The COVID-19 pandemic has made plain the imperative to rebuild systems with justice and equity. What are the bold ideas that will shape our new world?

Darren Walker sits down with authors and thinkers who lead us through big ideas and plans for fundamental changes to our society. In the Ideas at Ford series, Walker digs deep with those proposing a better way forward in business, racial justice and more, and looks back at pivotal moments and people in history for key lessons.

Please join us for our next virtual conversations and enjoy those earlier in the series.

Upcoming events:

The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism with Hubert Joly, on May 17, 1pm-2pm, 2021. The former CEO of Best Buy asks how we can radically rethink work to put people at the center of business, create an environment where every employee can thrive, and treat profit as an outcome, not the goal.

RSVP here


How Boards Work—And How They Can Work Better in a Chaotic World, with Dambisa Moyo on June 14th, 2021, 3pm-4pm EST. Economist and veteran board director Dambisa Moyo offers an insider’s view of corporate boards as they are buffeted by the turbulence of our times. Moyo argues that corporations need boards that are more transparent, more knowledgeable, more diverse, and more deeply involved in setting the strategic course of the companies they lead.

Registration opening soon. 


Where You Are Is Not Who You Are: A Memoir, With Ursula Burns, on July 7th, 2021, 1pm-2pm. The former CEO of Xerox—and the first Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company—shares her insight into business, racial and economic justice, the threat of greed to American democracy, and the hurdles she has had to overcome as a Black woman.

Registration opening soon. 


System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot, with Rob Reich and Mehran Sahami on September 13th, 2021, 4pm-5pm EST. Two Stanford professors discuss their book revealing how big tech’s obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values. They outline steps we can take to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves.

Registration opening soon.


Watch past conversations:

Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight with author Julia Sweig. How did a vastly underestimated woman navigate the politics and polarization of her era to become one of the most influential members of the Johnson administration? Award-winning author Julia Sweig discussed her book on Lady Bird Johnson’s complex and captivating role in the White House.

The Devil You Know with author Charles Blow. The acclaimed journalist and New York Times op-ed columnist discusses his book on the unprecedented shift in power needed to fight white supremacy and create lasting change for Black Americans.

Manifesto for a Moral Revolution with author Jacqueline Novogratz. What if each of us gave more to the world than we took from it? That’s the question posed by the founder of impact-investment fund Acumen. Her book offers lessons from 30 years of developing sustainable solutions to alleviate global poverty.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents with Isabel Wilkerson. Wilkerson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, explores how misperceptions about race have disfigured the American experiment and sheds a light on a hidden caste system that has shaped the country throughout its history.

The Tyranny of Merit with Michael Sandel. A Harvard political philosophy professor, Sandel discusses his book on the lie of the American credo that “you can make it if you try,” which has fueled populist protest and extreme polarization and led to deep distrust of both the government and each other. He argues that America must rethink its attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalization and rising inequality.