Latest Interviews
Showing 5731–5745 of 6,111 interview transcripts.
- Milken Institute57 min
MIc'd Up | A Conversation With Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer, Michael Milken, Stephen Ballmer, Mike Milken
Former Microsoft CEO Stephen Ballmer leveraged his corporate success to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, where he now champions a dedicated arena and implements a player development program focused on life skills and emotional maturity. Concurrently, he and his wife founded the Ballmer Group to drive economic mobility through early childhood education initiatives and the data transparency project USA Facts, which aggregates government financial records to counteract declining social prospects. Drawing on his background as a first-generation American and tech executive, Ballmer argues that investing in pre-K yields superior long-term returns compared to later educational interventions while advocating for AI's potential to lift all societal boats despite short-term displacement concerns.
- Milken Institute1h 23m
Part 1: Conversation With David Petraeus | Part 2: Conversation With Steven Mnuchin
David Petraeus, Steven Mnuchin, Maria Bartiromo, Michael Milken, Tony Blair
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, General David Petraeus, and former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin convened to analyze the resurgent competition between authoritarian and liberal democratic systems shaping the 21st century. The panelists addressed critical geopolitical flashpoints including the strategic rivalry with China, the destabilizing role of Russia, and the potential for an Israel-Arab alliance to secure Middle East stability. Simultaneously, they discussed domestic economic priorities, ranging from the impacts of tax reform and trade negotiations to the necessity of robust governance in Africa and the Middle East to counter extremism and promote prosperity.
- Milken Institute28 min
A Conversation With U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling
Jeb Hensarling, Eric Kaplan, David Faber
House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling criticized the enduring conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, arguing that the current system concentrates $8 trillion in risk on taxpayers while stifling market discipline. To address these failures, he outlined the "DeMarco-Bright Plan," a legislative framework designed to shift mortgage guarantees to private entities, mandate minimum 5% down payments, and restructure the capital stack to protect public funds. Although Hensarling doubts passage in the current Congress, he urges Democrats to engage in reform negotiations to prevent a potential Trump administration from unilaterally dismantling the existing housing finance model.
- Milken Institute58 min
Checking In With Stephen Cloobeck
Stephen Cloobeck, Jared Carney
In his book *Checking In*, hospitality executive Dan Klubeck outlines a management philosophy centered on extreme employee protection, reciprocal trust, and the view that dyslexia serves as an entrepreneurial asset. The narrative details his aggressive crisis management during the 2008 financial downturn, where he secured company survival through strict cash-based operations, personal salary cuts, and the strategic acquisition of distressed competitors. Beyond business operations, Klubeck leverages public stunts from his *Undercover Boss* appearances and political advocacy to demonstrate that reputation and human connection ultimately drive sustainable growth more effectively than traditional branding or technology.
- Milken Institute58 min
The Future of Higher Education
Jeffrey Selingo, Bill Achtmeyer, Rafael Bras, Mitch Daniels, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Candace Thille
Facing record tuition discount rates and a growing skills gap where 89% of employers find graduates unprepared, higher education is pivoting from a traditional four-year degree model to a "100-year lifetime" framework of recurrent, skills-based learning. Leaders at institutions like Georgia Tech and Purdue, notably Mitch Daniels, are driving this transformation through aggressive online expansion, AI integration, and financial innovations like Income Share Agreements to ensure affordability and relevance. As smaller schools face potential closure, the sector is consolidating around agile, market-driven models that treat credentials as dynamic data sets of verified competencies rather than static diplomas.
- Milken Institute55 min
A Conversation With "Crazy Rich Asians" Author Kevin Kwan
Kevin Kwan, Curtis S. Chin, Rich Green, Maria Amor, Ram, Josh Barrow, LC, Helena, JD Gladden, Amanda Bressler, Susan Lee, Jim Quick, David Sangali
Kevin Kwan, recently named to Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list for his *Crazy Rich Asians* trilogy, discusses the creation of his first novel and its adaptation into the first Hollywood studio film in 26 years to feature an all-Asian cast. Produced with a team committed to authentic details and shot entirely in Singapore and Malaysia, the film faced casting resistance before securing a release that highlighted the economic rise of Asia and complex family dynamics across three continents. Kwan and his agents leveraged the project's commercial success to advocate for future Asian-led storytelling, aiming to dismantle Hollywood exclusion and inspire a new generation of diverse creators through upcoming television initiatives and expanded global narratives.
- Milken Institute1h 7m
De-Risking Emerging Markets Investments
Aron Betru, Jeremy Carter, Michael Eckhart, Keiko Honda, Catherine McCarthy, Jukka Pihlman, Kate McCarthy, Mike Eckhart, David Rockefeller Jr., Kate Ballard, David Freeman, Anne-Marie Slainmann, Cathy O, Jeremy Walker, Michael L, David Batts, Jeremy Standiffer, Rodney Ferguson, Aryeh Green, Ambassador Kobi Krimson
Despite a $2.5 trillion annual funding gap for the Sustainable Development Goals, global financial institutions are constrained by Basel III capital reserves and regulatory misalignments that penalize local currency lending and partial guarantees. Multilaterals like MIGA are increasingly deploying political risk insurance to catalyze private capital, yet structural inefficiencies in credit enhancement and a scarcity of bankable projects continue to hinder the flow of the $250 trillion available in global markets. Industry leaders are now pushing for streamlined credit enhancement mechanisms and regulatory reforms to convert public guarantees into effective tools that address the actual, rather than perceived, risks in emerging markets.
- Goldman Sachs26 min
Episode 87: The Rate Stuff: What Markets Are Saying About the Macro Outlook
Francesco Garzarelli, Jake Seward
Goldman Sachs Research analysts attribute current equity and bond volatility to a market repricing of U.S. growth following fiscal stimulus, while forecasting four Federal Reserve rate hikes in 2018 that align with a terminal rate near 3%. The firm contends that a synchronized global bond bear market is unlikely until late 2018 or 2019, noting that divergent central bank cycles currently limit systemic risk despite rising term premiums in Europe and Japan. To capitalize on expected market complacency regarding inflation, the strategy advocates maintaining exposure to risky assets while exploiting volatility premiums through steeper yield curves.
- Y Combinator1h 14m
Scott Aaronson on Computational Complexity Theory and Quantum Computers
Scott Aronson clarifies that quantum computing relies on choreographing destructive interference patterns to amplify correct solutions rather than simply testing all possibilities simultaneously, a capability that has shifted the field from theoretical impossibility to a rigorous engineering challenge requiring fault tolerance. He identifies the generation of untrusted random bits as a near-term application for 50–70 qubit devices and introduces shadow tomography, a technique merging differential privacy with quantum mechanics to estimate state properties efficiently. Furthermore, Aronson contextualizes these technical advances within broader computational limits regarding the P vs. NP problem, the holographic nature of spacetime, and the urgent need to align artificial intelligence with human values before addressing existential risks.
- The Economist38 min
James Comey on emails, the "American giant" and the end of Donald Trump
James Comey, Donald Trump, Anne McElvoy
Former FBI Director James Comey articulates his judgment that President Trump is morally unfit for office while asserting the FBI remains a rock-solid, unpoliticized institution despite intense scrutiny. He reflects on the contentious October 28 decision regarding the Clinton email investigation and expresses skepticism about the North Korean denuclearization deal, maintaining high confidence that the Mueller probe will uncover criminal facts regardless of political fallout. Looking ahead to his public policy course at the College of William & Mary, Comey emphasizes that ethical leadership is defined by rigorous truth-seeking processes rather than outcomes, arguing that American democratic values may ultimately strengthen through a necessary national reassessment.
- Goldman Sachs32 min
Talks at GS: Malcolm Gladwell on the Art of Storytelling – From Print to Podcasts
In this wide-ranging discussion, Malcolm Gladwell explains how the immersive nature of podcasting enabled him to transition from print journalism to the non-fiction series *Revisionist History*, where he explores counterproductive outcomes by well-intentioned people. He details specific investigations into the University of Pennsylvania football scandal, the economic paradox of private country clubs, and the NIH's innovative response to the AIDS epidemic while defending the ad-supported audio model. Finally, Gladwell outlines the central thesis of his upcoming book *Talking to Strangers*, which examines the "default to truth" bias through the lens of the Madoff scandal and discusses his personal views on academic research and standardized testing.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Deborah Jackson and Davida Herzl: Advancing the Future of Women Entrepreneurs
Deborah Jackson, Davida Herzl, Stephanie Cohen
Plum Alley Investments, founded by Deborah Jackson, targets Series A female-founded technology companies like Davida Herzl's Aclima by providing capital and strategic support to address the systemic capital gap for women in hard tech. This venture capital firm prioritizes ventures with validated products and societal impact, operating with an investment thesis that diverse leadership correlates with superior financial returns and global innovation. Through an active partnership model where members commit $1.5 million or more annually, Plum Alley aims to establish a replicable template proving that women-led investing and companies can achieve both massive market impact and exceptional profitability.
- Y Combinator26 min
Announcing Work at a Startup
Jared Friedman, Matt Long, Craig Cannon
Scheduled for July, the Work at a Startup conference reunites Y Combinator partners Justin Kahn and Sam Altman with over 80% of the accelerator's hiring companies for a scaled event featuring 35 pitches across software, robotics, and deep tech. Attendees will engage directly with startups ranging from unicorns like Instacart to early-stage hardware firms offering roles in AI, DevOps, and co-founder positions, while also viewing live hardware demonstrations from entities such as Starsky Robotics. The gathering addresses critical market trends including remote work expansion, equity transparency, and the shifting definition of startup engineering to counter traditional compensation gaps.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
Dan Abrams: Trial in American Life: Cases That Have Shaped the Nation
Dan Abrams, founder of Abrams Media and Chief Legal Anchor for ABC News, leverages his background in constitutional law and trial coverage to advocate for televised proceedings while producing complex legal analysis for public consumption. His work spans the creation of "Law and Crime," the co-authorship of *Lincoln's Last Trial*, and the production of the high-rating show *Live PD*, all designed to clarify legal systems through immersive storytelling and historical context. By prioritizing accessible "airport questions" over technical jargon, Abrams aims to improve public understanding of justice while countering the perceived risks of media influence on courtroom integrity.
- Goldman Sachs45 min
Paul Tudor Jones: Investing in a More “JUST” World
Paul Tudor Jones, Lloyd Blankfein
Hedge fund legend Henry Jones, following his 1980 founding of Tudor Investment Corp, warns of impending market corrections driven by derivative structures, negative real interest rates, and unsustainable fiscal policies that mimic the 1987 crash. Leveraging his insights on economic volatility, Jones has shifted his focus to social impact by launching the Robin Hood Foundation and co-founding Just Capital to redefine corporate success through public-prioritized metrics like employee treatment and customer care. His research demonstrates that companies adhering to these "just" principles outperform traditional benchmarks while simultaneously addressing wealth inequality and poverty, proving that ethical practices can generate superior financial alpha.