Latest Interviews
Showing 136–150 of 757 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist9 min
What would be the point of an American strike on Iran? | The Economist
Edward Carr, Ed, Shashank, Greg
Two US aircraft carrier strike groups and over 100 fighter jets, including F-22s landed in Israel, have assembled in the Gulf and Mediterranean to execute high-intensity strikes without establishing a large-scale ground presence in Saudi Arabia or the UAE. Analysts warn that the undefined strategic aim—ranging from punitive punishment to coercive diplomacy or regime change—fundamentally determines the conflict's duration and feasibility. Negotiations remain deadlocked over specific nuclear constraints, as Washington seeks a permanent agreement eliminating sunset clauses while Iran resists total uranium enrichment restrictions.
- Y Combinator20 min
The Powerful Alternative To Fine-Tuning
Ian Fischer, Mark Mandelbaum, Francesc Campoy Flores, Mark Mandelmann, Jr.
Poetic, led by co-CEO Ian Fisher, deploys a recursive Meta-System that autonomously optimizes foundation models to outperform them on benchmarks like Arc AGI v2 and the Humanity's Last Exam at a fraction of the cost. This stealth-stage platform functions as a cost-effective "stilts" for startups, achieving 9 percentage point gains over competing models while utilizing a lean team of seven scientists rather than massive training budgets. The company now invites early access from ventures seeking to integrate these self-improving reasoning strategies into their specific verticals.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
A New Way to Trade Emerging Markets
Stratford Dennis, Chris Hussey
Global emerging market equities have surged 15% year-to-date on $45 billion in inflows, driven by strong earnings fundamentals and a weaker US dollar that specifically benefits non-China regions like Korea and Brazil. While broad markets rally, China lags due to a lack of earnings growth and tariff headwinds, prompting investors to shift capital toward Latin American assets and structural plays like call spreads to manage valuation risks. Goldman Sachs maintains a bullish stance on this "EM ex-China" exposure, citing anticipated Brazilian interest rate cuts and election cycles as key catalysts for continued, albeit slower, appreciation.
- The Economist6 min
How “El Mencho’s” death could reshape Mexico’s largest cartel | The Economist
El Mencho, Sarah Birke, Jason Palmer
Following the capture and death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, immediate widespread violence erupted across 15 to 20 Mexican states before subsiding by Tuesday. This high-stakes operation, driven by diplomatic pressure from the United States and a strategic shift in Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's security agenda, demonstrates advanced tactical capabilities while exposing the cartel's military-grade assets. Despite the short-term stabilization, experts warn that removing such a dominant figure often triggers long-term fragmentation and internecine conflict, posing a significant threat to the upcoming World Cup co-hosted in Guadalajara.
- The Economist8 min
Why does Elon Musk want to put data centres in space? | The Economist
Elon Musk, Tom Standage, Alex Hern
Elon Musk has merged XAI into SpaceX and filed an FCC application to deploy one million satellites, aiming to establish orbital data centers powered by sun-synchronous orbits to achieve terawatt-scale annual capacity. While Musk targets lunar manufacturing and mass drivers to lower launch costs, OpenAI's Sam Altman and industry analysts currently dismiss the concept as technically infeasible due to prohibitive expenses and unrepairable hardware failure rates. Despite this skepticism, competitors including StarCloud, Google, Jeff Bezos, and Eric Schmidt are advancing their own pilot projects or securing launch capacity to test the viability of space-based computing.
- Goldman Sachs20 min
Why Japanese Stocks Could Keep Rallying
Driven by Prime Minister Senei Takeuchi's snap election victory, Japanese equities have surged 14% year-to-date in 2026, outperforming US benchmarks and triggering a Goldman Sachs price target increase based on anticipated political stability. This supermajority is expected to facilitate long-term policy continuity, attracting foreign capital as investors anticipate concrete corporate governance reforms and accelerated ROE growth to sustain the current market cycle. While risks such as leadership transitions or policy missteps remain, the landslide win signals a transition into a "delivery phase" where structural economic security and defense clarity ahead of the March 19 summit will likely drive further valuation expansion.
- The Economist9 min
Why AI won’t wipe out white-collar jobs | The Economist
Contrary to prevailing fears of job eradication, data from the last three years demonstrates that white-collar employment has risen by three million jobs, with high-AI overlap roles like radiologists and paralegals seeing significant growth alongside the decline of routine administrative positions. While historical precedents suggest technology reshapes work rather than eliminating it, the report highlights critical vulnerabilities for entry-level interns and the urgent need for transition support as AI capabilities continue to double in speed every seven months. Ultimately, the trajectory points toward a "cyborg" model of human-AI collaboration where office-based roles expand and wages remain premium, provided workers can adapt to evolving coordination tasks.
- Goldman Sachs8 min
Tech Comeback Ahead?
Peter Callahan, Mike Washington
In 2026, the technology sector is experiencing a 3% to 4% year-to-date decline and lagging the broader market for the first time in 15 years as investor focus shifts from generative AI infrastructure builds to commercial implementation and revenue verification. Despite "best-in-class" earnings growth across the Mag Seven cohort, equity valuations remain suppressed because companies face intense pressure to convert massive capital expenditures into immediate top-line growth within the next 6 to 24 months. Analysts maintain a constructive outlook on clean tech valuations but anticipate high volatility in the coming weeks as the market transitions from sector-wide moves to stock-specific differentiation.
- The Economist6 min
Why are so many Colombians becoming mercenaries? | The Economist
Carla Subirana Artús, Rosie Blau
Colombia is rapidly emerging as a primary global source of mercenaries driven by a cohort of 13,000 soldiers exiting the military under President Gustavo Petro's policies combined with a lack of domestic veteran support. These former soldiers are increasingly recruited via social media to serve in high-risk foreign conflicts ranging from Sudan to Ukraine, while their deployment facilitates serious international crimes such as the assassination of Haiti's president. Although Colombia ratified the UN Anti-Mercenary Convention, experts argue that without comprehensive domestic pension reforms, the economic incentives for this growing export of armed labor will remain unchecked.
- The Economist16 min
How to play chess like a grandmaster | The Economist
This analysis positions chess as a rigorous framework for human cognition, illustrating how expert players balance intuitive pattern recognition with deliberative calculation across the game's three distinct phases. The discussion highlights how modern AI engines, which prioritize probabilistic outcomes over traditional material evaluation, have paradoxically driven human players toward more aggressive and creative styles rather than rendering the game obsolete. Ultimately, the enduring surge in chess popularity despite AI dominance serves as a resilient precedent for human adaptation in an increasingly automated landscape.
- The Economist7 min
Finland’s president: are Europe and America’s interests still aligned?| The Economist
Alexander Stubb, Donald Trump, David Rennie
Recent US policy shifts driven by MAGA ideology and an "America First" pecking order have inflicted irreparable damage on transatlantic morale, despite maintaining strategic alignment on Arctic defense and containing Russian influence in Europe. While Finland has bolstered its self-reliant military with conscription and advanced weaponry, the alliance remains fragile due to lingering US control over critical assets like long-range missiles and Starlink capabilities. Bilateral cooperation continues through massive joint exercises in Northern Norway and Finnish acquisition plans, yet the relationship risks escalation if diplomatic off-ramps at venues like Davos fail to prevent trade wars or military threats over issues such as Greenland.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
The New AI Trades
In early 2026, software stocks suffered a 25% valuation collapse as forward earnings multiples compressed, while investors grappled with AI-driven disruption risks across sectors like legal and media. Simultaneously, five U.S. hyperscalers are projected to spend $660 billion on capital expenditures this year, a surge consuming 90% of their operating cash flows that has forced reduced buybacks and increased debt reliance. Amidst these headwinds, Goldman Sachs forecasts an S&P 500 recovery driven primarily by 12% fourth-quarter earnings growth and a market rotation toward cyclical sectors rather than AI-centric leaders.
- The Economist6 min
How to protect your investments from an AI bubble | The Economist
Investor sentiment regarding artificial intelligence has shifted from optimism to apprehension as analysts draw parallels between current valuations and historical technology bubbles where share prices vastly outpaced earnings. While traditional hedges like bonds and gold have proven unreliable during recent market turbulence, experts highlight high-dividend and low-volatility equities as more effective defensive strategies. Ultimately, the prevailing consensus advises against timing exits during downturns, reinforcing a long-term "buy and hold" approach as the most robust method for navigating potential market corrections.
- The Economist9 min
Is Takaichi Sanae the most powerful woman in the world? | The Economist
Sanae Takaichi became Japan's first female Prime Minister after securing an unprecedented LDP majority, launching an aggressive push to expand defense spending to 2% of GDP and revise the constitution to formalize military status. Her administration has explicitly abandoned strategic ambiguity by asserting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan constitutes a threat to Japan's essential interests, a move that triggered severe diplomatic retaliation and a tourism ban from Beijing. This hardened security posture aims to counter China's rapid military expansion and reduce reliance on the US alliance, though it creates significant domestic and international hurdles for her constitutional revision agenda.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
Still Bullish on Gold
Competing demand from central banks and private investors is driving a self-reinforcing rally in gold prices, while Goldman Sachs forecasts a 2026 target of $5,400 based on declining Federal Reserve rates and fiscal debasement fears. The silver market is experiencing extreme volatility due to a severe liquidity squeeze in London vaults, which Goldman Sachs expects to persist despite the metal's potential as a speculative vehicle. Although geopolitical tensions are fueling broader commodity stockpiling, the firm distinguishes gold's constrained supply as superior to the scalable nature of non-precious metals like copper, which limits their capacity for a sustained super cycle.