Latest Interviews
Showing 1036–1050 of 1,410 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute1h 1m
To Infinity and Beyond: What's Cool in Transportation
Alan Ohnsman, Peggy Johnson, James Kuffner, Lior Ron, Kyle Vogt, Richard Wallace
Industry leaders project the widespread deployment of Level 4 autonomous ride-share fleets in major urban centers by 2021, prioritizing constrained environments over universal Level 5 capability to ensure technical reliability. This transition drives a shift toward Mobility as a Service, where companies like Uber and Cruise aim to replace private vehicle ownership with high-utilization shared fleets while infrastructure providers like Microsoft leverage cloud computing to monetize in-car time. Beyond operational changes, the technology promises significant societal benefits including reduced traffic fatalities and repurposed urban land, even as it necessitates navigating a fragmented regulatory landscape and evolving labor markets.
- Milken Institute58 min
The Hunt for Yield: Risk-Free Return or Return-Free Risk?
James Mackintosh, Scott Evans, Robert Kricheff, AJ Murphy, Anne Walsh, Andrew Whittaker, James McInstosh, Bob Krychev
A panel of institutional investors and asset managers characterizes the fixed-income market as being in a late-stage bull phase with historically tight spreads, prompting a strategic shift toward defensive positioning despite a consensus that the environment remains distinct from the speculative excesses of 2007-2008. While participants are reducing exposure to overvalued assets like U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities and wary of liquidity risks from passive investing and covenant-lite debt, they continue seeking yield premiums in sector-specific opportunities such as second-lien loans and selective high-yield issuers. This cautious approach reflects concerns that corporate leverage remains elevated and that potential macroeconomic catalysts, including fiscal policy changes and geopolitical shifts, could abruptly alter the trajectory of an otherwise extended credit cycle.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
India's Great Strides
Reuben Abraham, Nisha Biswal, Raju Narisetti, Irfan Nooruddin, Anand Shah
Raju Rajagopal founded *Mint* in 2007 to introduce Western journalistic ethics to India's growing business sector, capitalizing on demographic shifts that would eventually make it the country's second-largest newspaper. The publication's success occurred alongside a strategic transformation in US-India relations under Narendra Modi, characterized by heightened diplomatic engagement and a "dynamic" partnership despite anticipated transactional tensions. Simultaneously, India leveraged digital infrastructure like the "India Stack" and Aadhaar to bypass traditional banking hurdles, driving massive financial inclusion while navigating complex domestic reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
California and Asia: The Need for Collaboration
Kevin Klowden, Fred Hochberg, Elise Huang, Pradeep Khosla, Ashok Kumar Mirpuri
A panel of experts warns that shifting U.S. trade policies and proposed federal budget cuts threaten California's role as the primary gateway for Pacific economic and technological engagement. While China and Singapore aggressively expand their influence through strategic investments, regulatory sandboxes, and bilateral partnerships, the United States faces significant risks to its leadership in R&D, education, and export markets. The discussion highlights that sustaining California's innovation ecosystem requires immediate government support to counteract global shifts in semiconductor manufacturing and fintech dominance.
- Milken Institute1h 10m
U.S. Overview: Will the Economic Tailwind Continue?
Ross DeVol, John Chen, Francisco González Díaz, Vasant Prabhu, Steven Rattner, Alan Schwartz
Moderated by Ross Duvall, a panel of industry leaders from BlackBerry, Visa, Guggenheim Partners, and other institutions analyzed the disconnect between U.S. consumer confidence and weak corporate investment while debating the strategic necessity of NAFTA renegotiation and tax reform. Participants highlighted that despite robust consumer spending and low unemployment, stagnant productivity and a skills gap limit growth, prompting calls to shift focus toward high-tech innovation rather than manufacturing repatriation. Looking ahead to 2017, the group predicted a likely passage of corporate tax legislation through reconciliation, limited modifications to the Affordable Care Act, and the commencement of NAFTA negotiations that would emphasize technology and intellectual property over traditional trade barriers.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Framework for Investing for the Long Term
Colin le Duc, Brian Gildea, Steven Goulart, Jingdong Hua, Jean Hynes, Arif Naqvi
A diverse panel of institutional investors from firms including MetLife, Generation, and the IFC identified a critical misalignment between long-term asset requirements and current quarterly measurement frameworks that hinders sustainable capital deployment. To address these structural barriers, participants detailed innovative incentive models and de-risking strategies, such as IFC first-loss provisions and Wellington Management's decoupled compensation structures, designed to unlock the $30 trillion opportunity within the Sustainable Development Goals. The group concluded that overcoming regulatory bottlenecks and standardizing impact metrics is essential for mobilizing idle capital into emerging markets and infrastructure projects while shifting asset allocation toward holistic value creation.
- Milken Institute59 min
Can the Traditional University Thrive in the Internet Age?
Jeffrey Silber, Bill Achtmeyer, William Bennett, Gregory Cappelli, Ronald Daniels, Nikhil Sinha, Jeff Silber, Bill Bennett, Ron Daniels, Bhagwan Chaudhary, James Starr, Gary Weisserman, Ray Jacobson, Devian
Moderated by Jeff Silber of BMO Capital Markets, a panel including Bill Ackmeyer, Bill Bennett, Greg Capelli, Ron Daniels, and Nikhil Sinha examined the viability of traditional universities amid 24% growth in online enrollments and the rise of micro-credentials. Experts predicted that while elite research institutions will survive by leveraging prestige and innovation, small colleges with low endowments face extinction as market consolidation accelerates and Fortune 500 leaders increasingly define skills standards. The discussion highlighted that future higher education must differentiate itself through pricing disruption, personalized learning technologies, and hybrid models that balance technical instruction with essential soft skills.
- Milken Institute1h 12m
The Asset Management Outlook
Jason Kelly, David Druley, Nobel Gulati, David Hunt, Michelle McCloskey, Ron Mock
Leading institutional investors and asset managers, including representatives from PGM, Ontario Teachers, and Two Sigma, converge to declare traditional asset classifications obsolete as the industry pivots toward a scarcity-based model where only managers delivering true alpha command premium fees. The panel anticipates significant market consolidation over the next five years, driven by the dominance of technology in filtering noise, the rise of non-traditional talent in private markets, and capital flows shifting from liquid beta strategies to illiquid alternatives among a new generation of family offices. While geopolitical volatility is normalized, the primary long-term challenge remains the structural pressure to close the gap between projected global equity returns and historical pension targets, necessitating active management and strategic partnerships to achieve required risk-adjusted outcomes.
- Milken Institute58 min
New Horizons: The Evolution of Direct Lending and Illiquid Credit
Staci Warden, Michael Arougheti, Mary Katherine DuBose, Damien Dwin, Nino Fanlo, Terry Harris, Mike Garaghetti, Mary Catherine Dubois
Representatives from Ares Management, Wells Fargo, Brightwood Capital, SoFi, and Barings convened to analyze the maturation of the private credit market, defining direct lending as a global asset class spanning from family-owned businesses to PE-backed corporations. Panelists highlighted divergent strategies across the sector, including asset-backed senior financing, supply-demand imbalances for underserved founders, and disintermediation of super-prime consumers, while noting strong credit fundamentals despite a late-cycle environment. As regulatory frameworks evolve and fee compression accelerates, the industry faces a shift toward market efficiency where relationship premiums erode and liquidity managers prioritize rational relative value decisions over concentrated sponsor reliance.
- Milken Institute1h 4m
Quality Assurance: Why Women Lead Most Health-Care Decisions
Kelly Close, Lynn Goldman, Dariush Mozaffarian, Deneen Vojta
A strategic public health initiative addresses the global nutrition crisis and declining U.S. health outcomes by leveraging women's decision-making power while countering misinformation with evidence-based interventions. Experts propose systemic reforms including price transparency, Medicare incentives for healthy eating, and the integration of nutrition as a vital sign in electronic health records to shift focus from acute care to preventive "soft healing." The plan further outlines the deployment of automated monitoring technologies and community health workers to reduce chronic disease rates, aiming to transform healthcare delivery into a scalable, consumer-oriented model within the next decade.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Commissioners of Sport: Agile Leadership in a Competitive World
Jim Gray, Gary Bettman, Don Garber, Robert Manfred Jr., Adam Silver
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NHL's Gary Bettman, MLS's Don Garber, and MLB's Rob Manfred discussed critical challenges facing major sports leagues, including balancing owner interests with fan experiences and navigating digital disruption. The commissioners highlighted significant policy decisions ranging from implementing strict concussion protocols and youth safety measures to managing international competition costs and substance use regulations. Furthermore, the leaders addressed roster management strategies like strategic player resting and the complexities of integrating social issues into the apolitical nature of professional sports while aiming to drive global growth and demographic shifts.
- Goldman Sachs12 min
Talks at GS – Eddie Huang: Food, Culture, Identity
Executive Producer and author Nahnatchka Khan reflects on her memoir *Fresh Off the Boat* and the television adaptation as pivotal moments in transitioning from defensive survival mechanisms to intentional identity formation. She critiques the show for diluting authentic Asian experiences into universal white narratives while rejecting the "model minority" stereotype through her personal journey of culinary preservation and leadership at her restaurant, Bauhaus. Ultimately, she advocates for a cultural shift that prioritizes shared humanity over differences, utilizing a management philosophy that blends high performance with deep personal care to foster genuine employee loyalty.
- Y Combinator35 min
Scaling Growth | Gustaf Alstromer, YC Partner (formerly Airbnb) & Ed Baker (formerly Uber)
Ed Arons and Gustav Sorensen discuss their experience scaling growth teams at Uber, Airbnb, and Facebook, contrasting early viral tactics that exploited platform loopholes with sustainable strategies focused on retention and marketplace liquidity. The speakers detail how successful scaling requires aligning product and engineering functions, adapting paid acquisition to local constraints, and replacing short-term viral hacks with long-term investments in SEO, data science, and user experience optimization. Furthermore, they emphasize the necessity of institutionalizing experimentation to challenge assumptions, citing specific examples like copy adjustments in Japan and WeChat integration in China, while advocating for unified operational models that track acquisition, churn, and re-engagement separately.
- Y Combinator31 min
Scaling Product | Fireside with Joe Gebbia and Reid Hoffman
Airbnb achieved product-market fit by abandoning scalable code solutions in favor of manual, non-scalable actions, such as founders personally photographing listings to overcome trust barriers and reduce user friction. To sustain hyper-growth while maintaining culture and empathy, the company institutionalized practices like hiring for future needs, training core values interviewers, and mandating that employees regularly experience the platform as travelers and hosts. This strategic focus on deep user connection and operational realism eventually enabled the expansion from a simple room-rental service to a comprehensive travel ecosystem featuring Experiences and a global network of professional photographers.
- Y Combinator50 min
How to Raise Money with Marc Andreessen, Ron Conway, and Parker Conrad (HtSaS 2014: 9)
Marc Andreessen, Ron Conway, Parker Conrad
SV Angel outlines a venture capital philosophy centered on investing in outlier founders with extreme strengths rather than balanced profiles, emphasizing that seed rounds of $1M to $2M at caps near $9M offer the highest probability of success. The firm prioritizes companies that have already peeled away risk through revenue generation and traction, viewing the investor-founder relationship as a long-term partnership where dilution limits and board governance are managed through covenants rather than formal votes. By leveraging a high-selectivity process where only one in thirty referrals receive funding, SV Angel targets leaders who can articulate clear value propositions within minutes while avoiding conflicts that limit future portfolio flexibility.