# Ryan Smith

> Ryan Smith is the American co-founder and executive chairman of Qualtrics and chairman and CEO of Smith Entertainment Group. He helped build Qualtrics from a Provo basement into an international experience-management business, led it through its $8 billion SAP acquisition, and later expanded into Utah sports ownership with his wife Ashley, including the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Executive Chairman at Qualtrics; Chairman and CEO at Smith Entertainment Group
- **Organizations:** Qualtrics, Smith Entertainment Group, Utah Jazz, Utah Mammoth, Halo Experience Company
- **From:** Eugene, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in management, Brigham Young University
- **Known for:** Helped build Qualtrics from a bootstrapped startup into an international enterprise software business., Led Qualtrics through the $8 billion SAP acquisition completed in 2019., Acquired majority ownership of the Utah Jazz with Ashley Smith in 2020.

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Co-founded Qualtrics in Provo with Scott Smith, Jared Smith, and Stuart Orgill.
- **2012** — Qualtrics raised $70 million from Accel and Sequoia after approximately a decade of bootstrapping; Smith declined a $500 million acquisition offer.
- **2016** — Completed his BYU management degree; included in Fortune’s 40 Under 40.
- **2018** — SAP announced an $8 billion agreement to acquire Qualtrics in November.
- **2019** — SAP completed the Qualtrics acquisition on January 23; Smith continued to lead the company.
- **2020** — Ryan and Ashley Smith acquired majority ownership of the Utah Jazz; NBA approval came December 18.
- **2021** — Qualtrics completed its Nasdaq IPO in January while SAP retained majority control.
- **2023** — Silver Lake and CPP Investments completed their Qualtrics acquisition on June 28.
- **2024** — The NHL approved a Utah franchise owned by Smith Entertainment Group in April.
- **2025** — Co-launched Halo Experience Company with Ryan Sweeney; Utah Hockey Club became Utah Mammoth in May.
- **2026** — Appeared at the September Qualtrics XM Data & AI Platform launch to discuss sports venue customer experiences.

## Achievements

- Helped build Qualtrics from a bootstrapped startup into an international enterprise software business.
- Led Qualtrics through the $8 billion SAP acquisition completed in 2019.
- Acquired majority ownership of the Utah Jazz with Ashley Smith in 2020.
- Brought an NHL franchise to Utah through Smith Entertainment Group in 2024.
- Included in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in 2016.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Qualtrics’s launch-event replay identifies Smith as co-founder and executive chairman and includes his discussion of customer experiences at Utah sports venues.
- **2025-05** — Utah’s NHL team adopted the permanent Utah Mammoth name after its inaugural season as Utah Hockey Club.
- **2025-04** — Smith and Ryan Sweeney launched Halo Experience Company, focused on technology and the experience economy.

## Links

- Website: https://www.qualtrics.com/author/ryan-smith/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-smith-3417901
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/RyanQualtrics

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ryan-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15