Ideas change everything

New thoughts on capital in the twenty-first century

1,801,689 plays|

Thomas Piketty |

TEDSalon Berlin 2014

• June 2014

French economist Thomas Piketty caused a sensation in early 2014 with his book on a simple, brutal formula explaining economic inequality: r > g (meaning that return on capital is generally higher than economic growth). Here, he talks through the massive data set that led him to conclude: Economic inequality is not new, but it is getting worse, with radical possible impacts.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

French economist Thomas Piketty caused a sensation in early 2014 with his book on a simple, brutal formula explaining economic inequality: r > g (meaning that return on capital is generally higher than economic growth). Here, he talks through the massive data set that led him to conclude: Economic inequality is not new, but it is getting worse, with radical possible impacts.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

About the speaker

See speaker profile

Thomas Piketty is an economist and professor at the Paris School of Economics. His 2014 book, "Capital in the Twenty-first Century," caused a sensation upon publication.

Learn more

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Thomas Piketty | Belknap Press (2014)

Thomas Piketty - *Capital in the Twenty-First Century*

r > g: explained

A breakdown of Thomas Piketty's ideas on capital in the 21st century, with a handy infographic.

Did you really understand this talk?

Read our explainer then test out your knowledge with a short quiz.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.