SXSW 2025
Musician John Fogerty and Bluesky CEO join SXSW 2025 speakers lineup
South by Southwest is approaching some of its final lineup announcements leading up to the 2025 conference and festival, and that means more recognizable names. Joining the list in the third round are musician John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bluesky CEO Jay Graber. Both are delivering keynote presentations — a step up from a regular featured session.
This is the third round of speakers announced, following a first lineup announcement in September and a second in December. There have also been two music announcements in October and December.
The announcement also includes 16 featured speakers includingCristiano Amon, Alan Bergman, Dr. Chelsea Clinton, David Duchovny, Josh D’Amaro, Scott Galloway, Arlan Hamilton, Marc Maron, Molly White, and more. More on their topics is available below.
"Whether it be insights from the CEO of one of the fastest-growing social media platforms or tales from a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, the unique perspectives showcased each March is what makes SXSW such an exceptional event," said SXSW president and chief programming officer Hugh Forrest in the release. "Jay Graber and John Fogerty are excellent additions to what is developing into a fascinating Keynote Speaker lineup."
The topic and title of Fogerty's presentation are not known. In the past decade he has released an autobiography, played in a pandemic-created family band, released a single in tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement, and gained control of the Creedence Clearwater Revival Catalog after 50 years of litigation, among other topics that might come up.
Graber's talk, called the Future of Social with Jay Graber, Bluesky CEO, will detail the rise and potential future of the Bluesky app, which is widely viewed as a more progressive alternative to X. It launched in February of 2024 and according to the release now has more than 27.5 million users. He'll talk with editor of Techdirt Mike Masnick about "how we can take control over our experience online."
The decentralized conference and festival, which is hosted by businesses and cultural institutions around Austin, is scheduled Mach 7-15, 2025. This is the 39th edition of the conference, and there are 23 "tracks" organizing topics: Music & Tech and Music Industry, Psychedlics, Transportation, Culture, Climate & Sustainability, Government & Civic Engagement, and more.
A full list of official speakers and their topics is available at sxsw.com. for more information. For easier skimming, we've pared the announcement down to panel names, speaker names and titles (as they appear in the release).
Second round of featured speakers for 2025:
- “Fail Better” Live with David Duchovny with writer, director, singer-songwriter, New York Times bestselling author, and two-time Golden Globe Award-winning actor David Duchovny, doubling as a live taping of Lemonada Media’s Fail Better podcast.
- The Future of World-Building at Disney with co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment Alan Bergman, Chairman of Disney Experiences Josh D’Amaro, and special guests.
- Mapping Music Tech Money, From Seed to Exit with founder of Water & Music Cherie Hu.
- Meet the Astronauts Going to the Moon with NASA’s Artemis II with Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman.
- The Moment We’re In: Transitioning How We Move, Think and Change The Planet with founder and CEO of Rivian RJ Scaringe. Rivian is the headline sponsor of SXSW 2025.
- Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-ups Change the Future with co-founder and Partner at Floodgate Mike Maples.
- Powering Tomorrow: How Big Tech is Redefining the Future of Energy and AI with Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst and other energy industry leaders.
- Primal Instincts: Making Social "Social" Again with Emmy Award-nominated host, podcaster, public speaker, New York Times bestselling author, and founding partner and writer at PuckBaratunde Thurston and Mozi co-founders Molly DeWolf Swenson and Ev Williams.
- Prof G Predictions: 2025 with New York Times bestselling author and Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business Scott Galloway.
- Projecting Tomorrow: The Future of Holographic Technology with columnist, author, professor, and co-host of the podcast This Week in XRCharlie Fink and CEO of Light Field Lab Jon Karafin.
- Rebooting AI from the Ground Up with CEO of Humane Intelligence and the United States Envoy for Artificial Intelligence Dr. Rumman Chowdhury.
- Reproductive Freedom: Good for Workers, Good for Business with professor, podcast host, New York Times bestselling author, co-founder of HiddenLight Productions, and Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation Dr. Chelsea Clinton, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights Nancy Northup, and President and CEO of the Institute for Women's Policy Research Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, moderated by ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott.
- Speaking Truth to Crypto Power with writer, researcher, software engineer, and founder of the website Web3 is Going Just GreatMolly White.
Three newly announced speakers have unnamed talks:
- President and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated Cristiano Amon
- Author and founder of Backstage Capital Arlan Hamilton
- Stand-up comedian, writer, actor, musician, and host of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron Marc Maron