Latest Interviews

Talks at GS - Dr. Richard Haass: “World Order 2.0”

Dr. Richard Haass

The event analyzes the escalating global disarray driven by the mismatch between rapid globalization and outdated Westphalian sovereignty, highlighting acute crises in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Speakers assess specific threats from Vladimir Putin's unconstrained foreign policy and China's nuclear ambitions while proposing a "World Order 2.0" framework where states accept obligations to prevent cross-border harm from activities within their territories. Strategic recommendations conclude that the United States must recalibrate its approach to avoid total disengagement in the Middle East while prioritizing the preservation of European stability against the rising chaos.

Talks at GS - Adena Friedman: The Future of FinTech

Adena Friedman

Nasdaq executive Dina Dubrow outlines how cloud infrastructure and machine intelligence are reshaping the equities exchange's technology landscape while blockchain promises to revolutionize settlement efficiency. The platform also launched the Nasdaq Private Market to facilitate liquidity for private companies navigating modern shareholder limits and extended lifecycles before potential public returns. Dubrow further emphasizes a leadership philosophy that balances strategic data with intuitive risk-taking, asserting that organizations and individuals must accept opportunities to learn and grow despite incomplete information.

10,000 Small Businesses UK Participants Share Experiences of Time on Programme

Launched in 2012, this intensive program guided struggling entrepreneurs through a rigorous diagnostic process that identified critical financial leaks and strategic pivots from B2B to B2C models. By pairing founders with growth experts and fostering a transparent cohort of vetted peers, participants transformed their ventures from loss-making entities into cash-positive businesses generating up to £1.5 million in revenue. The initiative delivered a transformative return on investment, enabling companies to hire strategically, secure major capital projects, and establish a lasting support network that continues to drive long-term operational efficiency.

Jeff Immelt: The Transformation to a Digital Industrial Company - Talks at GS

Jeff Immelt

Under Jeff Immelt's leadership, General Electric transformed from a centralized entity into a decentralized organization leveraging its $2 trillion installed asset base to drive the Industrial Internet strategy. Facing stagnant industrial productivity, the company now competes against tech giants by prioritizing data-driven solutions and balancing active listening with decisive action. This approach supports a globalization model focused on local market access rather than wage arbitrage, attracting top talent through a meritocratic culture that empowers young leaders to manage major engineering projects.

The Revitalization of Detroit - Talks at GS

Mike Duggan, Dan Gilbert, Carla Walker-Miller

Following Detroit's historic 2013 bankruptcy, Mayor Mike Duggan and corporate investor Dan Gilbert spearheaded a recovery strategy combining metrics-driven municipal improvements with aggressive private-sector revitalization that generated nearly 17,000 jobs and eliminated downtown office vacancies. Their public-private partnership executed a phased demolition of vacant properties and the "Rehab and Ready" program to stabilize neighborhoods, resulting in property value increases of up to 50% while transforming the economy from an automotive monoculture to a hybrid of corporate anchors and small businesses. Despite these economic gains, leaders like Carla Walker-Miller emphasize the ongoing challenge of fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure long-term residents benefit from the city's resurgence rather than facing displacement.

Marni Walden: From Mobile to Media - Transforming Telecom - Talks at GS

Marni Walden

Verizon Executive Vice President Marnie Walden is leading the company's strategic pivot from a connectivity provider to a media and content owner by integrating AOL and Yahoo assets to secure the audience scale necessary for digital advertising dominance. This transformation utilizes Fios, mobile networks, and 5G fixed wireless to deploy proprietary content bundles while expanding a telematics division that leverages automotive partnerships and enterprise fleet services. Driven by a management philosophy rooted in diverse leadership and market revitalization, the initiative aims to monetize network infrastructure directly rather than relying solely on traditional licensing models.

Josh Sapan: TV, Tech, and The Consumer - Talks at GS

Josh Sapan

AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan is pivoting the company away from a direct-to-consumer streaming model to leverage its vast library of original scripted dramas as high-value intellectual property. By producing over a dozen owned shows annually through AMC Studios, the network maximizes long-term revenue by licensing content to global streaming partners in 140 countries while relying on editorial judgment rather than data to maintain its distinct brand identity. Sapan asserts that this strategy of securing "killer writing" will ensure resilience against future technological shifts, citing enduring franchises like *The Walking Dead* as proof that character-driven storytelling transcends delivery platforms.

A Conversation with Chief Information Officer Marty Chavez

Marty Chavez

Marty Leverett details a 25-year career trajectory at Goldman Sachs that evolved from a serendipitous biochemistry degree to leading computational trading strategies by leveraging the firm's unique data assets and avoiding the separation of technology from markets. He analyzes how exponential growth in compute power and cloud infrastructure has transformed machine learning from an impractical theory into a vital tool for solving complex financial problems. Beyond his corporate achievements, the discussion highlights his commitment to philanthropy, specifically his leadership in the foundation plan to cure HIV/AIDS and his involvement in the High Line urban development project.

Alex Tapscott: The Blockchain Revolution - Talks at GS

Alex Tapscott, Tom

Blockchain technology is being promoted as a second-generation Internet infrastructure that replaces centralized intermediaries with a distributed ledger to securely transfer value and establish identity for billions of unbanked individuals. By utilizing Bitcoin as an incentive mechanism to validate transactions, the network currently secures assets ranging from financial instruments to land titles, addressing specific failures in countries like Honduras and Haiti where traditional record-keeping collapsed. While the technology offers a path to resolve systemic poverty and identity crises through immutable registries, industry observers warn that the coming 18 months are critical for shifting from speculative investment to practical, daily-life utility before market momentum evaporates.

Meet Ciiru An Inspiring Entrepreneur from Nairobi

Ciiru, Tiffany Dufu, Shiro Avera-Waidaka

Nairobi-based entrepreneur Shiro Avera-Waidaka founded the children's brand Fun Kids to replace Western-centric narratives with products reflecting local Kenyan culture while navigating export challenges to Uganda through a strategic network of female mentors. Her leadership journey, further accelerated by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program, leveraged cross-sector peer accountability and reciprocal business relationships to turn classmates into both suppliers and customers. This approach underscores her philosophy that effective leadership relies on collective vulnerability and self-belief to transform external obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Andrew Bolton: The Intersection of Fashion, Art And Technology - Talks at GS

Andrew Bolton

Following the Costume Institute's establishment as a self-funded department in 1959, the annual Met Gala organized by Anna Wintour has served as its critical financial engine, enabling major exhibitions like the *Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty* retrospective and the current *Manus Ex Machina* display. Curator Andrew Bolton utilizes these platforms to challenge historical barriers to fashion's recognition as art, highlighting the intersection of handmade and machine-made techniques while critiquing the industry's unsustainable, socially accelerated production cycles. Through a strategy that balances educational discourse with public appeal, the Institute aims to slow the fashion pace and foster deeper appreciation for design talent amidst the pressures of modern commercialization.

Bjarke Ingels: Transforming the Skyline: Talks at GS

Bjarke Ingels

Bjarke Ingels, founder of the award-winning BIG firm, discusses his methodology of transforming strict project constraints into generative forces for high-profile projects like the World Trade Center and the Vancouver tower. He further details his approach to the year's Serpentine Summer Pavilion, which utilizes simple materials like fiberglass and aluminum to create a "gigantic shelf" that elevates ordinary elements into an extraordinary form. By treating architectural limitations as variables in a consistent logic, Ingels demonstrates how his firm achieves functional necessity and added value across radically different scales and contexts.

The State of Small Business in America

Warren Buffett, Lloyd Blankfein, Michael Bloomberg, Jack Dorsey, Savannah Guthrie

Goldman Sachs, Square, and various business leaders convened to address the systemic financial and regulatory hurdles facing established small businesses, noting that traditional banking approves only 10% of capital requests while regulatory costs consume significant operational time. The program highlighted Square's success in approving over 98% of loan applicants through automated repayment models and emphasized a hiring philosophy prioritizing resilience and passion over elite credentials. Strategic insights from Jack Dorsey, Mayor Bloomberg, and Warren Buffett focused on reducing bureaucratic burdens, fostering open organizational cultures, and aiming to delight customers to drive sustainable growth.

Loyd Grossman - An American-British Gastronome on Global Food Trends: Talks at GS Session Highlights

Loyd Grossman, Lloyd

Television producer Lloyd Evans details the near-rejection of the *MasterChef* concept by a skeptical BBC executive and its subsequent success as a cornerstone of the UK's thirty-year food revolution. Evans analyzes current culinary trends, noting a shift from exclusive molecular gastronomy to the "one-item" restaurant model, foraging, and high-quality local produce, while offering a nuanced critique of the queuing culture that dominates trendy dining. Drawing on his career philosophy and observations of British identity, he argues that food remains an affordable alternative to travel and highlights the enduring appeal of accessible, high-quality dining experiences.

Christy Turlington Burns - Advancing Global Maternal Health: Talks at GS

Christy Turlington Burns

Established in 2010 by Christy Turlington-Burns following her own postpartum hemorrhage, the organization Every Mother Counts leverages the documentary *No Woman, No Cry* to address preventable maternal mortality driven by barriers in transportation, education, and medical supplies. While Turlington-Burns extends this advocacy to the United States through the CNN series *Giving Birth in America* to highlight domestic disparities in care access and Medicaid reimbursement, the initiative remains focused on a global statistic that 98% of maternal deaths are avoidable. Her approach combines personal experience with public health expertise to confront systemic failures in both developing nations and the U.S., where the country's maternal mortality ranking has notably declined despite high provider density.