MD MEETS with Mathias Döpfner brings unedited conversations with the world’s most influential voices. From politics and science to arts and business, each episode dives into the most pressing issues of our time - and sometimes the completely unexpected. With a minimalist, authentic style and no artificial fillers, the focus is always on the guest and their story. High-profile discussions, recorded on location or remote, are released as both audio and video, giving viewers a rare inside look at ideas shaping our future. Subscribe for essential insights, candid perspectives, and the dialogues that matter most.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Peter Thiel: The AI Crisis, Europe’s Decline & the Battle for America
In this interview, Mathias Döpfner speaks with investor Peter Thiel about Europe's AI decline, democracy, and the future of technology.
6 Sept 2026
Jazz Legend Ron Carter: A Life in Music – From Coltrane to Miles Davis
Mathias Döpfner interviews jazz legend Ron Carter about his lifelong pursuit of musical perfection and his profound insights on discipline, curiosity, and the enduring power of human experience.
9 Aug 2026
Serbia's Aleksandar Vučić: Putin, Zelensky & the Next Big War
Mathias Döpfner interviews Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić about navigating global power shifts, Serbia's independent foreign policy, and the looming threat of a larger war.
13 Jul 2026
Palantir CEO Alex Karp: AI Fears, Rise of the Far Right & Germany's Crisis
Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner interviews Palantir CEO Alex Karp about AI's role in democracy, Europe's challenges, and the rise of the far-right.
Mathias Döpfner interviews Nigel Farage about Donald Trump's courage, Brexit's economic failures, and his controversial migration plans.
15 Apr 2026
UK Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch: Western Weakness, Mass Migration & Far-Left Antisemitism
Mathias Döpfner interviews UK Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch about Western weakness, mass migration, and the future of conservatism.
13 Feb 2026
Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi: Trump, War & Regime Change
Mathias Döpfner interviews Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi about Iran's future, regime change, and international implications, offering insights into potential stability through people-led revolution.
17 Dec 2025
Pop Icon Nile Rodgers: 750 Million Records Sold - A Life That Changed Music Forever
Host Daniel van Moll interviews music icon Nile Rodgers about his creative philosophy and the "complex simplicity" that defined his legendary career.
29 Nov 2025
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: AI Boom, Energy Battle & His Complicated Alliance with Sam Altman
Mathias Döpfner interviews Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about the AI boom, energy demands, and sustainable innovation in this insightful discussion.
15 Nov 2025
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán: Putin vs. Trump, Nuclear War & Illegal Migration
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discusses Putin vs. Trump, nuclear war, and illegal migration with Mathias Döpfner, offering insights into Europe's future.
9 Nov 2025
Spotify Founder Daniel Ek: Europe vs. USA
In this new episode of MD MEETS, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner sits down with Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek for a focused conversation about Europe’s future - what it is, what it could be, and what it must become.
Ek argues that Europe’s challenge is not talent but throughput - too little R&D, too few scaled software companies, and a culture that stigmatizes risk. He points to a simple lever with outsized impact: channel even 1 percent of Europe’s vast savings into innovation, and the continent could double its venture firepower and unlock a new generation of builders. Policy and power matter, too. Energy costs are a brake on competitiveness, while smart regulation in fintech shows where Europe can lead. Ek makes the case for investing in AI and new defense technologies that raise deterrence at lower cost to human life - and for a more confident Europe that can defend itself while deepening the transatlantic alliance.
Can Europe turn world-class talent into world-class scale? And will the next decade be the moment when Europe stops admiring its past and starts building its future?
Subscribe for essential insights, candid perspectives, and the dialogues that matter most
Video: youtube.com/@mdmeets (https://youtube.com/@mdmeets) | Web: https://mdmeets.com (https://mdmeets.com) | Mail: mail@mdmeets.com (mailto:mail@mdmeets.com)
MD MEETS is a podcast of Axel Springer SE. Produced by Daniel van Moll. All rights reserved
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this content is prohibited. For more information and updates, follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/mdmeets (https://instagram.com/mdmeets)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Oct 2025
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: Self-driving Cars, Immigration & Israel/Palestine
In this third episode of MD MEETS, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner sits down with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi for a sweeping conversation that moves from the future of transportation to the forces that shape human destiny.
Khosrowshahi reflects on a world in motion - where cars drive themselves, cities breathe easier, and mobility becomes a shared experience rather than a private luxury. He speaks about Uber’s bold bet on electric and autonomous vehicles, air taxis, and delivery drones, painting a vision of cities where movement is frictionless and freedom is redefined.
But the discussion turns deeply personal when Khosrowshahi recounts his journey from Tehran to America after the Iranian Revolution - an immigrant’s story of loss, gratitude, and second chances. He shares his conflicted emotions about his homeland, the lessons of humility from his father, and how those values shaped his leadership through controversy and change.
From artificial intelligence to immigration, from the loneliness of power to the humility of listening, this conversation explores what it means to move - not just through space, but through life itself.
Subscribe for essential insights, candid perspectives, and the dialogues that matter most
Video: youtube.com/@mdmeets (https://youtube.com/@mdmeets) | Web: https://mdmeets.com (https://mdmeets.com) | Mail: mail@mdmeets.com (mailto:mail@mdmeets.com)
MD MEETS is a podcast of Axel Springer SE. Produced by Daniel van Moll. All rights reserved
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this content is prohibited. For more information and updates, follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/mdmeets (https://instagram.com/mdmeets)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
12 Oct 2025
Media Mogul Barry Diller: Success, Sexuality & Serendipity
In this second episode of MD MEETS, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner sits down with legendary media mogul Barry Diller - the man who shaped Hollywood, created FOX, and built one of the world’s most powerful internet empires.
From being bounced at Studio 54 on opening night - despite arriving with Hollywood royalty - to discovering John Travolta and producing Saturday Night Fever, Diller recounts the wild rise of an entertainment visionary whose career has spanned every screen, from silver to digital.
In a rare and intimate conversation, Diller opens up about the loneliness of his childhood, the drive that rejection gave him, and how risk - from his sexuality to his career - became his creative engine. He speaks about the glamour and darkness of fame, his lifelong partnership with Diane von Furstenberg, and what it means to build something that truly lasts.
A story of reinvention, risk, and romance - and of one man’s extraordinary journey from Hollywood’s back rooms to the frontlines of media history.
Subscribe for essential insights, candid perspectives, and the dialogues that matter most
Video: youtube.com/@mdmeets (https://youtube.com/@mdmeets) | Web: https://mdmeets.com (https://mdmeets.com) | Mail: mail@mdmeets.com (mailto:mail@mdmeets.com)
MD MEETS is a podcast of Axel Springer SE. Produced by Daniel van Moll. All rights reserved
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this content is prohibited. For more information and updates, follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/mdmeets (https://instagram.com/mdmeets)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
1 Oct 2025
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: AI Warfare, Freedom & Immortality
In this premiere episode of MD MEETS, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner sits down with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for an unfiltered conversation about the promises and perils of artificial intelligence. From the risks of AI-driven warfare, to the threat posed by “bad actors” to freedom and democracy, to the role of journalism in an AI-powered world - and even the age-old question of whether humans should live forever - no topic is off limits.
Altman reflects on freedom, democracy, superintelligence, and his personal dream of becoming a farmer once AI takes over his job. A rare and candid look at one of the most influential voices shaping our future.
Subscribe for essential insights, candid perspectives, and the dialogues that matter most
Video: youtube.com/@mdmeets (https://youtube.com/@mdmeets) | Web: https://mdmeets.com (https://mdmeets.com) | Mail: mail@mdmeets.com (mailto:mail@mdmeets.com)
MD MEETS is a podcast of Axel Springer SE. Produced by Daniel van Moll. All rights reserved
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this content is prohibited. For more information and updates, follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/mdmeets (https://instagram.com/mdmeets)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Sept 2025
MD MEETS - Essential Talks with Mathias Döpfner
MD MEETS with Mathias Döpfner brings unedited conversations with the world’s most influential voices. From politics and science to arts and business, each episode dives into the most pressing issues of our time - and sometimes the completely unexpected.
With a minimalist, authentic style and no artificial fillers, the focus is always on the guest and their story. At its core, the podcast is about freedom - of thought, of speech, of creativity - and how these values shape societies in an age of disruption.
High-profile discussions, recorded on location or remote, are released as both audio and video, giving viewers a rare inside look at ideas shaping our future.
Subscribe for essential insights, candid perspectives, and the dialogues that matter most
Video: youtube.com/@mdmeets (https://youtube.com/@mdmeets) | Web: https://mdmeets.com (https://mdmeets.com) | Mail: mail@mdmeets.com (mailto:mail@mdmeets.com)
MD MEETS is a podcast of Axel Springer SE. Produced by Daniel van Moll. All rights reserved
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this content is prohibited. For more information and updates, follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/mdmeets (https://instagram.com/mdmeets)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on MD MEETS
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Peter Thiel
Ron Carter
Aleksandar Vučić
Alex Karp
Nigel Farage
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
4.4 / 5
51 ratings
Contact MD MEETS
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
