Adam Smith (media executive)
Adam Smith | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Title | Chief Product & Technology Officer, Disney Entertainment and ESPN of The Walt Disney Company (2024–Present) |
| Predecessor | Aaron LaBerge |
Adam Smith is an American businessman who serves as the Chief Product & Technology Officer at The Walt Disney Company as of September 3, 2024.
Early life
He received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley.[1]
Career
Smith had been at Google and YouTube for more than 20 years, up until 2024 when he became the Chief Product & Technology Officer and The Walt Disney Company. At YouTube, Smith was Vice President of Product Management for YouTube[2] and helped build its consumer-facing products, such as Music and Premium offerings, to over 100 million subscribers, along with leading Global Content and Product across kids, sports, news, and education. He also served as the regional head for Asia-Pacific. At Google, he led development and strategy for a series of products including Google Fiber, Google APAC, and other products that include Google Books, Google News, Google Finance and Google Scholar. Smith also previously held roles at Random House/Bertelsmann.[3][4][5]
On September 3, 2024, Smith was named Chief Product & Technology Officer and The Walt Disney Company to succeed Aaron LaBerge. Smith's role oversees the company’s global Product and Technology group, which spans Disney’s entertainment and sports media businesses. Smith's responsibilities will include "setting the strategy, development and innovation of technology across Disney’s streaming platforms and networks, its advertising tech and 'consumer digital touchpoints'".[6] Smith is said to report to Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.[3][5]
In June 2025, Disney announced layoffs that affected Smith's organization, which amounted to under 2% of the group. The layoffs were motivated by rebalancing resources.[7]
Personal life
Adam lives in San Francisco with his wife and family.[1]
References
- 1 2 "Adam Smith". Redefine Alliance. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- ↑ Weprin, Alex (2024-08-15). "Disney Hires YouTube Veteran Adam Smith In Key Tech Role for Entertainment and ESPN". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
- 1 2 Hayes, Dade (2024-08-15). "Disney Names YouTube And Google Vet Adam Smith Chief Product & Technology Officer, Disney Entertainment And ESPN". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- ↑ Aswad, Jem (2022-11-10). "Who's Who at YouTube Music?". Variety. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- 1 2 Maas, Jennifer (2024-08-15). "Disney Names YouTube's Adam Smith Chief Product and Technology Officer for Entertainment Operations and ESPN". Variety. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- ↑ Weprin, Alex (2024-08-15). "Disney Hires YouTube Veteran Adam Smith In Key Tech Role for Entertainment and ESPN". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- ↑ Moses, Lucia. "Disney laid off staff as it rebalances product, tech resources". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
