The William Blair Thinking Podcast

The William Blair Thinking Podcast

The William Blair Thinking Podcast aims to provide in-depth expertise on today's financial and economic landscape. William Blair Thinking Podcast features two series: -William Blair Thinking Presents, a new podcast series that dives deep into conversation with our award-winning equity research and capital advisory experts. -Biotech Breakthroughs, a new podcast series from our equity research group that explores the news and trends shaping the biotech industry. For more, go to https://www.williamblair.com/Thinking Copyright 2026 William Blair & Company. L.L.C. “William Blair” and R Docs are registered trademarks of William Blair & Company, L.L.C. As used on this podcast, William Blair refers to William Blair & Company LLC, William Blair Investment Management, LLC and affiliates. For more information about William Blair, go to www.williamblair.com. This content is for informational and educational purposes only and not intended as investment advice or recommendation to buy or sell any security. Investment advice and recommendations can be provided only after careful consideration of an investor’s objectives, guidelines and restrictions. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers, and are subject to change over time as market and other factors evolve.

Episodes

September 2, 2026 21 mins
William Blair global services analyst Andrew Nicholas examines whether artificial intelligence threatens information services companies or could ultimately make their data assets even more valuable. He discusses the growing demand for trusted, decision-grade data, the rise of AI agents and model context protocols, and why improving fundamentals may create opportunity despite lingering investor skepticism.
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In the latest episode of William Blair Thinking Presents, group head of consumer research Sharon Zackfia and consumer analyst Dylan Carden discuss the key findings from their State of the Consumer: The 2026 Edition report, examining why consumer spending has remained resilient despite inflation, higher energy costs, and economic uncertainty. They also explore the growing divide between income groups, shifting definitions of value, ...
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William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal and group head of technology, media, and communications Arjun Bhatia examine how low-cost, open-weight AI models, many of them emerging from China, are reshaping competition across the AI ecosystem and challenging assumptions about the future economics of artificial intelligence. They discuss the implications for model providers, hyperscalers, software companies, and enterprise adoption...
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Spanish economist and former Member of the European Parliament, Luis Garicano, Ph.D., joins William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal to discuss why AI is more likely to reshape jobs than replace them outright, arguing that the most valuable work combines cognitive, relational, and physical tasks that remain difficult to automate. He also discusses the implications for productivity, investing, education, and economic growth in ...
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William Blair's Arjun Bhatia and Jonathan Ho discuss the latest developments shaping the AI landscape, from intensifying model competition and pricing pressure to data center expansion, cybersecurity risks, and the pace of enterprise adoption. They explore what these trends could mean for investors as the AI economy continues to evolve.
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William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal discusses how the Iran conflict, AI-driven investment themes from William Blair’s 46th Growth Stock Conference, persistent inflation pressures, and Kevin Warsh’s early approach as Fed chair are shaping the macro outlook for the second half of 2026.
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William Blair industrials analyst Ross Sparenblek discusses how humanoid robotics could mark a structural shift in productivity by extending AI’s capabilities from digital tasks into real-world physical labor. He outlines the key forces accelerating adoption, from demographic pressures to supply chain dynamics, while highlighting both the long-term opportunity and the technical and scaling challenges still ahead.
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As geopolitical tensions persist and inflation concerns resurface, equity markets remain resilient while bond markets signal a more cautious outlook. Richard de Chazal unpacks what’s driving this divergence, the durability of the U.S. consumer, and why quality may be coming back into focus.
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Ryan Daniels, William Blair's group head of healthcare technology and services research , discusses how policy reform, reimbursement changes, technology innovation, and consumer preferences are accelerating a shift in care delivery toward outpatient, virtual, and home based settings. He outlines why this trend is reaching an inflection point in 2026 and what it could mean for providers, payers, employers, and healthcare investors.
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AI is transforming drug discovery, but not by replacing the lab. In this episode of William Blair Thinking Presents, Matt Larew, partner and equity research analyst covering life science tools and diagnostics, explains where AI is accelerating early discovery, why wet lab validation still matters, and what real progress looks like as adoption moves from hype to practice.
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War-driven energy shocks, sticky inflation, and an unusually split Fed are back at the center of the macro conversation. In this month’s Monthly Macro, William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal assesses what those dynamics, and the growing influence of AI, mean for bonds, equities, and portfolio risk.
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In this episode of Biotech Breakthroughs, Matt Phipps, group head of biotech research, speaks with William Blair biotech analyst Myles Minter about how gene editing is moving from early hype toward clinically validated therapies. They discuss lessons from the first approved ex vivo product and highlight key 2026 catalysts across CRISPR, base editing, RNA editing, and DNA writing.
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William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal unpacks the market implications of the U.S.–Iran conflict, discussing how the war is reshaping inflation and growth risks and challenging central banks’ playbooks, and why markets may be underpricing the possibility of a more prolonged disruption. Richard also touches on emerging stress in private credit beneath the surface.
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William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal and co-head of technology, media, and communications research, Jason Ader, unpack the sharp selloff in software stocks and the growing fear around AI-driven disruption. They explore why the “software apocalypse” narrative may be overblown, how AI could ultimately expand the software market, and what investors should watch as winners and losers begin to separate.
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William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal breaks down rising geopolitical tensions, sticky inflation risks, Fed policy uncertainty, and the durability of U.S. growth amid fiscal stimulus and the evolving AI-driven productivity cycle.
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December 19, 2025 24 mins
William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal discusses why 2026 looks brighter for the economy, exploring the impact of AI-driven investment, evolving policy risks, and the surprising strength of the American consumer. *This episode was recorded December 16th, 2025
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Tony Frascotti, William Blair's Head of Private Shares Trading, discusses the evolving landscape of private shares trading, highlighting market shifts, the expanding influence of AI and crypto sectors, and the changing dynamics of IPOs and liquidity for late-stage private companies. *This episode was recorded December 8th, 2025
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William Blair financial technology analyst Andrew Jeffrey discusses how stablecoins, regulatory clarity, and new payment rails are transforming global B2B transactions. *This episode was recorded November 17, 2025
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William Blair’s group head of healthcare technology and services analyst, Ryan Daniels, explores how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare revenue cycle management by automating financial workflows, reducing costs, and reshaping the industry’s future for providers and vendors.
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November 11, 2025 33 mins
William Blair macro analyst Richard de Chazal and group head of energy and power technologies Jed Dorsheimer explore the seismic changes reshaping the U.S. energy landscape as rising electricity costs and surging demand—especially from AI—put unprecedented pressure on the grid. The discussion also unpacks a five pillar plan for energy abundance, the balance between renewables and firm baseload power, and the economic an...
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