Betting on America: Winning the Global Tech Race
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Betting on America: Winning the Global Tech Race explores how new and emerging partnerships between government and business are shaping the future of U.S. industrialization and the country’s prospects for winning the global tech race. Betting on America will dive into strategies and investments that government and business are pursuing together – sharing risks and generating returns – as they bet on the innovation, commercialization, and scaling of critical and emerging technologies across the country. These include climate technologies, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum, bio technologies, and more. The podcast will feature in-depth discussions with policymakers, experts, and industry leaders on the most complex policy questions of the day.Hosted by Navin Girishankar, President, CSIS Economic Security & Technology Department.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 8, 2026 • 49min
Can AI Accelerate Scientific Discovery? Featuring Under Secretary Darío Gil
Darío Gil, Under Secretary for Science and Innovation and former IBM research leader, discusses the DOE’s Genesis Mission. He breaks down the AI-driven platform that pairs AI, supercomputing and quantum tech. Topics include data and instruments like AlphaFold, public-private-philanthropic consortiums, workforce retraining, agile governance, research security, and international collaboration.
Mar 25, 2026 • 28min
The Imperative of Renewal featuring Senator David McCormick
Senator David McCormick (R-PA) joins Navin Girishankar on Betting on America to discuss the urgency of economic renewal in the face of myriad challenges to national power. In this wide‑ranging conversation, Senator McCormick discusses the AI revolution, U.S. trade policy, defense tech innovation, and workforce issues. He reflects on Pennsylvania’s experience and its potential to offer lessons for the country as a whole.
Mar 4, 2026 • 50min
Confronting the China Challenge
Join us for a special episode of Betting on America, recorded live at the 42nd Annual National Association for Business Economics Policy Conference. Navin joins the panel, “Industrial Policy and Economic Security: Confronting the China Challenge,” alongside Oliver Melton, Director of Rhodium Group’s China practice; Laura Taylor-Kale, Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics and Defense at the Council on Foreign Relations; Randall G. Schriver, Chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission; and Tani Fukui, Senior Director of Global Economics and Market Strategy at MetLife Investment Management, to discuss what it will take to secure U.S. leadership in the long-term competition with China.
This event is made possible through support from the National Association for Business Economics.
Feb 4, 2026 • 31min
America's Tech Long Game featuring Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)
Join us for a special episode of Betting on America from a recent live CSIS event featuring Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Senator Todd Young (R-NC), discussing what it will take to secure U.S. technology leadership in the long-term competition with China. The discussion highlights bipartisan priorities for strengthening critical supply chains, accelerating innovation, and building resilient ecosystems in an era of strategic rivalry.
The event also marked the launch of the Tech Edge Report—a flagship publication from CSIS’s Economic Security and Technology Department. The report introduces a new framework for assessing U.S. and Chinese technology ecosystems and kicks-off a multi-year research effort to inform and shape policy on the drivers of long-term advantage in the U.S.-China technology competition.
Jan 26, 2026 • 54min
Reimagining the American City Featuring Jan Sramek, Founder and CEO of California Forever
Jan Sramek, CEO of California Forever, joins Navin Girishankar on Betting on America to discuss how his company is reimagining the American city, how the U.S. can rediscover its ability to build, and why it is vital for U.S. economic security. In this conversation, they explore what it takes to build a city from scratch, and how government, business, and labor can work together to build the factories of the future.
Jan 7, 2026 • 53min
New Pathways to Prosperity ft. Paul Ryan, fmr Speaker of the U.S. House of Reps
Paul Ryan, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, joins Navin Girishankar on Betting on America for a wide-ranging conversation on the big forces shaping politics and policy—competing populisms, U.S. trade policy and its discontents, out-of-control fiscal deficits, the future of the U.S. dollar, and the tech race with China. Speaker Ryan shares his thoughts not only on the challenges but also on potential solutions to set the United States on a forward path to shared prosperity.
6 snips
Dec 17, 2025 • 34min
American Leadership in the World Featuring Governor David Beasley
David Beasley, former governor of South Carolina and ex-executive director of the World Food Programme, dives deep into U.S. global leadership. He shares his experiences negotiating in conflict zones for humanitarian aid and the importance of combining aid with development. Beasley emphasizes the need for private sector solutions to poverty, advocates for bipartisan cooperation, and highlights strategic engagement with Africa and the need for a unified response to China. His insights are both practical and forward-thinking, making for an enlightening discussion.
Dec 10, 2025 • 37min
Federal Statistics for Economic Security featuring U.S. Chief Statistician Mark Calabria
Join us for a special episode of Betting on America from a recent live CSIS event featuring Dr. Mark Calabria, Chief Statistician of the United States, alongside leading experts from government, industry, and the research community. The discussion examines what it will take to build a modern statistical system—one that is accurate, credible, and capable of supporting America’s economic security in a more competitive and fast-moving world.
Watch the full event here.
Dec 3, 2025 • 45min
Investing in American Dynamism featuring David Ulevitch, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
David Ulevitch, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, joins Navin Girishankar on Betting on America to discuss the American Dynamism Fund and the growing trend of national interest investing. They discuss how these venture investors are looking for returns in sectors that will drive U.S. competitiveness and national security. Ulevitch shares his views on the U.S.-China technology competition and the feasibility of a sovereign wealth fund.
Nov 19, 2025 • 43min
The Security of Everything featuring Henry McVey, Partner and CIO of KKR’s Balance Sheet
Henry McVey, Partner, Head of Global Macro & Asset Allocation, and Chief Investment Officer of KKR’s Balance Sheet, KKR, and CSIS Board Member, joins Navin Girishankar on Betting on America to explore the role of resilience driving policy and markets, what he calls “the security of everything.” They also discuss the evolving role of the state, the impact of AI on productivity, and stablecoins.
See more research from Henry McVey and KKR here:
All macro content: https://www.kkr.com/insights#categoryTagId=insights-categories:macro-insights
Thoughts from the Road Europe: https://www.kkr.com/insights/2025-europe-thoughts-from-the-road
Midyear Outlook: https://www.kkr.com/insights/mid-year-update-2025
