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Mo Gawdat

Mo Gawdat, tech visionary and bestselling author, helps leaders harness AI and navigate the future with clarity.

Photo: Humberto Tan

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Non-binding request for Mo Gawdat

Why book Mo Gawdat for your next event

  • As the former Chief Business Officer at Google [X], Mo Gawdat was instrumental in launching radical technologies like self-driving cars, Project Loon, and Makani. His leadership turned ambitious sci-fi concepts into real-world innovations. In his keynote, Mo shares the principles of exponential thinking and moonshot innovation, empowering organizations to break through traditional limits and stay ahead in an era of disruption.
  • After losing his son to a tragic medical error, Mo Gawdat transformed grief into a mission by writing the international bestseller Solve for Happy, which became the foundation of the global #OneBillionHappy movement. His keynote offers a deeply human yet practical framework for cultivating happiness and emotional resilience at scale, helping teams navigate uncertainty with purpose, empathy, and mental clarity.
  • With his acclaimed book Scary Smart, Mo Gawdat has become one of the most influential voices in the ethical AI movement. The book was named a top business title by The Times and Sunday Times. His keynote explores the intersection of humanity and AI, equipping companies with the foresight to navigate digital transformation responsibly, harness the power of intelligent machines, and make ethics a core competitive advantage.

Non-binding request for Mo Gawdat

The Ethics and Power of Artificial Intelligence

Former Google [X] Chief Business Officer and bestselling author, Mo Gawdat delivers transformative keynotes that blend cutting-edge innovation, emotional resilience, and AI ethics. With deep expertise in exponential thinking and engineered happiness, he equips leaders and teams with powerful, actionable frameworks to thrive in uncertainty, drive purpose-led growth, and future-proof their organizations. Ideal for companies seeking inspiration backed by real-world impact.

Keynote Speaker Mo Gawdat is a globally recognized thought leader on innovation, happiness, and the ethical future of artificial intelligence. With a remarkable background as the former Chief Business Officer at Google [X], the tech giant’s moonshot innovation lab, Mo is celebrated for leading ambitious projects like self-driving cars, Project Loon, and other groundbreaking technologies that redefined industries. His real-world experience and visionary thinking have made him one of the most sought-after keynote speakers on the global stage.

Mo is the international bestselling author of Solve for Happy, Scary Smart, and That Little Voice in Your Head, offering practical frameworks for emotional resilience, responsible innovation, and mental clarity. His mission to make one billion people happy (#OneBillionHappy) underlines his commitment to creating lasting, positive change in both personal and organizational contexts.

When you book Mo Gawdat for your event, you are bringing in a keynote speaker who blends deep technical expertise with human insight, helping organizations thrive amid complexity, uncertainty, and change. Mo equips leaders with the tools to build emotionally intelligent, agile, and future-ready teams.

Whether addressing executive audiences or company-wide gatherings, Mo Gawdat delivers keynotes that are insightful, inspiring, and grounded in real-world success. Book Mo Gawdat for your event to ignite purposeful innovation, drive mental well-being, and foster sustainable performance across your organization.

Keynotes

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

Solve for Happy

In this seminal talk, Mo Gawdat aims to offer an Engineering approach to happiness based on his International bestselling book, Solve for Happy.

The talk discusses the biggest myth we believe about happiness in the modern world and how to overcome the reasons for unhappiness. It offers a solid model to work with, the 6-7-5 model, and takes the audience through practical actions they can take then and there to start their journey on a path to uninterrupted happiness.

At the end of the talk, attendees are left with a much clearer understanding of the steps they need to take in  order to find happiness even in the harshest of circumstances; and with a clear call to action to invest in their own happiness and the happiness of those they love.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat Solve for Happy

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

Solve for Happy at Work

In this talk, Mo Gawdat offers solid research on how happiness affects productivity and performance at work, the difference between employee happiness vs. satisfaction, and how managers and HR managers can build an environment that promotes employee happiness based on his international bestseller - Solve for Happy - and his 11 years of experience as a Google executive.

At the end of the talk, the attendees will be left with a much clearer understanding of the value employee happiness brings to company performance and the clear steps to take in order to create a work environment that promotes happiness.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat Solve for Happy at Work

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

How to Become Unstressable

In this transformative keynote, former Google X Chief Business Officer and bestselling author Mo Gawdat brings a fresh and urgent perspective to one of today’s most pervasive workplace challenges: stress. Drawing from his latest work, Unstressable, co-authored with Alice Law, Mo explores how stress has evolved from a survival mechanism into a chronic state of dysfunction, draining productivity, creativity, and well-being in modern work environments. With his signature blend of scientific insight and human connection, Mo explains how the brain’s misinterpretation of perceived threats keeps professionals locked in a cycle of fight-or-flight, often in response to meetings, deadlines, and inboxes rather than actual danger.

Mo breaks down the three core ways stress undermines performance, through trauma, anticipation, and burnout, and offers an empowering framework to reverse its grip. By teaching employees how to exit the stress zone and build long-term resilience, this talk equips organizations with a roadmap to foster healthier, more innovative, and emotionally intelligent cultures. Attendees will discover how to set clear boundaries, embrace continuous personal growth, and tune into the subtle signals from their mental, physical, and emotional systems, skills essential not only for surviving but thriving in high-performance environments. Unstressable is more than a concept; it’s a leadership philosophy for building teams that are grounded, purpose-driven, and built to weather the pressures of the modern workplace.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat How to Become Unstressable

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

Finding Silver Linings in the Face of Crisis

In the face of unimaginable personal loss, Mo Gawdat uncovered a powerful truth: even in our darkest moments, it’s possible to create light. After the sudden death of his beloved son Ali, Mo, a former Chief Business Officer at Google X, where he worked on world-changing “moonshot” innovations, embarked on the most important mission of his life: to make one billion people happier. What began as a way to survive his grief became a global movement, reaching millions and transforming lives.

In this deeply moving and inspiring talk, Mo shares how he found meaning and purpose in the midst of tragedy, and how we all can uncover silver linings during our own times of crisis. Originally his most popular keynote during the COVID-19 pandemic, this talk remains powerfully relevant today as people continue to face loss, economic uncertainty, and personal adversity. With warmth, wit, and deep wisdom, Mo offers a practical, science-backed equation for happiness and a roadmap to resilience that empowers us to find hope, even when life feels impossible. This isn’t just a talk about happiness. It’s a masterclass in navigating hardship with grace, and a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to heal, grow, and inspire.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat Finding Silver Linings in the Face of Crisis

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

The Illusion of Control

Control is a pervasive modern day illusion. It leads to work related stress and often blurs our judgment, which leads to wrong decisions among professionals in today's work environment. Worst of all, it goes home with us and causes suffering and unhappiness.

Mo is a retired control freak who learned the the truth about control the hard way. In this workshop, he uses methods ranging from a scientific-mathematical approach to the wisdom of ancient philosophy to bust the myths surrounding our concept of control. He clarifies the downsides of our constant attempts to achieve this elusive target and lays forth simple rules to help the audience move ahead in life and at work through calculated prioritization, attention allocation, and committed acceptance. These concepts not only helped Mo advance his career to reach the highest levels of success as the Chief Business Officer of Google [X] but also helped him survive the loss of his son, turning his loss into a global mission to make one billion people happy.

At the end of the session, the attendees will find comfort in understanding the truth about the nature of control. A weight will be lifted, leaving them with the tools they need to achieve happiness and success without the stress resulting from constant attempts to stay in control.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat The Illusion of Control

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

The Illusion of Fear

In this talk/workshop, Mo discusses the realities behind the illusion of fear. Although we kicked the tigers out of our towns and villages long ago, humanity has never experienced such a widespread, growing sense of fear as it does in today’s modern world, both on the individual and collective level. This fear has led to suffering, holding us back and keeping us locked in seemingly endless state of unhappiness. 

But fear is nothing more than a conditioned, exaggerated illusion. By sharing the truth behind our most common fears, Mo will empower attendees to realize the true power they have to conquer their biggest fears. He will then share a practical, step-by-step method - an interrogation - that each individual can use to systematically grow stronger and braver as they address their fears one by one. Once the fear subsides, attendees will find a new path to realize their full potential for success and happiness both personally and at work

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat The Illusion of Fear

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

The Illusion of Thought

It may sound controversial, but no suffering in the history of human kind has ever been the result of anything besides the thoughts produced by our brains. The events of life themselves have no power to make us unhappy unless we grant them that power by turning them into thoughts that make us suffer.

In this talk/workshop, Mo dives deep into what makes up our thoughts and our brain’s tendency to regularly think thoughts that make us unhappy. He will discuss the philosophical and spiritual significance of the mind and the brain and then will dive deep into the neuroscience of unhappiness - the hormonal interactions that trap us in depression, anxiety, and addiction - and then offer a practical model to begin thinking happy thoughts instead.

The longer version of the workshop also addresses the 7 blind spots of the brain that distort our perception of the truth, leading us to solve the happiness equation incorrectly and causing us needless suffering (happiness = reality - expectation). By the end of the session, attendees will feel a sense of relief and empowerment to take charge of their incessant negative thoughts, arming them with the practical tools to end those cycles of needless suffering gradually but surely.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat The Illusion of Thought

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

The Illusion of Time

This talk/workshop addresses the incredible level of stress that dealing with time
causes us in the modern world. 

Mo uncovers the truth behind the illusion through a concrete scientific understanding of what time really is (and isn’t). It then discusses the varying cultural and spiritual perceptions of time and offers hands-on exercises to help attendees get a practical experience that will redefine their relationship with time.

The session will also explore the biggest shortcut in our brains that enables us to stop the suffering caused by the way we were wrongly trained from childhood to handle time. Further, it offers a solid scientific explanation of why the growing trend of mindfulness actually works.

Between science, practice, spirituality and emotional introspection, this session is frequently called a “life changer” that is not only thought-provoking but thoroughly entertaining at the same time.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat The Illusion of Time

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

Scary Smart: The Future of AI and How You Can Save Our World

AI is no longer just theory, as popular technologies like ChatGPT are proving concretely. In this popular talk, Mo Gawdat openly discusses – through the lens of a former executive at Google [X] - the current rate of advancement of technology and the expected technological innovation that will follow in the next 10 to 20 years. Providing a 30-year tech insider’s overview of the state of technology present and future, Mo goes on to address the pressing ethical question this impending science fiction-like reality will bring. If Artificial Intelligence learns from humans, how do we prevent it from imitating our worst intentions? How do we raise this potentially destructive child in a way that ensures the continued success (and survival) of humanity in this brand-new world?

At the end of this talk, the audience will be given a unique, accurate insider’s view of the incredible - and in many ways, worrying - wave approaching so they may clearly understand the role each of us has to play to ensure our success as it materializes.

The very essence of what makes us human - happiness, compassion and love - is what will save humanity in the age of the machines.”

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat Scary Smart: The Future of AI and How You Can Save Our World

Keynote by Mo Gawdat:

Innovation at Scale: The Principles of Moonshot Thinking

In this talk aimed at decision makers, innovators and policy makers, Mo openly shares the secrets of Google’s innovation factory, [X], through a look at what worked and changed the world and what needed improvement. With a critical insider’s eye, he shares a systematic approach to building an innovation factory that can transcend the restrictive guidelines of any organization.

By the end of this talk, Mo leaves the audience with an understanding that the difference between the most and the least innovative organizations is a matter of commitment, mindset, and process. He clarifies, at a top level, the details of these differences and leaves the audience with the confidence that they too can foster an environment of innovation, along with a call to action to make it happen.

Mo accepts only a handful of requests for this talk each year, which he gives exclusively behind closed doors for select groups of executives. His insights have been instrumental in affecting directional change for several major organizations and visionary governments since 2017.

Request a quote: Mo Gawdat Innovation at Scale: The Principles of Moonshot Thinking

Mo Gawdat: AI Today, Tomorrow and How You Can Save Our World (Nordic Business Forum 2023)

Watch Mo Gawdat in action!

Ex-Google Officer Speaks Out On The Dangers Of AI! - Mo Gawdat | E252

Watch Mo Gawdat in action!

Mo Gawdat Deep Dives Into DeepSeek AI Technology | Full Interview

Watch Mo Gawdat in action!

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