Latest Interviews
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Clear all filters- a16z39 min
Founding Stories: Sandbox VR
Steve Zhao, Siqi Chen, Andrew Chen, Frank Chen
Sandbox VR co-founders Steve Zhao and Siki Chen launched a location-based entertainment model by vertically integrating proprietary hardware, custom content, and physical retail spaces after failing to secure early funding due to the novelty of the concept. By pivoting to a venue in a Hong Kong high-rise in 2017, the team achieved viral traction with their immersive "Deadwood Mansion" title, attracting an Alibaba seed round and a rapid Series A commitment from Andreessen Horowitz within months of opening. Leveraging deep learning and computer vision to enable social agency and body tracking, the company is now expanding its technology to support larger concurrent groups and diverse genres beyond traditional shooting games.
- a16z48 min
The a16z Pitch Room: Sandbox VR
Steve Zhao, Siqi Chen, Andrew Chen, Frank Chen
Andreessen Horowitz led an investment in Sandbox VR to fund its scalable network of untethered, wireless virtual reality locations that address high churn rates in the traditional consumer VR market. General Partner Andrew Chen backed the strategy of positioning the company as a future content publisher and platform for third-party developers, rather than a simple hardware retailer, citing strong unit economics and near-unanimous customer satisfaction data from existing Asian markets. With a founding team combining AAA game development experience and hyperlocal growth expertise, the venture aims to expand from 14 to over 50 rooms while mitigating novelty risks through rapid content rotation and exclusive IP partnerships.
- Milken Institute59 min
Psychedelics: Mind-Enhancing Methods to Well-Being
Tim Ferriss, Christian Angermayer, Robin Carhart-Harris, Matthew Johnson, Ayelet Waldman
In 1957, Katherine McCormick's pivotal funding enabled Gregory Pincus to develop the oral contraceptive, establishing a historical precedent for high-conviction scientific bets that now mirrors the current push to reclassify psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA from Schedule I to Schedule IV. Recent clinical trials demonstrate these substances' efficacy in treating treatment-resistant depression, anxiety in cancer patients, and addiction, with effects often lasting months after a single session compared to the temporary relief provided by conventional SSRIs. Supported by major funding from investors like Christian Angermeyer and research from institutions such as Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London, the movement aims to integrate these therapies into a regulated medical model to address the growing global mental health crisis.
- Goldman Sachs22 min
Michael Oppenheimer: Nobel Prize-winning Climate Scientist
Michael Oppenheimer, Kyung-ho Park
Atmospheric scientist Dr. Oppenheimer outlines how attribution science has transformed climate risk assessment, revealing that global society is already operating outside the ±1°C stability range that defined the last 10,000 years. While the 2015 Paris Agreement secured universal participation, current pledges fall short of the 25–50% emissions cuts required to avoid the 1.5°C to 2°C danger zone, prompting a strategic shift toward mixed policy frameworks and a business sector that must prioritize long-term planetary viability over quarterly earnings. Dr. Oppenheimer contrasts this complex challenge with the successful Montreal Protocol, noting that climate mitigation is further complicated by its impact on one-third of the global economy, necessitating the integration of carbon pricing, regulatory standards, and substantial financial reallocation toward sustainable infrastructure.
- Goldman Sachs24 min
Rob Manfred: Commissioner, Major League Baseball
Rob Manfred, Robert Manfred, Dave Dassey
Commissioner Rob Manfred transformed Major League Baseball by ending decades of labor instability, enforcing a perpetual vigilance against performance-enhancing drugs, and pioneering the data analytics revolution that reshaped player valuation and front office operations. Under his leadership, the league successfully pivoted its media strategy to capture younger demographics through digital partnerships and BAMTech while strategically embracing sports betting to deepen fan engagement through official data licensing. These initiatives, grounded in a negotiation philosophy emphasizing deep preparation and strategic momentum, have redefined the league's financial infrastructure and operational integrity.
- Y Combinator1h 4m
Software Engineer Turned Youtuber - Jarvis Johnson
Jarvis Johnson, Craig Cannon, Nathan Allebach, Taylor
Engineering manager and content creator Jarvis Johnson transitioned from a full-time career at Patreon to independent YouTube production after a viral subscriber surge validated his strategy of balancing technical deep-dives with broader industry critique. Leveraging lessons from Silicon Valley and his time managing teams, Johnson now advocates for "clickbait with positivity" while warning against the rise of soulless content farms that threaten platform authenticity. His journey highlights a shift from grade-driven multitasking to focused, interest-driven learning, aiming to provide accessible role models for aspiring technologists navigating the software industry's evolving landscape.
- Milken Institute1h 6m
Part 1: A Conversation With John Hickenlooper | Part 2: A Conversation with Seth Moulton
John Hickenlooper, Seth Moulton, Jerry Baker, Christina Bellantoni
The Milken Institute Global Conference featured two presidential conversations with Democratic candidates Governor John Hickenlooper and Representative Seth Moulton, who focused on unifying the party to defeat President Trump. Hickenlooper emphasized restoring middle-class economic stability through antitrust enforcement, tax reforms on wealth, and state-led social policies, while Moulton advocated for a generational shift in leadership driven by veteran healthcare reform, green infrastructure investment, and constitutional impeachment debates. Both candidates addressed critical national challenges including climate change, gun control, and economic restructuring, aiming to present a cohesive platform that addresses deep national divisions.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Town Hall - Will Technology Save or Subvert Civility and Society?
A panel of tech leaders and academics argues that social media platforms have fundamentally degraded American politics by algorithmically prioritizing engagement over civility, with data showing zero perceived positive impact among attendees. Speakers detail how predictive modeling and recommendation engines exploit human vulnerabilities to amplify polarization and misinformation across major sites like YouTube and Twitter, creating a toxic feedback loop that erodes social fabric. To address this crisis, the group proposes a multi-stakeholder "troika" governance model, legislative reforms to the Section 230 framework, and the integration of digital ethics into educational curricula to establish new norms for the industry.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
The Hedge-Fund Shakeout
Eric Schatzker, Eddie Fishman, Jeremy Shipman, Gerald Beeson, John McCormick, Ilana Weinstein
Industry leaders emphasize that achieving sustainable returns now requires replacing individual skill with robust infrastructure and repeatable processes to navigate an increasingly efficient, zero-sum market environment. As structural alpha diminishes due to regulatory changes and market maturation, successful firms are converging quantitative and fundamental approaches while leveraging scale to aggregate data and talent. Looking ahead, the sector is trending toward consolidation where large multi-manager platforms and specialized boutiques coexist, demanding greater transparency and strategic partnerships with investors to maintain competitive advantages.
- Milken Institute58 min
The Known Unknowns of Election 2020
Tanya Cushman, Peter van de Ven, Neera Tanden, Karl Rove, Mark Penn, Jim Messina
Global political fragmentation and economic anxiety are driving the rise of new parties worldwide, while US election dynamics are defined by a shrinking core of swing voters and a rapidly aging demographic. In the 2020 Democratic primary, over 700 candidates are competing under a front-loaded delegate system, yet the party remains overwhelmingly focused on electability to defeat a President Trump who suffers from low personal favorability despite high approval ratings. Ultimately, success in the upcoming election hinges on a dual strategy of base mobilization and persuading a skeptical electorate that the candidate can deliver economic improvement while uniting a divided nation.
- Y Combinator4 min
Startup Advisor Equity? - Pebble Watch Founder Eric Migicovsky
Early-stage founders should cultivate a network of 3–5 advisors who are slightly ahead in their career to provide tactical execution support, while reserving high-level strategic guidance for mentors further along in the business lifecycle. To formalize these relationships, organizations typically grant long-term advisors between 0.25% and 0.75% equity with a two-year monthly vesting schedule and enforce accountability through recurring cadences. Although the CEO retains final decision-making authority, synthesizing diverse inputs requires carefully filtering external advice to fit the specific context of the startup.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
LIVE: Corner Office: Leading Organizations in an Era of Change
David Faber, Todd Boehly, Charles Scharf, Igor Tulchinsky, Devin Wenig, Meg Whitman
Executives from WorldQuant, BNY Mellon, and the Los Angeles Dodgers convened to discuss the logarithmic pace of technological disruption and the strategic imperative for organizations to embrace extreme flexibility, high failure tolerance, and radical diversification. The panel highlighted how industry leaders are leveraging data-driven decision-making, global talent sourcing, and demographic shifts to navigate an asymmetric environment, with specific examples including algorithmic sports management, exponential alpha generation, and the evolution of legacy financial institutions. Furthermore, the discussion underscored the critical need for diverse workforces to anticipate market trends, the impending arrival of unified national privacy legislation, and the expansion of predictive analytics into new verticals ranging from healthcare to space exploration.
- Milken Institute56 min
Artificial Intelligence Advances, and the Ethical Choices Ahead
Henry Blodgett, Vivian Ming, Pedro Domingos, John Kelly, James Field, Wade
Industry leaders including Pedro Domingos, Vivian Ming, James Field, and John Kelly convened to examine the economic and ethical implications of artificial intelligence, highlighting a shift where routine intellectual tasks face higher automation risks than complex physical labor. The panelists debated the potential for labor market bifurcation and the "Midas problem" of poorly defined AI goals, while acknowledging that hybrid human-machine collaboration currently outperforms standalone systems in fields ranging from chess to medical diagnostics. Addressing future bioethics and consciousness, the group argued that decentralized market forces will likely drive genetic enhancement trends despite ethical concerns, emphasizing the need for transparency and embedded ethical mechanisms rather than universal legislative frameworks.
- Milken Institute1h 16m
A Conversation With Mick Mulvaney | Part 2: Perspectives on the US Economy
Mick Mulvaney, Maria Bartiromo, Alan Schwartz, Andrew Ullman, Aaron Klein
The White House prioritizes advancing the USMCA trade deal and finalizing a China agreement under strict conditions while warning against foreign intervention in Venezuela. Domestic policy focuses on overhauling regulatory approval pipelines to accelerate infrastructure spending, despite facing legislative gridlock driven by partisan disagreements on funding versus deregulation. Concurrently, the administration prepares for the 2020 election by leveraging recent economic indicators, such as declining drug prices and wage growth in Opportunity Zones, while experts in the accompanying panel debate solutions for widening income inequality and labor force participation.
- Milken Institute55 min
Coming of Age: Women Rise to the Top
Gayle King, Jane Harman, Donna Karan, Sherry Lansing, Sylvia Rhone, Anastasia Soare, Susan
At the Milken Institute, veteran leaders including Sylvia Rohn, Anastasia Soare, Jane Harman, Sherry Lansing, and Donna Karan discussed redefining career longevity through the concept of "encore years" while rejecting ageist labels. The panelists detailed their breakthroughs in entertainment, politics, and business, attributing their sustained success to resilience, fearlessness, and a commitment to excellence despite historical gender biases. They further outlined a collective vision where experienced women drive structural changes in workplace conduct, advocate for senior professionals entering education to address labor shortages, and demonstrate that passion remains ageless.