Michael Smith

Michael Smith is a serial product and engineering leader with over 25 years of experience, having held senior roles at major tech companies including Google, SwiftKey, Yahoo, Amazon, and Qualcomm, as well as multiple startups. He has a proven track record of developing market-leading products that have generated hundreds of millions in revenue, demonstrating expertise across diverse domains such as finance, mobile, machine learning, AI, embedded systems, search, online advertising, cloud, SaaS, and video. sessionize+1

Currently, Michael is the co-founder and CEO of Sagittal AI, a startup focused on automating enterprise software development lifecycles. His vision centers on reimagining AI not just as a tool, but as a teammate, to address the true challenges in team productivity by integrating AI into existing workflows and accelerating tasks from product requirements to pull requests and bug fixes. sessionize+2

Known for his strategic vision and technical depth, Michael possesses an uncanny ability to identify market opportunities and simplify complex ideas. His leadership strengths include aligning product, business, and technology goals, fostering team growth and empowerment, and a strong sense of customer empathy, which he applies to deeply understand problems rather than just responding to stated desires. sessionize+2

Michael attributes much of his professional philosophy to his early career experiences at Qualcomm, where he was inspired by the culture of engineering excellence and commercial savvy under Irwin Jacobs, and his time at UCLA where he was taught by renowned business strategy writer Richard Rumelt. These influences have shaped his commitment to human-centric management and continuous learning. maddyness