TED2017 speaker bios – no actionable investigative leads

TED2017: The future you https://ted2017.ted.com/program 4/20/17, 12:07 PM Martin Ford Futurist Martin Ford imagines what the accelerating progress in robotics and artificial intelligence may mean for the economy, job market and society of the future. Martin Ford was one of the first analysts to write compellingly about the future of work and economies in the face of the growing automation of everything. He sketches a future that's radically reshaped not just by robots but by the loss of the income-distributing power of human jobs. How will our economic systems need to adapt? He's the author of two books: Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future (winner of the 2015 Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award ) and Zhe Lights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy ofthe Future, and he's the founder of a Silicon Valley-based software development firm. He has written about future technology and its implications for the New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review and The Financial Times. mfordfuture.com @MFordFuture Jack Conte Musician, entrepreneur With his membership platform Patreon, YouTube star Jack Conte may have solved a perennial problem of content creators -- getting paid for digital media. As a solo artist and member of folk-rock duo Pomplamoose, Jack Conte garnered millions of views for his offbeat “video songs,” including his breakout hit “Yeah Yeah Yeah” and “Pedals,” a robotic tour-de-force with a set that duplicates the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. Despite his success, Conte noted the disconnect between page views and revenue, and realized that if you’re a widely viewed artist and you aren’t making money, “that’s not your fault -- it’s technology’s fault.” His solution is Patreon: a membership platform built on recurring payments from patrons to support creatives with ongoing projects. patreon.com/jackconte @jackconte Sara DeWitt Children’s media expert Like Mister Rogers before her, Sara DeWitt strives to make every child feel special by charting the forefront of new digital mediums where kids spend their time. Sara DeWitt’s vision seems simple: make each digital interaction an opportunity to learn and delight in new discoveries. How does that vision come to light as kids access technology at younger ages than ever before? Over the past 18 years, DeWitt has worked at the forefront of new platforms in an effort to be everywhere kids are -- now she's at PBS Kids Digital, building award-winning sites, games and apps. As more media outlets try to capture the interest of our youngest audiences, her research on how digital spaces affect skills and social emotional development in kids is more relevant than ever. pbskids.org @saradewitt Ray Dalio Hedge fund chair Ray Dalio is the founder, chair and co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates, a global leader in institutional portfolio management and the largest hedge fund in the world. Dalio started Bridgewater out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City in 1975 and has grown it into the fifth most important private company in the U.S. (according to Fortune magazine). Because of the firm’s many industry-changing innovations over its 40-year history, he has been called the “Steve Jobs of investing” by aiC7O magazine and named one of TIME magazine’s "100 Most Influential People." Dalio attributes Bridgewater’s success to its unique culture. He describes it as “a believability-weighted idea meritocracy” in which the people strive for “meaningful work and meaningful relationships through radical truth and radical transparency.” He has explained this approach in his book Principles, which has been downloaded more than three million times and has produced considerable curiosity and controversy. bridgewater.com principles.com Anthony D. Romero Attorney, public-interest activist Anthony D. Romero is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU is dedicated to defending liberty and individual freedom in the US -- which is an interesting mandate to have right now. Anthony Romero has headed the organization since 2001, focusing on building capacity in order to defend the laws that protect Americans’ freedoms. Under Romero's watch, the ACLU launched its national "Keep America Safe and Free" campaign to protect basic freedoms during a time of crisis; launched its unique legal challenge to the patents held by a private company on the human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer; launched litigation and lobbying efforts to win the freedom to marry for same-sex couples; and filed the first lawsuit against President Trump’s Muslim Ban. Page 5 of 21 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_014955