Adam D'Angelo
{{Short description|American businessman (born 1984)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Adam D'Angelo
| image = Adam D'Angelo - The Grove 2022.jpg
| caption = D'Angelo in 2022
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|8|14}}
| birth_place = Redding, Connecticut, U.S.
| education = California Institute of Technology (BS)
| known_for = Former CTO of Facebook, co-founder of Quora
| boards = {{unbulleted list|OpenAI|Asana, Inc.}}
| website =
}}
Adam D'Angelo (born August 14, 1984) is an American internet entrepreneur. He is best known for his role as the co-founder and CEO of Quora, based in Mountain View, California, and as the first Chief Technology Officer of Facebook (now Meta).
Early life and education
Adam D'Angelo was born on August 14, 1984 in Redding, Connecticut, United States. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy for high school. While a student there, he developed the Synapse Media Player (a music suggestion program) with Philips classmate Mark Zuckerberg and others.
From 2002 to 2006, D'Angelo attended the California Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science.{{cite web |last1=Benter |first1=Allison |title=California Institute of Technology 112th Annual Commencement, June 9, 2006 |url=https://campuspubs.library.caltech.edu/2144/1/Commencement_2006.pdf |publisher=California Institute of Technology Library |archive-url=https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechCampusPubs:20110511-114439647 |archive-date=3 Oct 2019 |language=en |date=9 June 2006}}
Career
In 2004, while attending college, D'Angelo created the website BuddyZoo, which allowed users to upload their AIM buddy list in order to compare with those of other users. BuddyZoo also generated network graphs based on these lists.{{cite book |title=The Facebook Effect |author=David Kirkpatrick |year=2010 |pages=26–27}}{{cite web|url=http://buddyzoo.com/ |title=BuddyZoo |access-date=2003-10-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031028154717/http://buddyzoo.com/ |archive-date=October 28, 2003 }}
D'Angelo joined Facebook shortly after its launch in 2004, and served as its chief technology officer (CTO) from 2006 to 2008, and as its vice president of engineering until 2008.{{cite news |url= https://venturebeat.com/2008/05/11/facebook-cto-adam-dangelo-to-leave-or-at-least-take-an-extended-vacation/ | title= Facebook CTO Adam D'Angelo to leave the company |last= Eldon |first= Eric |date= May 11, 2008 |publisher= VentureBeat |access-date=2011-08-12}}{{cite news |url= http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/2/24/business-casual-a-year-ago-mark/ | title= Business, Casual |last= Feeney |first= Kevin J. |date= February 24, 2005 |publisher= The Harvard Crimson |access-date=2011-08-12}}
In June 2009, D'Angelo co-founded Quora{{cite news |url= https://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/04/ff_quora/all/1/ | title= Does Quora Really Have All the Answers? |last= Rivlin |first= Gary |date= April 28, 2011 |publisher= Wired |access-date=2011-08-12}} with former Facebook software engineer, Charlie Cheever.{{cite web |last1=Barton |first1=Merrilee |title=Forbes 40 Under 40: Adam D'Angelo profile |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/adam-dangelo/ |website=Forbes |access-date=6 March 2025 |language=en |date=2016}} In May 2012, he invested $20 million of his own money in Quora as part of the company's $50 million Series B round of financing.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/05/14/quora-raises-50-at-400m-from-peter-thiel-dangelo-puts-20m-of-his-own-money/|title=Quora Raises $50M At $400M From Peter Thiel, D'Angelo Puts In $20M Of His Own Money|date=14 May 2012|publisher=TechCrunch}}
D'Angelo was also an early investor in Instagram before its 2012 acquisition by Facebook, Asana, a work management platform, and Lunchclub, a networking platform using artificial intelligence.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2019/10/17/adam-dangelo-quora.html|title=Q: WHAT DOES ADAM D'ANGELO WANT TO DO WITH QUORA? |first=Allison |last=Levitsky |date=17 October 2019}}
D'Angelo is the founder of an AI startup, Poe.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theinformation.com/articles/adam-dangelos-endless-quest-to-answer-everything |title=Adam D'Angelo's Endless Quest to Answer Everything |first=Arielle |last=Pardes |website=The Information}} Poe is currently integrated within Quora as well.
D'Angelo was an early advisor to Instagram prior to 2012.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/technology/instagram-founders-were-helped-by-bay-area-connections.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |title=Instagram Founders Were Helped by Bay Area Connections |work=The New York Times |date=14 April 2012 |last1=Sengupta |first1=Somini |last2=Perlroth |first2=Nicole |last3=Wortham |first3=Jenna }}
= OpenAI =
In 2018, he joined the board of directors of OpenAI. In November 2023, D'Angelo was one of four board members who voted to remove Sam Altman from his role as CEO of OpenAI.{{cite web
| last = Konrad
| first = Alex
| date = 2023-11-17
| title = These Are The People That Fired OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
| website = Forbes
| url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2023/11/17/these-are-the-people-that-fired-openai-ceo-sam-altman
| access-date = 2023-11-17
}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-quiet-silicon-valley-insider-complicating-sam-altmans-return |title=The Quiet Silicon Valley Insider Complicating Sam Altman's Return |website=The Information}} When Sam Altman returned to OpenAI, the other three board members involved in Altman's ouster resigned. D'Angelo was the only of the six original board members who remained following Altman's return.
Honors and achievements
- USA Computing Olympiad: eighth place, 2001;
- International Olympiad in Informatics: silver medal, 2002{{cite news |url= http://www.exeter.edu/documents/Exeter_Bulletin/fall_01/oncampus.html | title= Exeter Olympians |publisher= Exeter Bulletin |access-date=2011-08-12}}
- ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC): California Institute of Technology Beavers (team of 3), World Finalists 2003, 2004; North American Champions 2003; World Finals Silver Medals 2004; World Finals co-coach 2005.{{cite news |title=Standings for The 2003 ACM Programming Contest World Finals |url=http://icpc.baylor.edu/community/results-2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821182143/http://icpc.baylor.edu/community/results-2003 |archive-date=2014-08-21 |access-date=2014-06-20}}{{cite news |title=Standings for The 2004 ACM Programming Contest World Finals |url=http://icpc.baylor.edu/community/results-2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712082751/http://icpc.baylor.edu/community/results-2004 |archive-date=2014-07-12 |access-date=2014-06-20}}
- Topcoder Collegiate Challenge, Algorithm Coding Competition: placed among the top 24 finalists, 2005
- Fortune magazine included D'Angelo as a runner-up in its "Smartest people in tech: Engineers", 2010.{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/technology/1007/gallery.smartest_people_tech.fortune/22.html |title=The smartest people in tech - Engineer runners-up: Cheever and D'Angelo (22) |first1=Jessi |last1=Hempel |first2=Beth |last2=Kowitt |first3=JP |last3=Mangalindan |date=July 9, 2010 |work=Fortune Magazine |publisher=CNN |access-date=2010-10-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912052634/https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/technology/1007/gallery.smartest_people_tech.fortune/22.html |archive-date=2010-09-12 }}
- Forbes List of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 (2016), number 24: Net worth $600 million.
References
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Category:California Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Businesspeople from California
Category:Phillips Exeter Academy alumni
Category:American chief technology officers
Category:21st-century American businesspeople
Category:American technology chief executives
Category:Competitive programmers