That's definitely a bit creepy. It also goes a ways towards explaining the overall trend of the conference. When I found it in 2006, I absolutely loved TED. Nearly every talk was eye-opening and fascinating, from Ray Kurzweil to Juan Enriquez to Robert Wright to Hans Rosling, it was all awesome. Over time, I started seeing fewer eye-opening talks and more politically focused ones. Now, while I still regularly check TED, it's a very mixed bag.
For quite a while I had thought it was an issue of the low-hanging fruit already having been plucked, but recently I've become less sure. This piece only adds to those doubts. If donors are calling all the shots, no wonder it's become driven by populist political causes and steeped in PC overtones.
> Over time, I started seeing fewer eye-opening talks and more politically focused ones. Now, while I still regularly check TED, it's a very mixed bag.
Is that because eye-opening ideas and correspondingly talks don't come out as often as TED conferences are scheduled? Also, a lot of amazing insights only become insights years after the ideas are proposed and collectively understood by society.
For quite a while I had thought it was an issue of the low-hanging fruit already having been plucked, but recently I've become less sure. This piece only adds to those doubts. If donors are calling all the shots, no wonder it's become driven by populist political causes and steeped in PC overtones.