A trailblazing exploration of how we can plan better for the future—our own, our families’, and our society’s.
“Most of us only see the future after it becomes the past. The Optimist's Telescope is here to change that. It's a rare read that's as fascinating as it is important.”
—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals
About Bina
Bina Venkataraman is an executive, journalist, and science & innovation policy expert whose leadership roles have spanned The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Broad Institute, and the Obama White House. Since 2011, she has taught in the program on science, technology, and society at MIT.
Venkataraman is a frequent public speaker whose appearances have included the TED mainstage, NPR, Aspen Ideas, CNN, and university campuses around the world. She delivered the 2021 Commencement address at the University of Southern California and received an honorary doctorate from USC in 2022. That speech — on courage — was featured as a top commencement address by The New York Times and appears in the anthology “Speaking While Female: 75 Extraordinary Speeches by American Women.” Venkataraman is an alumna of Brown University and the Harvard Kennedy School.