"Josh Klein is the quintessential hacker - someone who takes his greatest joy from combining the unexpected and seeing the result work in new and better ways."

Josh has practiced and was trained, both formally and informally, in hacking - social systems, computer networks, institutions, consumer hardware, animal behavior, and, most recently, the publishing industry. When he's not taking things apart or putting them back together again he speaks, writes, and consults on new and emerging technologies that improve people's lives - and has tremendous fun doing it.

Most of Josh's time is spent speaking to companies and at conferences such as Gadgetoff, TED, SICS, LA-IP, BIF, and Serious Play, and he has appeared on the Sundance Channel, Nova, and other programs. He also spends a significant amount of time consulting to companies large and small, such as Microsoft, Oracle, Frog Design, Nokia, Johns Hopkins, Bankinter, The United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and others.

 
But really what Josh does is this: he examines systems, he takes them apart, and he puts different pieces together to produce something new and more effective. He hacks. Everything.

 

 

- Innovation Board member for Witness
- Board of Advisors member for Parsons School of Design Emerging Research and Social Trends Lab
- Chair of Technology for The LifeBoat Foundation
- Board of Advisors member for RateMyIdeas.com
- Judge for Webby Awards 2009
- Juror for Out of Hand Festival
 

 

- Creative Enterprise; exploiting the new rules of the online economy
- Synanthropy; how parasitic species can be coopted to beneficial systems
- Virtual Economics; how virtual swords are worth more than real gold
- Breaking the publishing industry; why giving your work away is better than selling it
 

Presentations

- TED; A presentation on training crows to bring me spare change - and how it can serve to better the world.
- SICS; The ways new technology platforms are enabling rapid innovation.
- BIF; How to break the publishing industry in a few easy steps.
- SXSW; on hosting a Creative Commons scriptwriting contest (at www.whatiwanttosee.is.)

Radio

Josh has been heard on radio stations like Newstalk 106-108fm in Dublin, Ireland, KOMO 1000 in Seattle, NPR across the USA, Sveriges, the Swedish National Radio, and many others.

Print

He has been interviewed and quoted by a number of publications, including a feature in The New York Times, and quotes in Wired Magazine, La Monde, The Seattle PI, Buzzmachine, BoingBoing, and others on topics ranging from RFID to alternative publishing models to crows. Plus, he wrote a science-fiction novel!

Television

Josh has been interviewed on Nova, the Sundance Channel, and others.  

 

Here's a little bio piece done at the Business Innovation Factory, and here's some quotes from others about his work:

"Josh is a smart, captivating speaker who offers more than his thoughts on technology - he offers real accounts of his lived experiences hacking computers, cellphones, and even crows."

 

"I rip off all my best ideas from Josh Klein. Thank God he uses the Creative Commons license."

 

"Josh Klein will be one of the most exciting cultural players to watch in the coming decade; his personal fluidity between disciplines and movement of ideas across worlds both real and virtual, technological and creative, allows him to be a guide for those of us who are interested in being the architects of our own identity."

 

"my brain is still splattered against the wall from our meeting this morning."

 

"too often, when i'm at a restaurant and asked if i would like some dessert, i feel like i'm being taken for a ride, tempted to increase my bill for no perceptible reason other than the fact that my senses are pre-disposed to consume and therefore need sugar. but there is only one piece of sweetness that i would pay for on the diminutive dessert menu, and that is joshua klein's brain."

 

 

Go here.

For speaking engagements where possible, please include times, location, audience interests/demographic composition and presentation focus.

For consulting, Josh is available for single-day innovation seminars, multi-day consulting arrangements, and limited-engagement (3-6 month) retainer contracts to assist in technology innovation strategy and to provide oversight for both planning and implementation of same.