Latest Interviews
Showing 1–15 of 18 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute20 min
Advancing a Modern Regulatory Framework: SEC Chairman Paul Atkins Conversation | Global Conference
Paul Atkins, Michael Piwowar, Mike
The SEC is executing a strategic pivot from enforcement-heavy regulation to a framework prioritizing economic materiality, aiming to reverse the decline in public companies and revitalize the IPO market through simplified disclosure rules and reduced litigation barriers. Parallel efforts are establishing clear jurisdictional boundaries with the CFTC for digital assets while modernizing fund structures to enhance tax efficiency and expanding 401(k) access to private credit markets. Guided by Enforcement Director David Woodcock's focus on substantive fraud over procedural technicalities, the agency seeks to restore investor confidence and preserve the United States' competitive standing in global capital formation.
- Stanford Online1h 5m
Stanford CS153 Frontier Systems | The Road Ahead: Resilience Required
Joe Sullivan, Mike, Matthew Prince, Travis, John, Brandon, Shov
Former security executives from the US Department of Justice, eBay, Facebook, and Uber detail a high-stakes career trajectory that includes the 2016 Uber data breach, a 2022 obstruction of justice conviction, and subsequent rehabilitation through community support and global speaking engagements. The discussion analyzes the modern threat landscape, highlighting the evolution of ransomware, the operational risks posed by generative AI, and the urgent need for quantum-resistant cryptography. Concluding with strategic advice for 2026, the presentation emphasizes that cybersecurity leadership must evolve into a core executive function capable of navigating complex regulatory environments and ensuring organizational resilience against both digital and physical threats.
- Stanford Online1h 6m
Stanford CS153 Frontier Systems | Anjney Midha from AMP PBC on Frontier Systems
Instructor Anj Pransanjane guides a cohort of roughly 500 in-person and thousands of remote students through a course framing the current AI era as a "great transition" driven by $1.2 trillion in projected compute investments. The curriculum details shifting industry bottlenecks, such as the rising costs of H100 GPUs and the strategic importance of verifiable context, while urging participants to build asymmetric advantages in non-scalable personal niches. Ultimately, the program challenges students to identify the necessary standards and institutions to transform compute from a monopolized resource into a standardized commodity.
- The Economist9 min
Is a private-credit meltdown the next financial crisis? | The Economist
Private credit, a non-bank lending sector estimated at $1.5 to $3 trillion, surged following post-2008 regulatory shifts and a 2010s boom in private equity buyouts. Despite attracting institutional investors through high illiquidity premiums, recent redemption crises at major firms like Blue Owl Capital and Blackstone have exposed governance weaknesses and asset quality concerns. While experts predict a prolonged economic impact rather than a sudden systemic collapse, the sector faces ongoing scrutiny over the viability of its semi-liquid business model.
- The Economist10 min
How much tax should the rich pay? | The Economist
Contrary to narratives of neoliberal rollback, recent data reveals a "Robin Hood economy" in the developed world where increased government redistribution has stabilized post-tax inequality despite rising pre-tax disparities. While U.S. top earners now contribute a larger share of federal taxes as high-earning professionals rather than evaders, polling indicates a persistent public perception that their tax burden remains insufficient. This economic reality clashes with philosophical debates between Henry, who warns that fairness requires limiting taxation to preserve incentives, and Mike, who advocates targeting negative externalities and consumption rather than income or capital.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker | Middle East & Africa Summit 2025
Matthew Whitaker, Michael Milken, Matt Winokur, Mike
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Winokur outlines a strategic pivot toward equalizing allied defense spending and accelerating the adoption of autonomous, low-cost warfare systems to counter escalating threats from Russia, China, and North Korea. He emphasizes a shift from high-cost legacy platforms to scalable drone technology and calls for a societal readiness model inspired by Nordic nations to manage volatility in the Arctic and the volatile Sahel region. Looking ahead, Winokur frames President Trump's agenda as a bid for "durable peace" driven by "peace through strength," aiming to end the Ukraine conflict while establishing free trade and dialogue with historic adversaries.
- Y Combinator42 min
Vertical AI Agents Could Be 10X Bigger Than SaaS
Gary, Jared Harge, Diana, Mark Mandelbaum, Aaron Cannon, Mike, Brett Taylor, Parker Conrad, Matt McGinnis, Salient, VAPI, Rippling, Speedy Brand, OpenAI, Claude, Melanie Warrick, Nico, A Priori, Capital.ai, PowerHelp, Giga ML, Zepto, Mementic, Rainforest QA, Triplebyte, Outset, Vector Shift, Mark Benioff, Paul Graham, Travis, Jake Heller, Flo Cravello, Tia, Hashi Roginio, Mark Mirchandani, Francesc Campoy Flores
Jared Harge projects that vertical AI agents will trigger a $300 billion+ market surge by displacing human labor in specialized enterprise functions, mirroring the historical success of B2B SaaS where general-purpose incumbents cannot master niche domain complexities. While competitors like Mark Mandelbaum note exceptions such as Rippling's horizontal platform strategy, startups are advised to target high-value, repetitive workflows—from automated recruiting to debt collection—rather than competing in obvious consumer applications where incumbents like Google retain dominance. This shift from basic software wrappers to full-stack agents is expected to expand organizational leadership span and create unicorns ten times larger than previous software predecessors by integrating complex domain knowledge directly into autonomous decision-making tools.
- Milken Institute45 min
Asia's Green Gold: Unlocking Value in Natural Capital Markets | Asia Summit 2024
Meaghan See, Mark Glossoti, Hoon Ling Min, Madhur Jain, Justin Reynolds, Megan Seen, Mark Mazzotti, Sun Ling Min, Mada Dharian, Madhuri, Madhu, Amit Arora, Cécile, Mindy, Doreen, Linh Minh, Vaswant, Bonnie, Mike, Li-Ming, Madhav
A high-level panel convened to analyze the critical transition of nature-based solutions into a viable, investable asset class, highlighting Asia's projected 30% share of global carbon offset potential by 2030. The discussion detailed necessary financial mechanisms, such as targeting 9-10% returns for institutional capital and utilizing Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to facilitate international trade, while emphasizing technology's role in verifying smallholder integrity. Panelists concluded that scaling these frameworks is essential to tripling current nature financing and formalizing natural capital to meet global climate targets.
- Milken Institute32 min
Conversation with Senator Joe Manchin, Jigar Shah, & Chevron CEO Michael Wirth | Global Conference
Joe Manchin, Jigar Shah, Michael Wirth, David Westin, Mike
Debate leaders, including Senator Manchin and LPO Director Jigar Shah, examined the $500 billion federal energy investment framework while clashing over the pace of EV subsidies, hydrogen regulation, and the necessity of government loans to de-risk private capital. Key figures emphasized that despite rapid solar deployment, permitting bottlenecks and conflicting agency signals threaten grid stability and the timely retirement of fossil assets. The discussion concluded by highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive permitting reform to align domestic economic incentives with global net-zero trajectories before the current funding authority expires.
- Y Combinator1 min
Embark Trucks' Application Video for YC W16
Varden Labs, founded by former University of Waterloo roommates Alex, Mike, and Brandon, is developing "Marvin," a transportation prototype leveraging the team's combined expertise in software, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Each founder brings specialized industry experience, including internships at Khan Academy and Thalmic Labs alongside a history of aggressive startup development and custom hardware creation. The trio operates with high confidence that their collaborative background and technical depth will successfully transform the future of personal transportation.
- The Economist14 min
From 9/11 to covid-19: can New York recover?
Jon Fasman, Mike, Dan Doktoroff, Wellington Chen, Eric Adams
New York City compares its $14 billion pandemic relief to the $20 billion allocated for post-9/11 reconstruction, highlighting severe fiscal gaps that contributed to the permanent closure of over 3,000 small businesses and a $933 million annual tax revenue loss from high-income departures. The crisis disproportionately affected communities like Chinatown through delayed aid and a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, while housing policies failed to produce affordable units for new workers, exacerbating pre-existing inequality. Incoming mayoral candidate Eric Adams faces the challenge of funding recovery initiatives without massive federal support, aiming to replicate the ambition of the post-9/11 era while rectifying past exclusions of vulnerable populations.
- The Economist14 min
Scottish independence: could Britain break up?
Amidst deepening internal strain and divergent post-Brexit trade interests, the Scottish National Party has pledged to demand a second independence referendum following a potential May election victory. This political push challenges Prime Minister Boris Johnson's firm stance that such a vote requires Westminster's consent, creating a legal and economic stalemate that could disrupt vital trade flows with England. As fiscal deficits widen and public support for sovereignty grows, the event highlights a critical juncture where the historical union faces its most significant threat since the 1707 Acts of Union.
- Y Combinator2h 28m
Work at a Startup Expo 2019
Ryan Choi, Geoff Ralston, Vijay, Tanay, Anjana Rajan, Jonathan, Greg, Julia, Daniele, Mike, David, Ning, Paul, Samir Maghani, Tarek, Lior, Chris Nguyen, Erica, Wei, Lyle Avery, Gregory Coburger, Adam McKenzie, Jacob, Parker Conrad, Ilya, Lester, Josh, Jordan, Marc Friedman, Hugh, Ethan, Hanan, Reese
Y Combinator hosted a high-stakes hiring expo featuring 40 funded startups, where founders pitched their missions and technical stacks to engineers in a rapid-fire, two-hour format. The event highlighted diverse sectors ranging from healthcare AI and fintech to autonomous logistics, utilizing a digital directory to match attendees with companies like Checkr, Glide, and Scale. By emphasizing rapid career growth and high-impact environments over corporate stability, the gathering successfully connected over 2,000 alumni founders with talent to advance products that currently serve millions of users.
- Y Combinator56 min
Analyzing Billions of Transactions to Understand Consumer Behavior - Michael Babineau and Kevin Hale
Michael Babineau, Kevin Hale, Craig Cannon, Mike
Co-founded by Mike and Lillian, the company delivers a financial analytics platform that empowers investors and corporations to analyze over 50 billion credit card transactions to solve complex business intelligence problems. With a diverse team of 60 data scientists and engineers, the firm processes unstructured data for entities ranging from startups to major retailers like Stitch Fix and Amazon, transforming raw transactional noise into actionable strategic insights. Supported by strategic funding from Goldman Sachs and Citi, the platform achieved 150 clients through organic growth by offering a customizable toolset rather than static reports, allowing users to generate their own unique information edges.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi, Michael Milken, Andrew, Mike
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi transformed the beverage and snack giant through "Performance with Purpose," a strategy that integrated social and environmental sustainability into core operations while shifting the revenue portfolio toward healthier product lines. This cultural overhaul was driven by scientific leadership under Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Mahmood Khan and reinforced by tying executive compensation to specific nutritional and environmental goals. Nooyi further extended the company's impact by forging partnerships with healthcare institutions to improve access for underserved veterans and advocating for systemic policy changes to address chronic disease and nutritional equity.