughs in treating depression and heart failure. To address these systemic issues, officials urged for robust funding, the adoption of global "find, stop, prevent" strategies, and a massive volunteer effort for the Precision Medicine Initiative to accelerate biomedical discovery.
- Milken Institute57 min
Around the World in 60 Minutes: Creating Global Prosperity
Mike Milken, Tony, Strive, Nouriel, Kathy
The 18th annual Milken Institute Global Conference convened 4,000 attendees and global leaders including Tony Blair and Nouriel Roubini to address the dual challenges of global job creation and economic resilience. Key outcomes included the formation of a task force targeting one billion new jobs and strategic imperatives emphasizing migration liberalization, human capital investment, and health infrastructure to counter automation and demographic shifts. By shifting focus from aid to trade and advocating for lifelong learning, the panel established a framework for future prosperity centered on open governance and innovation.
- Milken Institute1h 7m
Bettering California's Business Climate
Mike Cloughton, Mike Milken, Scott Minard, Kevin DeLeon, Sharon, Troy
Hosted by the Milken Institute, the California Summit convened key policymakers and investors to address the state's economic trajectory, demographic shifts, and innovation capacity. Leaders such as Scott Minard, Senator Kevin de León, and Troy Carter debated strategies to leverage California's upgraded credit rating for massive infrastructure bonds, reform the film tax credit system, and resolve funding disparities for women-led bioscience firms. The event concluded with a consensus that the state must reduce regulatory friction and lower marginal tax rates to retain global talent and sustain growth in critical sectors like technology and healthcare.
- Milken Institute1h 9m
Leaders on Leadership: An Intimate Conversation
Mike Milken, Howard Marks, Janet Napolitano, Steve Wynn
Nearly 1,000 women convened at a marathon-style global conference where leaders like Janet Napolitano, Steve Wynn, and Howard Marks addressed themes of strategic risk, transparent authority, and second-level thinking across 160 sessions. The event highlighted how decisive actions, such as CVS Caremark's removal of cigarettes or Wynn's irreversible capital commitments, require balancing immediate financial pressures against long-term organizational missions. By synthesizing historical parallels with modern investment principles, the gathering framed bold leadership as the deliberate choice to accept calculated risks to secure sustainable economic and societal growth.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
A Conversation with Ken Griffin and Steve Schwarzman
Ken Griffin, Steve Schwarzman, Mike Milken, Kenneth Griffin, Stephen Schwarzman
Ken Fisher, Steve Schwarzman, and Ken Griffin identify educational deficiencies, excessive regulation, and a mismatch between workforce skills and modern economic demands as primary threats to U.S. competitiveness. These leaders advocate for structural reforms in public schooling, support initiatives like the Schwarzman Scholars Program to bridge global talent gaps, and call for deregulation and energy independence to stimulate small business growth. Furthermore, they contrast the U.S. reliance on capital markets with Europe's bank-centric model, urging immediate action on entitlement reform and fiscal policy to restore long-term human capital and drive job creation.
- Milken Institute1h 17m
Son of a Gambling Man: My Journey from a Casino Family to the Governor's Mansion
Bob Miller, Joel Kurtzman, Mike Milken
On January 21, 2014, Harvard researchers Aris Aydin and Jean-Baptiste Michel will discuss *Uncharted Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture* alongside former Nevada Governor Bob Miller, who remains at the venue to sign copies of his autobiography. The event contextualizes Miller's career within the broader evolution of Las Vegas, tracing its transformation from a mob-influenced gambling hub into a globally recognized economic leader through the strategic visions of figures like Bugsy Siegel, Howard Hughes, and Steve Wynn. By detailing shifts in financing, regulatory oversight, and infrastructure, the session highlights how legal enforcement and corporate innovation drove Nevada's diversification beyond gaming into fields such as biotechnology, mining, and tech.
- Milken Institute1h 13m
Access to Global Capital Initiative: Corporate and Investor Roundtable
Tony Blair, Paul Kagame, Strive Masiyiwa, Seth Merrin, Mike Milken, Mindy Silverstein
At the Milken Institute's "Investing in Africa" working group, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Tony Blair outlined strategic partnerships with the Institute to accelerate capital flow into emerging markets through the new Access to Global Capital Initiative. The session highlighted Rwanda's 8% annual economic growth and regional integration efforts while presenting data indicating that emerging markets now hold a larger share of the global economy than the US, Europe, and Japan combined. With future plans to expand operations in Indonesia and convene international investors in East Africa, the group aims to leverage governance reforms and renewable energy projects to drive sustainable wealth creation across the continent.
- Milken Institute55 min
A Conversation with Howard Marks and Mike Milken (updated)
Howard Marks, Mike Milken, Michael Milken
Historical analysis of major market crashes, including the 1973 Nifty Fifty collapse and the 2008 financial crisis, reveals that investors often suffer catastrophic losses by ignoring cyclical valuations and overestimating the safety of high-quality assets. The presentation further explains that long-term bond returns depend more on reinvestment rates than initial yields, while successful investing requires focusing on knowable factors like specific companies and demographics rather than unpredictable macro variables. Finally, the discussion highlights how Oaktree Capital Group sustains its long-term success through a firm culture rooted in specific ethical creeds, harmonious teamwork, and a succession strategy that prioritizes the perpetuation of values over individual founder skills.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
MI Forum: Creating a World Without Poverty
Muhammad Yunus, Mike Milken, James McGowan, Betsy Zyman, Ross Duvall, Steve Barth
Founded by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to democratize access to capital, the Grameen Bank operates a unique microfinance model where 7.3 million borrowers, 97% of whom are women, own the institution itself. This structure inverts traditional banking by eliminating collateral and legal enforcement while utilizing social pressure to maintain repayment rates exceeding 98%, thereby extending credit to the world's poorest populations. Building on this foundation, Yunus has expanded into social business ventures like Grameen Danone and Grameen Shakti, which deliver essential services ranging from nutrition to solar energy without relying on external dividends.
- 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 Institute56 min
A Conversation with Howard Marks and Mike Milken
Howard Marks, Mike Milken, Michael Milken
Oaktree Capital employs historical market cycles and behavioral analysis to teach that asset quality is secondary to valuation, as demonstrated by repeated failures when investors extrapolate linear growth during bubbles like the Nifty Fifty and the 2008 crisis. By emphasizing that risk is often misperceived and that true success requires focusing on knowable fundamentals rather than unknowable macro trends, the firm structures its culture around team-based incentives to ensure long-term survival and client prioritization. This approach positions investors to profit by remaining aggressive when others are terrified and conservative when optimism dominates, effectively navigating market temperatures without relying on specific economic predictions.