Latest Interviews
Showing 4246–4260 of 4,869 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Y Combinator48 min
Advice for Students and Recent Graduates on Finding Jobs – Liz Wessel of WayUp
WayUp co-founders and former Google associate product marketing manager and his partner Joel Flegelman launched their job platform after validating a user base of tens of thousands during their senior year at the University of Pennsylvania. Leveraging insights from mentor Roloff Botha and a strategic stint at Google, the duo differentiated the service from general job boards by utilizing rich, 360-degree candidate profiles to achieve a one-in-three hire rate. Today, the company operates under a distinct management philosophy that prioritizes personality alignment and skill-based hiring to help students navigate the transition into their careers.
- Goldman Sachs26 min
Eric Schmidt: The Artificial Intelligence Revolution
Goldman Sachs accelerates its cloud migration to leverage superior cybersecurity and specialized hardware for AI workloads, while the broader industry shifts toward data-driven deep learning that prioritizes scale over algorithmic provability. This transition enables "savant systems" in fields like healthcare and finance to automate trial-and-error processes, supported by a global talent market increasingly dominated by computer science graduates. Although these technologies promise to democratize expert-level capabilities through on-device and cloud computing, their adoption faces monetization hurdles and ongoing geopolitical competition, particularly from China.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
Diana B. Henriques: “A First-Class Catastrophe”: Lessons Learned from Black Monday
Diana B. Henriques, Sharmin Mosavaramani
This analysis juxtaposes the 1987 Black Monday crash, driven by opaque portfolio insurance strategies and fragmented regulation, with modern market vulnerabilities amplified by trillion-dollar asset managers and enduring regulatory silos. It further examines the psychological profile of Bernie Madoff, highlighting his pathological fear of failure and the spontaneous nature of his fraud's collapse, while detailing the HBO film "Wizard of Lies" production that secured Robert De Niro's casting through authentic in-prison dynamics. Together, these case studies illustrate how historical market failures and individual pathologies continue to inform contemporary debates on financial transparency and systemic risk.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
A Conversation With Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall, Brian Sheth, Melissa Stevens
Jane Goodall and Brian Sheth discuss the convergence of private equity capital and global conservation through Goodall's Jane Goodall Institute and Sheth's leadership of Global Wildlife Conservation. They detail the expansion of Goodall's Roots & Shoots program to 150,000 youth groups and the institute's use of satellite technology to protect chimpanzee populations in Gombe and the Republic of Congo. The dialogue concludes with a strategic emphasis on integrating scientific rigor into policy-making and leveraging financial markets to sustain long-term environmental resilience.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
Lord of the Rings: A Conversation With Five-Time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady
Tom Brady reaffirmed his commitment to playing through the 2018-2019 season by prioritizing longevity through his TB12 Method, a wellness protocol focused on pliability and injury prevention that aims to extend his career into his mid-40s. During a comprehensive discussion on team dynamics and personal philosophy, he clarified that he had no input on the Super Bowl LII roster decisions while emphasizing his reliance on family for motivation and his distinct approach to leadership. The conversation also covered his skepticism of new NFL rules, his assessment of Bill Belichick's genius, and his belief that the league must balance entertainment value with player safety to sustain industry growth.
- Y Combinator1h 33m
John Preskill on Quantum Computing
John Preskill, Steven Hawking, Kip Thorne, Craig Cannon
Established by Richard Feynman's early theoretical work, the field of quantum computing has evolved from theoretical challenges in the 1970s to a practical reality enabled by mid-1990s error correction and recent hardware advancements in superconducting and trapped-ion systems. As current devices approach 100 qubits, they are poised to disrupt public-key cryptography through Shor's algorithm while simultaneously offering transformative capabilities in quantum chemistry simulation and materials science. The industry now focuses on bridging these applications through hybrid classical-quantum systems and developing post-quantum security measures to address the imminent threat to existing encryption standards.
- Goldman Sachs52 min
Katie Couric on Telling America’s Stories
In a comprehensive interview, pioneering broadcaster Katie Couric details her unconventional path from a CNN failure to becoming the first solo female anchor of the CBS Evening News, where she prioritized substantive coverage of issues like sexual assault over traditional newsroom norms. She discusses her strategic negotiations for professional equality, her pivotal 2008 interview with Sarah Palin, and her current documentary series *America Inside Out*, which seeks to bridge deep societal divides through direct dialogue and the re-examination of Confederate history. Couric concludes by advocating for structural changes such as the Rooney Rule to combat workplace bias and emphasizing the critical role of proximity in fostering empathy across America's shifting demographic landscape.
- Goldman Sachs18 min
U.S. Navy, Retired Admiral James Winnefeld, Jr.
James Winnefeld, Jr., James "Sandy" Winnefeld, Jr., Gary Giglio
Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Winnefeld co-founded the organization SAFE following the heroin overdose death of his son, Jonathan, to address systemic failures in mental health care and pharmaceutical oversight that contributed to the nation's escalating opioid crisis. By citing CDC data that frames annual overdose fatalities as a catastrophic national security threat, Winnefeld advocates for immediate reforms including stricter prescription limits and the removal of stigma surrounding addiction treatment. The Admiral further extends this philosophy to global security, urging a complex diplomatic approach to North Korea while emphasizing that effective leadership requires holding individuals to high standards while providing essential support.
- Goldman Sachs20 min
John A. Farrell: The Life, Legacy and Lessons of Richard Nixon
John A. Farrell, Richard Nixon, Jake Seward, Jack Farrell
Journalist Jack Farrell's biography reexamines Richard Nixon by contrasting his resilient childhood trauma and early friendship with John F. Kennedy against his calculated ambition and the fatal "Chennault Affair." The narrative details how Nixon's secret taping system and subsequent admission of Watergate involvement transformed a political scandal into an unprecedented impeachment crisis fueled by his "uncontrolled cruelty" during the final days of his presidency. Farrell ultimately frames Nixon's arc as a Shakespearean tragedy where a tragic flaw derived from his humble origins and a vow to never be out-cheated again led inevitably to his downfall.
- Goldman Sachs20 min
Josh Silverman: The Future of the “Etsy Economy”
Amidst stock pressure and executive departures, CEO Josh Silverman restructured Etsy by consolidating operations into twenty-six high-priority initiatives while reducing the workforce by twenty percent to accelerate execution. The company abandoned fragmented metrics in favor of Gross Merchandise Sales as the sole success indicator, prioritizing immediate market expansion over short-term profitability. This turnaround strategy utilized rigorous risk management and a mission-driven culture to address growth deceleration, positioning Etsy to defend its marketplace moat against orthogonal competitors.
- Goldman Sachs30 min
Chris Hughes on Founding Facebook and Fighting Inequality
Former Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes is launching the "Fair Shot" initiative to provide $500 monthly payments to 60 million working adults earning under $50,000 annually, aiming to eradicate poverty without dismantling existing social safety nets. Funded by a 50% marginal tax rate on the targeted demographic and capital gains, this policy shifts the economic paradigm from charity to a guaranteed income floor designed to counteract the destabilizing effects of automation and income inequality. Simultaneously, Hughes leverages his history as a tech executive to advocate for strict data rights legislation and a user-owned data dividend, positioning his campaign as a dual front against both corporate monopolies and systemic poverty.
- Y Combinator28 min
Kieran Snyder of Textio at the Seattle Female Founders Conference
Founded in 2014 by linguists and Microsoft veterans Kieran Snyder and Jensen Harris, Textio has developed a machine-learning platform that analyzes 350 million job postings to predict engagement and reduce bias. The company recently pivoted its pricing to a flat-fee enterprise model and formed data partnerships with major clients like Amazon and Johnson & Johnson to accelerate revenue growth. With a workforce that is 50% female or non-binary, Textio aims to expand its "augmented writing" capabilities beyond HR to eventually challenge major office software providers in a planned IPO within seven years.
- Y Combinator1h 3m
Helping Landlords Find Tenants – Sean Mitchell of Rezi
Resi operates a full-risk leasing marketplace in New York and the Bay Area that transfers vacancy and tenant performance risks from landlords to itself while enabling apartment lease-ups in under ten minutes. The company funds these guaranteed upfront rent payments through a debt securitization model targeting mid-teens to 20% returns, preserving equity capital while utilizing automated underwriting to minimize discrimination. Early growth was driven by high-volume direct outreach to individual landlords, and the firm now leverages proprietary pricing algorithms to optimize unit rents ranging from $2,000 to $6,000 monthly.
- a16z46 min
The Oral History of TrialPay -- Obstacles and Opportunities in Payments
Founded in 2006 by Alex Rampell and Terry Angelos, TrialPay pioneered offer-based payments by evolving through software, social gaming, and mobile markets before restructuring into a core ad business and a new entity called Yub in 2014. The original company eventually secured an exit through its 2018 acquisition by Visa, which integrated TrialPay's technology to expand into transactional advertising and mobile rewards. Rampell's post-mortem analysis highlighted the strategic imperative of controlling payment infrastructure, a lesson that informs current trends in verticalized commerce, payment unbundling, and programmable digital currencies.
- Y Combinator50 min
Crypto Investors - Linda Xie and Avichal Garg
Linda Xie, Avichal Garg, Craig Cannon, Avicil
Industry experts Avicil and Linda project that blockchain adoption will initially prioritize decentralized exchanges and digital collectibles over complex distributed applications due to current scaling limitations. The discussion highlights a trajectory where underserved regions with inflationary currencies lead mainstream integration while technical development remains concentrated in traditional hubs like Silicon Valley and Berlin. To ensure long-term viability, the speakers advocate for mandatory default privacy, rigorous investor protection mechanisms, and a shift away from public token sales toward milestone-based venture funding structures.