Meet the speakers

TED's curation approach

TED’s mission is to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. At a time of growing divide, we invite a broad range of speakers to our events to share ideas and to seek deeper understanding. We believe that it’s possible to learn something from speakers even when disagreeing with aspects of their work or beliefs, and we are committed to being a place where people with differing viewpoints can come together and participate in meaningful conversations. We will always welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek both a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others. We recognize that not everyone will agree with all of our curation decisions, which are based on our guidelines. Two important core principles guiding TED’s curation are:

Inclusion

Ideas are for everyone. They can’t be fenced off by borders, whether of geography, religion, politics or culture. And no single origin, race, gender, identity or class can claim preferential ownership over them. TED is committed to a global mindset. We seek to source ideas from everywhere and to make them widely and freely accessible. Powerful ideas, expressed and distributed with care, can bring different groups together and create a shared vision of a future worth pursuing.

Debate

Our content isn’t the final word on anything. Skeptics are welcome, and may play a key role in improving an idea or revealing its flaws. Others may find that conversation after a talk is the best path to clarity or figuring out what to do with it. We strive to provide a neutral, open space for vigorous discussion and debate both online and face to face. The tone should, of course, stay respectful. Bigotry and hate speech have no place on our platform. But constructive conversations can be a powerful antidote to division.