Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared
Founded	2002
Headquarters	Notting Hill, London
No. of locations	London, New York City, Sydney, Athens, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Santiago
Website	intelligencesquared.com

Intelligence Squared is a media company that stages live debates and other thought leadership and cultural events around the world. It was founded in 2002 in London where its head office is based, and it now also operates in the US, Australia and Hong Kong. The debates are held in the traditional Oxford style, with as many as 2,500 people attending some events. It produces video and podcast versions of them on a regular basis on YouTube and other platforms.

History

Intelligence Squared was founded by two media entrepreneurs, Jeremy O'Grady and John Gordon, in 2002.^[1] In 2012, the company was bought by art consultant Amelie von Wedel, CEO of Serpentine Galleries Yana Peel, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia Executive General Manager David Legg.^[2] Hannah Kaye has been executive producer since 2006 and Matt McAllester became managing director in 2018.

Debate topics covered include “Freedom of Expression Must Include the License To Offend”, “The Catholic Church Is a Force for Good in the World”, “Putin Has Been Good for Russia”, “Let’s Legalise Cocaine”, and “The Trouble with this Country is the Daily Mail”.

As well as debates, Intelligence Squared also hosts talks and interviews with such figures as President Jimmy Carter, Eric Schmidt, Sheryl Sandberg, Malala Yousafzai, Patti Smith and Werner Herzog. It also stages discussions and panels.

In 2006, Intelligence Squared US was established by the philanthropist and CEO of Delphi Financial Group Robert Rosenkranz through his foundation. It has hosted hundreds of debates across the US. Other Intelligence Squared licensees operate in Sydney (since 2008) and Hong Kong (since 2009). The company has also had partnerships in Kiev (2008 – 2014), Athens (2010), Israel (2013) and Chile (2014).

Debates

Intelligence Squared uses the traditional Oxford-style debating format. A motion is proposed, with two speakers arguing in favour and two against. Opening speeches are around 10 minutes in length. This is followed by Q and A from the floor and a lively dialogue between the speakers and short closing remarks. The audience is polled on their opinion both before and after the debate in order to see which side has changed the most audience members' minds.

Themes covered by the debates include foreign affairs, politics, technology and the environment. Intelligence Squared has also staged history debates with motions such as “Britain Should not Have Fought in The First World War” and "Neville Chamberlain Did the Right Thing”.

Another strand is the “Cultural Combat” debates, in which two cultural figures are pitted against each other. These began in 2013 with “Verdi vs. Wagner”, which was staged at London’s Royal Opera House with a sixty-piece live orchestra, Stephen Fry in the chair, and John Tomlinson singing Wotan. This event was followed by “Jane Austen vs. Emily Bronte”, “Rembrandt vs. Vermeer”, “Ian Fleming vs. John Le Carré”, and “Dickens vs. Tolstoy”. Actors who have taken part in Intelligence Squared cultural events include Simon Russell Beale, Carey Mulligan, Tom Hiddleston, Harriet Walter, Dominic West, Helena Bonham Carter and Jeremy Irons.

Previous debaters include Stephen Fry, Terry Gilliam, Peter Singer, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Mary Beard and Germaine Greer.

Podcast and Video

All Intelligence Squared events are recorded and released on the company’s YouTube channel,^[3] and as part of a weekly podcast series which has nearly half a million monthly listeners. The company also records standalone podcasts with notable authors and thinkers.