Latest Interviews
Showing 16–30 of 45 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute1h 0m
Entitlements: A Collision Course With Fiscal Reality
Josh Barro, Jared Bernstein, Andrew Biggs, Chris Hughes, Maya MacGuineas, Eric Schmidt, Andrew McAfee, Jonathan Zittrain, Jared King, Nancy Gertner, David Rockefeller, Anne Coughlin, Eric Schwartzman
A panel of experts including Andrew Biggs and Jared Bernstein addressed the actuarial insolvency of Social Security and Medicare, evaluating revenue increases and benefit adjustments to close the projected 75-year shortfall. The discussion extended to expanding income support through a modernized Earned Income Tax Credit while contrasting these proposals with healthcare reforms aimed at reducing drug costs and leveraging public options. Panelists concluded that political constraints and intergenerational inequities currently prevent necessary fiscal adjustments, creating a gap between public demand for services and willingness to fund them.
- Goldman Sachs26 min
Eric Schmidt: The Artificial Intelligence Revolution
Goldman Sachs accelerates its cloud migration to leverage superior cybersecurity and specialized hardware for AI workloads, while the broader industry shifts toward data-driven deep learning that prioritizes scale over algorithmic provability. This transition enables "savant systems" in fields like healthcare and finance to automate trial-and-error processes, supported by a global talent market increasingly dominated by computer science graduates. Although these technologies promise to democratize expert-level capabilities through on-device and cloud computing, their adoption faces monetization hurdles and ongoing geopolitical competition, particularly from China.
- Goldman Sachs11 min
Talks at GS – David Eagleman: The Neuroscience of Creativity
David Eagleman, David Rockefeller Jr., Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Levine Jr., Dan Coffey Jr., Dan Collins
This analysis redefines human creativity as an evolutionary advantage rooted in the prefrontal cortex's capacity for hypothesis testing rather than physical traits, identifying three universal cognitive operations—break, blend, and bend—as the fundamental drivers of innovation. By shifting educational and economic focus from rote memorization to cognitive flexibility, individuals and organizations can leverage the collective intelligence of 8 billion brains to navigate a transitioning creativity economy. Ultimately, success in this new era requires actively dismantling past successes and tolerating failure to generate novel solutions that artificial intelligence currently cannot replicate.
- Milken Institute59 min
Bridging the Gap Between the Military and Silicon Valley
David Sanger, Eric Schmidt, Norton Schwartz, Raj Shah
Led by Raj Shah, the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) successfully integrated commercial startup technologies like MIT-developed LiDAR quadcopters into military operations to bypass traditional acquisition cycles. Despite facing cultural barriers regarding risk aversion and bureaucratic compliance, the initiative has attracted significant venture capital investment while prompting recommendations for embedding computer science as a core DoD competency. Current leadership continues to pursue these structural reforms through iterative procurement models and data-driven soft power applications to maintain a strategic edge over global adversaries.
- Milken Institute59 min
L.A. as Entertainment Capital: Chasing Global Markets or Global Talent?
Noah Wintroub, Beatriz Acevedo, Jeffrey Hirsch, Jon Jashni, Michael Kriak, Chris Silbermann, Eric Schmidt
Los Angeles remains the dominant entertainment hub by leveraging a specialized professional network to sustain a $36 billion industry despite national demographic shifts. Industry leaders are pivoting from traditional B2B models to Direct-to-Consumer strategies, utilizing data analytics to target underserved demographics while addressing critical skills gaps in digital marketing. Concurrently, organizations are reforming talent pipelines by monetizing apprenticeships and using digital platforms to prove the viability of diverse narratives before securing studio greenlights.
- Milken Institute30 min
MIc'd Up | Part 2: Pedro Domingos in Conversation with Eric Schmidt
Led by industry leaders like Bill Gates and Pedro Domingos, the event examines how converging advances in algorithms, data, and computing are shifting machine learning from rule-based programming to generalized intelligence. The presentation details critical hurdles in generalization and the urgent global talent shortage, while outlining transformative economic shifts where traditional hardware models face commoditization and new crowdsourced learning ecosystems emerge. Looking five to ten years ahead, the discussion predicts a workforce evolution where humans act as strategic captains alongside AI systems, enabling universal programming capabilities that could unlock a $5 trillion new world economy.
- Milken Institute55 min
Lunch Program | The Future of Humankind
Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guru Banavar, Eric Schmidt
Four global leaders addressed the future of humanity at a "Future of Humankind" session, with Al Gore detailing climate crises and renewable breakthroughs, Jennifer Doudna explaining CRISPR gene-editing capabilities, Guru Banavar outlining cognitive computing collaborations, and Eric Schmidt advocating for ambitious innovation "moonshots." The panel emphasized that despite uncertainties, actionable solutions in sustainability, genetic medicine, and artificial intelligence require collaborative efforts between governments, industries, and individuals. By shifting focus from fear to proactive implementation, the speakers argued that these technologies can drive a sustainable future where human intelligence is augmented by machine capabilities to solve critical global challenges.
- Milken Institute52 min
The Future of Humankind feat. Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guruduth Banavar, Eric Schmidt
Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guruduth Banavar, Eric Schmidt
Al Gore, Jennifer Doudna, Guru Banavar, and Eric Schmidt presented a comprehensive overview of existential climate risks, the transformative potential of CRISPR genome editing, and the synergistic roles of cognitive computing and moonshot innovation. Gore detailed the immediate economic and geopolitical threats posed by fossil fuel dependence and heat accumulation, while Doudna explained how CRISPR-Cas9 functions as a programmable tool for precise genetic modification alongside emerging ethical imperatives. Banavar and Schmidt further argued that AI-driven cognitive platforms and radical technological shifts in energy, transportation, and medicine are essential to solving these global challenges and augmenting human intelligence.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
The Growing Drone Phenomenon: Creating Order Out of Chaos
Gary Shapiro, Russ Burns, Lisa Ellman, Dave Vos, David Windmueller, Eric Schmidt, Jure Vatsuri, Nick Smoot, Robert
Industry leaders and policymakers convened to discuss the rapid expansion of commercial drone technology, highlighted by early adopters like Clayco securing FAA exemptions to revolutionize construction efficiency and Google's vision for automated logistics. Participants outlined a roadmap for integrating unmanned traffic management systems that rely on automated data exchange rather than traditional air traffic control, while addressing regulatory challenges regarding privacy and property rights. The dialogue concluded with an emphasis on how these advancements will drive economic growth through cost savings, reduce carbon footprints via electric delivery models, and enable humanitarian applications in disaster response.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Governors Address Challenges Facing States
Eric Schmidt, John Hickenlooper, Terry McAuliffe, Rick Scott, Scott Walker
Governors Rick Scott, Scott Walker, John Hickenlooper, and Terry McAuliffe convened to discuss distinct state-level strategies for economic growth, ranging from Florida's tax-cut model and Wisconsin's fiscal stabilization to Colorado's workforce adaptability and Virginia's international trade focus. Despite operating in opposing partisan environments, these leaders emphasized a unified shift from job creation to filling vacancies by prioritizing apprenticeships, dismantling federal mandates on healthcare and infrastructure, and challenging anti-capitalist sentiment through high-wage employment. The panel concluded that states must serve as "laboratories of democracy" to craft granular solutions for environmental and social issues while advocating for federal devolution of authority to maximize efficiency in workforce development and public safety.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Lighting the Globe: Manoj Bhargava in Conversation with Sheryl WuDunn
Manoj Bhargava, Sheryl WuDunn, Eric Schmidt, John McCutchan, Raymond Santos, Jennifer Doyle, Sharon Chandran
Forbes billionaire and 5-Hour Energy founder Manoj Parga has launched "Stage 2," a venture dedicated to deploying low-maintenance, scalable technologies in water, energy, and health for underserved populations. The initiative introduces hardware like the $250 Free Electric bicycle to generate power for livelihoods, the energy-efficient Rainmaker desalination unit, and a medical patch for early disease detection, all designed to replace unreliable solar and complex medical diagnostics in rural areas. Parga explicitly rejects proprietary hoarding by offering to train competitors and sell production lines, prioritizing rapid global adoption of simple, functional engineering over traditional philanthropic overhead.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Power Shifts: The Emergence of a Multipolar World
Jean-Marie, Mehdi, Richard, Eric Schmidt, Tina Fordham
Jean-Marie Guéhenno and Mehdi Jomaa analyze a shifting global order where state capacity erodes amid non-state actors, forcing institutions like NATO and the UN to adapt to hybrid warfare and internal member skepticism. While Syria's chaos and Russia's strategic leverage in Ukraine highlight the failure of traditional diplomacy, the discourse emphasizes that economic strain and regional instability now demand proactive investment in transitions like Tunisia to prevent further refugee crises. The panel concludes that the current multipolar complexity requires redefining collective defense doctrines and abandoning regional silos to address interconnected threats effectively.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
Is Bigger Better? Global Strategies in Hospitality
Jesse Scharf, Alan Firstman, Mahmood Kimji, David Palmer, Michael Rosenfeldt, Henry Silverman, David Gergenhardt Griffin Jr., Eric Schmidt, Henry Haynes, Michael Passmore, Mark Blythefield Jr.
At the Milken Conference, five hospitality leaders including Alan Firstman of Montage Hotels and Mahmood Kimji of Highgate analyzed critical market themes such as all-time pricing peaks, capital market liquidity, and the disruptive impact of Airbnb. The panelists detailed how asset-light financing models and shifting brand strategies are driving multiple expansion while technology giants force a transition from traditional OTAs to direct distribution channels. Concluding that future value lies in niche differentiation rather than scale, the group anticipated a wave of strategic mergers designed to reduce overhead and optimize returns in a saturated global market.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Why L.A. Is Working
Steve Drobny, Julie Gerberdinger, Kara, Walter, Scott Goldbaum Jr., Eric Schmidt, Steve Cowpert Jr., Harry
Los Angeles is rapidly transforming into a premier technology hub by capitalizing on its distinct entertainment and automotive heritage to drive superior user experience design, evidenced by a fivefold surge in startup capital to $2.5 billion. This growth is fueled by a diverse funding landscape involving over 150 local banks and family offices that support revenue-focused enterprises, while a talent influx from major tech firms bolsters the region's engineering capabilities. Although historically a feeder market for acquisitions, the ecosystem is increasingly retaining anchor companies and scaling successful ventures like TrueCar and Rubicon to secure long-term institutional dominance.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
How American Business Is Shaping the Gay-Rights Debate
Katie O'Reilly, Richard Socorides, Matthew Winkler, Nicole Dullet, Dustin Lance Black, Josh Barrow, Sumit Goel, Patricia Waldinger, Eric Schmidt, Mark Chamberlain
Since the early 1990s, major corporations across sectors like technology, finance, and entertainment have actively championed LGBT rights, evolving from isolated advocacy to a unified front that leveraged economic influence to defeat discriminatory legislation such as Indiana's 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Driven by data linking inclusive policies to higher productivity and younger consumer appeal, these business leaders have pioneered investment vehicles like the Credit Suisse LGBT Equality Index while pressuring governments to expand marriage equality and employment protections. Looking ahead, this corporate momentum is poised to address transgender rights and navigate global legal complexities, further fracturing traditional political coalitions and redefining workplace standards for the next generation.