Latest Interviews
Showing 301–315 of 342 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs18 min
Ric Burns: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Producer Rick Burns presents his new film *The Pilgrims* to dismantle the national myth of Plymouth as the birthplace of American democracy by highlighting its origins as a failed religious separatist experiment. The narrative centers on Governor William Bradford's manuscript, which documents the colony's catastrophic mortality, its opportunistic alliance with the surviving Wampanoag, and its eventual economic salvation through the beaver fur trade rather than democratic ideals. Burns argues that a 19th-century reprint of this lost history transformed a desperate 17th-century survival story into the definitive, yet distorted, foundation of American national identity.
- Goldman Sachs15 min
Panel - The Changing Media Landscape: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Jacki Kelley, Meredith Kopit Levien
Bloomberg COO Jackie Kelly and NYT Revenue Head Meredith Levien discussed strategies to sustain global, fact-checked journalism by shifting from traditional print monopolies to multi-platform digital models that prioritize trust over speed. Both executives highlighted distinct operational adaptations, such as Bloomberg's training of "ambidextrous journalists" for cross-format reporting and the NYT's time-specific content briefings, alongside a strict two-source verification protocol to differentiate their brands in a saturated market. While acknowledging the obsolescence of formats like the Sunday paper, the leaders emphasized that maintaining newsroom stability and adapting to evolving consumer needs are critical for remaining relevant in an industry defined by rapid change.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Linda Hirshman: Talks at GS Session Highlights
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.
- Goldman Sachs17 min
Peter Diamandis: Talks at GS Session Highlights
XPRIZE, Planetary Resources, and Singularity University represent a converging ecosystem of innovation that leverages competition, asteroid economics, and exponential technologies to solve previously stuck problems. These entities have successfully deployed merit-based prize models and data-intensive strategies, such as genome sequencing and infrared asset detection, to drive breakthroughs in space mining and human longevity. By incubating startups with billion-person impact goals and harnessing competitive instincts for technical challenges, this network aims to accelerate the technological singularity while avoiding reliance on traditional linear research methods.
- Goldman Sachs19 min
Admiral Eric Olson: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Eric Olson, Admiral Eric Olson, Jack
Former Navy SEAL Admiral Eric Olson, the first four-star officer to command U.S. Special Operations Command and a key architect of the Osama bin Laden raid, analyzes the geopolitical evolution of ISIS and the strategic posture of Al-Qaeda. Drawing on his historic career, Olson argues that defeating transnational terrorist networks requires eradicating radical Sunni theology through Muslim leadership rather than relying solely on military force, while also highlighting the necessity for difficult international coalitions in an era of shifting state and non-state power dynamics. Olson further details the operational culture of USSOCOM and the rigorous psychological selection process that identifies leaders capable of adapting to complex battlefield terrains where traditional victory conditions no longer apply.
- Goldman Sachs19 min
Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Mark Morial, leader of the National Urban League, warns that institutions failing to diversify their workforces face exclusion of top talent and declining economic competitiveness amidst shifting demographic realities. The organization addresses these gaps through a network of 90 affiliates providing direct services to hundreds of thousands of individuals while tracking racial equity via its annual "State of Black America" report. Morial emphasizes that despite glacial progress in closing status gaps between white and minority populations, corporate and civic leaders must prioritize diversity to ensure long-term sustainability.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
The Social and Economic Impact of Evolving Family Dynamics: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Stew Friedman, Betsey Stevenson, Neera Tanden, Betsy, Stu, Claudia Golden
This event analyzes the structural transition from specialized to equal partnership models in family life, highlighting how multi-generational caregiving burdens and shifting fertility trends among Millennials and Gen X are outpacing current U.S. support systems. Speakers detail the economic consequences of these dynamics, demonstrating that closing the gender labor gap could boost GDP by nearly 10% while corporate work-family policies drive market appreciation and long-term wage growth for the next generation. The discussion concludes with a strategic call for a federal paid leave floor and a cultural realignment of corporate expectations to secure sustainable economic growth and social stability.
- Goldman Sachs13 min
Cornell Brooks, NAACP CEO: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Ronell Brooks, the 18th president of the NAACP and a fourth-generation AME minister, leverages a legacy of civil rights activism to address contemporary challenges such as police killings and the erosion of voting protections following *Shelby v. Holder*. Operating through a network of 2,000 volunteer-run branches, Brooks recently led thousands of miles of marches to advocate for criminal justice reform and the establishment of an affirmative constitutional right to vote. The organization currently prioritizes expanding voting access across diverse demographics by countering disenfranchisement tactics that disproportionately affect young people, minorities, and people with disabilities.
- Goldman Sachs13 min
Denise Lewis, Olympic Gold Medalist: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Multi-disciplinary athlete and presenter Denise Lewis leverages her resilient upbringing and a breakthrough Olympic heptathlon victory, achieved despite a severe Achilles injury, to advocate for substantive diversity in sports and media. She emphasizes that visible representation is critical for breaking generational cycles and ensuring that women and Black professionals secure opportunities based on merit rather than tokenism. By combining her personal narrative of overcoming early rejection and racial bias with her professional transition to television, Lewis encourages emerging talent to project confidence and "stick their heads above the parapet" to pave the way for future candidates.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Archbishop Justin Welby outlines a strategy for the non-hierarchical Anglican Communion focused on reconciliation and discipleship while addressing global crises ranging from religious persecution to the refugee emergency. The leadership highlights critical demographic shifts, noting a significant aging within the Church of England contrasted with a young, female, and Sub-Saharan majority in the wider Communion. To navigate these challenges, the church advocates for long-term economic engagement in host nations, improved inter-faith integrity against radicalization, and a renewed focus on practical love for the poor and enemies.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
John Kufuor, Former President of the Republic of Ghana: Talks at GS Session Highlights
This address examines Ghana's pivotal role as the first independent sub-Saharan nation while detailing the economic transformation achieved between 2001 and 2009 through market-oriented reforms that stabilized currency, doubled cocoa output, and eliminated extreme poverty. The narrative highlights the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal decades of military instability, successfully restoring confiscated assets and ensuring political accountability. By contextualizing these domestic successes within the broader evolution of the African Union toward democratic governance, the speaker presents Ghana as a benchmark for continental progress toward transparency and sustainable development.
- Goldman Sachs12 min
Neil Berg, Composer, Lyricist and Producer: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Neil Berg, a playwright who abandoned a planned career in law to pursue musical theater after an emotional breakthrough during his university years, discusses the rigorous demands of the industry and the necessity of treating art as an unavoidable calling. His current project, the rock musical "The 12" about the apostles, won the 2015 Henry Award following a difficult collaborative evolution with Tony winner Robert Schenken that required discarding existing compositions to align on a strict book-first structure. Berg further outlines essential mechanics for musical storytelling, emphasizing that successful productions rely on the precise alignment of approximately 50 collaborators and the strategic use of opening songs to establish character desires within the first ten minutes.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Nick Bollettieri, Tennis Legend: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Nick Bollettieri, Antonio Estevez
Founded in 1978, the Bollettieri Tennis Academy established the world's first full-time boarding school model by fusing intensive court training with a military-inspired academic curriculum to cultivate elite athletes. Legendary coach Nick Bollettieri attributes the success of ten world number ones, including Serena and Venus Williams and Andre Agassi, to his psychological mastery and the evolving necessity of peak physical fitness in modern tennis. Bollettieri now asserts that while innate talent remains irreplaceable, contemporary dominance relies on multidisciplinary support teams and strategic adaptation to equipment changes.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Bob Colacello, Journalist: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Former *Vanity Fair* correspondent Bob Colacello recently presented his biographical works on Andy Warhol and the Reagans during a Goldman Sachs "Talks at GS" session, dissecting the strategic construction of Warhol's celebrity and Nancy Reagan's pivotal behind-the-scenes influence on Cold War diplomacy. Colacello reveals that Warhol leveraged his commercial art background and religious aesthetic knowledge to secularize icons like Marilyn Monroe, while simultaneously exposing how Nancy Reagan orchestrated the personal rapport between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev that facilitated the Geneva summit. The presentation concludes by ranking Nancy Reagan among history's most influential first ladies, comparable to Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt, for her quiet but decisive management of her husband's political agenda and inner circle.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
MBA 101: Navigating Industries, Careers and Beyond: Google Hangout
Goldman Sachs representatives Pierre, Sabrina, and Nate moderated a panel discussing MBA recruiting strategies, emphasizing that academic excellence and genuine passion are critical for differentiation in Investment Banking and Private Wealth Management. The speakers advised treating the hiring process as a marathon that prioritizes deep connections over high-volume networking while utilizing career services to navigate off-campus opportunities. They further detailed how the firm supports a sustainable work-life balance by integrating community engagement and mentorship into demanding professional roles.