Alec Ross,
New York Times Best-Selling Author,
Former Senior Advisor for Technology & Innovation,
U.S. State Department
Alec Ross is the author of the New York Times best-seller The Industries of the Future. The book explores the technological and economic trends and developments that will shape the next ten years, including robotics and artificial intelligence, advanced life sciences, cybersecurity, big data and the code-ification of money, markets, and trust. After becoming a global best-seller, the Financial Times described Industries of the Future as “a lucid and informing guide on even the most technical issues.” Since its publication in February of 2016, it has been published in 24 languages and been a best seller on four continents.
Ross started his career as a sixth-grade teacher through Teach for America in inner-city Baltimore. In 2000, he and three colleagues co-founded One Economy, a technology-focused social enterprise. They grew it from modest origins in a basement into a global organization serving millions of low-income people across four continents.
Ross served as the Convener for the Technology & Media Policy Committee on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. In 2009, Ross served for four years as Senior Advisor for Innovation to the Secretary of State, a role created for him. The position tasked him with modernizing the practice of diplomacy and bringing innovative solutions to advance America’s foreign policy interests.
Currently, Ross is a board partner at Amplo, a global venture capital firm, and sits on the board of directors for companies in the fields of technology, finance, education, human capital, and cybersecurity. Continuing a commitment to education, Ross is a visiting professor at King’s College London. He has served as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins University and as a Senior Fellow at the Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs.
His recent recognitions include being named one of the “Top 100 Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy magazine. He also received the U.S. Department of State “Distinguished Honor” Award, the Oxford University “Internet & Society” Award, and the TriBeCa Film Festival “Book of the Year” Award.
An excellent writer, Ross’ writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and Foreign Policy. His academic writing has appeared as the journal cover articles of the SAIS Review of International Affairs and the NATO Review.
Alec Ross lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife and their three children
