Latest Interviews

The new coronavirus: how should the world respond?

As the global pandemic escalated to 565 deaths and triggered market panic in mid-March, governments enforced unprecedented lockdowns while grappling with a stark trade-off between life-saving suppression and severe economic collapse. Analysis of China's strategy and modeling by Imperial College London demonstrated that only sustained social distancing could prevent critical care from exceeding capacity, though economic indicators like China's 20% retail decline signaled the high cost of such measures. Meanwhile, contrasting successes in Singapore and South Korea highlighted the necessity of aggressive testing and clear communication, even as experts warned that effective antibody testing and vaccines remain months away from resolution.

America v China: why the trade war won't end soon

Soumaya Keynes, Deng Xiaoping, Trump, David Rennie, Chad Bowne, Samaya

After sixteen months of reciprocal tariffs triggered by US concerns over China's rapid economic ascent and alleged unfair trade practices, the conflict has escalated to impose 25% duties on billions of dollars in goods while specifically targeting the agricultural sector to influence political outcomes. The dispute has severely impacted global growth projections and business investment, with recent restrictions on tech firm Huawei and a stalled "phase one" deal highlighting the deep structural disagreements regarding intellectual property and market access. Analysts caution that while a limited agreement might offer temporary tariff relief, the fundamental clash over US dominance in future industries and China's state-led economic model suggests a prolonged stalemate without comprehensive resolution.

Is America right to fear Huawei?

Ren Zhengfei, Joe Franell

Amidst a geopolitical clash where the US government labels Huawei a national security risk citing China's 2017 National Intelligence Law, the world's largest telecommunications manufacturer faces a 2019 ban on American components despite offering independent code audits. While Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei acknowledges the resulting uncertainty, the company's cheaper 5G infrastructure remains critical for billions of users globally, including rural US networks. Analysts warn that excluding Huawei could fracture global supply chains and stall technological progress, yet the US administration maintains its stance to counter China's strategic rise in the telecommunications sector.

Reducing the Cost and Risk of Dementia

Nora Super, Michael Belleville, Jennie Chin Hansen, Kevin Crain, Jeff Huber, Shari Ling, Sarah Locke, Ian Cramer, Orion, Alan Stevens, Jill Lesser

The Milken Institute's new report on reducing dementia costs sparked a multi-sector dialogue involving CMS officials, patient advocates, and industry leaders to address critical gaps in workforce preparedness and community support. Key initiatives highlighted include CMS's expanded billing codes for cognitive screening, the rapid growth of accredited Geriatric Emergency Departments that reduce hospitalizations, and innovative financial strategies to protect caregivers from retirement disparities. Panelists emphasized that effective intervention requires moving beyond isolated medical treatment to holistic models that integrate home care, fraud detection, and policy changes aimed at improving long-term quality of life.

How Brexit is changing the EU

Andrea Venson, Marine Le Pen

Following the 2016 Brexit referendum, which initially predicted the European Union's dissolution, public attachment to the bloc has strengthened and populist exit movements have largely subsided as leaders like Marine Le Pen shifted toward reforming the EU from within. This resilience was demonstrated through the bloc's successful navigation of the 2008 financial crisis and 2015 migrant surge, fostering a paradoxical sentiment where the departure of the UK is viewed as a stabilizing force rather than a catalyst for fragmentation. Consequently, while exit sentiment remains significant in specific nations like Italy, the overall trend reveals a political will among diverse member states to preserve the union against threats, exemplified by the rise of pan-European movements such as Volt Europa.

CRISPR 2.0 and the Future of Gene Therapies

Andy Tran

The gene therapy sector is undergoing a paradigm shift from simple transgene addition to precise CRISPR-based editing, driven by recent FDA approvals and a pipeline projecting dozens of Phase 3 trials this year. Despite significant progress in developing base editors and expanding delivery vectors, the industry faces critical bottlenecks in manufacturing scalability and achieving organ-specific targeting without immunogenicity. Successful organizations are distinguishing themselves by combining rigorous engineering mindsets with interdisciplinary teams to optimize modalities and automate production for a future of millions of patients.

Carolynn Levy - Modern Startup Funding

Carolynn Levy

Early-stage financing has shifted from complex, costly Series A preferred stock rounds to streamlined convertible securities like Y Combinator's SAFE, which allow founders to raise capital rapidly without immediate legal counsel. While these instruments facilitate frequent small checks and faster closings, they introduce challenges such as tracking dilution until conversion and potential administrative burdens from party rounds with numerous angels. Ultimately, founders must balance the efficiency of modern templates against specific deal structures and regional investor preferences to avoid corner cases where funding fails to convert into equity.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 10 – Going Forward (2019)

David Solomon, Al

David Solomon has succeeded Lloyd Blankfein as Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, initiating a strategic shift toward digital-first growth through the launch of the consumer platform Marcus and the gender-lens investment vehicle Launch with GS. This new era emphasizes "stakeholder capitalism" and aggressive diversity targets to secure uncorrelated perspectives, while the firm maintains its traditional emphasis on rigorous recruitment and consensus-driven teamwork. By balancing its 150-year heritage with these forward-looking adaptations, the institution aims to efficiently allocate global capital while serving a broader demographic of clients and communities.

Sarah Casanova: Chief Executive Officer, McDonald’s Holdings (Japan)

Sarah Casanova

McDonald's Japan CEO Sarah Casanova, a 28-year veteran of the company, spearheaded a strategic turnaround that modernized 92% of its 2,900 locations to restore customer trust and drive revenue in the world's second-largest McDonald's market. Her leadership model explicitly connects diversity initiatives to business performance, leveraging the fact that women control half of consumer spending decisions while challenging female employees to overcome confidence barriers to secure promotions. Casanova further advocates for an inclusive management style that prioritizes continuous improvement and mentorship, asserting that effective leadership in her global industry requires adaptability rather than adherence to traditional masculine personas.

MH17: can Russia be held to account?

Following the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine, a Dutch-led investigation utilized digital evidence to identify the Buk missile launch as originating from Russian-controlled territory. The Netherlands and Australia now seek international legal accountability through the European Court of Human Rights or domestic trials, aiming to prosecute specific Russian agents despite the Kremlin's denial and jurisdictional hurdles. While these proceedings face significant enforcement challenges due to the absence of extradition mechanisms, they represent the primary avenue for establishing state responsibility and asserting that the international community rejects the dismissal of the incident.

What will be the biggest stories of 2019? | Part Two

In 2019, global advancements will see augmented reality headsets deployed in major surgical centers like St. Mary's to enhance precision, while Japan launches the Rugby World Cup to stimulate tourism and enacts legislation to admit 345,000 foreign workers amidst demographic decline. Simultaneously, the United States faces heightened political friction as Democrats assume House control to subpoena President Trump, and the European Union navigates a contentious parliamentary election that threatens to deepen fragmentation between populist and established factions. These domestic and international shifts coincide with a renewed surge in space exploration, marked by private and national lunar missions aiming to utilize frozen resources and achieve greater demographic diversity in orbit.

a16z Podcast | An Open Source Business Model That Works

Peter Levine, Ben Uretsky

DigitalOcean pioneers an "open source as a service" model that abstracts the operational complexity of virtualization and tools like KVM, offering developers and enterprises a utility-based infrastructure with predictable total costs of ownership. This approach differentiates the platform by prioritizing interface simplicity and automated provisioning to help users scale workloads in seconds, effectively replacing traditional capital expenditures with variable, cent-per-hour pricing. Industry consensus emerging from the discussion highlights containers and flash storage as the near-term technological foundations for this efficiency, ensuring supply aligns with variable demand while maintaining hypervisor support for multi-OS compatibility.

Fashion's toxic threads

Professor Richard Thompson, Tom Kay, Javier Goyeneche

Professor Richard Thompson highlights the fashion industry's severe environmental footprint, identifying synthetic fiber shedding during washing as a primary source of microplastic pollution that now contaminates up to one-third of fish in the English Channel. In response to these ecological threats, pioneering brands like Finisterre and EcoAlf are restructuring their supply chains to utilize organic materials and recycled ocean plastics, despite facing higher production costs and a lack of regulatory frameworks. While these sustainable initiatives offer a path forward, experts warn that without stricter laws and further research into long-term human health impacts, the industry's current trajectory poses an immediate danger to marine ecosystems.

Geoff Ralston and Adora Cheung Discuss Startup School

Geoff Ralston, Adora Cheung, Craig, Jeff

Startup School is a 10-week Stanford-taught online program led by YC partners and executives Paul Graham, Sam Altman, and Michael Seibel, designed to lower barriers for early-stage founders globally. The course offers two participation tracks featuring live lectures, expert advice from volunteer founders, and access to exclusive partner deals, while incentivizing serious commitment through $10,000 equity-free grants awarded to 100 completing companies. Building on last year's success where 38 graduates entered the YC accelerator, the initiative aims to maximize global innovation by fostering accountability and providing capital to prevent promising startups from failing due to early funding gaps.

David Solomon Formally Announced as Lloyd Blankfein’s Successor

David Solomon, Lloyd Blankfein

Goldman Sachs announced that CEO and Chairman Lloyd Blankfein will retire at year-end, with David Solomon assuming immediate leadership of both roles as the firm enters a new strategic chapter. The transition coincides with a period of strong performance across investment banking and investment management, while Solomon pledged to uphold the firm's partnership culture and drive digital innovation through its Marcus and Clarity Money initiatives. With the firm aiming for its best fiscal year ever under the outgoing leadership, the move is presented as an evolution of the 149-year-old legacy designed to maintain competitive advantage in a changing regulatory and market landscape.