SXSW Sessions

The vision for a decentralized Internet is becoming a reality, with cryptocurrencies, blockchains, smart contracts, NFTs, and DeFi combining to make up a new online paradigm known as Web3. But how is this new model for online interaction being structured, and how can it connect with external data, computation, and existing systems? In this fireside chat, Real Vision’s Ash Bennington talks with Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink, about how oracle networks are powering Web3 development, how data from the real world can be brought into the Web3 ecosystem, and the potential a decentralized Internet holds for building a world based on truth rather than trust.

Season 2 of Ted Lasso hits a little different — it's the Empire Strikes Back nod that, as Jason Sudeikis shared with Jimmy Fallon, "starts in the cold and ends in a little chillier place than where we started. Everybody's gotta go in their cave and meet a little green man." In this SXSW Session, you'll hear from producers, writers, and stars of the show as they unwind some of the ethos, intention and deep connection with fans.

When it comes to bias and discrimination, what actually changes people and cultures? This SXSW Session presents the most cutting-edge insights from the global quest to reduce unintentional bias and transform our workplaces, our lives, and our world. Jessica Nordell draws on her more than fifteen years of science reporting, and her solutions journalism book The End of Bias, to share powerful tools for creating more fair communities and cultures. Fusing scientific insight with humane wisdom, this talk also shows how understanding the past equips us to change the present, how combating bias connects us to others (and ourselves), how to talk to skeptics, and more. Leave with practical tips for today, tomorrow, and next week, regardless of role or industry.

The world we live in has been designed. By whom? For whom? From the objects in our everyday lives, to the social hierarchies and systems we find ourselves in, these were once merely a thought, an idea. And not only were they designed, they in turn design us; shaping our thoughts, our desires, and the way we perceive the world. But what does it mean to design for liberation? How can we interrogate a seemingly fixed reality and thereby unlock new modalities of being? What is the world we imagine for the future?

Award-winning showrunner, filmmaker and bestselling novelist Noah Hawley (creator of FX’s Fargo and Legion) speaks with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, about Hawley’s sixth and newest novel Anthem, a thoughtful and entertaining cultural commentary for the real world we live in that examines a plethora of ongoing issues ranging from political divisions to climate change -- all in Hawley’s uniquely incisive voice. With Anthem, Hawley faced his most challenging writing yet -- putting a level of hindsight to something where the ink wasn’t dry yet, or as he says, “If my job as a writer is to recreate the real world around me, then what do I do when the real world around me becomes ridiculous?” Hawley ranks among the most prolific and accomplished writers working between page and screen – having won both an Emmy Award and Edgar Award, and Anthem has been discussed as an epic inventive literary thriller that is the first must read novel of the year.

How is decentralized community formed on the internet? There are multiple levels of Birds Aren’t Real engagement: the people who think bird robots are funny and react to viral moments, the people who will even show up in person to a rally, the people who recognize and follow the character himself, and the people who learn heavy lore that plunges deep into the Birds mythology. What do people see in something like Birds Aren’t Real and what can be accomplished when these people come together?

With over 65 million dedicated fans and armed with an innate drive to share new worlds with that community, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, is the face of streaming. From championing new games and technology to exploring a variety of media like comics and movies, Ninja's try everything approach has brought him huge success and a loyal fandom. The streaming world has grown exponentially thanks to an influx of gamers and community members and Ninja has navigated the changes the industry has thrown at him all while leading his audience across platforms and through bleak times. In this SXSW Session, Ninja and his long time manager Jessica Blevins discuss the efforts it takes to be a successful streamer and how to properly pivot that success into mainstream acceptance without burning your audience.

In this session, join writer, showrunner and executive producer Steve Blackman, executive producer Jeff King, producer and senior VFX supervisor Everett Burrell, and COO of DigitalFilm Tree Nancy Jundi, with senior VFX artist Carlo Vega, and game engine producer Andrea Aniceto-Chavez as they unpack one of Netflix’s biggest hits, taking you through time, epic battles and the emotional journeys of family.

We’re aware there’s risk online, but we don’t know what to do about it. Hackers today are global enterprises taking advantage of vulnerabilities across 13 billion connected devices. The FBI found in 2020 Americans lost more than $4.2B to digital crime. And consumers are woefully unprepared to protect themselves. In fact, most tools available to them were designed to defend a desktop computer on a dial-up modem. We need a new approach. Featuring a live hack, this session brings together a self-proclaimed digital idiot - Jeffrey Katzenberg- a cybersecurity innovator- Hari Ravichandran- and a hacker - Rachel Tobac- to unpack how hackers steal your information, what they use it for and what innovations in technology will put consumers ahead of the cybercriminals for the first time in history.

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla joins Julie Hyman of Yahoo Finance to discuss the company’s efforts to develop and deliver a COVID-19 vaccine in record time. The conversation will dive into themes from Bourla’s upcoming book, Moonshot. Bourla will also share his perspective on what’s next, both in terms of the next chapter of the pandemic and in what other medical breakthroughs might be on the horizon.