Driven by a commitment to accessible, resonant storytelling, Tricia Maia—Head of Product at TED—shapes strategies that elevate speakers across platforms, mediums, and technologies. With experience building products from the ground up, she consistently delivers meaningful growth and influence at every stage of development. Here, Maia shares how she designs transformative digital experiences that empower people to deliver their message with the clarity and power it deserves.
Shiwon Oh: You help spotlight others’ voices through TED. How has your role in elevating others shaped your own storytelling skills?
Tricia Maia: If there’s one thing TED has taught me, it’s humility in storytelling. When you spend your days watching people distill world-changing ideas into a few minutes, you realize that clarity and emotional truth matter far more than polish. My role has made me a better communicator. My nature is really to jump to brass tacks or executive summaries in the vein of efficiency, clear outcomes, and everything else you’re taught audiences—especially senior ones—value.
But being at TED, I’ve really come to appreciate the impact of leading with a powerful story. I’ve learned to try to wrap the message I want to land in an evocative way that leaves an impression on people emotionally, not just factually. It’s also made me more confident. I used to think a good story was one that sounded impressive; now I know it’s one that is and feels sincere, and that naturally helps you deliver messages more confidently as well. Helping elevate others’ voices across all our digital platforms—from our site, our app, YouTube, social, podcasts, etc.—has deepened my appreciation for simplicity, narrative, and humanity—in others and in myself.
SO: When you think about your personal legacy, what do you hope people will remember?
TM: I hope people remember that I tried to build things that helped others see and express their potential, whether that’s a platform, a product, or a person. My work has always sat at the intersection of technology and human connection, and my goal is to make the former serve the latter. I’d be proud if my legacy was one of amplification—that I helped create systems and environments that gave more people permission to be seen, to learn, to lead.
At TED, that means reimagining our digital experiences so people can discover ideas that expand how they think—not just reinforce what they already know—no matter where they are in the world. But, honestly, I think about legacy more through the lens of my children. I want them to grow up seeing that you can be ambitious and empathetic, strategic and human, and that leadership doesn’t have to harden you. You can be kind and strong at the same time.
SO: Coming from a strong product background, you’re no stranger to continuous innovation. How do you ensure that tech enhances storytelling instead of overshadowing it?
TM: That’s a daily conversation in my team. Technology should disappear into the background of great storytelling, not become the story itself. In product, there’s a temptation to chase novelty, but novelty fades fast if it doesn’t serve a real need. At TED, we treat tech as an amplifier, not a replacement: AI helps summarize, translate, and personalize, but the goal is always to deepen human understanding, not automate it.
One of my favorite examples is our AI dubbing initiative. It’s deeply technical—voice cloning, lip syncing, all of it—but the outcome is emotional. A speaker’s story suddenly feels native in a language entirely different from that in which it was given. That’s the sweet spot; when the technology isn’t even really evident, but new experiences, emotions, and insights are unlocked in ways that were never possible before, that’s when you know you’re doing it right.
SO: What storytelling lessons have you learned as you diversified TED talks for a global audience?
TM: The more specific a story is, the more universal it becomes. It sounds counterintuitive, but talks that resonate everywhere usually come from someone being radically honest about their own experience, not trying to cater to everyone. The details we think are “too personal” are often the doorway for others to see themselves. When someone names their fear, their failure, their turning point, that’s when the room gets quiet. Then the translation becomes the “easy” part, because that moment transcends different languages and cultures.
SO: What are some best practices for leaders who want to spark inspiration and change through their storytelling?
TM: First, as TED speaker Simon Sinek famously advised, start with your why. People can feel when your story is in service of something larger than you. Second, make it tangible—abstract ideas don’t move people, moments do. Tell stories that show, not tell, your values. Third, stay human and don’t be afraid to let a little imperfection in. Vulnerability is magnetic and builds trust. When people sense your humanity, they lean in.
And, finally, we like to advise our speakers to think of these stories as gifts, not performances. The best storytellers don’t talk at people, they talk to them. They transform what they’ve learned and what they’ve been through into something others can use. That’s how stories create change—not by dazzling people, but by helping them see themselves differently.
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