Catch me at SXSW!

I'm doing panels, eating tacos, co-creating the future with you.

My 2016 SXSW Hall of Fame speech in which I warned about this timeline!

Hello!! I’m returning to one of my favorite places and times: Austin Texas in March for SXSW where I was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2016 (welcome this year’s inductee Mark Cuban). I’ve got three main official sessions going on, (titles and links below… add to your faves!) all distinct and dope in their own ways and addressing the future of IRL social media with the good people at Mozi, our human future in the age of AI with my Life With Machines guests, and the value of actual conversation with the GOAT, Rich Roll of Voicing Change Media.

If you’ll be in Austin and are interested in connecting, please fill out this little form!

March 8, 2025 | Featured Session: Primal Instincts: Making Social "Social" Again

Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CT
Venue: Austin Convention Center
Room: Ballroom EF
Room Capacity: 600
Speaker Arrival Time: 9:00 AM
Check-in Location: Austin Convention Center Room 19AB (Map found here)

Session Description:
What role does / should social media play in our actual social lives? We are wired to need connection, but the more we connect with tech, the less we actually connect with each other. Social media was never enough.

Baratunde Thurston sits down with Mozi founders Molly DeWolf Swenson and Ev Williams to explore the intersection of IRL and the internet, and to discuss the past, present and future of "social.”

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March 9, 2025 | Life With Machines: The Best and Worst of A.I.

Time: 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM CT
Venue: Austin Convention Center
Room: 9ABC

Session Description:
Between destroying all the machines and surrendering to the Matrix is where most of us will land. This panel grapples with the impact of A.I. on our democracy, jobs, cocktails, and more. Each panelist will share perspectives from Hollywood to the E.U., as parents, pet owners, and most importantly, humans. We’ll invite audience-provided A.I. wins and fails gathered before and during the panel. We'll highlight the most actually-useful and actually-horrible applications while grounding our commentary in the space between hype and fear. There will be jokes. One of the panelists may even be an A.I.

I’ll be joined by digital anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush (see her episode) and comedian Matt Klinman (watch his episode) along with our AI co-producer BLAIR!

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March 10, 2025 | Mastering the Interview: The Tools to Make Real Connections

Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Venue: Austin Convention Center
Room: 5ABC

Session Description:

Rich Roll and Baratunde Thurston discuss the art of conversation. How do you build trust with the person across the table, and forge a real connection? With thousands of hours of interview experience between them – across different mediums and subjects ranging from sports, technology, health, culture and more – our panelists will take us inside their craft and unpack the tools they deploy.

Lastly, Rich and Baratunde will discuss why the long form interview format continues to resonate in a media landscape increasingly marked by shorter, bite-size content, and the value such conversations have in our society.

Thanks for being part of this journey.

Stay human,

Baratunde