Susan David
Harvard Medical School Psychologist | #1 WSJ Bestselling Author | Thinkers50 | Co-founder, Institute of Coaching | TED Speaker
Kate O’Neill
The "Tech Humanist" | Founder & CEO of KO Insights | Bestselling Author of What Matters Next | On Human-Friendly AI, Technology & the Future of Human Experience
Kate O'Neill is one of the world's leading authorities on the human side of technology, known globally as "the Tech Humanist." Founder and CEO of KO Insights and a bestselling author, she was one of Netflix's first 100 employees and now advises Google, Microsoft, and the UN. On stage, she gives leaders a strategically optimistic, practical framework for making human-friendly decisions about AI and technology.
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Kate O’Neill biography
Kate O’Neill is one of the world’s leading authorities on the human side of technology, so much so that she is known simply as “the Tech Humanist.” A strategist, tech executive, and bestselling author, she helps leaders make better, more human-friendly decisions about the technologies reshaping their organizations, bridging the gap between business ambition and genuine human needs at a moment when those decisions have never carried higher stakes.
Technology speaker Kate O’Neill is the founder and CEO of KO Insights, a strategic advisory firm dedicated to improving human experience at scale through data and AI. Her core argument reframes technology not as something that serves the business first and people second, but as a three-way relationship between business, humans, and technology, in which human impact is the variable that determines whether innovation scales sustainably or collapses under backlash and regret. She is the author of six books, most recently What Matters Next, a leader’s guide to making human-friendly tech decisions in a world that is moving too fast, named to the Thinkers50 2025 Best New Management Booklist.
From Netflix’s First 100 to the Tech Humanist
O’Neill’s authority is grounded in more than 25 years of hands-on work with category-defining companies. She was one of Netflix’s first 100 employees, where she created the company’s first content-management role, developed Toshiba America’s first intranet, and founded [meta]marketer, one of the earliest digital strategy and analytics agencies. Today she advises Fortune 500 companies and organizations including Google, IBM, Microsoft, Adobe, and the United Nations, and is an invited attendee at UN AI Advisory Body meetings. A frequent expert commentator on the BBC, NPR, and NBC, she was ranked among the Thinkers50 most influential management thinkers in 2025 and shortlisted for its Digital Thinking Award, and her work appears in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and WIRED.
As a speaker, Kate O’Neill gives audiences a clear, strategically optimistic framework for navigating relentless technological change without losing sight of what makes us human. She speaks on making human-friendly AI and technology decisions, the future of human experience, strategic optimism and foresight, and how leaders can encode human values into the systems they build. Audiences leave with practical tools to move forward confidently, and the reassurance that a bright, human-centered future is something they can actively design.
Kate O’Neill Speaking Videos
We cannot leave meaning up to machines | Kate O'Neill | TEDxWalden Pond
AI and Human Experience: Kate O'Neill - Tech Humanist & Future-Ready Business Strategist (2024 reel)
Kate O’Neill Keynote Topics
Drawing on her latest book, O'Neill gives leaders a practical framework for the technology decisions, from AI adoption to data strategy, that carry ever-wider consequences. She shows how to balance innovation with human outcomes, encode human values into systems, and move forward confidently in a world that is changing faster than most decision-making processes can handle.
Relevant to every industry, from financial services to healthcare to hospitality, this keynote surveys the emerging-technology and cultural-trends landscape and shows how the decisions companies make ripple outward, shaping both their bottom line and the future of human experience itself. O'Neill helps audiences see the bigger picture and make choices that are both commercially smart and genuinely humane.
Based on her book A Future So Bright, O'Neill makes the case for "strategic optimism," a disciplined, clear-eyed hopefulness that treats a better future as something to be actively designed rather than passively awaited. She gives leaders tools to align purpose, values, and technology so their organizations can meet uncertainty with meaningful innovation.
As AI accelerates, O'Neill helps leaders navigate its ethical and strategic complexities without succumbing to either hype or fear. She reframes AI adoption around human impact, showing how organizations can capture its benefits while protecting trust, avoiding costly missteps, and keeping people at the center of digital transformation.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Kate O’Neill
Why Kate O'Neill?
Booking Kate O'Neill gives audiences a rare voice who combines deep technology expertise with a genuinely human-centered perspective, which is exactly why she is known as "the Tech Humanist." A strategist who was one of Netflix's first 100 employees and now advises Google, Microsoft, and the United Nations, she helps leaders make the high-stakes technology and AI decisions that will define their organizations, and their impact on people. Ranked among the Thinkers50 most influential management thinkers and the author of six books including What Matters Next, she brings both credibility and a refreshing, strategically optimistic outlook. Clear, insightful, and practical, she leaves audiences equipped to navigate change with confidence, making her an ideal speaker for events on AI, technology, digital transformation, the future of work, and innovation. To bring Kate O'Neill to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Kate O'Neill?
Kate O'Neill is an American strategist, technology executive, and bestselling author known globally as "the Tech Humanist." She is the founder and CEO of KO Insights, a strategic advisory firm focused on improving human experience at scale, and the author of six books, including What Matters Next and A Future So Bright. One of Netflix's first 100 employees, she now advises organizations including Google, IBM, Microsoft, and the UN, and was ranked among the Thinkers50 most influential management thinkers in 2025.
What does "Tech Humanist" mean?
"Tech Humanist" is the term associated with Kate O'Neill's philosophy and body of work, which centers on making technology better for both business and humanity. Rather than treating technology as an end in itself, or as something that serves business at people's expense, she frames it as a relationship between business, humans, and technology in which human impact is the deciding factor in whether innovation succeeds. It is also the title of one of her books and her podcast, The Tech Humanist Show.
What topics does technology speaker Kate O'Neill cover?
Kate O'Neill speaks on making human-friendly AI and technology decisions, the future of human experience, strategic optimism and foresight, responsible AI, and human-centric digital transformation. Her keynotes suit events on technology, AI, innovation, digital transformation, and the future of work, across virtually every industry. To book Kate O'Neill as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Kate O’Neill as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Kate O’Neill as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Kate O’Neill's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Kate O’Neill or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Kate O’Neill speaking fee?
Kate O’Neill speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Kate O’Neill to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Kate O’Neill.
How can I contact Kate O’Neill?
We only work with Kate O’Neill on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Kate O’Neill and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Kate O’Neill speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Kate O’Neill for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Kate O’Neill for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Kate O’Neill is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Kate O’Neill for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
