Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang, Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink will be among the finance and tech leaders to speak on stage at this year’s Milken conference, which runs from Sunday to Wednesday in Beverly Hills.
Since its first edition in 1998, the California conference has become a fixture on the calendar of leaders from business, finance and politics, earning the moniker of ‘the Davos of America’. Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Queen Rania of Jordan, Tesla founder Elon Musk, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and David Beckham are among the boldface names to have spoken at previous editions.
The conference and the institute from which it takes its name are the brainchild of billionaire financier Michael Milken, who rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s as the ‘Junk Bond King’ thanks to his role in the creation of a market for high-yield, high-risk bonds. Today his net worth is estimated at $7.5 billion by Forbes.
In 1990, Milken was sentenced to jail and fined $600 million for reporting violations as part of an insider trading investigation. He served 22 months in prison and was later pardoned by US President Donald Trump in 2020.
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Milken’s somewhat chequered past has meant the event has drawn criticism from some quarters. Lee Harris, a writer for The American Prospect, called the conference a centre of ‘blithe optimism’ and criticised the its elite-centric worldview. Despite this, it has become a fixture on the calendars of many of the most powerful people in the world.
For its 29th year, the conference has the theme of ‘leading in a new era’ and will feature talks addressing both the challenges and possibilities of the future. Current geopolitical tension, especially the ongoing instability in the Middle East, will be analysed, as well as the potential of AI technology, forward-thinking developments in health science and the future of private markets.
The event will be held at two venues: the Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
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What to look out for at Milken 2026
Jensen Huang on AI’s future
Infrastructure is an integral part of the current AI boom and someone who has heavily profited off this need is Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang. Huang, who has a $184 billion fortune thanks to his stewardship of the chip designer, will discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping how work gets done and how humanity can play a role in its development.
Monday, 17:00 PDT [01:00 UK ]: Leading in the Age of AI: A Conversation with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang – watch live
Apollo leader and Blackstone COO on future market risks
Blackstone COO Jon Gray and Apollo Global Management president James Zelter, will gather to discuss geopolitical risks, currency fluctuation, changing monetary policy and cross-border capital flows – and their implications for capital markets.
Monday, 08:00 PDT [16:00 UK]: Global Capital Markets – watch live
Ken Griffin addressing the issues of today
Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, one of the world’s leading alternative asset managers, will give a talk on Tuesday which is likely to cover the current state of investing and geopolitics. Griffin, whose firm manages around $67 billion of assets as of January 2026, caught headlines when he criticised the over use of tariffs at Milken at 2025.
Tuesday, 10:00 PDT [18:00 UK]: A Conversation with Citadel’s Ken Griffin – watch live
A meeting of the CEOs
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Brookfield Corporation chief executive Bruce Flatt, leaders of two of the world’s largest asset managers, will sit down for a discussion on Tuesday. The topic of conversation is tightly under wraps, but is likely to cover the role of private markets today and wider macroeconomic trends.
Tuesday, 08:00 PDT [16:00 UK]: A Conversation with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Brookfield Corporation CEO Bruce Flatt – watch live
The Middle East goes west
Key financial and figures from the Gulf states will also be attending Milken this year, at a time when the region is experiencing significant political tension.
Qatar’s finance minister, His Excellency Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, His Excellency Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO of Altérra the world’s largest climate investment fund and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) CEO, His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi will all be in attendance.
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