# Fred Luddy

> Fred Luddy is the software engineer who founded ServiceNow in 2004, two weeks before his 50th birthday, starting with a single laptop after losing a $35 million fortune in the Peregrine Systems accounting fraud. Originally launched as Glidesoft, the company grew into a cloud workflow giant worth well over $100 billion. A self-taught programmer who dropped out of Indiana University, Luddy served as ServiceNow CEO until 2011, then steered product and an advisory role. He later gave $60 million to Indiana University, whose computing school now bears his name, and turned to philanthropy in rare childhood genetic disease and spreadsheet innovation.

- **Role:** Founder and Board Member, ServiceNow
- **Organizations:** ServiceNow, Peregrine Systems, Amdahl Corporation, Enterprise Software, San Diego Aviators, World TeamTennis, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Indiana University
- **From:** New Castle, Indiana, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Attended (left early to pursue computer programming), Indiana University Bloomington
- **Known for:** Founded ServiceNow, which grew into a cloud computing leader worth well over $100 billion, Built the fastest-growing enterprise software company to organically reach more than $10 billion in annual revenue, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2011)

## Career timeline

- **1972** — At 17, wrote his first program at Modernfold Doors, automating an order-entry system for a frustrated coworker
- **1970s-1980s** — Worked at Amdahl Corporation
- **1980s** — Co-founded Enterprise Software
- **1990-2003** — Spent roughly 13 years at Peregrine Systems, serving as Chief Technology Officer and building an asset-management product
- **2004** — Lost his ~$35M net worth when Peregrine Systems collapsed in an accounting fraud
- **2004** — Founded ServiceNow (originally Glidesoft) two weeks before his 50th birthday, working from a laptop at home
- **2004-2011** — Served as CEO of ServiceNow
- **2011** — Stepped aside as CEO, recruiting Frank Slootman to scale the company; focused on product development
- **2016** — Moved into an advisory role at ServiceNow
- **2018-2022** — Served as Chair of the ServiceNow board
- **2019** — Gave $60M to Indiana University for an AI initiative; the school was renamed the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering
- **2025** — Joined the Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

## Achievements

- Founded ServiceNow, which grew into a cloud computing leader worth well over $100 billion
- Built the fastest-growing enterprise software company to organically reach more than $10 billion in annual revenue
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2011)
- Indiana University Bicentennial Medal (2020)
- Horatio Alger Award (2023)
- $60M gift to Indiana University - the school of computing now bears his name
- Funded and named Luddy Hall at Indiana University Bloomington

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Joined the Salk Institute for Biological Studies Board of Trustees; focused on spreadsheet innovation and rare childhood genetic disease
- **2023-10** — Net worth estimated at roughly $1.2 billion; received the Horatio Alger Award

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-luddy-0304039

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/fred-luddy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-29