Early Life
Thomas M. Siebel was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 20, 1952. He was one of seven children. Siebel earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, an MBA, and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He later received an honorary doctorate in engineering from the same institution.
Rise to Success
Siebel's career includes significant roles at Oracle Corporation from 1984 to 1990. He then founded Siebel Systems in 1993, which rapidly became a leader in CRM software. Oracle acquired Siebel Systems in January 2006. Following this, he founded C3 AI in 2009, focusing on enterprise artificial intelligence. C3 AI went public in December 2020.
Key Business Strategies
Siebel's strategies include a focus on enterprise AI solutions and digital transformation. C3 AI offers a suite of applications for developing and deploying AI applications. Siebel's management approach encourages employee education, offering programs like the University of Illinois's online Master of Computer Science (MCS) degree through Coursera, with incentives like salary increases and bonuses upon completion.
Philanthropy
Siebel is actively involved in philanthropy through the Siebel Foundation. His philanthropic efforts support education, health, drug prevention, and initiatives for the homeless. He has donated millions to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and established the Siebel Scholars Foundation. The Siebel Foundation has also supported the Montana Meth Project.