He/him
CEO, Sagittal AI
Michael Smith is the CEO and Co-founder of Sagittal AI. With 25 years in product and engineering leadership at Google, SwiftKey, Yahoo, and Amazon, he’s developed market-leading products generating hundreds of millions in revenue. At SwiftKey, Michael led the development of the first neural ML predictive keyboard before its acquisition by Microsoft.
Through multiple technology revolutions, Michael has developed an uncanny ability to see where others miss opportunities. His current focus - challenging how we integrate AI into products - stems from witnessing firsthand how AI solutions optimize for individual brilliance while team outcomes remain stubbornly unchanged. At Sagittal, he’s pioneering an approach that reimagines AI not as a tool but as a teammate.
Michael brings a rare combination of technical depth and strategic vision that makes complex ideas accessible without oversimplifying them.
As product leaders, we’re bombarded with grandiose claims about AI’s future capabilities. “It’ll be able to do everything soon” isn’t just optimistic - it’s a deliberately misleading narrative pushed by those with something to sell.