2024 UX Speaker Series
Matt Shobe
Startup Founder & Entrepreneur
matthewshobe.com
JANUARY 4, 2024
4 - 5 P.M.
Gowen Hall, room 301
Confessions of an Optimist
There is a lot of hand-wringing and pearl-clutching about AI in the world of UX (and of course beyond). I don't have all the answers; I'm not even sure I have six of them. But I do have some thoughts for you at the start of what is sure to be an exciting and at-times baffling 2024, The Next Year in AI.
Matt Shobe is currently an entrepreneur-in-residence at Seattle’s Pioneer Square Labs, a startup fund and incubator. Prior to PSL, Matt established a Seattle engineering office for Rebellion Defense, and before that he co-founded and served as Chief Product Officer at Mighty AI, an AI data management startup (acquired by Uber). Before relocating to Seattle in 2009, Matt spent a decade with three other co-founders building three Chicago startups—FeedBurner (acquired by Google 2007), Spyonit, and DKA—and learned the ground rules in his first user experience roles at Accenture and Microsoft. He holds an M.S. in Human Centered Design & Engineering from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Professional Writing from Purdue University. Matt is an avid distance runner, private pilot, and downhill skier, although no such triathlon exists (yet).
The UX Speaker Series is hosted Thursdays in Winter Quarter by the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. Presentations are open to the public.