2011 Program

Session I: How the Right Brain Helped Me Make a Billion, Win a Basketball Game, and Land this Gig

Introduction of Vivek Ranadivé by President John L. Hennessy

Keynote Address – Vivek Ranadivé – Chairman and CEO, TIBCO

Panel Discussion

Moderator – David Palumbo-Liu – Professor and Director of Comparative Literature; Director of the Asian American Studies Program at Stanford University

Stéphane Barbier – General Counsel, World Trade Center - Lyon, France; Senior Director of Business Development, ADERLY

Russell Berman – Walter A. Haas Professor in the Humanities; Professor of Comparative Literature and German Studies; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Director of German Studies at Stanford University

Dan Edelstein – Associate Professor of French; Director of Undergraduate Studies, Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages; Chair of Undergraduate Studies, French at Stanford University.

Marc Phillips – CEO, Searchforecast.com

Vivek Ranadivé – Chairman and CEO, TIBCO

Gabriella Safran – Professor and Director, Slavic Literatures and Languages; Chair of Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, Stanford University

Vivek Wadhwa – Visiting Scholar, School of Information, UC-Berkeley; Director of Research, Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization and Exec in Residence, Pratt School of Engineering,  Duke University; Senior Research Associate, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School; Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Halle Institute of Global Learning, Emory University; and Faculty and Advisor at Singularity University

Session II: Silicon Valley Entry Points for Humanities Ph.D.s: Google

Introduction of Marissa Mayer by Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht – Albert Guérard Professor in Literature; Professor of French and Italian and Comparative Literature; Chair of Graduate Studies, Comparative Literature at Stanford University.

Keynote Address – Marissa Mayer – Vice President, Consumer Products, Google

Panel Discussion

Moderator – Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht – Albert Guérard Professor in Literature; Professor of French and Italian and Comparative Literature; Chair of Graduate Studies, Comparative Literature at Stanford University

June Cohen – Executive Producer, TED Media

Tim Connors – Founder, PivotNorth Capital

Paula Findlen – Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of Italian History; Chair, Department of History; Co-Director, Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Stanford University

Roland Greene – Mark Pigott OBE Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences; Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University

Marissa Mayer – Vice President, Consumer Products, Google

Bob Tinker – President and CEO, MobileIron

Interlude: Why You Should Quit Your Technology Job and Get a Humanities Ph.D.

Keynote address – Damon Horowitz – In-House Philosopher / Director of Engineering, Google

Lunch Program (By Invitation)

Introduction of John Hagel III by Russell Berman – Walter A. Haas Professor in the Humanities; Professor of Comparative Literature and German Studies; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Director of German Studies at Stanford University

Keynote address – John Hagel III – Co-Chairman, Center for the Edge

Session III: Bringing Humanities Ph.D. Innovation to Silicon Valley: A Case for Rising Above Your Principles

Introduction of Patrick Byrne by John Etchemendy – Provost of Stanford University

Keynote Address – Patrick Byrne – Chairman & CEO, Overstock.com, Inc.

Panel Discussion

Moderator – Rob Reich – Associate Professor of Political Science; Faculty Director, Program on Ethics in Society; Faculty Co-Director, Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University

Patrick Byrne – CEO, Overstock.com

Alexander Cohen – Founder and Managing Director, Ovidian Group

Jean-Pierre Dupuy – Professor of French and, by courtesy, Political Science at Stanford University; Professor of Social and Political Philosophy at École Polytechnique in Paris

John Hagel III – Co-Chairman, Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation

Damon Horowitz – In-House Philosopher / Director of Engineering, Google

Laura Roman – Manager, Strategic Communications, Enterprise Marketing, Cisco Systems

Session IV: Future Ventures: Making the Leap from a Humanities Ph.D. to Silicon Valley

Introduction of Michael Moritz by President John L. Hennessy

Keynote Address – Michael Moritz – Managing Partner, Sequoia Capital

Panel Discussion

Moderator – Joshua Landy – Associate Professor of French and Co-Director of Stanford's Initiative in Philosophy and Literature at Stanford University

Konstantin Guericke – Partner 50505 Labs

Burton Lee – Lecturer, European Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Stanford Mechanical Engineering; Managing Director, Innovarium Ventures

Indra Mohan – Founder and CEO, BuyNowTV,Inc.

Michael Moritz – General Partner, Sequoia Capital

David Palumbo-Liu – Professor and Director of Comparative Literature; Director of the Asian American Studies Program at Stanford University

Tony Perkins – Founder and Editor, AlwaysOn

Jennifer Summit – Chair, Department of English at Stanford University

Closing: The Story Behind "TED: Ideas Worth Spreading"

Keynote Address – June Cohen – Executive Producer, TED Media