Talks at GS

Steven Mnuchin, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and ex-Goldman Sachs partner, offers sharp perspectives on credit cycles, AI-driven CapEx and data center buildouts, and fiscal trajectories. He discusses private credit resilience, trade and China strategy, COVID-era decision making, and the regulation of cryptocurrency and stablecoins.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Walter Piatt, a three-star Army general turned CEO of Wounded Warrior Project who spent 42 years leading service members and veteran programs. He discusses the charity’s origins delivering care packages, leadership lessons shaped by empathy, retraining for unexpected challenges, the complex mental-health needs of returning warriors, and how mindfulness boosts focus and resilience.

Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO and Senior Chairman of Goldman Sachs who led the firm through 2008 and launched major social programs, shares stories from Brooklyn to Wall Street. He discusses risk management, contingency planning for rare crises, the evolution of partnership culture after the IPO, and why he wrote a memoir. The conversation touches on leadership lessons and preserving institutional values.

Larry Cunningham, director of the John L. Weinberg Center and corporate governance scholar. He recounts discovering Weinberg’s 1948 thesis and why those ideas still resonate. He outlines boards’ top functions like CEO selection, capital allocation, and disclosure. He discusses shareholder activism, limits on small-shareholder proposals, and why Delaware remains dominant for corporate law.

Pieter van der Does, co-founder and co-CEO of Adyen, a payments fintech scaling global merchant payments. He shares Adyen’s origin story and why they built every layer in-house. Listens about engineering-led culture and hiring standards. Discusses AI in authorizations, fraud, KYC, and trends like shopper identity, omnichannel and least-cost routing.

Stephen Ellsworth, co-founder who built Poppi’s flavors and operations, and Allison Ellsworth, co-founder who shaped the brand from farmers markets to national fame. They trace a kitchen experiment into a digital-first, culture-driven beverage success. Topics include flavor obsession, rapid scaling via Amazon and TikTok, a surprise Super Bowl ad, and preparing Poppi for a strategic sale.

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, neuroscientist and CEO of Xaira Therapeutics, who shifted from academia to biotech leadership, discusses using AI to design therapeutics for previously undruggable targets. He covers combining AI with high-throughput biology, speeding discovery from lab to clinic, and balancing rapid computational advances with slower biological validation.

Edward Norton, acclaimed actor and filmmaker turned serial entrepreneur and philanthropist. He compares filmmaking to building companies. He discusses founding CrowdRise, modernizing board workflows with Zek, and why he never starts a company solo. He explains trade-offs between standalone businesses and M&A and how storytelling shapes leadership and team-building.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, leads the country’s foreign policy and Vision 2030 economic plan. He discusses Qatar’s mediation role and why engagement can secure stability. He outlines how stability fuels Qatar’s rise as an LNG exporter and investor. He highlights investments in education and the sovereign fund’s role in building national champions.

Anastasia Soare, the visionary Founder and CEO of Anastasia Beverly Hills, shares her inspiring immigrant journey from Romania to building a billion-dollar beauty brand. She reveals how her early family values shaped her resilience and business skills. Discover her pivotal moments, like persuading a landlord for a salon in Beverly Hills and breaking into retail with Nordstrom. Anastasia also discusses her unique approach to eyebrow shaping and the power of client relationships. Plus, learn about her commitment to philanthropy and inspiring future beauty professionals.