Mohammad "Mo" Gawdat (Arabic: محمد جودت) is an Egyptian entrepreneur and writer. He previously served as chief business officer for Google X and is the author of the books Solve for Happy[1][2] and Scary Smart.[3]
Mo Gawdat | |
|---|---|
 Gawdat in 2022 | |
| Born | 20 June 1967 |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Alma mater | Maastricht School of Management |
| Occupation(s) | Author, entrepreneur |
| Website | mogawdat |
Early life
editGawdat was born in Egypt, the son of a civil engineer and an English professor. He showed an early interest in technology.[4]
Career
editGawdat's background is in engineering, paired with an MBA degree from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands.[5]
He began his career at IBM Egypt as a systems engineer, before moving to a sales role in the government sector.[6] Moving to the United Arab Emirates, he joined NCR Abu Dhabi to cover the non-finance sector.[6] At Microsoft, he held various roles over a span of seven-and-a-half years.[6]
He joined Google in 2007,[7] and eventually rose to the position of chief business officer at Google X.[8]
Gawdat is the author of Solve for Happy: Engineering Your Path to Joy (2017). Dedicated to his son Ali, who died in 2014, the book outlines methods for managing and preventing disappointment.[9]
In 2021, Gawdat published Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World through Macmillan.[10]
In 2022, he published That Little Voice in Your Head: Adjust the Code That Runs Your Brain, also through Macmillan. The book presents suggestions for using the human brain optimally to thrive and avoid suffering.[11]
In 2024, Gawdat, along with co-author Alice Law, published Unstressable: A Practical Guide to Stress-Free Living.[12]
Personal life
editGawdat is separated from his wife, Nibal, whom he met at university. They have a daughter, Aya. Their son, Ali, died in 2014, after an appendectomy.[4][13]
References
edit- ^ Blair, Olivia. "One man's mathematical formula for happiness", The Independent, 11 April 2017.
- ^ Tucker, Ian (30 April 2017). "Google's Mo Gawdat: 'Happiness is like keeping fit. You have to work out'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ "Book Review". eandt.theiet.org. 4 October 2021.
- ^ a b Rifkind, Hugo (29 September 2021). "Can this man save the world from artificial intelligence?". The Times.
- ^ Spiegelberger, Sophie (10 August 2021). "DIE KONSTRUKTION VON GLÜCK". Forbes.
- ^ a b c "Mo Gawdat". speakersacademy.com.
- ^ "Meet Mo Gawdat, the AI expert who wants you to chill out". British GQ (Conde Nast). 26 June 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Emergency Episode: Ex-Google Officer Finally Speaks Out on the Dangers of AI! – Mo Gawdat | E252, June 2023, retrieved 1 October 2023
- ^ Joung, Frank (19 December 2017). "Formel für Zufriedenheit "Glück ist, wenn das Gehirn die Klappe hält"". Spiegel Online (in German). Retrieved 22 December 2017.
- ^ "Scary Smart". panmacmillan.com. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Gawdat, Mo (26 May 2022). That Little Voice in Your Head: Adjust the Code that Runs Your Brain. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-5290-6615-9.
- ^ "Unstressable: A Practical Guide to Stress-Free Living". Goodreads. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Clifford, Catherine (24 August 2018). "This former Google X exec reverse engineered happiness — here's what he found". NBC News.