Three times Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman is a foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, and the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, The World is Flat, The Lexus and the Olive Tree and his latest, Thank You For Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations.

He takes the Auckland stage fresh from interviewing Bill Gates at the CEO Summit in Seattle, and not long after attempting to question Donald Trump in his post-election meeting with The New York Times.

These are extraordinary times; Friedman is an acute observer of world affairs. In a wide-ranging discussion with Michael Williams he discusses his new book and other matters.