Latest Interviews
Showing 166–180 of 1,510 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist6 min
Why does political violence seem to be getting worse in America? | The Economist
During the White House Correspondents' Dinner, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen breached the Hilton Hotel security checkpoint to attempt an attack on President Trump before being tackled by police. The incident forced an immediate evacuation of the ballroom, resulted in an officer injury, and triggered a review of Secret Service protocols following the shooter's prior claims of lax access measures. While President Trump utilized the event to advocate for new defensive infrastructure and praised the agency's response, experts warn that despite a perceived rise in political violence, the long-term impact on governance and approval ratings will likely remain tied to broader economic conditions rather than the assault itself.
- Goldman Sachs18 min
Winning the Right to Invest: 20VC’s Harry Stebbings
Harry Cassell reframes media distribution as a critical weapon for securing investment rights, leveraging a data-driven content strategy that generated $6.1 million in 36 hours to differentiate his platform from traditional venture capital models. Critiquing the current market's saturation by large multi-stage funds, he emphasizes founder empathy, specific personality traits, and a robust LP network to navigate an environment where capital is commoditized and growth expectations have shifted. Looking toward Europe, Cassell predicts a decade of massive company creation driven by lower barriers to entry and increased founder resilience, citing early successes like Lovable as evidence of a reinvigorated ecosystem ready to compete globally.
- The Economist10 min
This vaccine could stop the next pandemic | The Economist
Advances in immunology over the last 15 years, highlighted by research from Mihaly Netea at Radboud University and a 2024 Stanford study, demonstrate that vaccines like BCG can epigenetically "train" the innate immune system to provide broad-spectrum protection. This emerging approach aims to deploy universal vaccines as a strategic bridge at the onset of pandemics or before flu seasons to maintain societal stability while waiting for highly specific variants to be addressed. Although current findings are limited by species differences, the proposed strategy envisions a complementary model where these broad-acting shots work alongside traditional vaccines to buy critical time against diverse pathogens.
- The Economist6 min
What does The Economist’s election model predict for the midterms | The Economist
*The Economist*'s forecasting model predicts a 98% likelihood of Democrats flipping the House while estimating only a 48% chance of securing Senate control, heavily influenced by the President's low approval ratings and historical midterm trends. The Senate outlook hinges on winning key races in North Carolina and Michigan alongside successful Republican recruitments in Ohio and Alaska, as the party requires a 51-seat majority to overcome a structurally favorable map. Although the House projection assumes current district lines remain intact despite potential judicial interventions in Virginia and Florida, the Senate forecast explicitly accounts for primary uncertainty and the critical variable of candidate quality in competitive states.
- Y Combinator10 min
How To Build A Company With AI From The Ground Up
This presentation argues that AI must function as a company's central operating system rather than a peripheral tool, driving a shift toward closed-loop systems that render the entire organization queryable for automated decision-making. In this model, traditional middle-management hierarchies are eliminated and replaced by AI agents that execute engineering tasks and manage workflows, allowing human leaders to focus on strategy as founders, builders, or directly responsible individuals. By leveraging these "AI software factories," startups gain a decisive advantage over incumbents to achieve tenfold velocity increases and operate with human headcount replaced by optimized token usage.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
Big Opportunities in Small Cap Equities
Following a period of underperformance, small and mid-cap stocks present a valuation opportunity driven by anticipated Federal Reserve rate cuts, a robust earnings cycle, and surging M&A activity. Investment strategies focus on high-potential sectors including biotechnology, semiconductor capital equipment, and defense innovation while cautiously monitoring domestic manufacturing and onshoring trends. Analysts expect strong January performance to catalyze investor inflows, though the outlook remains tempered by the need for sustained software stability and gradual credit market normalization.
- The Economist9 min
AI has got better at hacking—how big a risk is it?
Anthropic withheld its latest model, Mythos, from public release after it demonstrated the ability to autonomously identify and exploit critical software vulnerabilities, such as a 27-year-old OpenBSD flaw, with minimal human intervention. This decision follows evidence that AI scaling laws now enable automated systems to accelerate the vulnerability exploitation cycle from years to mere hours, drastically outpacing current defensive capabilities. While Anthropic employed responsible disclosure by patching the specific bug before sharing details, the incident highlights a growing risk that open-source models will soon democratize high-level cyberattacks.
- The Economist9 min
The new AI model that’s alarming Washington | The Economist
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Zannie, Daria, Ed, Alex, Dario Amadei
Anthropic has unveiled Mythos, an AI model demonstrating unprecedented cybersecurity capabilities that triggered immediate emergency meetings involving US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell, and major tech executives. To prevent the democratization of these dangerous attack vectors, the company has restricted general access to a select group of partners including Apple and Microsoft, mirroring safety protocols from 2019 while aiming to help firms patch vulnerabilities before the technology leaks. This crisis has catalyzed a shift in the Trump administration's stance, prompting discussions on international coordination and a potential industry-led certification framework to manage the deployment of high-risk AI models.
- Goldman Sachs12 min
Chase or Fade the Rally?
In April 2026, global equity markets achieved record highs despite an energy crisis and geopolitical instability, driven by resilient corporate earnings fueled by AI capital expenditure and a record $4.8 trillion valuation in the U.S. tech sector. Strategist Bobby Malavi warns investors to fade the rally due to sensitivities regarding slower-than-anticipated rate cuts and Middle East risks, while recommending a "Halo" investment theme focused on undervalued hard assets and supply-chain-critical components. Although retail participation and corporate buybacks continue to underpin market floors, analysts anticipate Q1 earnings will serve as a critical litmus test to determine if the current supply shock environment will escalate into a broader demand shock.
- The Economist10 min
How close is Iran to having a nuclear weapon? | The Economist
Rafael Mariano Grossi, David Rennie
Following a 12-day military conflict that obscured the location of 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, the IAEA reports no evidence of systematic weapon production despite Iran's failure to account for nuclear material. Agency leadership rejects claims that military strikes or diplomatic promises can neutralize the threat, emphasizing that technical knowledge remains indelible and physical verification is the only viable path to ensuring peaceful compliance. The current geopolitical tension has significantly complicated access to Iranian facilities, leaving the international community without confirmation of whether the undisclosed uranium remains in inspected sites or has been diverted.
- The Economist8 min
Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is a dangerous gamble | The Economist
Donald Trump, Shashank Joshi, Rosie Blau
U.S. Central Command is implementing an economic blockade targeting all vessels transiting Iranian coastal waters to cripple Tehran's revenue and force negotiations on its nuclear program. This strategy risks triggering a global energy crisis with Brent crude projected to hit $150 per barrel if Iran retaliates by restricting neutral shipping in the Gulf of Oman. Analysts warn that the move may alienate key allies and ultimately fail, as Tehran appears prepared to outlast the U.S. administration amid approaching midterm elections.
- The Economist6 min
How Hungary’s election result could change Europe | The Economist
Matt Steinglass, Rosie Blau, Viktor Orban, Peter Magyar, Vladimir Putin
Hungarian opposition leader Péter Márki-Zay led a historic coalition victory with a two-thirds parliamentary majority, ending 16 years of Viktor Orbán's Fidesz rule after a 77% voter turnout driven by rural discontent over corruption and Russia-aligned policies. The new administration has pledged to immediately unfreeze approximately €20 billion in EU aid and dismantle constitutional "poison pills" that previously allowed the former regime to block agendas, including court control. This pivotal shift secures a path for Hungary to align with European Union norms, removes obstacles to sanctions on Russia, and marks a significant setback for international national conservative populist movements.
- The Economist6 min
Google DeepMind’s boss on AI, power, God and what’s next | The Economist
An AI researcher outlines a vision where artificial general intelligence serves as a fundamental scientific instrument to solve existential challenges like disease and energy crises, rather than a tool for corporate dominance or "making God." Despite a fragmented geopolitical landscape that hinders the preferred international cooperation model, the speaker advocates for cautious optimism and the establishment of minimum safety standards agreed upon by leading labs. This approach aims to ensure the safe delivery of AGI within roughly five years, fulfilling a lifelong mission that prioritizes global benefit over personal accolades.
- Milken Institute19 min
A Conversation with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr | Global Conference 2025
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has launched the agency's most significant deregulatory initiative in history, seeking to eliminate approximately 2,000 active dockets and establish a new Council on National Security to counter perceived Chinese infiltration risks. The administration prioritizes accelerating 5G and 6G deployment by restoring FCC auction authority to generate over $80 billion and transitioning federal spectrum to the commercial market, while simultaneously reviewing major mergers like Verizon-Frontier and T-Mobile U.S. Cellular. Carr further defended distinct regulatory obligations for broadcasters to support localism and dismissed conflicts regarding his Comcast background as the FCC moves to eliminate legacy copper retirement rules in favor of modern IP infrastructure.
- The Economist7 min
Has America frozen Israel out of ceasefire talks with Iran? | The Economist
Direct negotiations led by Donald Trump through Pakistan to resolve the Iran conflict face a stalemate because Iran insists on a Lebanon ceasefire and Israel refuses to participate or extend the truce to its northern front. While President Trump reportedly possesses the leverage to force Netanyahu to halt airstrikes, the Prime Minister persists due to domestic election pressures and the failure of the war to achieve its core strategic objectives. These unresolved tensions, compounded by internal U.S. administration dissent and the strategic threat in the Strait of Hormuz, have begun to fracture the previously unified operational alliance between the two nations.