Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared
Intelligence Squared logo
Founded2002; 24 years ago (2002)
HeadquartersHolborn, London
FoundersJeremy O'Grady
John Gordon
CEOMatt McAllester
Websiteintelligencesquared.com

Intelligence Squared is a UK-based events and media company founded in London in 2002. It produces live talks, interviews, conversations between speakers, panel discussions, lectures, solo talks and occasional formal debates.

Its programme covers politics, culture, business, economics, history, technology, art, literature and science. The company stages events in London and other cities across the United Kingdom.

The company produces podcasts, video and digital content, publishing on YouTube, and other platforms. Intelligence Squared is often referred to as Intelligence2 and IQ2.

History

Intelligence Squared was founded in 2002 by two media entrepreneurs, Jeremy O'Grady and John Gordon. In 2012, the company was bought by art consultant Amelie von Wedel, Yana Peel (President of Arts, Culture and Heritage at CHANEL)), and Dr. David Legg (partner at Serendipity Capital and chairman of Elements Global Advisors).

During the 2000s and 2010s, the Intelligence Squared name was licensed to independently operated organisations outside the United Kingdom. Intelligence Squared U.S. was established in 2006 as an independent American non-profit organisation. Other licensed operations included Australia and Hong Kong, while the company also worked with partners in Kyiv, Athens, Israel and Chile.

In April 2023, Intelligence Squared U.S. relaunched under the name Open to Debate. It continues as an independent American organisation focused on formal debate.

Intelligence Squared’s current programme is based mainly in the United Kingdom. The company produces one-off events overseas, usually with corporate partners and brands. Although formal debates remain part of its history and occasional programming, the company has broadened its events to include interviews, conversations, panels, lectures and solo talks.

Programme and Format

Intelligence Squared produces live events in a range of formats. Many events are built around a newly published book or explore a wider political, cultural, historical, scientific or technological subject. Events commonly include questions from the live audience.

The company stages events in London and tours to cities across the United Kingdom, including Bristol, Brighton, Oxford, Bath, Manchester, Edinburgh and Guildford.

Recent speakers and participants have included Sir Keir Starmer, Mustafa Suleyman, Zadie Smith, Malala Yousafzai, Demis Hassabis, Lena Dunham, Arundhati Roy and Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Intelligence Squared was historically known for its traditional Oxford-Style debate format inspired by the Oxford Union. A motion is proposed, with two speakers arguing in favour and two against. Opening remarks are around 10 minutes in length. This is followed by questions and answers from the live audience, a lively dialogue between the speakers, and short closing remarks by each debater in turn. The audience is polled on their opinion both before and after the debate and the winning side is determined by the side which changed the most minds.

Another format they produce are "Cultural Combat" debates, in which two cultural figures are pitted against each other. These began in 2013 with "Verdi vs. Wagner", which was staged at London’s Royal Opera House with a sixty-piece live orchestra, Stephen Fry in the chair, and John Tomlinson singing Wotan.

Debate topics include foreign policy, religion, history, social policy, politics, economics, science, technology, art, culture, and the environment.

Podcast and Video

Many Intelligence Squared events are recorded and released through the company’s podcast and video channels. In October 2026, Intelligence Squared announced a relaunch of its podcast offering, introducing a refreshed editorial format, a new line-up of presenters and a dedicated second podcast, Intelligence Squared Live. The flagship Intelligence Squared podcast, adopting the tagline Ideas That Matter, focuses on original, in-depth studio conversations with leading authors, thinkers and cultural figures, hosted by Mia Sorenti, Margherita Volpato and Conor Boyle. Meanwhile, Intelligence Squared Live was established as a separate platform for recordings of the organisation's live debates, talks and on-stage discussions.

The company also develops original and commissioned podcast series. Its programmes have covered politics, economics, culture, history, technology, climate change and international affairs.

Podcast series produced or distributed by Intelligence Squared include Hotels with History with Richard E. Grant for Perowne International, Pod Save the UK for Crooked Media, The Specialist for Sotheby’s, Energised for Iberdrola, The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook for Guinness Global Investors and The Age to Come for IBM.

Partnerships

Intelligence Squared works with companies, cultural institutions and non-profit organisations to develop events, podcasts and other editorial programmes. Its partnerships range from long-running content series to individual debates, private events and branded podcast productions, with Intelligence Squared providing services including editorial development, speaker curation, event production and digital distribution.

Among its clients includes Sotheby’s, for whom they have had a long running collaboration, producing talks as well as The Specialist podcast series, and Perowne International’s podcast Hotels with History, hosted by Richard E. Grant.

Intelligence Squared has also partnered with IBM on The Age to Come, a year-long programme examining the implications of emerging technologies for society, business, work and the global economy. The collaboration combines live events, podcast episodes, editorial content, video and social media.

Intelligence Squared has additionally collaborated with SXSW London on programming about misinformation and online culture, and with technology company Box on a series examining artificial intelligence and the future of work. Its wider roster of partners has included organisations such as Google, Chanel, Guinness Global Investors, Deloitte, WaterAid, Iberdrola and Investec.

References

  1. ↑ "Who We Are". IntelligenceSquared. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 "About". Intelligence Squared. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Attend". Intelligence Squared. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Podcasts". Intelligence Squared. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "About". Intelligence Squared. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "How the chattering classes turned to talk". The Observer.
  7. ↑ "INTELLIGENCE SQUARED (UK) LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  8. ↑ Debate, Open to. "Intelligence Squared U.S. Is Becoming "Open to Debate"". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Rose, Steve (3 March 2026). "'The Epstein files won't knock him out': what Anthony Scaramucci learned in Trump's inner circle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  10. ↑ Croft, Ethan (16 April 2024). "Londoner's Diary: Keir Starmer makes a surprise appearance with Alastair Campbell". The Standard. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  11. ↑ Ahmed, Kamal. "Forget the chatbot wars. Demis Hassabis is thinking about something far bigger". Fortune. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  12. 1 2 Oxford-Style Debate, Explained. Intelligence Squared. 12 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Service, Tom (12 September 2013). "Verdi vs Wagner: join the debate". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022.
  14. ↑ Intelligence Squared [@intelligence2] (17 August 2016). "Our cultural combat series returns with Ian Fleming vs John Le Carre. For tickets: http://intelligencesquared.com/events/ian-fleming-vs-john-le-carre-anthony-horowitz-and-david-farr/" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ "Intelligence Squared Watch". Intelligence Squared. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "Intelligence Squared U.S. All Debates". Intelligence Squared U.S. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  17. 1 2 "Intelligence Squared Live". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  18. ↑ "Intelligence Squared". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Partnerships". Intelligence Squared. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  20. ↑ "Hotels with History". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  21. ↑ "If you only..." Sunday Independent.
  22. ↑ Squared, Intelligence (16 April 2026). "Intelligence Squared Takes On Production for Crooked Media's Pod Save the UK". podnews.net. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  23. ↑ "The Specialist". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  24. ↑ "Energised: A Global Green Team". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Age to Come". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 28 October 2026.