Megan Smith

Current Company

shift7 — Founder & CEO

From Google VP to America's CTO

Megan Smith served as the third Chief Technology Officer of the United States from 2014 to 2017, advising President Obama on technology policy, innovation, and digital government. Before entering public service, Smith spent over a decade at Google, where she led early development of key products and managed Google's philanthropic technology efforts. She also served as CEO of PlanetOut, one of the first major online platforms for the LGBTQ+ community, in the early 2000s.

Smith studied mechanical engineering at MIT, where she also raced solar-powered cars across Australia — an experience she has cited as formative in her approach to solving big, systemic problems through technology and teamwork. Her career has spanned the private sector, government, and the nonprofit world, giving her a uniquely broad perspective on how technology can be deployed for public benefit.

Building shift7 and the Tech-for-Impact Model

After leaving the White House, Megan Smith founded shift7, a technology company focused on using data science, AI, and product development to address systemic challenges in areas like economic inclusion, climate, and workforce development. The company works with corporations, governments, and nonprofits to apply Silicon Valley's product-development methodology to social problems that are typically addressed through policy or philanthropy alone.

As CEO of shift7, Megan Smith has become one of the most prominent advocates for diversity in technology, frequently speaking about the historical contributions of women and underrepresented groups to computing and engineering — contributions she argues have been systematically erased from the popular narrative. Smith's work bridges the gap between the technology industry's capabilities and the public sector's needs, a role that very few leaders occupy with her level of credibility on both sides.