Writer, speaker and consultant focused on technology trends and their strategic and consumer implications
Widely recognized as a visionary thinker and thought leader, Linda Stone is a writer, speaker and consultant focused on trends and their strategic and consumer implications. Her work and articles on her work have appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Economist, The Boston Globe, Harvard Business Review and hundreds of blogs. She speaks frequently at corporate and industry gatherings.
Previously, she spent close to twenty years as an executive in high technology. In 1986, she was persuaded to join Apple Computer to help ”change the world.” In her 7 years at Apple, she had the opportunity to do pioneering work in multimedia hardware, software and publishing. In her last year at Apple, Stone worked for Chairman and CEO John Sculley on special projects. In 1993, Stone joined Microsoft Research under Nathan Myhrvold and Rick Rashid. She co-founded and directed the Virtual Worlds Group/Social Computing Group, researching online social life and virtual communities. During this time, she also taught as adjunct faculty in NYU’s prestigious Interactive Telecommunications
Program. In 2000, CEO Steve Ballmer tapped Stone to take on a VP role, reporting to him, to help improve industry relationships and contribute
to a constructive evolution of the corporate culture. She retired from Microsoft in 2002.
Over the years, Stone has been recognized by Upside Magazine as one of the Upside 100 Leaders of the Digital Revolution, by I.D. Magazine as one of the I.D. 40, and she was featured in John Brockman’s book, “THE DIGERATI,” which described her as a visionary both within Microsoft and to the industry at large.
Stone served a six year term on the National Board of the World Wildlife Fund and is currently on the WWF National Council. She is an advisor for the Pew Internet and American Life Project, the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force for the Center for Worklife Policy, and is on the Advisory Board of the RIT Lab for Social Computing. In 2002, she was recognized as Outstanding Regional Volunteer of the Year by F.I.R.S.T., Dean Kamen’s non-profit dedicated to inspiring young people in science and technology.
