Talks at Google

There's a building in North London, built from equal parts brick and tahini, with walls coated in olive oil and floors stained with spice. This is the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, where a group of individuals meet and eat, cook and write, tear and share and gather with just one motive: to create good food with good ingredients, and to share it with the world. Chef and author Noor Murad joined the Otto...

Asma Khan is an Indian-born British chef and a social change advocate in the food industry. She joins Google to discuss her book, "Monsoon: Delicious Indian recipes for every day and season," a masterclass in the flavors of Indian cookery. Originally born in Calcutta, Asma's journey into the culinary world was not straightforward. She initially pursued academia before moving to Cambridge in 1991 t...

Bert Jacobs is the co-founder of the $150 million lifestyle brand Life is Good. When he and his brother John started the company in 1994, they had $78 in their pockets, lived out of their van, and sold t-shirts on the streets of Boston. It has been over 30 years since they sold their first t-shirt, but Bert and John championed the same mission: to spread the power of optimism. On their journey, th...

We make a countless number of decisions every day – but unfortunately, we often choose unwisely. Behavioral economist Richard Thaler has dedicated his life's work to understanding why that is. In 2017, Thaler received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to the field of behavioral economics. His book, "Nudge," co-authored by Cass R. Sunstein, shows that it's not poss...

Sahil Bloom is an entreneur, author, investor, and content creator who is on a mission to redefine what it means to build a wealthy life. In his debut, New York Times-bestselling book, "The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life," Bloom discusses how to build a fulfilling life across all five areas: time, social, mental, physical, and financial.  Bloom captivates milli...

Josh Peck rose to near-instant fame when he starred on Nickelodeon's hit show, Drake and Josh. But while he tried to maintain his role as the funniest, happiest kid in every room, Josh struggled alone with the kind of rising anger and plummeting confidence that quietly took over his life. For the first time, Josh reflects on his late teens and early twenties in his memoir, "Happy People are Annoyi...

Award-winning behavioral scientist and leading expert on the psychology of conversation Dr. Alison Wood Brooks joins Google to discuss her book, "Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves." The book reveals the hidden architecture of our conversations, and how even small improvements can have a profound impact on all types of relationships. Dr. Brooks is a professor at Harva...

Gretchen Rubin is one of today's most influential observers of happiness and human nature. Her book, "Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World," is a story of discovery, filled with thoughtful insights and hands-on suggestions about how to heighten our senses and use the power of perception to live fuller and richer lives. Gretchen's many books have so...

Award-winning neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff joins Google to talk about her book, "Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World." Her book is a guide for how to live a more experimental life, turn uncertainty into curiosity, and carve a path of self-discovery. Anne shares why we should replace the old, linear model of success with a circular model of growth, w...

In her 18 years at Google, Jenny Wood grew from entry-level to executive and ran a large operations team that helped drive billions of revenue per year. She is the founder of Own Your Career, one of the largest career programs in Google's history with over 50,000 people benefitting in nearly 100 countries. Jenny's work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, CNBC, Business Insider, Entre...

Just about everything we do – like what we wear, what we eat, and even where we work – is informed in some way by our cultural subscriptions. Marcus Collins studies cultural contagion, and how it manifests in society at large. He joins Google to discuss the evolution of brand and his book, "For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be." Marcus is a professor at...

Almost everything we do involves words. Words are how we persuade, communicate, and connect. They're how leaders lead, salespeople sell, and parents parent. But certain words are more impactful than others. They're better at changing minds, engaging audiences, and driving action. What are these magic words, and how can we take advantage of their power? Jonah Berger joins Google to discuss his book...

Lewis Howes, entrepreneur and host of "The School of Greatness" podcast, joins Google to discuss his book, "Make Money Easy: Create Financial Freedom and Live a Richer Life." The book leverages insight gleaned from the many financial experts on his podcast, the latest research around the psychology of money, and his own journey to success, and offers both practical advice and the mindset reframing...

Seth Godin has published over 20 bestselling books that have been translated into nearly 40 languages. He's the founder of the altMBA and The Akimbo Workshops, which have been taken by more than 60,000 people. He hosts a podcast, also called Akimbo, and has 5 TED Talks. Seth joins Google to talk about his book, "The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams." The book contemplates all things...

David Allemann is the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Swiss sportswear brand On. Since its founding in 2010, On has become one of the fastest-growing global sports brands with a presence in over 60 countries and more than 9,000 retailers. David joins Google to discuss his career journey, the story of On's IPO, and how they were able to become a prominent name in the saturated market of athletic...

Stuff You Should Know has been one of the top podcasts since it started in 2008. The podcast overviews and simplifies a truly extensive range of topics, from the history of refrigeration to how Saturn works to forensic dentistry and peacocks. Chuck and Josh released over 1,500 episodes, toured the world, and even had a TV show that ran for one season on the Science Channel. They also have a Trivia...

Everywhere you look, there's talk of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Daniela Rus and Gregory Mone have dedicated their lives to studying both. Daniela is a world expert in robotics. She's the first female director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, and a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow. Gregory has authored 19 books and is a former columnist for Popular Science maga...

George R.R. Martin is an author and a television producer and writer. He's most famous for his series, "A Song of Ice and Fire," which was then adapted by HBO into the overwhelmingly popular television drama, "Game of Thrones." In 2017, Time Magazine dubbed him an "American Tolkien." He joins Google for a Q&A session and to share more about his novel, "A Dance with Dragons." Originally published i...

Award-winning kitten rescuer Hannah Shaw and professional cat photographer Andrew Marttila  join Google to discuss their book, "Cats of the World," where they explore cat culture and welfare around the globe, documenting their travels with photos and stories from 30 different countries. Hannah and Andrew are both cat experts in their own specialties. Hannah is a New York Times bestselling author o...

Back in 2014, Marvel produced the first Guardians of the Galaxy based on the comic of the same name. The movie was a stunning success, becoming the third-highest grossing film of the year and nominated for two Academy Awards. The trilogy was then completed in 2023.  Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Vin Diesel talk about the original movie and their roles, what it's like to be action figures, and who...

Nisha Vora is a cookbook author and content creator known for her innovative approach to vegan cooking. She discusses her second cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor, with over 150 recipes to help you master the art of vegan cooking. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2012 and working as a lawyer, Nisha switched out her casebooks for cookbooks to follow her dream in the food world. She created a co...

Kheris Rogers, designer and CEO of the fashion brand, Flexin' in my Complexion, was inspired to start her brand at just 11 years old, after years of being bullied in school because of her dark skin complexion. She is the world's youngest designer to ever showcase at New York Fashion week. She's partnered with Nike and Lebron James, and her clothing line has been worn by celebrities like Whoopi Gol...

Ilya Strebulaev has devoted two decades to studying how venture capitalists approach decision-making, and the reasons behind the successes and failures of corporate innovations. He joins Google to discuss his book, "The Venture Mindset," a playbook on how to adapt to a rapidly changing world, make smarter bets, launch new ventures, and transform traditional organizations into hubs for innovation....

Phil Rosenthal is the creator, executive producer, writer, and host of "Somebody Feed Phil," the Netflix show with 7 seasons – and counting – that combines Phil's love of food and travel with his unique brand of humor. Phil has traveled to countless destinations around the world to take in the local cuisine and culture, including Kyoto, Mumbai, Oaxaca, Iceland, New York, and many others. Somebody...

The Tetris game has become one of the world's top-selling video game brands with hundreds of millions of products sold, and that number is still growing today. In 1988, having published numerous computer games from around the world in the Japanese market, Henk discovered the Tetris game at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. A year later, he licensed the rights to Nintendo, where it would...