At WIRED, we're not that into titles. Sure, you might be the CEO. But what have you actually done lately?
Not to knock all CEOs. We have plenty of them on the agenda at this year's WIRED Business Conference. But they're not just the tech industry's usual suspects. This year we're out to recognize the doers, the people whose skills extend beyond the boardroom into the realm of action and ideas that really matter.
These are the innovators who are truly forging what's next.
Among them are Pinterest engineering lead Tracy Chou, who's working to engineer diversity in the tech industry. The White House's chief data scientist, DJ Patil, is opening up government data to all. Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger figured out at just the right time in the evolution of mobile technology what a picture is worth. And Allen Lau, co-founder of Wattpad, is showing that words still have immense value as more people than ever are finding ways to tell their stories.
Among the day's many highlights is the presentation of the MDC Humanitarian Award to Catherine Hoke, the founder & CEO of Defy Ventures, a nonprofit that backs the legal businesses of the formerly incarcerated. She'll be on stage with Coss Marte, a former drug trafficker who started ConBody, a fitness startup built around his workout regimen in prison; Kim Morris, who started The Cleaned Space, an eco-friendly cleaning service for property managers, after her release; and Seth Sundberg, who started his energy bar business, Prison Bars, while still inside.
Helen Greiner, CEO of CyPhy Works, will explain how drones can save lives. And Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson will recount how his site's massive community of doers culminated in a recent IPO. Capping off the day is pro skater and now sought-after Silicon Valley speaker Rodney Mullen, who told WIRED earlier this year that real success comes from doing for the sake of doing: "The other guys not chasing money are going to outdo you in the end, because real innovation and grit come from loving the process.”
