SXSW Sessions

In recent years, scientists have shown that DNA makes us different, in our personalities and in our health — and in ways that matter for success in our current society. Reclaiming genetic science from the legacy of eugenics, Kathryn Paige Harden offers a bold new vision of society where everyone thrives, regardless of how one fares in the genetic lottery. Harden is Professor of Psychology at UT Austin, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and co-directs the Texas Twin Project. Using research from her book The Genetic Lottery, Harden dismantles dangerous ideas about racial superiority and challenging us to grapple with what equality means in a world where people are born different. Weaving personal stories with scientific evidence, Harden shows why our refusal to recognize the power of DNA perpetuates the myth of meritocracy, and argues that we must acknowledge the role of genetic luck if we are ever to create a fair society.

A conversation with Kishi Bashi, the pseudonym of singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi. He will discuss his experience growing up as a Japanese-American, as well as his film, “Omoiyari: a Songfilm by Kishi Bashi. Kishi Bashi is an internationally-acclaimed recording artist, violinist, vocalist and composer who has released six albums and has built a live concert following around the world.  He has also toured internationally as a violinist with diverse artists such as Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and of Montreal.  His latest album, Omoiyari (a Japanese word for the idea of creating compassion toward other people by thinking about them) was released in 2019, and his 2020 Emigrant EP, a very special companion piece to ‘Omoiyari’, serves as a time capsule of the 2020 condition and a continuation of the concepts explored in 'Omoiyari'.”  Kishi Bashi’s co-directed feature film length documentary for Omoiyari makes its world premiere debut at SXSW 2022. 

You have a limited budget, a short timeframe, and a high level of pressure to support the changing needs of your company. During the panel, we will share tools that can help you scale inclusive solutions fast and without breaking the bank. With the world changing daily, the need to ensure people aren’t left behind is even more critical. Our panel focuses on how we all move forward together within the societal impacts of the evolving workplace.

Digital connectivity has brought us enormous benefits, yet there can be little doubt that digitalization and technology has also had a deeply polarizing effect on our societies. Today’s algorithms push users to extremes, widen political divisions, and weaken our sense of common humanity. Disinformation has muddled the political debate and become a tool of foreign interference in our democratic processes. Consumers face few choices in markets dominated by technological heavyweights that continue to grow larger, where unsafe or “fake” products continue to be bought and sold online. So what do we do about it? In this SXSW Session, European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who has gained a strong reputation as a global leader in democratic digital governance, discusses what the United States and Europe can do together to defend democracy and human rights in an automated world.

In this SXSW Session, Frances Haugen, former Facebook product manager turned Whistleblower, shares lessons from her time at Facebook and the experience of becoming one of the most well known whistleblowers of the last year. Hear about the false choices around content moderation, censorship, fact checking and A.I that Facebook claim will keep us safe. Haugen also shares insights into what it will take to reform today's social media giants and how we can build social media that brings out the best in humanity.

Moderated by Tinx, Investor Mark Cuban and Bala Cofounders Natalie Holloway and Maximilian Kislevitz discuss an unexpected, borderline absurd approach to launching and scaling a fitness brand.   Natalie and Max started Bala on a napkin in 2018, when they sketched out ideas for what would eventually become Bala Bangles.  Though Bala started as a side project, Natalie and Max took note of the ultra-serious, exclusionary nature of the fitness industry – a sea of lookalike brands running the same playbook; one defined by unreasonable expectations and the heartache of falling short.    Since launching a successful Kickstarter campaign and appearing on ABC's Shark Tank, where they secured an investment from Mark Cuban and Maria Sharapova, Bala has grown tenfold. In contrast to the utility-led products that dominate the fitness space, Bala believes beautiful, functional fitness equipment will change the way people work out. 

In an era of expanding authoritarian violence overseas and crippling political divisions in the United States, three generations of activists will explore how democracy can be saved through our current political system. Using lessons from the unconventionally innovative presidential candidacies of the late Senator Mike Gravel, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang, the panel will demonstrate how social media, film, and provocative progressive language expanded the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream voting population. The relevance of these strategies has become even more critical now than in the 2020 campaigns in which they were developed.

The meteoric rise of conspiracy, deception, and misinformation online poses an unprecedented risk to civil societies and democracies across the globe – including here at home. In this SXSW Session, we join Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and member of the Select Committee on January 6, for a conversation about this formidable 21st-century threat and the fight to protect democracy from the rise of authoritarianism.

One billion homes. To put a dent in the global housing crisis, we need to build one billion homes in a lifetime and today we simply aren’t solving the problem fast enough. To build the future, we must change the way we design and build for a world that will enhance human happiness and flourishing. The future starts with 3D printing. The technology that can create a more sustainable and beautiful world will be the same technology that helps us become a spacefaring civilization.  Will cities of the future be built by robots and drones? Will humans colonize the Moon and Mars? In this SXSW Session, ICON’s Jason Ballard  discusses humanity’s future and how architecture, design, robotics and sustainability can be in service to humanity and help us reimagine worlds.

Join us for a conversation with the cast and creative team of Prime Video’s groundbreaking, critically acclaimed series Undone ahead of its long-awaited second season. Series stars Rosa Salazar, Angelique Cabral, and Constance Marie will be joined by co-creator/showrunner Kate Purdy and director/executive producer Hisko Hulsing to explore the nuances of marrying complex family dynamics and themes of mental health with genre defying spectacle brought to life through its unique style and process – giving fans their first insights into how the upcoming season will expand in surprising new directions.