Megan Smith
Founder & CEO
shift7
Washington, DC USA
“The idea of ‘culture fit’ is very destructive. I don’t want you to fit, I want you to add.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationMegan Smith
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
Grew up in New York in an entrepreneurial family—my mom and dad worked on local environmental issues, education, and community development.
Attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where I earned my bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering.
In the late 80's, I was initially interested in working on renewable "green" energy projects, but decided to transition into working on the new developments in Internet technologies.
I was part of designing early smartphone technologies at General Magic and worked on product development at Apple in Japan.
In 1998, I became the CEO of PlanetOut, one of the early leading LGBTQ online platforms that partnered with major web players to create diverse content and community.
Worked for Google for over eleven years—first, leading new business development, and later, as the Vice President of Google X where I helped pilot innovation and tech diversity initiatives.
In 2014, President Obama appointed me as the 3rd Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. where my team focused on how technology policy, data, and innovation can advance the future of the nation.
In 2018, I founded shift7, which seeks to connect diverse tech talent from around the world and expand social innovation—I am also a board member of MIT and co-founded the Malala Fund.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Founder & CEO
I am an entrepreneur, engineer, and the former Chief Technology Officer of the United States.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Technology
Science
Learning / Being Challenged
Day to Day
The goal of shift7 is collaboration and collective genius. I work to leverage what already exists in the tech sphere and accelerate that. I'm constantly looking for other areas to expand into like economic uplift, job tours, etc. I also do a lot of work in the equity of what we see on screen and I explore ways to balance that out (in terms of gender, race, representation, etc.). We are implementing AI tools to start working in that space and in many others.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Follow your intuition and take advice from the people around you. Find people that are doing work you are interested in and go meet them or talk to them. Mentors can help you navigate things. Learn from history and remember the accomplishments of those that came before you. Use it as inspiration and let it give you confidence and courage.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"Why would you go into government?"
Challenges I Overcame
Gender Discrimination
Interviewed By
Venture Forward
Tech entrepreneurship’s next generation
