DILAWAR SYED

    LBJ BUSINESS POLICY FORUM

    Convening business leaders and policymakers to advance American competitiveness.

    Dilawar Syed addressing the LBJ Business Policy Forum from the podium

    Purpose

    The LBJ Business Policy Forum convenes business leaders, policymakers, and scholars at the LBJ School of Public Affairs to advance actionable ideas that strengthen American competitiveness and economic opportunity.

    Forum organizers and speakers at UT Austin

    CURRENT SERIES

    Convenings on U.S. Business Competitiveness

    2026–27 series focuses on some of the most consequential issues shaping the U.S. economy: AI safety and reliability, automation and the future of workforce, the state of trade following sweeping tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration, and the future of small business as a generation of owners approaches retirement in the “Silver Tsunami.

    2026–27 Series

    Upcoming Forums

    Next Forum

    October 28, 2026 · 4:00 PM · Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ School

    Keeping Humans in Command

    Policy Debate Over Catastrophic AI Risk & U.S. Innovation

    RSVP

    Speakers

    • Seth Center

      Former Special Envoy, Critical & Emerging Technologies, U.S. Department of State

    • Min Kyung Lee

      Professor, School of Information & Director, Human-AI Interaction Lab

    • Peter Stone

      Head of the School of Computing & Chief Scientist, Sony AI

    • Dilawar Syed

      Professor, LBJ School & McCombs School of Business

    LBJ Business Policy Forum flyer for Keeping Humans in Command, October 28 at 4:00 PM in the Bass Lecture Hall

    • December 2, 2026 · 4:00 PM · Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ School

      A New Social Contract for the AI Economy

      Creating pathways to skills, mobility, and economic security in the age of AI

    • February 11, 2027 · 4:00 PM · Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ School

      The Silver Tsunami and the Future of U.S. Small Business

      Managing a historic generational transfer of small-business ownership and its implications for workers, communities, and the economy

    • April 2027 · Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ School

      U.S. Competitiveness and the Future of Trade

      Navigating supply chains and economic interdependence in an era of tariffs

    2025–2026 Series

    From the Forum

    A full house at an LBJ Business Policy Forum session
    A full house at the LBJ School 
    An audience member asking a question at a Forum session
    An attendee standing to ask a question during a Forum session
    A student standing to ask a question during a Forum session
    Students listening during a Forum session
    Forum leadership together after a session
    See Dilawar's Teaching →