Latest Interviews

Capturing the Opportunity in Asia's Growing Middle Class

Kevin Sneader, Sam Fischer, Christopher Townsend, Jaime Zóbel de Ayala, Patrick

Moderated by Kevin Sneader, a Milken Institute panel of executives from MetLife, Diageo, and Ayala Corp detailed the $60 trillion protection gap and rapid digitization driving Southeast Asia's emerging middle class. Companies successfully adapted by localizing strategies, such as iFlix's offline features and Ayala Corp's tech-enabled banking, to overcome infrastructure bottlenecks and regulatory fragmentation across the region's 7,000 islands. While acknowledging volatility in capital markets, the experts projected that 30 million new middle-class members annually will sustain long-term economic growth if private sector investment fills critical gaps in healthcare and education.

FinTech: Disrupting the Future of Banking and Finance

Neal Cross, Sahil Kini, Dave McClure, Jon Medved, Sopnendu Mohanty, Chris Wei

This panel featured leaders from DBS, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and major financial institutions like Aviva and R-Crowd to analyze the global shift from adversarial disruption to collaborative FinTech integration. Speakers highlighted how India's public digital infrastructure and Singapore's regulatory sandbox approach are enabling scalable innovation, while warning of risks associated with legacy security models and rapid capital deployment in emerging markets. The consensus predicts that traditional banking branches will disappear within a decade as high-frequency platforms like WeChat or potential tech giants absorb financial services, forcing institutions to compete on backend efficiency rather than consumer interface.

Cybersecurity: Can the Next Threat Be Stopped?

Jeevan Vasagar, Aditya Mathur, Jacqueline Poh, Alain Raes, Nadav Zafrir, Sean, Senator Dunn, Jocelyn, Doug Mellinger, Ajit

Experts at the 2012 cyber security forum analyzed the existential risks posed by global threats, contrasting the survivable 2012 Sony attack with the potential total collapse of critical infrastructure or financial institutions. While strategies like Singapore's dual-network isolation offer immediate protection, panelists argue that physical air-gapping is increasingly impractical and vulnerable to sophisticated state-sponsored actors, necessitating a shift toward proactive defense and shared intelligence. The discussion concluded that future resilience depends on balancing security with usability and cost, as the line between crime and warfare blurs and threats evolve toward autonomous AI systems and human error within interconnected ecosystems.

Global Overview: Navigating an Uncertain World

Michael Klowden, Jonathan Woetzel, Ronnie C. Chan, Ravi Menon, Michael Milken, Steven Tananbaum, Peter Wuffli

The third annual Milken Institute Asia Summit convened 450 global leaders in Singapore to analyze eight critical dynamics reshaping the region, ranging from geopolitical security risks to the structural shift of capital from public to private markets. Prominent speakers including Steve Tannenbaum, Ravi Menon, and Michael Milken highlighted late-stage U.S. economic cycles, the failure of monetary policy to address stagnant private investment, and the urgent need for public investment in lifelong learning and digital infrastructure. The dialogue concluded with a consensus that overcoming regulatory barriers and aligning technological advancement with social stability are essential for sustaining prosperity amidst declining trade volumes and an aging global population.

A Fireside Chat with Serge Pun Building Myanmar

Serge Pun, Staci Warden, Mike Milken, Mahendra Lama, Minseok Lee, Dickey Yuhuiko, Brad Gordon

Expanding from a private interview to a public forum, the Milken Institute session featured Serge Poon and Mike Milken discussing Myanmar's shifting economic landscape following the removal of US sanctions. Poon detailed his forty-year journey from displacement to rebuilding a private banking empire through strict anti-corruption practices, while outlining a strategy prioritizing long-term infrastructure investment over short-term gains. The dialogue concluded with an optimistic five-year forecast for nation-building, emphasizing regional connectivity and the need for investors to support foundational "trunk" projects despite lingering political risks.

A Conversation with Chief Information Officer Marty Chavez

Marty Chavez

Marty Leverett details a 25-year career trajectory at Goldman Sachs that evolved from a serendipitous biochemistry degree to leading computational trading strategies by leveraging the firm's unique data assets and avoiding the separation of technology from markets. He analyzes how exponential growth in compute power and cloud infrastructure has transformed machine learning from an impractical theory into a vital tool for solving complex financial problems. Beyond his corporate achievements, the discussion highlights his commitment to philanthropy, specifically his leadership in the foundation plan to cure HIV/AIDS and his involvement in the High Line urban development project.

Jessica Livingston : How to Build the Future

Jessica Livingston, Sam Altman

Y Combinator has accelerated 1,500 startups to a combined valuation exceeding $70 billion by prioritizing founder determination, execution capability, and deep user empathy over specific initial ideas or academic pedigrees. The program distinguishes successful founders by their hyper-focus on building products and securing validation through retention metrics, while strictly avoiding premature distractions like corporate partnerships or early-stage PR. Through iconic examples such as Airbnb's pivot from selling cereal to hosting entire homes and Stripe's rise by 17-year-old technical founders, the firm demonstrates how adaptability and founder-centric advice drive innovation regardless of background.

Strategies for Navigating the Hiring Process

Carol Roth, Jon Dowst, Stephanie Bevegni, Steve Strauss

Based on Bank of America data, small business owners prioritize unteachable traits like work ethic and cultural fit over formal education when leveraging referrals, job boards, and social networks to recruit talent. To ensure alignment and mitigate legal risks, hiring managers employ behavioral questioning and reference checks while carefully distinguishing between full-time employees and independent contractors. This strategy capitalizes on the growing millennial preference for smaller organizations by offering personal interaction and professional development to secure high-quality, long-term staff.

Mark Zuckerberg : How to Build the Future

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg and co-founder Dustin Moskovitz rejected a $1 billion acquisition offer from Yahoo in 2006, prioritizing a global connectivity mission over immediate financial gain despite causing significant leadership turnover. To execute this vision, they established a culture driven by the scientific method and massive data experimentation, which enabled the incremental development of features like News Feed and the People You May Know growth engine. Looking forward, Zuckerberg is currently steering the company toward a ten-year roadmap focused on universal internet connectivity, artificial intelligence for life-saving applications, and the transition to immersive VR and AR computing platforms.

Alex Tapscott: The Blockchain Revolution - Talks at GS

Alex Tapscott, Tom

Blockchain technology is being promoted as a second-generation Internet infrastructure that replaces centralized intermediaries with a distributed ledger to securely transfer value and establish identity for billions of unbanked individuals. By utilizing Bitcoin as an incentive mechanism to validate transactions, the network currently secures assets ranging from financial instruments to land titles, addressing specific failures in countries like Honduras and Haiti where traditional record-keeping collapsed. While the technology offers a path to resolve systemic poverty and identity crises through immutable registries, industry observers warn that the coming 18 months are critical for shifting from speculative investment to practical, daily-life utility before market momentum evaporates.

Meet Ciiru An Inspiring Entrepreneur from Nairobi

Ciiru, Tiffany Dufu, Shiro Avera-Waidaka

Nairobi-based entrepreneur Shiro Avera-Waidaka founded the children's brand Fun Kids to replace Western-centric narratives with products reflecting local Kenyan culture while navigating export challenges to Uganda through a strategic network of female mentors. Her leadership journey, further accelerated by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program, leveraged cross-sector peer accountability and reciprocal business relationships to turn classmates into both suppliers and customers. This approach underscores her philosophy that effective leadership relies on collective vulnerability and self-belief to transform external obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Andrew Bolton: The Intersection of Fashion, Art And Technology - Talks at GS

Andrew Bolton

Following the Costume Institute's establishment as a self-funded department in 1959, the annual Met Gala organized by Anna Wintour has served as its critical financial engine, enabling major exhibitions like the *Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty* retrospective and the current *Manus Ex Machina* display. Curator Andrew Bolton utilizes these platforms to challenge historical barriers to fashion's recognition as art, highlighting the intersection of handmade and machine-made techniques while critiquing the industry's unsustainable, socially accelerated production cycles. Through a strategy that balances educational discourse with public appeal, the Institute aims to slow the fashion pace and foster deeper appreciation for design talent amidst the pressures of modern commercialization.

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.

Bjarke Ingels: Transforming the Skyline: Talks at GS

Bjarke Ingels

Bjarke Ingels, founder of the award-winning BIG firm, discusses his methodology of transforming strict project constraints into generative forces for high-profile projects like the World Trade Center and the Vancouver tower. He further details his approach to the year's Serpentine Summer Pavilion, which utilizes simple materials like fiberglass and aluminum to create a "gigantic shelf" that elevates ordinary elements into an extraordinary form. By treating architectural limitations as variables in a consistent logic, Ingels demonstrates how his firm achieves functional necessity and added value across radically different scales and contexts.

Discover Buenos Aires: slabs of meat, Malbec and polo

Buenos Aires presents a cultural landscape where street art, historical street polo played by rural gauchos, and the communal "asado" ritual define the social fabric alongside a thriving market economy born from the 2001 financial crisis. The city's unique identity is further expressed through politically charged Murga dance groups and a sophisticated nightlife scene of password-protected speakeasies that evolved during times of economic hardship. These diverse elements collectively offer a deep exploration of Argentine heritage, from government-designated notable bars to the world's largest street mural by artist Alfredo Segatore.