Latest Interviews
Showing 6016–6030 of 6,329 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs17 min
John Avlon: Covering the Intersection of Politics and Power
Former speechwriter and *Daily Beast* Editor-in-Chief John Avlon applies a legacy of 9/11-era resilience and a nonpartisan but morally accountable framework to steer the publication's growth to 1.1 million daily readers while targeting powerful bullies and bigots. He warns that contemporary journalism must actively counter hyper-partisanship and misinformation, drawing on George Washington's Farewell Address to advocate for national unity and fiscal responsibility amidst the challenges of the current political climate. Avlon maintains that holding power accountable requires a clear mission to follow facts regardless of political preference, a principle that guided the newsroom's diverse hiring strategy and its coverage of high-stakes investigations like the Mueller probe.
- a16z22 min
Pande & Conde: When (and How) Biology Becomes Engineering
The bioindustry is undergoing a fundamental shift from stochastic discovery to design-driven engineering by treating biological systems as modular, interchangeable components akin to mechanical parts. This paradigm leverages interdisciplinary convergence, mature technologies like CRISPR, and machine learning to transform drug development into a reproducible, iterative process where platform value compounds over time. Consequently, pharmaceutical companies are redefining themselves as data-generating entities that prioritize scalable, predictive systems over single asset creation to achieve complex, long-term health goals.
- Goldman Sachs23 min
Talks at GS – Bob Iger: Leading the Walt Disney Company Into The Future
Bob Iger transformed Disney from a legacy-bound corporation into a global powerhouse by executing a strategy that balanced respect for the company's 1923 heritage with aggressive innovation through major acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. As CEO for sixteen years, he prioritized high-quality intellectual property and diversity, most notably mandating the production of *Black Panther* to reflect modern values while navigating significant industry disruptions. Iger attributes his nearly half-century career evolution to a relentless work ethic and the belief that storytelling remains the most valuable asset regardless of technological shifts.
- Y Combinator50 min
Funding Is an Outcome of Building a Good Business - Porter Braswell of Jopwell
Jopwell, a for-profit career advancement platform founded in 2014 by a former Goldman Sachs trader, connects Black, Latino, Hispanic, and Native American professionals with 44 million qualified underrepresented workers to resolve corporate recruitment pipeline challenges. Leveraging a $12 million funding raise including a Y Combinator investment, the company utilizes a "referral at scale" model that verifies diverse applicant funnels while rejecting non-profit status to operate as a scalable business. Founded on the premise that diversity is a demographic and financial imperative rather than a vague mandate, Jopwell has grown to 35 employees and serves as a data-driven bridge between underrepresented talent and companies explicitly seeking verified, diverse hiring solutions.
- The Economist8 min
Putin's games with the West
Former chess grandmaster and exiled activist Garry Kasparov analyzes Vladimir Putin's geopolitical strategy as a deceptive game of poker rather than transparent chess, detailing how Western inaction during conflicts in Georgia, Ukraine, and Syria has repeatedly emboldened the Russian leader. Kasparov critiques the failure of past engagement policies and argues that the West must now shift toward a rigorous strategy of isolation and deterrence to impose long-term strategic losses on Russia. He proposes concrete countermeasures including economic sanctions, visa restrictions, and asset seizures to counter Putin's use of blackmail and secrecy.
- Goldman Sachs15 min
Talks at GS - Arianna Huffington: Thriving in the “Attention Economy”
Entrepreneur and author Arianna Huffington discusses her transition from founding The Huffington Post to establishing Thrive Global, driven by her personal burnout and a mission to debunk the myth that success requires sacrificing well-being. Highlighting the dangers of the attention economy and the toxic Silicon Valley "brilliant jerk" culture, she details her tenure on the Uber board where she enforced strict accountability measures, leading to leadership changes and a zero-tolerance policy for unprofessional behavior. Ultimately, Huffington advocates for systemic shifts in how organizations value sleep, creativity, and human dignity over short-term metrics and relentless productivity.
- Goldman Sachs18 min
Talks at GS – Dara Khosrowshahi: Uber’s Roadmap to the Future
Dara Khosrowshahi joined Uber to stabilize a crisis-ridden company and transform it into the world's largest transportation provider by leveraging a marketplace strategy across rides, food delivery, and micromobility. Strategic moves including the SoftBank investment, a pivotal settlement with Waymo, and leadership hires like Tony West have secured capital, resolved governance conflicts, and restored operational focus. The company now aims to integrate multimodal transport and cover 80% of the global population by combining direct operations with equity stakes in key regional markets.
- Goldman Sachs14 min
Talks at GS – Magic Johnson On “Over-Delivering” On And Off The Court
Magic Johnson, Earvin "Magic" Johnson
Magic Johnson transitioned from leading Michigan State to an NCAA title and cultivating a legendary rivalry with Larry Bird in the NBA to a distinguished business career driven by strategic mentorship and deep market insight. Following his 1991 HIV diagnosis, he credits his 26-year survival to a regimen of mental resilience, physical training, and medication adherence, while leveraging his public platform to launch ventures like Magic Johnson Theaters and invest in the Los Angeles Sparks and Dodgers. Johnson now focuses his legacy on creating economic opportunities for people of color in urban America, prioritizing societal impact over personal wealth accumulation.
- Y Combinator53 min
Researching Psilocybin's Effects on Depression - Dr. Rosalind Watts
Dr. Rosalind Watts, Craig Cannon
Led by Professors Robin Carhart-Harris and David Nutt, a pioneering research initiative successfully demonstrated that high-dose psilocybin can deactivate brain regions linked to negative rumination and offer a "reset" for patients with severe, treatment-resistant depression. Although the study achieved a 100% preference rate for psilocybin over prior treatments among its 20 participants, long-term efficacy remains limited by the absence of formal integration therapy, prompting calls for structured follow-up sessions to sustain behavioral changes. Currently constrained by reliance on single-source funding, the researchers are prioritizing comparative trials against antidepressants while advocating for a holistic therapeutic model that combines preparation, ego-dissolving experiences, and sustained support to address the growing crisis of ineffective psychiatric medication.
- Lex Fridman37 min
Sterling Anderson, Co-Founder, Aurora - MIT Self-Driving Cars
Sterling Anderson, Lex, Wayne Nikola, Luke, Kasha
Aurora, founded by former Tesla Autopilot head Sterling Anderson, has partnered with Volkswagen and Hyundai to deploy a software-centric autonomous platform leveraging deep learning and multi-modal sensors. The company addresses critical forecasting challenges by testing systems that reduced collision rates by 72% while increasing operational speeds in prior research, aiming to exceed human safety standards before scaling. With a core team including ex-Google and ex-Uber experts, Aurora intends to integrate its technology into existing fleets and future vehicle interiors once statistical safety thresholds are met, while proactively planning for workforce transitions in the transportation sector.
- Y Combinator3h 42m
Startup Investor School Day 4 Live Stream
Andy Bromberg, Aaron Harris, Ron Conway, Jeff
The final day of Startup Investor School featured a comprehensive analysis of early-stage investment history by Andy Bromberg, behavioral standards for angel investors presented by Aaron Harris, and a founder-centric investment philosophy from Ron Conway. The session detailed the evolution from traditional venture capital to modern token offerings like ICOs while establishing a strict code of conduct emphasizing reputation, speed, and integrity in deal-making. Ultimately, the event equipped attendees with tools to model SAFE conversions and fostered a network committed to maintaining ecosystem transparency and supporting high-potential founders.
- Y Combinator4h 16m
Startup Investor School Day 3 Live Stream
Elad Gil, Pejman, Jeff Clavier, Andrea, Ali Partovi
Day 3 of the Startup Investor School convened five prominent investors, including Elad Gil, Pejman Nozad, Jeff Clavier, Andrea Zurlo, and Ali Partovi, to dissect critical strategies for market selection, team evaluation, and portfolio construction. The speakers emphasized that successful angel investing requires a 10-year horizon, strict risk discipline regarding net worth allocation, and a service-oriented mindset that prioritizes founder support over immediate financial gains. Key consensus points highlighted the necessity of investing in brilliant founders with big ideas regardless of initial market perceptions, maintaining long-term patience through early-stage losses, and building a personal brand rooted in integrity and operational availability.
- Y Combinator59 min
Dalton Caldwell - Startup Investor School Day 2
The Startup Investor School Day 2 addressed operational feedback from the previous day while delivering a comprehensive framework for investment philosophy, strategy, and process discipline. Expert speakers emphasized prioritizing conviction over consensus, establishing clear decision funnels, and mastering founder meeting best practices through direct communication and rigorous case studies like Nekton. The event concluded with a Q&A session that clarified complex challenges regarding commitment, negative feedback delivery, and milestone-based financing structures.
- Y Combinator48 min
The Number One Goal is Getting Started - Avni Patel Thompson of Poppy
Avni Patel Thompson, Craig Cannon
Harvard MBA Avni leveraged her background in pharmaceuticals and international strategy to validate and launch Poppy, a child-care platform, by conducting a four-week manual trial that secured paying users before seeking capital. After three rejections from Y Combinator, she secured funding by demonstrating rapid growth and a scalable vision for global infrastructure, emphasizing that collecting revenue from strangers is essential for true product-market fit. Her journey illustrates a methodology where diverse life experiences, including a failed startup and expatriate living, serve as a "mosaic" of skills to de-risk entrepreneurship and address critical market gaps in modern family support systems.
- Lex Fridman1h 18m
Lisa Feldman Barrett: How the Brain Creates Emotions | MIT Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges the notion of universal, pre-wired emotions by arguing that the brain constructs emotional experiences on the spot to regulate the body's metabolic needs through a process called allostasis. This perspective reveals that emotions are cultural concepts shaped by language and context rather than biological facts, leading to the conclusion that current AI emotion detection is fundamentally flawed because it attempts to read fixed facial signals that do not correspond to intrinsic feelings. Consequently, building truly intelligent artificial systems requires simulating a body with internal regulatory states to generate meaningful affect, shifting the focus from abstract reward functions to the biological imperatives of resource management and social regulation.