Natasha Allen: Navigating AI Regulation, Exits, and Boardroom Challenges

Jul 9, 2024

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(0:00) Intro

(1:20) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.

(2:06) Start of interview.

(2:37) Natasha's "origin story."

(6:25) On the risks and opportunities for AI.

(8:39) On the regulatory landscape of AI in the US. Reference to President Biden's Executive Order.

(11:40) On California's regulation of AI (SB 1047).

(15:24) On the international AI regulatory landscape, including the EU AI legislation.

(20:35) On the state of startups and venture capital in Silicon Valley.

(25:34) On the 'stay private or go public' debate.

(28:50) On the increased antitrust scrutiny by the FTC and DOJ, particularly in tech industry.

(30:08) On the increased national security scrutiny via CFIUS reviews. The new geopolitics of dealmaking.

(35:46) On the increased politicization of the boardroom, including ESG and DEI.

(38:32) On boardroom diversity and challenges to SB-826 and AB-979 (California), and Nasdaq's Diversity Rule.

(42:20) Books that have greatly influenced her life:

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (1960)
The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Altwood (1985)
Animal Farm, by George Orwell (1945)

(42:57) Her mentors.

(43:49) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by: "Don't Self-Select."

(51:17) An unusual habit or absurd thing that he loves.

(44:17) The living person that she most admires. One of them is Michelle Obama.

Natasha Allen is a partner at Foley & Lardner in Silicon Valley, serving as Co-Chair for Artificial Intelligence, Co-Chair of the Venture Capital Committee, and a member of the Venture Capital, M&A, and Transactions Practices.

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Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License