Mark Johnson is an experienced product leader for organizations both tiny and large. He has a track record of translating complex technologies into usable and successful products. Currently, he is CEO and cofounder of Descartes Labs, a New Mexico-based startup focused on advancing the science of forecasting with massive datasets. Previously, he was CEO of Zite. After starting as an advisor to the company, he helped them to pivot to a successful personalized iPad magazine and was asked to take over as CEO. Just five months later, he sold Zite to CNN. Before Zite, he was a product manager who trained at SAP and then plunged into three successful search startups: SideStep (acquired by Kayak for $180M in December 2007), Kosmix (acquired by Walmart in April 2011), and Powerset (acquired by Microsoft in July 2008).
