Latest Interviews
Showing 16–30 of 5,331 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute55 min
The Tech Supercycle: Where Capital Meets Innovation | Global Conference 2026
Daniel Koffmann, Marlene Garayzar, Scott Sobel, Francis Suarez, André Vellozo, Marlena Górezar, Andre Veoso
Scott Sobel of Valor Capital Group and Marlena Górezar of Story analyze the Latin American venture landscape, highlighting a rebound in investment driven by deep talent pools and resilient fintech unicorns that achieve profitability through proprietary AI models. Former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Andre Veoso of Drumwave discuss how physical safety, regulatory deregulation like Brazil's Pix system, and renewable energy infrastructure are establishing the region as a secure hub for reverse innovation and AI sovereignty. Together, the speakers illustrate a strategic pivot toward capital efficiency and data ownership, positioning Latin American firms to capitalize on valuation arbitrage as they expand globally.
- Y Combinator36 min
The Case For Data Centers In Space
Philip Johnston, Mark Mandelmann
Founded by Philip Johnston in 2024 and backed by a $170 million Series A from Benchmark, StarCloud has emerged as YC's fastest-growing unicorn by pioneering orbital data centers to bypass terrestrial energy constraints. The company successfully launched its first satellite in November 2025, deploying custom-modified GPU hardware and thermal management systems to run AI models like Gemini while utilizing automotive-grade components to mitigate radiation risks. With plans to scale to 88,000 satellites by 2028 and deploy high-bandwidth compute for government and hyperscale customers, StarCloud aims to eventually generate terawatts of processing capacity through partnerships with SpaceX and NVIDIA.
- a16z10 min
The Ocean Company - Ulysses | a16z American Dynamism
Will O'Brien, Akhil Voorakkara, Jamie Wedderburn
Ulysses has pivoted from a demand-constrained startup to a supply-limited entity capitalizing on the global E-AI super cycle to build a 24/7 autonomous robot network comparable to satellite constellations. The company leverages its modular vehicle architecture and in-house manufacturing to deliver cost-effective solutions for critical sectors including offshore restoration, defense mine countermeasures, and undersea infrastructure security. With a strategic vision to dominate the ocean domain within 15 years, Ulysses directly addresses the inadequacy of traditional military investments by deploying asymmetric, autonomous systems against threats ranging from naval mines to cable sabotage.
- a16z9 min
The Future is Metal - Mariana Minerals | a16z American Dynamism
Founded by former Tesla executive Turner Caldwell, Mariana Minerals is deploying a vertically integrated, software-first strategy to reclaim Western control over critical mineral supply chains dominated by Chinese refineries. The company recently entered the Utah copper market by acquiring the struggling Copper One asset, where it rapidly implemented autonomous haul trucks and replaced legacy manual processes with its proprietary Mariana OS to validate operational efficiency in just 150 days. This approach aims to revitalize San Juan County while establishing a scalable model for future resource extraction on Earth, the Moon, and beyond.
- a16z13 min
The Nuclear Renaissance - Radiant | a16z American Dynamism
Tori Shivanandan, Doug Bernauer
Radiant Energy is developing the transportable Kaleidos micro-reactor, a modular nuclear power unit designed to replace aging infrastructure and support applications ranging from AI data centers to deep space exploration. Founded by former SpaceX engineer Doug Kim, the company leverages a factory-built assembly line model to deliver plug-and-play energy modules with a five-year fuel cycle, aiming to conduct its first full-power test at Idaho National Laboratory's Dome by 2026. This initiative seeks to restore U.S. energy independence and accelerate nuclear innovation by overcoming historical regulatory stagnation through a commitment to aggressive safety testing and mass production.
- Bank of America6 min
Must Read Research: Russell Concentration, Hazardous Trash is the New Treasure; AI Financing
Russell, Candace Browning, Savita Subramanian, Nandita Nayar, Neha Kota
Savita Subramanian warns that passive indices face extreme concentration risks as the top ten Russell 1000 stocks command 35% of the index, while leveraged ETFs now hold over $75 billion to amplify volatility. Amidst this market structure shift, Nandita Nayar highlights a critical scarcity in hazardous waste disposal infrastructure where zero new landfills have been permitted since 1996, leaving Clean Harbors with over 65% of North American incineration capacity. Simultaneously, Neha Kota analyzes a divergence in AI-linked credit markets where high-yield spreads have widened due to data center stress, prompting a strategy to leg into the remaining $92 billion in expected 2026 supply.
- 80,000 Hours49 min
What the hell happened with AGI timelines in 2026?
Between October and December 2025, the AI sector shifted from bearish skepticism to explosive growth driven by the release of Claude 3.5 and the emergence of capable autonomous agents, which propelled combined revenues for OpenAI and Anthropic to annualized rates of 700% to 1,600%. While frontier models achieved massive efficiency gains in high-feedback domains like coding and specific scientific proofs, with Anthropic's gross margins climbing to over 70% and internal productivity surging 800%, they still struggle with the strategic ambiguity and low feedback density of real-world business autonomy. This rapid acceleration has prompted a shortening of AGI timelines to a plausible 2028-2030 window, leading experts to advocate for coordinated pauses due to emerging compute bottlenecks and the urgent need for societal preparation.
- Sequoia Capital47 min
Chai Discovery's Bitter Lesson: Drug Design Is Another Scaling Problem
Josh Meier, Matt McPartlon, Pat Grady, Sonali Singh
Chai Discovery is industrializing drug discovery by deploying a simplified, AI-driven infrastructure that replaces traditional trial-and-error with scalable molecule design, partnering with major pharmaceutical firms like Eli Lilly and Pfizer rather than managing a full internal pipeline. The company's second-generation model has achieved a 15% binding success rate through diffusion-based generation and a continuous feedback loop from wet-lab experiments, effectively targeting historically undruggable biological structures. By shifting the industry toward computational "last in class" solutions, Chai aims to accelerate development timelines from months to days while ensuring extreme safety and manufacturability at the molecular generation stage.
- Milken Institute56 min
Inside the New Sports Economy: Innovation, Partnerships, & Global Expansion | Global Conference 2026
Jon Schwartz, David Abeles, Heather Brooks Karatz, Jeff Gordon, Ben Kennedy
NASCAR and golf leaders are redefining their industries through experiential festival models, massive digital gaming partnerships, and the strategic repurposing of venues for year-round mixed-use development. With new playoff formats and unique event locations like the upcoming San Diego military base race, the sports aim to capture first-time fans while leveraging simulation technology and female demographic data to drive engagement. Industry experts predict significant consolidation in golf by 2026 and emphasize that authentic values will remain essential for sustaining long-term revenue in an increasingly diverse and digital sports economy.
- Y Combinator49 min
Waymo Co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov: The Demo Is Only 1% Of The Work
Waymo has advanced its fully autonomous fleet to operate 500 weekly trips across 15 U.S. cities, achieving a safety record 17 times better than human drivers through a multimodal sensor architecture and a foundation model utilizing both fast geometric reactions and slow semantic reasoning. The company addresses the unique challenges of physical AI by integrating real-world data into a generative simulation ecosystem that creates rare edge cases for training, while its "Safety and Readiness Framework" rigorously validates performance to ensure public trust and regulatory compliance. Looking ahead, this structural augmentation and flywheel of agent, simulator, and critic data positions Waymo to expand its technology beyond personal vehicles into trucking and broader physical applications.
- Bank of America21 min
Understanding Today's Consumer: Holly O'Neill Interviews Sarah Tam of Rent the Runway
Bank of America President Holly O'Neill and Rent the Runway Chief Merchant Officer Sarah Tam convened to discuss building resilient, customer-first businesses by shifting from traditional ownership models to subscription-based access. Tam detailed how the company leverages real-time data and millions of customer signals to personalize the fashion experience and drive sustainability, while the partnership introduces exclusive rewards discounts for Rent the Runway members. The collaboration highlights a broader market evolution where leaders must transition from selling products to serving consumer needs for credibility, variety, and emotional connection.
Inside the Factory Behind Base Power's $1B Series D
Base Power recently secured a $1 billion Series D funding round led by Ribbit and JPMorgan Chase, establishing a $13 billion valuation to accelerate production of its high-capacity BaseCore home battery system. The vertically integrated manufacturer is scaling operations at its Austin facility to 4,000 units weekly, featuring a modular design that enables full-home backup power in under two hours per unit. This growth supports a strategic rollout of both direct consumer sales and utility partnership models across key regional markets as the company prepares to open a second factory near the Austin airport.
- The Diary Of A CEO1h 55m
Former US Secretary: We Needs To Reform Now, We’re Heading Towards A Catastrophe | Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg warns that the United States faces systemic collapse due to unchecked national debt, wealth inequality, and an electoral system that fuels polarization, urging immediate structural reforms including the abolition of the Electoral College and corporate personhood. He outlines a vision for 2028 where technological advancements like AI are regulated to prevent extreme wealth concentration while redefining social contracts through mechanisms like public dividends and shorter work weeks. Buttigieg also critiques current foreign policy failures in the Middle East and the lack of coherent exit strategies in conflicts with Iran, arguing that only deliberate, transparent leadership can restore trust and prevent democratic backsliding.
- The Economist9 min
Is billionaire wealth becoming more legitimate? | The Economist
Recent research distinguishes between "competitive wealth" derived from creating goods and services and "uncompetitive wealth" from natural resources or political favors, finding the former is expanding while the latter declines. This shift is driven by rapid consumer growth in China, strong market returns, and the mobile-first internet era, which has fueled self-made billionaires in sectors like entertainment and retail rather than just technology. Consequently, data indicates that effective tax rates for the wealthiest Americans are high and that aggressive wealth taxes on competitive entrepreneurs may incur greater economic costs than the benefits of curbing inequality.
- Bank of America21 min
Global Rates & FX Views: Central banks – the aftermath
Sphia Salim, Zviya Salim, Izumi Devalier, Agnieszka Ngerite, Bruno Brzezina
The Bank of Japan maintained a hawkish tone regarding inflation proximity while keeping the September rate hike on contingency, with strategists projecting a terminal rate of 1.75% by 2027 despite political headwinds. Meanwhile, the Bank of England split 6-3 to hold rates amidst balanced forward guidance, while the US Federal Reserve's lack of immediate action triggered a market reassessment that halved the probability of December hikes in favor of a potential September move. Across these major central banks, analysts note diverging paths where exchange rate sensitivity and QT impacts now play critical roles, all set against a backdrop of a potentially overvalued US 10-year yield and a US economy peaking in its reflationary phase.