A rkady Volozh is a technology entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and longtime CEO of Yandex, the Russian internet giant often referred to as the "Google of Russia." A computer science graduate, Volozh began his career in the 1990s, developing search technology. This work culminated in the launch of the Yandex.ru search engine in 1997, which quickly grew to become the dominant player in the Russian-language internet market.

Under Volozh's leadership, Yandex expanded far beyond search, developing a vast ecosystem of services that includes ride-hailing (Yandex.Taxi), e-commerce, food delivery, navigation, and cloud services. He took the company public on the NASDAQ in 2011, a landmark event for the Russian tech industry. However, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Volozh's career took a dramatic turn. He was sanctioned by the European Union, which cited Yandex's role in promoting state narratives. He subsequently resigned from all his positions at Yandex, publicly condemned the invasion, and has since focused on his life outside of Russia, having moved to Israel years prior.