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Jared Smith

Jared Smith

J. Smith
0% | + $0.00M
$1.42 B ₹ 12,924 Cr
Real Time Net Worth #2619 Ranking as of 21 Feb 2026 By Forbes

More on Jared Smith

Gender

Male

Age

47Y

Country

United States

Born On

January, 1979

Deceased

No

Relationship Status

Married

Children

4

Education

Unknown

Designation Info :

Self-Made

Yes

Entrepreneur Type

Self-Made (Software)

Primary Organization

Qualtrics

Titles

Co-Founder

Sources of Wealth

Qualtrics

Industry

Technology, Software

About Jared Smith


J ared Smith is an American self-made billionaire and a co-founder of Qualtrics, a leading experience management software company. He co-founded the company in 2002 with his brother, Ryan Smith, and their father, Scott, from the basement of their family home in Utah. They bootstrapped the company for its first decade, building a powerful survey and data analytics platform.

Qualtrics' software allows organizations to collect and analyze feedback from customers and employees to improve their products and services. While his brother Ryan was the charismatic CEO and public face of the company, Jared was a key technical leader, playing a crucial role in building the company's product. In 2018, just days before its planned IPO, they sold the company to the German software giant SAP for a massive $8 billion. The company was later spun out of SAP in a successful IPO, before being taken private again by private equity firms. Jared's founding stake is the source of his massive fortune.

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Quick Reads


  • A co-founder of the software company Qualtrics.
  • Founded the company with his brother Ryan and his father Scott in their basement.
  • Qualtrics is a leader in the experience management (XM) software market.
  • Sold the company to SAP for $8 billion in 2018.
  • He and his family bootstrapped the company for over a decade.

Early Life and Background


Jared Smith is an American businessman, the self-made billionaire Co-founder and former President of Qualtrics, a leading experience management (XM) software company. His wealth is rooted in the high-growth cloud computing and enterprise software sector.

Smith co-founded Qualtrics in 2002 in Provo, Utah, with his brother, Ryan Smith (CEO), and his father, Scott Smith (a BYU professor). His academic background is distinguished: he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the London School of Economics (LSE). His career is defined by his commitment to innovation in enterprise software and the management of customer and employee experience data.

  • Qualtrics (Co-founder & Former President): The core wealth generator, a dominant experience management (XM) software company. Acquired by SAP for $8 billion in 2019, and then by Silver Lake/CPP Investments for $12.5 billion in 2023.
  • Software Innovation: His company built the leading platform for managing customer and employee experience data.
  • Academic Background: He holds a B.S. from the London School of Economics (LSE).
  • Family Governance: He co-founded the company with his father and brother, Ryan Smith (who later became owner of the Utah Jazz).

Career Journey of Jared Smith


Jared Smith's strategic genius was his commitment to bootstrapping Qualtrics for many years, relying on minimal external funding while focusing intensely on product development and customer value. His leadership as President (while his brother Ryan was CEO) guided the company to global market leadership in the niche of experience management (XM).

The company faced two massive financial events: first, the acquisition by German software giant SAP for $8 billion in cash in January 2019 (three days before its scheduled IPO); and second, the subsequent sale to Silver Lake and CPP Investments in March 2023 for a $12.5 billion valuation. Smith owned about 14 percent of the company at the time of the first sale. His wealth is tied to the colossal, successive monetization of the technology asset and his long-term vision in cloud software.

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Jared Smith's Timeline


2002:

Co-founds Qualtrics with his brother Ryan and father Scott in Provo, Utah (Founding).

2019 (January):

Qualtrics is acquired by SAP for $8 billion in cash (Major Exit 1).

2023 (March):

Qualtrics is acquired by Silver Lake and CPP Investments for $12.5 billion (Major Exit 2).

Ongoing:

Continues as a major investor and co-founder (Executive Oversight).

Major Business Ventures and Investments


Jared Smith's wealth is concentrated in the liquid capital generated from the $8 billion SAP acquisition and the $12.5 billion Silver Lake/CPP sale of Qualtrics.

  • Qualtrics (Co-founder & Former President): The core wealth generator, a dominant experience management (XM) software company. Acquired by SAP for $8 billion in 2019, and then by Silver Lake/CPP Investments for $12.5 billion in 2023.
  • Software Innovation: His company built the leading platform for managing customer and employee experience data.
  • Academic Background: He holds a B.S. from the London School of Economics (LSE).
  • Family Governance: He co-founded the company with his father and brother, Ryan Smith (who later became owner of the Utah Jazz).

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Philanthropy and Social Impact


Jared Smith's social impact is structural, stemming from Qualtrics' role in providing essential experience management software for global corporations, fundamentally improving customer satisfaction and employee engagement metrics. The company provides thousands of stable jobs in the technology and cloud computing sectors.

His personal philanthropy supports various educational and community initiatives in Utah. His structural contribution is tied to the successful creation and monetization of a global enterprise software category (XM).

Fashion, Style, and Lifestyle


Jared Smith maintains the professional, high-energy style of a technology executive. His attire is consistently modern and high-quality, favoring tailored business casual wear. His aesthetic reflects confident, data-driven authority, typical of a leader in the cloud software sector.

Residing in Provo, Utah, his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to technology investment, software innovation, and the long-term pursuit of data analytics and AI solutions.

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Quotes and Philosophy


No publicly available quotes.

Fun Facts & Trivia


  • He co-founded Qualtrics, which was sold twice (SAP for $8B, then Silver Lake for $12.5B).
  • He holds a B.S. from the London School of Economics (LSE).
  • He owned about 14 percent of the company at the time of the first sale.
  • His brother, Ryan Smith, is the owner of the Utah Jazz (NBA).
  • The company was bootstrapped for many years before its first major funding round.
  • He is a self-made billionaire in the cloud computing industry.
  • His wealth is tied to the successful creation and monetization of the Experience Management (XM) software category.

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Sources & References


This profile is compiled from verified biographical and financial records:

  • Wealth Data: Real-time tracking and historical data from Forbes Billionaires and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
  • Biographical Records: Educational and career history sourced from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and official university alumni directories.
  • Regulatory Filings: Shareholder and executive disclosures from stock exchange databases, including HKEX, SSE, SZSE, and SEC EDGAR.
  • Corporate History: Primary data from annual company reports, founding charters, and verified press announcements.

All information is cross-referenced with public sources for accuracy; some narrative sections are AI-assisted summaries.

If you find any inaccuracies, please report them to admin@redcarpetlife.in

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