Rich Benjamin is an observer, an investigator, a cultural anthropologist. He is author of Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America, selected as an Editor’s Choice by Booklist and The American Library Association. Now in its second printing, this groundbreaking study is one of few to have illuminated in advance the social-political forces propelling the political rise of Donald Trump. The book’s findings are also the subject of a TED Talk, which has garnered more than 2 million views and been translated into 25 languages.
Benjamin’s unique perspective on politics and culture appears regularly in The New York Times, The New Yorker.com, The Guardian, The New York Times Sunday Book Review, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, and PBS. His work has been covered internationally in France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, and Germany.
Benjamin earned a doctorate from Stanford University in Modern Thought and Literature, with a minor in Science and Technology Studies.
He serves on the Board of the Authors Guild, the largest, oldest union of writers in the US that fights for authors’ rights, their commercial interests, and free speech.
Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang
The following transcript has been lightly edited and condensed for ease of reading. David Kirkpatrick: Okay, we’re going to bring Andrew Yang and Rich up here right away. Andrew Yang, presidential candidate, we’re happy to have you here. [APPLAUSE] Andrew Yang: Thank you all. Kirkpatrick: Somebody gave me this in the men’s room, but […]
Democratic Presidential Candidate John Delaney
The following transcript has been lightly edited and condensed for ease of reading. Rich Benjamin: John, good to meet you. John Delaney: Where’s my hug? Benjamin: All right. David Kirkpatrick: So, John, John, sit down. John Delaney was a congressional congressman in Richard’s State of Maryland for three terms. While he was in Congress […]
Town Hall: Tech Transformation and Last Week’s Election
Description: What are we learning last week about where our country is going? What did we learn this afternoon about where tech and the world are going? How do those two match up? The following transcript has been lightly edited and condensed for ease of reading. Moderators: Rich Benjamin, Author | David Kirkpatrick, Techonomy (Transcription by RA […]
How Tech is Reviving America’s Cities
Session Description: How can tech and innovation, thoughtfully encouraged and deployed, change a city or a region? The transcript can be found below with a PDF version available here. How Tech is Reviving America’s Cities (Transcription by RA Fisher Ink) Benjamin: Okay, hello everybody. Good afternoon again, and let’s just jump in to this panel, How […]
Conferences
NYC 19
The world is in sad shape, which means, among other challenging realities, that all of us need to ensure our work contributes to larger solutions. Tech changes everything, which we love, but it can’t just be a way to make more money.
Conferences
Techonomy 18
Techonomy 2018 was a probing, wide-ranging conversation about the tech-inflected issues that affect business and our world. This year’s theme was Harnessing Tech for Responsible Growth, and as always we addressed many of the issues facing leaders today.
