Brown Advisory Presents Navigating Our World

Navigating Our World is the podcast where we seek insights about some of the most pressing questions that we face as investors and as a society. We examine the forces shaping our world, moving capital and raising the future—with the thoughtful experts across our network. These conversations help us make better decisions for our clients, and we welcome you to join us.

 

Past Episodes

National Security and the Frontier of Tech Innovation [Recorded Live at NOW Austin]  

November 27, 2024

In a world fraught with geopolitical risks, the U.S. military is in a race to adapt its technology to the speed of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and increasing autonomy. In this conversation, recorded live at our NOW conference in Austin, Brown Advisory's Brett Gibson sat down with The Honorable Christine Fox and Dr. Casey Perley—ideal guides to explore defense tech innovation and the path to a safer world.

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A New World Order: The Shifting Geopolitical Landscape [Recorded Live at NOW Austin]  

November 20, 2024

In the wake of the U.S. election, Emily Harding, Robin Niblett and James Harding kicked off the NOW conference in Austin by examining the geopolitical risks, alliances and power dynamics that could drive the global order. It was a provocative discussion, reflecting the precarious state of our world. As you'll hear, Emily and Robin offer some unsettling—and quite illuminating—insights.

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The Case for Techno-Optimism | A Conversation with Marc Andreessen [Recorded Live at NOW Austin]  

November 8, 2024

Marc Andreessen is one of the most influential Silicon Valley founders and investors, so when he talks about the future of tech, we want to pay attention. In this conversation, recorded live at our NOW conference in June 2024, Brown Advisory's Elise Liberto sat down with Marc to explore: why he's a techno-optimist, innovation in the age of AI, the state of venture capital, and lots more.

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Creating Breakthrough Cultures | A Conversation with Dr. Kim Budil  

November 8, 2024

As investors, we are keenly interested in what it takes to create and sustain cultures of excellence. In this conversation, recorded live at our NOW conference in San Francisco in June, Brown Advisory's Karina Funk sat down with Kim Budil, Director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. For Dr. Budil, stewarding a culture designed for transformational technical breakthroughs--such as fusion ignition--is a matter of national security and global stability.

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The Global Battle for Chips  

August 12, 2024

Two seismic forces that are shaping our world—deglobalization and digitization—are colliding over a single inflection point: semiconductor chips. Chips are the building blocks of the global economy, an irreplaceable enabler of tens of trillions of dollars of annual economic activity. Geopolitically, the stakes could not be higher. 

In this conversation, recorded at the NOW Conference in June 2024, Ben Bayat speaks with Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. They discuss the true marvel that is semiconductor manufacturing, the remarkably complex supply chain and its risks, the CHIPS act, the state of the global semiconductor industry, and the precarious national security implications of our collective reliance on these diminutive components.

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A New World Order: China and the Geopolitical Landscape  

July 2, 2024

Global world order is shifting. The last four decades have seen a marked rise in the economic power of China and a simultaneous weakening in the stability of liberal democracies the world over. The outlook for the 2020s appears rife with uncertainty. We kicked off our NOW conference in San Francisco with two China experts in conversation about the changing geopolitical landscape and the future of U.S.-China relations--covering topics that included Xi Jinping's vision, the rise of national security over economic interests, multinational business engagement in China, Taiwan, and more.

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Fault Lines and Frontiers: A New Cold War? 

June 3, 2024

Global world order is shifting. The last four decades have seen a marked rise in the economic power of China, and a simultaneous weakening in the stability of liberal democracies the world over. 

As investors, how should we be thinking about the geopolitical outlook—and what might be on the horizon? 

In the lead-up to Brown Advisory's "Navigating Our World" conference in San Francisco, Meredith Shuey Etherington sat down with leading foreign policy expert Sir Robin Niblett for insights into current hot and cold conflicts and long-term geopolitical risks, and how they may shape the context for our investment decisions.

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About NOW

We launched Navigating Our World in 2008 to mark our 10th anniversary as an independent firm. Each NOW conference is meant to embody our commitment to seeking fresh and broad perspectives, learning from experts across disciplines, and challenging conventional assumptions. While we have shifted our conference format to a podcast series due to the pandemic, we remain steadfast in our belief that thoughtful inquiry, encompassing varied perspectives, helps us make better decisions for clients and makes us more effective contributors to our communities. As a firm, we aspire to raise the future—and NOW helps us get there.

LISTEN TO MIKE HANKIN'S FOREWORD PAST NOW CONFERENCES