Nick Hanauer is one of the world’s most provocative thinkers about our society’s growing inequality and the dire consequences it creates for our democracies.

Why you should listen

Nick Hanauer has founded, cofounded or funded more than 30 companies across a range of industries. Among his many successes is aQuantive, which sold to Microsoft for $6.4 billion. He was the first non-family investor in Amazon.

At the same time, Hanauer -- a self-described "proud and unapologetic capitalist" -- has become a leading critic of modern economic policy. He warns plutocrats that "the pitchforks are coming," unless we do something about the growing gap between the rich and poor.

Hanauer has been featured in a variety of publications and is a frequent commentator on politics and economics in the media and on his podcast Pitchfork Economics. His opinion pieces have been featured in the New York Times, Bloomberg Business Week, The Atlantic and Democracy Journal, among others.

More news and ideas from Nick Hanauer

Live from TEDSummit 2019

The Big Rethink: Notes from Session 3 of TEDSummit 2019

July 23, 2019

In an incredible session, speakers and performers laid out the biggest problems facing the world — from political and economic catastrophe to rising violence and deepfakes — and some new thinking on solutions. The event: TEDSummit 2019, Session 3: The Big Rethink, hosted by Corey Hajim and Cyndi Stivers When and where: Tuesday, July 23, […]

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News

A first glimpse at the TEDSummit 2019 speaker lineup

May 21, 2019

With TEDSummit 2019 just two months away, it’s time to unveil the first group of speakers that will take to the stage in Edinburgh, Scotland, from July 21-25. Three years ago, more than 1,000 members of the TED global community convened in Banff, Canada, for the first-ever TEDSummit. We talked about the fracturing state of […]

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In Brief

New insights on climate change action, a milestone for Maysoon Zayid and more TED news

September 14, 2018

As usual, the TED community is making headlines. Below, some highlights. Does local action make a difference when fighting climate change? Environmental scientist Angel Hsu teamed up with experts at several climate research institutes on a fascinating new report about the potential effects of local action in reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally. Hsu synthesized data […]

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