Latest Interviews

Sebastian Junger, Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker, Author of Freedom

Sebastian Junger, Vani Kasanoff

Sebastian Younger, a former trade worker turned journalist and veteran witness to Ahmad Shah Massoud, explores the psychological duality of war and the necessity of personal sacrifice for genuine freedom. He critiques modern individualism and opportunistic leadership while advocating for Veterans Town Hall events to bridge the moral divide between soldiers and civilians. Younger's perspective is further anchored by his own survival of a near-fatal aneurysm, which reinforced his belief that the precarious nature of life demands a communal responsibility transcending political or religious frameworks.

Jia Lynn Yang, Author of "One Mighty and Irresistible Tide"

Jia Lynn Yang, Asahi Pompei

Rooted in the racist eugenics of the 1924 Immigration Act, U.S. immigration policy evolved over decades to prioritize national security and Cold War ideology until President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. This landmark legislation dismantled ethnic quotas in favor of family reunification and skilled labor preferences, inadvertently triggering massive demographic shifts from Asia, Africa, and Latin America despite original intentions to maintain a white demographic majority. Today, the legacy of these laws continues to shape contentious political debates regarding American identity, refugee admissions, and the ethical balance between open borders and selective restriction.

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Professor of History, Race and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Dan Hibbert

Harvard historian Khalil Gibran Muhammad joined Goldman Sachs to dissect the historical roots of systemic racism, tracing modern policing to slave patrols and explaining how racial capitalism sustains a ten-to-one wealth gap between Black and white families. Muhammad distinguished current protests from the Civil Rights era by their unprecedented white participation and argued that lasting change requires the private sector to move beyond reputational philanthropy toward dismantling the political power structures that protect inequality. He concluded that bridging this divide demands a national confrontation with American history, urging universal bias education and the transfer of power from police institutions to local communities to address the true causes of social stratification.

Professor Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Peter Piot

The World Health Organization has classified the emerging coronavirus as a global emergency after transmission spread to nearly 30 countries through both travel and community contact. With no vaccine or specific treatment available, containment relies on isolation and surveillance, though data interpretation remains complicated by shifting case definitions and the virus's high respiratory transmissibility. While vaccine candidates from companies like Sanofi and J&J are in development, experts warn that the outbreak could trigger a second wave upon social reopening and underscore the urgent need for sustained investment in global public health infrastructure.

Dr. Denis Mukwege, Nobel Laureate and Founder of Panzi Hospital

Denis Mukwege, Dr. Dennis Mukwege

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege operates Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a comprehensive four-pillar model has treated over 50,000 sexual violence victims through integrated surgical, psychological, economic, and legal interventions. Facing systematic warfare tactics designed to dismantle community structures and the complicity of local authorities in mineral-fueling militia crimes, Mukwege has pivoted from exclusive clinical care to prominent global advocacy following a 2012 assassination attempt. By empowering survivors to transition from victims to activists through economic reintegration and the pursuit of non-retributive justice, the hospital challenges impunity while Dr. Mukwege continues to demand international action against the silence perpetuating these atrocities.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 6 – Going Global (1989)

In the 1980s, Goldman Sachs strategically pivoted from a U.S.-centric firm to a global powerhouse by establishing London as its European hub and securing the British Gas privatization to link local markets with international capital. Under the leadership of John Weinberg, who demonstrated unwavering client commitment during the 1987 Black Monday crash, and successors like Bob Rubin and Stephen Friedman, the firm modernized its operations by integrating quantitative risk management and recruiting top-tier mathematical talent. This transformation, supported by a flat, collaborative culture and a focus on hiring diverse talent, established a three-pillar framework of people, culture, and strategy that defined the firm's dominance in global finance over the following three decades.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 5 – Takeoff (1976)

John Whitehead, John Weinberg

Since 1985, the firm has navigated six or seven orderly CEO transitions, a succession pattern John Whitehead and John Weinberg established by codifying core principles to scale from a partnership of 800 employees to a global institution of 8,000. Their 1976 co-leadership era successfully separated strategic development from client relationship management while maintaining a "white knight" reputation for defending clients against hostile takeovers. This enduring culture prioritizes long-term trust and the client-first ethic as the primary assets ensuring the organization's 150-year longevity.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 4 – Changing Times (1969)

Gus Levy, Sidney Weinberg, Bob Mnuchin, Bob Rubin, Steve Friedman

In the early 1960s, Gus Levy redefined Goldman Sachs by transitioning it from a conservative investment bank into a trader-led market maker capable of handling massive institutional volume. His innovative block trading strategies and a culture of relentless accessibility navigated the firm through a 1970s liquidity crisis, establishing a legacy of institutional leadership that endured beyond his 1976 death. This structural shift not only secured the firm's position as a Wall Street hub but also instilled a permanent culture of vigilance and high standards that continues to shape Goldman Sachs' operations.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 1 – Beginnings (1869)

Emily Beynon

Founded in 1869 by immigrant Marcus Goldman and later expanded by his son-in-law Samuel Sachs and son Henry Goldman, the firm evolved from a niche commercial paper dealer into a dominant investment bank through a unique leadership dynamic and aggressive market innovation. Pioneering critical financial practices such as the underwriting of non-utility retailers and the development of the Price-to-Earnings ratio, the partners successfully floated major companies like Sears and Macy's while navigating competition from established giants like J.P. Morgan. This strategic combination of calculated risk-taking and client-focused ingenuity transformed the organization from a basement operation into a globally influential institution that maintained its core values despite significant operational changes over the first century of its existence.

Evan Thomas: Author, "First: Sandra Day O’Connor"

Evan Thomas, Sandra Day O'Connor

Appointed by President Reagan as the Supreme Court's first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor leveraged her background as a state legislator and political network builder to become the decisive swing vote in roughly 330 major cases. Her judicial philosophy emphasized strategic compromise and bridge-building, yielding landmark rulings that prohibited gender discrimination in state institutions, refined the "undue burden" standard for abortion rights, and upheld affirmative action. O'Connor transformed the Court's internal culture into a cohesive body through weekly lunches and served as a critical mentor to future female justices, proving that practical negotiation could achieve significant legal progress without rigid ideological activism.

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee: Genetically Mapping the Future of Cancer

Siddhartha Mukherjee, Richard Manley

Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee outlines a paradigm shift in oncology where cancer is treated as a portfolio of distinct conditions managed through prevention, targeted early detection, and immunotherapy rather than a single curable entity. Advances in genetic engineering have moved the field from simply sequencing DNA to actively editing sequences, enabling cures for single-gene disorders and transforming historically lethal cancers like metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer into manageable chronic conditions. This revolution, driven by the ability to replace nucleotides and alter cellular environments, marks a historical transition comparable to the dawn of the computer age in its capacity to redefine human health.

Talks at GS: Malcolm Gladwell on the Art of Storytelling – From Print to Podcasts

Malcolm Gladwell

In this wide-ranging discussion, Malcolm Gladwell explains how the immersive nature of podcasting enabled him to transition from print journalism to the non-fiction series *Revisionist History*, where he explores counterproductive outcomes by well-intentioned people. He details specific investigations into the University of Pennsylvania football scandal, the economic paradox of private country clubs, and the NIH's innovative response to the AIDS epidemic while defending the ad-supported audio model. Finally, Gladwell outlines the central thesis of his upcoming book *Talking to Strangers*, which examines the "default to truth" bias through the lens of the Madoff scandal and discusses his personal views on academic research and standardized testing.

Remarks by Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, John F.W. Rogers, Kevin McCarthy, Tyler Perry, Danny Meyer, Sarah Kauss, Wilbur L. Ross, Sara Blakely, Michael Bloomberg, Gina Raimondo, Rick Snyder, Marco Rubio, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Branson

At LaGuardia Community College, an 87-year-old speaker honored the resilience of diverse students by recounting the historic rises of Rose Blumpkin and Jack Taylor, who built billion-dollar empires from minimal capital through relentless customer service. The presentation detailed how Blumpkin grew a Nebraska furniture market to $1.5 billion in annual revenue and how Taylor transformed a small car lease operation into Enterprise Rent-A-Car, surpassing all major competitors by prioritizing experience over price. Ultimately, the address argued that sustainable growth depends on cultivating a culture where employees are valued and customers are delighted, urging the graduating class to prioritize self-improvement and associate with superior role models.

Amy Chua: Political Tribalism and American Foreign Policy

Amy Chua, Rob Mass

Yale Law professor Amy Chua analyzes global and domestic group dynamics through her concept of the "supergroup," contrasting the United States' unique ability to balance national unity with subgroup flourishing against the assimilationist models of France and China. She attributes rising U.S. political polarization to demographic shifts that have created defensive tribalism between coastal elites and the white majority, a division she attributes to a rhetorical shift from universalism to identity politics. Chua concludes by proposing practical remedies such as a national service "gap year" to foster intergroup interaction and arguing that allowing controversial speech prevents extremism from festering in epistemological silos.

Linda Hirshman: Talks at GS Session Highlights

Linda Hirshman

Linda Hirschman's book chronicles the strategic "affectionate alliance" between Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, detailing how their collaboration secured the 14th Amendment's application to sex discrimination through cases like *United States v. Virginia*. A pivotal moment occurred in 1996 when O'Connor delegated the court's opinion in that landmark case to Ginsburg, who had previously led the litigation campaign to establish this legal precedent. Their partnership, characterized by distinct Republican and Democratic backgrounds but shared discipline, reshaped constitutional law by demonstrating that diverse judicial perspectives fundamentally alter legal reasoning and outcomes.