Latest Interviews
Showing 151–165 of 1,030 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist10 min
Will the Iranian regime collapse? | The Economist
US and Israeli forces are executing a decapitation strategy against the Islamic Republic of Iran's security apparatus, targeting senior figures like General Vahidi while neutralizing half of Tehran's ballistic missile capabilities. Despite inflicting significant damage on command structures and nuclear research sites, the conflict faces logistical risks as regional air defenses may deplete after a week of intense retaliation and accidental strikes have already resulted in American casualties. Ultimately, the war's trajectory hinges on whether the regime collapses under pressure or if political constraints force a reversal of the stated goal of regime change.
- 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 Economist7 min
Has Putin pushed Russia’s economy too far? | The Economist
Putin, Arkady, Adam, Zannie, Al-Qadi
Russia has incurred approximately 1.2 million total casualties in a conflict where President Putin's reliance on a paid mercenary force drawn from rural areas prioritizes fiscal containment over social cohesion. This strategy has accelerated the country's transition into a war economy, creating a fiscal drag that has pushed the budget deficit to 2.6% of GDP while forcing the state to extract capital from investment and civilian living standards. Although an immediate macroeconomic collapse remains unlikely, experts warn that current recruitment incentives and resource diversion are eroding long-term state power by consuming future potential faster than it can be replaced.
- 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 Ruthless Sales Culture Behind ElevenLabs Growth | Carles Reina
11 Labs enforces an aggressive sales culture by setting quotas at 20 times base salary, a structure that has driven an 80% success rate over two and a half years while distinguishing itself through a dual-compensation model that aligns Account Executives and Customer Success Managers on retention. Leadership maintains this high-performance environment through mandatory remote pipeline reviews, ruthless public accountability for missed targets, and a strategic pivot from inbound reliance to a 40% outbound sales mix. The organization manages turnover by terminating underperformers with severance while retaining long-cycle sellers, ultimately fostering a remote-first team that prioritizes autonomous, road-warrior execution.
- 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 Economist10 min
What would Kevin Warsh’s Federal Reserve look like? | The Economist
Kevin Warsh, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Henry, Zannie, Archie
President Trump has nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh as the next Chair, contingent on the White House removing a Senate blockade led by Senator Tom Tillis regarding the investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell. Warsh's proposed strategy, termed "Warshonomics," seeks to lower interest rates by coupling an anticipated AI-driven productivity surge with balance sheet contraction to offset inflationary risks, despite his historical reputation as a hawk. While experts predict Warsh will implement a slightly more dovish policy yielding one or two rate cuts, his ability to align the FOMC with President Trump's demands remains a significant governance risk complicated by potential political backlash.
- a16z11 min
The Story Behind ElevenLabs | Interview with CEO Mati Staniszewski
Mati Staniszewski, Piotr, Jennifer
Co-founders Jacek (Marty) and Piotr launched Eleven Labs in early 2021 to pioneer the "vocal Turing test" by synthesizing AI that matches human emotion and intonation, a mission that propelled the remote-first startup from a two-person team to over 300 employees in 11 cities. The company operates under a flat, title-free hierarchy driven by "mini-founders" and high autonomy, allowing it to rapidly scale its proprietary research into multimodal products like Voice Design V3 and Studio 3.0. By integrating direct product feedback loops with raw audio training, Eleven Labs aims to establish voice as the primary computer interface that transcends language barriers and delivers genuine emotional connection.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Poppi Founders: Disrupting the Beverage Industry
Stephen Ellsworth, Vanya Kasanof, Allison
Founders Allison and Steven transformed their apple cider vinegar discovery into Poppy, a modern soda brand that leveraged aggressive marketing tactics like a record-breaking Super Bowl campaign and strategic Amazon launches to bypass traditional industry barriers. Prioritizing long-term brand awareness and cultural agility over immediate sales metrics, the team executed rapid product iterations and viral content strategies that ultimately drove the company toward a two-year acquisition by Pepsi. This sale secured the distribution scale necessary to fulfill the founders' mission of revolutionizing soda consumption, successfully transitioning the brand from a niche startup to a mainstream competitor for the next generation.
- The Economist9 min
Is ICE a threat to American democracy?
President Trump's administration has aggressively expanded federal authority by deploying militarized agents to enforce immigration policies, culminating in the fatal shooting of an unarmed nurse and the establishment of unchecked executive control over enforcement actions. While a recent poll shows 92% of respondents view ICE as a threat to democracy, discussion leaders emphasize that only legal accountability for lethal officers, rather than public outrage or "supine" congressional action, can effectively halt this erosion of democratic norms. As the administration continues to pursue political retribution beyond statutory mandates, the critical challenge for the coming year remains whether institutions and civil society will force a confrontation to prevent the normalization of these unchecked executive powers.
- The Economist8 min
Why civil war is brewing in Iran
Iran is currently experiencing a violent "quiet civil war" where the state and royalist factions have polarized following a shift from peaceful protest to extreme bloodshed driven by economic collapse. The conflict features mutual accusations of foreign mercenary involvement and the sidelining of traditional democratic leaders in favor of armed mobilization, even as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains isolated while exiled figures and tribal groups prepare further escalation. This escalating crisis, occurring amidst potential U.S. military intervention, threatens to plunge the Islamic Republic into an unpredictable transition that could result in either Revolutionary Guard dominance or a prolonged struggle for power.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
How AI is Driving Drug Discovery: Xaira Therapeutics' Marc Tessier Lavigne
Marc Tessier Lavigne, Sonia Gupta
Zara Therapeutics CEO Mark Tessier Levine is applying a three-pillar strategy combining AI-driven design, massive-scale biology, and clinical experience to disrupt an industry where 90% of drug candidates currently fail. By leveraging frontier models from David Baker and over $1 billion in funding, the company targets undruggable proteins and aims to reduce development timelines from five years to under two. This approach shifts the paradigm from intuitive trial-and-error to a systematic, in silico process designed to fundamentally increase clinical success rates.