Latest Interviews

Shocking TRUE Story: “I Lost Both Of My Legs Because Of A Tampon” (Health Warning) - Lauren Wasser

Lauren Wasser, Steven

In October 2012, 24-year-old Lauren Wasser survived Toxic Shock Syndrome, a rare infection caused by a retained tampon that led to septic shock, organ failure, and the subsequent amputation of her right leg and left heel. Following a traumatic recovery marked by depression and a deliberate shift toward activism, she now collaborates with Madeline Masabi to lobby for the "Robin Danielson Act," which seeks federal mandates for safer labeling and ingredient transparency in the feminine hygiene industry. Wasser frames this legislative effort as a critical intersection of patient safety and gender equity, aiming to eliminate preventable deaths while redefining disability through her "Golden Legs" advocacy.

60 Startup Founders Share How They Met Their Co-Founder

Diverse founder pairs established their startups through a wide array of pre-existing connections, ranging from long-term personal bonds and professional histories at companies like Airbnb and Bolt to modern matchmaking platforms and chance encounters during the pandemic. These teams strategically aligned complementary technical and non-technical skill sets, often leveraging decades of friendship or shared professional passions in sectors like decarbonization to overcome the risks of leaving stable employment. The resulting ventures, which span from formalizing side projects to launching full-scale decarbonization initiatives, were ultimately driven by mutual trust and verified operational delivery tracks that facilitated critical decision-making moments.

The LIFE-EXTENSION Doctor: "The ONE thing that's increasing your chance of early-death by 170.8%!"

Steven, Dr Peter Attia

Dr. Atia advocates for a paradigm shift to Medicine 3.0, which prioritizes proactive, personalized prevention of chronic diseases and cognitive decline over reactive crisis management. His framework integrates three critical pillars of longevity—physical strength, cognitive capacity, and emotional healing—by combining evidence-based exercise protocols and metabolic strategies with intensive trauma therapy to reframe maladaptive behaviors as childhood survival mechanisms. Ultimately, the approach emphasizes that early, consistent intervention in areas such as VO2 max, sleep, and hormonal balance is essential to mitigate the inevitable, non-linear health decline associated with aging.

In conversation with Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy, Calacanis, Friedberg, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya

Biotech entrepreneur and Roivant Sciences founder Vivek Ramaswamy launched a nationalist presidential campaign aimed at revitalizing American purpose through economic deregulation, energy expansion, and a shift from global interventionism to domestic security. His platform proposes specific policy shifts including a negotiated armistice in Ukraine, the abolition of the Department of Education, and a constitutional argument for state-level abortion regulation. While Ramaswamy characterizes himself as a "national unifier" who would pardon Donald Trump and endorse key Republican grievances, he distinguishes his leadership style by prioritizing an affirmative vision of American identity over traditional establishment politics.

Growth vs Efficiency: Can You Have Both?

Gina Gotthilf, Kieran Flanagan, Bryan Kim

This session synthesizes strategic shifts where founders prioritize sustainable moats like proprietary data and community trust over bloated growth tactics to counter incumbent monopolies. Speakers analyze how AI serves as both a cost-reduction tool and a retention driver while detailing volatile channel dynamics, including the decline of traditional SEO and the rise of interest-based discovery on short-form video platforms. By examining case studies from Snapchat, Duolingo, and Zapier alongside specific experiment frameworks, the discussion outlines a disciplined approach to balancing profitability with iterative product hits in an era of market austerity.

Startup Experts Reveal Their Favorite Pivot Stories

Tom Blomfield, Diana Hu, Michael Seibel, Gustav, Weedeng, Serby, Jared, Nicola Desain, Aaron Epstein, Brad Flora

This discussion defines pivoting as a strategic necessity for startups lacking market fit, emphasizing that such shifts often lead to success when founders leverage deep prior expertise rather than pursuing unviable "cool" projects. The analysis highlights critical validation methods, such as manual execution and specific metric tracking, while warning against "pivot hell" caused by constant, unfocused iteration. Ultimately, the presentation establishes that a pivot involves maintaining the founding team and core assets while fundamentally redirecting the target audience or business model, as demonstrated by examples like Brex and GoCardless.

Inside El Salvador’s war on crime

Nayib Bukele, Robert Guest

El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele has implemented a nationwide security strategy that has imprisoned approximately 70,000 individuals, primarily young men detained on circumstantial evidence through group trials that bypass standard due process. This campaign has effectively dismantled democratic checks by purging the judiciary and gagging press coverage, yet it retains approval ratings between 80% and 90% by eliminating gang intimidation in exchange for a police state environment. Minister Gustavo Villatoro explicitly defended these measures as prioritizing citizen safety over human rights protocols while projecting a model where public popularity is sustained through the erosion of civil liberties.

Fertility crisis: why IVF isn't working

Leslie Schrock, Deborah, Em, Catherine Braille, Dr. Hayashi Katsuhiko, Matt Chrysalof

Driven by a global market exceeding $20 billion and rising infertility rates among delayed planners, the assisted reproductive technology sector currently relies on egg freezing while facing criticism over success rate transparency and physical risks. Emerging research into in vitro gametesis (IVG), led by scientists like Dr. Katsuhiko Hayashi and venture-backed firms such as Conception, aims to bypass these limitations by creating viable eggs from skin cells for aging populations and same-sex couples, despite unresolved ethical and genetic safety hurdles. Parallel investigations into biological aging mechanisms suggest future pharmaceutical interventions could eventually halt the decline of egg quality, though such applications remain distant from clinical reality.

How To Make Money..."Do Not Buy A House!" 10 Ways To Make REAL Money: Ramit Sethi

Ramit Sethi, Steven

Financial strategist Vikram Sethi outlines a behavioral framework for wealth creation that prioritizes intentional lifestyle design over mere income generation, arguing that psychology and strategic spending habits matter more than traditional investment intelligence. He advocates for specific financial rules, including automated investing in low-cost target date funds, maintaining a four-year emergency fund, and allocating a "guilt-free" spending budget to eliminate debt-driven anxiety. The discussion emphasizes that true financial freedom requires aligning daily expenditures with intrinsic values rather than extrinsic status symbols, allowing individuals to build lasting wealth through consistency, market selectivity, and early retirement funding.

Ignore the haters, and keep on building cool stuff.

The speaker argues that successful ventures must solve customer problems in an "amazing way" rather than relying on superficial "thin wrapper" strategies or cargo cult behavior around existing infrastructure. While acknowledging that some projects begin as simple toys, the advice warns founders to ignore backlash from critics if their model is merely a trend-chasing wrapper, emphasizing that genuine innovation is the only viable path for growth. This perspective frames the current market climate as an opportunity for optimism and building cool products, provided they evolve beyond weekend-build claims to offer real value rather than serving as mere capital-raising vehicles.

Serving Up Customer Experiences: Holly O’Neill & Dunkin’ President Scott Murphy

Holly O’Neill, Scott Murphy

Dunkin' maintains its position as the global leader in hot drip coffee and donut sales by executing a strategy of heavy store remodels, rapid digital innovation, and a relaunch of its "Dunkin' Rewards" loyalty program under President Scott Murphy. The brand achieved significant market penetration and sales spikes through high-profile campaigns like the 2024 Super Bowl spot with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, while successfully pivoting product development to include popular items like avocado toast and "Dunkin' Refreshers." Additionally, Dunkin' leverages strategic partnerships, such as a collaboration with Bank of America for student rush support, and community initiatives like National Donut Day fundraising to drive operational efficiency and brand loyalty across its 5,000 international locations.

Rita Ora: “I Lived With Constant Anxiety”…After Being Signed By Jay-Z At 18!!!

Rita Ora, Jay-Z, Steven

Born in Kosovo and raised in West London after fleeing war, singer Rita Ora rose from a working-class immigrant background to achieve global fame as a Rock Nation artist before confronting severe anxiety and a identity crisis in her mid-twenties. Through intensive therapy and a disciplined lifestyle, Ora has since reinvented herself as the owner of her masters, releasing the album *You and I* to establish a timeless pop legacy alongside her husband, director Taika Waititi. Drawing on lessons from her past struggles, Ora now advocates for artistic autonomy and the "10,000-hour rule" of mastery while emphasizing the importance of separating her public persona from her private self.

E137: Inflation cools, market rips, Ripple/MSFT beat regulators, NATO summit, cocktails of youth

Chamath, Calacanis, Lina Khan, Zelensky, David Sacks

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and billionaire entrepreneurs debated the divergence between market expectations for rate cuts and their view that structural forces necessitate higher interest rates for the foreseeable future. The panel further dissected the fragility of the software sector, regulatory precedents set by the SEC and FTC, and geopolitical risks including NATO expansion and defense supply chains. Meanwhile, scientific breakthroughs in reversing cellular aging and details for the upcoming All-In Summit highlighted the intersection of biotech innovation and high-profile industry networking.

These People Are Engaging Their Doctors 45x a Year

Fay Rotenberg

Founders Fay Rottenberg and the Firefly Health team are deploying a virtual-first, value-based care model to eliminate systemic bloat and redirect billions in lost revenue from unpaid claims toward patient savings. By shifting from traditional episodic visits to high-frequency chronic disease management, the company reports engagement levels averaging 45 interactions per member that reduce emergency room utilization and double clinical outcomes while halving costs. This approach integrates health plans with direct primary care delivery to offer a transparent, concierge-style "quarterback" system designed to replace the outdated fee-for-service infrastructure that currently drives healthcare inflation.

Millions of Americans Are About to Lose Medicaid

Jimmy Chen

U.S. healthcare faces systemic inefficiencies and a looming Medicaid coverage crisis affecting millions due to complex verification processes and a lack of public awareness. Propel founder Jimmy Chen addresses these structural failures by proposing a unified single sign-on model that leverages interoperable data to automate eligibility for essential benefits across siloed bureaucracies. This initiative aims to bridge the gap in technology designed for low-income communities while modernizing the intersection of healthcare and fintech to stabilize an industry where billions in invoiced dollars currently go uncollected.