James Willis

James Richards is an experienced technology executive with a substantial background in software engineering and leadership. Currently serving as CTO at Udacity since May 2016, James has previously held roles as VP Engineering and Director of Engineering within the same company. Prior to Udacity, James managed teams at Nest Labs and held multiple engineering leadership positions at LinkedIn, contributing to various features including groups and member profiles. James began the career at IBM and has gained extensive experience in software development, including roles at DemandTec and E Patterns, where innovative technologies were developed and implemented. James holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from UC Santa Barbara.