Latest Interviews
Showing 631–645 of 742 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute1h 8m
25 Years After the Berlin Wall: Making Democracy Work in the Rest of Europe
Conrad Kieschel, J.D. Bindenagel, Markus Meckel, Janusz Onoskiewicz, Michael Sedlacek
To commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, a panel of historians and policymakers analyzed the Central European revolutions that successfully overturned totalitarian regimes through internal civil society rather than Western intervention. The discussion detailed the divergent economic reforms in Poland, East Germany, and the Czech Republic, while extending the analysis to contemporary challenges such as Ukraine's structural corruption and Russia's strategic narratives. Experts concluded that future stability in the region depends on strengthening the rule of law, securing energy independence, and maintaining a unified transatlantic alliance to counter rising nationalism.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
The Data Science Revolution
Tim O'Reilly, Frank Adante, Tim Donke, Keith Collins, Michael Woods
At the 2014 O'Reilly Strata conference, industry leaders from Rubicon Project, eBay, SAS, and IASDI discussed how big data is shifting from simple volume analysis to complex, real-time applications across sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and advertising. The panel highlighted a technical pivot toward in-memory computing and algorithmic cross-pollination to operationalize insights while addressing critical challenges in data privacy, security, and the distinction between correlation and causality. Ultimately, the event concluded that the future of data science relies on enterprises owning their processing while trusting "black box" algorithms to drive predictive maintenance, precision medicine, and automated decision-making.
- Milken Institute53 min
Inventing the Impossible
Ken Rakowski, Akon, Elan Lee, Ralph Simon, Sasha Strauss
Hosted at the Milken Global Conference, the "Inventing the Impossible" panel featured Ken Rakowski, Elan Lee, Ralph Simon, Sasha Strauss, and Akon to demonstrate how rapid technological advancement and creative storytelling have transformed previously unachievable feats into global realities. The discussion highlighted transformative outcomes such as the democratization of finance through M-Pesa in Africa, the merging of physical and digital narratives to drive civic engagement, and the emergence of low-cost medical diagnostics and cryptocurrency that bypass traditional infrastructure. Ultimately, the speakers concluded that by prioritizing accessibility, leveraging crowdsourcing, and accelerating the speed of iteration, innovators are shrinking the timeline for breakthroughs while fundamentally altering human behavior and societal systems.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Russia: A Business Opportunity Wrapped in a Mystery?
Alex Kolor, Stephen Hellman, Sean Glodek, Jim Gansinger, Michael Kuchment, Dima Kovacharovskyi
Moderated by Alex Kolor, this panel featured Credit Suisse's Stephen Hellman, RDIF's Sean Glodek, and industry leaders like Subway's Jim Gansinger and MVideo's Michael Kuchment to evaluate Russia's economic resilience following new sanctions. Despite market volatility and potential blowback from Visa and MasterCard withdrawals, participants argued that depressed asset prices and a shift toward Asian capital create distinct investment opportunities for private equity and retail sectors. The discussion highlighted specific strategies for navigating currency devaluation and geopolitical friction while positioning Russia as a future global consumer market despite short-term contractions.
- Milken Institute58 min
Fast Pitch: Concept, Presentation and Critique
Daniel Gorfine, Delian Asperhov, Bonin Bao, Lynn Tilton, Steve Case, Caroline Pugh, Riley Ennis, Katalin Voss, Spencer Hewitt, Ryan Cavanaugh
Hosted by the Milken Institute in partnership with the Kairos Society, the inaugural "Fast Pitch" competition featured five entrepreneurs presenting ventures in health, sustainability, and retail to a panel of judges including Steve Case and Lynn Tilton. Participants were evaluated on growth potential and social impact before audience voting crowned Katalin Voss, founder of the autism-focused Sention, as the winner. The event concluded with a strategic consensus among judges that future success for these high-impact startups relies heavily on forming partnerships to scale distribution and address capital-intensive challenges.
- Milken Institute59 min
Real Estate: Housing Builds a New Foundation
Rick Newman, Stan Humphreys, Jeffrey Gundlach, Larry Mizell, Jed Kalko, Steve Brown
A recent industry analysis details a housing market characterized by declining sales volumes, stagnant household formation, and severe affordability strains driven by high mortgage rates and restrictive lending standards. Experts such as Jeffrey Gundlach and Larry Mizell describe a secular shift from an investor-led recovery toward a "renter phase," where supply constraints in major urban hubs and demographic changes limit new home starts to cyclical lows. While future forecasts predict a slowdown in price appreciation to around 3%, the sector faces complex pressures from rising interest rates, potential GSE reform, and a long-term transition away from traditional single-family homeownership among younger cohorts.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Brain
Margaret Anderson, Adam Ghazali, Alan Jones, Jennifer Bristar, Henry Markham, Mark Schnitzer
Driven by a stagnating global disease burden in neuroscience and the limitations of symptom-based diagnostics, major international initiatives from the U.S. and Europe are mobilizing billions in funding to transition the field toward large-scale, data-driven collaboration. These efforts aim to replace fragmented research with shared biological markers and emerging hybrid therapies, such as neuroplasticity software and deep brain stimulation, to address complex disorders like dementia and depression. Ultimately, this paradigm shift seeks to redefine neurological health as a dynamic spectrum while dismantling the silos and stigma that currently hinder effective treatment and public understanding.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Demographic Edge: California's Diversity and Global Business
Kevin Clouden, Kevin de Leon, Deep Nishar, Julia Gao, Joe Green, Sylvia Flores
Prominent leaders, including Senator Kevin de Leon and business executives, convened to address California's paradox of being a global innovation hub while facing severe threats from restrictive immigration policies and high operational costs. The discussion highlighted that while immigrant-founded companies drive over $52 billion in revenue, systemic failures such as H-1B caps and tax structures are fueling a "brain drain" that sends educated talent and corporate relocations to states like Texas and countries like Canada. Panelists urgently called for comprehensive legislative reform to secure a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and retain foreign talent to maintain the state's economic competitiveness against rising global rivals.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Secrets to a Healthy Life: Freda Lewis-Hall and Pattie Sellers
Freda Lewis-Hall, Pattie Sellers, Seth Ginsburg
During discussions regarding a potential $100 billion Pfizer-AstraZeneca merger, Chief Medical Officer Frida Lewis-Hall outlined her role in overseeing global patient safety and clinical data integrity while addressing the healthcare system's critical fragmentation. She advocates for a shift toward individualized health management where patients act as "CEOs" of their own medical records to bridge gaps in continuity, emphasizing specific metrics like waist circumference and the need for comprehensive family history. Looking ahead, Lewis-Hall calls for intensified collaboration across the public and private sectors to combat the looming economic crisis of Alzheimer's disease and to integrate AI-driven diagnostics into preventative care strategies.
- Milken Institute49 min
Trust and the Markets: A Debate on High-Frequency Trading
Jim McCoggin, Rishi Narang, Katie, Amy Goodman, David Brooks, Jim Lecinski, Mark Blyth, Jr., Steve
Industry experts Jim McCoggin and Rishi Narang debated the evolution of high-frequency trading, analyzing how regulatory milestones like Decimalization and Reg NMS drove an arms race in automation while compressing profit margins to less than 0.1% of trade face value. The discussion highlighted a stark divide regarding market transparency, with McCoggin advocating for the elimination of dark pools and payment for order flow while Narang defended them as necessary tools for institutional protection. Both agreed that current market conduct rules have failed to keep pace with technology, necessitating SEC intervention to equalize data speeds and penalize excessive order cancellations without banning the practice itself.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
A Conversation with Cherie Blair: Empowering Women, Driving Growth
Cherie Blair, the first woman from her family to attend university and a former Queen's Counsel, leads the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women to empower female entrepreneurs in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East through business training and mentoring. By addressing the critical "mid-range capital gap" that hinders women's access to $10,000–$100,000 in funding, the Foundation has already supported over 100,000 women across 50 countries, with partnerships including Google and Bank of America enhancing professional growth and job creation. Blair advocates for structural political and cultural shifts to overcome systemic barriers, citing Rwanda's high female parliamentary representation as a model for improving global economic inclusion.
- Milken Institute1h 5m
Look, Ma, No Hands! The Future of Cars
John Cassessa, Chris Gerdes, Raj Nair, Chris Urmson, Kevin Vincent, Eric Schmidt, Eric Schwartzmann, Eric Schuartzmond, Carl Harris, Joe Greener
Led by John Cassessa, a panel of industry and government leaders including executives from Ford, Google, and Stanford, along with NHTSA officials, confirmed that the automotive sector has reached a critical inflection point for autonomous vehicle adoption. The group outlined a roadmap where rapid technological progress in sensor integration and Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication will soon drive significant safety gains, fuel efficiency through platooning, and reduced traffic congestion. While timelines for widespread consumer availability vary between Google's near-term deployment and Ford's two-decade horizon, the panel emphasized that successful implementation depends on resolving regulatory mandates, ethical programming dilemmas, and shifting consumer trust levels.
- Milken Institute57 min
Redefining the Middle East: A Game-Changing Energy Alternative from the Eastern Mediterranean
Glenn Yago, Senator Landrieu, Lawson Freeman, Ron Prosser, Mehmet Sadam
A Milken Institute panel led by Senator Mary Landrieu and Ambassador Ron Prosor redefined the Eastern Mediterranean as a strategic energy hub, leveraging massive Tamar and Leviathan gas discoveries to transform Israel from an importer into a net exporter. The discussion detailed how a $3 billion Tamar project and emerging reserves in Cyprus and Lebanon are fostering regional integration through export deals with Jordan and the Palestinian Authority while establishing a sovereign wealth fund to diversify Israel's economy. Experts concluded that ensuring fiscal regime stability and transferring US Gulf Coast technology are critical to overcoming political barriers and securing a stable, energy-independent Eastern Mediterranean against Russian influence.
- Milken Institute1h 3m
Africa's Energy Landscape
Paul Hinks, Raj Shah, Jay Island, Kola Karim, President Kagame, Tony Elumelu
Launched by President Obama in 2013, the Power Africa initiative seeks to electrify the African continent by leveraging U.S. transactional advocacy to de-risk private sector investments aimed at closing a critical $50 billion to $100 billion energy gap. While the program faces significant hurdles including political instability, payment delays, and lengthy project timelines, it has already attracted substantial capital from global firms like General Electric and enabled local financial institutions to fund major infrastructure projects in priority nations such as Nigeria and Tanzania. By promoting an all-of-the-above energy strategy and accelerating regulatory reforms, the initiative targets the provision of reliable power to 600 million off-grid citizens to support the economic growth of a demographic with 60% of the population under age 25.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
A Conversation with Ken Griffin and Steve Schwarzman
Ken Griffin, Steve Schwarzman, Mike Milken, Kenneth Griffin, Stephen Schwarzman
Ken Fisher, Steve Schwarzman, and Ken Griffin identify educational deficiencies, excessive regulation, and a mismatch between workforce skills and modern economic demands as primary threats to U.S. competitiveness. These leaders advocate for structural reforms in public schooling, support initiatives like the Schwarzman Scholars Program to bridge global talent gaps, and call for deregulation and energy independence to stimulate small business growth. Furthermore, they contrast the U.S. reliance on capital markets with Europe's bank-centric model, urging immediate action on entitlement reform and fiscal policy to restore long-term human capital and drive job creation.