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Thomas M. Siebel

Also known as Thomas Siebel

Thomas Siebel is a technology entrepreneur whose AI work centers on C3, the enterprise AI company he founded in 2009. He earned degrees in history, business, and computer science at Illinois, designed OASIS at Oracle, and founded Siebel Systems, which merged with Oracle in 2006. At C3, he steered the business from energy conservation toward data management, machine learning, and enterprise AI. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences inducted him in 2013; he published Digital Transformation in 2019 and gave $50 million in 2024 to establish Illinois’s Siebel School of Computing and Data Science. In September 2025, he became C3 AI executive chairman; he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2026, resumed the CEO role in May 2026, and serves as chairman.

Now at
C3 AI
Born
1952
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1952–1985

    Chicago and Illinois degrees

    Born in Wilmette, Illinois, in 1952, he earns a B.A. in history in 1975, an M.B.A. in 1983, and an M.S. in computer science in 1985 at the University of Illinois.

  2. 1984–2006

    Oracle, OASIS, and Siebel Systems

    He holds senior Oracle management roles from 1984 through 1990 and designs OASIS in 1987 to streamline the sales force’s lead generation and accounting. After Oracle, he leads Gain Technology and sells it to Sybase in 1992. In 1993, he founds Siebel Systems as a sales force automation company; it merges with Oracle in January 2006.

  3. 2009–2016

    C3 pivots to enterprise AI

    He launches C3 in 2009 and steers it from energy conservation toward data management, machine learning, and an enterprise AI platform. In 2016, C3 Energy becomes C3 IoT and offers cloud computing, data analytics, AI, and machine-learning applications.

  4. 2013

    American Academy election

    In 2013, he is inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

  5. 2019–2024

    Digital Transformation and Illinois

    He publishes Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction in 2019. In May 2024, he gives $50 million to establish the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at Illinois.

  6. September 2025

    Executive chairman at C3 AI

    C3 AI appoints Stephen Ehikian as CEO, effective September 1, 2025, and Siebel moves to executive chairman. He focuses on partner relationships, strategic customers, and product direction.

  7. 2026

    National Academy of Engineering

    In 2026, he is elected to the National Academy of Engineering for developing customer relationship management software and contributing to engineering talent development.

  8. Since May 2026

    C3 AI chairman and CEO

    On May 8, 2026, he resumes C3 AI’s CEO role and continues as board chairman. As of October 2026, he is C3 AI’s chairman and CEO.

Career

  1. Since 2009C3 AIFounder, Executive Chairman
  2. 1993–2006Siebel SystemsFounder
  3. 1990–1992Gain Technology
  4. 1984–1990OracleSenior management

Education

  1. 1985University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignB.A. in history; M.B.A.; M.S. in computer science

From the biography.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Oracle. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorateIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorate. Across 2,116 people with both an undergraduate degree and a doctorate recorded, we trace which undergraduate schools feed which doctoral programs, how often students stay at the same school, and how paths differ by birth-country region.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. The Man Who Sees Around Corners forbes.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Thomas M. Siebel | The Grainger College of Engineering | Illinois grainger.illinois.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Thomas M. Siebel - Leadership - Harvard Business School hbs.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. C3 IoT: Enabling Digital Industrial Transformation | Stanford Graduate School of Business gsb.stanford.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Thomas Siebel Chair in Computer Science | Siebel School of Computing and Data Science | Illinois siebelschool.illinois.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Leadership: Meet Our Team | C3 AI c3.ai. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Thomas Siebel Makes $50 Million Gift to establish the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science | University of Illinois Foundation uif.uillinois.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. C3 AI Announces Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Financial Results c3.ai. Checked 20 October 2026.
  9. Nine Grainger engineers and affiliates elected to prestigious National Academy of Engineering | The Grainger College of Engineering | Illinois grainger.illinois.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  10. C3 AI Announces Preliminary Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2026 Results; Thomas M. Siebel Resumes Role of Chief Executive Officer c3.ai. Checked 20 October 2026.
  11. C3 AI Announces Fiscal First Quarter 2027 Results c3.ai. Checked 20 October 2026.