Stephen Witt

Stephen Witt is one of the most credible voices on artificial intelligence working today. A long-standing contributor to the New Yorker, he has built a reputation as a clear, trusted historian of the technologies and people shaping the modern AI economy. His work sits at the intersection of business strategy, innovation, and cultural change, which is why he is increasingly hired as a keynote speaker by organisations trying to understand what AI really means for growth.

His bestselling book The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia & The World’s Most Coveted Microchip is the centrepiece of that reputation. Based on years of original research and six exclusive interviews with Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, the book charts how a niche graphics chip company became the most valuable corporation on Earth. It has topped bestseller lists internationally and earned major awards, including being named a Financial Times and Sunday Times Book of the Year, with the Financial Times also awarding it the Schroders Business Book of the Year.

What makes The Thinking Machine resonate with business audiences is its focus on decision-making. Stephen explains Huang’s counterintuitive ideas, such as designing products for a “zero-billion dollar market” or building a strategy around the “speed of light,” and shows how those ideas translate beyond semiconductors. Stephen brings credibility from outside journalism. He spent a decade working in finance, managing hedge funds and analysing markets, before retraining at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. That background gives his talks a grounded, commercial edge.

Beyond enterprise AI, Stephen also speaks to the creative economy. His earlier book, How Music Got Free, explored the mp3 revolution, and he now applies those lessons to AI’s impact on writers, musicians, filmmakers, and producers. Audiences value his ability to explain risk, opportunity, and adaptation in plain language. On stage, Stephen is conversational, funny, and precise. He blends narrative history with current research to deliver talks that are engaging and immediately useful. For organisations seeking clarity on artificial intelligence, strategy, and the future of business, Stephen Witt offers rare insight and real authority.