Ray Ozzie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ray Ozzie
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Ray Ozzie at the Web 2.0 Conference
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| Born | November 20, 1955 |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| Known for | Chief Software Architect, Microsoft Lotus Notes |
| Spouse(s) | Dawna Bousquet |
| Children | Neil Ozzie Jill Ozzie |
Raymond "Ray" Ozzie (born November 20, 1955) is an American computer expert. He is famous for creating important software. He worked as a top software leader at Microsoft from 2005 to 2010. Before that, he was best known for helping to create a program called Lotus Notes.
Contents
Early Life and Learning About Computers
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Ray Ozzie grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He later moved to Park Ridge, Illinois. He finished high school in 1973. In 1969, when he was just 14, he started learning how to program computers. He used big computers called mainframes and even an early desktop calculator.
In 1979, he earned a degree in computer science. He studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While there, he worked on a special computer system called PLATO. This system helped people learn and communicate online.
Ray Ozzie's Career Journey
Ray Ozzie started his career at a company called Data General Corporation. He then worked at Software Arts. This company was known for creating VisiCalc, one of the first spreadsheet programs.
Creating Lotus Notes
Later, Ray Ozzie joined Lotus Development. He helped develop a program called Lotus Symphony. In 1984, he left Lotus to start his own company, Iris Associates. There, he created Lotus Notes. This program was a big deal because it helped people in different places work together. It was like an early version of today's team collaboration tools. Lotus later bought Iris Associates in 1994.
Joining Microsoft
After working for Lotus and IBM, Ray Ozzie started a new company called Groove Networks in 1997. Microsoft bought Groove Networks in 2005. This is when Ray Ozzie joined Microsoft as one of their top technology officers.
In 2006, Ray Ozzie took over a very important job. He became the Chief Software Architect at Microsoft, taking over from Bill Gates himself. This meant he was in charge of Microsoft's overall software strategy.
New Projects at Microsoft
In 2008, Ray Ozzie announced Microsoft Azure. This was a big new project for Microsoft. Azure is a "cloud computing" service. It lets people and businesses store data and run programs over the internet, instead of on their own computers.
He also helped create other projects. One was "Live Mesh," which won an award in 2009 for being a great technology innovation. In 2009, he started FUSE Labs. This lab focused on new ways for people to connect and share online, especially on phones and the web.
Ray Ozzie left Microsoft at the end of 2010.
After Microsoft
After leaving Microsoft, Ray Ozzie continued to work on new ideas. In 2011, he helped start a non-profit group called Safecast. This group collects and shares environmental data.
In 2012, he started a company called Talko Inc. Talko made mobile apps to help business teams communicate, especially using voice. He sold Talko to Microsoft in 2015. The goal was to add Talko's features to Microsoft's Skype program.
Ray Ozzie also joined the board of directors for Hewlett-Packard in 2013. He still serves on the board of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In 2020, he started a new company called Blues Wireless. This company works on technology for the "Internet of Things" (IoT). IoT connects everyday objects to the internet.
Awards and Recognition
In 2004, Ray Ozzie was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was a big honor. He was recognized for creating online collaboration tools like Lotus Notes.
See also
In Spanish: Ray Ozzie para niños
- Windows Pioneers
