Brad Smith

@bradsmi.bsky.social

285 Followers 43 Following

Vice Chair and President at Microsoft. Co-author and podcast host of Tools and Weapons. Husband. Dad. Proud native of Appleton, Wisconsin.

Governor stands at a podium labeled “Governor’s Economic Development Council,” holding a document, surrounded by officials and community leaders applauding on an outdoor stage with U.S. and Washington state flags and a city skyline behind them.
Graphic titled ‘Key takeaways from the MDDR 2025.’ It highlights that today’s cyber threats are faster, smarter, and more disruptive—driven by AI, targeting identities and data, and impacting every sector. Under ‘What to know about today’s threat landscape,’ it states: Government agencies, IT, and research and academia organizations were the most impacted sectors globally in 2025; over half of cyberattacks were driven by extortion or ransomware; most attacks are for money (only 4% were exclusively espionage); and multifactor authentication (MFA) blocks 99% of unauthorized access. Under ‘Recommendations,’ it says: Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility—resilience and collaboration are essential; AI-powered defense is essential; and global partnerships are needed to protect economic stability and individual safety.
A bar chart titled “More than datacenters” shows that for every Microsoft datacenter job in Central Washington, two additional jobs are created in the local economy. It lists job creation by sector: Security services (200), Power generation and transmission (167), Employment and other services (114), Maintenance and repair (99), Retail (62), Healthcare and Other (56), Restaurants (47), Other real estate (46), Support services (42), Professional & technical services (31), Transportation & warehousing (17), and Manufacturing (3). Source: Microsoft and EY economic impact study, December 2024.
Colorful abstract graphic with vertical bars in various colors and heights, resembling a 3D bar chart or cityscape. Text reads: Microsoft AI Economy Institute. Tagline: Turning AI research into real-world solutions—for everyone, everywhere.
A map of the United States showing six types of AI metro areas, categorized by AI cluster type: Superstars (dark blue), Star Hubs (light blue), Emerging Centers (orange), Focused Movers (yellow), Nascent Adopters (gray), and Others (light gray). Cities are marked with circles of varying sizes, representing the number of AI job postings in Q1 2025—larger circles indicate more postings. The legend shows circles for 2,000, 8,000, and 20,000 job postings. The map is titled "Six different types of AI metro areas," and the source is Brookings’ analysis of Lightcast job posting data.
Promotional graphic for Microsoft Elevate with the slogan 'Putting people first.' The image features a collage of diverse individuals: two people chatting over coffee in the top left, two working on laptops in a casual setting below, three reviewing a book on the right, and two children using a laptop with an adult in the bottom right. The background has a blue-to-white gradient with overlapping rounded square shapes.
An area chart showing the number of people in West Virginia living with diabetes by age group, from 2000 to 2022. The data show that the number has risen from 100,000 people to 250,000 people in 22 years. In 2022, the number of people living with diabetes aged 18-44 was 28,421, 44-64 (102,633), 65-74 (65,516), 75+ (48,151).
Promotional graphic with the headline 'Responsible AI fuels innovation'. Below it reads: 'In a recent IDC survey: 75%+ of people say responsible AI solutions improve: data privacy, customer experience, business decisions, brand reputation, and trust.'
Animated timeline titled 'Scaling impact – Our journey to 2030' showing cumulative sustainability metrics from 2020 to 2024. In 2020, metrics track start at 0 metric tons contracted carbon removal, 1.8 GW contracted renewable energy, 2.8 million cubic meters of contracted water replenishment, 0 people impacted by water access, 29,000 metric tons of diverted operational waste, 0 acres of contracted land to be protected, and $0 allocated capital through CIF. By 2024, metrics tracked increase to 29.8 million metric tons contracted carbon removal, 34 GW contracted renewable energy, 104 million cubic meters of contracted water replenishment, 1.5 million people impacted by water access, 114,000 metric tons of diverted operational waste, 17,439 acres of contracted land to be protected, and $793 million allocated capital through CIF. A note clarifies that contract water replenishment values represent lifetime replenishment.
Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, joins Vice-Chair and President, Brad Smith, for a conversation with employees in Redmond, Washington.
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, poses for a group photo with employees from the Aspire Program.
Entrance to Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.