Jared Cohen

Jared Cohen is an American foreign-policy expert and New York Times bestselling author whose books discuss the challenges facing the world's nations and the ways in which politicians, activists, and citizens alike can work together to make positive changes. He is the founder and CEO of Jigsaw, an Alphabet think tank and the former director of Google Ideas, the tech giant’s think tank.

Having earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University, Cohen has since gone on to have a successful career in government and international affairs, first joining the U.S. State Department’s policy planning staff in 2006 as a member of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s policy planning team. In 2009 he was listed amongst the Fast Company Most Forwards Individuals, and was cheered as a “21st-century diplomat”. After the State Department, Cohen took a short sabbatical before joining Google, where he headed up the tech giant’s global outreach program and its think tank, Google Ideas.

The product of the work that Cohen undertook with the think tank was his first book, The New Digital Age, Published in 2013 and co-authored with Eric Schmidt, it was a worldwide bestseller and even saw the duo being named Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers of the year. The book examines how technology is transforming every aspect of human society from warfare to education, and it won praise from President Barack Obama, who said, “Jared and Eric have produced a valuable and thoughtful guide to the challenges and choices ahead as technology continues to transform the world.”

His next book, Children of Jihad, released in 2016, was one of the first in-depth examinations of the lives and challenges of Generation Z in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Cohen experiences first-hand the courage, initiative, and enthusiasm of the young people in this region, seeking and finding meaning and hope in the world that they had inherited.

In 2018, Cohen published Accidental Presidents: Eight Men who Changed America, the title of this book gives the reader insight into Cohen’s thesis: that those Presidents who had initially been overlooked, such as Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson, ultimately changed the course of history with their incredible decision making and leadership skills.

Most recently, in 2019, Cohen released To Change The World an exploration of how we can all constructively participate in creating a better future. Looking at social entrepreneurs, activists, and politicians alike, who have all succeeded in creating positive change and pushing the boundaries, this book provides a blueprint for how all of us can join together to bring about the needed transformations of society and the world. A key take away from the books is that what unites us is much greater and more important than that which divides us.

Jared Cohen is a thought-leader of our generation, who through his fascinating and inspiring books has gained repute as one of the most important and insightful foreign-policy authors of our time. His unique viewpoint of technology and its impact on the world has established him as a go-to authority on the topic, and he has become a globally respected voice in the international relations and political spheres.