SXSW’s innovation track reshapes itself in the festival’s 40th year
SXSW’s innovation track reshapes itself in the festival’s 40th year
https://www.statesman.com/business/technology/article/sxsw-2026-innovation-guide-21952809.php
Publish Date: 2026-03-11 06:15:00
Source Domain: www.statesman.com
Bluesky Social CEO Jay Graber, left, high-fives Hugh Forrest, Co-President and Chief Programming Officer for South by Southwest, before she spoke with TechDirt Editor Mike Masnick, left, at SXSW at the Austin Convention Center Monday March 10, 2025.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman
Since the early 2000s, technology and innovation have taken on an increasingly prominent role at the South by Southwest Conference and Festival.
What began as a music festival has drawn thousands to Austin each March for the past 40 years. Over those four decades, SXSW expanded its reach, adding film premieres and major celebrity appearances to its programming.
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Dawn Richardson, right, of Flodesk, talks to SXSW attendee Youngjin Kim, of San Antonio, about the email marketing platform at the SXSW Expo at the Austin Convention Center Monday March 10, 2025. The expo features brands, services and products on the cutting-edge of technology, design, entertainment, and health and wellness. The public can attend the expo for free Wednesday for Austin Industry Day.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman
But as the dot-com boom reshaped the tech industry, the festival’s technology and innovation track — where Twitter debuted in 2007 — stepped into the spotlight, attracting major sponsorships, vendors and investment to an event long defined by music and, more recently, film.
“There’s so much technology that is shaping how we live and work and play in the world that we live in,” said Katie Perera, SXSW’s director of conference strategy. “And really finding a place where we can dive into that and help people understand not just what’s happening right now, because things are changing a lot right now, but where are we headed in the next three years to 30 years. We really really just see a huge community dedicated to technology growing and growing.”
As SXSW marks its 40th year — amid the demolition of the Austin Convention Center and a shakeup in key leadership —…
