Behind the Scenes of WIRED's Big Interview: Insights from AMD CEO Lisa Su and Industry Leaders

WIRED's annual Big Interview event brings together some of the most influential minds in technology, culture, and politics for in-depth, live conversations. In a recent episode of the Uncanny Valley podcast, hosts Michael Calore and Lauren Goode provided a behind-the-scenes look at the event, focusing on their key takeaways from a series of compelling discussions. The centerpiece was Lauren's conversation with Dr. Lisa Su, the CEO of semiconductor giant AMD, but the insights extended far beyond chips to touch on healthcare, urban policy, and the societal impact of artificial intelligence.

Lisa Su on AI: No Bubble, Just Immense Demand

One of the most pressing questions in tech today is whether the massive investment in artificial intelligence represents a sustainable boom or an unsustainable bubble. When Lauren Goode posed this question to AMD's CEO, Lisa Su's response was unequivocal. "From my perspective, no," she stated, emphasizing that AI is "the most transformative technology of my career, of my lifetime." Su argued that the industry is still in the "very early innings" of understanding and deploying AI's full potential, particularly in enhancing productivity, transforming businesses, and advancing fields like science and healthcare.

Su addressed concerns about overinvestment by pointing to the underlying health of the tech ecosystem. She highlighted the "tremendous free cash flow" generated by major cloud companies (hyperscalers) and the robust macroeconomic demand for technology. The real driver, according to Su, is shifting from training large AI models to widespread AI usage. As people and businesses ask AI to perform more complex tasks and act as autonomous agents, the demand for computing power is outstripping current supply. "There's just not enough computing power that's installed today," she noted, justifying the industry's significant capital investments.

The Competitive Chip Landscape: More Than Just Nvidia vs. AMD

While Nvidia's dominance in the AI GPU market is often the headline, Su painted a more nuanced picture of the competitive landscape. She described a market where innovation is leapfrogging at an unprecedented pace, citing how the industry's focus shifted from China's DeepSeek model to Google's Gemini 3 in less than a year. This rapid evolution, she argued, means there is no concept of a single "winner."

Su positioned AMD not just as a GPU competitor but as a provider of a full spectrum of computing solutions. "You are going to need CPUs, you're going to need GPUs, you're going to need ASICs or custom chips," she explained. AMD's strategy is to offer the "right chip for the right workload," leveraging over a decade of investment in high-performance technologies. This approach acknowledges the growing trend of hyperscalers like Google, Amazon, and Meta developing their own custom silicon (like Google's TPU or Amazon's Trainium), making the battlefield far more crowded and complex than a simple two-company race.

Technology, Policy, and the China Question

The conversation naturally turned to the intersection of technology and national policy, an area where Su has become increasingly involved. She noted a significant shift over the past five years, with semiconductors now recognized as "core to national policy" due to their importance for economic competitiveness and security.

Su expressed appreciation for the current administration's engagement with industry but also addressed the delicate issue of exporting advanced chips to China. While affirming that "U.S. national security is the number one priority," she also framed China as an important market and a source of innovation. Su suggested that enabling the use of the U.S. AI stack globally helps ensure American technology remains at the bleeding edge. She confirmed that AMD has licenses to ship some specific chips (MI308) to China and will pay the associated U.S. government fee, highlighting the ongoing, dynamic nature of these trade policies.

Broader Insights from The Big Interview Stage

The Uncanny Valley recap also highlighted other notable conversations from the event, demonstrating the wide-ranging impact of technology.

Eric Topol on AI in Healthcare

Physician and scientist Eric Topol offered an evidence-based perspective on longevity and AI's role in medicine. He advocated for moving away from age-based disease screening (e.g., mammograms at 40) toward a more personalized, data-driven model based on individual genetics and risk factors. Topol expressed optimism that AI could help doctors spot illness earlier by identifying subtle trends and symptoms, a potential game-changer for preventive care.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Governing in the AI Era

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie discussed the challenges and opportunities of governing a city being reshaped by the AI boom. He emphasized a managerial approach, such as increasing coordination between city agencies. A key topic was the contentious "upzoning" initiative to allow more dense housing near transit hubs—a move Lurie supports as necessary despite expected legal challenges, highlighting the tension between development and existing community interests in a rapidly changing city.

Michele Jawando on Equitable Tech Governance

Michele Jawando of the Omidyar Network made a philosophical case for human agency in technological development. Her mantra, "AI is not destiny, it is design," challenged the audience to consider that how AI is built and deployed is a choice. She argued for inclusive design processes involving diverse perspectives and for more investment in startups focused on social good, asserting that thoughtful governance does not inherently slow innovation but can steer it toward more equitable outcomes.

Conclusion: A Multifaceted View of Tech's Future

The behind-the-scenes look at WIRED's Big Interview event, as shared on Uncanny Valley, reveals a technology landscape at a critical inflection point. From Lisa Su's confident outlook on AI's tangible demand to Eric Topol's healthcare vision, Daniel Lurie's urban management challenges, and Michele Jawando's call for ethical design, the conversations underscore that technology's future is not a single story about chips or software. It is a complex interplay of innovation, policy, economics, and social responsibility. As these leaders highlighted, the decisions made today—in boardrooms, city halls, and research labs—will fundamentally design the world of tomorrow.