Gladwell, noted Canadian journalist and author, had just published Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, which investigates the adaptive unconscious and followed up his first book, the acclaimed Tipping Point. Both of these titles were New York Times Best Sellers and helped further Gladwell's reputation as an intellectual figure with appeal in popular culture. During his talk, he discussed ideas from Blink including rapid cognition and inherent natural prejudice.  He has since returned to SXSW to discuss such topics as healthcare and self-driving cars.