John W. Thompson
John W. Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 24, 1949 Fort Dix, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Technology executive |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Known for | Chairman of Microsoft (2014–2021), CEO of Symantec, CEO of Virtual Instruments |
John Wendell Thompson (born April 24, 1949) is an American executive in the technology sector who held the position of chairman at Microsoft from 2014 until June 2021 and later chaired Illumina between 2021 and 2023. His career includes leadership roles such as CEO of Virtual Instruments, vice president at IBM, and CEO of Symantec. Thompson initially joined Microsoft's board as an independent director before being elevated to chairman in February 2014, where he played a pivotal role in the appointment of Satya Nadella as CEO.
Personal life
Thompson was born at Fort Dix, New Jersey and completed his secondary education at John F. Kennedy High School in Riviera Beach, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Florida A&M University in 1971 and later received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1983. Beyond his professional endeavors, he has participated in conservation efforts through involvement with Ducks Unlimited.
Professional life
Prior to his tenure as Symantec's CEO starting in 1999, Thompson dedicated 28 years to IBM, where he held executive roles spanning sales, marketing, software development, and general management for IBM Americas, along with serving on IBM’s Worldwide Management Council.
In 2002, he was named to the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NIAC), providing guidance on the security of critical infrastructure within the United States.
Thompson became a part-owner of the NBA's Golden State Warriors in 2005 by acquiring a 20% share through Bay Area Basketball Partners, L.L.C.
In April 2006, Forbes listed him as the eighth highest-paid CEO, reporting total earnings of $71.84 million.
He stepped down from his role as Symantec CEO in April 2009, with Enrique Salem succeeding him.
The following year, Thompson was honored with the Pioneer Business Leader award from the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, recognizing his contributions to business and education. Subsequently, he led Virtual Instruments, a Silicon Valley firm focusing on solutions for virtualized and private cloud infrastructures. Despite facing financial difficulties and scrutiny over his management during critical phases, Thompson remained at the helm until Virtual Instruments merged with Load Dynamix in 2016.
Thompson joined Microsoft's board in 2012 and was named chairman on February 4, 2014, taking over from Bill Gates. On that same day, Satya Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer as CEO. Thompson expressed long-standing respect for Microsoft, describing it as "one of the true, iconic companies" in America.
Past and current board memberships
- Microsoft
- Illumina
- Illinois Governor's Human Resource Advisory Council
- Teach For America
- Illumio
- Liquid Robotics
- Rubrik
- Seismic Software
- Inxeption
Political activity
During the 2008 presidential election, Thompson supported Barack Obama. Early in 2009, he was considered a candidate for the position of Secretary of Commerce under the Obama administration. Although initially not selected—Judd Gregg was first nominated but later withdrew—Thompson remained under consideration until the appointment of Gary Locke.
In 2009, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appointed Thompson to serve on the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.
External links
- Pages with script errors
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- 1949 births
- Living people
- Florida A&M University alumni
- MIT Sloan School of Management alumni
- MIT Sloan Fellows
- Directors of Microsoft
- American technology chief executives
- IBM employees
- Gen Digital people
- African-American business executives
- Chief executives of computer security organizations
- People from Fort Dix
- 21st-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American people