# Brian Solis

> Brian Solis is a digital anthropologist, 9x bestselling author, and Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow who has spent three decades decoding how emerging technology reshapes business and human behavior. He coined 'Digital Darwinism,' co-created The Conversation Prism (one of the internet's first viral infographics), and has advised Oprah, Shaq, Ashton Kutcher, and more than 1,000 startups. Named a World's Top Futurist for 2026 by Global Gurus, his current Augmented IQ framework - introduced at SXSW 2026 - argues that the real AI opportunity is not productivity but expanding human judgment and capability.

- **Role:** Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow
- **Organizations:** ServiceNow, Salesforce, Altimeter Group, FutureWorks, Google (advisor), United Nations (advisor), LinkedIn (Official Influencer)
- **From:** Redwood City, California, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate studies, Unknown University (California)
- **Known for:** 9x bestselling author with over 60 industry research reports, Named a World's Top Futurist for 2026 by Global Gurus, Co-created The Conversation Prism (2008) - one of the internet's first viral infographics, translated into multiple languages

## Career timeline

- **~1991** — Began career at Dodge and Mansfield, a technology-focused advertising and marketing agency
- **~1993** — Founded Reality Magazine as a 23-year-old college student - a free fashion/social issues publication distributed across Los Angeles
- **~1999** — Founded FutureWorks, a consultancy for new media business strategies serving Fortune 500 companies and Web 2.0 startups
- **2007** — Published Now Is Gone, one of the first business guides for social media adoption
- **2008** — Co-created The Conversation Prism with JESS3 - one of the internet's first viral infographics mapping the social media landscape
- **2009** — FutureWorks partnered with Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst on campaigns for Oprah, Pepsi, UN, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- **2010** — Published Engage! - became a Top 10 Business Bestseller (Business Standard) and 800CEORead bestseller
- **2011** — Published The End of Business as Usual
- **~2013** — Published What's the Future of Business?
- **2015** — Published X: The Experience When Business Meets Design
- **~2016** — Joined Salesforce as VP / Global Innovation Evangelist
- **2019** — Published Lifescale; won Independent Press Award for Best Personal Growth book
- **~2022** — Joined ServiceNow as Head of Global Innovation, working with Chief Innovation Officer Dave Wright on ServiceNow Futures
- **2024** — Published Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future (USA Today bestseller)
- **2025** — Delivered Opening Keynote at ISE 2025; named Top AI Leader in Retail for 2026 by Rethink Industries; opened the AI Summit: Agentic Singularity
- **2026** — Named a World's Top Futurist by Global Gurus; delivered SXSW 2026 keynote 'Augmented IQ: Scaling Human + AI Potential' (first SXSW keynote in 7 years); keynoted Baker Hughes (Florence), AustralianSuper Technology Summit (Melbourne), Standard Bank Blue Flame Gala (Johannesburg), Restaurant Leadership Conference, Synthesia Live, and DE{CODE} 2026

## Achievements

- 9x bestselling author with over 60 industry research reports
- Named a World's Top Futurist for 2026 by Global Gurus
- Co-created The Conversation Prism (2008) - one of the internet's first viral infographics, translated into multiple languages
- Coined 'Digital Darwinism' - now one of the most widely cited phrases in digital transformation
- Forbes: 'One of the more creative and brilliant business minds of our time'
- Named Top AI Leader in Retail for 2026 by Rethink Industries
- Mindshift named a USA Today bestseller
- X: The Experience When Business Meets Design named to BookAuthority's Best Customer Experience Books of All Time
- Independent Press Award for Best Personal Growth book (Lifescale, 2019)
- Over 700,000 followers across social platforms
- Official LinkedIn Influencer
- Ad Age Power 150 Top 10 blog ranking
- Advised Oprah Winfrey, Shaquille O'Neal, Ashton Kutcher, and 1,000+ startups
- Consulted for Fortune 500 companies and early-stage startups including Uber, Airbnb, and TripIt
- Keynoted on every inhabited continent

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Keynoted DE{CODE} 2026 alongside Liza Adams in an AI-heavy program for the WP Engine developer community
- **2026-04** — Delivered keynote 'Beyond AI Automation: Designing the Future of Work, Learning, and Communication' at Synthesia Live
- **2026-04** — Keynoted the Restaurant Leadership Conference on 'Transforming the C-Suite with AI'
- **2026-04** — Published 'Future of Health: Why Health and Communication are at Risk with AI, and without Augmented Intelligence' on briansolis.com
- **2026-04** — Published 'Beyond Digital Transformation, The AI-First Business Revolution' arguing for venture-capital-style thinking in AI strategy
- **2026-03** — Delivered SXSW 2026 keynote 'Augmented IQ: Scaling Human + AI Potential' - his first SXSW keynote in seven years; covered by Worth Magazine
- **2026-03** — Published the Augmented IQ framework essay introducing 'cognitive darwAInism,' 'AI Slop,' the 'Hidden AI Tax,' and the #WWAID (What Would AI Do?) mental model
- **2026-02** — Named a World's Top Futurist for 2026 by Global Gurus, with the award also recognizing his book Mindshift
- **2026-02** — Keynotes at AustralianSuper Technology Summit (Melbourne) and Standard Bank Blue Flame Gala (Johannesburg)
- **2026-01** — Featured on Yahoo Creators and Jeff Barrett's podcast on becoming an 'everyday futurist'; appeared on Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People podcast describing AI as a 'cognitive exoskeleton'
- **2026-01** — Keynote at Baker Hughes Annual Meeting in Florence, Italy
- **2025-12** — Delivered Opening Keynote at AI Summit: Agentic Singularity
- **2025-11** — Published 'Rethinking Leadership and Innovation in an AI-First World' on briansolis.com
- **2025-09** — Named Top AI Leader in Retail for 2026 by Rethink Industries
- **2025-02** — Delivered Opening Keynote at ISE 2025 on AI transformation for pro AV and systems integration industry
- **2024-09** — Published Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future

## Links

- Website: https://briansolis.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansolis
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/briansolis
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/briansolistv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briansolis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebriansolis

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-solis
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26