Latest Interviews
Showing 2341–2355 of 2,499 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute54 min
Beyond the Headlines: Global Leaders Explore Africa's Future
Mindy Silverstein, Bronwyn Nielsen, Tony Blair, H.E. Paul Kagame, Scott Minerd, Patrice Motsepe, Strive Masiwa, Bob Collymore, Jay Ireland, Fred Swannaker, John Rice, President Uhuru Kenyatta
The Milken Institute launched the Africa Business Fellowship Program, a reciprocal exchange initiative partnering with Strive Masiwa, Safaricom, and the Dangote Group to place up to 15 American entrepreneurs in African firms over six months. Supported by high-profile speakers like President Paul Kagame and Tony Blair, the event utilized demographic projections showing Africa's population could double by 2050 to argue that regional integration and private sector infrastructure investments are critical for unlocking a continent identified by the IMF as home to the world's fastest-growing economies. Panelists including Scott Minnert and Patrice Motsepi concluded by dismissing security concerns as manageable barriers and calling for immediate U.S. capital deployment to fuel the rising middle class and consumer industries across Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Milken Institute57 min
A Path Appears: A Conversation With Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Nicholas Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn, Steve Grove, Nick Kristof, Ashley, Derek McKesson, Dan Galpin, Esther Duflo, Brian Mulaney, Dan Pallotta, Eric Schmidt, Sheryl McCarthy, Nick Orloveyski
Google News Lab director Steve Grove facilitated a discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn regarding their book *A Path Appears* and its accompanying PBS documentary on transforming social vulnerability into opportunity. The speakers advocate for applying business principles and market incentives to poverty alleviation, citing evidence from randomized trials that effective interventions must measure outcomes rather than inputs and leverage corporate strategies to address systemic issues like missing girls and the "word gap." They further highlight the physiological benefits of philanthropy and argue that future social progress depends on a "double bottom line" model where for-profit enterprises and rigorous data measurement replace traditional charity to solve intractable challenges in education, health, and urban violence.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Cyber-Security: Protecting Companies and Citizens From Assault
Eli Sugarman, Alex Stamos, Suzanne Spaulding, Ray Rothrock, Susan Gilchrist
A panel of federal officials and industry leaders, including DHS Undersecretary Suzanne Spaulding, Yahoo CISO Alex Stamos, and Red Seal CEO Ray Rothrock, convened to address the escalating intersection of U.S. cybersecurity legislation, global threat intelligence sharing, and corporate liability. The group critically evaluated the efficacy of static compliance standards versus dynamic resilience frameworks, highlighted the economic necessity of investing in security infrastructure, and debated the strategic and moral implications of government-mandated encryption backdoors. Their discussion concluded that future security strategies must prioritize continuous monitoring, standardized risk metrics for investors, and international collaboration to protect critical infrastructure against evolving cyber threats.
- Milken Institute48 min
A Conversation With Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz discusses the unexpected broad resonance of his book *The Hard Thing About Hard Things* while detailing the dramatic $2.8 billion valuation of Slack, which emerged from a $18 million failure at TinySpec. He analyzes modern market dynamics, arguing that Silicon Valley avoids bubbles due to lower capital requirements and cloud infrastructure, while noting that regulatory gaps in private markets pose significant risks to liquidity and valuation. Additionally, Horowitz outlines a non-quota hiring strategy that eliminated unconscious bias to achieve 53% female representation and debunks the notion of a ride-sharing monopoly by highlighting driver saturation and the imminent disruption of self-driving technology.
- Milken Institute55 min
The Business of Healthy
Jane Wells, Anu Chatterjee, Dr. Bill Dietz, Michael Johnson, Ryan Shadrick-Wilson, Tara Palmeri, Kathryn Hartmann, Kathy Hartmuth, Rachel Alters, Jeff Dunn, Dr. David Heber, Anu Srivastava, Anu Vatsalavanda, Eric Schmidt, David Levinson, Bill Alford Jr.
Major food corporations are pivoting toward fresh and healthy platforms through billion-dollar acquisitions and reformulation strategies, responding to consumer demand for organic and plant-based options while leveraging data showing significant sales growth in low-calorie segments. Public health projections warn that obesity rates will continue to rise without intervention, prompting government initiatives like school nutrition acts and corporate policy changes such as antibiotic bans to mitigate a crisis expected to surpass tobacco-related healthcare costs. Ultimately, the industry faces the dual challenge of overcoming affordability barriers in food deserts and adapting marketing tactics to normalize healthy choices among younger demographics.
- Milken Institute1h 16m
U.S. Overview: A Catalyst for World Growth?
Ross Duvall, Gene Sperling, Sarah Quinlan, William Kahana
A panel of economic experts, including Gene Sperling, John Donohoe, and Sarah Quinlan, analyzed the U.S. economy's robust 3.8% annualized GDP growth and accelerating job market while highlighting persistent structural challenges such as weak non-defense capital goods orders and housing ownership declines. Despite record corporate profits, the group noted a significant disconnect between earnings and capital expenditure, driven by global uncertainty, a strong dollar that dampens exports, and regulatory barriers restricting mortgage access for millions of borrowers. Looking forward, the experts predicted the Federal Reserve would delay interest rate hikes until late 2015 and forecast that housing construction and global demand will only begin to recover in the coming 12 to 18 months.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Technology, Creativity, Values: What Drives the New Disruptors?
Andy Serwer, Brandon Beck, Brad Delson, Dave Gilboa, Payal Kadakia, Mike Shinoda, Eric Schmidt, Bradley Horowitz, Brad Lee O'
Four industry leaders from Riot Games, Linkin Park, ClassPass, and Warby Parker present a "New Disruptor" business model that replaces quarterly profit maximization with long-term stakeholder unity. By integrating employees, fans, and customers into a single ecosystem, these organizations leverage deep empathy and real-time feedback to achieve Net Promoter Scores in the high 80s and 90s. This strategy reframes relationships as the primary asset, enabling rapid organizational scaling while maintaining social missions that directly drive sustainable profitability.
- Milken Institute46 min
Engaging a Curious Mind: Brian Grazer Talks With Bob Iger About Life, Listening
Brian Grazer, Bob Iger, Robert Iger
Producer Brian Grazer attributes his success in film and television to a disciplined practice of seeking diverse conversations, ranging from political leaders like Vladimir Putin to scientists like Jonas Salk, which consistently reshape his creative perspectives. This approach, which he details in *A Curious Mind*, treats curiosity as a strategic superpower that has directly influenced major projects such as *Apollo 13* and *Empire* by connecting disparate experiences into coherent narratives. Executives like Bob Iger have adopted similar metrics for leadership, prioritizing authentic curiosity in hiring and strategic decision-making to navigate complex market dynamics.
- Milken Institute58 min
Private Equity: Rotation and Valuation
Robert Smith, Steve Schwarzman, Jonathan Nelson, Jim Coulter, Leon Black, Maria
Leading private equity executives including Steve Schwarzman, Leon Black, and Jim Coulter discuss the industry's evolution from traditional buyouts to a diversified alternative asset class driven by post-2008 regulatory shifts and public market passive flows. Despite valuations at historic highs and rising interest rates compressing returns, panelists identify specific alpha opportunities in distressed energy credit, cybersecurity, and healthcare innovation while capitalizing on the exit of banks from proprietary trading. The sector is strategically bifurcating between large generalists managing sovereign capital and specialists focusing on deep vertical transformations to navigate a market shifting from passive macro bets to active operational value creation.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Risky Business: Understanding Asia's Geopolitical and Societal Uncertainties
Gwen Robinson, Brian Baker, Curtis S. Chin, Seki Obata, Walter Wang, Brendan Connor, Ben Rosen
Distinguished experts from JM Eagle, Keio University, the Milken Institute, and PIMCO analyzed Asia's shifting risk landscape, identifying critical challenges ranging from China's severe water infrastructure deficits and political centralization to the region's fragmented capital markets and geopolitical tensions. The speakers highlighted emerging investment opportunities in Southeast Asian infrastructure, non-communicable disease sectors, and public-private partnership models while warning that the United States and Japan face strategic setbacks for initially opposing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Ultimately, the discussion concluded that success in the region requires moving beyond a China-centric focus to address diverse local vulnerabilities, including aging populations, climate disasters, and the specific economic trajectories of ASEAN nations.
- Milken Institute1h 6m
Dealing With China: A Conversation With Henry Paulson
Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson details his tenure managing the 2008 financial crisis, highlighting real-time policy pivots involving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Lehman Brothers that prevented total economic collapse. He further outlines his strategic engagement with China, noting the establishment of the Strategic Economic Dialogue which secured long-term climate cooperation while navigating tensions over human rights and intellectual property theft. Looking forward, Paulson advises prioritizing pragmatic economic linkages and institutional influence, such as joining the AIIB, to manage the complex spectrum of U.S.-China relations amid rising geopolitical and structural challenges.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Trash or Treasure? Finding Value in Distressed-Debt Investing
Richard Cantor, Lauren Scottlieb, Chris Piccillo, Brian Reynolds, Steve Shapiro, Lawrence, John McWhorter, Brian Wright, David Freeman, Christopher Coleman, Chris Hayes, Steve Grove, Steve McCurry, David Levinson, David Rockefeller Jr., Meredith Whitby
Four leading alternative asset managers from Fundamental Advisors, Solus, Chatham Capital, and Golden Tree convened to analyze distressed opportunities across municipal, energy, and corporate sectors while addressing the complex capital structure of Puerto Rico's debt crisis. Panelists generally cautioned against premature entry into the energy market due to oversupply concerns but identified affordable housing, telecommunications spectrum, and regulated lending as high-potential themes within a credit cycle approaching late-stage maturity. Despite warnings of deteriorating underwriting quality and tightening liquidity, the experts projected a robust distressed landscape over the next two years, emphasizing that cohesive restructuring mechanisms remain critical for achieving value in fragmented high-yield and municipal environments.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
#MIGlobalEntrepreneurs
Daniel Gorfine, Avid Larrazadeh, Lindy Fishburne, Troy Carter, Mikhail Namov, William Hurley, Jace Wilson, Ari Leighton
The Milken Institute Global Entrepreneur's Competition united four judges, including Avid Larrazadeh and Troy Carter, to evaluate five startups addressing critical gaps in health, finance, and media. Among the contenders presenting solutions from Digital Genius's AI automation to Honest Dollar's retirement platform, Mikhail Namov's Digital Genius secured the victory through its enterprise-grade conversational technology and significant traction with Fortune 500 clients. The event concluded with Daniel Gorfine highlighting how the winning innovation exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit of curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy.
- Goldman Sachs18 min
Misty Copeland, Soloist for American Ballet Theatre: Talks at GS Session Highlights
American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland reflects on her unconventional entry into professional ballet at age 13, navigating rapid physical training, severe injuries requiring tibia surgery, and the unique challenges of race in a historically homogenous art form. She rejects the burden of representation while advocating for structural industry inclusivity, emphasizing that classic repertoire remains valid without adaptation as she expands diversity initiatives like Project Plié. Copeland projects eight to ten additional years of performance, focusing on artistic excellence and mentoring underprivileged communities to see more "brown girls" in classical companies.
- Goldman Sachs15 min
Samantha Power, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations: Talks at GS Session Highlights
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power, speaking in partnership with the Harvard Kennedy School and Goldman Sachs, outlined a strategic shift toward gender inclusivity as a critical component of Middle Eastern security and successful peace negotiations. While addressing ongoing challenges in Syria and Iran, Power detailed a preference for targeted "train and equip" operations and diplomatic sanctions over direct military intervention to protect civilians and prevent nuclear proliferation. The discussion further highlighted significant progress in the Ebola crisis, crediting the deployment of U.S. military and health resources for reducing case numbers and mobilizing global cooperation despite lingering cultural and logistical barriers.