Social change speakers Jessica Jackley and Ben Rattray were joined by a panel of top thinkers who spoke at The Atlantic Meets the Pacific event. It focused on globalization and the disruptive technologies that are making a huge impact on society—and how the next big technological advancements will change the world. This is the second event of its kind, hosted by The Atlantic Magazine. Jackley, the co-founder of the revolutionary micro-lending website Kiva, and Rattray, CEO of Change.org, shared their personal accomplishments in their speeches. The success of both speakers' innovative businesses have proven that scientific advancement can not only come from the private sector, but can also make a positive impact on society—a major focus of the event.
Both Rattray and Jackley spoke to the power of technology and scientific innovation as a tool for connecting people from across the world. Moderated by Lavin speaker and The Atlantic's National Correspondent James Fallows, each speech focused on the power that new technological innovations hold, and how the increasing inter-connectivity of our world has allowed us to share ideas of hope on a global scale. The two speakers are respected social entrepreneurs who have harnessed the power of technology to achieve global change. By sharing their success stories, they not only inspired the audience to forge their own path, but started a discussion on how to seize opportunities and capitalize on the incredible potential of today's technology.