Latest Interviews
Showing 841–855 of 1,195 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist10 min
Putin, the poisoning and Belarus: what's really going on?
Following the August 20 Novichok poisoning of Alexei Navalny and the violent suppression of the 2020 Belarusian election, sustained cross-border protests in Khabarovsk and Minsk have exposed the fragility of Vladimir Putin's and Alexander Lukashenko's regimes. As European nations move to deny diplomatic recognition to Lukashenko and Putin provides emergency financial aid to maintain power, the survival of opposition leaders like Navalny and the coordinated actions of female activists are undermining the legitimacy of these authoritarian systems. Analysts warn that these unexpected collapses in long-standing autocracies signal a historic shift where the regimes' inability to control human agency creates unpredictable instability for Russia and its neighbors.
- The Economist12 min
David Attenborough talks about his new Netflix film
David Attenborough, Sir David Attenborough, Anne McElvoy
Sir David Attenborough returns with *A Life on Our Planet* to transition his legacy from celebrating natural wonder to demanding urgent behavioral adaptation against humanity's 100-to-200-year ecological decline. He deliberately targets democratic voters rather than entrenched political leaders, arguing that establishing the intrinsic value of nature is a prerequisite for motivating the public action necessary to avert a prolonged environmental catastrophe. While endorsing the goals of youth activists like Greta Thunberg, the 93-year-old broadcaster warns that lawful compliance is essential for long-term success, emphasizing that systemic change requires shifting public opinion before legislation can effectively alter global behavior.
- Goldman Sachs19 min
Stephen Hawthornthwaite, Chairman and CEO of Rothy’s
Stephen Hawthornthwaite, Jennifer Davis, Stephen Hawthorne-Puig
Founded in 2012 by finance professionals Stephen Hawthorne-Puig and Roth Martin, Rothy's revolutionized the footwear market by launching seamless, machine-washable shoes produced from recycled plastic through a vertically integrated supply chain. The company achieved profitability in 2016 while remaining self-funded, leveraging 3D knitting technology and a core sustainability strategy to build a loyal customer base that drives over half of its traffic through word-of-mouth. Now expanding into handbags and exploring international growth and physical retail, Rothy's maintains a robust research pipeline for men's footwear while continuing to prioritize long-term sustainability over rapid scaling.
- The Economist9 min
Public Debt: how much is too much?
Between April and June 2020, the United States borrowed a record $3 trillion while the global economy saw public debt surge by an estimated $300 billion due to pandemic-related spending. Historical precedents and favorable conditions, such as low interest rates, have traditionally allowed nations to sustain high debt levels, though experts warn that a potential rise in rates could threaten financial stability. Consequently, economists maintain that despite these risks, continued deficit spending remains essential to prevent lasting damage to the global recovery.
- The Economist11 min
China v America: why universities are on the front line
Driven by a historical precedent established in 1978, the modern exodus of Chinese students has created a financial interdependence for Western universities while exposing both parties to acute geopolitical leverage. This relationship now faces a dual crisis as rising security concerns, border restrictions, and potential state surveillance threaten to sever the academic exchanges that fueled China's economic rise. Consequently, institutions grapple with the strategic dilemma of maintaining vital revenue streams against the escalating risks to academic freedom and diplomatic stability.
- The Economist12 min
America’s stimulus package: is it working?
The United States is financing its expansive stimulus through low-cost global borrowing, resulting in record-high household incomes and stabilized poverty rates despite a shrinking economy. While federal executive orders have added $300 weekly to unemployment benefits, creaky state infrastructure and impending fund depletion create processing delays and financial uncertainty for the coming fall. Political analysts caution that future fiscal support depends on Democratic legislative control, even though current measures successfully prevented inflation by encouraging cash conservation among households and businesses.
- The Economist8 min
Covid-19: Bill Gates predicts the end of the pandemic
Bill Gates, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Bill Gates warns that the pandemic's global economic and health toll has surpassed earlier projections, prompting the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pivot its resources toward financing the manufacturing and distribution of six promising vaccine candidates. While Phase III trials project 80% to 90% efficacy by September, Gates emphasizes that securing $10 billion to $12 billion is critical to overcoming current funding gaps and ensuring low-cost access for developing nations without which global herd immunity remains unattainable. He further cautions that achieving the estimated 30% to 60% vaccination coverage needed to halt transmission by late 2021 depends heavily on sustained US leadership, as the decline in multilateral cooperation and rising debt risks in emerging markets threaten to exacerbate existing inequalities and economic instability.
- The Economist11 min
Covid-19: When will a vaccine be ready?
Slavia Chankova, Callum Williams
Global teams are racing to develop vaccines with an estimated 80% success probability, yet full worldwide distribution is projected to take at least two years due to significant manufacturing constraints. While the pandemic causes weekly economic losses of $200 billion to $250 billion, achieving herd immunity requires overcoming distribution inequities and public skepticism, with experts recommending that wealthy nations support GAVI to ensure access for developing countries. Industry and government leaders face a complex balancing act between incentivizing rapid innovation through potential profits and adhering to ethical protocols that prioritize healthcare workers, the elderly, and vulnerable populations.
- a16z15 min
Healthcare: The Great Unlock
Accelerated by the pandemic, the healthcare sector is compressing a decade of transformation into two to three years through a fundamental shift from local, fee-for-service models to national, digital-first, value-based care. This dislocation is driven by labor reversals, insurance coverage changes, and regulatory mandates that favor remote care, forcing legacy providers to cede ground to startups owning the end-to-end patient journey. Consequently, a once-in-a-generation opportunity has emerged for startups to replace fragmented infrastructure with an automated, interoperable operating system that utilizes AI for intelligent supply-demand matching and dynamic insurance products.
- The Economist10 min
Election 2020: what a Biden victory could mean for America
The Economist forecast predicts a high probability of Joe Biden winning the presidential election by leveraging leads in traditional battleground states and previously Republican strongholds despite his advanced age. Ideologically positioned as a moderate center-left candidate, Biden plans to pursue progressive domestic policies through a government-run public option, a $2 trillion climate plan, and immediate executive actions to reverse Trump-era rollbacks. To implement this agenda, his broad electoral appeal is expected to generate significant coattails that could help Democrats flip the Senate, though the filibuster remains a primary legislative obstacle.
- The Economist18 min
Olympic champion Edwin Moses on covid-19, race and trans athletes
Former Olympic hurdler and US Anti-Doping Agency chair Edwin Moses addresses critical challenges facing global sport, including the viability of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics amidst the pandemic and systemic doping in Russia. Moses argues that athletes possess a fundamental right to political expression on issues like racism while advocating for strict biological distinctions in competition, notably opposing forced medical interventions for intersex athletes like Caster Semenya. He concludes by emphasizing that the discipline and mental resilience cultivated through athletic participation serve as essential life skills for professional and academic success.
- The Economist9 min
Stockmarket v economy: the impact of covid-19
Amidst the 2020 pandemic crisis, the US stock market surged 38% despite widespread unemployment and racial unrest, driven primarily by Federal Reserve interventions that injected unprecedented liquidity into financial markets. This rally decoupled market performance from real-world economic conditions by disproportionately benefiting technology giants and wealthy asset holders, who own the vast majority of equities compared to lower-income households. While these central bank actions successfully prevented a total economic collapse, they simultaneously exacerbated wealth inequality and created a precarious dependency on federal stimulus for continued asset inflation.
- Goldman Sachs8 min
Carbon Offsets and the Climate Transition
The carbon offset market functions as a temporary financial bridge for heavy industries unable to immediately decarbonize, offering compliance and voluntary options ranging from renewable investments to forestry projects. Despite growing shareholder pressure and expanded Scope 3 reporting mandates, the sector faces significant skepticism regarding pricing volatility, verification risks, and its inability to fundamentally shift business models. While Asian companies lag in adopting climate targets, global firms in steel, cement, and transportation face future margin contractions as carbon prices rise, necessitating a strategic pivot away from reliance on offsets toward genuine operational decarbonization.
- Jane Street12 min
Real Numbers – Episode 16, Finale
The final episode of Season 1 of *Real Numbers* derives five distinct mathematical solutions to the geometric distribution problem of calculating the expected number of half-court shots Danielle needs to make. The episode further analyzes a bonus problem involving two consecutive successes, demonstrating via a recursive state method that the expected attempts equal 30 rather than the intuitive estimate of 25. Concluding the season, the host solicits listener feedback on problem topics, format changes, and potential mathematical depth for the upcoming second season.
- The Economist10 min
China v America: who is in charge?
The UN General Assembly convened an online summit to pledge billions for a coronavirus vaccine while explicitly excluding the Trump administration, which has concurrently halted funding to the World Health Organization and withdrawn from key international agreements. Amidst this diplomatic rift, China has steadily expanded its influence by securing leadership roles in UN agencies and utilizing veto power to block resolutions, prompting the U.S. State Department to deploy senior diplomats like Mark Lambert to counter these gains. Experts warn that without a reassertion of American global commitments and necessary institutional reforms, the rules-based liberal order faces significant erosion as the balance of power shifts toward an emerging Chinese-led alliance.