I think one of the VICE guys actually did a pretty good inside-view of a TED conference? It sounded like a cult. It was Eddie Huang. Here he is talking about it on Joe Rogan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hwLMBdnbXk Comment from the Reddit thread where it was originally posted:  [–][deleted] 187 points 3 years ago  "So, they make $16 million per conference and don't pay the lecturers? That's shit."