TED Talks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from TED conferences, TEDx events and partners -- anywhere the world's leading thinkers and doers can give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. The TED Talks series is widely credited with creating a new category in online media, and we continue to innovate at every step.
TED Talks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at the TED Conference with the world. Under the slogan "ideas worth spreading," talks were released online beginning in June 2006. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions -- in a reaction so enthusiastic that the entire TED website was reengineered around TED Talks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world's most inspiring voices.
At the end of 2006, TED Talks had been watched 2 million times; by the end of 2009, that number jumped to 200 million, establishing TED as an important platform. As of November 2012, TED Talks have been viewed one billion times.
Below, a list of the top 20 TED Talks so far, as watched on all the platforms we track: TED.com, YouTube, iTunes, embed and download, Hulu and more.
- Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (2006): 13,409,417 views
- Jill Bolte Taylor‘s stroke of insight (2008): 10,409,851
- Pranav Mistry on the thrilling potential of SixthSense (2009): 9,223,263
- David Gallo‘s underwater astonishments (2007): 7,879,541
- Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense (2009): 7,467,580
- Tony Robbins asks Why we do what we do (2006): 6,879,488
- Simon Sinek on how great leaders inspire action (2010): 6,050,294
- Steve Jobs on how to live before you die (2005): 5,444,022
- Hans Rosling shows the best stats you’ve ever seen (2006): 4,966,643
- Brene Brown talks about the power of vulnerability (2010): 4,763,038
- Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation (2009): 4,706,241
- Arthur Benjamin does mathemagic (2005): 4,658,425
- Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing your genius (2009): 4,538,037
- Dan Gilbert asks: Why are we happy? (2004): 4,269,082
- Stephen Hawking asks big questions about the universe (2008): 4,153,105
- Jeff Han demos his breakthrough multi-touchscreen (2006): 3,891,251
- Johnny Lee shows Wii Remote hacks for educators (2008): 3,869,417
- Keith Barry does brain magic (2004): 3,847,893
- Mary Roach 10 things you didn’t know about orgasm (2009): 3,810,630
- Vijay Kumar demos robots that fly like birds (2012): 3,535,340
From stage design to site design, TED Talks have raised the bar on what viewers can expect from intelligent online video. A multi-camera, HD shoot and extensive post-production ensure that each speaker and idea is presented for high impact. Our talks include subtitles and time-coded transcripts, with the goal of bringing the ideas to the non-English speaking world.