Latest Interviews
Showing 2551–2565 of 2,590 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute55 min
A Conversation with Al Gore: Six Drivers of Global Change
Former Vice President Al Gore addresses the corrosive impact of corporate money on American democracy and outlines six drivers of global change, including the shift of economic power to Asia and the accelerating climate crisis. He critiques the reliance on short-term financial metrics while promoting sustainable capitalism through his firm Generation Investment Management as a proven alternative model. Gore concludes by urging immediate global leadership to transition to renewable energy and adopt independent redistricting to restore political integrity.
- Milken Institute59 min
Theory to Practice: A New Generation Transforms Impact Investing
Dave Chen, Matt Gee, Tobias Schimmer, Kathleen Schindler, Claire Tramm, Paul Irving, Andrew Tyndale, Candace Klein
Founded by Kellogg Professor Dave Chen, the International Impact Investing Challenge has grown to include 32 schools, showcasing student teams who design innovative financial instruments for social impact rather than traditional service-based businesses. Two 2011 alumni teams presented their models at a recent Milken Institute panel: Upskill Capital, which addresses India's skills gap through salary-based tuition loans targeting an 18-22% IRR, and Effortless Energy, which finances residential upgrades via repayment from guaranteed utility savings to achieve a 12% return. These ventures exemplify a shift in business education where future investors are trained to integrate financial discipline with social outcomes, with both teams now seeking further capital to scale their operations.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
American Politics 2013
Major Garrett, Senator Warner, Senator Moran, Congresswoman Morris-Rogers, Senator Casey
A panel of Senators Bob Casey, Jerry Moran, and Mark Warner, alongside Congresswoman Kathy Hall, analyzed the implementation challenges of the Affordable Care Act and the legislative prospects for immigration reform amidst growing political polarization. The discussion highlighted concerns regarding ACA rollout glitches, sequestration's impact on federal jobs, and the divergent strategies between the Senate and House for passing comprehensive legislation on guns and the budget. Ultimately, the speakers emphasized a critical demographic and technological shift in American politics that has eroded moderate bipartisanship, leaving lawmakers to navigate complex electoral math and media-driven conflict.
- Milken Institute51 min
Dinner Program - To Infinity and Beyond: Jeff Skoll Talks with Elon and Kimbal Musk
Jeff Skoll, Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk
Following the 1999 sale of their pioneering internet company Zip2 for over $300 million, brothers Elon and Kimball Musk launched distinct ventures that have reshaped global industries. Elon Musk directed his capital into transformative technology firms including PayPal, SpaceX, and Tesla, aiming to revolutionize transportation and enable human colonization of Mars, while Kimball Musk established The Kitchen restaurant and a nonprofit Learning Garden program that significantly improves student nutrition and science test scores. Their divergent paths in high-tech engineering and community-focused agriculture are united by a shared philosophy of personal risk-taking and a commitment to pushing humanity forward.
- Milken Institute57 min
A Conversation With Gary Becker, David Rubenstein and Robert Rubin
Gary Becker, David Rubenstein, Robert Rubin, Bob Rubin
Panelists Gary Becker and Bob Rubin argue that the U.S. economy can return to a sustainable 3% growth trajectory by leveraging its energy revolution, real estate recovery, and manufacturing expansion while addressing a structural $10 trillion debt burden through entitlement reform and tax loophole elimination. They attribute current stagnation primarily to political gridlock, advocating for open primaries, nonpartisan civic education, and a market-based immigration system to foster compromise. Despite risks from Federal Reserve quantitative easing and inflation, the experts maintain that the American dollar remains the superior long-term investment vehicle provided the political system functions effectively.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Bridging Gaps in Development Finance: New Platforms for Frontier Markets
Anne Heyman, Netanel Oded, Eytan Stibbe, Tally Zingher, Steve Zecher, Tali Zinger, Andrew Taylor
The Milken Institute Israel Center convened experts to address capital gaps in emerging markets by leveraging Israel's innovation ecosystem as a model for economic development in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Key speakers detailed strategies involving private equity for infrastructure, such as Vital Capital's land-ownership models in Angola, and social innovation frameworks like Anne Heyman's Agahoso Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda. These initiatives collectively advocate for a hybrid approach that combines government R&D subsidies, catalytic philanthropy, and patient private capital to de-risk investments and scale sustainable growth.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
Innovators on the Front Lines of the Future
Paul Benda, Freda Lewis-Hall, Megan Smith, Peter Diamandis
Following the XPRIZE Visioneering event, a panel of twelve domain experts finalized ten high-impact prize concepts ranging from happiness gamification to rapid vaccine production and global literacy. Key initiatives include Nicolas Negroponte's $15 million literacy challenge, Tony Robbins' behavior-change prize grounded in Martin Seligman's data, and a $5 million diversity-focused X2 Prize funded by Lynn Tilton. These competitions aim to disrupt traditional R&D models by leveraging private funding and regulatory incentives to solve complex global problems like Alzheimer's diagnostics, atmospheric water extraction, and homeland security screening.
- Milken Institute1h 4m
Cash on the Sidelines: How to Unleash $30 Trillion
Alexandra Lebenthal, Mustafa Sagun, Max Stone, James Zelter, Joe Reece
Held at the Milken Institute, a panel of four prominent investment leaders including Mustafa Sagan of Principal Global Investments and Jim Zelter of Apollo Capital Management addressed the dynamics of approximately $30 trillion in idle global capital. The discussion highlighted how corporate tax structures, pension deficits, and low-yield environments are trapping funds in safe assets while alternative lenders increasingly fill the void in small and medium enterprise financing. Panelists unanimously concluded that capital remains constrained by regulatory uncertainty and deflationary fears, predicting a significant shift toward riskier opportunities once yields rise or market volatility stabilizes.
- Milken Institute57 min
A Conversation with Najib Ghadbian: Syria's Choices
Established in Doha in 2013, the Syrian Opposition Coalition functions as a unified political body recognized by 114 nations to coordinate the removal of Bashar al-Assad and govern liberated areas while the conflict has claimed over 70,000 lives. Under the command of General Salim Idris's Supreme Military Council, the group seeks urgent international support for strategic weaponry to counter regime forces and prevent the emergence of radical factions. Additionally, the coalition is developing a post-conflict framework requiring $60 billion to ensure state continuity, territorial integrity, and transitional justice while rejecting any political settlement that includes the current leadership.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
Global Financial Regulation
Jared Seberg, James Barth, Bob Corker, Gary Lathrop, Kevin Lynch, Tom Pirelli, Bruce Brown, Chris Cole, Michael D.
A panel of senators and banking executives concluded that financial instability stems primarily from excessive risk and regulatory failure rather than sheer institutional size, with Senator Bob Corker and experts like James Barth advocating for targeted GAO studies over mandatory bank breakups. The discussion emphasized the risks of fragmented global regulations and overly stringent capital requirements, which threaten to shift lending activity to the unregulated shadow banking sector while stifling economic growth. Furthermore, the group uniformly rejected a financial transaction tax, called for regulating specific activities instead of institutions, and supported opening the banking sector to non-financial firms to foster innovation and accountability.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Plotting a Course for Post-Crisis Europe
Paul Coulson, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Erik Nielsen, Keith Savard, Josef Stadler, Anatole Kaletsky
Europe currently serves as the primary constraint on global economic recovery, characterized by stagnation in major nations like France and Italy while the US enjoys stronger growth indicators. Political developments, particularly in Italy, alongside deep structural disparities in energy costs and banking fragmentation, have intensified pressure for a unified fiscal and monetary response within the Eurozone. While market participants anticipate eventual alignment with US and Japanese monetary strategies to stabilize the currency, the long-term viability of the bloc hinges on overcoming political resistance to debt mutualization and implementing urgent labor reforms in key economies.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
A Conversation with William Clay Ford Jr.
William Clay Ford Jr., John Casesa, John Kossess
Under the guidance of Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company navigated the 2008–2009 financial crisis by leveraging a unique family governance structure and securing $23 billion in liquidity to survive while competitors collapsed. The company differentiated itself through preemptive restructuring, flexible manufacturing, and a "power of choice" strategy that simultaneously advanced fuel economy and technology investment without halting traditional engine development. Looking forward, Ford continues to pivot toward a connected, shared mobility ecosystem while addressing critical infrastructure gaps and maintaining disciplined cost controls to adapt to evolving global market dynamics.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
New Directions in Private Equity
Leon Black, David Bonderman, Jonathan Nelson, Jonathan Sokoloff, Scott Sperling, Maria Bartiromo
Despite a 30% drop in private equity deal volume, market leaders like Apollo's Leon Black and TPG's David Bonderman are pivoting from traditional leveraged buyouts to high-growth assets, minority stakes, and distressed opportunities in Europe. While valuations remain stretched due to cheap credit and seller reluctance, firms are prioritizing capital deployment in defensive sectors like media and consumer staples while navigating macroeconomic uncertainty. Panelists anticipate a continued harvest phase over the next 18 months, with capital flows shifting toward customized structures and emerging markets that offer differentiated returns beyond standard GDP growth metrics.
- Milken Institute1h 12m
Alternative Investments
Andrew Whitaker, Josh Harris, Vinay Choudhary, Julia Lawler, Andrew Serwer, Eric Schmidt, Brevin Howard, Arvind
Leading alternative investment managers Josh Harris, Wilbur Ross, and Vinay Choudhary detail a strategic market pivot driven by the unattractiveness of traditional fixed income and the need to escape equity volatility, with private equity demonstrating a historical 26% net return against the S&P 500's 9%. Panelists identify specific high-yield opportunities in energy, distressed European banking, and marine transport while warning of an impending credit cycle caused by a massive debt bubble and a $500 billion annual refinancing wall between 2018 and 2020. This consensus positions institutional capital toward direct co-investments and value creation in distressed assets as the Federal Reserve prepares to normalize rates and end quantitative easing.
- Milken Institute58 min
In Tech We Trust? A Debate with Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen
Peter Thiel argues that technological innovation has significantly decelerated since 1970, pointing to stagnant wages, declining biotechnology patents, and a "rust belt" of legacy hardware firms as evidence of cultural risk aversion and over-regulation. In contrast, Mark Andreessen contends that innovation is accelerating by citing surging global engineering talent, new transportation and communication platforms like Twitter and Tesla, and argues that clean energy stalls are due to fossil fuel subsidies rather than technical failure. While both speakers agree that deregulation is essential for future growth, they fundamentally disagree on whether current economic stagnation reflects a structural breakdown in the physical world or a historical lag in recognizing transformative digital tools.