Megan Smith is best known as the first female chief technology officer (CTO) of a U.S. company, but that's just one bullet point on her impressive resume. She's an engineer, technology leader and innovator, evangelist for diversity, philanthropist, and entrepreneur.
Read on to learn where Smith came from, the interesting projects she's worked on, and how she's investing her time today.
Who is Megan Smith?
Who is Megan Smith?
Smith grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. Born in 1964, she was exposed to the activist movements of the 1970s. At that time, early environmentalists challenged companies that dumped toxic waste, and civil rights activists banded together against social segregation. In a 2021 podcast interview with Danielle Newnham, Smith recalls how heavily influenced she was by those social change movements.
In high school, Smith's required participation in the science fair stoked a deep appreciation for invention and problem-solving. She was drawn to the application of science to help the environment, working on projects related to solar energy, wind, and desalination.
After high school, Smith went to MIT, where she earned a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering.
She began her professional life working for Apple's (AAPL -0.35%) Japan unit. She also contributed to early-stage smartphone technology at the now-defunct General Magic. In 1996, Smith stepped in as chief operating officer (COO) of PlanetOut, an online LBGTQ+ community. She would later move into the roles of CEO, president, and director of the board.
Smith left PlanetOut to become one of the first 1,000 employees at Google, long before the company evolved into Alphabet (GOOG 9.96%)(GOOGL 10.22%). She held two roles at Google, which hint at her best talents. As vice president for new business development, Smith managed partnerships and pilot programs, collaborated with technology and engineering teams, and oversaw key acquisitions. As vice president for Google(x), Smith co-created the Solve for X collaboration initiative and spearheaded many diversity and inclusion programs.
In 2014, Smith accepted the role of U.S. chief technology officer (CTO) under President Obama. The job involves ensuring the government is leveraging technology and data appropriately in service delivery and policy creation. The CTO is also charged with keeping the U.S. at the forefront of tech-driven research and innovation.
Smith is currently CEO of Shift7, the company she co-founded in 2017. Shift7 identifies and supports innovators who are working for positive social change.
Megan Smith's personal stats
Megan Smith's personal stats
- Age: Smith was born on Oct. 21, 1964.
- Source of wealth: Smith is self-made. She grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., attending a public magnet high school. She completed her college education at MIT before starting her career in technology.
- Marital status: Smith is divorced. She was formerly married to Kara Swisher, co-founder of technology news website Recode.
- Residence: Smith lives in Washington, D.C.
- Children: Smith has two sons.
- Education: Smith earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT.
If we include everyone, we could fix nearly everything.Megan Smith.
Megan Smith's approach
Megan Smith's approach
Smith's professional life seems to have been guided by her desire to make the world a better place, coupled with a deep respect for human potential. Four key supporting concepts she has mentioned in interviews are explained below.
1. Technology can solve the world's biggest issues
Smith founded Shift7 and UN Solutions Summit in part on the premise that innovation methodologies from the tech community can be deployed in other sectors for swifter impact.
The UN Solutions Summit targets the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include ending poverty and hunger, quality education, gender equality, and clean water and sanitation. Shift7 tackles issues like economic opportunity and equity and inclusion.
2. Practice makes permanent
Smith credits her MIT swim coach with the "practice makes permanent" concept, which is using repetition to create good habits. She is particularly passionate about building discovery and problem-solving practice into education. She advocates for educational experiences that encourage kids to create solutions by way of brainstorming, prototyping, and iterating. Kids who practice innovating, Smith believes, grow up to be innovative adults. Some of those adults will contribute to solving the world's most challenging issues.
3. Scouting and scaling propel innovation forward
Smith relies on the "scout and scale" model at the UN Solutions Summit and Shift7. The premise is that the expertise needed to solve global issues often already exists. The most expedient path to a solution is to find that expertise and give those solution-makers the support and platform they need to be successful.
4. The more diversity in the team, the better the result
In a 2020 interview with Entrepreneur, Smith said, "If we include everyone, we could fix nearly everything." She firmly believes that diverse teams ultimately produce the best results.
Smith argues that cultural and social biases are a primary obstacle to diversity in tech. One of her projects at Shift7 addresses these biases by uncovering and sharing stories of women's historical contributions to the field of technology. She cites Ada Lovelace as an example. Lovelace pioneered computer programming theory long before computers existed.
Megan Smith's projects
Megan Smith's projects
The table below shows the organizations and initiatives Smith played a role in founding.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Malala Fund | International nonprofit that advocates for free, high-quality education for girls. |
| UN Solutions Summit | Supports entrepreneurs who have scalable solutions that address the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include ending poverty and hunger, quality education, gender equality, and clean water and sanitation. |
| Shift7 | Collaborates with businesses, government agencies, and entrepreneurs to find and scale solutions to global problems. |
| Women Techmakers | A networking and support initiative by Google to support women in technology. |
| Solve for X | A community engagement and collaboration event run by Google from 2012 to 2014. |
More from Megan Smith
More from Megan Smith
Megan Smith, LGBTQ+ tech leader
Megan Smith, LGBTQ+ tech leader
Smith is a respected technology leader and force for social change. She's spearheaded efforts to support innovators and change-makers, bring more diversity to the workplace, and combat bias against underrepresented groups. She's also personally broken boundaries through her work with General Magic, PlanetOut, and the U.S. government.
Megan Smith FAQs
What is Megan Smith famous for?
Smith is famous for her long, consistent career as a technology leader and entrepreneur. She was CEO of the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ community PlanetOut, a vice president at Google, and the first female CTO for the United States under President Obama. She also co-founded the Malala Fund, UN Solutions Summit, and Shift7, where she currently serves as CEO.
What did Megan Smith do?
Smith has a long list of professional and personal accomplishments. Prior to her tenure as U.S. CTO, she contributed to early smartphone technology while working at General Magic, she grew the outreach of PlanetOut by 10 times, and she oversaw the acquisition of Google Earth and Google Maps. She also co-created Google's Women Techmakers program and Google's think-tank initiative, Solve for X. In 2012 and 2013, Out magazine included Smith in its list of the 50 most powerful LGBTQ people in the U.S.
Who was the first female CTO of the United States?
Megan Smith was the first female CTO of the United States, serving from September 2014 to January 2017. In that role, she led a team charged with moving the country forward through tech policy, data, and innovation. Aneesh Chopra and Todd Park preceded Smith in the CTO position, which was created in 2009.
