Latest Interviews
Showing 436–450 of 607 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs27 min
The Short and Long of Recent Volatility
Allison Nathan, Arthur Levitt, Owen Lamont, Kevin Kelly
In late January 2021, a convergence of retail coordination and stretched hedge fund short positions triggered a volatile "flash mob" short squeeze that erased 5.9% of long-short fund assets despite negligible leverage pressures. While Goldman Sachs and Wellington Management experts attributed the crisis to a crowdsourced gamma squeeze and sentiment-driven pricing, the event highlighted emerging market fragility where prices increasingly divorced from fundamental value. Regulators and industry leaders subsequently emphasized the need for greater transparency in broker incentives and investor education to mitigate future episodes of extreme volatility and liquidity disconnection.
- Goldman Sachs26 min
How Healthcare CIOs Are Investing Capital Through a Public Health Crisis
Paget MacColl, Stefan Strein, Jake Seward
Recorded on February 16, 2021, Goldman Sachs Asset Management's Paget McCall and Cleveland Clinic CIO Stefan Strein discussed how non-profit health systems navigated 2020 pandemic volatility through strategic liquidity management and accelerated AI adoption. The dialogue highlighted the clinic's $100 billion investment portfolio, which supported global expansion and $1.16 billion in community benefit spending while shifting toward lower-return expectations and enhanced ESG integration. Participants emphasized the critical role of cognitive diversity and specialized technology deployment in sustaining mission-driven outcomes amidst near-zero interest rates and operational uncertainty.
- The Economist14 min
Iran v America: what's behind the feud?
Spanning from the 1953 Anglo-American coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the US-Iran rivalry has been defined by decades of proxy wars, the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq conflict, and a 444-day hostage crisis. While the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action briefly limited Tehran's nuclear program under the Obama administration, the 2018 US withdrawal by President Donald Trump reignited tensions and accelerated Iran's enrichment capabilities despite economic sanctions. Current diplomatic efforts by President Biden to restore the deal face significant obstacles due to Iran's hardline political shift and deep-seated historical grievances that hinder regional rapprochement.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Digital Transformation and the Future of Software
A February 2021 analysis of digital transformation trends reveals that corporate IT buyers are accelerating spending, reallocating approximately 15% of budgets toward cloud adoption and security while shifting strategic vendor relationships to leaders like Microsoft and ServiceNow. Despite the software sector achieving a 90% gain in 2020 that rivals dot-com era valuations, investors are increasingly adopting a barbell strategy that favors high-growth technology stocks and value assets over mid-range equities. The discussion highlights that while immediate remote work tools dominate headlines, fundamental digital infrastructure and undervalued artificial intelligence capabilities represent the most attractive long-term opportunities as the market navigates a projected sevenfold expansion in cloud substitution.
- Goldman Sachs13 min
Big, Bold, Strategic Moves: The 2021 M&A Outlook
Stephan Feldgoise, Mark Sorrell, Jake Seward, Stefan Feldgeus
Following a pandemic-induced dip, the M&A market achieved a record $1.8 trillion in second-half 2020 deal value, a rebound driven by vaccine optimism and robust capital availability that propelled activity to double pre-pandemic levels by early 2021. Goldman Sachs facilitated over 100 of these transactions through a predominantly virtual execution model, which clients now favor for efficiency while major cross-border and large-ticket deals exceeding $10 billion resume traditional global patterns. The 2021 outlook predicts aggressive strategic repositioning fueled by abundant private equity dry powder, innovative financing structures, and a heightened appetite for hostile approaches as boards prioritize growth over caution.
- The Economist10 min
The minimum wage: does it hurt workers?
While standard economic theory predicts that minimum wage hikes cause unemployment, a paradigm shift initiated by Card and Kruger's 1992 study revealed that employer monopsony power often allows wages to rise without significant job losses. This empirical evidence has driven global policy adoption and created a complex patchwork of local regulations, as seen in conflicting Seattle studies regarding hours versus earnings. Currently, President Joe Biden's proposed federal $15 wage floor represents an unprecedented national experiment that economists await to resolve whether the scale of this increase poses a risk to employment or serves as a necessary economic lift.
- Goldman Sachs24 min
Special Episode: The Rise of Retail Investing and Its Impact Across Market Participants
Raj Mahajan, John Marshall, Lizzie Reed, Greg Tuorto, Jake Seward
In early February 2021, a record-breaking surge in retail trading volume reached 24 billion shares as stimulus checks and zero-commission platforms drove participation to 25% of U.S. equity value. This shift toward speculative single-name stocks and options created significant volatility, forcing hedge funds to confront unprecedented short squeezes while compelling institutional investors to adapt risk models to account for coordinated retail activity. Despite these structural challenges, the heightened demand supported a historic $129 billion in global equity issuance, with Goldman Sachs projecting that retail sentiment will remain a critical determinant for future market performance and corporate capital raising.
- Lex Fridman8 min
Training for David Goggins - 4x4x48 Challenge | Lex Fridman
On March 5th at 8:00 PM Pacific Time, the speaker and David Goggins will jointly attempt the grueling "4x4x48" challenge, which requires running 48 miles over a 48-hour period by completing four miles every four hours in an unsupervised desert setting. Both athletes are following a strict six-day-per-week training protocol emphasizing daily ritual and clean nutrition, with Goggins broadcasting the event's progress via Instagram Live at the start of each leg. The public is invited to replicate the effort by performing 40 to 60 minutes of exercise every four hours and sharing their progress on social media, aiming to inspire broader physical engagement and self-discovery.
- Goldman Sachs12 min
France’s Economic Environment for 2021
Recorded in January 2021, this discussion with Goldman Sachs executives forecasts a French GDP contraction of 8.5% to 9.2% for 2021, projecting a return to 2019 levels by 2022 contingent on pandemic management and supported by $130 billion in state-guaranteed loans. The dialogue details sector-specific resilience, noting that small businesses and the tech industry secured significant government aid while corporate M&A activity rose 8% despite lingering challenges in travel and hospitality. Additionally, the event highlights Goldman Sachs's strategic expansion in Paris, including a headcount doubling and a new office relocation in 2022 to serve as a hub for continental European clients and emerging IPO markets.
- The Economist21 min
How can business survive climate change?
Lisa McKellie, Dan Petroski, Rich Sorkin, Gavin Schmidt, Chidiote Obihara, Nicolette Bartlett, Christopher Vanden Riche, Guy Scriven
Corporate leaders face escalating physical risks and mandatory litigation as climate change drives trillion-dollar asset threats while regulators shift from voluntary to enforced emissions reductions. Major enterprises like Microsoft, Amazon, and Ørsted are responding with accelerated decarbonization strategies and supply chain transparency to secure market value and avoid financial obsolescence. Experts warn that failing to adopt green technologies and disclose carbon footprints now will result in stranded assets and catastrophic economic loss as the window for effective adaptation rapidly closes.
- Goldman Sachs19 min
Companies Continue to Turn to SPACs for Greater Flexibility
The 2020 SPAC market surged to over 200 IPOs raising $100 billion, driven by flexible terms and a broadening investor base that included traditional mutual funds. Following a temporary correction caused by supply fatigue in late 2020, the sector stabilized by December with 10 to 15 successful combinations, signaling renewed momentum for 2021. Looking forward, the industry is expanding into global markets and sectors like PropTech and auto tech, with Goldman Sachs noting 80 active SPACs poised to facilitate an additional $500 billion in M&A activity over the next two years.
- a16z8 min
The New Tech Stack for Virtual-First Care
The digital health sector is undergoing a transformative shift from isolated startup solutions to full-stack virtual clinics that leverage AI and modern technology to lower costs and improve care scale. While early growth was marked by redundant development of proprietary technology stacks, the market is now reaching a tipping point where demand supports dedicated infrastructure providers to abstract common clinical, administrative, and operational layers. Industry consolidation is anticipated as successful players evolve into risk-bearing, multi-stakeholder platforms that integrate digital and physical services to create network effects and eventually displace legacy fee-for-service models.
- Goldman Sachs24 min
Markets Update: 2021 Global Growth Outlook
Jan Hatzius, Jake Seward, Joe Wall
Goldman Sachs Chief Economist Jan Hatzias projects a 6.4% U.S. GDP growth for 2021, driven by a projected $750 billion stimulus package and a spring recovery accelerated by vaccinations. Global forecasts anticipate a robust 5-6% rebound in Europe and slightly below 8% growth in China, while central banks maintain a dovish stance with no interest rate hikes expected until 2024 or 2025. The analysis concludes that the crisis highlighted the efficacy of aggressive fiscal intervention and the adaptability of market economies despite persistent structural shifts in employment and productivity.
- All-In Podcast1h 23m
E16: Reflecting on the riots at the US Capitol, plus: Georgia runoffs, vaccine distribution & more
David Sacks, Friedberg, Gavin Newsom, Kim Kardashian, Chamath Palihapitiya
A panel of political and economic analysts collectively blames Donald Trump for inciting the Capitol storming through his dissemination of election falsehoods, while debating the strategic merits of his legal prosecution versus bipartisan reconciliation. The discussion further examines the Republican Party's realignment following the Georgia runoffs, the urgent need to restructure the vaccine rollout using military-style centralization, and the societal dangers posed by activist district attorneys and escalating tribalism. Ultimately, the hosts predict a period of initial stability in 2021 before potential chaos, suggesting that Joe Biden's centric leadership may help de-escalate partisan warfare while Trump's political influence diminishes.
- Lex Fridman54 min
Lex Fridman plays The Stanley Parable
This video documents an in-depth playthrough of *The Stanley Parable* that uses the game's branching narrative to explore the philosophical conflict between free will and determinism. By navigating paths such as the infinite loop office and the mind control facility, the player and narrator expose how the game's code simulates the illusion of agency while ultimately reinforcing a theme of entrapment. The presentation concludes with developer insights on cut endings and a meta-commentary confirming that every interaction, including the final pause, is a predetermined script, leaving the protagonist in a state of existential stalemate.