This week, Founding Director of the Web Foundation, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, accepted the 2016 Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize, and delivered a lecture at the 2016 Charleston Festival.
First awarded in 2015, the Keynes prize is a global award to “an individual of any nationality of exceptional and inter-disciplinary talents in the spirit of John Maynard Keynes’ work, life and legacy. Reflecting that legacy, the winner will be widely recognised as having made an outstanding contribution to society through his or her work in economics, the arts, international relations, politics or a combination of these disciplines.”
Upon hearing that he was to receive the award, Sir Tim said:
“I am honoured to receive an award named after the visionary economist John Maynard Keynes. When I invented the Web, I envisioned it as a way for people everywhere to collaborate and share knowledge. Now more than 25 years along, the Web is one of the most powerful tools in our modern economy. It is vital to democracy and more critical to free expression than any other medium. The Web is essential in how the world connects and does business today. These millions of people connecting with each other and creating art, music, and businesses on the Web — as well as the 60% of the people who are not yet on the Web but who will be in the decades to come — will transform our world and the Web in ways unimaginable and thrilling. I would like to take this opportunity, upon receiving the John Maynard Keynes award, to encourage everyone who has an interest in the Web’s future – and that’s everyone, everywhere — to take an active role in protecting the Web and in ensuring it achieves all it can.”
Congratulations Sir Tim!
Listen to Sir Tim interviewed by The Economist in a special podcast here:
