PeopleofSuperintelligence

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Emil Michael

Emil Michael is a former Uber business chief who now helps direct U.S. defense research and engineering, including its applied AI priorities. Born in Egypt and raised in the United States, he studied government at Harvard and law at Stanford before moving from investment banking into speech technology. After service as a White House Fellow, he held business roles at Klout and Uber. TIME included him in its 2026 TIME100 AI Thinkers list.

Timeline

  1. 1990s

    Studying government and law

    Born in Egypt and raised in the United States, he graduated from Harvard with a government degree in 1994 and Stanford Law School with a J.D. in 1998. He then joined Goldman Sachs' communications, media and entertainment investment banking group.

  2. 1999–2007

    Joining a speech startup

    He moved to Tellme Networks in 1999, helping run the voice-recognition company before Microsoft acquired it in 2007.

  3. 2009–2011

    Serving the defense secretary

    As a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, he managed projects in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.

  4. 2012–2017

    From Klout to Uber

    He became Klout's chief operating officer in 2012, joined Uber in 2013 as chief business officer and left in 2017.

  5. 2026

    A TIME100 AI Thinker

    TIME named him a 2026 TIME100 AI Thinker and listed him as Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and Department of Defense CTO.

  6. Since May 2025

    Directing defense innovation

    Sworn in on May 20, 2025, he serves as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and Department of Defense CTO, providing direction and oversight for DoD research, development and prototyping, including DARPA and the Missile Defense Agency. His office lists applied artificial intelligence among its six critical technology areas.

Sources and credits

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  1. Emil Michael en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Who is Emil Michael, the Trump official leading the war against Anthropic? fortune.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. HON Emil Michael | DIU diu.mil. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Quem é a única brasileira na lista da Time dos 100 mais influentes em IA exame.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Honorable Emil Michael sworn in as Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering) cto.mil. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. News – Page 3 – DoW Research & Engineering, OUSW(R&E) cto.mil. Checked 14 October 2026.