Ryan Smith is an American entrepreneur and businessman. He is best known as the co-founder of Qualtrics, a software company specializing in experience management. Smith co-founded Qualtrics in 2002 alongside his brother, Jared Smith, and his father, Scott Smith, in Provo, Utah.
Under Ryan Smith’s leadership as CEO, Qualtrics grew to become a leading provider of customer experience and employee engagement software. The company’s platform enables organizations to collect, analyze, and act upon feedback and data to improve their business operations and decision-making processes.
In 2018, Qualtrics announced a planned initial public offering (IPO). However, before the IPO could take place, SAP SE, a multinational software corporation, acquired Qualtrics in November 2018 for $8 billion, marking one of the largest software acquisitions in history.
Ryan Smith remained involved with Qualtrics even after the acquisition by SAP. In July 2020, he stepped down as CEO but continued to serve as a board member and executive chairman of the company. In January 2021, he announced his decision to transition from the role of executive chairman to a strategic advisor for Qualtrics.
Beyond his work with Qualtrics, Ryan Smith is recognized for his philanthropy and community involvement. He and his wife, Ashley Smith, established the Ryan and Ashley Smith Foundation, which supports various charitable initiatives focused on education, health care, and children’s causes.