Slate Money – "The Talking TED Talks Edition"

Date: May 6, 2017
Host: Felix Salmon
Guests: Kathy O’Neill, Jordan Weissman, Anna Shymansky
Theme: Behind the Scenes of TED Talks and the Speaking Industry

Episode Overview

This episode takes a witty, incisive look at the world of TED Talks: what goes on behind the scenes, who attends and speaks, and how the event fits into the broader, booming industry of high-paid public speaking. Kathy O’Neill, just back from giving her own TED Talk, shares candid and humorous stories from her experience. The panel also dives into the economics and sociology of speech-giving, the formulaic TED style, solutionism in tech culture, the monetization of thought leadership, and the ever-fascinating TED audience.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. Kathy's TED Talk "Victory Lap"

• Kathy returns from her TED Talk experience, ready to reflect on the event’s culture and mystique with humor and candor.
• TED's process is lengthy, high-pressure, and more controlling than most conventional talks, with months of preparation, formulaic demands, and significant emotional stress.
  • “For those of us who've given talks in the past… it's not like that.” (Felix Salmon, 02:28)
  • “They get you to where you're like, I'm not sure if I could not poop on the stage. It's really ridiculous.” (Kathy O'Neill, 03:08, on TED stress)
• Kathy jokes about the "post-talk TED sex" atmosphere and likens the event to the Olympic Village (03:10).

2. TED Talk Structure & Formula

• TED wants speakers to weave stories with personal arcs, ending on an upbeat, inspirational note.
  • “Start positive, you connect… get deep, you know, kind of shocking, maybe… but end up on an upbeat.” (Kathy O'Neill, 05:10)
• There's an emphasis on deliverable, simple solutions, and performativity: “Simple solutions to complex problems” is an ongoing theme (Felix Salmon, 07:05).
• The panel agrees that TED’s format reinforces "solutionism" and technological optimism, sometimes at the expense of nuance and realism.
  • “Wherever there's a problem, there's a solution. And it's probably a technological solution of some type.” (Felix Salmon quoting Evgeny Morozov, 08:19)

3. Who Attends TED? What is the Appeal?

• Tickets are expensive and exclusive—$8,500 standard, up to $25,000 for early access/seating (10:57).
• Audience skews wealthy ("family office" types), not always interested primarily in the talks, but in the high-level networking and lavish entertainment (“the most networky thing I've ever been to,” Kathy O’Neill, 13:00).
• Repeated attendance and social circuit leads to ongoing, tightly-knit communities, much like Davos.

4. Chris Anderson & the Ethos of TED

• Chris Anderson, TED’s curator, is described as a "mix between supervillain and true believer," masterfully choosing ideas that feel profound.
  • “He really does know how to pick things that are going to feel profound to the audience. And I think that's his skill.” (Kathy O’Neill, 13:36)
• Panel references Evgeny Morozov’s critique, calling TED "an insatiable kingpin of international meme laundering." (Felix Salmon quoting Morozov, 14:28)

5. Stagecraft vs. Substance

• TED Talks are tightly rehearsed (Kathy had two rehearsals, one attended by Ray Dalio), and speakers feel pressure to conform to TED’s upbeat, solutionist narrative.
  • “Ray Dalio tried to correct me about what an algorithm was. … he almost succeeded in getting people to sort of chant the word meritocracy.” (Kathy O’Neill, 17:03)
• Panel laments that concepts like "meritocracy" get uncritical applause at TED.

6. TED as Thought Leader Incubator

• Giving a TED Talk bestows instant prestige and “branding,” thus explaining why high-profile speakers aren’t paid directly.
  • “The branding of TED just leaks onto you and sticks and, like, you are just... more important.” (Kathy O’Neill, 18:40)
• Thought leaders, not paid for TED, often later reap large speaking fees due to the TED halo.

7. Formulaic, Non-ironic, Earnest Culture

• The TED community is “unironic, super earnest, and felt like they were in a sacred space.” (Kathy O’Neill, 19:25)
• Panel finds it disconcerting that the TED atmosphere lacks skepticism—an “audience primed to believe everything that you say.” (Anna Shymansky, 19:47)
• International audience is present but TED is “very American, very Silicon Valley.” (Kathy O’Neill, 20:44)

8. Celebrity Moments

• Meeting Adam Savage (Mythbusters), the Pope (virtually), Elon Musk, and others (21:58–22:31).
  • “I met Adam Savage, who loved my talk and gave me a big hug. … When I met Adam Savage, I was like, oh, my God, I just touched Adam Savage.” (Kathy O’Neill, 21:58)

9. Elon Musk and Cult of Personality

• Discussion of Musk's presence, style, and how his outsized, unchecked ideas mirror what’s rewarded at TED.
  • “Elon Musk is a salesman and he hit upon something that's selling... He's a salesman and not a scientist.” (Kathy O’Neill, 23:48)
  • “Chris Anderson and Elon Musk are marriage made in thought leader heaven.” (Felix Salmon, 26:30)

10. The Economics of Public Speaking

• Huge industry for paid speaking, with TED branding increasing market rates for speakers.
  • “If you're a TED speaker, you can charge more… endowing your conference with this extra special brand, which is the TED brand.” (Kathy O’Neill, 29:20)
• Most nonfiction authors make more from speaking fees than book sales (Felix Salmon, 29:51).
• Market for event speaking has grown as a counter to digital, remote interactions.

11. Paid Speeches: Ethics and Politics

• Difference between speakers with books/thought leaders vs. politicians taking large honoraria from financial institutions (Clinton, Obama).
• Criticism sharpest for ex-politicians, especially women and people of color—"a black guy and a white woman get a lot more criticism about their speaker fees than a lot of white guys." (Kathy O'Neill, 37:24)
• High-speaking fees buy not just words but access—dinners and influence.

12. Numbers Round

• Diversity and workplace sexism at Facebook: Women engineers get 35% more complaints than men (Kathy O’Neill, 37:55).
  • “If you find some other reason why women might be underrepresented among senior engineers at Facebook… it will probably turn out to be sexism.” (Felix Salmon, 40:17)
• Iranian election: 12% (official unemployment rate), critical moment unreported in Western media (Anna Shymansky, 41:09).
• Puerto Rico default: $73 billion in debt, a huge but under-reported financial calamity (Felix Salmon, 41:44).
• Facebook moderators: 3,000 new hires to monitor violent content, realizing its role as a global media company (Jordan Weissman, 43:21).

Notable Quotes

• On TED’s pressure:
  • “The people around me were so stressed out… I made a pact with one of them that if… one of us started pooping on the stage, then the other one would run up to the stage and poop in solidarity.” (Kathy O’Neill, 02:42)
• On TED’s formula:
  • “The idea is you start positive… get deep… and then you end with saying, but we can… do this… upbeat.” (Kathy O’Neill, 05:10)
• On TED’s prestige:
  • “You’re more important because… the branding of TED just leaks onto you and sticks…” (Kathy O’Neill, 18:42)
• On meritocracy:
  • “He actually tried and almost succeeded in getting people to sort of chant the word meritocracy.” (Kathy O’Neill, 17:18)
  • “Meritocracy is a concept… a kind of dystopian future… and it became this good thing somehow.” (Felix Salmon, 17:41)
• On the audience:
  • “The most networky thing I’ve ever been to.” (Kathy O’Neill, 13:00)
• On TED's lack of irony:
  • “It was completely unironic… And I was like, can we kill ourselves now?” (Kathy O’Neill, 19:25)
• On speaking gigs:
  • “If you've written a book that's popular… you're going to get invited three times a day to do something… you get a speaking agent.” (Kathy O’Neill, 27:19)

Memorable Moments & Humor

• Running joke about TED’s slogan, “Ideas Worth Spreading,” and its questionable connotations.
• The imagined “TED Village” sexcapades (03:08).
• Chris Anderson as “supervillain or true believer.” (13:36).
• Elon Musk described as “living as a teenage sci-fi fan” and being a metaphor for TED's values (26:01).
• Self-deprecating banter: “Thin film of TED” status as a kind of life-long branding affliction (44:54).

Key Timestamps

• TED Stress & Formula: 02:23–05:44
• TED’s Audience: 10:47–13:11
• Chris Anderson & TED criticism: 13:21–14:59
• TED Branding & Speaker Economics: 18:40–19:19, 27:19–30:29
• Paid Speeches/Politicians & Influence: 31:28–37:24
• Numbers Round (Facebook sexism, Iran, Puerto Rico, Moderators): 37:55–44:20
• Wrap-up and book plug: 44:54–46:11

Conclusion

This episode demystifies the TED phenomenon, blending laughter with critique. The hosts show how TED’s prestige, engineered optimism, and celebrity factor fuel an ever-expanding economy of monetized thought leadership, all while raising sharp questions on authenticity, access, and elitism in business and politics. For anyone curious about what makes TED so influential—and contentious—this episode is a brisk, skeptical, and thoroughly entertaining listen.