Latest Interviews
Showing 901–915 of 1,191 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs33 min
Stephen Schwarzman – Blackstone CEO and Author of "What It Takes"
Founded in 1985 by Steve Schwarzman and Pete Peterson, Blackstone evolved from a struggling startup with no initial capital into a global asset manager overseeing $550 billion in assets through a strategy focused on data mining and strict investment discipline. Schwarzman's career trajectory, marked by his unconventional entry into Lehman Brothers and his ability to bridge divergent operational styles, enabled the firm to capitalize on specific macro-economic inflections and create unique underwriting opportunities. Beyond financial growth, the event details Schwarzman's analysis of U.S.-China political dynamics, his prediction that trade deals require immediate execution due to shifting market realities, and his broader reflections on leadership patterns drawn from historical figures like Jack Welch and accidental presidents.
- Goldman Sachs31 min
Tom Brokaw, Author of "The Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate"
In a new memoir, journalist Tom Brokaw chronicles the Watergate scandal and President Nixon's 1974 resignation, emphasizing how the "California crew's" hubris and efficient control systems led to the unprecedented imprisonment of Nixon's top aides. Brokaw details the methodical, cross-party investigation led by Peter Rodino and Bill Cohen, which utilized limited 1970s news cycles to dismantle Nixon's claims of executive privilege and result in a landmark Supreme Court ruling. The narrative also explores Brokaw's personal career trajectory, including his refusal of a White House offer from Haldeman and his later coverage of the Berlin Wall's fall, framing these events through the lens of journalistic integrity and the dangers of unchecked political power.
- Goldman Sachs25 min
Safi Bahcall, Author of "Loonshots"
Safi Bahcall, Safi Bakal, Charlie
Drawing on his experience as a PCAST advisor and biotech entrepreneur, Safi Bakal advocates for a structural strategy that protects fragile, high-impact innovations from the risk-averse cultures of large organizations. Through the "Vannevar Bush" model and case studies like the invention of statins and Nokia's missed opportunity, Bakal demonstrates that innovation fails not due to a lack of ideas, but because organizations fail to quarantine "loon shots" from standard operational metrics. His framework urges leaders to actively manage the tension between creative scientists and operational managers to ensure that groundbreaking technologies, such as vascularized 3D-printed organs, survive the critical "three deaths" required for success.
- Goldman Sachs13 min
Dr. Arie Belldegrun, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Allogene Therapeutics
Dr. Arie Belldegrun, Dr. Ari Beldegren, Owen Weedy, Steve Rosenberg, David
Dr. Ari Beldergren and Owen Weedy founded Kite Pharma to commercialize NIH-licensed engineered T-cell therapies that overcame industry skepticism regarding the complexity of living drugs. The venture successfully demonstrated the ability to induce complete remission in terminal cancer patients, attracting David from Amgen and catalyzing a sector now comprising roughly 300 companies. Beldergren defines the organization's legacy by its tangible impact on patient survival across lymphoma, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer, positioning clinical improvement as the primary metric for the field's value.
- Goldman Sachs33 min
The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church
Michael Curry, The Most Rev. Michael Curry
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American to lead the Episcopal Church, navigated profound internal tensions regarding LGBTQ+ rights while uniting the denomination through his 2018 wedding sermon for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. His tenure emphasized racial justice initiatives in the American South and facilitated a nuanced resolution at Canterbury Cathedral to keep the church within the global Anglican Communion despite theological disagreements. This leadership, rooted in a faith born of ancestral resilience, culminated in a message delivered to two billion viewers that championed love as the essential force for bridging societal divides.
- Goldman Sachs18 min
Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO of Beyond Meat
Founder Ethan Brown directs Beyond Meat's mission to replace animal protein with plant-based alternatives that simultaneously address human health, climate change, and resource conservation. The company leverages proprietary extrusion technology and strategic retail expansion to secure partnerships with major chains like McDonald's and Subway while aiming to become a global leader rivaling Tyson and JBS. Supported by high-profile athlete endorsements and data showing up to 99% reduction in water and land usage, Beyond Meat is actively scaling its operations into Asian and European markets to drive a cultural shift toward sustainable eating.
- Goldman Sachs27 min
Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood
Former Governor Wes Moore and Robin Hood Foundation CEO outlines how systemic failures in housing, justice, and employment sustain poverty for millions in New York City despite high employment rates. Drawing on his personal journey from homelessness in the Bronx to military service and academic excellence, Moore argues that solving the crisis requires addressing historical inequities like redlining alongside data-driven philanthropy. He challenges the notion of a post-racial society, asserting that explicit policy reforms are essential to dismantle the racial wealth gap and prevent the sixty percent of individuals lifted from poverty from falling back in.
- Goldman Sachs24 min
Lord John Browne, Author of "Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization"
Lord John Browne, John Browne, David
Former BP CEO John Browning traces his career from Cambridge physics student to engineer, highlighting how his early fieldwork shaped a strategic shift toward climate accountability and measurable environmental goals despite industry isolation. He argues that oil and gas firms must address Scope 3 emissions while leveraging carbon capture and nuclear fission as near-term solutions, all underpinned by the belief that civilization relies on an engineering platform rather than humanities. Browning further contends that automation will evolve to prioritize human empathy, warns against reactive regulation regarding emerging technologies, and asserts that economies dependent on obsolete industries face extinction rather than redemption.
- Goldman Sachs17 min
Leda Braga, CEO of Systematica Investments
Leida built a career spanning engineering, investment banking, and venture capital before founding Systematica, a quantitative trading firm that currently employs over 100 staff across five offices. The firm is actively converting discretionary strategies into systematic models to improve risk measurement while addressing gender diversity gaps through cultural reforms and flexible trading approaches. Looking ahead, leadership prioritizes succession planning to ensure the institution can operate independently of the founder as the industry navigates challenging market conditions.
- Goldman Sachs30 min
Dr. Mark Esper, US Secretary of Defense
Mark Esper, the 27th U.S. Secretary of Defense, prioritizes reforming the Department of Defense to eliminate bureaucratic inertia while directing strategic focus against China, Russia, and Iran. Under his leadership, the department manages a $738 billion budget and a global force of 2.3 million personnel, balancing military operations like the elimination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi with a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran and growing great power competition. Esper's leadership philosophy rejects consensus-driven decision-making in favor of soliciting minority views, aiming to leverage military skills for private sector efficiency while maintaining vigilance against authoritarian regimes and cyber threats.
- Goldman Sachs32 min
Rick Atkinson, Author of "The British Are Coming"
Fredrik Logevall is launching *The British Are Coming*, the first volume of a projected three-part history of the American Revolution that recontextualizes the conflict through newly accessed Georgian archives and a detailed examination of George Washington's strategic, rather than tactical, leadership. The narrative challenges traditional assumptions by detailing the brutal reality of the war, including the catastrophic British underestimation of colonial sentiment, the high mortality rates on prison ships, and the pivotal role of Benedict Arnold's delayed campaign in securing French intervention. This 15-year project aims to demonstrate that American independence was a contingent outcome reliant on specific geopolitical circumstances and Washington's unique ability to unify a fractured population under civilian military command.
- Goldman Sachs17 min
Stuart J. Russell, Author of "Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control"
Stuart J. Russell, Jo Hannaford
Stuart Russell, a co-head of the Engineering Division in Europe and veteran computer science professor at UC Berkeley, outlines the trajectory of artificial intelligence from early computational limitations to modern achievements in speech recognition and autonomous driving. He argues that while AI systems now rival human performance in specific tasks, their integration necessitates solving complex value alignment challenges to balance individual preferences against societal well-being without imposing universal moral frameworks. Russell proposes a design philosophy where AI models billions of distinct human preferences while explicitly excluding negative altruism, ultimately aiming to guide long-term human welfare without overriding external stakeholders or fundamental human agency.
- Goldman Sachs28 min
Eric Foner, Historian and Author of "The Second Founding"
Historian Eric Foner characterizes the Reconstruction era as a "second founding" where the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments fundamentally transformed the Constitution by establishing birthright citizenship, national equality, and federal protection of individual rights. Although modern scholarship rejects the early 20th-century "Dunning School" view that framed this period as a failed experiment, Foner argues that contemporary interpretations of these amendments continue to reflect evolving societal values regarding voting and civil rights. While the Supreme Court eventually eviscerated these protections to legitimize segregation, historical records from the era show that Black leaders and politicians consistently advocated for a robust federal role in safeguarding the new democratic framework.
- Goldman Sachs30 min
Former Ambassador Susan Rice, Author of "Tough Love"
Former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice discusses the strategic implications of al-Baghdadi's death, the trauma of the Benghazi crisis, and her leadership of the Obama administration's all-female National Security Council team. She details how her childhood resilience and early career decisions shaped a management style that balanced aggressive security actions with diplomatic nuance. The discussion concludes with her assessment of U.S.-China relations, where she warns that America risks losing a long-term strategic endurance contest against Beijing without a radical shift in American resolve.
- Goldman Sachs24 min
Kirsten Green, Founding Partner of Forerunner Ventures
Forerunner Ventures founder Kirsten Green leveraged early wins like Dollar Shave Club and earlyjoints.com to build a strategy focused on identifying founders who address consumer friction through digital agility and ethical branding. Concurrently, she co-founded All Raise to combat systemic disparities in the industry by increasing the representation of female general partners and supporting diverse entrepreneurs through mentorship and capital allocation advocacy. Green's approach emphasizes operational transparency and the necessity of adapting to a saturated market by backing leaders who can compel stakeholders to join their vision before securing funding.