The crushing disappointment of the collapse of tech ideals – Chris Anderson, TED

03/31/25 • 30 min

Chris Anderson, head of TED, discusses why the collapse of the ideals of the tech industry over the last 15 years, embodied by the behaviour Elon Musk, represents a crushing disappointment.

Anderson took over TED – which hosts viral talks at its conferences – from its founder Richard Saul Wurman in 2000. He turned the business into a non-profit and has spent years curating its eclectic list of speakers. Anderson discusses why developments in AI technology are terrifying and the future of TED as he plans to step back.

Chris Anderson, head of TED, discusses why the collapse of the ideals of the tech industry over the last 15 years, embodied by the behaviour Elon Musk, represents a crushing disappointment.

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Managing a startup and a family – Louise Webster, Beyond the School Run, founder

Louise Webster, founder of Beyond the School Run, discusses the challenges of balancing parenthood with launching a business, why parents need to be given resources and support to ensure they can thrive as entrepreneurs and how Covid radically reshaped the world of work for the better.

Beyond the School Run is a network for parent entrepreneurs offering networking, training and guidance on the difficult journey of managing a business and a family. Webster discusses why being a parent can actually make someone a better founder and offers words of wisdom for mums and dads with creative ideas who don't know where to start.

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Democratising access to youth mental health – Manjul Rathee, CEO, BfB Labs

Manjul Rathee, co-founder and CEO of BfB Labs, discusses the importance of providing broad access to mental health services to as many young people, the value of maintaining commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion and how the success of Adolescence has highlighted the anxieties families have around how children access the internet.

BfB Labs provides immersive digital gamified therapy targeting young people in partnership with the NHS. The group provides its services at no cost to the families using them as part of its commitment to democratise young people's access to mental health support.