Silicon Valley investor Roger McNamee mentored Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the early days of the company. Still a large shareholder, he now thinks Facebook is destroying our democracy. The author of “Zucked” discusses the existential threat he believes the social network poses to society.
Roger McNamee has been a Silicon Valley investor for 35 years. He co-founded successful funds in venture, crossover and private equity. His most recent fund, Elevation, included U2’s Bono as a co-founder. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Roger plays bass and guitar in the bands Moonalice and Doobie Decibel System. He is the author of “Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe,” as well as “The New Normal” and “The Moonalice Legend: Posters and Words, Volumes 1-9.” He has served as a technical advisor for seasons two through five of HBO’s “Silicon Valley” series and was also responsible for raising the money that created the Wikimedia Foundation.
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer talks about his tenure in the Trump administration and his book, “The Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President.”
Sean Spicer is the former White House Press Secretary in the Trump administration. He is the founder and President of RigWil LLC, a strategic consulting firm that provides insights to C-suite corporate and association executives. His book, “The Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President,” was released in July of 2018. A husband and father of two, Spicer resides in Virginia.
Salman Khan is the founder of Khan Academy, a non-profit providing online instruction to people all over the world. He began by tutoring his cousins remotely by video. The videos attracted a large YouTube following. Today, Khan Academy is an online learning platform which includes practice exercises, instructional videos, analytics and teacher tools with 15 million registered users.
Husband/wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley formed the band Yo La Tengo in 1984 in Hoboken, New Jersey. James McNew joined the band in 1992. Yo La Tengo has been called “the quintessential critics band,” known for creativity, independence and an eclectic approach to indie rock. Rolling Stone calls them “one of the most restless and most consistently good bands of the past 25 years.”
Joel Klein has been called one of the most influential people in public education. He was chancellor of New York City schools for eight years under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He was the CEO for Amplify, the educational division of News Corp.
Kevin Nealon is a comedian and actor who spent 9 years on “Saturday Night Live,” including three as the anchor of Weekend Update, and 7 seasons in the cast of the Showtime series “Weeds.”
Amy Tan is the author of three best-selling novels including her 1989 novel, “The Joy Luck Club.” Her novel, “The Valley of Amazement,” was published in 2013 and reached The New York Times best-seller list. The editors of The New York Times Book Review also named it a 2013 Notable Book. Tan co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay of “The Joy Luck Club” movie, released in 1993. Millions of copies of her books are in print and they have been translated into thirty languages.
Jonathan Alter is an author and commentator, who was at Newsweek for close to three decades. He has written several New York Times best-sellers about American presidents. Alter published his book, “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies,” in 2013.
Richard M. Daley is the longest-serving mayor in the history of Chicago, following his father. He was mayor from 1989 to 2011. Daley also served in the Illinois State Senate and as the Cook County State’s Attorney.
Joyce Banda was Malawi’s first female president. She served as Minister of Foreign of Affairs and Vice President. Banda is an advocate for women’s and children’s rights. Forbes magazine named her one of Africa’s most powerful women.