Latest Interviews

Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon

Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, Danny Warshay, Dan Galpin, Nick McEwen

A recent discourse at the University of Illinois and other institutions details a strategic pivot from theoretical academic purity to industry-focused entrepreneurship, driven by revised funding models and the removal of "dead end" stigmas. Speakers including Peter Thiel highlighted how this evolution is accelerating innovation in atom-based sectors and enabling computer science to revolutionize biology through real-time biometric monitoring. The discussion also critiqued outdated legislation like the Bayh-Dole Act while advocating for "Sherpa" leadership models where professors sponsor full-time teams of engineers to successfully transition academic concepts into viable commercial entities.

The First 100 Days—and the Next 1,000

Carol Lee, Paul Atkins, William Bennett, Richard Haass, Chris Liddell, Andrew Liveris, Bill Bennett

The Office of American Innovation has engaged over 200 business leaders to advance a growth agenda focused on deregulation, legislative reforms like the Financial Choice Act, and workforce modernization to address manufacturing and STEM skills gaps. Concurrently, the administration is restructuring foreign policy by shifting toward fair trade negotiations and withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership while utilizing executive orders to lower regulatory costs for the automotive and banking sectors. Although fiscal concerns persist regarding deficits and political challenges remain from both congressional factions, the strategy emphasizes a transition from consultation to active policy implementation intended to secure a permanent voice for job creators.

How Technology Trends Will Impact Your Portfolio

Scarlet Fu, Nathaniel Barker, Christopher Bartel, Bill Brady, Alex Griffiths, Stephanie von Friedeburg

Experts forecast that the automotive industry will undergo a decade of radical transformation driven by electric vehicles and autonomous technology, creating a market where Tesla's valuation rivals legacy manufacturers while investors increasingly favor supply chain components over traditional automakers facing distress. Parallel disruptions in fintech, retail, and education are reshaping global commerce through mobile banking adoption, direct-to-consumer models, and AI-driven personalized learning, though these sectors face significant hurdles regarding regulatory oversight and valuation risks. By 2035, despite a surge in EV adoption, internal combustion engines will remain dominant in the global vehicle fleet, cementing a transition period defined by infrastructure gaps and the strategic shift from ownership to utility-based services.

MIc'd Up | Part 1: Jeb Bush in Conversation with Terry Duffy

Jeb Bush, Terry Duffy

Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter announced their joint acquisition of the Miami Marlins, a venture designed to leverage data analytics and market growth while avoiding the financial pitfalls of high-salary player acquisition. The former Florida governor simultaneously urged for comprehensive federal reforms to resolve bureaucratic gridlock, advocating for tax code simplification, term limits, and a shift toward an economy-driven immigration system. While expressing cautious support for the current administration's foreign policy coherence, Bush emphasized the urgent need to address workforce displacement caused by automation through 21st-century educational overhauls.

10,000 Small Businesses UK Participants Share Experiences of Time on Programme

Launched in 2012, this intensive program guided struggling entrepreneurs through a rigorous diagnostic process that identified critical financial leaks and strategic pivots from B2B to B2C models. By pairing founders with growth experts and fostering a transparent cohort of vetted peers, participants transformed their ventures from loss-making entities into cash-positive businesses generating up to £1.5 million in revenue. The initiative delivered a transformative return on investment, enabling companies to hire strategically, secure major capital projects, and establish a lasting support network that continues to drive long-term operational efficiency.

Q&A with YC Partners at Startup School SV 2016

Kat, Adora, Tim, Jaredy, Michael, Dalton, Kirsty

This event delivers a comprehensive strategic guide for startup founders, covering critical phases from immediate idea validation and co-founder selection to operational tooling and the YC application process. Key insights emphasize prioritizing genuine passion over impressiveness, balancing product perfection with growth based on specific retention thresholds, and leveraging community support rather than isolating oneself. The session concludes with logistical details for a reception in the sunken garden, offering a direct forum for continued dialogue with the YC partners and staff.

Trends Shaping Technology, Business and Society

Rory Cellan-Jones, Jo Bertram, Brent Hoberman, Colin le Duc, Ed Vaizey, Vojtek, Robert Jurkowski, Hania Sadat

Panelists at this event analyzed critical shifts in technology and policy, ranging from Uber's transition to integrated mobility and the ethical risks of semi-autonomous vehicles to the economic drivers pushing corporations toward renewable energy. Significant concerns were raised regarding automation's impact on employment, the structural disadvantages facing European startups, and the threat of Brexit to UK talent acquisition, prompting calls for inclusive growth initiatives like rural broadband expansion. Future outlooks focused on specific breakthroughs including the end of aging, the obsolescence of private car ownership, and the application of data analytics in healthcare, all while navigating a global regulatory environment demanding greater accountability from tech giants.

Creating a Positive Work Culture: Diversity, Inclusion and Teamwork

Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, Patsy Doerr, Patricia Milligan, Lucy Parker, James White

Business leaders are fundamentally reframing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as a critical financial imperative by shifting from moral arguments to data-driven strategies that link diverse leadership to innovation and productivity. To operationalize this, organizations like Thomson Reuters and Oppenheimer Funds are embedding DEI accountability into performance metrics, mandating diverse hiring slates, and utilizing technology to neutralize bias in recruitment processes. Despite these structural advances, the panel highlights that without radical changes to retention analytics and "empathy engineering," progress remains stalled at management levels due to socioeconomic gaps and political uncertainty.

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.

Agent of Change: The California-Israel Global Innovation Partnership

Professor Itzik-Peterborg, Jay Keesling, Uri, Nati, Mark Gold, Yoram Cohen, Clive Kabat-Zinnick, David Blumberg

The California-Israel Global Innovation Partnership, established via a 2014 agreement between Governor Jerry Brown and the Israeli Prime Minister, facilitates the cross-border transfer of expertise in water, energy, and biotechnology to help California transition from a startup-centric to a scale-up economy. Key figures including Prof. Jay Keasling, Prof. Itzik Peterborg, and executives from Netafim demonstrated how synthetic biology, digital health solutions, and precision irrigation can decouple agricultural output from resource constraints while addressing California's fragmented governance and water scarcity crises. This collaboration leverages financial protocols and bilateral fellowships to deploy proven Israeli technologies globally, aiming to create a carbon-negative bio-economy and implement real-time conservation incentives that bridge the gap between policy fragmentation and sustainable infrastructure.

The Search for Cures Leads to Silicon Valley

Lindy Fishburne, Linda Avey, Noah Craft, Lloyd Minor, Asha Nayak, Lisa Suennen, Asha Rogers, Martha Minow, Male Speaker 2, Brody

Hosted by Lindy Fishburne, a panel of leaders from Intel, Stanford Medicine, 23andMe, and Science 37 discussed the strategic shift from reactive sick care to proactive precision health through decentralized data models and consumer engagement. Initiatives such as Intel's Collaborative Cancer Cloud, Stanford's genomic-phenotypic integration, and Science 37's patient-centric trials aim to dismantle data silos while accelerating drug discovery and increasing trial diversity. The dialogue further emphasized that sustainable innovation requires overcoming reimbursement barriers and establishing patient data sovereignty to enable real-world evidence generation.

Africa: Understanding Its Unique Value Proposition

Helima Croft, Samit Gehlot, Bassim Haidar, Yvonne Ike, Jay Ireland, Sena Torres, Amir El, Ruben Brigetti, Aubrey Ruby, Susanna Amos, Clever Gatete, Jeff Herbst

Panellists argue that Africa's economic narrative has shifted from a monolithic "rising" trend to a heterogeneous landscape where policy-driven leaders in Rwanda and Côte d'Ivoire have outperformed commodity-dependent giants like Nigeria and South Africa. The discussion highlights how international institutions and the US often fail to adapt to local realities due to rigid models and risk aversion, while China's capital-heavy approach and Africa's rapid mobile technology adoption offer alternative growth vectors. Ultimately, sustainable development depends on regional integration, infrastructure investment, and the diversification of economies away from extractive industries to absorb the continent's exploding youth demographic.

Superbugs: Slowing the Spread of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Maryn McKenna, Beth Bell, Barry Eisenstein, Lance Price, Zachary Rubin

Unchecked antimicrobial resistance threatens to cause 10 million global deaths and $100 trillion in economic losses by 2050, driven by stalled pharmaceutical innovation, agricultural misuse, and rapid pathogen spread. Critical failures in current stewardship and reimbursement models have allowed superbugs like CRE and MCR-1 to emerge, undermining essential medical procedures from cancer treatment to organ transplantation. Urgent interventions including international data sharing, regulatory incentives for novel antibiotics, and a shift in clinical and agricultural practices are now essential to prevent a post-antibiotic era.

The Economic Impact of Chronic Disease

Ross DeVol, Nancy Brown, Neal Kaufman, Kristen Miranda, Hugh Waters, Otis Webb Brawley

The Milken Institute convened health leaders and researchers to address the escalating economic and human toll of chronic diseases, emphasizing that 80% of cardiovascular conditions and rising cancer rates are preventable through lifestyle changes and systemic reform. Speakers highlighted stark disparities linked to education and income while detailing how policy interventions, such as Medicaid expansion and Accountable Care Organizations, can reduce waste and improve early detection. The session concluded with a unified call to shift from fee-for-service models to patient-centric strategies that leverage digital tools and early education to extend healthy life years rather than merely treating illness.