Latest Interviews
Showing 541–555 of 3,131 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist7 min
Why doesn’t the UK become closer to the EU?
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr
Analysts predict Prime Minister Starmer will gradually pivot to a pro-EU stance by 2028–2029, driven by strong public support for closer ties that has outlasted the domestic political trauma of Brexit. Concurrently, the government has successfully reduced net migration to approximately 200,000 annually through stricter visa rules, though rising asylum claims continue to fuel a public perception of failing border control. This stabilization of migration figures may enable a political shift toward accepting free movement with the EU within three years, provided internal European instability does not undermine cooperation.
- Goldman Sachs10 min
Why the Dollar Could Drop
Goldman Sachs analysts project a 5% to 10% depreciation of the U.S. dollar in the first half of next year driven by shifting fiscal concerns and the resumption of economic data releases. Market expectations for an immediate Federal Reserve rate cut and the upcoming announcement of the Trump administration's Fed Chair nominee are anticipated to accelerate a rebalancing of global allocations away from hard dollar assets. Consequently, trading strategies are increasingly favoring high-yielding emerging market currencies in Brazil and Mexico over developed market alternatives, while betting on long-term Chinese currency appreciation amid historically low volatility.
Inside General Catalyst’s $1.5B AI Roll-Up Machine
General Catalyst has evolved into an operating company deploying a $1.5 billion "Creation" strategy to incubate and acquire applied AI ventures across 70 service industries. By executing an "AI-enabled roll-up" model that automates 30–50% of repetitive tasks, the firm targets doubling EBITDA margins in fragmented markets while building "AI-native compounders" with a 7–10 year hold horizon. This approach distinguishes itself from traditional private equity by prioritizing operational transformation and founder retention, with the firm currently winning eight of nine acquisition targets to establish a dominant position in the sector.
- Goldman Sachs30 min
From Assets to Alpha: David Kostin on US Equities
Goldman Sachs Chief U.S. Equity Strategist David Koston forecasts a 20%+ return for U.S. stocks in 2026 based on economic stability and earnings growth, while distinguishing between the fundamentally grounded public AI market and a potentially bubble-ridden private sector driven by reflexive capital inflows. Despite projecting long-term annualized returns of 6.5% over the next decade, Koston identifies immediate opportunities in undervalued healthcare, stable middle-income consumer sectors, and AI-driven revenue generators as institutional funds struggle to outperform benchmarks. As Koston transitions from the Chief U.S. Equity Strategist role to an Advisory Director position in 2026, his successor Ben Snyder will inherit a market characterized by high concentration risk and shifting investor behavior from asset accumulation to alpha generation.
- Goldman Sachs27 min
Managing the World’s Largest Publicly Traded Hedge Fund: Man Group CEO Robyn Grew
Under CEO Robin Grew, Man Group has scaled its assets under management to $193 billion by leveraging a three-generation AI evolution that augments human judgment with agentic systems while strictly enforcing cultural alignment in acquisitions. The firm simultaneously decouples operational scale from staffing costs to expand into credit strategies and US wealth markets, targeting long-term legacy talent rather than offering industry-standard upfront payouts. Looking ahead, Grew anticipates opportunities in resurging credit and bifurcated global economies, positioning the firm's work as essential financial security for healthcare, education, and retirement stability.
- Y Combinator44 min
How Amplitude Went From Skeptics to “All In” on AI
Amplitude initiated a strategic pivot to AI-native development in late 2024 following the acquisition of Command AI and the hiring of Wade Chambers, aiming to replace traditional SaaS workflows with a "technology-first" product philosophy. The company has already launched AI feedback and visibility tools while preparing a global chat interface for January 2025 that Spencer Skates predicts will reinvent the analytics industry by becoming a "Cursor for Analytics." This transformation involved restructuring leadership to prioritize AI-native thinking and retaining key talent through a commitment to fund future ventures, positioning Amplitude to capitalize on legacy competitors' slowness in the emerging market.
- a16z51 min
Why AI Moats Still Matter (And How They've Changed)
David Haber, Alex Rampell, Erik Torenberg, Steve Jobs, Drew Houston, Dan Rose
The event analyzes a fundamental shift in software economics where AI enables labor replacement, forcing a transition from per-seat to outcome-based pricing models to capture value from tasks previously too expensive for human staff. While AI features offer differentiation, sustainable defensibility now relies on owning end-to-end workflows and achieving the massive data scale required for network effects rather than relying on technology alone. Consequently, the market faces a prediction of significant consolidation among competitors, while successful founders must balance technical agility with deep industry context to build resilient moats against incumbent adaptation.
- Goldman Sachs23 min
The Future of Global Travel: Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun
Under the leadership of CEO Jane Sun, Trip.com Group has expanded from a domestic flight and hotel provider into a global platform generating over $40 billion in market capitalization with international revenue now comprising 40% of the total. During the pandemic, the company executed a massive crisis response involving $20 billion in borrowings and significant executive salary reductions to ensure immediate customer refunds and sustain its supply chain ecosystem. Looking forward, Trip.com is driving growth through aggressive AI integration, a "one-stop shopping" service model, and strategic initiatives targeting events, the senior demographic, and emerging markets to capture long-tail travel demand.
- a16z57 min
The $700 Billion AI Productivity Problem No One's Talking About
Laridon addresses the critical gap in AI productivity measurement by combining proprietary behavioral data with traditional surveys to replace unreliable self-reporting and prevent system gaming. The speaker argues that enterprise success hinges on shifting budget focus from mere adoption to verified value realization, utilizing metrics like interdepartmental responsiveness to scale tool usage without triggering shadow IT or employee anxiety. This approach aims to establish governance infrastructure within an 18-month window, ensuring organizations can differentiate genuine ROI from hype to maintain competitive advantage in the labor market.
- The Economist9 min
What we know about the Ukraine peace plan
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Olly, Ed, Shashank, Zannie, Chris
Emerging from Geneva talks, a draft treaty to partition Ukraine has evolved from a 28-point plan to an 18-point document featuring relaxed military caps and the potential removal of constitutional bans on NATO membership. While special representative Steve Witkoff allegedly advised Russian negotiators on pressure tactics and leaked communications cast suspicion on the security of the process, key disputes remain regarding the status of Donbass, the enforceability of vague US security guarantees, and the exclusion of European military forces. Analysts warn that despite the removal of restrictive weapon bans, the proposed framework relies on unenforceable terms and creates a strategic vacuum for Ukraine's post-war defense.
- All-In Podcast1h 0m
Live Poker Match!: The Besties Vs. Phil Hellmuth, Alan Keating, and Jason Koon
Phil Hellmuth, Alan Keating, Jason Koon, Chamath, Friedberg, Molly Bloom
Hosted at The Venetian in Las Vegas, the inaugural "All-In Bestie Invitational Tournament" featured high-stakes professionals Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Kuhn, and Phil Hellmuth competing in a chaotic, five-minute turbo format. Alan Keating dominated the rapid blind structures to eliminate Hellmuth first and secure victory in the high-variance event. The gathering also served as a catalyst for industry reform discussions, with participants advocating for experience-based poker models and honoring legends like Stu Ungar while socializing with guests such as Molly Bloom.
What Travis Kalanick Taught Bradley Tusk, & Why He Closed His VC Fund
Travis Kalanick, Bradley Tusk, Molly O'Shea, Lance
Bradley Tusk projects $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in AI infrastructure investment driven by valuation narratives rather than fundamentals, warning that breakthroughs in inference efficiency could render this capital expenditure unnecessary for debt-laden companies. Transitioning his firm to an equity-for-services model, Tusk argues that political expertise is now more critical for startups than capital, while simultaneously predicting that without income redistribution, AI-driven job displacement will trigger a decade of economic instability before unlocking long-term prosperity. Beyond these macroeconomic shifts, Tusk contrasts a "zero-sum" political trajectory with an "abundance" mindset, using his defense of Travis Kalanick's growth-centric strategy as a case study for mobilizing user bases as political advocates against entrenched incumbents.
- Y Combinator40 min
The Best Consumer Startup Ideas Were Impossible Until Now
Michael Mignano, Garry, Mike Mignano, Gary
Lightspeed Ventures partner Mike Mignano argues that while AI is reshaping consumer investment through personalized content models and new distribution channels, the ultimate competitive moat remains human "taste" and craft over replicable features. He illustrates this thesis through case studies of Anchor's manual growth hacks, Suno's evolution from novelty to essential utility, and his own ventures like Oboe Labs, which leverage AI to create personalized learning experiences. Mignano concludes that successful founders must target overlooked data surfaces and aggressively iterate on product-market fit to navigate an era where AI can rebuild entire industry stacks.
- a16z53 min
How OpenAI Builds for 800 Million Weekly Users: Model Specialization and Fine-Tuning
OpenAI executives detail a dual strategy balancing a direct-to-consumer ChatGPT application targeting 800 million weekly users with a robust API platform that leverages specialized model proliferation and reinforcement fine-tuning to drive developer retention. The company's engineering leadership emphasizes that high-performance inference barriers and a "rising tide" open-source approach protect revenue while new agent tools and context engineering capabilities address complex procedural automation needs. This comprehensive ecosystem, supported by usage-based pricing models and strategic acquisitions like Rockset, aims to expand the total AI market by integrating proprietary data utilization across both consumer and enterprise interfaces.
- Goldman Sachs18 min
Across America with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
Jill Bomarito, Bill Michaels, Jenny Steffensmeyer
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program functions as a strategic "mini MBA" that equips entrepreneurs like Jill Bomarito, Bill Michaels, and Jenny Steffensmeyer with the framework to transition from daily operations to high-level business management. Through this initiative, case study participants achieved significant scale by addressing critical gaps in cash flow, marketing, and leadership, resulting in sales growth ranging from 20% to tenfold and facilitating shifts from local to international markets. Beyond individual financial gains, the curriculum fosters a supportive peer network that empowers graduates to advocate for small business policy changes and secure their enterprises' long-term succession planning.