Latest Interviews

Bold Proposals for Protecting the Free-Enterprise System while Closing the Wealth Gap | GC 2024

Michael Milken, John Hope Bryant, Brad Gerstner, Teresa Ghilarducci

At a May 2024 Milken Institute panel moderated by Michael Milken, experts including Stephen Mnuchin, Brad, John Hope Bryant, and Theresa outlined a consensus strategy to protect the free enterprise system by replacing wealth taxes with universal financial literacy and private capital access. The discussion detailed specific legislative and corporate initiatives such as the Retirement Savings for American Act and the "Invest America" proposal, which aim to automatically enroll millions of workers in retirement accounts and establish seed accounts for newborns to counteract economic inequality. Proponents argue these structural reforms, alongside private equity expansion, are essential to prevent national decline and ensure that the impending intergenerational wealth transfer builds lasting capital rather than dependency.

DOGE vs USAID, Crypto Framework, Google's $75B AI Spend, US Sovereign Wealth Fund, GLP-1s

Antonio Gracias, Sacks, Chamath, Friedberg, Jason Calacanis

David Sacks and Antonio Gracias lead the Department of Government Efficiency in auditing USAID for potential fraud and waste while simultaneously pushing for a US Sovereign Wealth Fund to monetize government assets like TikTok stakes and federal land to reduce the national debt. The administration further advances a crypto regulatory framework prioritizing stablecoin legislation and proposes a tax plan eliminating levies on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits for seniors. Amidst these policy shifts, market participants analyze Google's record-breaking earnings and $75 billion AI infrastructure investment, while medical experts review new VA data suggesting GLP-1 drugs offer significant cardiovascular and neurological benefits beyond weight loss.

Innovators Rethinking Criminal Justice Systems | Global Conference 2024

Zack Carpenter, Baz Dreisinger, Hilton Freund, Jessica Hicklin, Teresa Hodge, Ari Melber, Alex Spiro

Global and domestic speakers including Jessica Hicklin, Theresa Hodge, and Dr. Baz convened to address the $250 billion U.S. criminal justice crisis and its disproportionate impact on racial minorities and the 50% rise in female incarceration worldwide. These innovators argued that data-driven reforms, such as implementing earned-time credits and sport-based skill building, could prevent 350,000 years of unnecessary incarceration while addressing a projected 22 million worker shortage in the energy sector. Despite significant barriers like funding mismatches and political volatility, the event emphasized shifting from "second chances" to "first chances" to leverage the 95% of released prisoners who will integrate into the workforce.

Storytelling for Change: Creating Hope out of Crisis | Global Conference 2024

Jimmie Briggs, Andrea Bruce, Scott Harrison, Yunghi Kim, Eli Reed, Yoongi Kim

Prominent photojournalists and social entrepreneurs Yoongi Kim, Scott Harrison, Andrea Bruce, and Eli Reed examined how visual storytelling confronts modern challenges like AI-generated disinformation and funding crises while driving tangible policy and humanitarian outcomes. The panelists detailed specific successes, including Kim's policy-altering documentation of Comfort Women, Charity Water's billion-dollar mobilization through immersive narratives, and Bruce's locally focused publication that achieved near-universal community engagement. Unifying under the belief that ethical, human-centered reporting is essential for democracy, the group emphasized the critical need for sustained public investment in original journalism to preserve truth and foster empathy across a noisy digital landscape.

How the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup with CEO Matt Caldwell

Matt Caldwell, John Waldron

CEO Matt Caldwell spearheaded the Florida Panthers' transformation from a financially struggling franchise into a Stanley Cup champion by implementing Wall Street-level financial rigor and a data-driven "grit" culture. The organization achieved this turnaround by pivoting revenue streams from traditional cable models to direct-to-consumer and Over-the-Air broadcasting while aggressively cultivating community engagement through veteran-focused initiatives and grassroots youth programs. This strategic shift not only secured the team's first championship in thirty years but also established a sustainable business model capable of thriving despite the NHL's unique salary cap constraints and the rapid evolution of sports media distribution.

Climate Outcomes 2035: New Pathways to Accelerate Capital Deployment | Global Conference 2024

Dan Carol, Mark Gallogly, Amber D. Miller, Hiromichi Mizuno, Helen Mountford, Adam Wang-Levine

A recent analysis reveals that while global climate policies currently project 2.7°C of warming, rapid advancements in renewable adoption and Amazon deforestation reductions highlight a stark paradox between accelerating clean energy deployment and sustained fossil fuel demand. Despite $2.5 trillion in annual investment gaps and systemic barriers like biased credit ratings and educational deficits, strategic interventions such as the US Inflation Reduction Act and new G20 finance frameworks aim to mobilize private capital through public-private partnerships and de-risked guarantee platforms. These structural shifts seek to redirect trillions toward nature-based solutions and Global South projects, addressing the critical disconnect between current financing flows and the emissions reductions required to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Browser/Computer Automation

Following demonstrations by OpenAI's "Operator" and Anthropic, AI agents now possess the capability to browse the web and operate desktop applications, effectively treating all digital interfaces as programmable APIs. This technological leap, supported by emerging open-source tools, enables the full automation of human-executable workflows and is estimated to expand the addressable use cases for AI agents by a factor of ten. Industry observers predict this shift will catalyze significant innovation across applications built upon these newly accessible agent capabilities.

America’s First Civil Supersonic Jet to Break the Sound Barrier

Blake Scholl

Boom Supersonic's XB1 aircraft successfully broke the sound barrier, marking the first time an independently developed supersonic jet has achieved this critical milestone. Founder Blake Scholl led the initiative to validate the safety and operational lessons necessary for scaling future commercial supersonic passenger travel. This achievement demonstrates how pursuing ambitious technological challenges can drive breakthrough solutions while navigating the emotional extremes inherent in high-stakes aviation startups.

Digital Media and Youth Mental Health | Global Conference 2024

Jacob Ward, Kenneth Cole, Bill Ready, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Ashwin Vasan, Sherrie Westin

Experts and tech leaders are calling for federal regulation to address the digital toxin threatening adolescent mental health, noting that current industry incentives favor engagement over safety while parents struggle to act as the sole bulwark against online harm. With significant data linking increased screen time to rising anxiety and depression, proposed solutions include the Kids Online Safety Act, California's Age-Appropriate Design Code, and voluntary industry pledges like Pinterest's safety-first model that prioritizes well-being metrics over engagement. Although business leaders acknowledge the necessity of a regulatory floor to align financial interests with public health, the consensus remains that structural safeguards must be established to protect the developing brains of children before self-regulation or bans alone can solve the crisis.

2024: What Matters Most in Marketing | Global Conference 2024

Michelle Stevenson, Kathy Baird, Joe Gagliese, Ella Kieran, Kenny Mitchell, Raja Rajamannar, Amy Tunick

Key industry leaders from The Washington Post, MasterCard, and WPP emphasized that traditional brand loyalty is largely a myth, necessitating a shift toward daily earned trust and "stickiness" through consistent performance and immersive experiences. Concurrently, the convergence of the creator economy, sustainability mandates, and the historic 2024 election cycle has compelled brands to abandon polished advertising in favor of authentic, low-cost content and behavioral change initiatives that prioritize human connection over intellectual cleverness. As audiences fragment across platforms like TikTok and cinema, organizations like Levi's and National Cinemedia are adapting by co-authoring narratives with consumers and leveraging non-partisan spaces to navigate a volatile information landscape while integrating AI as a co-pilot for strategic analysis.

The pace of innovation in biotech: Mirador’s Mark McKenna

Mark McKenna, Dan Dees

Former Prometheus Biosciences CEO Mark McKenna discusses the transformation of the biotech landscape from a pharma-dominated field to one driven by agile, high-risk companies like his current venture, Mirador Therapeutics, which recently secured $400 million in rapid fundraising. Drawing on his experience leading the $11 billion Merck acquisition of Prometheus, McKenna emphasizes that success now relies on leveraging generative AI for precision medicine, operating with a "speed as currency" philosophy to parallelize trials, and maintaining strategic secrecy to protect intellectual property against global competitors. The dialogue further outlines critical industry challenges, including the need to reform drug pricing models dominated by PBMs and to de-risk supply chains from over-reliance on Chinese manufacturing.

Sustaining Food for the Future | Global Conference 2024

Dana Cowin, Joanne Canady-Brown, Aaron Choi, Michael Cimarusti, Rose Previte

Moderated by Dana Cowan, a panel of food industry leaders redefined sustainability as a holistic practice encompassing microeconomic support, ecological resilience, and workforce development. Rose Prince detailed her initiatives to empower small-scale winemakers and communal restaurant spaces, while Michael Shayan Zangiri highlighted the collapse of wild fisheries and rejected lab-grown alternatives in favor of preserving coastal communities. Complementing these perspectives, Aaron Choi demonstrated water-efficient agricultural innovations at his San Diego farm, and Joanne Chang emphasized the necessity of converting transient service jobs into sustainable career pathways through her new training kitchen.

A Conversation with FIFA President Gianni Infantino | Global Conference 2024

Gianni Infantino, Jim Gray

FIFA President Gianni Infantino outlined a comprehensive strategy for the 2026 North America World Cup, targeting record-breaking attendance in NFL stadiums while urging a cultural shift in the United States to overcome terminology barriers and prioritize youth participation over pay-to-play models. He emphasized leveraging global connectivity to market the tournament, citing Lionel Messi's impact in Miami as a blueprint for attracting international fans and encouraging American colleges to redirect funds from traditional sports to soccer infrastructure. The presentation further detailed plans to expand the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and accelerate women's soccer growth by addressing the disparity between the U.S. leading women's rankings and its current twenty-first position in men's global standings.

Ted Cruz: Trump's First Week, Texas vs. California, Immigration, DOGE, Greenland

Ted Cruz, Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, Chamath, Jason, Friedberg

Senator Ted Cruz joined the All In Podcast live from President Donald Trump's inauguration to detail the incoming administration's aggressive strategy of approximately 100 executive orders focused on border security, energy deregulation, and tax extensions. Cruz contrasted Texas's population growth and economic model driven by low regulation with California's fiscal struggles, while advocating for specific reforms such as the Department of Government Efficiency, term limits, and expedited FDA approvals. The discussion also highlighted the administration's national security objectives, including renegotiating the Panama Canal and potentially acquiring Greenland, alongside a critique of welfare incentives and socialized healthcare systems.

A Conversation with New York Governor Kathy Hochul | Global Conference 2024

Kathy Hochul, Jonathan Capehart

Governor Hochul directed New York State to launch the Empire AI Consortium and designate Upstate a semiconductor workforce hub to secure $400 billion in private and public investments while expanding paid leave and mental health support for workers. The initiative pairs $275 million in state funding for a centralized supercomputer with $100 billion in Micron expansion incentives to create 50,000 jobs and integrate STEM curricula in underrepresented communities. Simultaneously, the administration urged institutions to preserve graduation schedules and cultivate collaborative student environments to ensure the future workforce can navigate diverse, high-tech industries without the erosion of essential workplace skills.