Latest Interviews
Showing 1321–1335 of 2,162 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs16 min
Kara Medoff Barnett, Executive Director of American Ballet Theatre
Kara Medoff Barnett, Ian Drayton
American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Cara Madoff-Barnett is steering the company toward an 80-year future by prioritizing "diversity and dynamism" alongside a rigorous leadership philosophy rooted in resilience. Following the pandemic, ABT successfully pivoted to digital engagement through initiatives like "ABT Together Tonight" and outdoor performances in non-traditional venues, reaching over 75,000 viewers and redefining audience accessibility. This strategic fusion of physical and digital formats aims to sustain the organization's growth by breaking down traditional barriers and celebrating individual artistic narratives.
- Goldman Sachs19 min
Evan Osnos, Author of "Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now"
Evan Osnos, Joe Biden, Jake Seward
Interviewer Jake Seward and author Evan Osnos analyze President Biden's political psychology, linking his resilience against childhood tragedy and his early 1972 Senate bid to a governing philosophy that balances personal agency with the acceptance of uncontrollable fate. The discussion outlines Biden's distinct negotiation style, his strategic redefinition of the vice presidency as a substantive partnership with Kamala Harris, and the incoming administration's intent to bypass legislative gridlock through immediate executive action on climate and bureaucratic repair. Furthermore, the narrative details Biden's commitment to rebuilding diplomatic alliances amidst global uncertainty while adopting a conventional media relationship that contrasts sharply with his predecessor's approach.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Since its launch at the World Economic Forum, Gavi has immunized 820 million children by deploying 496 new vaccines through an income-based funding model. At the event, Gavi and COVAX outlined a strategy to deliver 2 billion doses by 2021, prioritizing single-dose regimens and logistics to address production scaling and regulatory hurdles. Dr. Berkley emphasized that equitable, phased global vaccination is mathematically superior to national hoarding, potentially preventing 63% of deaths even with limited supply.
- Goldman Sachs6 min
A Record Year In Corporate Financing
Goldman Sachs co-head Yasmeen reports that 2020 investment grade issuance surged to $1.9 trillion, driven by corporate liquidity accumulation, refinancing risk management, and favorable market conditions. The bank forecasts a normalization to $1.3 to $1.4 trillion in 2021 as M&A financing returns, though sector-specific regulatory hurdles and deleveraging priorities will constrain large-cap deals. While widespread downgrades are deemed unlikely due to forward-looking rating methodologies and vaccine-driven recovery, the event highlights lasting structural shifts toward higher cash buffers and extended maturities.
- Y Combinator19 min
Essential Startup Advice During a Pandemic
Geoff Ralston, Alex Wilhelm, Jeff
Following a brief market slowdown, Y Combinator has observed a return to risk-on sentiment with application rates matching pre-pandemic levels while maintaining seamless remote operations. The accelerator now prioritizes a "default alive" strategy that urges founders to conserve cash, hire with discipline, and focus on revenue generation rather than aggressive growth. Despite vaccine optimism, YC advises startups to ignore long-term pandemic timelines in favor of immediate execution, positioning them to capitalize on the permanent digital shift and emerging opportunities in fintech and global market expansion.
- Goldman Sachs7 min
ESG Roadmap: The Utilities Sector
Goldman Sachs Research's ESG Roadmap Project analyzes critical environmental, social, and governance challenges facing the utility sector over the next 18 to 24 months. The report highlights specific friction points including grid modernization costs, escalating cybersecurity risks from smart grid proliferation, and the precarious investment climate surrounding nuclear power's role in decarbonization. Additionally, it identifies significant data gaps in lobbying, tax transparency, and cybersecurity postures that investors must address to navigate the tension between green energy demands and ratepayer affordability.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
Scott Bessent, Chief Investment Officer of Key Square Group
Scott Besson, former CEO of Soros Fund Management and current CIO of Keysquare Group, argues that the global investment landscape is undergoing a structural shift away from the dominance of large-cap tech leaders toward dispersed macro strategies and emerging sectors in Japan, space, and biomedicine. He identifies high inflation driven by geopolitical instability and fiscal stimulus as a primary market driver, suggesting that low-yield bonds offer an asymmetric opportunity similar to the early 1980s while warning against shorting currencies in an inflationary environment. Drawing on lessons from past failures like the 1999 .com bust, Besson emphasizes the need for investors to avoid thesis creep and recognize that the next decade will favor those who adapt to new regulatory realities and technological frontiers rather than relying on historical patterns.
- Goldman Sachs12 min
Nick Beighton, CEO of ASOS
Under CEO Nick Baten's leadership since 2009, ASOS scaled from 150 to 15,000 employees while pivoting from a desktop-centric model to a mobile and AI-driven ecosystem targeting the 20-something demographic. The company simultaneously advanced its "Fashion with Integrity" program, achieving a 30% carbon reduction and sustainable manufacturing standards to align with shifting consumer values. Looking forward, ASOS prepares for a permanently digital-first market driven by hybrid work trends and a renewed demand for casual yet social-ready apparel.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Afua Hirsch, Author and Journalist
Journalist and author Efua Hirsch discusses her debut book *British*, detailing her personal journey of reconciling mixed-race identity and complex family history involving Dutch slave traders and Nazi survivors. She critiques the fragility of the British public in confronting uncomfortable truths about national figures like Admiral Nelson, arguing that erasing such history creates a propaganda-driven society rather than one grounded in reality. Hirsch attributes the heightened racial equity discourse of 2020 to the cumulative impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, the pandemic's removal of distractions, and a global rise in right-wing extremism that forced a re-evaluation of societal values.
- The Economist8 min
How to restore trust in politics
Shirley Islam, Matthew Taylor, Emma Hogan
Matthew Taylor and participants like Shirley Islam advocate for citizens' assemblies as a deliberative alternative to adversarial representative democracy, aiming to restore public trust through random selection and expert-guided consensus building. Data from the OECD and case studies in Ireland and Scotland demonstrate that governments implementing these recommendations see high rates of policy adoption, often transforming contentious issues like abortion and drug reform into actionable legislation. Despite initial political reluctance to cede control over outcomes, proponents argue that these assemblies provide voters with continuous agency between elections and signal a global shift toward more inclusive governance models.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Dr. Richard Haass, Author of "The World: A Brief Introduction"
Richard Haass, Dr. Richard Haas
In a comprehensive analysis of global historical and contemporary dynamics, Richard Haas argues that World War I was preventable due to diplomatic failures while World War II and the Cold War arose from inevitable ideological clashes and nuclear deterrence respectively. He identifies current great power rivalry with Russia and China, alongside the urgent need for global health and climate governance, as primary drivers of a potential return to disorder. Ultimately, the speaker contends that restoring world order requires adapting sovereign concepts to a globalized reality where nations must accept reciprocal international responsibilities to ensure collective security and prosperity.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
A Vaccine-Led Recovery
Goldman Sachs Research has revised its central growth case to a 2021 recovery trajectory following a surge in vaccine approval probabilities from 10% to 50% by late October. While near-term growth forecasts for the US and Europe face downward pressure from rising case counts, the firm projects a 2% GDP uplift by year-end 2021, driving market rotations into commodity and emerging market sectors. Investors are advised to navigate interim volatility caused by operational distribution risks and policy gaps, relying on the vaccine's timeline as a medium-term anchor for global economic acceleration starting in the second quarter of 2021.
- Y Combinator10 min
Designing Characters with Deep Learning: Spellbrush (W18) - YC Gaming Tech Talks 2020
SpellRush, a Y Combinator-backed studio, has developed an on-premises deep learning system using Generative Adversarial Networks to generate AAA-quality character art in seconds, effectively replacing hundreds of hours of manual labor. The company engineered its models to correct demographic biases found in training data, specifically increasing the representation of male characters and diverse skin tones, while reducing model training costs to approximately $4,000 per iteration through custom hardware. Now operating a team of five, SpellRush is applying these tools to produce the world's first AI-illustrated game and is actively recruiting additional animators and research interns to expand its capabilities.
- Y Combinator9 min
Synthetic Media: Virtual Influencers & Live Animation: Figments (S19) - YC Gaming Tech Talks 2020
YC-backed startup Figments, led by CEO Jay Rosenkranz, is building a virtual production platform that merges motion capture with live streaming to create fictional esports characters like Noralis competing in *Super Smash Brothers Ultimate*. The company successfully pivoted to a fully remote model during the pandemic, utilizing Unreal Engine and ARKit to drive viral growth and secure commercial partnerships with brands such as Reebok and Guayaquil Yerba Mate. As Figments expands its storytelling across Twitch and YouTube, it is actively recruiting talent to further develop its proprietary technology for digital product placement and character creation.
- Y Combinator10 min
Desining from Day One: Artists as Founders: Multiverse (S20) - YC Gaming Tech Talks 2020
Multiverse, a Y Combinator-backed platform founded by two MIT engineers and illustrator Sara, is developing a hybrid of Dungeons & Dragons and Roblox to digitize tabletop RPGs into a visual, streamable online experience. The company differentiates itself by prioritizing high-fidelity narrative art as a core business asset, recruiting top-tier indie creators from platforms like ArtStation and Twitch rather than traditional AAA studios to drive user engagement and market validation. By granting equity to its artistic co-founders and leveraging visual assets for fundraising, Multiverse aims to bridge the gap between scrappy entertainment storytelling and scalable platform economics.