Jim Rutt (born 1954) is an American businessman and entrepreneur, the former CEO of Network Solutions, and the former chairman of the Santa Fe Institute.[2]

Jim Rutt
Rutt on Rebel Wisdom in 2021
Born
James P. Rutt

1954[1]
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forNetwork Solutions, Santa Fe Institute, snail mail

Early life

edit

In 1975, Rutt received a bachelor's degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1][3] He later ran technology operations for Thomson Corporation.[1]

Business career

edit

Rutt was the CEO of Network Solutions, an American technology and Internet company.[4] He was hired in 1999 during the dot-com boom, and negotiated the company's $15 billion acquisition by Verisign, where it continued operating as an independent subsidiary.[5][6] In March 2001, after the acquisition, he subsequently stepped down from his position as a Verisign executive.[1] After retiring, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson appointed Rutt to serve on the State Investment Council.[7] In 2014, Rutt co-founded a makerspace in Staunton, Virginia with software engineer Dan Funk.[2]

Activities

edit

In 1981, Rutt was the first to use the term "snail mail" to describe conventional mail services, in contrast with email.[8] Rutt is a trustee of the Santa Fe Institute,[9] a multi-disciplinary research organization, and was its chairman before retiring in 2012.[2] He does research into the scientific study of consciousness and artificial general intelligence.[10]

He hosts a podcast called The Jim Rutt Show.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Schwartz, John (April 23, 2001). "TECHNOLOGY; Internet 'Bad Boy' Takes on a New Challenge". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Williams, Megan (June 5, 2014). "Staunton 'makerspace' gives anyone a high-tech workshop". News Leader. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Jim Rutt". Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. George Mason University. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Network Solutions appoints new CEO". CNET. January 2, 2002. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  5. ^ "VeriSign buys domain firm". CNN. March 7, 2000. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  6. ^ Walker, Leslie (June 22, 2000). "James Rutt, Chief Executive Officer Network Solutions". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  7. ^ "GOV. RICHARDSON APPOINTS JIM RUTT TO STATE INVESTMENT COUNCIL". Highbeam. US Fed News Service. Archived from the original on 2016-05-05.
  8. ^ Creeber, Glen; Martin, Royston (December 1, 2008). Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0335221974.
  9. ^ "Jim Rutt | Santa Fe Institute". www.santafe.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  10. ^ "Jim Rutt". Santa Fe Institute. Santa Fe Institute. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
edit