Widely recognized as a visionary thinker and thought leader, Linda
Stone is a writer, speaker and consultant focused on trends and their
strategic and consumer implications. Her work and articles on her work
have appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Economist, The
Boston Globe, Harvard Business Review and hundreds of blogs. She speaks
frequently at corporate and industry gatherings.

Previously, she spent close to twenty years as an executive in high
technology. In 1986, she was persuaded to join Apple Computer to help
"change the world." In her 7 years at Apple, she had the opportunity to
do pioneering work in multimedia hardware, software and publishing. In
her last year at Apple, Stone worked for Chairman and CEO John Sculley
on special projects. In 1993, Stone joined Microsoft Research under
Nathan Myhrvold and Rick Rashid. She co-founded and directed the
Virtual Worlds Group/Social Computing Group, researching online social
life and virtual communities. During this time, she also taught as
adjunct faculty in NYU's prestigious Interactive Telecommunications
Program. In 2000, CEO Steve Ballmer tapped Stone to take on a VP role,
reporting to him, to help improve industry relationships and contribute
to a constructive evolution of the corporate culture. She retired from
Microsoft in 2002.

Over the years, Stone has been recognized by Upside Magazine as one of
the Upside 100 Leaders of the Digital Revolution, by I.D. Magazine as
one of the I.D. 40, and she was featured in John Brockman's book, "THE
DIGERATI," which described her as a visionary both within Microsoft and
to the industry at large.

Stone served a six year term on the National Board of the World
Wildlife Fund and is currently on the WWF National Council. She is an
advisor for the Pew Internet and American Life Project, the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force for the
Center for Worklife Policy, and is on
the Advisory Board of the RIT Lab for Social Computing. In 2002, she
was recognized as Outstanding Regional Volunteer of the Year by
F.I.R.S.T., Dean Kamen's non-profit dedicated to inspiring young people
in science and technology.

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