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Keynote SpeakerRutger Bregman

Bestselling Author of Moral Ambition, Humankind & Utopia for Realists; Co-Founder of The School for Moral Ambition; Global Thinker & Changemaker

Moral Ambition: Stop wasting your talent and start making a difference. Rutger Bregman is a Dutch historian and author. His books Humankind: A Hopeful History (2020) and Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There (2017) were both Sunday Times and New York Times Best Sellers and have been translated in 46 languages.... Read more

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Moral Ambition - Stop wasting your talent and start making a difference
Humankind - A Hopeful History

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Biography

Rutger Bregman (born April 26, 1988) is a Dutch historian and author. His books Humankind: A Hopeful History (2020) and Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There (2017) were both Sunday Times and New York Times Best Sellers and have been translated in 46 languages.

The Guardian described him as ‘the Dutch wunderkind of new ideas’, while TED named him ‘one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers’. His TED Talk, ‘Poverty Isn’t a Lack of Character; It’s a Lack of Cash’, was selected by TED curator Chris Anderson as one of the top ten talks of 2017.

Bregman was born in Renesse, the Netherlands, to a father who was a pastor and a mother who worked as a special needs teacher. He studied History at Utrecht University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Initially considering a career as an academic historian, Bregman instead ventured into journalism. He began his career at the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant before moving to the independent journalism platform De Correspondent, for which he wrote for ten years.

In 2024, Rutger co-founded The School for Moral Ambition, a non-profit organization inspired by his latest book, Moral Ambition. The initiative helps people to take the step toward an impactful career.

The English edition of Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference was released in April 2025, with several translations to follow.

“Bregman delivered a powerful and thought-provoking talk, inspiring all those attending to maximize their impact.” ASML

"Rutger Bregman’s idea of 'Moral Ambition' deeply resonated with me and my peers at Harvard. His message—that talent should be directed toward solving humanity’s greatest challenges, not just chasing status—sparked a powerful response on campus. Over 150 students filled a lecture hall to hear him speak, showing a real hunger for a more meaningful definition of success. Rutger’s talk was inspiring, timely, and exactly the kind of conversation elite institutions need." — Daniela Andrade, Harvard '25 graduate Harvard University

“Rutger Bregman’s insights, and the necessary gut punches that brings a dose of reality, have always added great value to our events. He challenges assumptions, inspires deeper thinking, and we’re always happy to welcome him back as a critical and thought-provoking voice anytime.” Love Tomorrow Summit

"In a room filled with some of the most dynamic young philanthropists, investors, social innovators, and next-gen leaders from around the world, Rutger didn’t just speak, his call to action on The NEXUS Global Summit Stage sparked a fire. His bold, hopeful vision of what humanity is capable of is the perfect salve for the raw cynicism of our times. What made his talk particularly powerful wasn’t just the clarity of his thinking; It was his unapologetic belief in what is good. At a time when despair can feel like the default setting, Rutger offered a different path: one rooted in dignity, generosity, limitless potential and the courage to dream bigger. This is the message our generation needs to hear. One that tells us not only what’s broken, but what’s possible—and how we can be the architects of a more just and more beautiful world. His first talk he gave at our NEXUS Europe Summit was so well received, we asked him to return to give a keynote at our NEXUS Global Summit in NYC. We have been honored to host him and partner with him and given the incredibly positive reception, it’s clear his words will echo far beyond our community." Nexus

Popular Talks by Rutger Bregman

Moral Ambition - Stop wasting your talent and start making a difference
A career consists of 2,000 workweeks, and how you spend that time is one of the most important decisions of your life. Still, millions of people are stuck in mind-numbing, pointless, or just plain harmful jobs.
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There’s an antidote to this waste of talent, and it’s called...

A career consists of 2,000 workweeks, and how you spend that time is one of the most important decisions of your life. Still, millions of people are stuck in mind-numbing, pointless, or just plain harmful jobs.
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There’s an antidote to this waste of talent, and it’s called moral ambition. Moral ambition is the will to be among the best, but with different measures of success. Not a fancy title, fat salary, or corner office, but a career dedicated to the best solutions to the world’s biggest problems — whether that means tackling climate change, making pandemics history or fighting Big Tobacco.
Humankind - A Hopeful History
If there’s one idea that has shaped politics, economics, and culture across centuries, it’s the belief that humans are fundamentally selfish. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, this assumption has taken deep root in Western thought—and still drives the headlines, policies, and institutions that shape our lives today. But...

If there’s one idea that has shaped politics, economics, and culture across centuries, it’s the belief that humans are fundamentally selfish. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, this assumption has taken deep root in Western thought—and still drives the headlines, policies, and institutions that shape our lives today. But what if it isn’t true? In his international bestseller Humankind, Rutger Bregman turns 200,000 years of human history on its head with a radical—and surprisingly hopeful—message: that people, at their core, are kind, cooperative, and deeply wired for connection. Drawing on evolutionary biology, psychology, and little-known true stories, Bregman shows that trust and solidarity, not competition and cynicism, have been the real drivers of human progress.
Through unforgettable case studies—from the real-life “Lord of the Flies” to the unsung heroes of the Blitz, from the flawed science of the Stanford Prison Experiment to the unlikely friendships that helped end apartheid—Bregman reveals how a more hopeful view of human nature isn’t naïve. It’s realistic, and more urgently needed than ever.

In this powerful and engaging talk, Bregman invites audiences to rethink their assumptions, challenge the status quo, and embrace a worldview grounded not in fear, but in possibility. Because when we believe the best about people, we build better societies—and a better future.