TED: the videos Hacker News recommends
Not the channel's most viewed videos: the ones HN commenters kept linking with real commentary. The top pick, "We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim | Lawrence Lessig", hN cites it repeatedly as the root-cause argument that money in politics must be fixed before other issues, and as background for his Mayday PAC.
- 8 HN recommenders 9 months 2013–2026talkHN cites it repeatedly as the root-cause argument that money in politics must be fixed before other issues, and as background for his Mayday PAC.
- 9 HN recommenders 9 months 2013–2023talkHN commenters bring it up in climate and food threads as a hopeful, if contested, idea about grazing and soil carbon.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2017–2025talkHN recommends it for mind-blowing visuals that make cell biology tangible.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2021–2026talkHN commenters use it as the accessible 20-minute entry point to Levin's bioelectricity research whenever regeneration or cell signaling comes up.
- 5 HN recommenders 6 months 2015–2023talkRecommended as evidence that the world is improving despite negative news, and for how people misjudge global trends.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2013–2026talkHN invokes it as the classic evidence that the world has improved and that people misjudge it, and as an example of great data presentation.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2026talkHN commenters cite it whenever engagement-optimizing feeds, micro-targeting or ad infrastructure come up, as an accessible warning about algorithmic amplification.
- 2 HN recommenders 4 months 2010–2023talkCommenters credit it with changing how they handle plans and recommend it as a short, sourced talk.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2022talkRecommended as an engaging, down-to-earth talk on the world-changing potential of fungi.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2023talkRecommended as a funny, empathetic take on procrastination and the origin of the life calendar concept.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2011–2022talkHN commenters cite it to explain why customers buy into a company's beliefs rather than its specs, especially in threads about Apple, marketing and product messaging.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2012–2022talkHN commenters recommend it as the clearest account of human computation and games with a purpose, straight from the inventor.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2025talkHN commenters bring it up in threads about online mobs and cancellation as a relevant talk by a journalist who interviewed shamed people.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2021talkHN people share it as an inspiring talk linking skateboarding creativity to hacking and open-source knowledge sharing.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2024talkCommenters call it a must-watch, funny and entertaining demonstration that morality has natural roots in animals.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2025talkHN commenters quote it for the line that the opposite of addiction is connection, and recommend it as a more plausible account of addiction than the standard model.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2010–2022talkHN recommends it as the standard talk on how too many options lead to paralysis and second-guessing.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2024talkRecommended whenever population growth comes up, as a data-driven correction to common assumptions.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2026tutorialRecommended as a tiny, useful life hack many commenters adopted for good.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2012–2018talkIt comes up in threads on career choice, trades, handiness and the 'follow your passion' advice.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2011–2017talkCited as the classic data-driven argument that the first-world versus third-world split is outdated and the world is improving.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2020talkHN links it in threads about athlete body types, sports technology and record-breaking as a relevant, counter-intuitive explanation.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2024talkHN recommends it as a clear explanation of why generations think differently and why IQ scores have risen.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2024talkRecommended as a vivid first-person view of the right hemisphere in control, often linked to meditation and non-dual experience.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2025talkHN refers to it constantly in schooling debates, as a favorite talk or as the basis for arguments about creativity, though some commenters dispute its conclusions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2024talkCited in discussions of perception, consciousness and what is real, though some commenters find his conclusions hand-wavy.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2025talkPlugged repeatedly in AI and drone threads as a concise statement of the dangers of automated weapons.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2026talkHN cites it whenever money as an incentive comes up, as evidence that rewards can backfire for creative white-collar work.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2012talkRecommended in copyright, patent and SOPA threads as a clear case for copyright reform.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2025talkHN commenters recommend it for Stoll's infectious enthusiasm and his case for teaching kids science, and often mention it in threads about him and his Klein bottles.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2024talkHN uses it to argue that systems rather than bad apples drive cruelty, and for its section on how anonymity changes behavior.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2024talkHN recommends it as an engaging introduction to the critique of car-centric design and bad architecture.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2019talkHN recommends it in discussions of China's surveillance and social-credit systems for explaining Chinese attitudes toward the state.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2023talkThe canonical reference on flag and logo design principles, cited in branding and design threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2018talkHN recommends it as an accessible way to understand why people across the political spectrum disagree and to better understand opposing views.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2026talkHN cites it as one of the best TED talks and as evidence that people adapt to and come to like outcomes they cannot change.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2025talkCited as an early, prescient warning about algorithmic personalization, echo chambers and social media feeds.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2022talkHN points to it as a memorable performance that doubles as a parody of TED talks and a showcase of live vocal looping.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2020talkHN points to it as a data-driven, worldview-changing explanation of why global population will level off.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2026talkHN points to it as a short, tight introduction to Deutsch's idea of hard-to-vary explanations.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025talkHN commenters cite it for hard data on millennials versus boomers and the economic reality facing young workers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022talkPraised as one of the great non-technical talks, appearing in best-talk lists.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2018talkHN commenters cite it when discussing how gaps in basic knowledge pile up and how mastery learning could fix that.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2025talkHN uses it as the standard illustration of hidden complexity and supply-chain dependencies behind everyday objects.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2020talkCited in HN discussions of math and CS education reform as an argument that school math is boring because it is taught wrong.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2021talkDuring COVID-19 HN commenters cited it as a prescient pandemic warning.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2017talkUsed to illustrate predictable irrationality, such as defaults and the effect of the middle option among three choices.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2021talkHN points people to it as the short, accessible account of how Stuxnet was dissected, usually when Stuxnet or state-sponsored malware comes up.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2025interviewPointed to in SpaceX threads as a window into the company's ambitions and leadership.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2009–2024talkRecommended as a condensed version of Kay's ideas on education and computing, showing kids using software to explore physics and robotics.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2017talkHN people share it as a short, frank talk about porn versus real-life sex expectations.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2026talkHN links it in piracy and copyright-lawsuit threads as a funny short demonstration of how inflated industry damage figures are.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2015talkHN links it as an accessible visual explanation of the problem of mapping brain connectivity.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2021talkHN brings it up in threads about impostor syndrome, confidence, and body language as an interesting talk on faking it until you feel it.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2020talkHN mentions it when discussing how believing stress is harmful affects health and anxiety.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2010–2019talkHN commenters recommend it in threads on happiness and well-being as a clear account of why memory and experience of happiness diverge.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2023talkHN recommends it as a short route to Dennett's view of consciousness as a bag of tricks, often in AI and cognition threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2026talkHN commenters cite it in threads about indoor air quality, CO2 and houseplants as a cheap, low-tech approach.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2026talkCited in AI-and-education threads as the optimistic case and demo for AI tutoring, and as a source on Khan Academy's LLM approach.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2026talkHN cites it whenever threads touch consciousness, perception or predictive-processing, especially for its examples of expectation changing what you perceive.
Questions
Which TED video does Hacker News recommend most?
We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim | Lawrence Lessig: recommended in 9 different months by 8 HN users between 2013 and 2026.
Is this every TED video?
No. Only videos that at least three different HN users linked, in at least three different months, with at least a sentence of their own commentary. That filter is what makes the list useful.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.