Latest Interviews
Showing 2401–2415 of 3,056 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs22 min
The State of Small Business in America
Warren Buffett, Lloyd Blankfein, Michael Bloomberg, Jack Dorsey, Savannah Guthrie
Goldman Sachs, Square, and various business leaders convened to address the systemic financial and regulatory hurdles facing established small businesses, noting that traditional banking approves only 10% of capital requests while regulatory costs consume significant operational time. The program highlighted Square's success in approving over 98% of loan applicants through automated repayment models and emphasized a hiring philosophy prioritizing resilience and passion over elite credentials. Strategic insights from Jack Dorsey, Mayor Bloomberg, and Warren Buffett focused on reducing bureaucratic burdens, fostering open organizational cultures, and aiming to delight customers to drive sustainable growth.
- Y Combinator18 min
Q&A with YC at the Female Founders Conference 2016
Jessica Livingston, Kat Manalac, Carolynn Levy, Kirsty Nathoo
Y Combinator partners Jessica Levy and others outline a philosophy that prioritizes founder determination, execution capability, and deep problem ownership over specific stages or demographic profiles, welcoming teams from initial ideas to established companies. Through case studies of Gobble and Airbnb, the discussion illustrates how the accelerator invests in scrappy founders who can clearly articulate their value, while warning against hastening co-founder additions without organic validation. As the program scales to funding approximately 1,000 startups annually, the focus remains on acquiring users and overcoming the "trough of sorrow" to build resilient, domain-expert-led ventures.
- Y Combinator26 min
Selina Tobaccowala at the Female Founders Conference 2016
Selina Tobaccowala, Colleen Taylor
Former SurveyMonkey CTO and President Selina Teece is departing after six and a half years to co-found a new venture with her original Evite co-founder, Al, having previously scaled the company from 20 employees to 600 with $200 million in revenue. Teece utilizes her experience navigating leadership transitions and capital market tightening to advise founders on embedding data-driven cultures, prioritizing early revenue over valuation, and structuring boards with independent members to balance venture capital influence. Her career trajectory serves as a case study in applying rigorous operational discipline to build family-friendly, globally scalable organizations while avoiding the strategic pitfalls of delayed product-market fit and excessive fundraising.
- Y Combinator21 min
Urska Srsen Speaks at Y Combinator Female Founder Conference 2016
Urska Srsen, Tijana Mihajlović, Urška
Bellabeat co-founder and CEO Urška Mihajlović led the Slovenian health technology firm from a personal project in Zagreb to a profitable entity with over 350,000 units shipped. By relocating to Y Combinator in 2014 to overcome European market fragmentation, the company cultivated an "underdog" culture that enabled the physical production of its modular jewelry line, the Leaf, in Dongguan. This strategic expansion into hardware manufacturing solidified Bellabeat's mission to deliver accessible preventive care tools specifically designed for women.
- Y Combinator24 min
Reshma Shetty Speaks at Y Combinator's Female Founders Conference 2016
Founded in 2008 by Reshma Saujani and Tom Knight, Ginkgo Bioworks pioneered a platform that treats biology as an engineering discipline to manufacture cultured ingredients through rapid yeast fermentation. The company delayed venture capital until securing its first customers in 2012, eventually leveraging a Series A and B to scale a business model replacing traditional plant extraction. As the organization pursues its vision to become the "Intel of biology," it is simultaneously implementing a data-driven diversity strategy to address hiring gaps and broaden its workforce representation.
- Milken Institute59 min
A Conversation with Adm. Michael Mullen and Gen. Stanley McChrystal
Adm. Michael Mullen, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Susan Eisenhower, Stanley McChrystal, Michael Mullen
Admiral Mike Mullen and General Stanley McChrystal identify Russia as the primary military threat while warning that the United States faces a more insidious crisis through domestic fiscal insolvency, demographic shifts in the military, and deepening political polarization. The discussion advocates for a structural reduction of the active-duty Army to force public engagement in war and proposes congressional term limits and mandatory meetings to reverse the erosion of bipartisan cooperation. Ultimately, the speakers conclude that long-term national security depends less on military dominance and more on addressing economic inequality, restoring a shared sense of citizenship, and prioritizing diplomatic solutions over purely tactical military interventions.
- Milken Institute58 min
Frank Luntz: The Verbal and Visual Language of America
This presentation addresses a deep societal anxiety regarding declining civility and trust by analyzing generational shifts in economic beliefs and corporate perception. The speaker outlines a visual and linguistic strategy to rebuild engagement, emphasizing that authentic storytelling and unscripted honesty are critical for connecting with younger demographics and overcoming political polarization. Drawing on specific case studies and 2016 election data, the discussion concludes that restoring respect for authority and fostering unity requires leaders to prioritize emotional resonance over traditional corporate messaging.
- Milken Institute1h 10m
Lunch Program | This Changes Everything: How Technology Is Revolutionizing Medicine
Margaret Anderson, Mike Milken, Jack Gilbert, Elizabeth Blackburn, Vadim Bachman, Nina Tandon, Juan Enriquez, Mike Cloughton
Based at the Milken Institute, Faster Cures convenes leading scientists like Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Juan Enriquez to advocate for a systemic overhaul of biomedical research that addresses the critical gap between 10,000 known diseases and the 500 treatments currently in development. The event highlights transformative breakthroughs in genomics, microbiome manipulation, and synthetic biology, demonstrating how technologies such as nanocytology and living implants are shifting medical paradigms toward early detection and regenerative solutions. By integrating public policy advocacy with these scientific advancements, the organization aims to optimize the research ecosystem and accelerate the delivery of cures for conditions ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative disorders.
- Milken Institute1h 6m
Priorities for the Next U.S. President
Jeff Green, Tillman Fertitta, Ellen Townsher, Frank Luntz, Mike Milken
Four former presidential candidates—Jeff Green, Tillman Fertitta, Ellen Townsher, and Frank Luntz—discussed hypothetical policy outcomes at the final session of the Milken Institute conference, moderated by Wolf Blitzer and Mike Milken. Each panelist detailed specific legislative achievements in their imagined administrations, ranging from Green's $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan and Guaranteed Minimum Income to Fertitta's elimination of corporate deficits and Luntz's failed VA reform efforts. The discussion highlighted divergent approaches to governance, with candidates sharing contrasting results on economic growth, foreign relations, and the practical challenges of implementing bold structural changes.
- Milken Institute1h 31m
Agent of Change: The California-Israel Global Innovation Partnership
Professor Itzik-Peterborg, Jay Keesling, Uri, Nati, Mark Gold, Yoram Cohen, Clive Kabat-Zinnick, David Blumberg
The California-Israel Global Innovation Partnership, established via a 2014 agreement between Governor Jerry Brown and the Israeli Prime Minister, facilitates the cross-border transfer of expertise in water, energy, and biotechnology to help California transition from a startup-centric to a scale-up economy. Key figures including Prof. Jay Keasling, Prof. Itzik Peterborg, and executives from Netafim demonstrated how synthetic biology, digital health solutions, and precision irrigation can decouple agricultural output from resource constraints while addressing California's fragmented governance and water scarcity crises. This collaboration leverages financial protocols and bilateral fellowships to deploy proven Israeli technologies globally, aiming to create a carbon-negative bio-economy and implement real-time conservation incentives that bridge the gap between policy fragmentation and sustainable infrastructure.
- Milken Institute55 min
Lunch Program | The Future of Humankind
Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guru Banavar, Eric Schmidt
Four global leaders addressed the future of humanity at a "Future of Humankind" session, with Al Gore detailing climate crises and renewable breakthroughs, Jennifer Doudna explaining CRISPR gene-editing capabilities, Guru Banavar outlining cognitive computing collaborations, and Eric Schmidt advocating for ambitious innovation "moonshots." The panel emphasized that despite uncertainties, actionable solutions in sustainability, genetic medicine, and artificial intelligence require collaborative efforts between governments, industries, and individuals. By shifting focus from fear to proactive implementation, the speakers argued that these technologies can drive a sustainable future where human intelligence is augmented by machine capabilities to solve critical global challenges.
- Milken Institute52 min
The Future of Humankind feat. Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guruduth Banavar, Eric Schmidt
Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guruduth Banavar, Eric Schmidt
Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guru Banavar, and Eric Schmidt presented a comprehensive overview of existential climate risks, the transformative potential of CRISPR genome editing, and the synergistic roles of cognitive computing and moonshot innovation. Gore detailed the immediate economic and geopolitical threats posed by fossil fuel dependence and heat accumulation, while Doudna explained how CRISPR-Cas9 functions as a programmable tool for precise genetic modification alongside emerging ethical imperatives. Banavar and Schmidt further argued that AI-driven cognitive platforms and radical technological shifts in energy, transportation, and medicine are essential to solving these global challenges and augmenting human intelligence.
- Milken Institute1h 7m
Tom Hanks and Brian Grazer: A Conversation With Two Hollywood Icons
Tom Hanks, Brian Grazer, Gordon
Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer, whose extensive career spans blockbusters like *Apollo 13*, *A Beautiful Mind*, and the *Da Vinci Code* trilogy, champions a production philosophy rooted in active curiosity and collaboration with diverse figures ranging from Nobel laureates to hip-hop artists. By strategically merging non-fiction memoirs, adapting content for evolving streaming platforms, and partnering with Tom Hanks to develop projects such as *Empire* and *Cast Away*, Grazer has consistently prioritized themes of respect, mental health advocacy, and ethical storytelling. This approach has not only yielded significant commercial successes and critical acclaim but also established a legacy of identifying and elevating global talent while engaging audiences with complex social and philosophical questions.
- Milken Institute56 min
Strategic Advocacy: Persuading People to Care
Cheryl Wu-Dunn, Seth Rogen, Lauren Miller-Rogen, Maria Shriver, Jalissa Alvarado, Liz Simons, Carolyn Gallagher, Margaret Brennan, Carolyn Jungermann Bennett, Jennif, David Levinson, John McCurry, Jr., Nancy Kanwisher, Jr., Martha Minow, Kathy Ireland, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Martha Nussbaum
Founded by Cheryl Wu-Dunn and Seth Rogen, Hilarity for Charity leverages comedy to mobilize millennials and young adults, addressing the critical funding gaps and stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease through high-profile political engagement. Simultaneously, organizations like Save the Children and the YWCA focus on distinct yet intersecting crises, utilizing data-driven campaigns to demand early childhood education investments while advocating for human rights to combat the persistent HIV/AIDS crisis and global human trafficking. Collectively, these initiatives employ a multifaceted strategy combining celebrity influence, legislative pressure, and corporate accountability to force systemic change and secure billions in funding for neglected research and social causes.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Accessing China's Markets
Lucy Colback, Robert Petty, Edwin Wong, Larry Zhang, Patrick Zhong, David Freeman, Rob Hanson, Hong Liu, Brian Kessler, Myron Scholes, FEMALE SPEAKER 1
A panel of financial experts analyzed China's evolving landscape, highlighting regulatory reforms that expanded offshore capital access and the structural shift from heavy industry toward a consumption-driven economy led by a middle class exceeding 100 million people. Speakers distinguished between long-term financial liberalization and tactical management challenges, noting a natural currency hedge from a seven trillion RMB bond market and emerging opportunities in healthcare and distressed assets. The discussion concluded with strategic advice for investors to adopt a five-year horizon, leveraging the gap between domestic and foreign capital managers while navigating communication risks and lease uncertainties.