Benjamin Todd
Benjamin Todd is a British author and nonprofit executive. He is the co-founder and former CEO of 80,000 Hours, a nonprofit organization that provides career advice focused on maximizing social impact.[1]
Early life and education
Todd was educated at The Perse School and Hills Road Sixth Form College,[2] and studied Physics and Philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford.[3]
Career
80,000 Hours
In 2011, Todd co-founded 80,000 Hours with William MacAskill.[4][5] In 2015, the organization was accepted into the Y Combinator startup accelerator program.[6][7]
Writing and media
Todd wrote the book 80,000 Hours: Find a Fulfilling Career that Does Good, published in 2017.[8] A revised edition is scheduled for publication by Penguin Random House in 2026.[8] He gave a 2017 TEDx talk, "To find work you love, don't follow your passion".[9]
Todd has discussed career choice on BBC Radio 4,[10] in The Telegraph,[11] and on the Vox podcast Future Perfect.[12]
Current work
Todd works as an author and consultant on strategy for nonprofit organizations, and has advised the Global Priorities Institute and the Centre for Effective Altruism.[2]
Personal life
Todd has taken the Giving What We Can pledge (in November 2009) to donate at least 10% of his income to effective charities.[13]
References
- ^ Anthony Ha (2015-08-04). "Want To Make An Impact With Your Work? Try Some Advice From 80,000 Hours". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ a b "Benjamin Todd". benjamintodd.org. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Annual Record 2012" (PDF). Balliol College, Oxford. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Naina Bajekal (2022-08-10). "Inside the Effective Altruism Movement to Do More Good". TIME. Archived from the original on 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Krithika Varagur (2021-10-14). "Can Your Career Help Change the World? You Have 80,000 Hours to Try". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Y Combinator's first non-profit class". Financial Times. 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "80,000 Hours". Y Combinator. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ a b "Benjamin Todd". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "To find work you love, don't follow your passion". YouTube. TEDx Talks. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "What's the best job to do good?". BBC. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Tom Ough (2017-05-31). "Don't follow your passion and think twice about medicine: the new rules for choosing a career". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "The Future Perfect podcast: What career should I choose?". Vox. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Lifetime members". Giving What We Can. Retrieved 2025-06-21.