This TED Talk is full of bad ideas | Gabe Whaley
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 11.9K Ratings
🗓️ 30 September 2025
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if the worst ideas turned out to be the most interesting? Mischief-making artist Gabe Whaley shares how he built a collective of artists whose seemingly bad ideas — like selling 5,000 keys to the same car — often go viral and sell for thousands of dollars. His playful experiments show why it’s worth leaning into the absurd … because you never know what might happen.
TED Talks Daily is nominated for the Signal Award for Best Conversation Starter Podcast. Vote here!
Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:
TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou
TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna
TEDAI San Francisco: ted.com/ai-sf
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Looking for a natural deodorant that actually works? Meet Wilde, the refillable deodorant |
| 0:05.1 | loved by over one million pits. With 24-hour scientifically proven protection and plastic-free refills, |
| 0:12.1 | Wilde is kind to your skin and designed to cut out single-use plastic. No aluminium, no paraben, |
| 0:18.5 | just long-lasting freshness in an endlessly refillable case. |
| 0:22.5 | Now that's wild. |
| 0:24.1 | Make the switch today and get 10% off your first order with code wild10 at we are wild.com. |
| 0:32.3 | Support for TED Talks Daily comes from the Financial Times. |
| 0:35.8 | Every day brings an avalanche of headlines. Some are noise. |
| 0:39.5 | Some are designed to distract. So how do you know what's worth your attention? That's where the |
| 0:44.1 | Financial Times comes in. The FTs journalism delivers clarity, depth, and independence. |
| 0:49.4 | No spin, no hidden agenda, just reporting you can trust. It's why leaders in business policy and culture rely on the F.T. |
| 0:57.1 | As their source of understanding of what's happening now and what's coming next. |
| 1:01.5 | So if you want to see the bigger picture and truly grasp why it counts, stay informed with the financial times. |
| 1:07.9 | Source understanding, source clarity. |
| 1:15.6 | Source FT. This episode is sponsored by Sky Business. Every day in business feels like a big day, doesn't it? Whether you're launching something new or just |
| 1:21.5 | navigating the complexity of running a modern company, there's really no room for downtime or delays. |
| 1:29.1 | That's where Sky Business comes in. They understand that staying connected isn't just about having internet. It's about having |
| 1:34.8 | the right partner who gets what you're dealing with. Sky Business keeps you online with powerful |
| 1:40.0 | fiber-first solutions and the kind of expert support that actually makes a difference. |
| 1:45.0 | There are already a trusted partner to companies like Cafe Nero and Chester Racecourse, |
| 1:49.9 | helping businesses stay connected, secure, and ready for whatever comes next. |
| 1:54.9 | Because the last thing you need to worry about is whether your connectivity can keep up. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.