Latest Interviews
Showing 691–705 of 1,418 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute1h 30m
A Conversation with Howard Marks: Mastering the Market Cycle
Investment strategist Howard Marks emphasizes that historical market cycles and human psychology consistently drive asset pricing, challenging the "this time is different" narrative while highlighting the critical importance of valuation over asset quality. His analysis of structural shifts, from the evolution of bond covenants to the rise of passive investing, underscores that risk is cyclically determined by investor sentiment and liquidity rather than economic fundamentals alone. Ultimately, Marks argues that successful capital allocation requires recognizing probabilistic outcomes and maintaining sufficient resources to exploit the extreme fear and pricing inefficiencies that arise during inevitable downturns.
- Milken Institute59 min
Breaking the Bank: How Asian FinTechs Are Redefining Financial Services
Dan Murphy, Kevin Jacques, Donald Lacey, Akshay Naheta, Simon Paris
The event analyzes the rapid divergence between Asian FinTech markets and legacy systems, highlighting a strategic industry shift from consumer-focused models to B2B platformization and embedded finance. It details how insurance and banking sectors are transforming through IoT data, usage-based pricing, and regulatory consolidation, while capital flows increasingly favor late-stage firms with proven unit economics over early-stage valuations. Finally, the discussion outlines critical success factors for founders and incumbents, emphasizing that long-term partnership strategies and deep regulatory expertise are essential to navigate fragmented global landscapes and avoid commoditization.
- Milken Institute56 min
Asia's Next Frontier: Building Capabilities for Translational Research
Tanisha Carino, Christiana Bardon, Carl Firth, Annalisa Jenkins, Baiju Shah, Chris Bardone
Faster Cures and Milken Institute convene Asian policymakers and industry leaders to address the critical "Valley of Death" separating basic science from clinical cures across the region's rapidly expanding R&D landscape. The discussion highlights Singapore's strategic shift toward translational funding and data infrastructure, China's accelerated regulatory reforms, and the Harrington Project's hybrid model designed to bridge skill and capital gaps for high-burden diseases. While genomic initiatives and reimbursement changes promise to modernize access, the session concludes that overcoming cultural barriers in patient advocacy and workforce specialization remains essential for translating scientific knowledge into effective patient treatments.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Of Tweets and Trade: U.S. Outlook
Gerard Baker, Christine BN Chin, Carlos Gutierrez, Gilbert Kaplan, Frank Luntz, Gil Kaplan, Steve Oaken, Ralph Simon
A panel of economic experts and policymakers analyzed the Trump administration's shift from multilateral to bilateral trade negotiations, citing Section 301 investigations against China and the renegotiation of NAFTA as strategies to counter state-sponsored intellectual property theft. While polling data reveals that 81% of the audience believes these policies damage global growth, experts like Frank Luntz and Christine Chin warn that the prevailing anti-trade sentiment stems from automation-driven job displacement rather than trade deficits alone. The discussion concluded that future economic frameworks must integrate new social buffers and educational initiatives like the "Education Moonshot" to address the structural challenges of the 21st-century workforce in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Investing for the Long-Term
Ian Martin, Sophia Cheng, Azmil Zahruddin Raja Abdul Aziz, Michael Rolland, Tom Tull
Representatives from Texas ERS, OMERS, Kazana National Fund, and Cathay Financial convened to discuss capital management strategies for institutional pools exceeding $700 billion in combined assets. The panelists detailed shifts toward alternative asset allocation and direct private investments to counter demographic aging, low-interest rate environments, and rising market valuations. Key discussions highlighted the tension between strict ESG governance and financial performance, alongside the necessity of avoiding crowded markets through bilateral deal relationships and active risk management.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Hacking Health: The Future of Humankind
Jeannette Ickovics, Jeremy Cao, Julien de Salaberry, Christopher Hall, Joseph Wong, Lihan Zhou, Chris Hall, Lee Han, Julian DeSalveri, Ritesh Maishuri, Laura Entwistle, Mark Blythery, Dan Galpin
Industry leaders from organizations including Fitbit, BGI, and Meraxis convened to analyze the projected $18 trillion global health spending landscape, with a specific focus on Asia's unique demographic challenges and rapid digital health growth. The event highlighted how strategic innovations in genomics, AI-driven wearables, and early cancer detection are driving a critical shift from curative to preventative care models while navigating complex regulatory environments across diverse Asian markets. Participants emphasized that future success depends on integrating high-tech solutions with empathetic delivery, securing investment through intellectual property and execution speed, and addressing ethical gaps in genetic privacy and mental health.
- Milken Institute49 min
Media and Trust: A Global Concern
Heng Wing Chan, Stephen Salyer, Gerard Baker, Warren Fernandez, Victor Mallet, Maria A. Ressa, Doug Mellinger, Paul Grunewald
Four global journalists analyze the collapse of traditional media trust, attributing the crisis to the weaponization of social media algorithms, the concentration of ad revenue within tech giants, and a lack of ideological diversity within newsrooms. The panel highlights specific regional threats, from state-backed disinformation campaigns in the Philippines and Hong Kong to the revenue model failures that undermine investigative reporting in Singapore. Participants conclude that restoring public confidence requires platform accountability, deeper community engagement, and a renewed commitment to holding power to account despite the current fragmented information landscape.
- Milken Institute1h 5m
Investing for Immortality
Ben Clark, Elizabeth Gustilo, Drue Kataoka, Pearl Lam, Helen Lee Warren
A panel of industry leaders analyzed the surge in Asian wealth since 2014, which has elevated the region's collector base to surpass Western counterparts while driving a shift toward Western "blue chip" acquisitions and private museum expansion. The discussion highlighted a dual evolution in the ecosystem, where second-generation collectors prioritize provenance and direct patronage models alongside the integration of AI, blockchain, and virtual reality to redefine authentication and access. Ultimately, experts emphasized the necessity of balancing traditional institutional roles with digital innovation to ensure market resilience and the long-term "immortality" of artworks within a rapidly changing technological landscape.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Smarter Cities for a Smarter World
Jonathan Woetzel, Hugh Andrew, Nayef Khalid Al Khalifa, Robert Rosenstein, Lauren Sorkin
A recent McKinsey Global Institute analysis reveals that while most global cities currently operate at only 70% maturity regarding smart technology, successful implementation demands a shift from rigid zoning to outcome-based regulation and robust public-private partnerships. Key drivers for this evolution include treating digital infrastructure as a utility, prioritizing human capital through inclusive social policies, and restructuring real estate models to accommodate e-commerce and automated logistics. Ultimately, sustainable urban development relies on strong civic leadership defining long-term visions while ensuring equitable access and clear ROI metrics across diverse markets from North Asia to the Middle East.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
A World in Transition: What Matters For Asia
Michael Klowden, Haslinda Amin, Heenam Choi, Ravi Menon, Ning Tang
The Milken Institute's fifth Asia Summit convened over 1,000 global leaders in Singapore to analyze the Asia-Pacific region's economic resilience amidst US-China trade tensions and technological disruption. Key speakers highlighted that while external financial tightening poses risks, Asian emerging markets remain structurally sound due to sounder macro fundamentals and a shifting middle class driving demand for healthcare and senior housing. The event concluded that the region's long-term growth trajectory depends on maintaining open trading systems, advancing FinTech regulation, and managing demographic transitions toward aging societies.
- a16z33 min
a16z Podcast | The Regulatory Landscape for Crypto
Katie Haun, Robin Weisman, Sonal Chokshi
U.S. federal agencies including the SEC, CFTC, and DOJ clarify that while Bitcoin's underlying technology is legal, specific applications like exchanges and ICOs remain subject to existing financial regulations enforced through distinct civil and criminal pathways. Recent policy shifts demonstrate a move toward differentiating utility tokens from securities based on network decentralization while maintaining extraterritorial jurisdiction over firms serving U.S. customers. Consequently, regulators coordinate efforts to target fraud and illicit activity rather than innovation, advising enterprises to demonstrate good-faith compliance to mitigate enforcement risks.
- a16z28 min
a16z Podcast | Building Companies in Crypto, from People to Code
Tina Bhatnagar, Preethi Kasireddy, Lily Liu, Kim Milosevich, Bianca, Teresa
Recorded at the April 2018 "Intro to Crypto" event, this panel featured Coinbase VP Tina Butnagher, TrueStory CEO Preethi Khatri, and Earn.com co-founder Lily Liu to debunk myths regarding decentralization extremes, safety for women, and the ideological nature of the sector. The participants outlined how institutional adoption is forcing compliance infrastructure, how token-based incentives enable sovereign company models, and how the industry is pivoting from speculation toward utility-focused applications like labor monetization and truth verification. Concluding with a call for rigorous due diligence and the translation of mainstream tech skills, the discussion emphasized the necessity of regulatory collaboration and ethical stewardship as crypto transitions into a consumer-facing market.
- a16z41 min
a16z Podcast | Decentralization and Crypto, the Big Picture
Chris Dixon, Elizabeth Stark, Jessica Verrilli, Lauren, Sierra Peterson, Stevenia
Elizabeth Stark and Chris Dixon analyze the evolution of the crypto movement from its cypherpunk roots into a decentralized infrastructure layer designed to counter the centralization of modern internet giants. They detail how Lightning Labs and similar entities are deploying open protocols and token-based economic models to scale Bitcoin transactions while fostering a global, diverse developer community. Looking ahead, the speakers forecast a critical transition where real asset tokenization and talent migration from major tech firms will drive the ecosystem from early infrastructure development toward mass adoption.
- a16z33 min
a16z Podcast | On Mentors and Mentees
Ken Coleman, Ben Horowitz, Michel Feaster
Ben Horowitz and Ken Coleman discuss the strategic dynamics of effective mentorship, emphasizing the need to prioritize personal attributes over resumes and utilizing questioning techniques to navigate the complexities of scaling from 125 to 500+ employees. The conversation outlines how to build organic trust through chemistry and "intelligent overrides" of flawed systems while addressing critical hiring failures where companies neglect cultural accommodation despite diversity initiatives. Both leaders stress that successful relationships require mutual learning and must be terminated when mentees refuse to listen or act as if they "know it all," ultimately framing mentorship as a vital tool for leadership development and entrepreneurial resilience.
- a16z18 min
a16z Podcast | Containing the Monolith -- From Microservices to DevOps
Martin Casado, Matt Billmann, Florian Leibert, Karthik Rau
As purchasing power shifts decisively to developers and data scientists, traditional IT operations are being replaced by automated CI/CD pipelines that enable thousands of daily deployments. This transformation compresses the divide between frontend and backend roles while forcing legacy hardware to integrate via microservice wrappers rather than immediate replacement. Organizations must now prioritize speed, observability, and autonomous infrastructure to support high-velocity cycles that range from canary releases to instant rollbacks.