Latest Interviews

Global transit & trade: in rough waters

Admiral James Stavridis, Tobias Meyer, Alison Nathan, James Stavridis

Admiral James Stavridis warns that maritime risks have reached unprecedented levels due to great power competition, state-sponsored terrorism, and vulnerabilities in undersea internet infrastructure, while Tobias Mayer analyzes supply chain shifts driven by regulatory complexity rather than physical disruptions. Despite Houthi attacks in the Red Sea causing a 10–20% rise in logistics costs, the global shipping fleet remains resilient enough to absorb reroutes without systemic failure as companies adopt omnishoring strategies to diversify assembly locations. Ultimately, the convergence of these geopolitical tensions and evolving trade patterns suggests a future where security coalitions must balance military deterrence against China and Russia while adapting commercial networks to manage increased operational costs and regulatory fragmentation.

How AI is generating a revolution in entertainment

Alfie, Ankit, Tobias, Harry Yeff, Marcus Hutton, Tom Wainwright

The event details how artificial intelligence is reshaping the music, film, and entertainment industries through data-driven discovery, generative creation tools, and predictive analytics like Cinelytic. While these technologies promise trillions in economic growth and lower barriers for under-resourced creators, they simultaneously spark significant labor disputes over job displacement and intense legal battles regarding copyright and consent. Stakeholders remain divided on whether these advancements will ultimately enrich human creativity or lead to a market flooded with derivative content.

Why the baby business is booming

Jessica, David Smotrich, Nima, Hamish, Alan White, Nick, Emma, Catherine Wade, Mian Ridge

Valued at over $14 billion with projections reaching $130 billion, the global surrogacy industry is rapidly expanding due to rising infertility rates and restrictive laws in home countries that drive demand toward unregulated hubs. While the United States and Ukraine have historically served as major centers, tightening regulations in Asia and safety crises in Africa have forced a geographic shift that exposes gestational surrogates to severe exploitation and high maternal mortality. Experts now advocate for comprehensive international legal frameworks to replace bans with regulated standards, ensuring protections for children, intended parents, and surrogate workers across a market spanning costs from $30,000 to $200,000.

Who is Elon Musk and what drives him?

Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Jack Ma, Tom Standage

Elon Musk transformed his $180 million PayPal exit into dominant market positions for Tesla, which accelerated the global electric vehicle transition, and SpaceX, which now supplies the majority of global launch capacity. His 2022 $44 billion acquisition of X involved mass layoffs and controversial moderation policies that have sparked geopolitical conflict-of-interest debates regarding his influence on international relations. While critics question the risks posed by his unpredictable leadership style, Musk remains the sole operator of X and the driving force behind his companies' ambitious goals to address existential threats.

The biggest bank heist in history (and why you've never heard of it)

Nicolas Pelham, Hussein Kanbar Agha, Jonathan Beckman, Mustafa Kadhimi, Mohammad Soudani, Thea Jahar-Lafda

In August 2022, a systematic theft of $2.5 billion from the Iraqi General Commission for Taxes was exposed, with the central plotter Noor Zahair bypassing official controls to distribute funds to five shell companies. Although Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi's administration initially arrested Zahair as part of a political maneuver against the pro-Iranian Fatah Alliance, the subsequent government collapse led to Zahair's release and the issuance of arrest warrants for the investigators. The operation exemplifies a broader pattern of grand corruption where the majority of the stolen cash remains missing and is allegedly reinvested into Baghdad's construction boom while key figures evade lasting legal consequences.

The future of war

Tom Standage, Jennifer McArdle

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has established a new warfare paradigm where 20th-century trench dynamics merge with 21st-century drone consumption and Starlink-enabled kill chains to prioritize sensor-to-shooter speed over traditional force concentration. Concurrently, global powers like China and the United States are accelerating artificial intelligence integration and autonomous system deployment, though significant ethical debates persist regarding lethal decision-making authority amidst a projected future of unmanned overhuman dominance. While these technological shifts promise to revolutionize tactical efficiency through cyber warfare and data analytics, experts warn that the fundamental human costs of war remain severe, with complex machinery requiring human operators to sustain logistics and mitigate the psychological trauma of high casualty rates.

Mia Khalifa Opens Up About The Dark Side Of The Adult Entertainment Industry | E248

Mia Khalifa, Steven, Sarah Joe Chamoun

Former adult film star Sarah Jo discusses her transition from a predatory entry into the industry at age 16 to becoming a business owner and author with over 50 million followers. Drawing on her struggles with colorism, depression, and non-consensual content retention, she advocates for legal reforms regarding "in perpetuity" contracts and details the therapeutic journey that enabled her to launch her jewelry brand, Shaitan. Jo further promotes her upcoming book, *The Diary of a CEO*, while warning of future threats to bodily autonomy posed by AI deepfakes and offering her philosophy on achieving happiness through solitude and self-acceptance.

Energy crisis: what can 1973 teach us?

Christian Onda, Vijay Vaitheeswaran

The event analyzes the parallels between Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the 1973 oil crisis, highlighting how Western dependence on single suppliers has triggered a severe global energy shortage and humanitarian disparities. It details how current strategies, such as aggressive LNG procurement and coal expansion, are pricing out developing nations and risking long-term climate goals while failing to replicate the US model of self-sufficiency. Experts conclude that without diversifying suppliers and accelerating decarbonization, Europe faces imminent threats of mass casualties and economic instability during the upcoming winter.

M&A in 2023: A complex but optimistic outlook for deal-making

Stephan Feldgoise, Mark Sorrell, Alison Nathan, Stefan Felgoys

The 2022 M&A market experienced a sharp downturn in the second half driven by rising interest rates and geopolitical uncertainty, which caused private equity activity to slow while strategic deals and mega-transactions remained resilient due to strong balance sheets. As valuation gaps widened between public and private sectors, boards shifted their focus from growth multiples to cost of capital, prompting a surge in structured transactions and increased activism targeting operational improvements. Looking toward 2023, Goldman Sachs projects a recovery fueled by record private capital liquidity and attractive valuations, provided financing markets stabilize enough to allow debt syndication without prolonged deal delays.

Iran protests: can they topple the regime?

A youth-led Iranian protest movement, driven by demonstrators as young as fifteen, has escalated to include acts like public headscarf burning and has endured longer than any previous unrest in the Islamic Republic's history. While the absence of a single leader has prevented the regime from decapitating the movement, analysts argue that establishing a unified coalition and coherent message remains critical for long-term success. The trajectory of the uprising now hinges on whether the loyal security apparatus will eventually defect, as external powers currently prioritize nuclear deals over strategic planning for a potential post-regime transition.

Brazil elections: the enduring threat of Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro, Sarah Maslin

Jair Bolsonaro defied pre-election expectations in Brazil by securing a decisive lead in the presidential race, driven by a mobilized base of evangelical Christians, gun owners, and agribusiness farmers. His administration has significantly relaxed environmental and gun control regulations, consolidating legislative power through a coalition that holds half the lower house while systematically delegitimizing judicial and media institutions. Future stability remains precarious as analysts warn that a potential loss of the election could trigger political violence among armed supporters, mirroring tactics previously seen in the United States.

Why America’s murder rate has spiked

Daniel Knowles

Between 2020 and 2022, the United States experienced a historic surge in homicides that erased decades of progress, driven by record firearm availability, pandemic-induced isolation, and eroded community trust following high-profile police killings. This spike disproportionately impacted Black communities and major cities like Philadelphia and New York, where violence rates climbed significantly despite the broader national trend diverging from global patterns. While violence interruption programs and calls for restored police relations offer potential mitigation strategies, experts warn that without targeted intervention, these elevated murder rates risk becoming a permanent national baseline.

Y Combinator Is Back In Person

Dalton Caldwell, Michael Seibel

The Summer 2022 YC batch transitions to hybrid operations with a Sonoma kick-off retreat and San Francisco meetups while maintaining core remote components for its global cohort. This cycle features a revised standard deal delivering $500,000 in immediate capital, which has attracted a more technical, motivated applicant pool and enabled founders to raise seed rounds with reduced dilution. Additionally, a distinct geographic trend sees founders returning to major tech hubs like the Bay Area to leverage dense ecosystems, supported by YC's direct economic guidance that encourages data-driven decision-making over fear-based reactions.

Could Putin really start a nuclear war?

Shashank Joshi

Vladimir Putin has placed Russia's strategic nuclear forces on high alert to deter Western military intervention, a move that Western allies have condemned as reckless yet have chosen not to mirror with reciprocal escalations. While this action signals Russian vulnerability regarding the slower-than-anticipated progress of the Ukrainian campaign, experts assess the risk of deliberate nuclear war as low due to mutual assured destruction, leaving accidental escalation as the primary danger. Consequently, the current geopolitical climate represents the most severe security crisis in a generation, characterized by intense conventional warfare and a critical need to maintain communication channels to prevent unintended conflict.

Understanding the Metaverse and Web 3.0

Eric Sheridan, Allison Nathan

Goldman Sachs analysts define the metaverse as an immersive evolution from the smartphone-centric Web 2.0 to a decentralized Web 3.0 environment, projecting a potential market valuation between $2 trillion and $12 trillion as hardware costs decline. This investment cycle, accelerated by pandemic-driven gaming adoption and high-profile corporate shifts like Meta's rebranding, anticipates major economic expansion in sectors ranging from retail to education over the next decade. Success hinges on platform interoperability and strategic partnerships, though the transition faces immediate regulatory scrutiny regarding privacy and market concentration distinct from previous web eras.