--- title: What is the relationship between Singularity University and the Singularity talked about by Ray Kurzweil? description: The inspiration for Singularity University is derived from Ray Kurzweil’s book, “The Singularity is Near,” where he defines the Singularity as “a future period during which the pace of technological c --- [Skip to content](https://help.su.org/what-is-the-relationship-between-singularity-university-and-the-singularity-talked-about-by-ray-kurzweil#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [Contact us](https://help.su.org/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) ![Singularity\_university\_Logo\_white.svg\]](https://help.su.org/hubfs/Singularity_university_Logo_white.svg) - [Default HubSpot Blog](https://help.su.org/blog) Show submenu for Default HubSpot Blog - Default Child Item Show submenu for Default Child Item - Default Child Child Item Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Default HubSpot Blog](https://help.su.org/blog) Show submenu for Default HubSpot Blog - Default Child Item Show submenu for Default Child Item - Default Child Child Item - English Show submenu for translations - [Contact us](https://help.su.org/kb-tickets/new) - Go to su.org Go to su.org Hello. How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Help Center](https://help.su.org/?hsLang=en) 2. [About Us](https://help.su.org/about-us?hsLang=en) 3. [FAQs](https://help.su.org/about-us?hsLang=en#faqs) # What is the relationship between Singularity University and the Singularity talked about by Ray Kurzweil? ## It’s complicated. Yes, our name was inspired by our co-founder Ray Kurzweil's book– but what we mean by the term Singularity is more focused on our definition, which differs. As a co-founder of Singularity University, Ray Kurzweil’s book, “The Singularity is Near,” was an inspiration for the name. However the full reason is a bit more broad. We define a singularity as any technological breakthrough, past or future, that has far reaching second, third, fourth order consequences, of a magnitude or complexity that cannot be fully understood at the moment when the breakthrough occurs. Singularity University programs cover myriad tracks of technology from AI to robotics to energy and environment, breakthroughs in medicine and neuroscience, computing and networks as well as entrepreneurship and exponential organizations, and we teach leaders to understand the disruptions and opportunities presented by these exponential technologies. We are called Singularity University because we are in the business of helping navigate the resulting future decisions and consequences that we can't anticipate today. - [About Us](https://help.su.org/about-us?hsLang=en#main-content) - [FAQs](https://help.su.org/about-us?hsLang=en#faqs) - [Singularity Global Community](https://help.su.org/singularity-global-community?hsLang=en) - [Executive Program](https://help.su.org/executive-program?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Pre-Admissions](https://help.su.org/executive-program?hsLang=en#pre-admissions) - [After You've Been Admitted](https://help.su.org/executive-program?hsLang=en#after-youve-been-admitted) - [Chapters](https://help.su.org/chapters?hsLang=en) - [Global Startup Program](https://help.su.org/global-startup-program?hsLang=en#main-content) - [General](https://help.su.org/global-startup-program?hsLang=en#general) - [Media](https://help.su.org/media?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Singularity Hub](https://help.su.org/media?hsLang=en#singularity-hub) - [Global Community](https://help.su.org/global-community?hsLang=en) - [Partners](https://help.su.org/partners?hsLang=en) - [Enterprise](https://help.su.org/enterprise?hsLang=en) - [Digital](https://help.su.org/digital?hsLang=en) - [Default HubSpot Blog](https://help.su.org/blog) - Default Child Item - Default Child Child Item [![Chill listening crop-3](https://help.su.org/hubfs/Singularity_university_Logo_black-1.svg "Chill listening crop-3")](http://su.org) su.org Help Center Copyright © 2026, Singularity