Latest Interviews
Showing 451–465 of 3,244 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Y Combinator23 min
OpenClaw Creator: Why 80% Of Apps Will Disappear
Raphael Schaad, Peter Steinberger
Launched in 2025, the open-source OpenClaw project has rapidly accumulated over 160,000 GitHub stars by introducing a local-executing personal AI agent capable of autonomously controlling hardware and synthesizing private data. Creator of the "swarm intelligence" philosophy, the project distinguishes itself through a unique security architecture that isolates user memory in local markdown files and employs a proprietary `soul.md` file to maintain core personality traits against external manipulation. As the technology evolves toward multi-agent negotiations and the obsolescence of traditional applications, OpenClaw positions itself as a value-retention model where specialized bots manage distinct domains while the primary asset remains the user's locally stored data memory.
Inside the $4.5B Startup Building Brain-Inspired Chips for AI
Peter Barrett, Naveen Rao, Konstantine Buhler, Molly O'Shea
Founded by deep tech veteran Naveen Rao and backed by Playground principal Konstantin Buehler, Unconventional AI is raising funds to build a full-stack analog computing platform that leverages silicon's non-linear physics to overcome the energy inefficiencies of current digital systems. The company seeks to automate over 99% of cognitive labor by replacing energy-intensive megawatt-scale data centers with 20-watt biologically inspired architectures, aiming to reach product escape velocity with a projected capital requirement of $1.5 billion. This venture differentiates itself by embracing the stochastic nature of intelligence rather than suppressing it, challenging traditional von Neumann limitations through recurrent dynamical systems that promise computational productivity gains of up to 1,000 times.
- All-In Podcast1h 19m
Epstein Files, Is SaaS Dead?, Moltbook Panic, SpaceX xAI Merger, Trump's Fed Pick
Trump, Brad Gerstner, Kevin Warsh, Jerome Powell, Chamath, Jason, Friedberg, David Sacks
On January 30, the Department of Justice released the Epstein Files Transparency Act documents, prompting J Cal to clarify his limited interactions with Jeffrey Epstein while critics highlight alleged media bias regarding prominent tech figures like Reid Hoffman and Elon Musk. Simultaneously, the market experienced a "Claude Crash" wiping $300 billion from software stocks due to AI disruption fears, though President Trump's nomination of inflation hawk Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve is expected to support rate cuts driven by AI productivity. In the private sector, Elon Musk announced a $1.25 trillion merger of SpaceX and xAI to build space-based data centers, while the "Invest America" Act successfully launched government-backed investment accounts for newborns to democratize capital ownership.
- The Economist10 min
What would Kevin Warsh’s Federal Reserve look like? | The Economist
Kevin Warsh, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Henry, Zannie, Archie
President Trump has nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh as the next Chair, contingent on the White House removing a Senate blockade led by Senator Tom Tillis regarding the investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell. Warsh's proposed strategy, termed "Warshonomics," seeks to lower interest rates by coupling an anticipated AI-driven productivity surge with balance sheet contraction to offset inflationary risks, despite his historical reputation as a hawk. While experts predict Warsh will implement a slightly more dovish policy yielding one or two rate cuts, his ability to align the FOMC with President Trump's demands remains a significant governance risk complicated by potential political backlash.
- a16z11 min
The Story Behind ElevenLabs | Interview with CEO Mati Staniszewski
Mati Staniszewski, Piotr, Jennifer
Co-founders Jacek (Marty) and Piotr launched Eleven Labs in early 2021 to pioneer the "vocal Turing test" by synthesizing AI that matches human emotion and intonation, a mission that propelled the remote-first startup from a two-person team to over 300 employees in 11 cities. The company operates under a flat, title-free hierarchy driven by "mini-founders" and high autonomy, allowing it to rapidly scale its proprietary research into multimodal products like Voice Design V3 and Studio 3.0. By integrating direct product feedback loops with raw audio training, Eleven Labs aims to establish voice as the primary computer interface that transcends language barriers and delivers genuine emotional connection.
- Y Combinator46 min
We're All Addicted To Claude Code
Industry analysis indicates a decisive shift toward Command Line Interfaces as the primary interaction layer for coding agents, with Anthropic's Cloud Code utilizing subagent models and OpenAI's Codex employing periodic compaction to manage context windows. Senior engineers are increasingly adopting a managerial role to direct autonomous workflows, while top-tier practitioners distinguish themselves by enforcing rigorous testing protocols and minimizing codebase noise to prevent model degradation. This evolution fosters a tension between rapid, bottom-up grassroots adoption driven by speed and enterprise-mandated top-down security controls, fundamentally reshaping software development structures toward smaller teams operating under vast agent armories.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
Finding Opportunities in Financials
Christian DeGrasse, Chris Hussey
Recent earnings revisions and a widening yield curve have driven upward momentum for large and regional banks, supported by improved loan growth and resilient consumer credit quality. Despite a recent sell-off in technology and private credit sectors, analysts view the financial industry as undervalued with positive catalysts expected from upcoming regulatory clarifications and AI-driven operational efficiencies. Looking ahead to 2026, the sector is projected to modestly outperform, although investors remain cautious about potential macro risks such as rising unemployment and soft pricing in the property and casualty insurance market.
- The Economist8 min
Why are so many people joining cults? | The Economist
Carla Subirana Artús, Rosie Blau
Contemporary cults have evolved into fragmented digital networks that exploit online isolation to recruit vulnerable individuals through disguised wellness communities and gaming platforms like Roblox. These groups enforce control via charismatic leaders and algorithmic reinforcement, resulting in rising global reports of financial exploitation and physical abuse. While nations like France have criminalized psychological manipulation, experts argue that societal education remains the most effective defense against these rapidly scaling threats.
- Goldman Sachs24 min
Inside the Future of Payments: Adyen CEO
Pieter van der Does, Clif Marriott, Cliff Marietta
Founded by the creators of iDeal, Adyen transitioned from a payment intermediary to a direct acquiring system, now processing $900 billion annually through a unified platform that combines online and in-store payments with AI-driven authorization optimization. The company distinguishes itself by rejecting acquisition-heavy growth in favor of a single technology stack and a disciplined culture that prioritizes collective success, allowing it to offer financial services like loans while excluding cryptocurrency due to client demand. Looking forward, Adyen aims to leverage its global infrastructure and banking licenses to bridge physical and digital shopper identities, anticipating a regulatory landscape that must adapt to the speed of artificial intelligence in fraud prevention.
How Anthropic’s $100M Anthology Fund Works | Menlo Ventures
Menlo Ventures emphasizes investing in founders with authentic long-term conviction and "cult leader" charisma rather than those chasing pre-existing venture capital theses. The firm targets specific opportunities in AI infrastructure, mechanistic interpretability for Goodfire, and industries facing labor shortages where AI solves immediate economic gaps. While noting that massive seed checks risk creating an illusion of success, the discussion highlights a strategic shift toward domain-specific data, economically viable applications, and product-led growth models that prioritize user love over buzzword compliance.
- a16z41 min
How Truemed Is Incentivizing Americans to Invest in Prevention
The speaker identifies a structural U.S. health crisis driven by decades of corporate governance prioritizing shareholder value, which led to the systemic replacement of whole foods with subsidized, inflammatory ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil. This deterioration is exacerbated by inadequate chemical regulation, aggressive ag-chemical lobbying, and a medical paradigm focused on acute disease management rather than preventive lifestyle interventions. As a countermeasure, the discussion highlights TrueMed's model of leveraging tax-advantaged funds for nutrition and fitness tools, while advocating for subsidy reform and metabolic psychiatry to shift the system toward human enhancement and long-term wellness.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Poppi Founders: Disrupting the Beverage Industry
Stephen Ellsworth, Vanya Kasanof, Allison
Founders Allison and Steven transformed their apple cider vinegar discovery into Poppy, a modern soda brand that leveraged aggressive marketing tactics like a record-breaking Super Bowl campaign and strategic Amazon launches to bypass traditional industry barriers. Prioritizing long-term brand awareness and cultural agility over immediate sales metrics, the team executed rapid product iterations and viral content strategies that ultimately drove the company toward a two-year acquisition by Pepsi. This sale secured the distribution scale necessary to fulfill the founders' mission of revolutionizing soda consumption, successfully transitioning the brand from a niche startup to a mainstream competitor for the next generation.
- Goldman Sachs27 min
Implications of an “Americas First” Foreign Policy
Hal Brands, Mauricio Claver-Carone, Allison Nathan
The Trump administration has announced a 2026 foreign policy shift known as the "Donro Doctrine," which prioritizes direct resource control and territorial expansion in the Western Hemisphere over traditional diplomatic stability. This neo-mercantilist strategy targets specific outcomes including the strategic takeover of Venezuelan oil, the acquisition of Greenland, and the renegotiation of USMCA to favor U.S. equity over trade, while actively countering Chinese and Russian influence through military and economic coercion. Critics warn that this move toward hard power and border redrawing risks eroding the post-1945 international order, potentially triggering global instability and market volatility as U.S. forces intercept shadow fleets and intervene in regional sovereignty disputes.
- a16z36 min
Ben Horowitz and David Solomon: The Sweetest Macro Spot in 40 Years
Ben Horowitz, David Solomon, David Haber
Goldman Sachs is expanding its balance sheet to between $2.5 and $3.5 trillion by shifting to a stable deposit model, while simultaneously deploying $6 billion in technology to automate operations and drive efficiency. Concurrently, Andreessen Horowitz has solidified its position as the largest U.S. venture firm by capturing 18.3% of capital in 2025, leveraging AI to scale investments from 15 to 150 major successes annually. These strategies converge within a stimulative macroeconomic environment characterized by fiscal support and deregulation, which is expected to trigger record M&A activity and accelerate the public listings of AI-driven companies despite lingering geopolitical risks.
Why Sequoia Is Betting on AI That Beats Humans
Shaun Maguire, Molly O'Shea, Andrew Reed, Vlad Tenev, Palmer Luckey
Investor Andrew, acting alongside podcast host and math expert, backed Harmonic CEO Vlad Tenev based on his proven track record with Robinhood and the company's unique reinforcement learning strategy that leverages mathematical rigor and the Lean programming language. This approach allows Harmonic to achieve elite performance in math competitions at a fraction of the capital cost incurred by major AI competitors, while the broader discussion highlights a shift in the host's assessment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena odds and a prediction for a second industrial revolution in specialized AI applications. The event details how deep intellectual rigor and unconventional physics interpretations underpin both this specific investment thesis and the founders' broader vision for the future of computing.