SXSW Speakers
SXSW announces even more featured speakers coming to Austin in 2023

With three weeks left until game time, South by Southwest announced another long list of featured and keynote speakers.
Whether the return of South by Southwest (SXSW) in three weeks is putting butterflies in your tummy or sweat on your brow, we're in the home stretch. The newest announcement — another wave of featured speakers — does not say it's the final round, but time is running out to make adjustments before the start of the festival on March 10.
Previous announcements included keynote addresses from Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert and team members who worked on the James Webb Space Telescope. There have also been two rounds of music showcase announcements, culminating in a list of nearly 500 performances.
The announcement on February 14 is heavy with big names including three entertainers presenting keynotes: actor, producer, and New York Times bestselling author Priyanka Chopra Jonas; Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, and author Margo Price; and Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton.
Two more newly announced keynote sessions come with longer descriptions: Chef José Andrés presents The Stories We Tell Can Change the World, and Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Gillian Gilbert of New Order appear in conversation with The Times rock & pop critic Will Hodgkinson.The former keynote tackles the responsibility of storytellers to address crises around the world, using Andrés' humanitarian group World Central Kitchen as a lens. The latter discusses the discography and history of the history-making band.
“Today's speaker announcement is a fantastic milestone for the 2023 event and spotlights five additional Keynotes and numerous Featured Speakers, including influential icons and up and coming innovators,” said Chief Programming Officer and Co-President Hugh Forrest. “We are extremely proud to have assembled a diverse, comprehensive conference program for SXSW, and we can’t wait to share it with our community in March.”
Organized into 25 programming tracks presented in a variety of session formats, SXSW celebrates the convergence of technology, film, television, and music. Tracks include civic engagement, climate change, design, film and TV, psychedelics, sports, travel, and more.
Just some featured speakers and sessions joining the 2023 lineup include:
- Chair and CEO of General Motors Mary Barra with CEO, CTO, President, and co-founder of Cruise and co-founder of Twitch Kyle Vogt
- Actress, philanthropist, entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of Hello Bello Kristen Bell, CEO of Hello Bello Erica Buxton, and actor, comedian, filmmaker, host of the podcast Armchair Expert, and co-founder of Hello Bello Dax Shepard
- Chief Diversity Officer of TBWA\North America Aliah Berman with activist, advocate, author, and founder of the #MeToo Movement Tarana Burke
- Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation Joe
- Ben Bevirt with Chief Sustainability Officer at Delta Air Lines Pam Fletcher
- Chief Digital and Commercial Officer at Unilever Conny Braams, President, Worldwide Advertising at Netflix Jeremi Gorman, founder and CEO of Media
- Link Michael Kassan, and Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Delta Air Lines Tim Mapes
- Co-founder and President of OpenAI Greg Brockman with founder and CEO of Dot Dot Dot Media Laurie Segall
- United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm
- General Partner at Benchmark Bill Gurley with investor, New York Times bestselling author and host of the podcast The Tim Ferriss Show Tim Ferriss
- The Art of Creating Influence 101 on navigating entertainment careers
- The Blog Era: Hip-Hop's Wild Wild West on the influence of music bloggers
- Daddy Issues in Film on fathers in film
- Dateline 24/7: How the True Crime Powerhouse Became a Podcast Empire on a genre leader
- Driving Personal Health Forward: The Role of Apple Watch and iPhone on digitally monitoring health at home
- Evil Dead Rise: Flesh-Possessing Demons Come Home on the new Evil Dead film
- An Inside Look at “Blindspotting” Season 2 with Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs on the continuation of the series
- Onyx Collective Presents “UnPrisoned” on a new Hulu series
- The Kids Are (Not) Alright: Gun Violence Terrorizing Youth of America on activism and justice
- Leguizamo Does America: Next Stop – Austin on the contributions of U.S. Latinos
For a full lineup and more information on featured sessions, visit SXSW.com.

DIIV's set was moody, but propulsive thanks to strong bass lines.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Zachary Cole Smith can always be counted on for a nostalgic 'fit.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Starcleaner Reunion singer Jo Roman keeps the beat.Photo by Brianna Caleri
From the looks of it, no one had a better time onstage than Wayne Coyne, frontman of the Flaming Lips.Photo by Brianna Caleri
The tinsel whip was one of many props.Photo by Brianna Caleri
The Flaming Lips are known for touring with huge inflatables.Photo by Brianna Caleri
A joyful crowd reacts to being blasted with confetti during the Flaming Lips' set.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Ty Segall was king of the guitar jams.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Segall's painted jeans were probably the most unique fashion statement all weekend.Photo by Brianna Caleri
The Psych Fest uniform: Earthy shorts and calf tattoos.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Thomas Attar Bellier of Al-Qasar plays a beautifully adorned electric saz.Photo by Brianna Caleri
The more mics, the better for Al-Qasar.Photo by Brianna Caleri
A closer look at the saz.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Lyrics in Arabic brought extra gravitas to the set.Photo by Brianna Caleri
How's that for a desert hallucination?Photo by Brianna Caleri
New Candys guitarist Emanuele Zanardo puts a physical flourish in his playing.Photo by Brianna Caleri
A portal opens...Photo by Brianna Caleri
The Black Angels interrupted the technicolor parade for a largely black-and-white set.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Black Angels bassist Misti Hamrick-French basks in the cold glow of a strobe light.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Dumbo Gets Mad reminds us that Italians just get fashion.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Guitarist Luca Bergomi gets in on bassist Ivan Torelli's shot.Photo by Brianna Caleri
LA LOM bassist Jake Faulkner captures the sun.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Guitarist Zac Sokolow danced for the whole set, which happened to be on his birthday.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Faulkner's grandstanding added flavor to the show, which ultimately didn't need psychedelic visuals.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Faulkner's howls cut through the air, hardly amplified.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Trish Toledo paid homage to mothers and couples in her romantic set.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Not a practical shoe for a rainy weekend. We salute her sacrifice for fashion.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Thee Sacred Souls closed out the festival with a brass section.Photo by Brianna Caleri
This backup singer was exquisitely styled in blue.Photo by Brianna Caleri
Singer Josh Lane snapped a photo of an adoring audience. See you next time, Josh.Photo by Brianna Caleri