About Brad Smith
Brad Smith, former Chairman and CEO of Intuit, has spoken at multiple QuickBooks Connect events between 2014 and 2018, where he discussed the company's strategy, product innovations, and the role of small businesses in the economy. At the 2014 event, Smith described Intuit's goal to be "the operating system behind small business success" and highlighted features such as QuickBooks financing, which he said had increased loan acceptance rates from 60% to 70% by using business data rather than FICO scores. He also stated that small businesses had created 60% of new jobs since the beginning of the recession and that if one in three small businesses hired one more employee, it would eliminate unemployment in the U.S. In 2015, Smith announced a $100 million fund for QuickBooks financing and said the company had facilitated over a quarter of a billion dollars in loans. He also noted that the company had testified before Congress as an advocate for self-employed workers.
In a 2018 interview, Smith said he heard from customers that they valued connecting with one another, new product launches such as practice management, and innovations in payments, payroll, and capital access. He stated that "people don't care what you know until they know that you care" and expressed optimism about the company's future. In other appearances, Smith discussed Intuit's operating values, including a "70-20-10" resource allocation model and a "delight pyramid" for product design. He described an experiment where engineers developed a mobile feature allowing users to photograph tax documents for automatic data entry, which he said became a significant growth driver for TurboTax. Smith also spoke about his upbringing in West Virginia and his education at Marshall University, stating that leadership involves being true to oneself and playing to one's strengths.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Brad Smith's recent appearances.
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✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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He's actively putting together an A-plus leadership team, has embraced the shared governance model so critical to Marshall's long-term success. He also understands that our public university plays an important part in the economic development throughout the region.
Good morning to all of you. It's so nice to have you all here. To the Marshall Board of Governors, the faculty, the cabinet, and everybody who makes Marshall special, it is a special day for all of us. And you can tell it really matters what the politics — Brad being Republican, not being a Democrat, but being a West Virginian always through and through — made the difference in the advice he gave me. And I was able to look forward to working with you to make Marshall an even greater university. Congratulations and best of luck on your every venture. Enjoy your special day.
And somehow we're looking at artifacts, and I find myself standing. Our new president has the ability to get things done. He is not hesitant to try new things. He is not afraid to get down in the trenches with physical labor, as we witness nearly daily during the summer community.
To meet Queen Elizabeth, I was so excited. I heard she was coming for the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, 1607, 2007. I was a brand new governor, so I called my friend Tim Kaine, the governor.
Mission and creed, and in accordance with the Marshall University vision, mission, and creed, so help me God. Congratulations.
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Brad Smith3:50
I want to thank all of my extended family members and the community members. Each of you are indeed the house that built me. Each of you played a major part in bringing me to this moment. The theme of my message this morning is a theme of time. According to Wikipedia, time is a sequence of events that occurs in a seemingly irreversible sequence from the past to the present and into the future. I can tell you there are many life lessons that center around time, such as the notion of buying time. And let me just put the facts on the table: it's not lost on me that my investiture today was planned nine months after I started the job. So it appears to me I've been placed in a shopping cart for further reflection. So I thank you for hitting the buy now button officially this morning. Today, September 16th, is my late dad's birthday. And I chose this date in honor of the example and the sacrifice that my dad and my mom made for me and my brothers. Their commitment led each of us to attend and graduate from Marshall University, making us the first generation in our immediate family to do so. My dad and my mom recognized education is the great equalizer; it levels the playing field of opportunity for all, and their sacrifice paved the way for this moment. I proudly wear this ring to remind me of the future they enabled for me and my brothers, and for the responsibility I have to pay it forward. I will tell you my life plans did not include another leadership role after I stepped down from private industry out in California, but a series of unforeseen events altered those plans, starting with the decision of my dear friend and predecessor Dr. Jerry Gilbert when he chose to step down. That was followed by a call from an executive recruiter informing me that someone had submitted my name as a candidate. Now that led to intensive research, self-reflection, countless hours of discussions with sitting and former university presidents, with family members and friends, and they all suggested that my life's journey had prepared me to play a role in the work that lies ahead, not only in higher education but in this great institution at Marshall. Our time is now. We are strong. Our students need us. Our community needs us. The state of West Virginia needs us. And the greater global society needs us. And quite frankly, we have everything it takes to lead the way. Let us answer the call. Let us be the change we seek in the world, serving as a prosperity platform for generations to come. Thank you for the privilege of being a part of this amazing journey with you. God bless you all. God bless the great state of West Virginia. Go Herd.
