Latest Interviews
Showing 346–360 of 2,499 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Y Combinator23 min
OpenClaw Creator: Why 80% Of Apps Will Disappear
Raphael Schaad, Peter Steinberger
Launched in 2025, the open-source OpenClaw project has rapidly accumulated over 160,000 GitHub stars by introducing a local-executing personal AI agent capable of autonomously controlling hardware and synthesizing private data. Creator of the "swarm intelligence" philosophy, the project distinguishes itself through a unique security architecture that isolates user memory in local markdown files and employs a proprietary `soul.md` file to maintain core personality traits against external manipulation. As the technology evolves toward multi-agent negotiations and the obsolescence of traditional applications, OpenClaw positions itself as a value-retention model where specialized bots manage distinct domains while the primary asset remains the user's locally stored data memory.
Inside the $4.5B Startup Building Brain-Inspired Chips for AI
Peter Barrett, Naveen Rao, Konstantine Buhler, Molly O'Shea
Founded by deep tech veteran Naveen Rao and backed by Playground principal Konstantin Buehler, Unconventional AI is raising funds to build a full-stack analog computing platform that leverages silicon's non-linear physics to overcome the energy inefficiencies of current digital systems. The company seeks to automate over 99% of cognitive labor by replacing energy-intensive megawatt-scale data centers with 20-watt biologically inspired architectures, aiming to reach product escape velocity with a projected capital requirement of $1.5 billion. This venture differentiates itself by embracing the stochastic nature of intelligence rather than suppressing it, challenging traditional von Neumann limitations through recurrent dynamical systems that promise computational productivity gains of up to 1,000 times.
- All-In Podcast1h 19m
Epstein Files, Is SaaS Dead?, Moltbook Panic, SpaceX xAI Merger, Trump's Fed Pick
Trump, Brad Gerstner, Kevin Warsh, Jerome Powell, Chamath, Jason, Friedberg, David Sacks
On January 30, the Department of Justice released the Epstein Files Transparency Act documents, prompting J Cal to clarify his limited interactions with Jeffrey Epstein while critics highlight alleged media bias regarding prominent tech figures like Reid Hoffman and Elon Musk. Simultaneously, the market experienced a "Claude Crash" wiping $300 billion from software stocks due to AI disruption fears, though President Trump's nomination of inflation hawk Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve is expected to support rate cuts driven by AI productivity. In the private sector, Elon Musk announced a $1.25 trillion merger of SpaceX and xAI to build space-based data centers, while the "Invest America" Act successfully launched government-backed investment accounts for newborns to democratize capital ownership.
- Milken Institute30 min
Progress with Purpose | Asia Summit 2025
Martin Soong, Hadi Badri, Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara
Dubai's leadership identifies organizational inertia as a primary risk, responding with a rapid adaptation strategy that combines three-year plans with daily data-driven adjustments to maintain a high-performance standard. Amidst a fragmented global economy marked by rising nationalism and supply chain reconfiguration, the emirate has secured a 60% year-over-year surge in foreign direct investment by positioning itself as a permanent global hub for talent and capital. This growth is further accelerated by a robust artificial intelligence framework prioritizing small language models and regulatory agility, alongside progressive visa policies that have established the UAE within the top ten globally for AI talent density.
- The Economist10 min
What would Kevin Warsh’s Federal Reserve look like? | The Economist
Kevin Warsh, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Henry, Zannie, Archie
President Trump has nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh as the next Chair, contingent on the White House removing a Senate blockade led by Senator Tom Tillis regarding the investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell. Warsh's proposed strategy, termed "Warshonomics," seeks to lower interest rates by coupling an anticipated AI-driven productivity surge with balance sheet contraction to offset inflationary risks, despite his historical reputation as a hawk. While experts predict Warsh will implement a slightly more dovish policy yielding one or two rate cuts, his ability to align the FOMC with President Trump's demands remains a significant governance risk complicated by potential political backlash.
- a16z11 min
The Story Behind ElevenLabs | Interview with CEO Mati Staniszewski
Mati Staniszewski, Piotr, Jennifer
Co-founders Jacek (Marty) and Piotr launched Eleven Labs in early 2021 to pioneer the "vocal Turing test" by synthesizing AI that matches human emotion and intonation, a mission that propelled the remote-first startup from a two-person team to over 300 employees in 11 cities. The company operates under a flat, title-free hierarchy driven by "mini-founders" and high autonomy, allowing it to rapidly scale its proprietary research into multimodal products like Voice Design V3 and Studio 3.0. By integrating direct product feedback loops with raw audio training, Eleven Labs aims to establish voice as the primary computer interface that transcends language barriers and delivers genuine emotional connection.
- Y Combinator46 min
We're All Addicted To Claude Code
Industry analysis indicates a decisive shift toward Command Line Interfaces as the primary interaction layer for coding agents, with Anthropic's Cloud Code utilizing subagent models and OpenAI's Codex employing periodic compaction to manage context windows. Senior engineers are increasingly adopting a managerial role to direct autonomous workflows, while top-tier practitioners distinguish themselves by enforcing rigorous testing protocols and minimizing codebase noise to prevent model degradation. This evolution fosters a tension between rapid, bottom-up grassroots adoption driven by speed and enterprise-mandated top-down security controls, fundamentally reshaping software development structures toward smaller teams operating under vast agent armories.
- Goldman Sachs24 min
Inside the Future of Payments: Adyen CEO
Pieter van der Does, Clif Marriott, Cliff Marietta
Founded by the creators of iDeal, Adyen transitioned from a payment intermediary to a direct acquiring system, now processing $900 billion annually through a unified platform that combines online and in-store payments with AI-driven authorization optimization. The company distinguishes itself by rejecting acquisition-heavy growth in favor of a single technology stack and a disciplined culture that prioritizes collective success, allowing it to offer financial services like loans while excluding cryptocurrency due to client demand. Looking forward, Adyen aims to leverage its global infrastructure and banking licenses to bridge physical and digital shopper identities, anticipating a regulatory landscape that must adapt to the speed of artificial intelligence in fraud prevention.
How Anthropic’s $100M Anthology Fund Works | Menlo Ventures
Menlo Ventures emphasizes investing in founders with authentic long-term conviction and "cult leader" charisma rather than those chasing pre-existing venture capital theses. The firm targets specific opportunities in AI infrastructure, mechanistic interpretability for Goodfire, and industries facing labor shortages where AI solves immediate economic gaps. While noting that massive seed checks risk creating an illusion of success, the discussion highlights a strategic shift toward domain-specific data, economically viable applications, and product-led growth models that prioritize user love over buzzword compliance.
- a16z41 min
How Truemed Is Incentivizing Americans to Invest in Prevention
The speaker identifies a structural U.S. health crisis driven by decades of corporate governance prioritizing shareholder value, which led to the systemic replacement of whole foods with subsidized, inflammatory ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil. This deterioration is exacerbated by inadequate chemical regulation, aggressive ag-chemical lobbying, and a medical paradigm focused on acute disease management rather than preventive lifestyle interventions. As a countermeasure, the discussion highlights TrueMed's model of leveraging tax-advantaged funds for nutrition and fitness tools, while advocating for subsidy reform and metabolic psychiatry to shift the system toward human enhancement and long-term wellness.
- Milken Institute47 min
Future of Global Asset Platforms: Scaling, Strategy, & Stewardship | Middle East & Africa Summit
Nour Amache, Jonathan Goldstein, Dana Settle, David Steinbach, Guy Weldon
Representatives from Bridgepoint Group, Heinz, Greycraft, and Kean International discussed strategies for scaling multi-product platforms while maintaining cultural identity and operational agility in a consolidating market. The panelists highlighted how leveraging AI for data-driven sourcing, vertical integration for deal flow, and decentralized governance models allows firms to navigate structural shifts from beta to alpha generation. Key outcomes included predictions of rising demand for compute infrastructure, a pivot toward private wealth allocation, and the critical role of transparency in sustaining long-term investor relationships amidst macroeconomic uncertainty.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Poppi Founders: Disrupting the Beverage Industry
Stephen Ellsworth, Vanya Kasanof, Allison
Founders Allison and Steven transformed their apple cider vinegar discovery into Poppy, a modern soda brand that leveraged aggressive marketing tactics like a record-breaking Super Bowl campaign and strategic Amazon launches to bypass traditional industry barriers. Prioritizing long-term brand awareness and cultural agility over immediate sales metrics, the team executed rapid product iterations and viral content strategies that ultimately drove the company toward a two-year acquisition by Pepsi. This sale secured the distribution scale necessary to fulfill the founders' mission of revolutionizing soda consumption, successfully transitioning the brand from a niche startup to a mainstream competitor for the next generation.
- Goldman Sachs27 min
Implications of an “Americas First” Foreign Policy
Hal Brands, Mauricio Claver-Carone, Allison Nathan
The Trump administration has announced a 2026 foreign policy shift known as the "Donro Doctrine," which prioritizes direct resource control and territorial expansion in the Western Hemisphere over traditional diplomatic stability. This neo-mercantilist strategy targets specific outcomes including the strategic takeover of Venezuelan oil, the acquisition of Greenland, and the renegotiation of USMCA to favor U.S. equity over trade, while actively countering Chinese and Russian influence through military and economic coercion. Critics warn that this move toward hard power and border redrawing risks eroding the post-1945 international order, potentially triggering global instability and market volatility as U.S. forces intercept shadow fleets and intervene in regional sovereignty disputes.
- a16z36 min
Ben Horowitz and David Solomon: The Sweetest Macro Spot in 40 Years
Ben Horowitz, David Solomon, David Haber
Goldman Sachs is expanding its balance sheet to between $2.5 and $3.5 trillion by shifting to a stable deposit model, while simultaneously deploying $6 billion in technology to automate operations and drive efficiency. Concurrently, Andreessen Horowitz has solidified its position as the largest U.S. venture firm by capturing 18.3% of capital in 2025, leveraging AI to scale investments from 15 to 150 major successes annually. These strategies converge within a stimulative macroeconomic environment characterized by fiscal support and deregulation, which is expected to trigger record M&A activity and accelerate the public listings of AI-driven companies despite lingering geopolitical risks.
Why Sequoia Is Betting on AI That Beats Humans
Shaun Maguire, Molly O'Shea, Andrew Reed, Vlad Tenev, Palmer Luckey
Investor Andrew, acting alongside podcast host and math expert, backed Harmonic CEO Vlad Tenev based on his proven track record with Robinhood and the company's unique reinforcement learning strategy that leverages mathematical rigor and the Lean programming language. This approach allows Harmonic to achieve elite performance in math competitions at a fraction of the capital cost incurred by major AI competitors, while the broader discussion highlights a shift in the host's assessment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena odds and a prediction for a second industrial revolution in specialized AI applications. The event details how deep intellectual rigor and unconventional physics interpretations underpin both this specific investment thesis and the founders' broader vision for the future of computing.