Steve Case — who became a highly esteemed entrepreneur as the co-founder of America Online — is proof of the success of innovation. Case has been attending TED for almost two decades and feels very proud of its growth.

He writes, “What started as a ‘dinner party for a hundred of the world’s greatest minds’ (which is how founder Richard Saul Wurman initially conceived of TED) has now evolved to be a global platform for ‘ideas worth spreading.’ The decision by Chris Anderson to launch TED.com and make the talks available to the world has made TED all the more impactful, not just for the ideas, but for the people sharing them. Ken Robinson, for example, was respected for his views on education, but after his TED Talk was downloaded 14 million times, he became a global icon for creativity, virtually overnight. It has been amazing to watch TED’s transition from party to platform, and from a small gathering for the benefit of a few in Monterey, California to a massive global movement. Choosing my favorite TED talks after so many years was no easy task, but here goes…” Head to the playlist section to watch his picks >>

Brandon Boyd, lead singer of the band Incubus, is a big TED fan. He writes, “Although I have yet to attend TED, the web database has offered me consistent inspiration for years now. I see it as a beacon of both intellectual and spiritual light that speaks to the best of what we do, who we are and where we are heading. I’ve watched some of these presentations and at times felt at ease with the notion of an alien intelligence looking in on us from another locale. I mention that because there have been times in the not so distant past wherein I was nervous about a Pop Phenomena or a TV show’s signal drifting out into open space, and a quasi-irritable species passing by hearing it and deciding in a brief moment of weakness that these couldn’t be the voices of a species in ascendance and perhaps this ‘Planet Earth’ place isn’t worth all the hubbub. Death Ray activated! Zoinks! Splat! Poof…Then in the vertical blink of an advanced alien eye socket, no more Earth. Thanks a lot, Baha Men. But I digress, TED continues to inspire and evoke! I hope to one day perform live music on the moon and perhaps if all goes according to plan we can make a TED Talk out of it! If that doesn’t happen, I’ll fall back on my plan B: developing invisible deflector shields for incoming planet destroying laser beams. Thanks TED, you’re a cool cat.” Head to the playlist section to watch his favorites >>

And a bonus TED-Ed lesson that Boyd adores: John Lloyd: An animated tour of the invisible

Data visionary Hans Rosling has given nine TED Talks over the years, focusing on global trends in health, economics and population growth. His favorite talks, naturally, keep an eye toward these global themes — from business in Africa to youth culture in China. See his selections in the playlist section >>

.
A big, huge thank you to Mashable and iTunes for helping us share these playlists around the world. Head to iTunes to download these lists as limited-edition podcasts and to Mashable to see their exclusive additional lists from tech superstars.

And as always, we want to hear about the talks you love. This week, tweet a favorite playlist — or the name of a talk that deeply resonated with you — using the hashtag #topTED.