Ideas change everything

TED is 40 — here's how it all started

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Chris Anderson and Richard Saul Wurman |

TED Membership

• February 2024

To celebrate TED's 40th anniversary, Head of TED Chris Anderson and TED's founder Richard Saul Wurman reflect on the conference's transformative journey — from its inception as a daring experiment blending technology, entertainment and design to its expansion into a global platform for world-changing ideas. Get a glimpse into the minds behind a movement that has sparked innovation, redefined the art of storytelling and fostered community worldwide in a conversation brimming with unheard anecdotes, wisdom and the spirit of curiosity. (Visit ted.com/membership to join TED today and access more exclusive events like this one.)

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

To celebrate TED's 40th anniversary, Head of TED Chris Anderson and TED's founder Richard Saul Wurman reflect on the conference's transformative journey — from its inception as a daring experiment blending technology, entertainment and design to its expansion into a global platform for world-changing ideas. Get a glimpse into the minds behind a movement that has sparked innovation, redefined the art of storytelling and fostered community worldwide in a conversation brimming with unheard anecdotes, wisdom and the spirit of curiosity. (Visit ted.com/membership to join TED today and access more exclusive events like this one.)

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

About the speakers

Richard Saul Wurman

TED founder

Richard Saul Wurman has written, designed and published 90 books on wildly divergent topics. He created and chaired the TED conference from 1984 thru 2002, the TEDMED conference from 1995 to 2010, as well as the e.g. and WWW conferences.

See speaker profile

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