Keynotes

March 8-15, 2024

Daily Keynotes present diverse, visionary speakers who deliver the most powerful new ideas in the ever-evolving worlds of technology, film, culture, and music.


SXSW 2023 Keynote - (L-R) Eugene Hernandez and Tilda Swinton

About Keynotes

 

At the center of the SXSW Conference, Keynotes drive the shared daily dialogue that connects the many industry professionals in attendance from around the globe.

These presentations run for one hour each, showcasing some of the world's most inspired thinkers as they tackle the most timely topics of today and tomorrow. All SXSW Badges have equal access to all Keynote sessions.

Itaú is the official 2024 SXSW Streaming Sponsor for Conference Keynotes and Featured Sessions offering digital translation services in Spanish & Portuguese on VOD sessions.

2024 Keynotes

 

2024 SXSW Keynote Speakers, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, Katie Couric, Errin Haines, Brooke Shields, and Nancy Wang Yuen

Women’s representation in media and entertainment has come a long way, but there's still much to be done, especially for women of color and mothers. Social media's omnipresence has raised the stakes, creating an often dangerous environment which has led to serious mental health issues for teenage girls in particular. On International Women’s Day, we’ll hear from feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of The Archewell Foundation and Archewell Productions Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex; Emmy Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Katie Couric; two-time Golden Globe Award-nominated actress, model, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author Brooke Shields; and author, sociologist, pop culture expert, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant at Peoplism Nancy Wang Yuen.

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2024 SXSW Keynote Speaker (L-R) Tracy Chou, Deonne Castaneda

Tracy Chou & Deonne Castaneda

Founder and CEO of Block Party and co-founder of Project Include Tracy Chou and Head of Product Design at Block Party Deonne Castaneda share where we are now and what more we can do to shape a privacy-forward, safer Internet together.

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2024 SXSW Keynote Speaker – Jack Conte

Jack Conte

Co-founder and CEO of Patreon Jack Conte will explain how the current internet algorithms are killing the traditional "follower" for creators, threatening their creative freedom and livelihoods; and advocate for the new spaces on the internet (like Patreon) where creators can always connect with their communities, create what they want, and control their own destinies.

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SXSW 2024 Keynote - Dr. Joy Buolamwini

Dr. Joy Buolamwini

Author of national bestseller Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League Dr. Joy Buolamwini.

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SXSW 2024 Keynote - Sue Bird & Jessica Robertson

Sue Bird & Jessica Robertson

In this discussion, Sue Bird, Jess Robertson, and Justine Brown will go in-depth on the cultural rise in popularity of women’s sports, touching on how female athletes (at every age) have been vastly underrepresented, what TOGETHXR has been doing (and continues to do) to elevate female athletes and women’s sports, and pivotal roles that big brands can play in driving positive change in women’s sports.

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2024 SXSW Keynote - Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney

Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney

Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys are singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. They have been called ‘rock royalty’ by the Associated Press and ‘one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands on the planet’ by Uncut. Originally getting their start playing small clubs, the band has gone on to sell out arena tours worldwide and have released 11 studio albums. The Black Keys have won six Grammy Awards and a BRIT, among other worldwide accolades.

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2024 SXSW Keynote - Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

Join Academy Award-winning writers and directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert as they talk about: “The process of developing, creating, and releasing our surprise hit movie that took the world by st— okay, look, if you’re still reading this, we should tell you that we've run out of new things to say about Everything Everywhere All At Once, so although we’ll try our best to stay on topic, we'll most likely go on a bunch of tangents about the state of the world, the impending climate crisis, the collapse of consensus truth, the rise of AI, the importance and impossibility of self care, and our collective responsibility as storytellers to confront the issues of our time, because that's probably going to be what's on our mind, but we can't make any promises, but at times we don’t feel qualified to talk about any of that stuff, anyway we hope you enjoy our SXSW Keynote!”

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2024 SXSW Keynote Speaker - Lisa Su and Ryan Patel

Lisa Su with Ryan Patel

As chair and chief executive officer, Dr. Lisa T. Su led the transformation of AMD into the industry's high-performance and adaptive computing leader and one of the fastest growing semiconductor companies in the world. Su will be joined by Futurist, TV news commentator, Board Director and Senior Fellow at the Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University, and Host of The Moment with Ryan Patel Ryan Patel.

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Rewind SXSW 2024 Keynotes & Featured Sessions

Watch visionary speakers share groundbreaking insights and thought-provoking ideas from the 2024 SXSW Conference.

Dive Deeper Into Past Keynotes

Margo Price

“I know I’m on the right path if I have haters. I don’t want everyone to get it - I’m not for everyone.”

Ryan Gellert

“I believe that people are right to be really suspicious about what they hear from business and business people.”

New Order

“One of the prime motivators of it should be to support young musicians- give them a window for their are and let them come through.” -Bernard Sumner

Tilda Swinton

“Keep your dreams soft and malleable, flexible, and porous-and fun!”

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

2023 Keynote

"Any woman that takes a step forward, turn around and pull someone else up with you. "

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Photo by Miguel Esparza

Willie Nelson

2021 Keynote

"It's important to have those valuable things to keep you going."

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2021 SXSW Keynote Willie Nelson - Photo by Pamela Springsteen

Olivia Wilde

2019 Film Keynote

"I realized if I wanted things to change, if I wanted to make my voice heard, I was going to have to shift the paradigm from within."

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Olivia Wilde Film Keynote - Photo by Danny Matson

Ta-Nehisi Coates

2018 Keynote

"Ask me about something I haven’t read on or reported on, I’m not gonna say much about it. When you go into a punch your feet have got to be set."

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SXSW Keynote Ta-Nehisi Coates speaks onstage - SXSW 2018. Photo by Ismael Quintanilla/Getty Images for SXSW

Barack Obama

2016 Keynote

"It’s not enough to focus on the cool, next big thing. It’s harnessing the cool, next big thing to help people in this country."

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2016 Keynote Barack Obama - Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for SXSW

Jessica Shortall 

2017 Keynote

"Love past your comfort zone."

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