John Maeda

Critical Forum Date

2 March 2023 at 18:30

Description

John Maeda, American technologist and product experience leader. Currently vp of design and artificial intelligence at Microsoft.

Author of five books including a gentle intro to AI/ML "How To Speak Machine (Penguin)" and the "Laws of Simplicity (MIT Press)." Represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC and the Cartier Foundation, Paris. First recipient of White House’s National Design Award for algorithmically-generated visualizations informed by data.

“Maeda is to design what Warren Buffett is to finance.” —Wired Magazine

Formerly chief technology officer of Everbridge, Sonos board of directors, Wieden+Kennedy board of directors, Kleiner Perkins design partner, MIT Media Lab data visualization lead, Automattic head of design + inclusion, Publicis Sapient executive vice president and chief experience officer, and 16th president/ceo of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Earned MS, MBA, PhD and awarded four honorary doctorates across fine arts and engineering. Early-stage investor in Canva, Walker & Co, Typeform, Negative, Superheroic, Tatcha, Flexport, Crave, Superpedestrian, Ipsy, Nylas, littleBits, Radical Candor, Voxel8 to advance greater startup diversity.

Solo art exhibitions held in Tokyo (John Maeda: POST-DIGITAL), Paris (John Maeda: NATURE), London (John Maeda: MYSPACE). Design credits include computational calendars in Java for Shiseido, lighting and furniture for Sawaya y Moroni, footwear and streetwear line for Reebok. Writings, interviews, or talks include WSJ, NYT, TED, BBC, WEF, COP, CNN, The Economist, Forbes, USA Today, Fortune, Fast Company, Esquire. Honors include Esquire 75 Most Influential of the 21st Century, Tribeca Film Festival Disruptor Award for launching the STEM to STEAM movement in the US, White House National Design Award, Fast Company Masters of Innovation, Blouin Foundation Creative Leadership Prize, AIGA Medal, TIME Best Twitter 140, Art Director's Club Hall of Fame Inductee, The Fortune Social Register, Raymond Loewy Foundation Prize, Alliance Graphique Internationale Member, and LinkedIn Top 10 US Influencer.