Latest Interviews

2016 Tax Season: What small business owners need to know

Carol Roth, David Solis, Ebong Eka, Steve Strauss

Small business owners are advised to avoid DIY tax preparation and instead cultivate a year-round professional team of CPAs and financial advisors to ensure compliance and optimize financial outcomes. This strategic approach integrates automated record-keeping with real-time collaboration to navigate complex 2015 regulatory shifts, including the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate reduction and revised IRS contribution limits. By treating tax planning as a continuous process rather than an annual event, businesses can prevent costly penalties, secure necessary capital, and leverage significant deductions like the $2 million Section 179 equipment allowance.

Body Builders: the science and technology of bionic limbs

Hilda Einersdottir, Gummy, David Johnson, Farmer David Ingvason, Gunner

Iceland is emerging as the global hub for the bionics industry, where companies like Ossur are deploying brain-controlled prosthetics that translate subconscious neural signals into intuitive movement. Pioneering trials with users ranging from farmers to 92-year-olds have validated the technology's ability to restore mobility in high-stress and aging populations, with the Power Knee offering rotational force comparable to a motorcycle. Driven by medical necessity and a market projected to exceed $20 billion within five years, engineers anticipate a major leap in capabilities over the next decade toward fully autonomous thought-driven systems.

Meat Makers: the artificial beef revolution

Professor Mark Post, Ethan Brown, Bill Gates, John, Simone, Greg Boland, Peter

Facing the $1 trillion global meat market and its environmental impact, cellular agriculture pioneer Mark Post and Beyond Meat's Ethan Brown are pursuing divergent strategies to decouple meat production from animal slaughter. While Post focuses on scaling lab-grown muscle tissue from stem cells, Brown employs plant-based extraction to engineer sensory profiles that mimic animal fat and texture for mass adoption. Despite facing distinct technical hurdles in texture, flavor, and price, both leaders aim to execute a food revolution comparable to the shift from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles.

Space Invaders: the entrepreneurs taking humans into space

Stu Witt, Enrico Palermo, Ben, Ellen, Sean Mahoney, Jeremy Voigt

Mojave Air and Space Port has evolved from a civilian airfield into the United States' first commercial spaceport, hosting a dense cluster of pioneering firms like Virgin Galactic, Masten Space Systems, and X-Core Aerospace. These entities are driving a rapidly expanding industry by developing reusable vertical-landing technology and radical rocket engines to enable high-risk flight testing and sustainable space access without reliance on traditional government contracts. While Virgin Galactic secures millions in pre-revenue bookings following a fatal 2014 accident, the collective focus remains on establishing a private sector capable of transporting thousands of people to space by 2030.

E-Sports Superstars: gamers earning millions

Big Daddy, Conrad Janzen, Jack, Seth, Alan

Joining the elite esports scene just months prior to "The International," Danish prodigy Johan "Big Daddy" entered the $18 million tournament as part of the newly formed Cloud9 squad, which faced intense scrutiny and high expectations for victory. Despite boasting significant individual talent, the team struggled with internal cohesion and trust during critical preparation, leading to a decisive opening defeat against the more unified Chinese team CDEC. This loss exposed the fragility of their synergy, forcing Cloud9 into the lower bracket while highlighting that emotional intelligence and team unity are just as vital as raw gaming skill in the highest levels of competition.

Drone Rangers: how the technology can catch poachers and save lives

Rob Hannaford, Dr. Robin Murphy, Peter Blake

The commercial drone industry is rapidly expanding from military origins into civilian sectors like anti-poaching, construction, and disaster rescue, driven by high-resolution data collection that costs significantly less than traditional methods. In South Africa, thermal-equipped drones have successfully deterred rhino poaching by relaying real-time coordinates to rangers, while in the United States, they accelerate disaster response times by up to 90% in hazardous zones. As specialized startups professionalize the workforce by connecting freelance pilots with industrial projects, experts project the sector will generate over 100,000 new careers and contribute billions to the U.S. economy within the next few years.

Priced out: Can high-density housing solve the affordability crisis? (KPCC Forum Series)

Dana Cuff, Ed DeMarco, Larry Gross, William K. Huang, Jeff Schaffer, Josie Huang, John Cohn, Kevin Clowden, Bill Davis, Josie Wong, Bill Huang

Co-presented by KPCC and the Milken Institute, the "Rescuing the California Dream" forum series convened experts to address Southern California's severe housing affordability crisis, noting that 30% of households cannot afford a median home amidst a deficit of 527,000 affordable units. Panelists identified root causes such as restrictive zoning, decimated state funding, and the exploitation of the Ellis Act, while proposing solutions including CEQA reform, adaptive reuse of vacant buildings, and transit-oriented development to increase density without relying solely on high-rises. The event concludes with a summary panel at the December Milken Institute California Summit, emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive state-level strategy to prevent deepening economic segregation and to ensure no net loss of existing affordable housing.

Look inside China’s secretive Olympic training camps

Gao Lei, Jinwen Shi, Shen Chen

China is executing a targeted strategy to surpass the United States on the Rio Olympic medal table by recruiting 400,000 children from specialized training schools based on strict physiological and psychological criteria. While this system filters out most candidates, it produces elite athletes like trampoline contender Gao Lei who are prepared to compete for gold through intense, early-stage training. Success in this high-risk pipeline offers significant financial bonuses and government positions, motivating the rare few who overcome the low statistical probability of reaching the Games.

Solar technology that will shape the future

Elon Musk, Alison Archambault, Chuck Boggs

Earthspark International and Tesla are deploying off-grid solar microgrids and battery storage to address the global energy crisis, as demonstrated by Les Anglais' 100% renewable transition and Appel Steel's industrial independence. Innovations in perovskite cells promise to drastically increase efficiency and enable building-integrated power, while Richard Branson's Carbon War Room advocates for this decentralized shift to bypass fossil fuel dependence. Although currently representing only 1% of global supply, these scalable solutions aim to meet an 80% projected demand surge and eventually achieve financial viability without subsidies.

Prison: how to break the cycle of reoffending?

Olly Matthews, Hans Petter Hansen, Bobby Frances, Bill Kleiber, Alex Garcia

A comparative analysis of the United States and Norway's justice systems reveals that while American reentry programs face high recidivism due to inadequate resources and harsh decision-making transitions, Norway's Bastøy Prison achieves a 16% recidivism rate by fostering inmate autonomy and self-sufficiency. Retired Texas Judge Bobby Francis exemplifies a shift in the U.S. toward specialized reentry courts that balance strict accountability with rehabilitation, contributing to a 16% reduction in state incarceration rates since 2001. Despite these reforms, experts warn that without prioritizing rehabilitation over punitive measures, the current system remains insufficient to prepare the millions of inmates for sustainable reintegration into society.

How Portugal and Colorado solved their drug problems

Portugal's 2001 decriminalization and Colorado's 2014 legalization serve as contrasting case studies shifting drug policy from criminal punishment to public health and economic regulation. These measures successfully reduced overdose deaths in Portugal, while Colorado generated over $700 million in annual revenue and decreased teenage usage without collapsing the illicit market. Despite these successes, global criminal networks remain dominant within the $300 billion illicit trade, even as nearly half of U.S. states adopt similar regulatory frameworks.

Olga Vidisheva Speaks at Female Founders Conference 2015

Olga Vidisheva

ShopTix, founded by a Wellesley and Harvard Business School graduate, operates a two-sided marketplace connecting independent global boutiques with shoppers after validating demand through 800+ store owner interviews. Following a Y Combinator acceptance and seed investments from firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Greylock, the company resolved early scaling failures by replacing co-founders with a professional CTO, which drove a 700% growth rate and turned the venture profitable. Now preparing to launch its mobile application on March 18, ShopTix continues to aggressively scale its infrastructure to capture the market inflection point characteristic of successful multi-year marketplace maturation.

Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear (II)

Frank Luntz, Skip Reimer, Jim Gray, Bob Shapiro, Eric Schmidt Jr., John McWhorter, Priscilla Burton, Charlie Stokes

A prominent business leader outlines a strategic shift from traditional corporate branding to building trust through emotional connection and value-aligned language, citing record-low public confidence in CEOs and corporations. The presentation details specific linguistic reframing tactics, such as replacing "CEO" with "Business Leader" and "capitalism" with "economic freedom," to align with public priorities like peace of mind and stability. Ultimately, the speaker argues that future business success depends on adopting "hardworking taxpayer" messaging, prioritizing tangible results over abstract metrics, and addressing deep-seated societal fears regarding financial security.

The Bhopal gas tragedy: Toxic legacy

Sanjay Yadav, Satinath Sarangi, Jeevan Shinde, Hajira B.

On December 2, 1984, a toxic gas leak at the American-operated Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killed thousands and left 570,000 people with chronic health disorders, while groundwater contamination persists three decades later. Although Union Carbide settled for $470 million, victims and advocates argue the compensation is inadequate given the scale of permanent injuries and the parent company Dow Chemical's refusal to accept liability. Current efforts by Indian authorities to revise death statistics and expand compensation face criticism from groups like the Sambhavna Trust, which reports that 93% of affected individuals are incorrectly categorized with only temporary injuries.

Office Hours with Kevin & Qasar

Qasar, Kevin Hale, Kasser, Lauren, Odero Mezoke, Walid

The session features live critiques of three distinct startups—Zealify, a culture-focused job board; Vuezy, a physical retail analytics firm; and ScreenPush, a design collaboration tool—where Y Combinator partners challenge their assumptions regarding market validation, unit economics, and user experience. Founders are urged to move beyond "intellectually seductive" value propositions by proving specific demand for Zealify's culture metrics, translating raw data into actionable ROI for Vuezy's long B2B sales cycles, and rigorously stress-testing ScreenPush's onboarding flow to eliminate friction. The overarching conclusion emphasizes that successful scaling requires defined success metrics, strict quality control to avoid commodity traps, and a deep commitment to solving urgent, verified user problems rather than relying on untested hypotheses.