L’INTERVISTA Avram Miller: “Da Intel Capital all’AI, la mia vita da agente del cambiamento” I had the pleasure of being interview recently by Luciana Maci of EconomyUP which is an Italian digital media outlet focused on innovation, startups, technology, and the transformation of business and society. The actual article in Italian can be found here. When I said “pleasure” I really mean it.

The short answer is yes. We moved to Italy in February 2025. At first, we settled in Genoa, which is a beautiful and serious city—but after a few months, we realized it wasn’t right for us. Fortunately, we discovered Lecce, in Puglia. Lecce is often called the Florence of the South. Its historic center is a dense concentration of Baroque architecture, built almost entirely from pale local limestone.

A while back, I was invited to speak at an event connected to the World Business Forum conference in Milan which was sponsored by the Italian Institute of Technology. At the time, I was beginning a relationship with the organization. Having recently moved to Italy, I was looking for a way to stay connected to technology and to contribute to the country that had welcomed Deborah and me.

In 1963, I took a course on German literature at the University of California. We studied three authors: Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, and Hermann Hesse. That course changed me. It opened a door into a world where intellect, creativity, sexuality, and even drugs intertwined. I still remember the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, where I took LSD for the first time.

I now have had cancer three times. Some of you may have seen the photo of me in the hospital. I turns out that I had a cancerous polyp in my bladder. It was completely removed. It was of the lowest grade. No further treatment is required but I have do some monitoring. This is my third cancer (prostate and then a melanoma).

I guess I need to start by saying that while I am a supporter of Israel, I am not a supporter of its current government and in particular how it has conducted itself in Gaza. I must also say that Hamas and its supporters are aberrant. They are both religious fanatics but also scum. How women and gay people can support them is not comprehensible.

Giorgio Metta, Science Director and Avram Miller I am thrilled that I have been appointed as a Fellow at the Italian Institute of Technology (www.iit.it). It is an incredible honor to work alongside the remarkable Giorgio Metta, the Science Director and his team to embracing the future. Exploring their projects promises to be both enlightening and enjoyable, with the exciting possibility of spending time with some of their fascinating robots.

Israel and Palestine: A Personal Proposal I’ve lived in Israel twice in my life—first in the seventies, then again from 2015 to 2023. Back in the seventies, I lived just a few miles from the West Bank. I could cross over freely. The men who built our garden came from Gaza. Life felt complicated, yes, but also connected. In my most recent years in Israel, I again traveled into the West Bank.

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was recently "preempted" indefinitely by ABC, owned by Disney. The word is telling — probably chosen instead of "terminated" because of the legal fight likely to follow. Why? Kimmel’s remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk — suggesting Republicans were exploiting his death for political gain — infuriated Trump and his allies. The real pressure, though, came from Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns about 40% of local TV stations that carry national network programming.

I just finished John Malone’s 400-plus page account of his long and accomplished career. Whenever I read a memoir by someone I knew well earlier in my life, I admit I first search to see if my name is mentioned. Usually, it’s not. In my mind, I played an important role in their careers. They apparently thought otherwise. A recent example was Barry Diller’s book *Who Knew*.

I am resending this because there was an issue in the link to the chapter in my book about broadband. Sorry about this. Driving the creation of residential broadband was unquestionably the highlight of my career. Many others played important roles: developing the technology (Broadcom, 3Com), creating cable and DSL modems (General Instrument, LANcity, Texas Instruments), providing broadband services (@Home, Covad), enabling streaming media (Launch Media, Broadcast.com), interactive services (AOL, Yahoo), browsers (Netscape, Microsoft), and, of course, the cable and telephone companies that became broadband service providers (Comcast, Bell Atlantic).

Driving the creation of residential broadband was unquestionably the highlight of my career. Many others played important roles: developing the technology (Broadcom, 3Com), creating cable and DSL modems (General Instrument, LANcity, Texas Instruments), providing broadband services (@Home, Covad), enabling streaming media (Launch Media, Broadcast.com), interactive services (AOL, Yahoo), browsers (Netscape, Microsoft), and, of course, the cable and telephone companies that became broadband service providers (Comcast, Bell Atlantic).

I just read a very well-written article about this question, which you can read here. It begins with the question: How could Intel Capital, a world-leading investment unit, have created more than $170 billion in market value from investing in more than 1,800 companies, and still not be able to steer its parent through market disruptions? Reading the article was a bit of a punch in my stomach.

Life expectancy has been increasing worldwide by about 0.2 years every year — roughly two extra years per decade. Even more importantly, health span — the number of years we live in good health — has been rising as well, which is critical. If you’re 40 today, actuarial tables suggest you’ll live to about 85 on average. With steady medical progress, 95 is realistic for many.

The history of the Jewish people before the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel around 1000 BCE, under King David, is not fully understood. What we do know is that the ancestors of the Jewish nation lived in Canaan. The Kingdom of Israel was their first independent state. Over time, the land was conquered repeatedly—first by the Assyrian Empire, then by the Babylonians, later by the Persians, and eventually by the Greeks.

I am deeply saddened and concerned about what has been happening in Israel, especially since October 7, 2023. But it did not begin that day. For years, Israel has been shifting steadily to the right, particularly under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu. Ironically, had Arab citizens of Israel voted at the same rate as Jewish citizens, Netanyahu’s coalition would not have secured a majority.

Here is a recap and wrap-up of my attempt to replace some of my aging parts.

As I wrote earlier, I am in the process of replacing some of the older parts used for eating, hearing, and vision. First: A Bit of Extraction and a Lot of Pain The extraction of three molars was not easy—it took three hours. I’ve been in pain for about ten days, but it’s getting better. I won’t be able to have the implants placed for six months, and then it will take another three months for the crowns.

We came to Los Angeles on July 27, 2025, from Europe and will be here for a month. I did not expect that I would be spending a lot of my time dealing with my teeth, eyes, and ears. I have been asking myself, “Are we as old as our oldest parts?” The answer is a combination, I think, of both the average and the specific.

As readers of my blog know, I’m deeply interested in longevity. I helped establish the Longevity Center at Sheba Hospital (Tel Aviv University) in Israel, which I continue to advise. My interest spans both the biological science of aging and the economic implications of a world where more people live longer—potentially requiring support from a shrinking working-age population. At 80, my curiosity about aging is also very personal.

When I was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 1996, I made a decision that changed my life forever. Prostate cancer is slow growing, and if the treatment did not work, I would still have …

When I was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 1996, I made a decision that changed my life forever. Prostate cancer is slow growing, and if the treatment did not work, I would still have at least ten more years to live. In my case, it appeared that the cancer had metastasized (it had not). So I decided to live my life as if I only had ten more years.

Jony Ive’s company, io, has recently garnered significant attention due to its acquisition by OpenAI for approximately $6.5 billion. This strategic move aims to merge cutting-edge artificial intelligence with innovative hardware design, potentially reshaping the landscape of AI-integrated consumer devices. Founded in 2024 by Jony Ive, former Chief Design Officer at Apple, alongside a team of ex-Apple engineers, io was established to explore the development of AI-native hardware.

I assumed that President Biden had his PSA checked while in office, but I now realize that he may not have. The guidelines were changed in 2018. Under the new recommendations, PSA screening is not advised for men aged 70 or older. Biden was 78 when he became president in 2021. His office says he has not been screened since 2014, when he was 72.

Joe Biden has been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. I am, of course, sorry to hear this. Biden has been through a lot in his life, including the death of a wife and two of his four children, as well as having one son who struggled with drug addiction. I am a survivor of prostate cancer.