# JB Bakst

> JB Bakst is the founder and CEO of Chief, an AI email agent he pitches as 'the first inbox with good judgment.' A Stanford computer science grad and Manhattan native now based in Los Angeles, he cut his teeth as an early engineer at Airtable - where he obsessed over fun, delightful productivity UX - after starting out building iOS and full-stack at the six-person video-messaging startup Chime. His thesis for Chief: your email is a 12-year record of how you actually make decisions, so software should play those decisions forward rather than dump everything in a feed.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Chief
- **Organizations:** Chief, Airtable, Chime (String Theory Inc.), Stanford University
- **From:** Manhattan, New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Computer Science, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Founder and CEO of Chief, an AI email agent positioned as 'the first inbox with good judgment', Early engineer at Airtable, contributing to its product and UX during its growth years, Built iOS and full-stack engineering plus design at the early-stage startup Chime

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Begins B.S. in Computer Science at Stanford University
- **2015** — Graduates from Stanford; works at Chime, a six-person video-messaging startup, leading iOS then full-stack and design
- **2016** — Joins Airtable as an early engineer, focused on delightful productivity UX
- **2026** — Founds and leads Chief, an AI email agent; ships 'the first email agent I actually trust in my own inbox'

## Achievements

- Founder and CEO of Chief, an AI email agent positioned as 'the first inbox with good judgment'
- Early engineer at Airtable, contributing to its product and UX during its growth years
- Built iOS and full-stack engineering plus design at the early-stage startup Chime
- Stanford University computer science graduate

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Announced shipping 'the first email agent I actually trust in my own inbox' for Chief.
- **2026-03** — Opened a closed beta for Chief with a first cohort of founding members.

## Links

- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jbbakst
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jb_bakst

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jb-bakst
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-12