The 28th annual Milken Institute Global Conference convenes this week at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, uniting over 5,000 attendees and 1,000 speakers from more than 80 countries under the expansive theme Toward a Flourishing Future. The gathering serves as both a meeting of minds and a catalyst for partnerships, where influential figures across industries—from corporate boardrooms to cultural institutions—converge to address the defining challenges and opportunities of our time.
This year’s program is ambitious, navigating an increasingly complex global landscape. Conversations stretch across critical domains such as artificial intelligence, climate resilience, health-care innovation, income inequality, gender equity, and the evolving role of philanthropy. With public panels open for livestreaming and private roundtables fostering closed-door consensus-building, the conference is designed to generate not just ideas but action. As Milken Institute CEO Richard Ditizio emphasized, this is not merely a venue for speechmaking but “a unique space for people who are ready to take nuanced learnings from our dialogues and lead.”
The lineup of participants reflects the diversity of perspectives and the scope of influence the conference draws. From Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose company stands at the heart of the AI revolution, to Maria Corina Machado, a leading voice in Venezuela’s democratic movement, the roster spans sectors and ideologies. Notably, figures such as Jill Biden, Patrick Dempsey, Magic Johnson, and Jason Sudeikis will share the stage with executives like Ken Griffin of Citadel, Mary Culler of Ford Philanthropy, and C.D. Glin of the PepsiCo Foundation. Their collective presence underscores the increasingly blurred lines between business, entertainment, politics, and global citizenship.
Media coverage is expected to be extensive, with major financial and news outlets broadcasting live and more than 150 journalists reporting from the event. For those unable to attend in person, the Milken Institute is providing livestream access to 170 public sessions, enabling broader participation in a moment designed to spur connection, clarity, and collaboration. As the world grapples with the twin forces of disruption and acceleration, the Milken Global Conference remains a central node in the conversation about where we go next—and how to get there.
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