Jack Tramiel survived Auschwitz and came to the United States as a young survivor with no material footing. From those beginnings, he went on to become a driving force behind Commodore and later Atari, helping shape the home-computer and video-game era and bringing personal computing and digital entertainment into millions of homes around the world. He was instrumental in advancing Holocaust remembrance and education, including playing a significant role in supporting the establishment of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and as a founding supporter of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 7:00PM
For three quarters of a century, American innovation has been powered not only by entrepreneurs and startups, but by deep investments in science, research universities, and long-term leadership. These foundations shaped Silicon Valley, fueled economic growth, and positioned the United States as a global innovation leader. In this Village Talks conversation, Steve Blank and John Hennessy explore how that system came to be — and why it is now being dismantled and its consequences. Drawing on Steve’s work on innovation and entrepreneurship, and John’s leadership at the intersection of academia, public policy, and technology.
Monday, February 9, 2026 7:00PM
David Cowan has spent decades in Silicon Valley helping shape the future—and along the way, found himself drawn to a different kind of building: filmmaking. In this Village Talks conversation, David shares his journey from venture capital and entrepreneurship to producing Afghan Dreamers, the MTV Documentary feature film—now streaming on Paramount+—that follows an all-girls Afghan robotics team competing on the world stage amid escalating danger and uncertainty. Through the story of Afghan Dreamers, David reflects on making the film—why this story mattered to him, how it came together under extraordinary real-world pressure, and the broader questions it raises about impact and storytelling. David also shares the largely untold story of how his involvement with the film led him to help evacuate hundreds of Afghans—an experience marked by harrowing twists and rapid decisions that unfolded in real time. Along the way, he offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking as a form of impact, and how stories can reshape what audiences believe is possible.
Monday, March 9, 2026 7:00PM
Why do certain forms feel timeless, spaces feel calming, or compositions feel undeniably “right”?This conversation explores the invisible forces that shape how we see, feel, and respond to the designed world around us. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and design practice, the evening looks at how the human brain processes beauty—and how designers, often intuitively, tap into deep cognitive and emotional patterns. In this Village Talks conversation, Lisa Staprans and Meg Withgott examine beauty not as decoration, but as a powerful language that influences behavior, memory, and meaning. From visual harmony and proportion to emotion, attention, and intuition, the discussion invites designers and non-designers alike to rethink aesthetics as something deeply human and profoundly functional—and to consider how understanding the science behind beauty can elevate design from something we simply see to something we truly experience.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 7:00PM
The Series Pass provides access to all four evenings in the Winter 2026 Village Talks series.
