John Maeda

John Maeda is an American technologist, designer, engineer, artist, investor, author, and teacher. He is currently VP of design and artificial intelligence at Microsoft. Previously he has held positions with Publicis Sapient, the technology marketing and delivery arm of Publiciis,  Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, and the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. He also led research at the MIT Media Lab, and served as president of the Rhode Island School of Design. Named as one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st Century by Esquire, Maeda draws on his diverse background as an MIT-trained engineer, award-winning designer, and executive leader to bring people and ideas together at scale. He is the author of several celebrated books, including The Laws of Simplicity and Redesigning Leadership. He has appeared as a speaker all over the world, from Davos to Beijing to São Paulo to New York, and his talks for TED.com have received millions of views. He was born, raised, and lives in the United States of America.