It’s a challenging time for us who believe tech can drive progress and happiness. There are, sadly, myriad counter-examples in our lives and the news. They include democratic decline, addiction and dependence, and deep failures of sustainability. If tech is to be positively harnessed by companies or societies, we need to recalibrate how we create and think about software, the internet, the planet, and tech itself.
But we do not despair. For nearly a decade we have brought together many of the world’s leading thinkers and doers who understand the challenges, what tech is, and how to harness it. We’re doing it again November 17-19. The theme for Techonomy 2019 in Half Moon Bay, California is “Reset and Restore: Governing Tech, Retrieving Ethics, and Acting on Climate.”
To catalyze the debate and stimulate our thinking, we’ll combine some of the world’s most veteran tech experts with business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and several experts on ethical and responsible technology. See below for a list, and what they’ll discuss.
We seek an explosion of ideas, and pointers to solutions for very vexing challenges, in the head-clearing context of a beautiful coastal clifftop south of San Francisco. (Not always beautiful–last year the entire region was cloaked with smoky yellow haze from vast disastrous wildfires. Restore the climate!)
No company or organization can be effective without grappling with these issues. Techonomy is all about conversation as a tool towards insight, through multidisciplinary dialogue (we avoid from-the-stage broadcasts).
It’s not too late to join us. You won’t regret it. Here are key questions we’ll discuss and who will address them. (Many will touch on other topics, too.)
Where can innovation have the most impact and how do we insure it benefits society? How should we govern the internet? How can we do it in a way that helps heal the planet?
–Marissa Mayer, co-founder, Lumi Labs
–Tim O’Reilly, CEO, O’Reilly Media
–Konstantinos Karachalios, Managing Director, IEEE Standards Organization
–Casey Newton, The Verge
–Fadi Chehade, former CEO, ICANN
–Andrew Keen, author, How to Fix the Future
How must marketing and business adjust to rapid social and economic change and the new societal exigencies?
–Martin Sorrell, S4 Capital
–Linda Boff, CMO, General Electric
How do leaders keep companies agile and innovative at a time of headlong change and growing concern?
–Jeff Weiner, CEO, LinkedIn
–John Chambers, JC2 Ventures
–Jim McCann, Executive Chairman, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM
–Andy Kessler, writer, Wall Street Journal; Velocity Capital Management
–Amy Wilkinson, Stanford School of Business and author, The Creator’s Code
How can we save privacy, combat digital addiction, protect consumer rights, and insure society is fair?
–Tristan Harris, Exec. Dir., Center for Humane Technology
–Marta Tellado, CEO, Consumer Reports
–Craig Newmark, Craigslist, philanthropist
–Lisa Kenney, Gender Spectrum
Why is collaboration key, inside companies as well as in society?
–Katherine Maher, Exec. Dir., Wikimedia Foundation
–Tom Malone, MIT Center for Collective Intelligence
Wellness goes mainstream and the latest healthcare breakthroughs.
–Esther Dyson, The Way to Wellville
–Harpinder Singh, Partner, Innovation Endeavors
–Jeremiah Owyang, Analyst, Kaleido Insights
–Roy Smythe, CEO, SomaLogic
–Chip Conley, Author and Founder, Modern Elder Academy
–Brooks Bell, Founder, Brooks Bell Inc.
How can business behave responsibly while remaining profitable and sustainable? And what are we really doing about climate change?
–David Perry, CEO, Indigo Ag
–Lila Preston, Partner, Generation Investment Management
–Jasmine Crowe, CEO, Goodr
–Mark Brand, chef and social entrepreneur
Understanding the global innovation race as every country is irreversibly impacted by technology.
–Casper Klynge, Tech Ambassador of Denmark
–John Chen, CEO, Blackberry
–Nishith Desai, Founder, Nishith Desai Assocs.
–Michael Dunne, CEO, ZoZo Go (expert on Chinese Auto industry)
Looking ahead: where will disruption and invention go next?
–Renee James, CEO, Ampere Computing
–Dan Chu, head of product, Waymo
–Anneka Gupta, President, Liveramp
–Mark Webster, Director of Product, Adobe
–Colin Parris, VP, Software Research, GE
–Ryan Popple, CEO, Proterra
–Soni Jiandani, Pensando
–Amy Wu, founder, Farms to Incubators
–Dr. Amy Kruse, Chief Scientific Officer, PlatypusNeuro
We have more amazing people in the wings. Our program is assembled like the pages of a magazine. What is happening now you need to know about? How should we all understand this weird, scary, fast-paced technologized moment? Go here for info and to register.
