Jeremy Rifkin, founder and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends, is one of the world’s leading authorities on economic sustainability. His most recent books include Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, The Collaborative Commons, and the Eclipse of Capitalism; The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy and the World; and The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis.

The Foundation on Economic Trends, located in Bethesda, Maryland, examines the economic, environmental, social, and cultural impacts of new technologies introduced into the global economy. He is also the founder and chairperson of the Third Industrial Revolution Global CEO Business Roundtable. Through his work at the Foundation on Economic Trends, the Business Roundtable, and his writings, Rifkin has helped shape public policy in the United States and around the world, including the European Union, where he served as an advisor to several European Council Presidents.

Since 1994, Rifkin has been a senior lecturer at the Wharton School’s Executive Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he instructs CEOs and senior management on transitioning their business operations into sustainable economies.

Rifkin’s monthly column on global issues appears in 25 countries in world’s leading newspapers and magazines. He has been a frequent guest on numerous television programs, including Face the Nation, The Lehrer News Hour, 20/20, Larry King Live, Today, and Good Morning America. The National Journal named Rifkin as one of 150 people in the United States who have the most influence in shaping federal government policy. He was a featured speaker on TED talks in 2010 on the subject his book, The Empathic Civilization.

Jeremy Rifkin’s books have been translated into more than 35 languages and are used in hundreds of universities, corporations, and government agencies around the world. His other books include The Hydrogen Economy, The European Dream, The End of Work, The Age of Access, and The Biotech Century.