Latest Interviews

Discover Buenos Aires: slabs of meat, Malbec and polo

Buenos Aires presents a cultural landscape where street art, historical street polo played by rural gauchos, and the communal "asado" ritual define the social fabric alongside a thriving market economy born from the 2001 financial crisis. The city's unique identity is further expressed through politically charged Murga dance groups and a sophisticated nightlife scene of password-protected speakeasies that evolved during times of economic hardship. These diverse elements collectively offer a deep exploration of Argentine heritage, from government-designated notable bars to the world's largest street mural by artist Alfredo Segatore.

Which jobs help people the most? (part2c) @ Cambridge University

The presentation outlines four strategic pathways for maximizing social impact: direct work, research, advocacy, and earning to give, each offering distinct leverage points through global scaling or financial multiplication. High-impact outcomes rely on identifying pressing problems, selecting the most effective modality, and securing roles where individuals can achieve top-tier excellence after years of dedicated development. Real-world examples, such as researchers pivoting to think tanks and professionals transitioning from high-paying tech jobs to donate substantial incomes, illustrate how personal fit and strategic selection amplify the effectiveness of these efforts.

The State of Small Business in America

Warren Buffett, Lloyd Blankfein, Michael Bloomberg, Jack Dorsey, Savannah Guthrie

Goldman Sachs, Square, and various business leaders convened to address the systemic financial and regulatory hurdles facing established small businesses, noting that traditional banking approves only 10% of capital requests while regulatory costs consume significant operational time. The program highlighted Square's success in approving over 98% of loan applicants through automated repayment models and emphasized a hiring philosophy prioritizing resilience and passion over elite credentials. Strategic insights from Jack Dorsey, Mayor Bloomberg, and Warren Buffett focused on reducing bureaucratic burdens, fostering open organizational cultures, and aiming to delight customers to drive sustainable growth.

Discover Colombo: travel in the fastest-growing city in the world

Sonali Dharmavardana, Darshan Munitasa, Gabby White

Following the end of its civil war, Colombo is rapidly transforming into the world's fastest-growing city destination through a fusion of heritage preservation and modern creative industries. Key figures such as celebrity chef Darshan Muniasami, fashion designer Sonali Dharmavardana, and former cricketer Kumar Sangakkara are driving this renaissance by revitalizing culinary identity and showcasing the unique blend of colonial architecture with contemporary lifestyle in venues like the Ministry of Crab. Local experts and residents now urge immediate international engagement, positioning the current moment as a unique window for travelers to experience the city's authentic cultural depth before these rapid developments become fully mainstream.

Loyd Grossman - An American-British Gastronome on Global Food Trends: Talks at GS Session Highlights

Loyd Grossman, Lloyd

Television producer Lloyd Evans details the near-rejection of the *MasterChef* concept by a skeptical BBC executive and its subsequent success as a cornerstone of the UK's thirty-year food revolution. Evans analyzes current culinary trends, noting a shift from exclusive molecular gastronomy to the "one-item" restaurant model, foraging, and high-quality local produce, while offering a nuanced critique of the queuing culture that dominates trendy dining. Drawing on his career philosophy and observations of British identity, he argues that food remains an affordable alternative to travel and highlights the enduring appeal of accessible, high-quality dining experiences.

Q&A with YC at the Female Founders Conference 2016

Jessica Livingston, Kat Manalac, Carolynn Levy, Kirsty Nathoo

Y Combinator partners Jessica Levy and others outline a philosophy that prioritizes founder determination, execution capability, and deep problem ownership over specific stages or demographic profiles, welcoming teams from initial ideas to established companies. Through case studies of Gobble and Airbnb, the discussion illustrates how the accelerator invests in scrappy founders who can clearly articulate their value, while warning against hastening co-founder additions without organic validation. As the program scales to funding approximately 1,000 startups annually, the focus remains on acquiring users and overcoming the "trough of sorrow" to build resilient, domain-expert-led ventures.

Selina Tobaccowala at the Female Founders Conference 2016

Selina Tobaccowala, Colleen Taylor

Former SurveyMonkey CTO and President Selina Teece is departing after six and a half years to co-found a new venture with her original Evite co-founder, Al, having previously scaled the company from 20 employees to 600 with $200 million in revenue. Teece utilizes her experience navigating leadership transitions and capital market tightening to advise founders on embedding data-driven cultures, prioritizing early revenue over valuation, and structuring boards with independent members to balance venture capital influence. Her career trajectory serves as a case study in applying rigorous operational discipline to build family-friendly, globally scalable organizations while avoiding the strategic pitfalls of delayed product-market fit and excessive fundraising.

Urska Srsen Speaks at Y Combinator Female Founder Conference 2016

Urska Srsen, Tijana Mihajlović, Urška

Bellabeat co-founder and CEO Urška Mihajlović led the Slovenian health technology firm from a personal project in Zagreb to a profitable entity with over 350,000 units shipped. By relocating to Y Combinator in 2014 to overcome European market fragmentation, the company cultivated an "underdog" culture that enabled the physical production of its modular jewelry line, the Leaf, in Dongguan. This strategic expansion into hardware manufacturing solidified Bellabeat's mission to deliver accessible preventive care tools specifically designed for women.

The future of the car industry

Bhavish Aggarwal, Shantam, David Rust

Global ride-hailing platforms like India's Ola and the United States' Lyft are driving a fundamental shift in consumer behavior where smartphone access has replaced car ownership as the primary mode of urban transport. This disruption forces traditional automotive manufacturers, including Ford and General Motors, to pivot from hardware-centric models to software-driven mobility solutions and strategic partnerships to survive the transition toward shared, autonomous fleets. As a result, the industry's revenue dynamics are reconfiguring, compelling legacy players to innovate with self-driving technology or risk obsolescence in a market increasingly defined by processing power rather than horsepower.

Reshma Shetty Speaks at Y Combinator's Female Founders Conference 2016

Reshma Shetty

Founded in 2008 by Reshma Saujani and Tom Knight, Ginkgo Bioworks pioneered a platform that treats biology as an engineering discipline to manufacture cultured ingredients through rapid yeast fermentation. The company delayed venture capital until securing its first customers in 2012, eventually leveraging a Series A and B to scale a business model replacing traditional plant extraction. As the organization pursues its vision to become the "Intel of biology," it is simultaneously implementing a data-driven diversity strategy to address hiring gaps and broaden its workforce representation.

Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Best Life at Every Age

Jo Ann Jenkins, Soledad O'Brien

AARP CEO Joanne Jenkins leverages her extensive federal background to spearhead the "Disrupt Aging" initiative, which aims to reframe the societal narrative around aging as a period of continued vitality rather than decline. Through high-impact campaigns like the viral "What is Old?" video and a $40 million innovation fund, the organization actively promotes policies supporting "freedom to earn," while simultaneously advocating for critical infrastructure changes to ensure financial security and independent living for the 10,000 daily new retirees. This multifaceted approach addresses the economic realities of a population where half of those over 50 rely on Social Security, utilizing a 38-million-member base to influence everything from healthcare funding to workplace flexibility.

Fundraising Panel at Female Founders Conference 2016

Talia Frenkel, Katelyn Gleason, Aarthi Ramamurthy, Liz Wessel, Kat Manalac, Caitlin Gleason

Four YC alumni from diverse sectors including healthcare, consumer goods, and job marketplaces share detailed accounts of their capital-raising journeys, which ranged from bootstrapping to securing multimillion-dollar rounds through persistent outreach and strategic narrative framing. The founders emphasize that overcoming investor skepticism requires deep domain expertise, a willingness to educate unfamiliar backers, and the resilience to handle rejection without compromising professional relationships. Ultimately, the discussion underscores that fundraising is an optional strategic tool rather than a mandatory industry norm, urging entrepreneurs to prioritize value creation and self-belief over blind adherence to Silicon Valley conventions.

Reception | Celebrating Activist Women

Susan Santiago, Michael Milken, Shaun Robinson, Cher, John McArthur, Karen Weaver, Gary White, Katie O'Reilly

Hosted by Hyatt's first female SVP of Operations for the Americas, Susan Santiago, this Milken Family Foundation-sponsored event united activists like actress Cher, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, and industry experts to address the U.S. water infrastructure crisis. The panel revealed that approximately 7.3 million lead service lines remain nationwide, costing taxpayers roughly $10 monthly per family to replace, while highlighting the human failures and systemic neglect that drove the Flint tragedy. Participants emphasized that achieving universal clean water access by 2030 requires sustained public funding, strict regulation of private partnerships, and civic pressure to prioritize maintenance over reactive crisis management.

A Conversation with Adm. Michael Mullen and Gen. Stanley McChrystal

Adm. Michael Mullen, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Susan Eisenhower, Stanley McChrystal, Michael Mullen

Admiral Mike Mullen and General Stanley McChrystal identify Russia as the primary military threat while warning that the United States faces a more insidious crisis through domestic fiscal insolvency, demographic shifts in the military, and deepening political polarization. The discussion advocates for a structural reduction of the active-duty Army to force public engagement in war and proposes congressional term limits and mandatory meetings to reverse the erosion of bipartisan cooperation. Ultimately, the speakers conclude that long-term national security depends less on military dominance and more on addressing economic inequality, restoring a shared sense of citizenship, and prioritizing diplomatic solutions over purely tactical military interventions.

Frank Luntz: The Verbal and Visual Language of America

Frank Luntz

This presentation addresses a deep societal anxiety regarding declining civility and trust by analyzing generational shifts in economic beliefs and corporate perception. The speaker outlines a visual and linguistic strategy to rebuild engagement, emphasizing that authentic storytelling and unscripted honesty are critical for connecting with younger demographics and overcoming political polarization. Drawing on specific case studies and 2016 election data, the discussion concludes that restoring respect for authority and fostering unity requires leaders to prioritize emotional resonance over traditional corporate messaging.