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Walter Isaacson

WSB Exclusive Speaker

Bestselling Author; Acclaimed Historian and Journalist; Professor of History, Tulane University

"Smart people are a dime a dozen. What matters is the ability to think different… to think out of the box." – Walter Isaacson

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Walter Isaacson's speaking fee: Over $70,000

Walter Isaacson Profile Photo

Walter Isaacson is a Professor of History at Tulane University and an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg, a financial services firm based in New York City. He has been the CEO of the Aspen Institute, the CEO of CNN, and the editor of Time magazine.

Isaacson’s most recent biography, Elon Musk (2023), is an intimate chronicle based on spending two years by Musk’s side. He is also the author of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race(2021), Leonardo da Vinci (2017), The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution (2014), Steve Jobs (2011), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life(2003), and Kissinger: A Biography (1992), and coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986). His latest book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written (Simon & Schuster, 2025), explores the phrase “We hold these truths to be self-evident” from the Declaration of Independence, how it was crafted, and why it remains relevant today.

Isaacson is a host of the show Amanpour and Company on PBS and CNN, a contributor to CNBC, and the host of the podcast Trailblazers from Dell Technologies.

Born on May 20, 1952, in New Orleans, Isaacson is a graduate of Harvard College and Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career at The Sunday Times of London and then the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He joined TIME in 1978 and became the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996. He became CEO of CNN in 2001 and the CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003.

He is chair emeritus of Teach for America. From 2005–2007, he was vice-chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which oversaw rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other international broadcasts of the United States. He has also served on the U.S. Defense Innovation Board.

In 2023, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Joe Biden. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of the Arts, and the American Philosophical Society. He serves on the board of United Airlines and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Featured Videos

Walter Isaacson Profile Photo
Walter Isaacson

Why Innovation Requires Supporting Risk-Takers and Accepting Failure

Walter Isaacson Profile Photo
Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson on the Benefits of Bringing Manufacturing Back to America

Walter Isaacson Profile Photo
Walter Isaacson

Why Steve Jobs Said Great Teams Were the Best Product He Ever Built

Walter Isaacson Profile Photo
Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson on Living with a Genius: The Inside Story of Elon Musk

Walter Isaacson Profile Photo
Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson on Living with a Genius: The Inside Story of Elon Musk

Why Innovation Requires Supporting Risk-Takers and Accepting Failure

Walter Isaacson on the Benefits of Bringing Manufacturing Back to America

Why Steve Jobs Said Great Teams Were the Best Product He Ever Built

Walter Isaacson on Living with a Genius: The Inside Story of Elon Musk

Walter Isaacson’s Speech Topics

  • “We hold these truths…” Celebrating the 250th birthday of America

    In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, bestselling historian Walter Isaacson, biographer of Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk, offers a powerful exploration of the sentence that gave birth to a nation: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”


    Crafted by Thomas Jefferson and refined by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, those words became America’s shared creed, a unifying vision for a people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. In this inspiring talk, Isaacson brings to life the drama of how this revolutionary idea came to be, what it has meant through generations, and how its promise can guide us today.


    With vivid storytelling and timeless insight, he examines how the Founders’ ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness continue to shape our understanding of leadership, citizenship, and common purpose. Both a historical journey and a call to reflection, this talk reminds audiences what is enduring and good about our nation and how we can keep that spirit alive. 

  • On Democracy: Wisdom from Benjamin Franklin and others

    This speech explores the basic values of America, including democracy and freedom and entrepreneurship, drawing on the lessons from Benjamin Franklin and other great innovators. It’s not a political speech: no current politicians are mentioned. Instead, it’s an uplifting speech about what we stand for as a nation.  

  • Creativity: Lessons from the Great Innovators

    From Leonardo da Vinci and Ben Franklin to Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Jennifer Doudna, what are the secrets to being creative and innovative? How do you foster teamwork and new thinking?

  • The Triumphs and Turmoil of Elon Musk

    For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meeting, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

  • Timeless Leadership

    What secrets do history’s luminaries share? Esteemed author Walter Isaacson—who was given exclusive and unprecedented access to the subject of his most recent book, Elon Musk, is widely considered to be one of today’s most insightful biographers. Isaacson’s ability to brilliantly capture the unique cultural currents surrounding America’s greatest leaders and creative thinkers is showcased in his best-selling books on Jennifer Doudna, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Ben Franklin and Henry Kissinger. Bringing audiences closer to these remarkable figures, Isaacson discusses the vital information that can be learned from them—including the common traits they share and how those traits can be used to empower today’s business leaders. Sharing fascinating details of how success came to each of these men through the questioning of conventional wisdom and a willingness to explore new ideas, he provides an astute analysis of timeless leadership principles and the lessons they can teach us on fostering the creativity necessary to compete in a new century of globalization.

What other organizations say about Walter Isaacson

He was great! Everyone really loved his conversation

Financial Services

What other organizations say about Walter Isaacson

Walter was a big hit with our audience! He seamlessly incorporated work comp-specific themes, demonstrating a strong understanding of our industry.

Insurance

What other organizations say about Walter Isaacson

The evening with Walter Isaacson was wonderful. Walter was a total gentleman and engaged with our clients in the crowd before the event (which I appreciate is difficult). He then gave a masterful presentation that was informative, thoughtful, and entertaining. The responses from our guests have been nothing short of fabulous. This was our 15th speaker series event; over the years we have had speakers that clearly did not put in the work to bring a great presentation, and we have had wonderful speakers who clearly care about the evening and put in the extra effort. Mr. Isaacson was the later, and we are sincerely appreciative of the work he put into his presentation.  

Town Hall/Speaker Series

What other organizations say about Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson was amazing and generous with his time and his brilliance. His talk was around Jobs, Einstein and Franklin and how these three amazing men were very much alike and in the Q & A we asked him about how they differed. We had a subscriber tell us that his lecture alone was worth the price for his entire subscription and have had rave reviews from our audiences.

Open-ticketed

What other organizations say about Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson is the quintessential professional. He delivered an insightful presentation and had a clear connection with our industry and our mission. He was well prepared and delightful to work with from start to finish. 100 percent recommended.

Insurance

What other organizations say about Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson’s interview Saturday as part of our campaign launch Homecoming weekend was perhaps the finest interview I have ever seen on campus, and I am quite certain based upon the reaction from our VIP audience that many, many people in the audience felt the same. We could not have hoped for a better result.

Universities & Colleges

What other organizations say about Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson continues to gift us with his profound wisdom and insight. His voice is light years above the fray, and he masterfully chronicles the history, trends, and personalities that are shaping the world. I recently had the honor of interviewing Walter in front of 300 Beneficial Bank customers. It was a thought provoking and engaging session and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Financial Services

Works by Walter Isaacson

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Walter Isaacson Topics & Types

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