Latest Interviews
Showing 526–530 of 530 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist21 min
Welcome to the startup jungle
Janos Amstutz, Sandro, Isabel, Vinicius Guzmão, Chris Haley, Corrie Vu
Entrepreneurs in the UK and Brazil navigate a high-risk environment where intense competition and a scarcity of venture capital force rapid pivots, as exemplified by HoloMe founder Janos Amstutz securing commercial traction through strategic partnerships after failing to secure immediate investment. Simultaneously, the Medroom team in Brazil overcame a last-minute technical crisis to successfully demonstrate their VR medical training tool to major university partners, proving the viability of their solution for reducing patient errors. These divergent case studies highlight how founders must combine technical iteration, market validation, and sheer determination to survive the transition from self-funded prototypes to commercially sustainable businesses.
- The Economist8 min
The Balfour Declaration's impact, 100 years on
Jeremy Berkovits, Ahmad Shakarneh, Ahmed Shikane
The 1917 Balfour Declaration established a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine while promising to protect the rights of existing non-Jewish communities, yet British policy reversals and subsequent conflicts failed to satisfy either side. Following the 1948 establishment of Israel and the 1949 armistice, the resulting displacement of 700,000 Palestinians, known as the Nakba, initiated a century of wars, occupation, and diplomatic impasses. Despite the coexistence efforts of dual-national staff at the American Colony Hotel, the Declaration's original promise remains unfulfilled for Palestinians, leaving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict intractable with no Palestinian state established.
- The Economist7 min
The Agenda: Minouche Shafik discusses education and inequality
Drawing on personal experience from post-revolution Egypt and global economic trends, the speaker argues that nationalization and rigid educational systems have eroded social mobility while lifelong learning gaps disproportionately favor the wealthy. The presentation critiques the failure of traditional models, including German vocational training, to prepare workers for careers that may shift two to five times, a disconnect that fuels public backlash against elitist experts. Consequently, the argument posits that policy reform depends on replacing jargon with accessible communication to bridge the divide between economic realities and public perception.
- The Economist18 min
The music industry and the digital revolution
Nick Raphael, Willard Ardritz, Jacob Whitesides, Elliot
While traditional major labels have long dominated the market by financing artist development and retaining master rights, the industry is shifting toward a service-based model driven by technological disruption. Startups like Cobalt now enable thousands of songwriters to retain full ownership and access previously hidden revenue streams, challenging the status quo that relied on catalog sales to fund new acts. This evolving landscape empowers established independent artists with significant leverage, prompting major corporations to adapt from strict ownership models to partnerships focused on specific commercialization services.
- The Economist8 min
America's elderly prisoner boom
Samuel Baxter, Phillip Burdick, Glenn Crites, Dr. Steed, Glenn Kreitz
The rapid aging of the U.S. prison population has sparked the "Goldcoats" volunteer program at facilities like California Men's Colony, where elderly inmates provide low-cost peer care and protection to their vulnerable, prematurely aging counterparts. This initiative addresses critical health and safety gaps caused by dementia and predation while offering participants like life-sentence prisoner Samuel Baxter a mechanism for mutual survival and future security. Simultaneously, grief counselor Philip Burdick supports terminally ill inmates through hospice services, highlighting a systemic shift where legislative reforms have concentrated aging, high-risk populations in state prisons without adequate external resources for release.