Latest Interviews
Showing 406–420 of 497 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs9 min
Talks at GS – Tony Prophet: Promoting Equality in the Workplace
Salesforce co-founder Tony Profitt describes how the company institutionalized a three-vector innovation model centered on the "1-1-1" philanthropy framework and an "Ohana" culture defined by trust, growth, innovation, and equality. As the organization's first Chief Equality Officer, Profitt outlines a four-lane strategy for societal impact that includes opposing discriminatory legislation, enforcing equal pay, expanding educational access, and mirroring local demographics through inclusive hiring practices. This approach challenges traditional notions of cultural fit to create an environment where diverse talent thrives, positioning long-term societal legacy as a core business objective rather than an afterthought.
- Goldman Sachs12 min
Talks at GS – Ella and Matthew Mills: Deliciously Ella’s Recipe for Success
Following a personal health diagnosis, Ella Mills transformed her recovery blog into Deliciously Ella, a leading international food brand that achieved record-breaking cookbook sales and app downloads without formal marketing or an internal creative team. To scale the operation, co-CEO Matthew Mills joined to provide essential financial expertise, enabling the consolidation of the fragmented free-from market into a single optimistic entity with distribution in 5,500 stores. Driven by Mills' direct daily engagement with 28 million social media followers, the company aims to become the UK's largest health food business by prioritizing general dietary improvement over niche weight loss trends.
- Y Combinator18 min
Preston Silverman on Building out a Marketplace in Education - at YC Edtech Night
Founded by a former strategy consultant and teacher, Raise Me awards nearly $1.5 billion in scholarships during high school to bridge the critical gap between eligibility and college enrollment. The platform secured its initial growth through a $100,000 Gates Foundation grant and strategic partnerships with higher education institutions, bypassing traditional EdTech skepticism to address the $100 billion annual scholarship market. Now a 52-person organization aiming for national ubiquity within five years, the company shifts focus from early-stage survival tactics to scaling its model that prioritizes student guidance and skill development over content-heavy curricula.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Talks at GS – Henry Kravis: 40 Years of Innovation in Finance
Founded in 1976 by Henry Kravis, George Roberts, and Jerry Colbert, KKR operates as an independent private equity firm distinguished by a long-term investment horizon and a decadal "first day" mindset designed to prevent organizational stagnation. The firm prioritizes active value creation over static financial modeling, leveraging a unique culture of full profit sharing and a leadership philosophy that warns against arrogance while focusing on the 20% of business levers that drive the majority of outcomes. As the firm manages a global portfolio of over 130 companies, its partners emphasize that success relies on identifying evolving market realities rather than adhering to rigid projections, a strategy supported by their enduring partnership and adherence to rigorous operational discipline.
- Goldman Sachs11 min
Talks at GS – David Eagleman: The Neuroscience of Creativity
David Eagleman, David Rockefeller Jr., Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Levine Jr., Dan Coffey Jr., Dan Collins
This analysis redefines human creativity as an evolutionary advantage rooted in the prefrontal cortex's capacity for hypothesis testing rather than physical traits, identifying three universal cognitive operations—break, blend, and bend—as the fundamental drivers of innovation. By shifting educational and economic focus from rote memorization to cognitive flexibility, individuals and organizations can leverage the collective intelligence of 8 billion brains to navigate a transitioning creativity economy. Ultimately, success in this new era requires actively dismantling past successes and tolerating failure to generate novel solutions that artificial intelligence currently cannot replicate.
- Goldman Sachs13 min
Talks at GS – Dan Weiss: A Museum for the 21st Century
Danish El-Kholy, the fifth president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, oversees a global institution with a $320 million budget and 7 million annual visitors while navigating complex debates on repatriation and public monuments. He defends the museum's object-centered preservation mission against political pressures and advocates for historical labeling over the removal of controversial statues to foster civil discourse. El-Kholy concludes by urging leaders to prioritize integrity and ownership of errors, emphasizing that success often relies on acknowledging the role of luck alongside professional responsibility.
- Goldman Sachs8 min
Talks at GS – Dr. Paula Johnson: Advocating for Freedom of Speech and Diversity on Campus
Biomedical research highlights significant disparities in heart disease and neurologic conditions between sexes, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach that integrates sociology, economics, and epigenetics rather than treating biology in isolation. Simultaneously, experts advocate for intentional leadership and data-driven goals to dismantle silos between sex, gender, and race while promoting free speech as a shared value essential for mutual learning across differences. This dual focus calls for conditions where dialogue assumes the potential for understanding opposing viewpoints, ensuring that advancing gender equality and protecting democratic discourse proceed in tandem.
- Goldman Sachs13 min
Talks at GS – Icarus: Uncovering a Scandal of Olympic Proportions
Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan, David Fialkow
Director Brian Fogel launched a documentary project that evolved into a high-stakes thriller after scientists suggested anti-doping tests were easily bypassable, leading him to partner with Russian whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov. Their collaboration produced the record-breaking film "Icarus," which exposed Russia's state-sponsored doping program and forced Rodchenkov into exile following threats from Vladimir Putin's regime. This pivotal case study demonstrates how a sports investigation transformed into a survival narrative, ultimately setting market benchmarks for documentary valuations and catalyzing the shift toward streaming platforms as the primary distributor for the genre.
- Goldman Sachs19 min
Talks at GS – Edward Norton: Capitalism and Creative Disruption
In a discussion spanning his activist family lineage and career in entertainment, actor Edward Norton analyzes the necessity of treating ecological services as a financial asset class to drive sustainability. He contrasts the late-1990s studio system's willingness to risk new voices, exemplified by *Fight Club*, with the modern disruption caused by streaming services that have dismantled traditional DVD revenue models. Norton further details his transition to founding EDO, a data science firm applying finance-grade ROI analytics to media to replace outdated engagement metrics and align ad spend with actual audience action.
- Goldman Sachs11 min
Talks at GS – Richard Armstrong: Redefining Beauty Through Art
Since 2008, Director Richard Armstrong has steered the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum toward a mission prioritizing imagination and the human "quest for beauty" within Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic spiral structure. The institution attracts over one million annual visitors who engage with a curatorial model that rejects rigid data-driven education in favor of challenging, high-risk artistic proposals vetted through a hierarchical directorship process. This approach positions the museum as a sanctuary for eccentricity, aiming to foster visual acuity and societal diversity against the backdrop of modern digital consumption.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Talks at GS – Richard Plepler: Finding the Next Great Voices in Storytelling
Richard Plepler steered HBO from post-*Sopranos* stagnation into growth by reinvesting in differentiated voices like *Game of Thrones* and abandoning legacy sequels to monetize distinction over volume. The leadership cultivated an internal culture of genuine dialogue and non-punitive crisis management, enabling a synchronized response to recent security incidents while fostering an environment where talent takes visceral ownership of their work. By prioritizing human identification and high-stakes storytelling over intellectualization, the network aims to coexist with competitors like Netflix by delivering an addictive content experience rather than chasing sheer audience metrics.
- Goldman Sachs19 min
Talks at GS – Dan Schulman: The Democratization of Finance
PayPal is shifting its global strategy to a mobile-only model that leverages device data and sophisticated algorithms to secure one-touch transactions, addressing high cart abandonment rates and identity theft while democratizing financial services for underserved demographics. Under the leadership of John Donahoe, the company has simultaneously diversified its board to 40% women and minorities and championed an inclusive corporate culture that rejects traditional work-life balance in favor of integrated professional and personal passions. This strategic pivot aims to expand the digital payments addressable market by eliminating complex entry barriers and reducing fees for users who currently spend a significant portion of their disposable income on unnecessary financial costs.
- Y Combinator13 min
Diane Greene's Advice for Founders
Diane Greene, currently Chief of Google Cloud and a veteran founder who established VMware and Bebop, delivers a strategic masterclass to over 800 global female founders on building resilient enterprises. She outlines critical success factors including lean founder alignment, non-disruptive market adoption strategies, and the importance of fostering collaborative corporate cultures, drawing direct parallels between her competitive sailing experience and high-stakes business leadership. The session concludes with a Q&A segment where Greene discusses the viability of corporate intrapreneurship and shares her philosophy on prioritizing process and value creation over immediate financial outcomes.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
Talks at GS – Dr. Vivek Murthy: The Global Epidemic of Addiction
Former Surgeon General Dr. Murthy reflects on his tenure while highlighting the opioid epidemic as a defining global crisis exacerbated by historical medical misinformation and aggressive pharmaceutical expansion. He advocates for a shift in public health strategy from merely treating mental illness to proactively fostering emotional well-being through social connection and contemplative practices. Ultimately, Murthy emphasizes that building a culture of trust and openness requires top-down leadership to protect both employee health and organizational performance.
- Goldman Sachs12 min
Talks at GS – Eddie Huang: Food, Culture, Identity
Executive Producer and author Nahnatchka Khan reflects on her memoir *Fresh Off the Boat* and the television adaptation as pivotal moments in transitioning from defensive survival mechanisms to intentional identity formation. She critiques the show for diluting authentic Asian experiences into universal white narratives while rejecting the "model minority" stereotype through her personal journey of culinary preservation and leadership at her restaurant, Bauhaus. Ultimately, she advocates for a cultural shift that prioritizes shared humanity over differences, utilizing a management philosophy that blends high performance with deep personal care to foster genuine employee loyalty.