Chris Anderson is an authority on emerging technologies and the cultures that surround them.

Why you should listen

Before Chris Anderson took over as editor of WIRED, he spent seven years at The Economist, where he worked as editor of both the technology and business sections. Anderson holds a degree in physics and has conducted research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and has done stints at the leading journals Nature and Science.

(He is not, however, to be confused with the curator of TED, who has the same name.)

He's perhaps most famous for coining the term "the long tail," a whiteboard favorite that describes the business strategy of pursuing many little fish (versus a few big fish), as typified by both Amazon and Netflix. Anderson first introduced the term in an article written for WIRED in 2004; the book-length version, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, became a bestseller. He maintains a blog, The Long Tail, which he updates with impressive regularity.

Chris Anderson’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Chris Anderson

We humans

6 ways to give that aren’t about money

January 22, 2024

Good news: You can be a generous person without writing a bunch of checks. In fact, many of the most awe-inspiring and effective examples of generosity are gifts of time and energy, talent and love, custom-fitted to a specific need. This type of giving is open to everyone. Many of the most awe-inspiring […]

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Live from TEDWomen

A world view: Talks from day 1 of TEDWomen 2023

October 12, 2023

TEDWomen 2023 kicked off in its new home of Atlanta, Georgia with a moving and wide-ranging session of talks and performances about the future of global democracy, the pursuit of freedom in Russia and Ukraine, the path to recovery for survivors and more. The event: Session 1 of TEDWomen 2023, hosted by TEDWomen editorial director […]

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