LinkedIn Speaker Series

Have you heard all the buzz about LinkedIn Cities? In case you haven't, this is our effort to truly bring the Economic Graph to life and create economic opportunity for all. Our core partner for LinkedIn Cities is the Markle Foundation and Zoë Baird, its CEO and President, is our Speaker Series guest this month. Allen Blue hosted a special fireside chat with Zoë and they will discuss how we are helping job seekers acquire new skills and advance their careers through Skillful, a network of online tools and on-the-ground resources. We are focusing first on the cities of Denver and Phoenix, with a special emphasis on middle-skill workers.

Hear all about the incredible impact we will have in these cities and how you can get involved to make our Economic Graph vision a reality!

Trust in government is at an all-time low. Re-designing and improving the way we govern will have to be a key a priority for any new president.

Join us to hear Beth Simone Noveck, former Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States and author of Smart Citizens, Smarter State, dive into the important topic: The Tech Presidency: Governing in the Age of Big Data and Machine Learning.

The Obama administration, which is often called the "first tech presidency" has made considerable progress toward e-enabling government over the last eight years, including the creation of new tech and innovation leadership roles across government; crafting of policy and legal frameworks that encourage experimentation and innovation; and the launch of new platforms to change how government works. In particular, the White House has been at the forefront of a global movement to open up and use the data government collects to transform everything from healthcare to criminal justice. So-called open government data is empowering citizens, creating economic opportunity and helping to solve problems in creative ways.

But can open data transform government? Can data-driven technologies make government more effective and legitimate or will they only deprive us of our privacy and civil liberties? With the election around the corner, we will take stock of what we have accomplished and what remains to be done to realize a new vision for government using new technology - no matter who is elected.

Kris Tompkins, former CEO of Patagonia, Inc. turned world-renowned conservationist, has worked to create parklands in Chile and Argentina for more than 20 years, including current negotiations for the largest private land donation in history. Through the efforts of the Tompkins Conservation foundations and their partners, more than 2.2 million acres of South America have been protected.

Join us as Kris discusses the importance of restoring ecosystems and providing economic opportunities for local communities—and how these goals can be achieved through the establishment of national parks.

From CEO of Patagonia Inc. to one of the world's leading conservationists, Kris' story is unique and exemplifies the agency of private individuals to impact nations. Her journey has proven that partnerships between private and public actors can advance biodiversity on a global scale.

Join us for an intimate conversation between Florent Groberg and LinkedIn’s VP of Member Marketing and Communications, Nick Bartle, as they discuss the values of Leadership, Service, and Sacrifice both in the military and out.

Hear Florent’s remarkable story about receiving the military’s highest honor and the lessons he’s learned through his civilian transition.

The common wisdom about Artificial Intelligence is that we are building increasingly intelligent machines that will ultimately surpass human capabilities, steal our jobs, possibly even escape human control and take over the world. Jerry Kaplan, Fellow at the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics, believes this narrative is both misguided and counterproductive.

Join Jerry for an unorthodox tour of the history of Artificial Intelligence, learn why it is so misunderstood, and what we can do to ensure that the engines of progress don’t motor on without us.

We kicked off this year’s Speaker Series program with a powerful event that will set you up for success in 2016! Andy Puddicombe, founder of Headspace, joined our own Jeff Weiner for a fascinating discussion around the power of mindfulness and meditation.

Headspace was founded by Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk, and Rich Pierson, a creative developer. After 10 years of meditation training around the world, culminating in full ordination at a Tibetan Monastery, Andy returned to the UK with a clear aim: To make meditation accessible, relevant, and beneficial for as many people as possible. In partnership with Rich, this aim was realized through the creation of Headspace.

We were pleased to welcome Daniel Lubetzky, the visionary CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks, to a discussion with Caroline Fairchild, LinkedIn’s New Economy Editor, live from our New York office.

When Daniel Lubetzky started KIND Healthy Snacks in 2004, he aimed to defy the conventional wisdom that snack bars could never be both tasty and healthy, convenient and wholesome. A decade later, the transformative power of the company’s “AND” philosophy has resulted in an astonishing record of achievement. KIND has become the fastest-growing purveyor of healthy snacks in the country. Meanwhile, the KIND Movement—the company’s social mission to make the world a little kinder—has sparked more than a million good deeds worldwide.

Listen in to learn how the power of “AND” worked wonders for one company—and could empower the next generation of social entrepreneurs to improve their bottom line and change the world.

We are honored to welcome Deepak Chopra back to our LinkedIn Speaker Series to discuss his new book, Super Genes, with our VP of Leadership and Organizational Development, Fred Kofman. Listen to this session to learn how to unlock the astonishing power of DNA for optimum health and wellbeing.

In his book, “Super Genes”, Chopra discusses how genetics is undergoing a revolution that opens the way people can influence their health in unsuspecting ways. By focusing on and optimizing your own cellular activity through conscious choices, Chopra explains that you can:

• Improve your mood level, staving off anxiety and depression
• Resist yearly colds and flu
• Return to normal sound sleep
• Gain more energy and resist chronic stress
• Slow the aging process
• Normalize your metabolism
• Decrease your risk of cancer

We are delighted to host our first LinkedIn alum as a guest in our Speaker Series!

Matt Cohler, a member of LinkedIn’s founding team from 2003 - 2005, is a successful venture capitalist whose background in the industry is nothing short of impressive. Cohler, who ranked #63 on Forbes Midas List, is currently serving as General Partner at Benchmark where he helped land Snapchat and Uber for the company. In addition to identifying investment opportunities, Cohler also works closely with companies across Benchmark’s portfolio, including Dropbox, Domo and 1stdibs.

Listen to the event and Q&A with Matt Cohler and Reid Hoffman and learn the secrets to Cohler's success and what it was like back in the “old days” at LinkedIn.

We were delighted to welcome James Caan CBE to our London office for a live talk and Q&A: Observe the masses and do the opposite.

James Caan, a LinkedIn Influencer and one of the UK's most successful and dynamic entrepreneurs is perhaps best known as an investor in the TV series Dragon's Den. But did you know that Caan initially achieved success in the recruitment industry? He founded the recruitment company, Alexander Mann Group, in 1985, and sold it in 2002.

Josh Graff, Senior Director, hosted a lively discussion about the secrets to James’ career success.