Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft (MS); Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; and Bono, leader of the rock band U2. They took to the stage of TED, known as the 'original' of the lecture program, to introduce new knowledge and innovative research findings. The lectures are available online for free, allowing anyone to watch them.
TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, was once a conference held once a year for a small number of people. However, it changed after Chris Anderson, TED's representative, acquired TED for $14 million in 2000. In June 2006, TED released six recorded lectures online. The reaction was overwhelming, and within three months, the view count surpassed 1 million.
Following the free release, the popularity of paid conferences increased. In 2007, even after raising the conference participation fee to $6,000, tickets for the 1,500-person conference sold out in one week. Thanks to this, TED revamped its website that year and provided all lectures for free to viewers around the world.
As of April 2025, the TED website hosts 7,088 lectures. TED lectures are viewed over 3 billion times annually. Due to TED's popularity, people voluntarily help translate TED lectures into various languages. As a result, individuals gain free access to the insights and wisdom of experts such as scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists, and designers from around the world.
Chris Anderson, who usually promotes 'ideas worth spreading,' noted the motivation behind transforming the intellectual social gatherings of a small elite into a free platform, saying, 'I established a non-profit foundation to acquire TED, and the purpose of the non-profit is to share knowledge, so we have an obligation to share the lectures.' He continued, 'The philosophy of TED is to share abundantly, and then be amazed at what happens next. It has received an astonishing amount of attention.' I met with Anderson in Seoul at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong during his visit to deliver a keynote speech for the '40th anniversary of the Korean Atomic Energy Annual Conference' on the 29th of last month.
─What was the reason for acquiring TED after running a computer magazine publisher for 15 years?
I wanted to find something else in 2001 when the dot-com bubble burst, and 95% of the value of the company I had built for 15 years disappeared in a desperate situation. I wanted to make a significant change in my life and dive deeper into the world of ideas rather than business.
─Famous figures like Bill Gates do not receive speaking fees. Do you think they speak at TED because of 'sharing'?
The motivations of people are very subtle; they become speakers just to share the gift of knowledge. Even Bill Gates realized that he could reach a new audience through his TED talk. When good knowledge is shared, both the audience and the speaker benefit, as does the world.
─Since TED is operated by a non-profit foundation, it must be difficult to focus on profitability.
The operating costs of TED are covered by conference participation fees, advertising, corporations' sponsorships, and donations from tens of thousands of people around the world. TED has about 20 full-time employees, and as a non-profit foundation, it does not need to make a profit, but there are areas it must manage. Fortunately, we are finding ways to balance income and expenditure.
─When TED first streamed a lecture on YouTube in 2020, the topic was 'climate change.' Are you interested in climate change?
In 2006, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore spoke at TED on the topic of climate change. It became very persuasive when it was presented that we are facing a serious issue and must address it. Over the following years, more speakers addressing climate issues emerged. One of the most effective ways, in my opinion, is to invest and build businesses that can help mitigate climate change.
─You announced last February that you would resign as TED representative. Will you dedicate yourself to climate change afterwards?
Since TED is operated by a non-profit foundation, I have worked without pay for over 20 years. At the same time, I have been active as an investor. In the future, I plan to invest more time in solving climate issues and devote more time to companies like Thorcon, a molten salt reactor startup in the U.S. I am not leaving TED; I want to stay connected to TED for the rest of my life. If the new management wants, I intend to continue serving as an advisor and co-host.
─What are the criteria for selecting the new TED representative?
The conference must continue to be operated, and the policy of freely sharing lectures must be maintained. Additionally, TED must not be used as a means to promote a specific political viewpoint. So far, about 70 companies and individuals have reached out. We are currently considering over 12 companies very seriously. (Selecting a TED representative) should take about six weeks. I hope we can make an announcement during the summer.