Zeitgeist Europe 2010
Last week, Google hosted the fifth annual European Zeitgeist.
The story of this year’s Zeitgeist is an extraordinary one. Thirty-six hours before the first speaker was due on stage, the event team faced a perfect storm of risks: potentially crippling BA strikes, political uncertainty in the UK, scandal in Indian cricket, disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, privacy challenges in Germany and, of course, a volcanic ash cloud floating over London! Despite all of this, the event was a huge success.
Over four hundred of the most influential business leaders and key visionaries from across Europe, came together to share their perspectives on technological innovation at the event in London.
They sought to answer the following questions:
- What have we learnt?
- How are we changing?
- Where are we heading?
Google welcomed a host of inspirational speakers including three Nobel prize winners: Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivered a brilliant opening keynote on ethics in business. Economist Daniel Kahneman revealed the secret to a happy life. And Chemist Kary Mullis told us how to send a frog two miles into space!
Beyond the Nobel laureates, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web went head to head with activists and academics on data privacy. The IPL’s Lalit Modi and BP’s Carl-Henric Svanberg discussed recent scandals and controversies. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, delivered a captivating and witty speech on the history of technology in our capital. And of course, our very own Eric and Larry engaged all with their own perspectives from Google.
To watch all of these plus other highlights from the event, visit the Zeitgeist Europe 2010 channel on YouTube.