# Jim Payne

> Jim Payne is the co-founder and CEO of CloudX, an AI-native mobile advertising platform that treats ad monetization like code and hands the busywork to autonomous agents. An MIT-trained computer scientist and former Google product manager, he built MoPub (sold to Twitter in 2013) and MAX (acquired by AppLovin), two products that shaped how apps make money. After years investing through his firm Breakpoint Capital, he returned to building in 2025, launching CloudX with a $30M Series A led by Addition to rewire the mobile ad stack for the AI era.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at CloudX
- **Organizations:** CloudX, Breakpoint Capital, MoPub (former), MAX (former), Twitter (former), Google (former), Facet Data (former)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- **Known for:** Built MoPub into one of the largest mobile in-app ad servers before its acquisition by Twitter in 2013, Co-founded MAX, a mobile mediation product later acquired by AppLovin, Founded Breakpoint Capital, an early-stage investment firm, in 2018

## Career timeline

- **pre-2010** — Product manager at Google, working around the AdMob mobile ad network
- **2010** — Co-founded MoPub with Bryan Atwood and Nafis Jamal; served as CEO
- **2013** — MoPub acquired by Twitter (reported ~$350M in stock)
- **2014** — Left full-time role at Twitter; shifted to angel investing and advising
- **2015** — Joined Metamarkets board of directors and became Entrepreneur in Residence at Accel
- **2018** — Co-founded MAX (later acquired by AppLovin); founded Breakpoint Capital
- **2021** — Facet Data, where he was CEO, acquired
- **2025** — Co-founded CloudX with Dan Sack; launched with $30M Series A led by Addition (Nov 13, 2025)

## Achievements

- Built MoPub into one of the largest mobile in-app ad servers before its acquisition by Twitter in 2013
- Co-founded MAX, a mobile mediation product later acquired by AppLovin
- Founded Breakpoint Capital, an early-stage investment firm, in 2018
- Raised a $30M Series A for CloudX led by Addition, with DST Global, Terrain, ENIAC, Javelin and Breakpoint Capital participating
- Pioneered 'monetization as code' - representing an app's entire ad stack in files that AI agents can read and edit

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Launched CloudX out of stealth with a $30M Series A led by Addition; initial partners include Meta, Liftoff and Magnite.
- **2025-12** — Appeared on the Marketecture podcast (Ep. 152) and Two & a Half Gamers to explain 'monetization as code' and CloudX's agentic SDK.
- **2026-02** — Featured with co-founder Dan Sack in 'CloudX: The New Neutral,' discussing what comes next for mobile monetization.

## Links

- Website: https://www.cloudx.ai
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jpayne
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jimpayne

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jim-payne
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01