Bringing cross-disciplinary tactics and innovation to a moribund defense industry, N Square’s Erika Gregory seeks to wean the world from its nuclear stockpiles.

Why you should listen

As a Juilliard drama graduate, serial entrepreneur Erika Gregory might seem like an unlikely candidate to disrupt the nuclear weapons industry. But given an establishment built on Cold War stereotypes and motivated by profits, outside innovation may be just what the world needs to shrink our still-growing atomic-weapons stockpile.

Now in her role as the Managing Director of N Square Collaborative, the brainchild of five of the world's largest peace and security funders, Gregory is exploring cross-disciplinary, collaborative approaches to nuclear weapons threat -- from engaging emerging technology innovators to recasting the way nuclear weapons are portrayed in games and other media.

What others say

“As canned as these [fictional nuclear scenarios] may seem, they are preposterously, ludicrously, and frighteningly closer to reality than almost anyone would realize.” — Fortune, July 12, 2016

Erika Gregory’s TED talk