Last week, the @Google Talks team uploaded its 1000th video to YouTube. If you’re not recognizable with this series, we host talks by authors and commentators at Google, and post videos of their readings and talks on a devoted YouTube channel.
Authors@Google began in the fall of 2005 when we noticed that some astonishing people were passing through the Google hallways. A few scrappy Googlers galvanized to create a more reliable pipeline of requests and a dignified program that kicked off with Malcolm Gladwell and James Surowiecki. As Google and our technology grew, so did the program. “Authors@Google” has blossomed into @Google Talks, a full-fledged speaker series, prolonged across distributed offices and found a home on YouTube, so that we can share these conversations outside of the Googleplex.
The @Google Talks series aims to detain the popular and intellectual zeitgeist, as well as ideas that deserve a deeper focus an expert can give in more than a five-minute soundbite. From the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates to Alice Walker to Michael Pollan to Raphael Saadiq, the program has grown to encompass not just authors, but musicians, innovators, notable women, chefs and more. The team that hosts these events is made up of devoted and passionate volunteers from all across the company.
Our most viral video was of Conan O'Brien, who stopped by during his "Legally forbidden from Being Funny on Television" tour for a hilarious hour involving bagpipes, Andy Richter and one lucky Googler who got to touch his hair. We've featured master and apprentice—from Thomas Keller of The French Laundry to Keller protege Corey Lee on the process of gap his new restaurant Benu—and varying viewpoints, exemplified by Christopher Hitchens on "God Is Not Great" and Tim Keller on "The Reason for God." And that’s just the beginning. Other popular visitors comprise Congressman Ron Paul, President Barack Obama, linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky, presentation designer Garr Reynolds, author Elizabeth Gilbert, Randall Munroe of XKCD and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
We’re excited for what lies ahead, and we hope you'll tune in and join us.
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