Jared Smith, cofounder of Qualtrics, helped build one of the world’s leading experience management platforms, transforming the way companies gather insights and understand customers, employees, and markets. Launching the company with his brother Ryan and their father in a Utah basement, he oversaw product development and technology that powered Qualtrics’ rapid ascent from a bootstrapped startup to a multibillion-dollar enterprise. Following its $8 billion acquisition by SAP, Smith continued as president of Qualtrics, driving global expansion and innovation. Known for his operational discipline and product vision, he remains a key figure in the modern SaaS landscape.

Ion Stoica, computer scientist and entrepreneur, is cofounder and executive chairman of Databricks, one of the world’s most valuable data and AI companies. A professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Stoica is also a co-creator of Apache Spark, the open-source framework that revolutionized big data processing. Under his leadership, Databricks has scaled into a multibillion-dollar enterprise serving global enterprises with cloud-based analytics and AI platforms. Known for bridging academia and industry, Stoica has become a leading figure in advancing the future of data infrastructure and machine learning.

David Steward is an American billionaire tech entrepreneur who founded World Wide Technology (WWT) in 1990 with minimal capital. A Central Missouri alumnus, he transformed WWT into one of the largest African-American–owned companies in the U.S., generating over $11 billion in annual revenues. Known for his faith-driven leadership and civic engagement, Steward also founded Telcobuy and chairs major nonprofit boards.

Aneel Bhusri is the co‑founder and executive chairman of Workday, the enterprise cloud software leader for finance and HR. A Stanford MBA and Brown‑educated engineer, he helped build Workday from a PeopleSoft spin‑out into a multibillion‑dollar public company and holds executive roles in venture through Greylock Partners.

Alexis Le-Quoc is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Datadog, a leading cloud monitoring and cybersecurity platform used by enterprises worldwide. With a background in engineering and infrastructure, Le-Quoc helped build Datadog into one of the most trusted tools for DevOps, enabling real-time observability across complex systems. His technical leadership has been central to the company’s rapid growth and global adoption.

Andreas von Bechtolsheim is a German-American engineer, entrepreneur, and investor, best known as one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems and as a key early investor in Google. He has significantly influenced the tech industry through his innovations and investments.

Jack Ma is a Chinese entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. Known for his inspirational leadership and innovative approach, Ma has been a significant figure in the global e-commerce and technology sectors.

Marc Benioff, cofounder, chairman, and CEO of Salesforce, revolutionized enterprise software by pioneering cloud-based CRM and turning Salesforce into one of the world’s most influential technology companies. A former Oracle executive, Benioff launched Salesforce in 1999 with a vision to deliver software as a service, transforming how businesses sell, market, and serve customers. Under his leadership, Salesforce expanded through relentless innovation and strategic acquisitions, becoming a global leader in enterprise cloud computing. Known for championing stakeholder capitalism, philanthropy, and social impact, Benioff combines bold technological vision with a distinctive moral voice in corporate leadership.