Image of Emil Michael

Emil Michael

Person

Tech executive and investor mentioned as a collaborator in funding quantum computing initiatives.


First Mentioned

3/8/2026, 11:21:36 PM

Last Updated

3/8/2026, 11:42:52 PM

Research Retrieved

3/8/2026, 11:24:03 PM

Summary

Emil G. Michael is an Egyptian-born American businessman and government official who serves as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (also referred to as the Under Secretary of War) in the Trump administration. Born in Cairo in 1972, Michael built a prominent career in Silicon Valley, most notably as the Chief Business Officer at Uber from 2013 to 2017, where he was instrumental in scaling the company's valuation to $70 billion and raising nearly $15 billion in capital. He previously held leadership roles at Tellme Networks and Klout. In his defense capacity, Michael works directly under Pete Hegseth and has been a central figure in the administration's 'War with Iran' (Operation Epic Fury) and efforts to secure geopolitical leverage over China. He is a vocal advocate for the integration of autonomous drones and directed energy weapons into the U.S. arsenal and has led the Department of Defense's efforts to regulate AI providers, notably labeling Anthropic a supply chain security risk while praising the cooperation of OpenAI, Google, and Elon Musk's Grok.

Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Education

    B.A. from Harvard University; J.D. from Stanford Law School

  • Full Name

    Emil G. Michael

  • Date of Birth

    1972-09-19

  • Place of Birth

    Cairo, Egypt

  • Political Party

    Republican

  • Current Position

    Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

  • Capital Raised at Uber

    $15 billion (USD)

  • Former Corporate Roles

    CBO at Uber, COO at Klout, Executive at Tellme Networks

Timeline
  • Born in Cairo, Egypt. (Source: Wikidata)

    1972-09-19

  • Joined Tellme Networks as an executive after leaving Goldman Sachs. (Source: Web Search Results)

    1999-06-01

  • Tellme Networks sold to Microsoft for approximately $800 million. (Source: Web Search Results)

    2007-01-01

  • Joined Uber as Chief Business Officer, overseeing global expansion and capital raising. (Source: Web Search Results)

    2013-01-01

  • Klout, where Michael served as COO, was sold to Lithium Technologies for $200 million. (Source: Web Search Results)

    2014-01-01

  • Departed Uber following a period of rapid growth and corporate controversy. (Source: Web Search Results)

    2017-06-01

  • Announced as Donald Trump's nominee for Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2024-12-01

  • Assumed office as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2025-05-20

Emil Michael

Emil G. Michael (Arabic: إيميل مايكل ; born September 19, 1972) is an Egyptian-born American businessman. Michael was previously the senior vice president of business and chief business officer at Uber, and the chief operating officer of Klout. In December 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Michael as Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Web Search Results
  • Emil Michael Biography | Booking Info for Speaking Engagements

    Beyond his corporate achievements, Michael is an angel investor and strategic advisor to over 50 startups worldwide, leveraging his extensive experience in business growth, corporate culture, and international market expansion. Committed to philanthropy, he supports various organizations, including the Innocence Project, and serves on the board of Design Miami and as an advisory board member at Culture Shift Labs. Holding a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School, Emil Michael's journey from immigrant roots to tech mogul is a compelling narrative of determination, innovation, and leadership. [...] More About Emil Michael ## Emil Michael Biography One of the tech world's most accomplished leaders and businessmen, Emil Michael is widely recognized for his pivotal role in scaling Uber into the most valuable private tech company in history. As the former Chief Business Officer at Uber from 2013 to 2017, he was instrumental in increasing the company's valuation from $350 million to $70 billion and led its expansion from 50 to over 1,000 cities across 70 countries. Currently, he serves as the Chairman and CEO of DPCM Capital, guiding the company's strategic direction while maintaining active roles on several tech company boards including D-Wave and Loft. [...] Emil Michael's career is marked by significant achievements in negotiation and capital raising, having been central to securing nearly $15 billion in capital for Uber alone—the most raised by any private startup in history. His strategic acumen is also evident in his steering of Uber's merger with Didi Chiuxing in China and his role in establishing impactful partnerships with major corporations like American Express, AT&T, and Toyota. Furthermore, Michael initiated UberMilitary, a successful program that has generated over $300 million for more than 50,000 military veterans and members.

  • Emil Michael - Wikipedia

    | Emil G. Michael | | Official portrait, 2025 | | Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering | | Incumbent | | Assumed office May 20, 2025 | | President | Donald Trump | | Preceded by | Heidi Shyu | | | | Personal details | | Born | (1972-09-19) September 19, 1972 (age 53) Cairo, Egypt | | Party | Republican "Republican Party (United States)") | | Education | Harvard University (BA) Stanford University (JD) | | Occupation | Businessman | | Known for | Executive at Uber | | Website | emilmichael.com | Emil G. Michael (Arabic: إيميل مايكل ; born September 19, 1972) is an Egyptian-born American businessman. Michael was previously the senior vice president of business and chief business officer at Uber, and the chief operating officer of Klout. [...] apologetic tweets, claiming that Michael's comments did not represent the company's views. The controversy made national news and stirred criticism of Uber. Michael later apologized for his words. [...] After law school, Michael served as an Associate in the Communications, Media and Entertainment Investment Banking Group at Goldman Sachs in New York. He also worked on merger and hostile takeover advisory projects and equity and bank debt financing. He left Goldman Sachs in 1999. Michael was an executive at internet-telephony startup Tellme Networks for nine years, from June 1999 until 2008. Tellme was a forerunner of speech recognition technology. The company was sold to Microsoft for approximately $800 million in 2007.

  • Emil Michael Speaking Fee, Schedule, Bio & Contact Details

    Please contact us for pricing ## Emil Michael Biography Emil Michael is one of technology’s most highly regarded business executives, having built three successful companies: Tellme Networks (sold to Microsoft in 2007), Klout (sold to Lithium Technologies in 2014), and Uber. [...] Michael was also part of the early team of Tellme Networks, a pioneer in speech recognition technology, highly regarded for weathering the technology bust of 2000 and for building a sustainable and profitable business. Michael helped Tellme Networks raise over $250 million in venture capital and advancing its sale to Microsoft in 2007 for nearly $800 million. [...] Prior to Uber, Mr. Michael was Chief Operating Officer of Klout, where he was crucial in scaling the social media analytics company. Klout sold to Lithium Technologies for approximately $200 million in 2014. Before joining Klout, Michael served as a White House Fellow working for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as a Special Assistant. During his tenure at the Pentagon, he ran projects in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, as well as implementing a department-wide budget-cutting effort aimed at increasing efficiency, reducing overhead, and streamlining bureaucracy.

  • Keynote Speaker Emil Michael Speaking Fee and Information

    More About Emil Michael Emil Michael is one of technology’s most highly regarded business executives, having built three successful companies: Tellme Networks (sold to Microsoft in 2007 for $800 million), Klout (sold to Lithium Technologies in 2014 for $200 million), and Uber. He was named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” and is on the short list of Silicon Valley visionaries. He is a contributor to Forbes, and a frequent guest on CNBC’s TechCheck and other national and global media sites and podcasts. Michael currently serves as Chairman and CEO of DPCM Capital and serves on the boards of D-Wave, Homebound, Loft and Workrise. [...] From 2013-2017, Michael was Chief Business Officer at Uber. His tenure was marked by the company’s explosive rise from a valuation of $350 million to $70 billion, expansion from 50 to over 1,000 cities and 70 countries and growing from 200 to over 15,000 employees. Michael led the company’s efforts in China and incubated its business-to-business offering, Uber for Business. He played a pivotal role in raising nearly $15 billion dollars in capital from investors globally, the most raised by any private startup in history. Michael also led the merger of Uber’s China operations with key competitor, Didi Chiuxing. He established international partnerships with companies including American Express, AT&T, Daimler, Tata Motors, and Toyota. Michael also facilitated several critical acquisitions [...] From 2013-2017, Michael was Chief Business Officer at Uber. His tenure was marked by the company’s explosive rise from a valuation of $350 million to $70 billion, expansion from 50 to over 1,000 cities and 70 countries and growing from 200 to over 15,000 employees. Michael led the company’s efforts in China and incubated its business-to-business offering, Uber for Business. He played a pivotal role in raising nearly $15 billion dollars in capital from investors globally, the most raised by any private startup in history. Michael also led the merger of Uber’s China operations with key competitor, Didi Chiuxing. He established international partnerships with companies including American Express, AT&T, Daimler, Tata Motors, and Toyota. Michael also facilitated several critical acquisitions

  • Emil Michael, the Silicon Valley exec turned Trump official leading ...

    The battle between the DOW and Anthropic raises two important questions: How will the Trump administration and AI giants work together going forward? And who is Michael, the man who is making decisions on behalf of the biggest AI customer on the planet? Pete Hegseth (left) and Emil Michael (right) walk together ## Who is Emil Michael? Born in Egypt but raised in the United States, Michael attended Harvard University as an undergraduate and earned a law degree from Stanford. He began his career with a quick stint at Goldman Sachs as an associate in the communications, media, and entertainment investment banking group, before jumping into tech at Tellme Networks in 1999, a voice-recognition company that he helped run before it was acquired by Microsoft in 2007 for roughly $800 million. [...] Michael returned to Silicon Valley where, following a brief run at social media analytics company Klout, he joined Uber in 2013 as chief business officer and a close lieutenant to CEO Travis Kalanick. Over the next four years, he helped orchestrate one of the most aggressive expansions in corporate history, in which Uber raised nearly $15 billion and saw its valuation soar to roughly $70 billion. During his time at Uber, Michael became a member of Pentagon’s Defense Business Board, an advisory group that shares best practices from the private sector with government agencies. At the time of his appointment, he was the only board member with tech startup experience. [...] Michael left Uber in 2017, but made some news of his own along the way. Three years before his departure, BuzzFeed reported that he had “outlined the notion of spending ‘a million dollars’” to hire four top opposition researchers and four journalists to look into the personal lives of journalists who covered Uber and its executives. That same year, while in Seoul, Michael and several Uber executives (including Kalanick) visited a “hostess-escort karaoke bar” where female hostesses were presented to the group, according to accounts later reported to Uber’s human resources department. Four men selected hostesses and remained at the venue to sing karaoke. At least one female Uber manager in the group said the situation made her uncomfortable and filed a complaint with HR roughly a year

Location Data

Zahnarzt Michael Tummers, 41, Emil-Fischer-Straße, Euskirchen, Kreis Euskirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, 53879, Deutschland

dentist

Coordinates: 50.6610592, 6.7993149

Open Map