Dr. James 'Jim' Howard Goodnight, Ph.D., is an American businessman, the self-made billionaire Co-founder and CEO of SAS Institute, the world's largest privately held business analytics software company. Born in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1943, his childhood included working at his father's hardware store.

Goodnight's career is rooted in applied science: he earned a Master's degree in statistics in 1968 and a Ph.D. in statistics from North Carolina State University (NC State), where he was a faculty member. His early work included writing software programs for the agricultural economics department and working on the Apollo space capsule ground stations, which shaped his views on corporate culture.

• SAS Institute (Co-founder & CEO): The core private asset, the world's largest privately held business analytics software company (specializing in data analysis, AI, and business intelligence).
• Academic Heritage: He holds a Ph.D. in statistics and was a faculty member at NC State when he founded SAS.
• Corporate Culture: His philosophy emphasizes employee welfare (shaped by experiencing high turnover at a previous job) and work-life balance.
• Philanthropy: He co-founded Cary Academy (a prep school) and advocates for STEM education and preschool funding in North Carolina.

Dr. James Goodnight co-founded SAS Institute in 1976 with other faculty members of NC State University. His strategic genius was applying statistical analysis and software to solve complex business problems. The company's SAS System became the indispensable industry standard for data analytics and business intelligence.

Under his leadership as CEO (since 1976), SAS became famous for its employee-centric corporate culture, consistently being ranked as one of the 'Best Places to Work' in the world, which he credits with attracting and retaining top talent and maximizing corporate value. His wealth is secured by the immense, long-term profitability of the privately held software giant. He also has a deep interest in rock collecting and geology, exhibiting parts of his collection on the SAS campus.

Dr. James Goodnight's social impact is structural, stemming from SAS Institute's role in providing essential business intelligence and analytics software for global corporations and governments. His profound contribution is his focus on education: he advocates for STEM funding and co-founded Cary Academy, an independent prep school.

His personal philanthropy supports various educational and community initiatives (loaning pieces from his rare rock and fossil collection to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences). His career is a testament to the profitability of disciplined applied science and employee-centric corporate management.

Dr. James Goodnight maintains the professional, academic style of a scientist-CEO. His attire is consistently formal and high-quality, favoring tailored suits. His aesthetic reflects stability and intellectual authority, befitting a multi-billionaire commanding a global software company.

Residing in Cary, North Carolina, his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to software innovation, employee welfare, and his profound passion for statistics, geology, and education.