John La Grou

John La Grou said:

When the Lifeboat Foundation asked me to join its advisory, I was surprised by the lack of a “religion” or “spirituality” board category. If any venture poses “an existential threat to human survival,” religion must be on the list. I replied that some of the world’s key voices in today’s religion-science conversation (some of whom already serve as Lifeboat advisors) should be invited to a new table, engaged together in a generative conversation towards common survival strategies.
 
Some may feel that Lifeboat, a tech-centric think tank, should avoid altogether any sort of “religious voice”. However, by doing so, I suggest that Lifeboat fails to embrace an accurate, comprehensive view of humanity and human trajectories. I would also point out that a majority of academics, scientists, MDs, and technologists (Lifeboat’s core resources) embrace some form of spirituality (see recent studies: UCLA, Harvard, U of Chicago, et al).
 
A board category which brings divergent ideologies together towards a shared common goal becomes a courageous demonstration of trust and goodwill in a world beset with tribal divisions. I applaud the Lifeboat Foundation for taking my suggestion seriously, and feel this could become an important hub in the Lifeboat community.

John La Grou is one of three original members of Multitech Electronics in Mountain View California. During these formative years of intensive growth, the company name was changed to Acer America. John was instrumental in building the OEM foundation for what is today the world’s third largest personal computer company.
 
John is founder and chair of POW-r Consortium, the world’s leading digital-audio bit-length reduction algorithms, used annually on 400 million CDs and audio downloads (licensed by Apple, Avid, etc.). He is founder and CEO of Millennia Media, a world leader in design of audio electronics for critical acoustic music. Roughly half of all major Hollywood film scores are recorded via Millennia electronics. As a charter B-Corporation, Millennia has received over 20 major industry awards and was recently selected by the U.S. Library of Congress to design and manufacture a new generation of archiving electronics for converting the Library’s collection of 3 million legacy audio recordings (of every conceivable historic format) onto high resolution digital storage.
 
He is cofounder and patent-holder at Safeplug — innovative electrical products which save lives, save energy, prevent injury, and make the Smart Grid smarter. More recently, he cofounded Compathos Foundation with Cynthia, his wife of 30 years. Compathos employs connective technology to inspire global empathy and compassion. He is co-executive producer of the 2011 documentary production Drawn from Water, a film exploring contemporary practices of tribal human sacrifice. He is currently working on two startup social ventures and researching the long-term impact of technology on global religion.
 
John is an invited guest and speaker at Renaissance Weekend, and frequent lecturer at colleges, universities, and technical conferences. His main-stage 2009 TED Talk, now translated into 20+ languages, has been featured in Scientific American, Fast Company, and dozens of other publications. John serves on university and foundation advisory boards, and was co-creator and editor of the Wikiklesia Project: a 500-page, forty-author open-source anthology exploring the intersections of spirituality and technology.
 
John’s avocations include progressive music (most recently in the TED 2012 Thomas Dolby house band), organic farming, and boutique winemaking in the California Foothills. He is listed in Board Options and maintains lifelong professional affiliations with: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Audio Engineering Society (AES), and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (Voting Member, Grammy Awards).
 
Watch John La Grou plugs smart power outlets. Read his LinkedIn profile and his TED speaker profile.